Datong Cathedral

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This working cathedral – also called the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – is an astonishing sight once you find it and stand before its twin bell towers. Built in 1891, the church was burned down on 13 July 1900 during the xenophobic and anti-Christian Boxer Rebellion, taking a few Catholics with it; it was rebuilt in 1906. Both bell towers were destroyed in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution, but the house of worship was repaired in 1982 and 2006.

Massive construction is currently underway in the neighbourhood where the cathedral stands and the future of the structure is uncertain.

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Lǐhuáijiǎo. 李怀角

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