Believers and their unfettered choice of faith

Attending mass at Hutoumao Catholic Church every Sunday has been an indispensable part of Wang Jian's life since 1998. An administrative staff in a State-owned local transport company, Wang is one of the 1,000-odd Catholic residents of Yan'an in Shaanxi Province.

Qiao'ergou Catholic Church, the first in the city, was built in the 1930s. Now the local government plans to build a new church closer to the city center. The Qiao'ergou Catholic Church is on the Yanhe River. The Spanish missionary vacated it after the Red Army reached Yan'an in 1935 following the Long March. Yan'an was the headquarters of the Communist Party of China from 1935 to 1947.