First Armenian Baptism Held in China

SHENZHEN, China—On July 9, with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the Armenian community of China celebrated its first Armenian baptism on Chinese soil in recent history.

Rev. Father Khoren Hovhannisyan, the pastor of Armenians living in India, flew to China to celebrate the historic event. The baptism was held in Shenzhen, in southern China, with about 40 guests present—comprised mostly of other Armenians living in the greater China region.

The baptism was that of Enza and Aaron Sert, the children of Harutyun and Liza Sert, a young and successful Armenian couple from France that moved to China in the last decade. The family now owns several factories and employs hundreds of workers making high-end jewelry for European clients. As there are currently no Armenian churches in China, the Sert family transformed their house into an Armenian church for the occasion.

While relatively unknown to the rest of the Armenian Diaspora, the Armenian community of China, commonly known as Chinahay, has grown in numbers in recent years with about 200 Armenians now living, working, or studying in China, mostly in the coastal cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
Over the years, Armenians from all the corners of the globe—including France, Australia, Canada, Argentina, U.S., England, Russia, Lebanon, Syria, and Armenia—have gone to China to take advantage of the numerous economic opportunities.

These individuals are involved in a broad range of professions, from jewelers and traders to fashion designers and lawyers. The Chinahay community regularly gets together in various parts of China and is expected to grow substantially in the coming years due to China’s economic expansion.

To learn more about the Armenian community of China, visit www.chinahay.com or check out the ChinaHay group on Facebook.