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Protestantism in Sichuan

The Protestant mission began in the Chinese province of Sichuan (formerly romanized as Szechwan, Szechuan, or Ssuchʻuan; also referred to as "West China" or "Western China") in 1877, when premises were rented by the China Inland Mission in Chungking.[1] However, it grew rather slowly, it was not until the late 1980s that Protestantism experienced rapid growth.[2] The two largest denominations in the province before 1949 were Anglicanism and Methodism.[3]

Clockwise from upper left: Gospel Church, Chungpa (Anglican); Gospel Church, Chungking (Methodist); West China Union University at Chengtu, created by mission societies of four denominations, namely, American Baptist, American Methodist, Canadian Methodist and British Quakers.

History edit

19th century edit

 
Map of Szechwan specially prepared by Edward Stanford for the China Inland Mission (CIM). The CIM carried out the first Protestant mission in Sichuan, in 1877.
 
CIM stations and missionaries in Sichuan up to 1889.

Previous to the year 1868, the Protestant Churches of Europe and North America knew little or nothing about the province of Sichuan located in western China. The first Protestant missionaries to visit the province were Griffith John of the London Missionary Society (LMS) and Alexander Wylie of the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS). However, this journey did not attempt to establish mission stations in any of the many cities or towns visited. Griffith John's report of the journey was undoubtedly instrumental in drawing attention to that region: "There are a large number of Catholics in the province, and Chungking is one of their strongholds. [...] We must not ignore Szechwan. I hope that we will be able to establish the first Protestant Church in Chungking, and I myself could be the first missionary."[4] However, no other missionaries visited the province again until 1877, when Rev. John McCarthy of the China Inland Mission (CIM, interdenominational), after landing at Wanhsien, travelled via Shuenkingfu to Chungking, where he reached on 1 May of that year.[1] There he rented premises for other CIM missionaries to use as a base.[5]

After this there followed a period of widespread evangelistic journeys, in which Messrs. Cameron, Nicoll, Easton, Parker, Riley, S. R. Clarke, and Baller, all of the CIM, with Mr. Leaman of the American Presbyterian Mission, and Mr. Mollman of the BFBS, engaged. In 1881 the CIM opened the capital, Chengtu, for settled work. After considerable difficulty, Paoning and Pacheo were occupied during the years 1886 and 1887.[1]

 
American Methodist Institutional Church at Chengtu, circa 1920.

In 1882, missionaries of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission (AMEM) arrived in Chungking. Their early efforts encountered strong resistance and riots that led to the abandonment of the mission. It was not until 1889 that these Methodists came back and started the mission again.[6] Their mission concentrated within a diamond-shaped area with the cities of Chengtu, Suining, Tzechung and Chungking as bases. They had an Institutional Church built in Chengtu and a Lewis Memorial Institutional Church in Chungking.[7]

During this period, the CIM divided the work of the mission into two distinct parts, namely Western Szechwan and Eastern Szechwan. The distinction is that, taking the Kialing River, which enters the Yangtse opposite Chungking, as the boundary, all the cities, towns, and villages east of this belonged to the East Szechwan branch of the Mission, which was worked on distinctively Church of England lines; while all the districts west of the Kialing River belonged to the West Szechwan branch of the CIM, and were generally worked on Free Church lines.[8]

 
William Cassels, first Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Szechwan.

The year 1887 marks the arrival of the Anglican representatives of the CIM, who were members of the Cambridge Seven, namely, William Cassels, future bishop of the Diocese of Szechwan; Montagu Proctor-Beauchamp, and two brothers, Arthur T. and Cecil H. Polhill.[9][10] Cecil Polhill was at first based in Chengtu and Chungking, but he felt drawn towards the people of Tibet. In 1896, after helping with mission work in Kalimpong, India, he moved to Tatsienlu, a Khams Tibetan city west of Sichuan.[11] The establishing of a missionary station there in 1897 paved the way for the future construction of the Gospel Church of Tatsienlu.[12][13]

One feature of this period was the persistence and tenacity of the missionaries. Many difficulties and disappointments accompanied their efforts; the people were either indifferent or hostile, and the results of their labours were very small. Sickness and death were constantly occurring to hinder and threaten the existence of the work. The 1886 Chungking riot almost extinguished the little churches which had been gathered by the two Missions. After the settlement of the Chungking riots and the re-establishment of Mission work in that city, a period of unprecedented prosperity set in.[8]

 
English Quaker meeting house at Tungchwan, before 1905.
 
American Baptist church at Yachowfu, 1920.

During this period no less than five additional missionary societies started new work in Sichuan. In 1888 the LMS, whose representative Dr. Griffith John, was the first to enter the province in 1868 as mentioned above, took up permanent work in Chungking. In 1889, Robert John and Mary Jane Davidson of Friends' Foreign Mission Association (FFMA) introduced Quakerism into Tungchwan. Within 19 years five monthly meetings were successively established in Chengtu, Chungking, Tungchwan, Tungliang and Suining.[14] In 1890 the American Baptist Missionary Union (ABMU) started work in the west of the province, having Suifu (1890) and Kiatingfu (1894) as their chief centres. Three more stations were established in Yachowfu (1894), Ningyuanfu (1905), and Chengtu (1909).[15] At the close of 1891, the Rev. James Heywood Horsburgh, together with Mrs. Horsburgh, Rev. O. M. Jackson, three laymen, and six single women missionaries, entered Sichuan as the first band of Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries to take up work in that province.[16] By 1894, CMS work had started in Mienchow, Chungpa, Anhsien, Mienchu and Sintu.[17] Their first church was founded in 1894 in Chungpa.[18] Then, in 1892, the Canadian Methodist Mission (CMM) opened up work in central and west Sichuan, having Chengtu and Kiating as their headquarters.[19][20]

In 1895, the Anglican Diocese of Szechwan was established with its seat in Paoning. William Cassels became the first diocesan bishop after his consecration on 18 October 1895 at Westminster Abbey.[21][22] That same year was also marked by a serious outbreak of anti-foreign agitation began in the capital Chengtu, and thence spread throughout the province.[23] In the capital, the property of three Protestant missions and that of the Roman Catholics was destroyed;[21] and all missionaries of all missions, Protestant and Roman Catholic alike, were thankful to escape with their lives.[24]

 
Canadian Methodist Mission Press at Chengtu, April 1905.
 
The West China Missionary News, printed by the Canadian Methodist Mission Press.

In 1897, the Canadian Methodist Mission Press was established in Kiatingfu, but was moved to the capital city of Chengtu in 1903. This press produced publications mostly in English, Tibetan, Chinese and Hua Miao, but also printed language lessons in French and German. In addition to printing for the various missions in the western province, a certain amount of work was done for local schools and non-missionary foreigners.[25] Notable among its printings was The West China Missionary News, first published in 1899, being the first and longest-running English-language newspaper in Sichuan province.[26]

In 1898, a riot known as the Yü Man-tse [zh] Rebellion was chiefly directed against the Roman Catholics; the Protestants not coming under the wrath of the rebels, though subject to persecution and petty annoyance from local rowdies. During this rebellion a Protestant Conference (January 1899) was held at Chungking, resulting in the establishments of The West China Missionary News and West China Tract Society, as well as the formation of an Advisory Board for West China. From the settlement of the Yü Man-tse Rebellion of 1898 to the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, a period of nearly two years, the work in Sichuan enjoyed a time of peace and quiet, which ended abruptly in the summer of 1900, when all missionaries of all societies were obliged by consular orders to flee to the coast.[27]

20th century edit

 
Map of Szechwan showing division of the field by seven Protestant mission societies in 1902: ABM, AMEM, CIM, CMM, CMS, FFMA, and LMS.

The Boxer Rebellion did not affect Sichuan so much as some other parts of China. On the return of the missionaries to their respective stations during the early part of 1901 they found in many places, especially in the western parts of Sichuan, what was going to be known later as the Mass Movement in full swing. This movement may be traced back as far as 1895, when it really began, subsequent to the settlement of the riots which occurred at that time. This movement steadily grew till it was crushed by the Yü Man-tse Rebellion, but immediately after the settlement of those troubles it revived with fresh vigour and strength. During that time, however, it was almost entirely confined to the Roman Catholic Church. But after the Boxer settlement, the Mass Movement not only revived amongst the Roman Catholics, but also took hold of the Protestant Church as well. This movement was most perplexing, even to experienced missionaries. Deputations were constantly arriving from the surrounding districts with offers from the gentry and leading men to open Gospel halls, preaching stations, or schools, free of cost to the missionary societies. Long lists were presented with the names of those who were anxious to become "adherents" of the Church or "learners" of the truth. This movement appealed in different ways to different missionaries and missionary societies. Some of the more optimistic welcomed it as an answer to the prayers of past years and the plenteous sowing of the last decades. Others, who were not quite so enthusiastic, looked askance on the movement, and generally discouraged the establishment of stations under such conditions.[28]

A great demand for scientific literature which followed the Boxer outbreak was so pressing that the Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge at Shanghai decided to open a depot in Chengtu to meet this demand. The Society was able to secure the best position in the most important street, and the ever increasing sale of books, charts, maps, and other literature has justified the Society's decision in opening a depot in that remote province of Western China. The Canadian Methodist Mission (CMM), recognising that Chengtu, the capital of the province, was the centre of literary activity and influence, moved their Mission Press to that city in 1903.[29]

 
Frederick Rowntree's architectural drawing for West China Union University
 
Joseph Beech (third from left) with (l to r) E. D. Burton (American Baptist biblical scholar), T. C. Chamberlin (American geologist), Y. T. Wang (interpreter) and R. T. Chamberlin (T. C. Chamberlin's son) at Tungchwan, during an exploratory trip through China in 1909 as part of the Oriental Educational Investigation Commission.

One of the signs of the progressive spirit was a scheme for a Union University. Most of the missionaries had seen the importance of educational institutions, and had sought to provide schools and other facilities to meet the demand for Western learning. But since the adoption by China of Western methods of education, the demand for some institution for higher education had been greatly felt by those specially interested in the spiritual welfare of the educated classes. Then finally in 1910, the West China Union University was established in Chengtu. It was the fruit of a collective effort of four Protestant mission societies: American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (ABFMS, American Baptist Churches USA), American Methodist Episcopal Mission (AMEM, Methodist Episcopal Church), Canadian Methodist Mission (CMM, Methodist Church of Canada), and Friends' Foreign Mission Association (FFMA, British Quakers).[30] The Church Missionary Society (CMS, Church of England) became a partner in the university in 1918.[31][32] The university grew rapidly in its first decade and remained a key player in tertiary education in Sichuan throughout the Republican Era.[33] The American Methodist missionary Joseph Beech, a Wesleyan University graduate and member of Psi Upsilon and Phi Beta Kappa,[34] played an instrumental role in founding and running West China Union University. He served as its founding president and later its chancellor.[35] David Crockett Graham, an American polymath Baptist minister, served as curator of the university's Museum of Art, Archaeology and Ethnology from 1932 to 1942. He also taught comparative religions at its Theological College, as well as archaeology and anthropology.[36]

 
Robert Roy and Grace Service on shipboard, starting their trip to West China, 1905.

On 10 May 1906, an American missionary Robert Roy Service and his wife Grace Service arrived in Chengtu.[37] With the help of an English Quaker missionary Henry Hodgkin, they opened up work for the first Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) mission in the province.[38] Robert and Grace were both graduates of the University of California, Berkeley.[39] He was an athlete, member of Psi Upsilon and president of the senior class and of the YMCA.[40] Grace was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, and treasurer of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).[39] Through YMCA, an organization founded on the principles of muscular Christianity, Robert introduced Western physical education into the province. In 1910, fields for football and baseball, as well as a tennis court were constructed near the Wen Miao Street in Chengtu; a gymnasium was opened in 1913.[41]

In 1908, Albert Shelton and James Clarence Ogden of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society of the Disciples of Christ arrived in Bathang after studying Chinese and Tibetan languages for four years in Tachienlu, where they established a mission station.[42] Zenas Sanford Loftis joined the Bathang mission on 17 June 1909,[43] but died from typhus fever and smallpox two months later.[44] By 1922, Bathang became the centre of the Tibetan Christian Mission of the Disciples of Christ. Due to the constitution of Sichuan at the time, Bathang fell outside the western boundary and belonged to the special territory of Chwanpien, a mostly Tibetan-inhabited region.[45]

 
Dr. John Nevins Andrews with local converts standing outside the Adventist Church at Tatsienlu, East Tibet, c. 1931.

In 1914, the Adventist Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church established a mission station in Chungking. Their Szechwan Mission was officially formed in 1917.[46] In 1919, the mission was divided into East Szechwan Mission and West Szechwan Mission for easier administration.[47][48]

By the end of 1921, there were 12,954 baptized Protestant Christians in Sichuan, the Methodists enrolled almost one half of this number, namely 5,788. The Anglicans shared almost the other half with 5,474 church members. The American Baptists and English Quakers followed with 1,263 and 429 members respectively. 63 per cent of these 12,954 Protestants were men.[3]

Lutheranism also had a small presence in Chungking. The Lutheran Holy Cross Church was founded in Wanhsien in 1925, under the supervision of George Oliver Lillegard [zh],[49] a pastor-missionary sent by the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.[50]

 
Annual meeting of the Szechwan Synod of the Church of Christ in China, held on 9 February 1939.

By 1934, the Canadian Methodist Mission had joined the Church of Christ in China (CCC);[51] an annual general meeting of the CCC's Szechwan Synod was held on 9 February 1939.[52] In 1940, the CCC established a mission station in Lifan, a county lies in the Sichuan-Khams Tibetan border region, as part of their Border Service Movement. This movement had a marked character of Social Gospel, with the aim of spreading Christianity to the Tibetan, Qiang and Yi peoples.[53]

In 1935, the True Jesus Church established their first mission station in Chungking. Two years later, Kwang'an became their new mission centre where they baptized 186 people in one month.[54]

In 1939, two American Mennonite missionaries, Henry Cornelius Bartel [zh], founder of the China Mennonite Mission Society [zh], and his wife Nellie Schmidt Bartel, travelled to Kwangyüan in northeastern Sichuan.[55] In 1941 the Bartels started work in the Szechwan-Kansu-Shensi border.[56] A mission centre was established at Sandui [zh] in early 1949, but all activities had ceased shortly before the Cultural Revolution launched in 1966.[55]

The Kweichow-Szechwan Mission of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) had its district on the borders of Kweichow and Szechwan Provinces and adjacent to Hunan and Hupeh Provinces. The C&MA missionary personnel were all withdrawn during the year 1949.[57]

Current situation edit

After the communist takeover of China in 1949, Protestant Churches in China were forced to sever their ties with respective overseas Churches, which has thus led to the merging of all the denominations into communist-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Church.[58]

In 1958, a "religious reformation" movement swept through Tibet. Churches in Bathang were desanctified and converted into communal canteens, along with demolitions of Buddhist temples and burning of sacred texts.[59]

Radio Free Asia reported an arrest of eight Christians in 2010 during a gathering of a house church in Suining, while two were beaten. The police detained them for six hours and treated them as if they were criminals.[60]

In 2018, Wang Yi, a well-known pastor from Chengtu, along with 100 Christians, were detained by authorities. Wang was reportedly arrested on allegations of "inciting subversion of state power".[61] That same year, four Christian churches in Sichuan have been given an ultimatum and told they must join the Three-Self Church or be shut down.[62]

In 2019, 200 congregants in Chengtu began to meet in secret after their state registered Three-Self church has been shut down.[63]

On 17 November 2021, police raided the Qingcaodi Reformed Church in Deyang. Days later, one of the church members, Liu Wuyi, was detained criminally.[64]

On 14 August 2022, police in Chengtu raided a Sunday gathering of the Early Rain Covenant Church (a congregation of the Reformed tradition founded by Wang Yi) and detained a leader.[65]

Early Rain Covenant Church edit

Early Rain Covenant Church is one of the largest and most resilient house churches in Sichuan.[66] The congregation was started as Early Rain Blessings Fellowship in April 2005 by Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong, in their own home in Chengdu, which was formally established as a house church in April 2008. It had been variously known as Early Rain Blessings Church, Early Rain Reformed Church and Early Rain Reformed Presbyterian Church before changing its name to Early Rain Covenant Church.[66][67] As the church grew larger, several other house churches in Chengdu have joined Early Rain over time to form the Presbytery of West China Reformed Churches. This has led to other institutional extensions such as a kindergarten, a day school, a seminary (Western China Covenant Theological Seminary), and a liberal arts college (Western China Covenant College).[66][68] In December 2019, Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power" and "illegal business activity".[69]

Impact edit

 
Journal of the West China Border Research Society, Volume I, 1922–1923

The West China Missionary News, established in 1899 by the West China Missions Advisory Board, was the first and longest-running English-language newspaper in Sichuan. Together with the Journal of the West China Border Research Society established in 1922, these two publications cover a wide range of topics including studies of local languages, customs, religion, economics, medicine, natural environment, and ethnic minorities, as well as translation of historical works concerning the Ba–Shu region.[70]

The 1900 dictionary Western Mandarin, or the Spoken Language of Western China compiled by Adam Grainger, a British missionary of the China Inland Mission, has 803 pages, 3,786 characters, and 13,484 entries, as well as 401 proverbs.[71] In 1917, Canadian Methodist missionary Omar Leslie Kilborn published his own Sichuanese-language textbook titled Chinese Lessons for First Year Students in West China [zh].

Prior to 1950, the Protestant churches in Sichuan had a close relationship with Szechwan Lodge No. 112 under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. In addition to having its meeting point at the West China Union University in Chengtu,[72] several masters were also missionaries, e.g., American Baptist missionary David Crockett Graham;[73] American Methodist missionary Ralph Ansel Ward [zh];[74] Canadian Methodist missionaries Albert James Brace[75] and Thomas Harry Williams.[76] Brace was one of the founders of the West China Border Research Society.[77] Graham organized the first archaeological excavation of what is now known as Sanxingdui, which is supposedly the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Shu. He wrote "A Preliminary Report of the Hanchow Excavation" published in the Journal of the West China Border Research Society.[78]

The work of Protestant missions had led to many firsts in Sichuan. The following table is based on the article "Outline of the History of Protestant Christianity in Sichuan" by Pastor Wang Yi.[79]

First Name Location Established by Mission Date
clinic ? Chongqing (Chungking) John McCarthy China Inland Mission 1877
anti-footbinding movement Chongqing Gertrude Howe American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1880s
girls' school Methodist Mission Girls School Chongqing Clara J. Collier American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1887
middle school Chungking Union High School [zh] Chongqing Spencer Lewis American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1891
hospital Chungking General Hospital [zh] Chongqing James H. McCartney American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1892
children's hospital Chengtu Hospital for Women & Children Chengdu (Chengtu) ? Canadian Methodist Mission 1896
girls' school in Chengdu Chengtu Girls' School Chengdu Sara C. Brackbill Canadian Methodist Mission 1896
publisher & printing house Canadian Methodist Mission Press Leshan (Kiating) Virgil Chittenden Hart [zh] Canadian Methodist Mission 1897
Protestant church in Tibet Gospel Church, Kangding Kangding (Tatsienlu) Cecil Polhill et al. China Inland Mission 1897
football pitch football pitch at Friends High School Chongqing Alfred Davidson Friends' Foreign Mission Association 1900
Protestant theological college West China Diocesan College Langzhong (Paoning) W. H. Aldis China Inland Mission 1902
kindergarten Cecelia Kindergarten School Yibin
(Suifu)
Marianne Thirza Bisbee American Baptist Missionary Union 1905
Christian university West China Union University Chengdu Joseph Beech et al. four missions 1910
gymnasium Chengtu YMCA gymnasium Chengdu Robert Roy Service YMCA mission 1913
dentistry education (in the entire country) Department of Dentistry of the West China Union University Chengdu William Reginald Morse et al. various missions 1917
school for the dumb and the blind ? Mianyang (Mienchow) Alfred Arthur Phillips Church Missionary Society 1918
hospital in Tibet Bathang Mission Hospital Bathang Albert Shelton Foreign Christian Missionary Society 1919
school of midwifery Chin I School of Midwifery Chengdu Marian Manly Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church 1931
college revival Christian Student Movement Chengdu, Chongqing 1944
idea of setting up house churches in response to communist regime Response Plan Wanxian (Wanhsien) Missouri Synod Mission 1949

In popular culture edit

The 1936 novel Ripples Across Stagnant Water [zh] by Li Jieren gives a detailed account of the conflicts among the three parties in the Chengdu area during the 1890s, namely, the local Christian communities, Elder Brothers Society and the bureaucracy. The novel was adapted into a 12-episode television series in 1988 titled A Woman to Three Men [zh], a namesake film [zh] in 1992, and a namesake series in 2008.

Timeline edit

Mission Church Denomination Country Date
China Inland Mission Interdenominational United Kingdom 1877
American Methodist Episcopal Mission Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist United States 1882
London Missionary Society Congregational church Reformed United Kingdom 1888
Friends' Foreign Mission Association Britain Yearly Meeting Quaker United Kingdom 1889
American Baptist Foreign Mission Society American Baptist Churches USA Baptist United States 1890
Church Missionary Society Church of England Anglican United Kingdom 1891
Canadian Methodist Mission Canadian Methodist Church Methodist Canada 1892
West China Religious Tract Society Manchu China 1899
YMCA mission YMCA of the USA Nondenominational United States 1906
Foreign Christian Missionary Society Disciples of Christ Restorationist United States before 1908
Szechwan Mission Seventh-day Adventist Church Adventist United States 1914
Missouri Synod Mission Board Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Lutheran United States 1923
Branch Board of Szechwan True Jesus Church Nondenominational Republican China 1935
West China Mennonite Brethren Mission Mennonite Brethren Church Mennonite United States 1939
Szechwan Synod Church of Christ in China Interdenominational Republican China 1939?
Kweichow-Szechwan Mission Christian and Missionary Alliance Evangelical United States ?
Swedish Holiness Mission[80] Swedish Holiness Union Baptist/evangelical Sweden ?
American Bible Society[81] United States ?
British and Foreign Bible Society[81] United Kingdom ?
National Bible Society of Scotland[82] United Kingdom ?

Maps edit

See also edit

References edit

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  9. ^ Norris 1908, pp. 133–134.
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Bibliography edit

  • Baker, Richard T. (1946). Methodism in China: The War Years. New York: Board of Missions and Church Extension.
  • Broomhall, Marshall, ed. (1907). "The Province of Szechwan". The Chinese Empire: A General & Missionary Survey. London: Morgan & Scott.
  • Cochrane, Thos. (1913). "Chapter XI. Szechuan". Survey of the Missionary Occupation of China. Shanghai: The Christian Literature Society for China.
  • Levenson, Rosemary; Service, John S. (1981). State Department Duty in China: The McCarthy Era, and After, 1933–1977 (PDF). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
  • Loftis, Z. S. (1911). A Message From Batang: The Diary of Z. S. Loftis, M.D. Missionary to Tibetans. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company.
  • Norris, Frank L. (1908). "Chapter X. The Church in Western China". Handbooks of English Church Expansion: China. Oxford: A. R. Mowbray.
  • Service, John S., ed. (1991). Golden Inches: The China Memoir of Grace Service. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
  • Stauffer, Milton T., ed. (1922). The Christian Occupation of China. Shanghai: China Continuation Committee.

External links edit

  • "Protestant Educational Mission in West China: Vanguard of What?" — Lecture by Jeff Kyong-McClain (April 12, 2022) on YouTube

protestantism, sichuan, protestant, mission, began, chinese, province, sichuan, formerly, romanized, szechwan, szechuan, ssuchʻuan, also, referred, west, china, western, china, 1877, when, premises, were, rented, china, inland, mission, chungking, however, gre. The Protestant mission began in the Chinese province of Sichuan formerly romanized as Szechwan Szechuan or Ssuchʻuan also referred to as West China or Western China in 1877 when premises were rented by the China Inland Mission in Chungking 1 However it grew rather slowly it was not until the late 1980s that Protestantism experienced rapid growth 2 The two largest denominations in the province before 1949 were Anglicanism and Methodism 3 Clockwise from upper left Gospel Church Chungpa Anglican Gospel Church Chungking Methodist West China Union University at Chengtu created by mission societies of four denominations namely American Baptist American Methodist Canadian Methodist and British Quakers Contents 1 History 1 1 19th century 1 2 20th century 2 Current situation 2 1 Early Rain Covenant Church 3 Impact 3 1 In popular culture 4 Timeline 5 Maps 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory editSee also Anglicanism in Sichuan Methodism in Sichuan Quakerism in Sichuan Baptist Christianity in Sichuan and Seventh day Adventist Church in Sichuan 19th century edit nbsp Map of Szechwan specially prepared by Edward Stanford for the China Inland Mission CIM The CIM carried out the first Protestant mission in Sichuan in 1877 nbsp CIM stations and missionaries in Sichuan up to 1889 Previous to the year 1868 the Protestant Churches of Europe and North America knew little or nothing about the province of Sichuan located in western China The first Protestant missionaries to visit the province were Griffith John of the London Missionary Society LMS and Alexander Wylie of the British and Foreign Bible Society BFBS However this journey did not attempt to establish mission stations in any of the many cities or towns visited Griffith John s report of the journey was undoubtedly instrumental in drawing attention to that region There are a large number of Catholics in the province and Chungking is one of their strongholds We must not ignore Szechwan I hope that we will be able to establish the first Protestant Church in Chungking and I myself could be the first missionary 4 However no other missionaries visited the province again until 1877 when Rev John McCarthy of the China Inland Mission CIM interdenominational after landing at Wanhsien travelled via Shuenkingfu to Chungking where he reached on 1 May of that year 1 There he rented premises for other CIM missionaries to use as a base 5 After this there followed a period of widespread evangelistic journeys in which Messrs Cameron Nicoll Easton Parker Riley S R Clarke and Baller all of the CIM with Mr Leaman of the American Presbyterian Mission and Mr Mollman of the BFBS engaged In 1881 the CIM opened the capital Chengtu for settled work After considerable difficulty Paoning and Pacheo were occupied during the years 1886 and 1887 1 nbsp American Methodist Institutional Church at Chengtu circa 1920 In 1882 missionaries of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission AMEM arrived in Chungking Their early efforts encountered strong resistance and riots that led to the abandonment of the mission It was not until 1889 that these Methodists came back and started the mission again 6 Their mission concentrated within a diamond shaped area with the cities of Chengtu Suining Tzechung and Chungking as bases They had an Institutional Church built in Chengtu and a Lewis Memorial Institutional Church in Chungking 7 During this period the CIM divided the work of the mission into two distinct parts namely Western Szechwan and Eastern Szechwan The distinction is that taking the Kialing River which enters the Yangtse opposite Chungking as the boundary all the cities towns and villages east of this belonged to the East Szechwan branch of the Mission which was worked on distinctively Church of England lines while all the districts west of the Kialing River belonged to the West Szechwan branch of the CIM and were generally worked on Free Church lines 8 nbsp William Cassels first Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Szechwan The year 1887 marks the arrival of the Anglican representatives of the CIM who were members of the Cambridge Seven namely William Cassels future bishop of the Diocese of Szechwan Montagu Proctor Beauchamp and two brothers Arthur T and Cecil H Polhill 9 10 Cecil Polhill was at first based in Chengtu and Chungking but he felt drawn towards the people of Tibet In 1896 after helping with mission work in Kalimpong India he moved to Tatsienlu a Khams Tibetan city west of Sichuan 11 The establishing of a missionary station there in 1897 paved the way for the future construction of the Gospel Church of Tatsienlu 12 13 One feature of this period was the persistence and tenacity of the missionaries Many difficulties and disappointments accompanied their efforts the people were either indifferent or hostile and the results of their labours were very small Sickness and death were constantly occurring to hinder and threaten the existence of the work The 1886 Chungking riot almost extinguished the little churches which had been gathered by the two Missions After the settlement of the Chungking riots and the re establishment of Mission work in that city a period of unprecedented prosperity set in 8 nbsp English Quaker meeting house at Tungchwan before 1905 nbsp American Baptist church at Yachowfu 1920 During this period no less than five additional missionary societies started new work in Sichuan In 1888 the LMS whose representative Dr Griffith John was the first to enter the province in 1868 as mentioned above took up permanent work in Chungking In 1889 Robert John and Mary Jane Davidson of Friends Foreign Mission Association FFMA introduced Quakerism into Tungchwan Within 19 years five monthly meetings were successively established in Chengtu Chungking Tungchwan Tungliang and Suining 14 In 1890 the American Baptist Missionary Union ABMU started work in the west of the province having Suifu 1890 and Kiatingfu 1894 as their chief centres Three more stations were established in Yachowfu 1894 Ningyuanfu 1905 and Chengtu 1909 15 At the close of 1891 the Rev James Heywood Horsburgh together with Mrs Horsburgh Rev O M Jackson three laymen and six single women missionaries entered Sichuan as the first band of Church Missionary Society CMS missionaries to take up work in that province 16 By 1894 CMS work had started in Mienchow Chungpa Anhsien Mienchu and Sintu 17 Their first church was founded in 1894 in Chungpa 18 Then in 1892 the Canadian Methodist Mission CMM opened up work in central and west Sichuan having Chengtu and Kiating as their headquarters 19 20 In 1895 the Anglican Diocese of Szechwan was established with its seat in Paoning William Cassels became the first diocesan bishop after his consecration on 18 October 1895 at Westminster Abbey 21 22 That same year was also marked by a serious outbreak of anti foreign agitation began in the capital Chengtu and thence spread throughout the province 23 In the capital the property of three Protestant missions and that of the Roman Catholics was destroyed 21 and all missionaries of all missions Protestant and Roman Catholic alike were thankful to escape with their lives 24 nbsp Canadian Methodist Mission Press at Chengtu April 1905 nbsp The West China Missionary News printed by the Canadian Methodist Mission Press In 1897 the Canadian Methodist Mission Press was established in Kiatingfu but was moved to the capital city of Chengtu in 1903 This press produced publications mostly in English Tibetan Chinese and Hua Miao but also printed language lessons in French and German In addition to printing for the various missions in the western province a certain amount of work was done for local schools and non missionary foreigners 25 Notable among its printings was The West China Missionary News first published in 1899 being the first and longest running English language newspaper in Sichuan province 26 In 1898 a riot known as the Yu Man tse zh Rebellion was chiefly directed against the Roman Catholics the Protestants not coming under the wrath of the rebels though subject to persecution and petty annoyance from local rowdies During this rebellion a Protestant Conference January 1899 was held at Chungking resulting in the establishments of The West China Missionary News and West China Tract Society as well as the formation of an Advisory Board for West China From the settlement of the Yu Man tse Rebellion of 1898 to the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 a period of nearly two years the work in Sichuan enjoyed a time of peace and quiet which ended abruptly in the summer of 1900 when all missionaries of all societies were obliged by consular orders to flee to the coast 27 20th century edit nbsp Map of Szechwan showing division of the field by seven Protestant mission societies in 1902 ABM AMEM CIM CMM CMS FFMA and LMS The Boxer Rebellion did not affect Sichuan so much as some other parts of China On the return of the missionaries to their respective stations during the early part of 1901 they found in many places especially in the western parts of Sichuan what was going to be known later as the Mass Movement in full swing This movement may be traced back as far as 1895 when it really began subsequent to the settlement of the riots which occurred at that time This movement steadily grew till it was crushed by the Yu Man tse Rebellion but immediately after the settlement of those troubles it revived with fresh vigour and strength During that time however it was almost entirely confined to the Roman Catholic Church But after the Boxer settlement the Mass Movement not only revived amongst the Roman Catholics but also took hold of the Protestant Church as well This movement was most perplexing even to experienced missionaries Deputations were constantly arriving from the surrounding districts with offers from the gentry and leading men to open Gospel halls preaching stations or schools free of cost to the missionary societies Long lists were presented with the names of those who were anxious to become adherents of the Church or learners of the truth This movement appealed in different ways to different missionaries and missionary societies Some of the more optimistic welcomed it as an answer to the prayers of past years and the plenteous sowing of the last decades Others who were not quite so enthusiastic looked askance on the movement and generally discouraged the establishment of stations under such conditions 28 A great demand for scientific literature which followed the Boxer outbreak was so pressing that the Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge at Shanghai decided to open a depot in Chengtu to meet this demand The Society was able to secure the best position in the most important street and the ever increasing sale of books charts maps and other literature has justified the Society s decision in opening a depot in that remote province of Western China The Canadian Methodist Mission CMM recognising that Chengtu the capital of the province was the centre of literary activity and influence moved their Mission Press to that city in 1903 29 nbsp Frederick Rowntree s architectural drawing for West China Union University nbsp Joseph Beech third from left with l to r E D Burton American Baptist biblical scholar T C Chamberlin American geologist Y T Wang interpreter and R T Chamberlin T C Chamberlin s son at Tungchwan during an exploratory trip through China in 1909 as part of the Oriental Educational Investigation Commission One of the signs of the progressive spirit was a scheme for a Union University Most of the missionaries had seen the importance of educational institutions and had sought to provide schools and other facilities to meet the demand for Western learning But since the adoption by China of Western methods of education the demand for some institution for higher education had been greatly felt by those specially interested in the spiritual welfare of the educated classes Then finally in 1910 the West China Union University was established in Chengtu It was the fruit of a collective effort of four Protestant mission societies American Baptist Foreign Mission Society ABFMS American Baptist Churches USA American Methodist Episcopal Mission AMEM Methodist Episcopal Church Canadian Methodist Mission CMM Methodist Church of Canada and Friends Foreign Mission Association FFMA British Quakers 30 The Church Missionary Society CMS Church of England became a partner in the university in 1918 31 32 The university grew rapidly in its first decade and remained a key player in tertiary education in Sichuan throughout the Republican Era 33 The American Methodist missionary Joseph Beech a Wesleyan University graduate and member of Psi Upsilon and Phi Beta Kappa 34 played an instrumental role in founding and running West China Union University He served as its founding president and later its chancellor 35 David Crockett Graham an American polymath Baptist minister served as curator of the university s Museum of Art Archaeology and Ethnology from 1932 to 1942 He also taught comparative religions at its Theological College as well as archaeology and anthropology 36 nbsp Robert Roy and Grace Service on shipboard starting their trip to West China 1905 On 10 May 1906 an American missionary Robert Roy Service and his wife Grace Service arrived in Chengtu 37 With the help of an English Quaker missionary Henry Hodgkin they opened up work for the first Young Men s Christian Association YMCA mission in the province 38 Robert and Grace were both graduates of the University of California Berkeley 39 He was an athlete member of Psi Upsilon and president of the senior class and of the YMCA 40 Grace was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and treasurer of the Young Women s Christian Association YWCA 39 Through YMCA an organization founded on the principles of muscular Christianity Robert introduced Western physical education into the province In 1910 fields for football and baseball as well as a tennis court were constructed near the Wen Miao Street in Chengtu a gymnasium was opened in 1913 41 nbsp Albert Shelton nbsp Zenas Sanford LoftisChristian Church Disciples of Christ missionaries to Bathang East Tibet In 1908 Albert Shelton and James Clarence Ogden of the Foreign Christian Missionary Society of the Disciples of Christ arrived in Bathang after studying Chinese and Tibetan languages for four years in Tachienlu where they established a mission station 42 Zenas Sanford Loftis joined the Bathang mission on 17 June 1909 43 but died from typhus fever and smallpox two months later 44 By 1922 Bathang became the centre of the Tibetan Christian Mission of the Disciples of Christ Due to the constitution of Sichuan at the time Bathang fell outside the western boundary and belonged to the special territory of Chwanpien a mostly Tibetan inhabited region 45 nbsp Dr John Nevins Andrews with local converts standing outside the Adventist Church at Tatsienlu East Tibet c 1931 In 1914 the Adventist Mission of the Seventh day Adventist Church established a mission station in Chungking Their Szechwan Mission was officially formed in 1917 46 In 1919 the mission was divided into East Szechwan Mission and West Szechwan Mission for easier administration 47 48 By the end of 1921 there were 12 954 baptized Protestant Christians in Sichuan the Methodists enrolled almost one half of this number namely 5 788 The Anglicans shared almost the other half with 5 474 church members The American Baptists and English Quakers followed with 1 263 and 429 members respectively 63 per cent of these 12 954 Protestants were men 3 Lutheranism also had a small presence in Chungking The Lutheran Holy Cross Church was founded in Wanhsien in 1925 under the supervision of George Oliver Lillegard zh 49 a pastor missionary sent by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod 50 nbsp Annual meeting of the Szechwan Synod of the Church of Christ in China held on 9 February 1939 By 1934 the Canadian Methodist Mission had joined the Church of Christ in China CCC 51 an annual general meeting of the CCC s Szechwan Synod was held on 9 February 1939 52 In 1940 the CCC established a mission station in Lifan a county lies in the Sichuan Khams Tibetan border region as part of their Border Service Movement This movement had a marked character of Social Gospel with the aim of spreading Christianity to the Tibetan Qiang and Yi peoples 53 In 1935 the True Jesus Church established their first mission station in Chungking Two years later Kwang an became their new mission centre where they baptized 186 people in one month 54 In 1939 two American Mennonite missionaries Henry Cornelius Bartel zh founder of the China Mennonite Mission Society zh and his wife Nellie Schmidt Bartel travelled to Kwangyuan in northeastern Sichuan 55 In 1941 the Bartels started work in the Szechwan Kansu Shensi border 56 A mission centre was established at Sandui zh in early 1949 but all activities had ceased shortly before the Cultural Revolution launched in 1966 55 The Kweichow Szechwan Mission of the Christian and Missionary Alliance C amp MA had its district on the borders of Kweichow and Szechwan Provinces and adjacent to Hunan and Hupeh Provinces The C amp MA missionary personnel were all withdrawn during the year 1949 57 Current situation editAfter the communist takeover of China in 1949 Protestant Churches in China were forced to sever their ties with respective overseas Churches which has thus led to the merging of all the denominations into communist sanctioned Three Self Patriotic Church 58 In 1958 a religious reformation movement swept through Tibet Churches in Bathang were desanctified and converted into communal canteens along with demolitions of Buddhist temples and burning of sacred texts 59 Radio Free Asia reported an arrest of eight Christians in 2010 during a gathering of a house church in Suining while two were beaten The police detained them for six hours and treated them as if they were criminals 60 In 2018 Wang Yi a well known pastor from Chengtu along with 100 Christians were detained by authorities Wang was reportedly arrested on allegations of inciting subversion of state power 61 That same year four Christian churches in Sichuan have been given an ultimatum and told they must join the Three Self Church or be shut down 62 In 2019 200 congregants in Chengtu began to meet in secret after their state registered Three Self church has been shut down 63 On 17 November 2021 police raided the Qingcaodi Reformed Church in Deyang Days later one of the church members Liu Wuyi was detained criminally 64 On 14 August 2022 police in Chengtu raided a Sunday gathering of the Early Rain Covenant Church a congregation of the Reformed tradition founded by Wang Yi and detained a leader 65 Early Rain Covenant Church edit Main article Early Rain Covenant Church See also Wang Yi pastor Early Rain Covenant Church is one of the largest and most resilient house churches in Sichuan 66 The congregation was started as Early Rain Blessings Fellowship in April 2005 by Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong in their own home in Chengdu which was formally established as a house church in April 2008 It had been variously known as Early Rain Blessings Church Early Rain Reformed Church and Early Rain Reformed Presbyterian Church before changing its name to Early Rain Covenant Church 66 67 As the church grew larger several other house churches in Chengdu have joined Early Rain over time to form the Presbytery of West China Reformed Churches This has led to other institutional extensions such as a kindergarten a day school a seminary Western China Covenant Theological Seminary and a liberal arts college Western China Covenant College 66 68 In December 2019 Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison for inciting subversion of state power and illegal business activity 69 Impact edit nbsp Journal of the West China Border Research Society Volume I 1922 1923The West China Missionary News established in 1899 by the West China Missions Advisory Board was the first and longest running English language newspaper in Sichuan Together with the Journal of the West China Border Research Society established in 1922 these two publications cover a wide range of topics including studies of local languages customs religion economics medicine natural environment and ethnic minorities as well as translation of historical works concerning the Ba Shu region 70 The 1900 dictionary Western Mandarin or the Spoken Language of Western China compiled by Adam Grainger a British missionary of the China Inland Mission has 803 pages 3 786 characters and 13 484 entries as well as 401 proverbs 71 In 1917 Canadian Methodist missionary Omar Leslie Kilborn published his own Sichuanese language textbook titled Chinese Lessons for First Year Students in West China zh Prior to 1950 the Protestant churches in Sichuan had a close relationship with Szechwan Lodge No 112 under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines In addition to having its meeting point at the West China Union University in Chengtu 72 several masters were also missionaries e g American Baptist missionary David Crockett Graham 73 American Methodist missionary Ralph Ansel Ward zh 74 Canadian Methodist missionaries Albert James Brace 75 and Thomas Harry Williams 76 Brace was one of the founders of the West China Border Research Society 77 Graham organized the first archaeological excavation of what is now known as Sanxingdui which is supposedly the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Shu He wrote A Preliminary Report of the Hanchow Excavation published in the Journal of the West China Border Research Society 78 The work of Protestant missions had led to many firsts in Sichuan The following table is based on the article Outline of the History of Protestant Christianity in Sichuan by Pastor Wang Yi 79 First Name Location Established by Mission Dateclinic Chongqing Chungking John McCarthy China Inland Mission 1877anti footbinding movement Chongqing Gertrude Howe American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1880sgirls school Methodist Mission Girls School Chongqing Clara J Collier American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1887middle school Chungking Union High School zh Chongqing Spencer Lewis American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1891hospital Chungking General Hospital zh Chongqing James H McCartney American Methodist Episcopal Mission 1892children s hospital Chengtu Hospital for Women amp Children Chengdu Chengtu Canadian Methodist Mission 1896girls school in Chengdu Chengtu Girls School Chengdu Sara C Brackbill Canadian Methodist Mission 1896publisher amp printing house Canadian Methodist Mission Press Leshan Kiating Virgil Chittenden Hart zh Canadian Methodist Mission 1897Protestant church in Tibet Gospel Church Kangding Kangding Tatsienlu Cecil Polhill et al China Inland Mission 1897football pitch football pitch at Friends High School Chongqing Alfred Davidson Friends Foreign Mission Association 1900Protestant theological college West China Diocesan College Langzhong Paoning W H Aldis China Inland Mission 1902kindergarten Cecelia Kindergarten School Yibin Suifu Marianne Thirza Bisbee American Baptist Missionary Union 1905Christian university West China Union University Chengdu Joseph Beech et al four missions 1910gymnasium Chengtu YMCA gymnasium Chengdu Robert Roy Service YMCA mission 1913dentistry education in the entire country Department of Dentistry of the West China Union University Chengdu William Reginald Morse et al various missions 1917school for the dumb and the blind Mianyang Mienchow Alfred Arthur Phillips Church Missionary Society 1918hospital in Tibet Bathang Mission Hospital Bathang Albert Shelton Foreign Christian Missionary Society 1919school of midwifery Chin I School of Midwifery Chengdu Marian Manly Woman s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church 1931college revival Christian Student Movement Chengdu Chongqing 1944idea of setting up house churches in response to communist regime Response Plan Wanxian Wanhsien Missouri Synod Mission 1949In popular culture edit The 1936 novel Ripples Across Stagnant Water zh by Li Jieren gives a detailed account of the conflicts among the three parties in the Chengdu area during the 1890s namely the local Christian communities Elder Brothers Society and the bureaucracy The novel was adapted into a 12 episode television series in 1988 titled A Woman to Three Men zh a namesake film zh in 1992 and a namesake series in 2008 Timeline editMission Church Denomination Country DateChina Inland Mission Interdenominational United Kingdom 1877American Methodist Episcopal Mission Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist United States 1882London Missionary Society Congregational church Reformed United Kingdom 1888Friends Foreign Mission Association Britain Yearly Meeting Quaker United Kingdom 1889American Baptist Foreign Mission Society American Baptist Churches USA Baptist United States 1890Church Missionary Society Church of England Anglican United Kingdom 1891Canadian Methodist Mission Canadian Methodist Church Methodist Canada 1892West China Religious Tract Society Manchu China 1899YMCA mission YMCA of the USA Nondenominational United States 1906Foreign Christian Missionary Society Disciples of Christ Restorationist United States before 1908Szechwan Mission Seventh day Adventist Church Adventist United States 1914Missouri Synod Mission Board Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Lutheran United States 1923Branch Board of Szechwan True Jesus Church Nondenominational Republican China 1935West China Mennonite Brethren Mission Mennonite Brethren Church Mennonite United States 1939Szechwan Synod Church of Christ in China Interdenominational Republican China 1939 Kweichow Szechwan Mission Christian and Missionary Alliance Evangelical United States Swedish Holiness Mission 80 Swedish Holiness Union Baptist evangelical Sweden American Bible Society 81 United States British and Foreign Bible Society 81 United Kingdom National Bible Society of Scotland 82 United Kingdom Maps edit nbsp Map of Szechwan showing Anglican mission stations of China Inland Mission CIM Church Missionary Society CMS and Bible Churchmen s Missionary Society BCMS nbsp Canadian Methodist Mission in Central Szechwan nbsp West China Mission of the United Church of Canada Methodist nbsp American Methodist Episcopal Mission area in Szechwan nbsp Map of Szechwan showing American Baptist Mission stations nbsp Area of Szechwan compared with British Isles Shaded portion is Friends Foreign Mission Association s district nbsp Friends Foreign Mission Association s district in Szechwan Quaker nbsp Map of Szechwan showing division of the field by six Protestant mission societies in 1922 ABF CIM CMM CMS FFMA and MEFB See also editChristianity in Sichuan Catholic Church in Sichuan Protestantism in Mianyang Anti Christian Movement China Anti missionary riots in China Antireligious campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party Denunciation Movement House church China Category Anglicanism in Sichuan Category Methodism in Sichuan Category Quakerism in Sichuan Category Baptist Christianity in Sichuan Category Sichuanese Protestants Category Protestant churches in Chongqing Category Protestant churches in Sichuan Category Protestant missionaries in Sichuan Category Protestant missionaries in TibetReferences edit a b c Broomhall 1907 p 229 Chen Jianming Liu Jiafeng eds 2008 Christianity in Sichuan omf org Archived from the original on September 29 2011 Retrieved 26 September 2022 a b Stauffer 1922 p 228 Lu Shih chiang 1976 晚淸時期基督敎在四川省的傳敎活動及川人的反應 1860 1911 The Evangelization of Sichuan Province in the Late Qing Period and the Responses of the Sichuanese People 1860 1911 History Journal of the National Taiwan Normal University in Traditional Chinese Taipei National Taiwan Normal University Department of History 269 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Doyle G Wright John McCarthy Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity Retrieved 26 September 2022 Baker 1946 p 19 Baker 1946 pp 37 46 a b Broomhall 1907 p 230 Norris 1908 pp 133 134 Gray G F S 1996 Anglicans in China A History of the Zhonghua Shenggong Hui Chung Hua Sheng Kung Huei New Haven CT The Episcopal China Mission History Project p 13 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 695 4591 Papers of Cecil and Arthur Polhill archiveshub jisc ac uk Retrieved 22 August 2023 Zi Yu 2017 A Description of CIM Missionary Workers to the Tibetan Highlands Prior to 1950 omf org Retrieved 15 May 2021 Zhu Yaling 2015 传教士顾福安及其康藏研究 The Missionary Robert Cunningham and His Tibetan Studies of the Khams Area PDF 藏学学刊 Journal of Tibetology in Simplified Chinese 1 Chengdu Center for Tibetan Studies of Sichuan University 192 Retrieved 22 August 2023 Du Swun Deh 1937 Quakerism in West China Bulletin of Friends Historical Association 26 2 88 91 JSTOR 41944051 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Missionary Cameralogs West China New York American Baptist Foreign Mission Society 1920 p 26 Norris 1908 p 134 Keen Rosemary Church Missionary Society Archive Section I East Asia Missions Western China ampltd co uk Retrieved 27 September 2022 China Continuation Committee ed 1915 中華基督教會年鑑 The China Church Year Book in Traditional Chinese Shanghai The Commercial Press p 114 Stauffer 1922 p 224 Broomhall 1907 pp 231 232 a b Stewart Emily Lily 1934 Chapter II The Way Reviewed Forward in Western China London Church Missionary Society Stock Eugene 1899 The History of the Church Missionary Society Volume III London Church Missionary Society p 579 Missionary Cameralogs West China New York American Baptist Foreign Mission Society 1920 p 20 Various authors 1920 Our West China Mission Being a Somewhat Extensive Summary by the Missionaries on the Field of Work during the First Twenty five Years of the Canadian Methodist Mission in the Province of Szechwan Western China Toronto Missionary Society of the Methodist Church p 42 Couling Samuel 1917 Mission Presses The Encyclopaedia Sinica Shanghai Kelly and Walsh p 377 ISBN 9789004213463 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Zhu Yaling 2019 The West China Missionary News and Its Tibet Narrative PDF clausiuspress com Retrieved 27 September 2022 Broomhall 1907 pp 233 234 Broomhall 1907 p 234 Broomhall 1907 pp 235 236 West China Union University library vicu utoronto ca Retrieved 27 September 2022 West China Union University PDF divinity adhoc library yale edu Retrieved 27 September 2022 Stauffer 1922 p 231 Kyong McClain Jeff Building the Kingdom of God in West China Religious and Reform Work of Chengdu s West China Union University sichuanreligions com Retrieved 29 September 2022 Russ Johanna Beech Joseph Class of 1899 divinity adhoc library yale edu Archived from the original on 13 August 2020 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Yang Liping 11 March 2020 An American Missionary with Two Motherlands Joseph Beech and West China Union University review gale com Retrieved 27 September 2022 David Crockett Graham Papers 1923 1936 siarchives si edu Retrieved 27 September 2022 Service 1991 p 45 Levenson amp Service 1981 pp 6 10 a b Service 1991 p xvi Levenson amp Service 1981 p 2 Chen Yuanxin 2014 大型體育場館設施供給研究 A Research on the Supply of Large Stadiums and Gymnasiums in Traditional Chinese Taipei Airiti Press p 76 ISBN 9789865663254 Shelton Albert L 1921 Pioneering in Tibet A Personal Record of Life and Experience in Mission Fields New York Fleming H Revell Company pp 50 60 Loftis 1911 p 142 Loftis 1911 p 158 Stauffer 1922 p 222 Hook Milton 2020 Szechwan Mission 1917 1919 PDF encyclopedia adventist org Retrieved 27 September 2022 Hook Milton 28 November 2021 East Szechwan Mission 1919 1951 encyclopedia adventist org Retrieved 27 September 2022 Hook Milton 28 November 2021 West Szechwan Mission 1919 1951 encyclopedia adventist org Retrieved 27 September 2022 Dai Yuetan 28 September 2016 重庆市万州区基督教圣十字堂的百年历史 A Centenary History of the Holy Cross Church in Wanzhou District Chongqing gospeltimes cn in Simplified Chinese Archived from the original on 2 June 2021 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Tiedemann R G 1 July 2016 Reference Guide to Christian Missionary Societies in China From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century Milton Park Routledge ISBN 9781315497310 Yrigoyen Charles Jr Warrick Susan E 7 November 2013 Historical Dictionary of Methodism Lanham MD Scarecrow Press p 41 ISBN 9780810878945 Victoria University Honours its Chinese Missionaries library vicu utoronto ca Retrieved 27 September 2022 Yang Tianhong 2010 中华基督教会在川 康边地的宗教活动 The Religious Activities of the Church of Christ in China in the Sichuan Xikang Border Region PDF Historical Research in Simplified Chinese 3 165 182 ISSN 0459 1909 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Cheng Chia cheng 2015 真耶穌教會歷史講義 History of the True Jesus Church in Traditional Chinese Taichung Philemon Bookstore p 97 ISBN 9789867893758 a b Qin Heping Shen Xiaohu eds 2008 四川基督教资料辑要 A Collection of Historical Documents on Christianity in Sichuan in Simplified Chinese Chengdu Bashu Publishing House p 253 ISBN 978 7 80752 226 3 Anderson Gerald H Henry Cornelius Bao Zhili Bartel 1873 1965 Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity Retrieved 26 October 2022 Truax E A 1950 Triumph amp Tradition in Miaoland New York Christian and Missionary Alliance p 1 Ferris Helen 1956 The Christian Church in Communist China to 1952 Montgomery AL Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center p 8 OCLC 5542137 Namloyak Dhungser 2021 西藏 復國VS亡國 Tibet Restoring the State VS the Colonial Autonomic 1951 2021 in Traditional Chinese Taipei Asia Pacific Politics Philosophy amp Culture Publishing pp 151 152 ISBN 9786269532933 Suining Christians Arrested Beaten and Released chinaaid org 21 May 2010 Retrieved 2 October 2022 Berlinger Joshua 17 December 2018 Detention of 100 Christians raises concerns about religious crackdown in China edition cnn com Retrieved 27 September 2022 Zaimov Stoyan 19 November 2018 Christian churches facing ultimatum in China s Sichuan Join Communist network or be shut down christianpost com Retrieved 27 September 2022 Courageous Chinese Christians Meet in Secret After Sichuan Three Self Church Shutdown barnabasfund org 12 March 2020 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Several House Church Christians Detained in Shanghai and Sichuan persecution org 30 November 2021 Retrieved 2 October 2022 Chinese police raid Christian gathering arrest one ucanews com 17 August 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 a b c Yang Fenggang Pettit J E E 2018 Chapter 8 Southwest China 23 Sichuan Atlas of Religion in China Social and Geographical Contexts Leiden Brill Publishers doi 10 1163 9789004369900 011 ISBN 978 90 04 36990 0 The Crackdown on Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church A Backgrounder chinachange org 21 December 2018 Retrieved 30 March 2024 Xue Max 2021 Li Ma Religious Entrepreneurism in China s Urban House Churches The Rise and Fall of Early Rain Reformed Presbyterian Church Studies in World Christianity 27 3 326 327 doi 10 3366 swc 2021 0358 Retrieved 30 March 2024 IRFBA Statement on Chinese Religious Prisoner of Conscience Wang Yi state gov 20 October 2023 Retrieved 30 March 2024 Kilborn L G 1941 42 President s Address Journal of the West China Border Research Society A Printed by the United Church of Canada Mission Press Chengtu West China Border Research Society 101 106 OCLC 977595689 Chiba Kengo 2022 The Demarcation of Western Mandarin and the Designation of the Chengdu Dialect as Its Standard Form in Modern China In Simmons Richard VanNess ed Studies in Colloquial Chinese and Its History Dialect and Text Hong Kong Hong Kong University Press pp 153 172 ISBN 978 988 8754 09 0 Coak Brian L How Freemasonry Came to China PDF kernowkid com p 5 Retrieved 16 March 2024 Dr Graham Missionary Dies at 77 Arizona Daily Star Tucson 18 September 1961 p 16 Retrieved 16 March 2024 Avery George A 1957 From Our Grand Secretary s Office PDF The Freemason Philadelphia Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania p 3 Retrieved 16 March 2024 Our Constitutional Family PDF madspace org 1937 p 2 Retrieved 16 March 2024 Williams T H 1 June 1937 Consecration Event Proves Universality of Masonry PDF The Cable Tow Vol XV no 1 Manila Grand Lodge of the Philippines p 234 Retrieved 16 March 2024 Organization and First Year s Program Journal of the West China Border Research Society I Printed by the Canadian Methodist Mission Press 1 1922 1923 Retrieved 16 March 2024 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint others link Graham David C 1934 Kilborn L G ed A Preliminary Report of the Hanchow Excavation Journal of the West China Border Research Society 6 Printed by the United Church of Canada Mission Press Chengtu West China Border Research Society 114 131 Wang Yi 25 September 2007 基督教在四川的历史要略 Outline of the History of Protestant Christianity in Sichuan pacilution com in Simplified Chinese Retrieved 16 March 2024 Cochrane 1913 p 193 a b Cochrane 1913 p 189 Cochrane 1913 p 192 Bibliography edit Baker Richard T 1946 Methodism in China The War Years New York Board of Missions and Church Extension Broomhall Marshall ed 1907 The Province of Szechwan The Chinese Empire A General amp Missionary Survey London Morgan amp Scott Cochrane Thos 1913 Chapter XI Szechuan Survey of the Missionary Occupation of China Shanghai The Christian Literature Society for China Levenson Rosemary Service John S 1981 State Department Duty in China The McCarthy Era and After 1933 1977 PDF Berkeley CA University of California Press Loftis Z S 1911 A Message From Batang The Diary of Z S Loftis M D Missionary to Tibetans New York Fleming H Revell Company Norris Frank L 1908 Chapter X The Church in Western China Handbooks of English Church Expansion China Oxford A R Mowbray Service John S ed 1991 Golden Inches The China Memoir of Grace Service Berkeley CA University of California Press Stauffer Milton T ed 1922 The Christian Occupation of China Shanghai China Continuation Committee External links edit Protestant Educational Mission in West China Vanguard of What Lecture by Jeff Kyong McClain April 12 2022 on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Protestantism in Sichuan amp oldid 1218236794, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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