tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10523517.post113757603801614157..comments2023-09-09T17:38:22.939+08:00Comments on Blogging... Walk The Talk: Christian Missionaries and the Boxer 'Rebellion'Dave and Stefanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03374243021807086912noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10523517.post-1138870579630380132006-02-02T16:56:00.000+08:002006-02-02T16:56:00.000+08:00First of all -- this is a pretty amazing blog you ...First of all -- this is a pretty amazing blog you have. Just stumbled on it today as I was procrastinating on work.<BR/><BR/>I look forward to reading the book recommendation -- it sounds like what I was hoping for when I picked up Diana Preston's book "The Boxer Rebellion: the dramatic story of China's war on foreigners that shook the world in the summer of 1900" last year. The book's scope is not as ambitious as its awkward title suggests. But if you're in the mood for a book on how the foreigners hunkered down during the Boxer Rebellion and dealt with the day-to-day logistics of defending the settlement, foraging for food, caring for the sick and dealing with each other, this is a really good book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10523517.post-1137686192175066772006-01-19T23:56:00.000+08:002006-01-19T23:56:00.000+08:00Wanted to let you guys know that I really liked th...Wanted to let you guys know that I really liked the picture. There must be more cartoons like that after every major war...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10523517.post-1137636909828079942006-01-19T10:15:00.000+08:002006-01-19T10:15:00.000+08:00Huichieh, you are right that I should clarify my c...Huichieh, you are right that I should clarify my comments - my meaning was that the official representatives of the Christian church have been treated with a great deal of suspicion by the government. I did not mean to imply (as I did) that there were few converts to Christianity.<BR/><BR/>Christianity is doing very well in the moral vacuum of post-Mao China, as indeed are more traditional local religious practices.<BR/><BR/>I was impressed by my last visit to the Yonghegong Lama temple. Whereas when I last visited 12 years ago, Chinese visitors were generally disrespectful and cavalier, all of them this time were burning incense and were very much venerating the various Mahayana Buddhas in the temple.<BR/><BR/>In fact, many of the Christians were White Lotus sectarians that found becoming Christian was a good way of avoiding official persecution. Yes, you are right that the current administration's policies against the Fa Lun Gong and other 'heterodox' religions have remained the same, particularly given the history of the 19th century and the fact that all of the rebellious movements of the period had roots in heterodox religious beliefs.<BR/><BR/>And Anonymous, you are right that most of the religious institutions in the treaty ports and major cities in china had missionary roots. My grandfather went to one - St. John's University of Shanghai.<BR/><BR/>I did not mean to imply that missionaries had a wholly negative effect on the late Qing dynasty, (although the net effect on that government was probably negative, if only because it was inextricably paired with imperialism). A great deal of good was also done, but the mountains that were moved were sometimes at the expense of the integrity of the Chinese state. That is my point about why the CCP continues to be suspicious of missionaries - not just as an alternate locus of authority, but also from a historico-nationalist perspective.Dave and Stefanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03374243021807086912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10523517.post-1137603669230365232006-01-19T01:01:00.000+08:002006-01-19T01:01:00.000+08:00Also interesting to note is that most (all?) of th...Also interesting to note is that most (all?) of the major universities in China had Christian missionary roots from the U.S... <BR/><BR/>http://webtext.library.yale.edu/xml2html/divinity.011.con.html<BR/><BR/>Here's some of the chronology of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (originally known as: United Board for Christian Colleges in China) archives:<BR/><BR/> * 1920 May At a meeting of representatives of the China Christian Educational Association, Hangchow Christian College, the University of Nanking, Peking University, Shanghai Baptist College, Shantung Christian University, and West China Union University, it was proposed to establish a "Board of Co-operation of the Union Institutions of Higher Education in China", which would serve to facilitate coordination in the areas of educational program, faculty recruitment and financial promotion.<BR/> * 1920 Oct Representatives of the five union universities (Fukien, Nanking, Peking, Shantung and West China) met to discuss a "Plan for the Coalition of the Interests of Certain Mission Universities of China".<BR/> * 1922 Apr Trustees of Nanking, Peking, and Shantung universities established the Central Office of the China Union Universities, a joint office for correspondence, accounting, purchasing and other administrative matters.<BR/> * 1922-1928 Working from headquarters in New York City, the work of the Central Office expanded as it provided services for its original members, Fukien Christian University, West China Union University, and other, unofficially related, China colleges.<BR/> * 1925 Representatives of the boards of ten China colleges and universities established the Permanent Committee for the Coordination and Promotion of Christian Higher Education in China which was to concern itself not with secretarial or accounting matters, but rather with two interrelated objectives, the coordination of educational policy and program in China, and the coordination of financial cultivation efforts in the West.<BR/> * 1928 Jan The Harvard-Yenching Institute was established to provide opportunities for research, instruction and publication in the field of Chinese studies, through cooperation between Harvard University and Peking (Yenching) University. The Institute was a key element in the distribution of the substantial Charles Hall estate to the China Colleges.<BR/> * 1928 Jan The name of the Permanent Committee was changed to the Committee for Christian Colleges in China.<BR/> * 1929 Jan The Committee for Christian Colleges in China called together representatives of eighteen mission boards and societies to discuss the Correlated Program for Christian Higher Education which had been formulated by the Council of Higher Education, a body established by the Association of Christian Colleges and Universities in China. Ensuing meetings on the subject led to general agreement regarding the necessity of correlation, but little concrete action.<BR/>* 1932 Oct An organizational meeting of the Associated Boards for Christian Colleges in China was held. The ABCCC combined the activities of the Central Office and the Committee for Christian Colleges in China in a format designed to provide opportunity for more extensive coordination without demanding unified policy and executive action.<BR/>* 1934 Jan The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York granted the ABCCC a Certificate of Incorporation as a non-profit membership corporation. Original members were:<BR/><BR/> * Central China College<BR/> * Fukien Christian University<BR/> * Ginling College<BR/> * Hangchow Christian College<BR/> * Lingnan University<BR/> * University of Nanking<BR/> * Shantung Christian College<BR/> * Soochow University<BR/> * West China Union University<BR/> * Yenching UniversityAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10523517.post-1137602760701885152006-01-19T00:46:00.000+08:002006-01-19T00:46:00.000+08:00So for those who simply cannot understand why the ...<I>So for those who simply cannot understand why the Christian church is so slow to make headway in China, to convert the same millions that Proctor and Gamble count amongst their potential consumers: take a look at the last missionary experience in China, a hundred years ago. The answers lie within.</I><BR/><BR/>Actually, I thought the underground Christian church among the largest and fastest growing of its kind in the world.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, the lack of religious freedom in China is no mystery, given the history of China--the close connection between rebellions and 'unorthodox' religious movements (Yellow Turban, White Lotus, Taiping, etc.). On this matter, the CCP is fully consistent with the policies of its Imperial predecessors...Huichiehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11909418369185679346noreply@blogger.com