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Xujiahui Catholic Cathedral

It was the most historical Catholic Cathedral in Shanghai; it was the worst sound system

On Sunday morning we took a short taxi to Xujiahui Catholic Cathedral, which is at the western end of the French Concession. This Cathedral was originally known as St. Ignatius Cathedral and was built in 1904 by the Jesuits. Notice the different color of the Gothic spires in the photos below? The spires were lopped off during the Cultural Revolution according to the "Lonely Planet Guide to Shanghai." The Cathedral has been restored and in fact was declared as a historical landmark worthy of preservation in 1989 by the Shanghai People's Government. We enjoyed the first song that was sang in English. However, the rest of the service was in Chinese. Even with the sound system it was difficult for me to understand the sermon due to the mandarin spoken with a heavy Shanghainese accent. After the service we walked around a little bit before taking the metro at the Xujiahui metro station. It was later that I found out my mother's sister will be moving to this area by the end of 2002. This is a popular neighborhood prospering with new apartment complexes and department stores.