Only one of the preserved Orthodox churches functions in China. It is located in Harbin and is dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The rest are used as museums, showrooms, storage facilities and restaurants. Their fate is recounted in the photo exhibit, "Russian Orthodox Churches in China", that opened in St. Petersburg's Shuvalovsky Palace, reports a correspondent of "Portal- Credo.Ru".
Orthodox architecture in the present PRC is tied to the founding of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Beijing and the prolonged stay in Northeastern China of a large number of Russians: first in connection with the building of the Chinese-Eastern railroad at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, and in the 1920s - as a result of emigration.
The exposition gives an idea of the appearance of 19 of the best known churches, built in 1880-1941. Half of them were lost during the years of China's "Cultural Revolution" of 1960s. According to exhibition organizers, Chinese society nurtures the idea of restoring the St. Nicholas Church, which adorned Harbin and which was brought down by the Maoists.