本画册既对改革开放以来中国天主教尤其是北京教区艺术发展进行了较为全面的概述，也对自唐朝以来中国天主教艺术领域做出了全面的回顾，每一个时期、每一个亮点，都可以在书中一目了然。中国天主教艺术对于真善美的追求、对于天主教审美观念的哲理体现以及中国天主教艺术的价值结构等等都在这本书里得到了很好的体现。

Preface
Prologue
The First Chapter: The Historical Dust Blown Over (Tang Dynasty)
I. Past Events Covered with Dust in the Monument
II. Relics Falling Apart Anywhere
The Second Chapter: The Falling Star Streaks the Night Sky (Yuan Dynasty)
I. The Song under the Feet of Imperial City
II. Latin Styled Carved Stone
The Third Chapter: Searching for the Remained Imprint (Ming and Qing Dynasty)
I. The Great Efforts Jesuits Put on Enculturation
II. Reappearance and Fusion of Architecture Styles of Various Countries in China
The Fourth Chapter: Waiting for the Chance to Turn Over (the Republic of China)
I. Cardinal Celso Costantini’s Localized Reform
II. The Cradleland of Church Arts in Shanghai
The Fifth Chapter: Open Up a New Era of Transformation (Modern Times)
I. The Second Vatican Council and the Church Art
II. The Variety of Church Architectural Style
III. Catholic Music in the Traditional Cultural Style
IV. The Painting of Holy Pictures Expressed by Drawing Art of Chinese Tradition
V. The Richness and Development of Church Fine Decorations
The Final Chapter: Continuing the Unfinished Mission

Preface
The Son of God incarnated in the midst of
Jewish people and shared all the elements of
the Jewish culture. This reality provides the
source of motive as a perfect exemplar for
enculturation of the Church. Therefore, the
Catholic Church has been concerning the issue
of the relationship between the Church and
various cultures since its beginning as Jesus
Christ who completely and totally incarnates
into each and every culture and hopes to bring
the gospel of salvation to all in the ways
people of every culture are able to receive.
Each and everyone should be shined by the
inspiration of God. The Asian Bishop’s
Conference in 1974 emphasized this issue as
well. It stated that the local church should
be born in the midst of the local people. It
should be locally characterized. It should
constantly, humbly and friendly have dialogues
and communications with local people’s
tradition, culture and religion.
The art and cultural development go hand
in hand. On the one hand, the art is the
earliest companion of human’s civilization,
and it has an important role in the culture
and it is an element of the culture. The art
is an external expressive model of the
culture. On the other hand, the culture is the
source and content of the art. Different
cultures develop different arts and different
arts are like cultures pleasing to God. The
art becomes an effective carrier of the
crystallization which concretes human’s
emotions, and it leads human race to pursue
beauty and ultimately pursue toward God.
Therefore, by researching and studying art
we find a method of seeking the omnipotence of
God which is pleasing to the Lord. The
encountering of Christian faith and Chinese
cultural art has ever spurted the dazzling
light, and it has ever gone to its low ebb as
well in the vast Chinese land. The Chinese
nation has gone through trials and hardships
for as long as one hundred years from the
Opium War to the establishment of the People’
s Republic. In fact, enculturation which the
universal Church always asserts has been
challenged and tested. Missionaries from
different countries tried to be against the
authority of the Holy See for their own
purposes and benefits in China, and they
wrongly imposed European church style into the
China church. This deeply hurts the dignity of
the Chinese people.
Through out the Chinese history, many
talented people of Chinese church tried to put
their best efforts in the fulfillment of faith
’s enculturation. In 1922, Gang Hengyi was
assigned to be the first representative of the
Holy See in China. Since then, he started his
reform of enculturation, and this reform
joined together with church’s art from its
beginning. However, the reform at this time
was just lasted for a short moment. After the
establishment of the People’s Republic, the
China church stands beside its nation and
people, and chooses the way of self-
determination for its development. At this
time, Chinese church’s cultural art for
various historical reasons has been stagnated,
and such a stagnated situation has lasted for
a longer time. Until the reform and open
policy was adopted, Christian faith and the
Chinese cultural art could be able to have a
wider space for its own development. The rich
Chinese historical culture has become the
strong supporter for the union and constant
development of Christian faith and the Chinese
traditional and cultural art so that the
Chinese traditional and cultural art has
gained a great achievement and it’s breaking
through in the field of art.
We have achieved a great deal and the
breaking through in the field of art, but we
still have a long way to go in terms of
researching and studying in the field of art.
Hence, The Art of Catholic Church in China is
born. It is in a more detailed way to
summarize the entire situation of the
development of art in

本画册既对改革开放以来中国天主教尤其是北京教区艺术发展进行了较为全面的概述，也对自唐朝以来中国天主教艺术领域做出了全面的回顾，每一个时期、每一个亮点，都可以在书中一目了然。中国天主教艺术对于真善美的追求、对于天主教审美观念的哲理体现以及中国天主教艺术的价值结构等等都在这本书里得到了很好的体现。