Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Research on the Indigenized Visual Translation Mechanism of Chinese Christian Church Art from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to Modern and Contemporary Time

Yiting YuSouth China University of Technology*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Existing studies often view the dissemination of Christian church art as a one-way Western export, neglecting the acceptance process in non-Western societies and the cross-cultural visual translation. This article uses a three-layer analytical framework of "visual surface - prototype comparison - cultural interpretation" to examine the localization of Christian church art in China, and takes Beijing Nan Temple (Xuanwu Gate), Guangzhou Sanxian Cathedral, and Nanjing Saint Paul's Church as case studies to explore form rewriting, material substitution, and spatial shift. At the form level, all three retain the core Western symbols but simplify the decoration, and replace the stone arches with the Chinese wooden construction logic; at the material level, they all use local materials and adjust the craftsmanship, expressing the sacredness with local materials instead of Western stones within the local craftsmanship system; at the spatial level, all three abandon the Western religious orientation and square plane, and instead embed themselves into the urban fabric of China through courtyard or street layout. The contribution of this article lies in pointing out that localization is not a single model, but presents regional differences driven by local social, economic, political and climatic forces.

Keywords: Chinese Christian church art; indigenization; visual translation; material substitution; spatial shift
Published: August 24, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.36260
Volume: CHR Vol.120
pp. 84-97
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