On the Road: The Catholic Church in China

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Qiang Yongshon, 53, is an Abbot of the Shaanxi Province's Francisco Monastery. There are 12 fathers in this monastery, all of whom are 'underground Catholics' and do not belong to the official regi (...)

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China All 20 families in this remote village are Catholic, but as there is no Father in their village they gather every Sunday and chant and pray together. Shanxi Province, China. 1992. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Sister Maria, 70, with an orphan whom she has adopted. The baby must have been the second child of a 'one child family' policy. In this village, if a 'Chaoshengzi' is found, the parents are fined 3 (...)

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Every year on the May 3 and September 14, thousands of Catholics from all over China make pilgrimage to commemorate the finding of the Holy Cross. According to one Father, this mountain resembles t (...)

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China A nun's bedroom. Inner Mongolia, China. 1992. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China An old woman carrying wheat. Yunnan Province, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China A Father gives a ceremony to the ill, who are bedridden. Shaanxi Province, China. 1992. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China A Catholic couple prays before going to sleep. Shaanxi Province, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Preaching to the women of the Ashi tribe. Yunnan Province, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Three women with a child. Shaanxi Province, China. 1995. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Grandfather, grandmother and grandchildren. Shaanxi Province, China. 1992. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Man embracing the holy image. Yunnan Province, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China An old woman saying a prayer before her meal. Jiangsu, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Hu-Yu Lan, 89, became bedridden 6 years ago. Luckily, she has two nieces who are of the same faith and take care of her. Together they read the Bible to her twice a day. Shandong, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China A priest baptizing an 82-year-old woman. With him is a nun. Yunnan, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos

Lu Nan | On the Road, the Catholic Church in China Relatives visit a gravesite for the first anniversary of the death of a Miao-tribe Catholic. Yunnan Province, China. 1993. © Lu Nan | Magnum Photos