Our Lady of China facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Our Lady of China |
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Statue of Our Lady of China at the national shrine of Our Lady of China.
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| Location | Donglu, China |
| Date | 1900 |
| Witness | Hundreds of Christians and non Christians during the Boxer Rebellion. |
| Type | Marian apparition |
| Approval | still pending. |
| Shrine | National Shrine of Our Lady of China. |
Our Lady of China is a special name for the Virgin Mary. Many people believe she appeared in a small village called Donglu, China, in 1900. In Chinese, her name is Zhōnghuá Shèngmǔ (simplified Chinese: 中华圣母; traditional Chinese: 中華聖母). She is also known as Our Lady of Donglu.
A Special Story from 1900
In April 1900, during a time called the Boxer Rebellion, about 10,000 soldiers attacked a small village named Donglu. They wanted to harm the 1,000 Christians living there.
As the attack happened, people saw the Virgin Mary appear in the sky. She wore a white robe and shone brightly. The soldiers shot at her, but she remained unharmed.
Then, a powerful angel appeared. Witnesses believed this was the Archangel Michael. The angel flew down, surrounded by bright flames, and drove all the soldiers away from the village.
The villagers later learned that their local priest, Father Wu, had prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. To show their thanks, the people of Donglu built a church for the Virgin Mary. Sadly, this church was destroyed during World War II when it was hit by Japanese bombs.
The 1995 Event
In 1992, the Catholic Church built a new shrine to remember the 1900 events. On May 23, 1995, a large worship service was held nearby in an open field. About 30,000 people attended this special event.
During the opening prayer, people saw the sun move across the sky. It shone down rays of light in many different colors. Then, the Virgin Mary appeared in the sky, holding the baby Jesus.
Mary did not speak, but people who saw her felt a strong sense of comfort and encouragement. Many Chinese Christians were there, and their faith was difficult because of the government at the time.
Many people wanted to visit the shrine after this event. This made the Chinese government upset. The government then tried to stop people from going to the shrine, but many pilgrims still came. Because so many people kept visiting, the Chinese army destroyed the Donglu shrine. However, many other shrines dedicated to Our Lady of China still exist in China and other countries.
Images for kids
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The original statue of "Our Lady of China" was built in Yaoyang, Hebei province. It was destroyed in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution. A similar painting was made in 1989 and is now in its place.
