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Population: 143,300 residing in four towns, six townships and 123 villages Geography: Located in northernmost Taiyuan City, Yangqu County is surrounded by hills and mountains to the north, east and west, with the Fen River forming its southwest border. Yangqu’s geography is characterized by loess highlands, distinctive of north China, with its mountains covered with dense grass and forests. While the climate is very dry, Yangqu County is rich in mineral resources such as coal, iron ore, bauxite, limestone, gypsum, marble and quartz. A largely agricultural region, Yangqu’s major crops are millet, sorghum, corn, soybeans and potatoes.* Recently, Yangqu has gained new jobs and new pollution as more industries move from urban Taiyuan City into the area around the county seat. History: Yangqu County has a rich cultural heritage marked by many historical sites, such as the Buer Temple built in the Song Dynasty (420-479) and the Tripitaka Temple built first in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1911).* Yangqu County has a long history of Catholic activity, with Jesuit missionaries working in the area as early as the 1630’s. With the Emperor’s expulsion edict of 1724, all foreign church workers in the area either left or were left without reinforcements. This produced a highly indigenous form of Catholicism, as evidenced by the prevalence of small cathedrals throughout the countryside. In many villages, large numbers of families can trace their Catholicism back six or more generations. The Catholic Church today is still very influential, with prominent pilgrimage sites located throughout the county, including the Bansishan Holy Mother Shrine, and young people entering vocational ministry. In 1879, British Baptist Timothy Richard arrived to dispense famine relief in Yangqu at the provincial governor’s direction. The anti-foreign, anti-Christian Boxer Uprising of 1900 produced much suffering amongst Yangqu Christians, with many families being forced to recant for fear of attack. When Evergreen first began work in Yangqu County in 1995, there were only a handful of Protestant believers. Today, there are two registered churches in the county, with a combined membership approaching 500.
Christian Population: Catholic:12,000; Protestant: 500 |
About Us > Where We Are > Yangqu (Taiyuan Prefecture)
Primary Religion: Traditional and folk religions; Catholic 
