The Protestant Church on Jiangsu Road [Photo by Shi Zaohua]

Boasting a rich European architectural heritage, the coastal city of Qingdao attracts millions of visitors every year to admire the century-old Western-style buildings, and its churches, in particular, treat modern-day sight-seeing pilgrims with a feast for the eyes.

Protestant Church on Jiangsu Road

The melodious organ music drifting gently from the Lutheran Church or the Protestant Church on Jiangsu Road has lingered in the ears of many famous writers.

“Walking to the highland church alone, I watched clouds flowing in the sky and wisteria intertwined on the stone wall, with the sound of organ wafting through nearby…” Shen Congwen, who was slated to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988 but died before he could be awarded it, wrote when he was staying in Qingdao.

Designed by Kurt Rothkegel of Germany and completed on October 23, 1910, the Protestant Church of Jiangsu Road was identical to a church in Germany that was destroyed during World War II.

Covering an area of 1.297 square kilometers, the basilica also has a clock tower with three German bells.

The tradition of organ playing was adjourned during the cultural revolution (1966-76) but was revived in 2010 when centenary celebrations were held and a new organ was imported from Germany to the church.

St. Michael's Cathedral was built by the Divine Word Missionaries and designed by German architect A.Bialuch in 1934. The structure has 11,480 square meters of ground space with a total floor space of 2,623 square meters. The cathedral, which is 60 meters tall, stands at the top of a hill on Zhejiang Road in the center of the old German-built part of the city.

Legend has it that the church was originally designed to be 300 meters tall, but was cut short because Hitler prohibited funds from going overseas as part of preparations for war.

Still the largest example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the province, it resembles a 12th century German cathedral.

With twin spires, it was built using yellow granite and concrete and has a large rose-shaped window. Four large bells chime every Sunday as hundreds of Catholics attend services.

St. Michael's Cathedral [Photo by Shi Zaohua]

St. Paul’s Church

At the crossing of Jiaozhou Road and Guanxiang II Road, sits St. Paul’s Church designed by Qingdaos’ top architect at the time, Yurieff from Russia.

Constructed in red brick and wood, the Romanesque-style structure was sponsored by the Ludong Lutheran Church and has two floors with a basement, covering an area of 1,482 square meters. With semi-circular external walls at the east, west and north ends, it has a 24-meter tall square tower with 60 steps to the top.

St Paul's Church [Photo by Shi Zaohua]

Wangjiaxiahe Church

There were more than 90 Christian churches in Qingdao in the 1930s. At present more than 15 churches are operational and new churches have been built.

In 2012, a church was built near the Wangjiaxia River in Licang district. The European-style structure covers an area of 2,600 square meters. With its well-designed gardens, it neighbors the Qingdao International Horticultural Expo Park. The church holds services every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.