Orthodoxy in China: History, Current State and Prospects for Studies

The Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church officially appeared in 1956, but the history of Orthodox Christianity spreading in China goes back more than three centuries. It should be noted that during this period Christianity has taken in only a small number of Chinese. but the successes of Orthodox missionaries in this field have been even smaller than that of Catholics and Protestants. Orthodox Christianity in the territory of China mainly was professed by descendants of Albazinians and those Russians who had moved to China. Currently. the number of Orthodox in the People's Republic of China does not exceed a few thousand. However. this topic is of great interest because it is a part of the history of Sino. Western spiritual dialogue and history of Russian. Chinese cultural intersection. In addition. the spread of Orthodoxy in China has always been associated with the development of bilateral interstate relations between China and Russia.