Chaonei No. 81

Chaonei No. 81, also known as Chaonei Church, is a historic brick building in the French Baroque style, built in the early 20th century in the Chaoyangmen neighborhood of Beijing's Dongcheng District. The complex includes the main building, a larger side wing, and a garage on a plot of roughly 750 square meters. Architecturally, the two-and-a-half-story main building stands out for its mansard roof, stone cornices, quoins at the corners, and a striking entrance balcony with columns. Although the historical records on the original builder and purpose are contradictory, the house is believed to have served around 1910 as a language school for Western missionaries or as the residence of a French railway manager. Later, various Catholic orders used the building, including as a clinic during World War II. Since 1994, the property has belonged to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Beijing, which had it designated a historic landmark in 2009 to prevent its demolition.

The building is best known for its reputation as "Beijing's most famous haunted house." Numerous legends surround the ruin, including the story of a woman who supposedly took her own life after her husband, a Kuomintang officer, fled to Taiwan in 1949. Despite the lack of historical evidence for this claim, rumors of ghostly apparitions, mysterious disappearances, and eerie noises persist stubbornly. These myths were fueled further by the 2014 3D horror film "The House That Never Dies," which is set at the site and became a major box-office hit. In the years before the restoration, the property was a popular destination for urban exploration among young people, who broke into the dilapidated building despite warnings and prohibitions.

Today the complex has been renovated and has been leased out since 2017. The surrounding area is densely built up, with modern high-rises nearby, underscoring the contrast with the property's historic architecture. You can admire the restored facades and the historical significance of the site in the context of Beijing's urban history, while the legends surrounding the house continue to fascinate and spark people's curiosity.