Perched on a hill, the whitewashed compound in the valley west of the Jinsha River in far-flung eastern Tibet, gleams under a sky that is unbelievably clear and blue.

But this building is no ordinary Tibetan-style residence. The two crosses fixed to the outer walls, and the beautiful interior decoration featuring Gothic arches and a ceiling painted with scenes from the Bible reveal the truth: this is the Catholic church at Yanjing, also known as "yerkalo", the only Catholic church in the whole of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Upper Yanjing has a population of 900 villagers, 600 of whom are Catholics. When Catholics from other areas are included, the church boasts 740 parishioners, compared to 342 when the church was first founded.

The Tibetan priest in residence, Father Laurent, says: "The existence of the Catholic church here, with a history of over 100 years, proves that different religions can co-exist in harmony."

According to him, the Catholic church was founded in 1865 by a French missionary named Felix Biet. Born in 1838, Father Felix was twenty-five years old when he was ordained in January 1864. He set out almost immediately for Tibet, arriving in March of the same year. He became a bishop and died in September 1901.

The Catholic church in Yanjing has a three-storey bell tower which also houses the clergy, and a two-storey church where religious services are held.

Getting established in Tibet was no easy matter for the small Catholic congregation. Clashes between the Catholic church and a nearby lamasery were a regular event and they culminated in the death of Father Felix's successor, Father Maurice Tornay, in the 1940s. Armed lamas then took over the church.

The church was not returned to Catholic hands until 1951.

During the Cultural Revolution, the church compound became a primary and middle school. Some of the church's treasures were destroyed, and the roof of the church was dismantled so that the school could expand. In the late 1980s, the church was partially renovated at a cost of 102,000 yuan (about US$12,750), including 95,000 yuan of government funds.

Father Laurent's assistants in Yanjing parish are two Tibetan nuns.

There are two masses each day on weekdays and three on weekend days, with each mass lasting one hour. However, baptisms and weddings are not performed.

Lisa, an 84-year-old Tibetan woman from Upper Yanjing Village, is illiterate, but capable of reciting aloud the Tibetan version of the Holy Bible.

"Newborns are brought to the Church by their parents and are christened by the priests. They bear their Christian names all their lives and are buried in accordance with Catholic rituals when they die," said Lisa.

The church has introduced locals to new ideas and also taught them to be more tolerant of people with different religious beliefs.

"Lovers who belong to different religions no longer have to deal with opposition from their parents. They can stick to their faith when they get married," said Mary, the Tibetan nun in her 40s. "Their children will also be free to choose their own religion."

Paul, a senior editor with the editorial board of Tibetan Studies Magazine published by the Tibet Autonomous Regional Academy of Social Sciences, said: "As a matter of fact, my father is a Catholic and my mother a Buddhist."

"I have six siblings. The first three kids in the family all have Christian names like me, but the last four were given Tibetan names," said Paul.

Paul spent his childhood in Upper Yanjing Village. He nevertheless insists he believes in Marxism.

The Catholic faith in Tibet has taken on Tibetan features. For instance, Tibetan Catholics consider the Tibetan New Year, which normally falls in March, to be the beginning of the year, and recite the Holy Bible in Tibetan instead of English. They present hada, long pieces of silk used as a greeting gift among Tibetans, to the Virgin Mary, and the clergy wear Tibetan costumes, according to Priest Laurent.

The Tibetan priest says they invite parishioners from neighboring provinces or Buddhists from nearby lamaseries to celebrate occasions such as Christmas and in return are invited to attend Buddhist festivals.

"Only a small minority of believers in Tibet are Catholics. The vast majority of Tibetans are Buddhists. But despite our religious discrepancies, we all have the same nationality and lifestyle," says Gongqiu Zhaxi, director of the Upper Yanjing Village Committee. "Religious conflicts between Catholics and Buddhists were a thing of the past."

(China Daily October 2, 2006)