Daqiao Church (Former Site of Fangxi Church) Introduction
During the Qing-French War, an atmosphere of xenophobia enveloped Taiwanese society, leading to the destruction of Dr. Mackay's church by rioters. The Fangxi Church is one of the four spire chapels built in 1885 after Dr. Mackay intervened and used a compensation of 10,000 taels of silver from Liu Mingchuan. Dr. Mackay considered Fangxi Church the most beautiful stone church among the many he designed. In 1915, due to an increase in congregation numbers, Elder Li Chunsheng privately donated to build a new chapel in Dadaocheng, which led to the relocation of Fangxi Church's congregants to the new site, and the church was renamed Dadaocheng Church. The old site of Fangxi was subsequently rented out for use as a Japanese language school and a cake factory, and it remained vacant until the 1950s. Mrs. Sun Lilien felt it was a pity for the site to be abandoned and encouraged the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan to rebuild the church there. Finally, a new church was completed in 1956 and began services, named Daqiao Church. The main body of the church has undergone multiple reconstructions, and today only the northern building and the outer stone walls remain as the original structure of Fangxi Church, serving as the only physical testament in Taipei of Mackay's missionary work. The robust stone walls made of volcanic rock and the classical-style pointed arch doors and windows can still be seen. On the southern side of the church, the imitation Roman columns and vase railings built with the method of washing pebbles during the factory period, along with the open flower railings made of red bricks, are visible. Next time you pass by, consider stepping in to see these cultural buildings that have withstood the test of time.
