Cross-cultural visual communication at the Wanchin Church in Taiwan

This visual essay presents seven photos taken at the Wanchin Church and a nearby place during my fieldwork in Wanchin Village in southern Taiwan. While Wanchin Church serves as a working Catholic church, it does not propagate its faith in conventional ways. To facilitate cross-cultural exchange with local communities, it has integrated Taiwanese folk traditions into its missionary work. Rather than comment on Catholic doctrine and its religious values, this visual essay focuses on diverse visual elements of religion and their connection to different communities and cultures in Wanchin Village. These photos tell stories about how a foreign religion has transformed its visual language to fit in with local customs and lifestyles.