The churches, which will be located in Beijing's Chaoyang and Fengtai districts, will cost 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million) and each will accommodate about 1,500 worshippers, said Hua Qian of the Beijing Religious Affairs Bureau.

Hua said requisition work is underway for the church in Chaoyang District but the bureau and local Christian council are looking for an appropriate place for the church planned in the Fengtai District.

"The churches should be in places with convenient transportation and where a lot of Protestants live," said Yu Xinli of the China Christian Council. Both projects are now being designed.

The new churches will be the first for both districts. Protestants who live in these areas now must commute to other districts for religious rites.

"With the rapid increase of Protestants, the existing churches have become very crowded," Hua said.

"When I worked at the Gangwashi Church (in western Beijing), sometimes I had to preside over five religious rites a day, and the church was always packed with at least 1,000 Protestants for each service," Yu said.

Beijing now has more than 25,000 Protestants, a significant increase over past decades. Most existing churches, boasting a history of more than 100 years, need renovations.

Beijing has spent more than 100 million yuan (US$12 million) in recent years to renovate its Protestant and Catholic churches and cathedrals. Restorations are already completed on cathedrals in Xuanwumen, Wangfujing and Chongwenmen.

Hua said this year's renovation plan includes the cathedral in Dongjiaominxiang Alley and the Beijing Pehtang Catholic Cathedral.

"The environment for worship has improved greatly compared with before when the windows were broken and the walls were weathered, " said the Rev. Peter Jianmin Zhao of Beijing Xuanwumen Cathedral. "Catholics are very happy about the changes."

During the renovations, some churches like the one in downtown Wangfujing had their walls broken down, giving people a glimpse of the once-mysterious interior of a house of Catholic worship.

"This has made it possible for churches to really be open to the public and allow the public more access to the history and related knowledge about churches," Zhao said.

"This is good for the churches. It is a sure indicator that there is religious freedom in China."

(China Daily 06/21/2001)