Daqiao Church (Original Site of Fangxi Church)

During the Sino-French War, Taiwanese society was pervaded by an anti-foreign atmosphere, leading to Dr. Mackay's church being opposed by rioters and demolished. Fangxi Church was one of four spired chapels built by Dr. Mackay in 1885, after he negotiated for and received ten thousand taels of silver in compensation from Imperial Envoy Liu Mingchuan. Dr. Mackay considered Fangxi Church to be the most beautiful stone church among all those he had designed. In 1915, as the number of congregants grew and the church space became insufficient, Elder Li Chunsheng single-handedly donated funds for a new chapel in Dadaocheng. Consequently, the Fangxi Church congregants moved to the new site for services, and the church was renamed Dadaocheng Church. The old Fangxi site was subsequently rented out, first as a Japanese language school and later as the Baoxiangzhai pastry factory. It then lay dormant until the 1950s, when Reverend Lillian Dickson, lamenting its desolation, encouraged the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan to rebuild a church at the site. Ultimately, in 1956, the new church was completed and began holding services, named Daqiao Church. The main body of the church has undergone multiple reconstructions; today, only the northern building and outer stone wall remain as part of the original Fangxi Church structure, serving as the only physical testament to Mackay's missionary work remaining in Taipei City. One can still see the thick stone walls built from Qilian rock, along with classical pointed arched doors and windows. On the south side of the church, one can see imitation Roman columns and vase-shaped balustrades constructed with a washed aggregate finish from the pastry factory period, alongside hollow floral balustrades made of exposed red brick. Next time you pass by, why not step inside and explore these cultural buildings that have weathered the test of time.