The Dongtang, or East Cathedral, sits behind a raised stone plaza halfway up Wangfujing Street — an unexpected piece of European ecclesiastical architecture in the middle of Beijing's main shopping district. A church has stood on the site since 1655, when Jesuit missionaries built the first chapel; the present grey-and-cream Romanesque building, with its three domed towers, dates from a 1904 rebuilding after the original was destroyed in the Boxer Rebellion.
The plaza in front has become one of the most popular spots in central Beijing for wedding photographs and evening skateboarding, and the contrast between the floodlit façade and the surrounding neon is striking after dark. Mass is still celebrated daily; visitors are welcome to look inside outside service times.