Sacred Heart Church, Dagongsuo

Dagongsuo Church (大公所天主堂, Dàgōngsuǒ Tiānzhǔtáng) stands in Gangyan (港沿, Gǎngyán) on Chongming Island (崇明岛, Chóngmíng Dǎo). It is the church that Shanghai’s gazetteer treats as the centre of Catholic life on the island, and it looks like a Chinese hall rather than a Gothic church.

How old is the Dagongsuo mission?

The Shanghai Religion Gazetteer says the station was founded in 1677 by the Belgian Jesuit Philippe Couplet (柏应理, Bǎi Yīnglǐ). Activity paused under the eighteenth-century bans. In 1843 a parishioner named Xu Maoqian raised money to rebuild, and from 1845 French Jesuits, led by Father Ge Bida, revived the mission from Dagongsuo. By 1900 Chongming had 59 churches and chapels and over 10,000 Catholics.

Why a Chinese-style building?

The church you see was rebuilt in 1916 under an Italian Jesuit, Father Miao Yangshan (苗仰山). It is a seven-bay hall with thirteen beams, in Chinese timber form, and it holds about 1,000 people. The patron is the Sacred Heart. In front stands a bell tower 27 metres high; the gazetteer says its bell could be heard ten li away.

From mission to local church

From 1920 the dean of Chongming lived at Dagongsuo and oversaw four parishes: Shangsha, Zhongsha, Xixiasha and Xiasha. In August 1926 Chongming’s Catholic affairs went to the new Haimen diocese, led by Bishop Zhu Kaimin (朱开敏, Zhū Kāimǐn), one of the first six Chinese bishops. A Chinese priest, Huang Huilie, became dean, which ended foreign missionary administration on the island. Since 1958 it has belonged to the Shanghai diocese.

Closure and reopening

Services stopped in the Cultural Revolution. The building was damaged and used as a commune hall. A Mass was held in July 1981, and repairs followed, including a rebuilt bell tower. A reopening ceremony took place at Christmas 1983.

What to look for

Stand in front to see the tall tower and the long, low Chinese hall behind it: the hall’s seven bays are in Chinese form. Notice the scale; it was made for 1,000 people.