In order to spread the gospel and honor his father, the missionary Rev. Henry W. Luce (1868-1941), Henry R. Luce (1898-1967)—the founder of the American Time and Life magazines—donated money to construct the Luce Memorial Chapel. The chapel was completed in 1963. The construction project was headed by renowned architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917-2019), with architect Chen Chi-kuan (1921-2007 CE) in charge of the chapel's design and development and architect Chang Chao-kang (1922-1992) helping to supervise the second stage of construction. The chapel is a thin-shell, reinforced concrete structure—a classic work in Taiwan and an iconic piece of modernist architecture. The Luce Memorial Chapel is ingeniously integrated with its surroundings on the campus of Tunghai University. The Luce Memorial Chapel is ingeniously integrated with its surroundings on the campus of Tunghai University, its architectural finesse displayed without ostentation. Outstanding structure and craftsmanship were achieved while accommodating the lack of construction materials in Taiwan at the time. The chapel established an unsurpassable benchmark for the first generation of post-war architects in Taiwan.
Looking at the Luxe Church from the central axis in the distance, it is integrated with the surrounding environment. Luxe Church has its own sky in the building complex of Tunghai University
There is a golden cross in the center of the altar (podium). Whenever Sunday morning, the sun shines on the cross through the middle window at about 10 o'clock in the morning.
The Bell Tower is located directly in front of the Lucie Church. The bronze bell was cast in 1883, with the lettering "LET HIM THAT HEARETH SAY, COME". The Chinese meaning is "Everyone who hears it will come." It is a historic site in Taichung City.
The interior of Luceyi Church has no beams, no columns, no ridges, and a large span is used to show the solemnity of religious buildings. The no ridges where the curved surfaces are connected are replaced by skylights. Chen Qikuan called it "a line of sky."
The structural engineer Fenghousan (1919-1983) hollowed out the inner side of the curved wall, using the lattice beam structure to save a lot of concrete, reducing the weight to maintain the four curved walls
The entrance of Luceyi Church, the end of the seat aisle is the altar (podium), the front and the back of the large open glass are symmetrical, and the light is beautiful
The exterior is covered with yellow rhombus glazed tiles, which contrasts with the blue and green of heaven and earth, and the rhombus also echoes the internal lattice beam structure
The two curved surfaces of the back of the church are higher than the front and overlap, and the higher part of the back is also the location of the internal altar, which can also express its important status in appearance.
The Lucie church is composed of four curved walls on two sides, which converge upwards into a beautiful parabola.