0:00:02 > 0:00:06CHINESE MUSIC
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Xin Nian Kuair Le - that's Happy New Year in Chinese.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16As the year of the horse begins, I'm in London,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21home to Britain's largest Chinese population.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26About 10% percent of the UK's Chinese citizens are Christians.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32Right next door to London's bustling Chinatown is the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36A church where, for decades, East and West have met.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41So, what better time than Chinese New Year to celebrate
0:00:41 > 0:00:46the 50th anniversary of St Martin's Chinese congregation?
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Tonight's hymns are sung by congregations gathered in St Martin's
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and by the church's English and Chinese choirs.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01There's a special Songs Of Praise performance of sacred music
0:01:01 > 0:01:06by husband and wife cello duo, Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber.
0:01:19 > 0:01:26The Chinese New Year is no different between Christian and non-Christian.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Chinese New Year is very important for Chinese people to celebrate.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33For most it's like a family get-together
0:01:33 > 0:01:38so it's as important as Christmas for Western people.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45Chinese New Year actually is a very different way of calculating the time,
0:01:45 > 0:01:51so Chinese New Year is the beginning of the lunar year.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55The Chinese New Year means family will gather together
0:01:55 > 0:01:59to celebrate the beginning of the spring.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Whether you're celebrating spring, Candlemas or Chinese New Year,
0:02:04 > 0:02:09there's a welcome for all at the landmark church on Trafalgar Square.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13As well as its many outreach missions,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16St Martin's is a church famous for its music, so let's now join
0:02:16 > 0:02:20members of both its English and Chinese speaking congregations
0:02:20 > 0:02:25reminding Christians all over the world to raise their voices in song.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15The first recorded Chinese visitor to Britain was Christian convert
0:04:15 > 0:04:21and Jesuit priest, Michael Alfonsus Shen Fu-Tsung in 1685.
0:04:21 > 0:04:28In 1805, it required an act of Parliament for a Chinese man to become a British citizen,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31making his oath of allegiance by smashing a china saucer
0:04:31 > 0:04:34to symbolise breaking with his old country.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Many of the Chinese who came here as immigrants in the mid-20th century
0:04:39 > 0:04:42were from the then British colony of Hong Kong
0:04:42 > 0:04:48and St Martin's was one of the first churches to welcome them.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50St Martin's is not just about helping people out
0:04:50 > 0:04:52when they are on the underside of life.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It's about sharing their enjoyment across all sorts of cultures
0:04:55 > 0:04:58and diverse forms of expression.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01The Chinese are very much part of that tradition.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02They run their own life,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06they run their own mission and we try to give them the support to do that.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12The Chinese congregation in St Martin's is very, very special
0:05:12 > 0:05:15because there are the old and the young
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and they gather together to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27St Martin's is one of the earliest Chinese congregations in London.
0:05:27 > 0:05:34It started in the '60s because the church is not far away from Chinatown
0:05:34 > 0:05:38which is home for the Hong Kong community.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Most of them work in restaurants or takeaways
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and most of them do not finish until one or two in the morning,
0:05:47 > 0:05:52or sometimes not even until three o'clock before they go to bed.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Owing to these unsocial working hours,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01the Chinese service at St Martin's has traditionally been held in the afternoon
0:06:01 > 0:06:06to allow the worshippers a well-earned lie in before church.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14Later in the '70s, we started rapidly growing into a congregation
0:06:14 > 0:06:18with around 300 people here.
0:06:18 > 0:06:26Most of them were not Christian but they came here just for comfort and for fellowship.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Later they went to the service and then became Christians.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The charity that runs the Chinese community centre
0:06:37 > 0:06:40is based in the new development underneath St Martin's.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45It's called the Bishop Ho Ming Wah Association.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48The name was given to Bishop Hall of Hong Kong by the Chinese people
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and means "he who understands the Chinese".
0:06:52 > 0:06:58It was the bishop who first sent the Reverend SY Lee over to St Martin's in the mid-1960s
0:06:58 > 0:07:01to start ministering to the Chinese.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The Lee family are still connected with the church.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11I think Grandfather will probably smile down on us!
0:07:11 > 0:07:15But he would be happy that we have done our best
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and have developed with society's needs.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21It is essentially the elderly, they come to the charity
0:07:21 > 0:07:27and they come here for luncheons and socialising and their t'ai chi classes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30There are English classes for everybody.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36Also there's Chinese classes for the younger generation, including myself.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Basically, I've been part of St Martin's for my whole life
0:07:42 > 0:07:44because my parents got married there
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and I was baptised with my sister
0:07:47 > 0:07:49and then confirmed there and I have been there ever since.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I worship there every Sunday.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56For a second-generation Chinese person like myself,
0:07:56 > 0:08:02what's important has been the link to the Chinese culture and the language
0:08:02 > 0:08:07because the service is conducted in both Cantonese and English.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Sometimes, if you miss something in one language, you can catch it in the other.
0:08:14 > 0:08:20At St Martin's, seeing so many people of different cultures and languages coming together,
0:08:20 > 0:08:28it makes you feel that we are all part of one family and in one faith and believing in one God.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Also that there are no barriers to our faith.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Christians may have visited China as early as the 7th century
0:10:46 > 0:10:52but, between the 13th and 16th centuries, first Franciscan and Dominican Friars
0:10:52 > 0:10:57and then the Jesuits preached the gospel to the Chinese.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Christians were, at times, the Emperor's favourites,
0:10:59 > 0:11:04or at least tolerated, but sometimes they were persecuted.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07By the early 1800s,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11the first Protestant missionaries arrived in China.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17Rev Robert Morrison was the first to translate the Bible into Chinese.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20But now, many Chinese Christians are bringing the good news
0:11:20 > 0:11:23of Christianity back to the West.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I am a full-time missionary,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30working with Chinese Overseas Christian Mission.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32This mission was founded
0:11:32 > 0:11:37in 1950 with the vision to bring the good news of Jesus Christ
0:11:37 > 0:11:42to the Chinese people living in the UK and Europe.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47'We started to realise that the harvest today actually was the seeds
0:11:47 > 0:11:51'sown by those early missionaries going to China sacrificially,
0:11:51 > 0:11:56'giving and sharing the love of Jesus Christ with so many Chinese people.
0:11:56 > 0:12:03'So, we just felt like now it is the time for us to pay the debt back.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Our Chinese churches in the UK and Europe usually view Chinese New Year
0:12:09 > 0:12:14as a good time to do evangelistic work because it is a good time
0:12:14 > 0:12:21to invite people around for celebration in the church with the church family.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26We will be also able to not only physically be in union with your family members on the Earth
0:12:26 > 0:12:32but actually help people to think about the reunion with the Father in heaven.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39The Christian faith appeals to me not as a religion or as an idea
0:12:39 > 0:12:43but basically it is about a relationship.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I see this as an opportunity to bring this faith,
0:12:47 > 0:12:53this faith in Jesus Christ, to them, introduce them to the love of Christ
0:12:53 > 0:12:58so that they can find the purpose of their life in Christ.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01A lot of people are just after material things.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06They think the wealthier you are, the richer you are, the better you are.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11People are busy with chasing after all this wealth, success and fame,
0:13:11 > 0:13:17and they don't have enough room to think about some deeper and bigger questions in their lives.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58This beautiful church takes its name
0:15:58 > 0:16:01from the 4th-century saint Martin of Tours.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06On a cold winter's day, St Martin, a Roman soldier,
0:16:06 > 0:16:11cut his cloak in half to share with a stranger who appeared as a beggar.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14That night, the stranger returned to him in a dream
0:16:14 > 0:16:16as Christ wearing the half cloak saying,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20"For as much as you did it for the least of these, you did it for me."
0:16:22 > 0:16:25The spirit of this great saint lives on.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28From the earliest times, St Martin-in-the-Fields
0:16:28 > 0:16:32has helped the needy, the homeless, and welcomed the stranger.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34In fact, since the early 20th century,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38it's been known as the church of the ever-open door.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42The famous vicar Dick Sheppard started St Martin's mission
0:16:42 > 0:16:44to the homeless during World War I
0:16:44 > 0:16:48by opening the church to soldiers on their way to the front.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Sheppard later opened the doors to the world
0:16:52 > 0:16:56when he broadcast the very first church service on the BBC,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59from here, 90 years ago.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01And now, the Chinese congregation,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04who were invited to share this church 50 years ago,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07are celebrating another fulfilment of Christ's words.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10"I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Bible Society and other Christian missions estimate
0:20:06 > 0:20:10that, in today's China, the world's most populous country,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13there may be as many as 200 million Christians.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16But the Communist Party, who have ruled since 1949,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19claim that there are fewer than 20 million.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25In the 1960s and '70s, during the Cultural Revolution,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27all religions were forbidden.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31But religious activity, restricted to places of worship only,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34has been officially tolerated by the atheist state
0:20:34 > 0:20:36for the last few decades
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and Chinese Christianity is rapidly becoming
0:20:38 > 0:20:40the world's fastest-growing faith.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Soprano Chen Wang was brought up atheist,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50but became a Christian as a student in the UK.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54At the beginning of the study time, I was quite lonely and homesick
0:20:54 > 0:20:59and I, soon, I met the Christian students and friends
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and I went to church
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and they are really loving and giving and generous.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I was curious where this love comes from.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13And then, I want to find out,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18so I just started to attend their Bible Study
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and did lots of activities with them
0:21:20 > 0:21:24and then, I find out God is the source of love.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30We are all made in image of God,
0:21:30 > 0:21:35so no matter I'm Chinese or you're English or, you know,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37there are different nationalities,
0:21:37 > 0:21:42we're all naturally attracted to our creator.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46God is love and he is eternal
0:21:46 > 0:21:50and he has a plan for everyone.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And for me, it really teaches me
0:21:53 > 0:22:00that it is my responsibility to really guard my gifts well
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and, as God gave me the singing voice,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and to develop it, to really discipline myself
0:22:06 > 0:22:09so in order to...I can use it well
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and to serve him and serve people.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58World-renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber is married to Jiaxin,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01who's from a Chinese Christian family.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Touring as a cello duo,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07the couple illustrates how classical music can be a channel
0:24:07 > 0:24:09for international relations.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12All countries are very keen to develop business
0:24:12 > 0:24:17and trade with China, but it shouldn't only be about that.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19It's very important, I think, to have cultural links as well
0:24:19 > 0:24:23and I think music is really the ultimate link
0:24:23 > 0:24:27between a mind of a composer and going through the performer
0:24:27 > 0:24:30and then going on and bringing that to an audience,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34and there's something very spiritual about the whole process.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I think at your best moments of playing,
0:24:37 > 0:24:42you do feel that there's something almost taking you over.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44And what does it feel like, you know,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47playing this religious music together?
0:24:47 > 0:24:52Oh, definitely, I feel more calm and more peaceful.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57My parents are both religious, so I'm quite familiar with that
0:24:57 > 0:25:01so, to me, it's quite a close feeling to me.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Your father wanted to play the cello?
0:25:05 > 0:25:07He always wanted to be a musician,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10especially wanted to play cello, but at that time,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12because of the Cultural Revolution,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14they couldn't do any Western music,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17so that was his dream.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19So my dad really wanted me
0:25:19 > 0:25:21to be a musician,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23especially a cellist,
0:25:23 > 0:25:24so when I was six,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26he decided to take me to a teacher.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32I think it means to them a lot, because they see their dream
0:25:32 > 0:25:36kind of come true, because that was their dream.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So especially when I was on stage
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and also when they listen to the CD we made,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46they're just so moved then, so... I'm sure they're very, very happy.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48I hope so.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40God, the holy Trinity, in your diversity we see
0:28:40 > 0:28:43the glory of difference, detail and delight.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Send your spirit on the families of the nations
0:28:49 > 0:28:51that each in their particularity
0:28:51 > 0:28:57may reflect the detail of your son's incarnation in whose name we pray.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58Amen.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28St Martin's is famous for the practical Christianity at its heart.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31For its British and Chinese congregations,
0:29:31 > 0:29:33and the many tourists of all faiths and none
0:29:33 > 0:29:36who are welcomed through its door every day,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39this is so much more than just a beautiful and historic building.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43This church is made from living stones.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29Next week, David takes a nostalgic look at Sunday schools
0:33:29 > 0:33:33and hears how they've been enjoyed by every generation.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Bill Kenwright explains why they're even responsible
0:33:35 > 0:33:37for Everton Football Club.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Plus there's favourite Sunday school hymns
0:33:39 > 0:33:41sung by our School Choirs Of The Year.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43You won't want to miss it.