Church of the Epiphany: the Center of the Russian Settlement in Shanghai in 1903–1932

Founded in 1903, the Church of the Epiphany was the first outpost of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Shanghai. In 1904–1905, it responded to the refugee crisis during the Russo-Japanese War by providing housing, medical treatment and care to the Russians displaced from Port Arthur. After the crisis, it returned to its missionary activities in the Shanghai region and the operation of a mission school for the Chinese. After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the mission again became the housing and charity distribution center for the refugees from the former Russian Empire. By the time the mission buildings were destroyed in the 1932 Sino-Japanese hostilities, Shanghai’s Russian émigré community had improved its circumstances and begun its integration into the host society.