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Daqiao Church (site of Fangxi Church)

2025-09-02
During the Franco-Chinese War, Taiwanese society was filled with a sense of exclusion, and Dr. Mackay's church was demolished by rioters. The Fangxia Church was one of four spire churches built with 10,000 taels of silver provided by Governor Liu Mingchuan as compensation, which Dr. Mackay negotiated for in 1885. Dr. Mackay considered the Fangxia Church to be the most beautiful stone church among the many churches he designed. In 1915, due to the increasing number of believers, the church space became insufficient. Pastor Li Chunsheang single-handedly funded and built a new church in Dadaochen, and the believers of Fangxia Church were relocated to the new site for gatherings, and the church was renamed Dadaochen Church. The old site of Fangxia Church was first rented out as a Japanese language school and then as a pastry factory. After it was left abandoned in the 1950s, Mrs. Pastor Sun Lian saw that the place was being wasted and encouraged the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan to rebuild a church on this site. Finally, in 1956, a new church was completed and began to hold services, named Daqiao Church. The church building has undergone several reconstructions, and today only the building on the north side and the outer stone wall remain as the original Fangxia Church, making it the only tangible witness to Dr. Mackay's missionary work in the city. You can still see the thick stone walls made of Qi li'an rock, as well as the classical-style pointed arches and windows. On the south side of the church, you can see the pseudo-Roman columns and vase railings built using the wash stone method during the pastry factory era, and the empty flower railings made of clean red bricks. Next time you pass by, you might want to take a look at these cultural buildings that have experienced the hardships of time.
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