Provided by tourism.deita.ru
Two months ago tourists from the Chinese People's Republic began to be introduced to Orthodoxy in their native language. According to information provided to news agency "Deita.RU" by the press service of the Vladivostok Diocese, the Chinese language tours were organized with the help of a parishioner of Vladivostok's Church named in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos.
Over 200 people visit the temple daily. The tourists are told about the arrangement of the church, icons, candles, rules of conduct in church, saints and divine services. A special impression is made on many guests by the icon portraying the Chinese martyred for Christ during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 and who were canonized in 1903. The tourists light candles before their sainted compatriots -- there are 202 of them.
As was noted by the priest in charge of the parish, Archpriest Rostislav MOROZ, "the idea of having Chinese language tours of the Orthodox temple did not come about accidentally. Our church is next to the hotel where the tourists stay. At first they came out of idle curiosity. Later tourist agencies decided to include a stop at and visit to the temple. But it was impossible to explain Orthodoxy and that it is an integral part of the culture of Russian people without translating theological terms into the Chinese language."