M ICHEL C HAMBON The Action of Christian Buildings on their Chinese Environment ABSTRACT This article explores the ways in which Christians are building churches in contemporary Nanping, China. At first glance, their architectural style appears simply neo-Gothic, but these buildings indeed enact a rich web of significances that acts upon local Christians and beyond. Building on Actor-Network Theory and exploring the multiple ties in which they are embedded, I argue that these buildings are agents acting in their own right, which take an active part in the process of making the presence of the Christian God tangible. Keywords: Christianity, churches, architecture, Actor-Network Theory, China INTRODUCTION The recent growth of Christianity in China has attracted attention and given rise to numerous interpretations (Lozada 2001; Lee 2007; Bays 2012). Many have claimed this religious phenomenon is fueled by a search for wealth (Cao 2011), a rejection of traditional Chinese religions (Yang 2006; Vermander 2009) or even a way to respond to the declining Communist utopia (Yang 2006; Vala 2012; Vendassi 2016). Instead of focusing on the reasons behind this change, this paper investigates the ways in which a Christian world-view is produced in contemporary China. Building on Actor-Network Theory (Latour 2005), I focus on material entities involved in this Christianisation Studies in World Christianity 23.2 (2017): 100–121 DOI: 10.3366/swc.2017.0179 # Edinburgh University Press www.euppublishing.com/swc