Daqiao Church (Former site of Fangxi Church) Introduction
During the Qing-French War, an atmosphere of xenophobia permeated Taiwanese society, and Dr. Mackay's church was demolished due to the opposition of rioters. The Fangxi Church was one of the four spire chapels built in 1885 after Dr. Mackay intervened, using a compensation of 10,000 taels of silver from Governor Liu Ming-chuan. Dr. Mackay considered the Fangxi Church to be the most beautiful stone church among the many he designed. In 1915, due to an increase in the number of worshippers, Elder Li Chunsheng independently donated for the construction of a new chapel in Dadaocheng. As a result, the congregation of Fangxi Church moved to the new site, and the church was subsequently renamed Dadaocheng Church. The old location of Fangxi was later rented out as a Japanese language school and a cake factory, and it remained vacant until the 1950s when Pastor Sun Lih-lien felt it was a shame to let the site waste away. She encouraged the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church to rebuild the church there. Ultimately, a new church was completed in 1956 and began holding meetings, named Daqiao Church. The main church structure has undergone multiple reconstructions, and today only the northside building and outer stone walls remain from the original Fangxi Church, serving as the only physical testament to Dr. Mackay's missionary work in northern Taipei. You can still see the thick stone walls built with coral rocks, as well as the classical-style pointed arches and windows. On the south side of the church, remnants from the cake factory era include a faux Roman column and vase railing built using a wash stone technique, as well as open flower railings made from red bricks. Next time you pass by, you might consider coming in to see these cultural buildings that have withstood the test of time.
