Timeline of Orthodoxy in China

The History of Orthodoxy in China is recent when compared to that of the Orthodox Church as a whole. While there is archaeological evidence of Christianity reaching western China in the seventh and eighth centuries in the form of the heretical Nestorian form, and even earlier speculative evidence to as early as the first to third centuries, historically the beginnings of Orthodox Christianity in China is traced from the seventeenth century.

• 1651 - Russian Cossack Erofey (Geoffery) Khabarov founded the fort/town of Albazin on the Amur River.
• 1665 - Church of the Resurrection and monastery founded in Albazin.
• 1685 - Chinese capture Albazin. Group of Albazin Russians, including Priest Maxim Leontiev, are re-settled to Beijing by Chinese.
• 1695 - Consecration of Hagia Sophia Church in Beijing recognized by Ignatius, Metropolitan of Tobolsk.
• 1689 - Treaty of Nerchinsk established Amur River as boundary between Russia and China.
• 1716 - Archimandrite Ilarion (Lezhaisky), with staff, arrives in Beijing as head of the first Russian Orthodox Mission.
• 1717 - Archimandrite Ilarion (Lezhaisky) reposed in Beijing.
• 1729 - Archimandrite Antony (Platkovsky) arrives as head of the second Mission.
• 1736 - Archimandrite Ilarion (Trusov) arrives in Beijing as head of the third Mission.
• 1741 - Archimandrite Ilarion (Trusov) reposed in Beijing.
• 1745 - Archimandrite Gervasy (Lintsevsky) arrives in Beijing as head of the fourth Mission.
• 1755 - Archimandrite Amvrosy (Yumatov) arrives in Beijing as head of the fifth Mission.
• 1771 - Archimandrite Amvrosy (Yumatov) reposed in Beijing.
• 1771 - Archimandrite Nikolai (Tsvet) arrives in Beijing as head of the sixth Mission.
• 1781 - Archimandrite Ioakim (Shishkovsky) arrives in Beijing as head of the seventh Mission.
• 1794 - Archimandrite Sofrony (Gribovsky) arrives in Beijing as head of the eight Mission.
• 1807 - Archimandrite Iiakinf (Bichurin) arrives in Beijing as head of the ninth Mission, became an imminent sinologist.
• 1821 - Archimandrite Peter (Kamensky) arrives in Beijing as head of the tenth Mission.
• 1830 - Hieromonk Veniamin (Morachevich) arrives in Beijing as head of the eleventh Mission.
• 1840 - Archimandrite Policarp (Tugarinov) arrives in Beijing as head of the twelfth Mission.
• 1850 - Archimandrite Pallady (Kafarov) arrives in Beijing as head of the thirteenth Mission.
• 1858 - Archimandrite Gury (Karpov) arrives in Beijing as head of the fourteenth Mission, translated into Chinese the New Testament and church services.
• 1865 - Archimandrite Pallady (Kafarov) returns in Beijing as head of the fifteenth Mission.
• 1879 - Archimandrite Flavian (Gorodetsky) arrives in Beijing as head of the sixteenth Mission.
• 1882 - Fr. Mitrophan Ji ordained, in Tokyo, Japan, as first Chinese Orthodox priest by St Nicholas of Japan.
• 1884 - Archimandrite Amfilohil (Lutovinov) arrives in Beijing as head of the seventeenth Mission.
• 1896 - Archimandrite Innocent (Figurovsky) arrives in Beijing as head of the eighteenth Mission.
• 1900 - Yihetuan (Boxer) revolt results in destruction of Orthodox Mission and death of 222 Chinese Orthodox martyrs.
• 1903 - Orthodox communities in Manchuria (Harbin) placed under Bishop of Beijing (Bp. Innocent).
• 1922 - Diocese of Harbin, under ROCOR, formed.
• 1931 - Archbishop Simon (Vinogradov) arrives in Beijing as head of the nineteenth Mission.
• 1933 - Bishop Victor (Svyatin) of Krasnodar and Kuban|Victor (Svyatin) arrives in Beijing as head of the twentieth and last Mission.
• 1945 - Diocese of Harbin subordinated under Moscow Patriarchate after arrival of Soviet Army. Exarchate formed.
• 1950 - Symeon (Du) consecrated Bishop of Tainjin in July, becoming the first Chinese Orthodox bishop. Later, in September, he was transferred to be Bishop of Shanghai.
• 1954 - Exarchate abolished.
• 1956 - Church of China under Chinese administration established. All non-Chinese clergy leave China. Holy Synod of the Church of Russia granted autonomy to the Church of China.
• 1957 - Vasily (Shuan) consecrated Bishop of Beijing.
• 1962 - Bp. Vasily reposed. No successor seated as Bishop of Beijing due to Chinese government constraints.
• 1965 - Bp. Symeon reposed, leaving the Chinese Church without any bishops.