At the foot of Yantai Mountain stands a red-tiled building of British Neoclassical design. Built in 1872 by British missionaries, its purpose was specific: to serve the Western community. This was the Yantai United Church, the only church in the city where services were held in English.

Its "United" name was a deliberate act. It broke down denominational barriers for the British and American missionaries and merchants who collaborated in the port. Each Sunday, the space filled with the voices of staff and students from the nearby Chefoo School.

The architecture speaks of its origins. Two stories of brick and wood rise to a four-sided sloping roof. Unplastered brick pilasters anchor its corners. Inside, eight wooden pillars divided the rectangular hall, their timber supporting a ceiling above long wooden floorboards. Light once filtered through colored windows onto a chancel fronted by finely chiseled granite.

Time altered its course. Today, the building no longer holds worship. As part of the protected Yantai Mountain Modern Architecture Complex, it has been repurposed. The hall where English hymns once echoed now serves as the Yantai Construction Achievement Exhibition Hall, its history preserved within its enduring walls.