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Archpriest '''Alexander Du Lifu''' was the last priest of a small group of [[w:Albazinians|Albasians]] in Beijing, Chinese Orthodox who according to tradition, are descendants of five Russian soldiers who survived a war between Russia and China in the 1680s. The Emperor [[w:Kangxi Emperor|Kangxi]] was said to be so impressed by their height and good looks that he allowed them to marry ladies-in-waiting from the Forbidden City. One of the soldiers was named Dubinin, and Du is the Chinese version of the surname.
Fr. Alexander was born in Beijing on [[January 17]] 1923, was ordained to the priesthood in 1950 by the head of the mission Archbishop [[Victor (Svyatin) of Krasnodar and Kuban|Victor (Svyatin)]] of Beijing and China, and died in Beijing on [[December 16]], 2003.
==Life==
In his youth he attended the mission's school and in 1950 was ordained priest by the head of the mission, Archbishop [[Victor (Svyatin) of Krasnodar and Kuban|Victor (Svyatin)]] of Beijing and China, being later raised to archpriest. Du served in churches in Beijing before they were either closed or destroyed in 1966 as the [[w:Cultural Revolution|Cultural Revolution]] (1966-76) was unleashed. After the break between Moscow and Beijing, many Chinese Orthodox were accused of being Russian spies, among them Du's cousin, who was arrested and killed in prison.
As late as 1966, the community still lived by the city's north-eastern gate and had its own dairy business. But then their land was handed over to the Soviet Union for its embassy, and the church was turned into the embassy garage. Du took the [[Iconography|icons ]] and continued to pray in secret at home, while assigned to work until his retirement in a plastics factory.
As conditions eased in the 1980s, though deprived of an opportunity for serving because of the absence of churches, Du gave spiritual guidance to the [[w:Albazinians|Albasian]] faithful privately. Since 1997, he had participated on a regular basis in divine services conducted by visiting priests in the Russian Embassy in Beijing, although Chinese citizens are normally barred from attending.
