Mother of China of Huyi - Marian Shrine of the Qinling Mountains

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In the northern skirt of the Qinling mountains, near the village of Wuquan, the sanctuary of the Mother of China. The mountain, belonging to the diocese of Zhouzhi, was first a place dedicated to the Holy Cross. After going through the destruction of the 20th century, he was reborn in 2000 with a great Marian temple that entrusts to the Virgin the Church and the people of China.

Between the plain of Guanzhong and the Qinling

The sanctuary is located in a transitional landscape. To the north the great plain of Guanzhong opens; to the south the forest slopes of the Qinling, the mountain range that divides geographically and culturally in the north and south of China, begin. From the Wuquan roads, the church appears above the valley and visible at a distance.

The diocese identifies the site as the Marian mountain of the Huyi district. The old name of the elevation, Mujiageta, was associated with the first sanctuary of the Holy Cross. The continuity between the two names allows us to read their complete history: the present Marian devotion does not erase the Christological origin of the place, but it prolongs it under the look of the Mother of Jesus.

The project born in 1930

En 1930the Italian bishop Fiorenzo Umberto Tessiatore - mentioned in Chinese sources as Dai Xiade - visited the place accompanied by the priest Hou Siwen. The shape of the mountain reminded him of the Calvary of Jerusalem and conceived the plan to raise a church there. His death two years later prevented him from doing it personally.

The idea, however, remained alive. In 1945the priest Lu Jiusi led the community in the construction of a simple temple of land and wood, accompanied by several dependencies. He could receive more than a hundred faithful and was called the Mountain of the Holy Cross of Mujiageta.

The first tradition of pilgrimage

The pilgrims regularly attended the 3 Maythe traditional date of the Invention of the Holy Cross, and the 14 September, feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. To go up to the mountain, he expressed the desire to accompany Christ to Calvary.

This root helps to understand the subsequent dedication to Mary. In the liturgy and in the Gospel, the Mother remains with her Son's cross. Therefore a sanctuary born to contemplate Calvary could become, without losing its center, a Marian mountain.

Destruction and memory

During the Cultural Revolution, the small temple was destroyed and public religious activity was interrupted. As in other Chinese shrines, the building disappeared, but the community kept the memory of the mountain and the pilgrimages.

The recovery was possible decades later through the contributions and work of many faithful. In 1999 reconstruction began and, in November, 2000The great temple dedicated to the Mother of China was concluded. The diocese describes it as one of the highest churches in the Xi'an environment.

The title "Mother of China"

The Chinese Expression Mother of China can be translated as Mother of China or Mother of the Chinese people. In this sanctuary is the explicit title of the modern temple and expresses a prayer of trust: Mary is invoked as a mother close to the families, communities and peoples that form China.

A living sanctuary of the diocese of Zhouzhi

The present condition of the place is confirmed by the diocese itself. In his pastoral letter to the Jubileo de 2025Bishop José Wu Qinjing noted two diocesan pilgrimage destinations: the Mountain of the Holy Cross of Meixian and the Marian mountain of Huyi. He invited the parishes to travel especially during the month of May and arranged a pilgrimage to Huyi on the first Sunday of every retiring month.

This schedule shows that the sanctuary is not just a historical monument or a landscape destination. It remains integrated into the pastoral, sacramental and Marian life of the diocese.

The pilgrimage as a path of hope

The rise brings together the two memories of the place. The Holy Cross recalls that Christian hope does not prevent suffering, but rather goes through it with Christ. The Mother of China recalls that no one does only this way: Mary remains with her children and leads them to Jesus.

For the pilgrims of the Jubilee, walking to the temple means leaving the routine behind, reconciling with God, praying for the Church and returning to daily life with a commitment of charity. The diocesan letter insists precisely that the outer pilgrimage must produce signs of hope between the poor, the sick and those living on the margins.

Verified location

The diocese places the sanctuary in Wuquan, Jiangcun municipality, Huyi district. GCatholic records the same Catholic sanctuary with the location code 8P6C2GH7+46. The decoding of that code in the WGS-84 system gives the approximate central point 34.02515, 108.46383.

The position coincides with the elevation immediately south of Wuquan, in the first foothills of the Qinling. The marker has precision of enclosure and mountain access; it does not aim to point out a specific point within the temple.

Prayer to the Mother of China of Huyi

Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of China, welcomes those who go up to your Huyi sanctuary. Teach us to stay with you by the cross, to keep hope in the trials and to serve our brothers with love. It protects families, comforts the sick, strengthens the diocese of Zhouzhi and grants peace to the entire Chinese people. Take us always to your Son, a source of reconciliation and life. Amen.

Sources consulted

• Diocese of Zhouzhi: official record of the sanctuary, history, direction and dedication to the Mother of China.
• Diocese of Zhouzhi: pastoral letter of the Jubilee of 2025 and current schedule of pilgrimages.
• GCatholic: classification as Catholic sanctuary, jurisdiction and geographical code.
• Geographical chronicle of the Wuquan itinerary: environment, access and visibility of the temple.

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