On October 26, 2018, the Gospel Church in Yongqiao, Suzhou, Anhui province celebrated its 110th anniversary. It is the church that Nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck attended when she lived in the city with her husband, John Lossing Buck, an agricultural missionary economist.
On the day of the celebrations, after opening a Christian art gallery that houses 35 Christian paintings and works of calligraphy, the church gave sacred music performances. Two days later a half-day retreat was held.
Founded by the Presbyterian Church in America in the late Qing dynasty, the church is a rare example in China of a palatial-style building, having been designated as such by the provincial-level cultural relics protection unit in 2012. Covering an area of 5,390 square meters (1.33 acres), the church includes two living rooms for men and women respectively, a large and a small chapel, a clergy house, and a bell tower.
In 2006 the international channel of China's state TV broadcaster CCTV sent a camera crew there to make a feature documentary.
- Translated by Karen Luo
