Programme Book
Programme Book
※ Conference Rules ※
Response and Q & A should not exceed 5 minutes for each paper, and
Acknowledgement:
The organizing committee wishes to thank the financial support from Chung Chi College and
Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Christian
Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture.
Table of Content
Programme 2
Abstract 9
News 28
Campus Map 30
p. 1
Programme
Welcoming Speeches
- Dr. Albert CHAU, Vice President (Teaching and Learning), Hong Kong Baptist
University
- Prof. Stuart CHRISTIE, Executive Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts; Professor,
Department of English Language and Literature, Hong Kong Baptist University
- Prof. Kai Man KWAN, Director, Centre for Sino-Christian Studies; Professor,
09:00-09:15 Department of Religion and Philosophy, Hong Kong Baptist University
- Prof. Francis Ching Wah YIP, Director, Chung Chi College Divinity School; Director,
Christian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture
- Dr. Christina Wai Yin WONG, Co-chair, Organizing Committee; Vice-Chair, Society
for the Study of History of Christianity in China; Assistant Professor, Chung Chi
College Divinity School, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Group Photo
Keynote Speech
Time Venue:WLB 109
Chairperson:Agnes Suk Man PANG
1. The Rev. Prof. Philip L. WICKERI, Adviser to the Archbishop of Hong Kong for
Theological and Historical Studies; Professor of Church History, Hong Kong Sheng
09:15-10:15 Kung Hui Ming Hua Theological College
“The Construction of the Modern History of Chinese Christianity: Archives or
Ideology?”(中國近代基督教史的建構: 檔案還是意識形態)---------------------p.9
p. 2
10:30-12:30 Panel Sessions 1, 2 & 3
11:50-12:10 Response
12:10-12:30 Q&A
11:30-11:45 Response
11:45-12:00 Q&A
11:30-11:45 Response
11:45-12:00 Q&A
14. Agnes Suk Man PANG, Hong Kong Shue Yan University
14:40-15:00
“香港漁民教會歷史” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- p. 15
15. Ann Gillian CHU and Vincent Wan Ping LEE, Hong Kong Baptist University
15:00-15:20 “Reconsidering Social Services and Christian Churches in Post-War Hong Kong,
1940s-1970s” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- p. 16
15:20-15:40 Response
15:40-16:00 Q&A
p. 4
Panel Session 5:Archives and Individual Biographies II
Venue:WLB 201
Time
Chairperson:Wai Luen KWOK
Respondent:Yuen Sang LEUNG
16. Clement Tsz Ming TONG, Trinity Western University
14:00-14:20 “Creativity over Loyalty? An Examination of Liang Fa’s use of the Morrison Bible in
Good Words for Exhorting the Age” ------------------------------------------------------ p. 16
17. Tzu Ren CHEN, Fu Jen Catholic University
14:20-14:40
“戴日—台灣基督教史的一個側面” ---------------------------------------------------- p. 17
18. Cheng Wen WANG, Tunghai University
14:40-15:00
“馬偕(George Leslie MacKay)研究的歷程與史料再發現” --------------------- p. 17
19. Xin WANG, Baylor University
15:00-15:20 “History, Memory and Commemoration of Herman Chan-en Liu: A Christian Hero in
the Chinese Resistance Against Japanese Military Aggression” ---------------------- p. 18
15:20-15:40 Response
15:40-16:00 Q&A
16:00-16:15 Tea Break
16:55-17:15 Response
17:15-17:35 Q&A
17:30-17:45 Q&A
p. 6
Panel Session 9:Unity, Cooperation, and the Three-Selfs
Venue:WLB 202
Time
Chairperson:John Robert STANLEY
Respondents:Christina Wai Yin WONG and Kam Keung LEE
29. Eric Shin Fung HUNG, Duke University
16:15-16:35 “From a Methodist Annual Conference to a Council of the Church of Christ in China:
The South Fujian Experience” ------------------------------------------------------------- p. 23
30. Aixin YI, Boston University
16:35-16:55 “Christian Efforts of Rural Reconstruction on the Chinese “Home Front” during the
War of Resistance (1937-1945)” ----------------------------------------------------------- p. 24
17:35-17:55 Response
17:55-18:15 Q&A
p. 7
Day 2 Conference:7/6/2024 (Friday)
Venue: WLB 109, Lam Woo International Conference Centre,
Shaw Campus, Hong Kong Baptist University
Public Seminar
Time
Chairpersons:George Kam Wah MAK and Wan Yu WONG
Public Seminar on Christian Archives in Hong Kong, organized by Hong Kong Archives
09:00-10:15
Society
Closing
Time Tours
p. 8
Abstracts
Keynote Speech
Philip L. WICKERI, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Ming Hua Theological College
There are two approaches to the construction of the modern history of Christianity, in China or
anywhere else. Whether we are students, teachers or researchers, the two approaches are
beginning with archives (back to the source) and beginning with a theme or approach, based on
a philosophy, a belief or an ideology. These approaches are not absolute. The most dedicated
archives-grounded historian will also have a philosophy, a belief or an ideology which shapes
his/her research; and the most ideologically driven historian may also make good use of archives
and may even alter his/her direction based on archival findings. My two approaches are a
heuristic device, not a binary category, to highlight the importance of archives for grounding,
clarifying and correcting other approaches to history. Archives bring out individuality and
particularity, undercut deductive, top-down thinking, and uncover the messiness or complexity
of history. Using examples from three archives relevant to our subject – the Shanghai Archives,
the Yale Divinity School Archives and our own HKSKH Archives – I will illustrate the crucial
importance of archival research for the writing or construction of the history of Christianity in
China.
在中國或其他地方,基督教近代史的建構有兩種方法。無論我們是學生、教師還是研究
者,這兩種方法皆從檔案(回到源頭)開始,以及從基於哲學、信仰或意識形態的主題
或方法開始。這些方法並非絕對。最專註於檔案的歷史學家也會有影響其研究的哲學、
信仰或意識形態;最受意識形態驅使的歷史學家也可能會充分利用檔案,甚至會根據檔
案發現或改變其研究方向。筆者的這兩種方法是一種啟發式手段,而不是二元分類,目
的是強調檔案對於奠基、澄清和糾正其他歷史方法的重要性。檔案彰顯個性和特殊性,
削弱自上而下的演繹思維,揭示歷史的混亂或復雜性。 筆者將以三個與我們主題相關的
檔案館——上海檔案館、耶魯大學神學院檔案館和我們自己的香港聖公會檔案館——為
例,說明檔案研究對於書寫或構建中國基督教歷史的至關重要性。
p. 9
Panel Session 1: Revisiting Archive Collections
Most scholars of missions and Christianity in China focus their primary research in the archives
of mission societies or those that house collections of correspondence and reports from the field
to the mission board. While these archives provide researchers with much information from the
missionaries on the field, the focus of the material can be biased with the missionaries looking
to prove the value of their work and strategies. This material is quite good to provide statistics
and the development of policies on the field. However, this material seems to only provide a
piece of the puzzle and appears to leave out a more personal side to the story. This presentation
will focus on the experiences of the researcher in two types of missionary archives while
researching the Presbyterian Weixian station in Shandong Province: one is the main board of
foreign missions for the Presbyterian Church (North) and the other is a smaller collection of
missionary correspondence at the Claremont Colleges.
The primary archives dealing with Presbyterian missionary history in China, from the first half
of the twentieth century, located at the Presbyterian Historical Society (Philadelphia, PA, USA;
call numbers RG 505, 81, 82 totaling about 163 cubic feet of material) are predominantly, if not
completely, in English language. English language archives of Chinese Christianity face the
dilemma of telling only one side of the story—the side of the foreigner and not the local Chinese
Christian. Moreover, these English language archives are naturally constrained by the theological
categories internal to the discursive traditions which have shaped Anglo-European Christianities.
Without careful analysis of the theological categories used, the histories we tell will inevitably
be how Chinese Christians mimic the white racial formations of Anglo-European Christianities.
But even when using Chinese-language sources from local Chinese Christians, a second problem
remains. I thematize this problem as the hauntings of archival ghosts in the transmission and
reception of Anglo-European Christianity by Chinese Christians. This haunting takes the form
of shared theological categories across the transmission of faith that obscure the agency and local
discursive traditions that predate the conversion of local Chinese. Without due attention to
alternative discursive traditions from the Chinese context, these received theological categories
p. 10
overdetermine and haunt the histories we tell of Chinese Christians. This paper will conduct a
power analysis of how these various discursive traditions (foreign and local) are negotiated
within early twentieth century China and its push towards a modern Chinese national identity.
Particular attention will be paid to the reception of Reformed theology in China (see e.g. the
work of Kevin Yao, Alex Chow, and Yucheng Bai). This paper asks whether there is more to the
story of Reformed Chinese Christians than a mimicry of whiteness and how historical attention
to alternative discursive traditions is crucial for limning these historical portraits.
Exploring Franciscan Archives: New Insights into the History of Chinese Christianity
Raissa DE GRUTTOLA
The arrival of the first Franciscans in China during the late thirteenth century marked the
beginning of the missionary presence in the area. After the first Medieval phase, new
missionaries arrived in the seventeenth century and their evangelization activities have continued
up to the present day. The twentieth century witnessed a new phase of the Franciscan presence
in China, characterized by a significant emphasis on publishing activities. Of particular interest
are the periodicals published in various languages and on different topics during the 1920s, and
the translation project that culminated in the publication of the first complete Catholic Bible in
Chinese. The Friars involved in Bible translation established a biblical institute in 1945 and
published the single-volume Bible in 1968. Despite the presence of numerous documents and
accounts in convents, archives, and libraries, these issues are still relatively unexplored to date.
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the Franciscan presence in China
considering the publishing activities of the twentieth century, with a specific focus on periodicals
and the Bible translation project. The research draws extensively from documents preserved in
the Antonianum Library in Rome, the Gabriele Allegra Archive in Palermo, and the Studium
Biblicum Franciscanum in Hong Kong.
The discovery of the Jingjiao Stele 景教碑 continued to shake Chinese Christianity in modern
China since it was unearthed in the seventeenth century. By conducting research based on Guji
zaixian guji shujuku 古籍線上古籍資料庫 (Online Database of Ancient Classics), the proposal
aims to study the various interpretations of Jingjiao missionaries’ contextualization of their
gospel message. The proposal argues that on the one hand, the archive provides a valuable
resource for exploring Jingjiao’s continual cultural influence on modern Chinese Christianity
p. 11
while exposing modern Christianity’s own limitations in its failure to recognize Jingjiao
missionaries’ efforts in interfaith dialogue with the Three Religions in China. To achieve that
goal, the proposal will first present the unique feature provided by the Online Database of
Ancient Classics. Then, by utilizing these tools, the proposal will offer its findings based on a
combination of keywords related to the Jingjiao texts. Next, the proposal will analyze these
findings in terms of pneumatology. The significance of the proposal lies in that archival research
on Jingjiao’s influence on modern Chinese Christianity shows forth the crucial contribution of
archives such as the Online Database of Ancient Classics.
This article delves into the archival records documenting the pioneering efforts of the first
Pentecostal missionary to China, T. J. McIntosh, and his contemporaries during the formative
years of the Pentecostal movement. Utilizing a meticulous compilation of archival materials, the
study traces the historical trajectory of these missionaries, presenting a comprehensive narrative
encompassing their challenges, successes, and transformative moments. The archival findings
offer valuable insights into the multifaceted experiences and contributions of these missionaries,
unveiling their profound impact on the communities they served.
Conducting a regional analysis, the research examines the endeavors of early Protestant
Pentecostal missionaries related to Macau. The archival data not only chronicles their activities
but also reveals the cultural and historical contexts in which these missions unfolded. Through a
comparative approach to archival materials, the study identifies patterns and variations in
missionary activities, enhancing our understanding of the broader landscape of early Protestant
Pentecostal missions in Macau, Hong Kong, and China.
The article further explores the challenges faced by these missionaries, their interactions with
local communities, and the evolving dynamics of their mission work. Going beyond a mere
historical account, the archival exploration provides a nuanced perspective contributing to the
scholarly discourse on the interplay between missionary activities, cultural contexts, and
historical developments in China.
In essence, this archival study illuminates the intricate tapestry of the lives and works of the first
and early Protestant Pentecostal missionaries in China. It serves as a valuable resource for
p. 12
scholars, researchers, and those interested in the convergence of religious history, cultural
dynamics, and missionary endeavors during the early 20th century in China.
華南宣道會傳教的資料蒐集與信仰建構——以翟輔民的中西文書為中心
在華南宣道會傳教經驗中,對傳教工場的資料蒐集與信仰傳播具有深遠的重要性。本研
究以傳教士翟輔民 (R. A. Jaffray) 所創作的豐富中西文書為核心,一方面著眼於其在傳教
資料的蒐集,以書寫在《宣道週刊》(Alliance weekly) 等美國宣道會機關的英文文章,
揭示他所呈現的傳教活動與中國敘事的特徵及其影響;另一方面,通過分析翟輔民在
《聖經報》的中文文獻,展現這一資料在構建華人教會信仰傳統的關鍵角色。因此,透
過對傳教士檔案的整理與解析,本文旨在深入了解中西文書敘述的涵義,強調他對於在
西方基督教普及宗教記憶以及建構傳教工作場域信仰傳統的重要性。
From September 10 to 13, 2015, Cardinal John Tong attended the 9th European Catholic China
Colloquium (ECCC) near Warsaw. While there, he stated that the Church in Hong Kong was a
pilgrim church and was “missionary by its very nature.” Cardinal Tong also reiterated the four
pastoral priorities that he believed should be put into practice. The first two priorities were
evangelizing more people than the current 7,000 baptisms per year and urgently promoting
vocations to increase the number of priests, sisters, permanent deacons, and lay missionaries.
The third priority was taking care of non-Chinese minorities in Hong Kong, including Europeans
and other Asians. In 2015, the largest non-Chinese group comprised Filipino domestic workers,
who were close brothers and sisters of the Church. Altogether, 200,000 Filipinos were working
in Hong Kong. The fourth priority was making Hong Kong a bridge-church between the Church
on the mainland and the Universal Church to facilitate communication between them. Rome
wanted to know more about China. Sino-Vatican relations could be sensitive. Cardinal Tong
emphasized the need for communication, while avoiding recklessness and instead behaving in a
low-key manner. With these pastoral priorities, John believed that Hong Kong could stand firm
on its three legs: parishes, schools, and social services.
p. 13
Panel Session 3: Archives and Regional Studies in Chinese Christianities
鄉土的十字架:20 世紀初陕西關中地區基層社會的信仰與權力變遷
20 世紀以來社會變遷使得政府與學者對中國基督教的關注集中于傳教士、教會、政教關
係等全球性的、宏大的議題,地方性、草根性的議題則被忽略,這使得基督教在公共話
語中面臨著舶來物的指控。然而普通信衆對基督教有能動的理解,這種草根的視角潜隱
于地方教會的檔案和田野中。本文作爲研究提案,擬利用 20 世紀上半葉陝西天主教會的
記錄,結合田野調查,關注個體、社群、社會與基督教的互動。通過研究基督教及其教
會在日常生活、習俗變遷、權力競爭中扮演的角色,本研究試圖證明當地的天主教已成
爲一種地方性信仰與世俗社會相互嵌入。
內地會在中國少數民族地區的傳教活動
本論文以內地會的宣教報告「億萬華人」為文獻,探討內地會傳教士在中國少數民族地
區傳教的歷史。
田野考察於解讀文獻資料的重要性:以當代溫州改革宗傳入過程為例
本文以改革宗傳入當代溫州的過程為例,說明田野考察於理解文獻資料的重要性。由於
歷史文獻的產生往往代表著背後書寫群體的利益,及作者透過書寫塑造自身的身份形象。
故要準確解讀文獻,理解其產生的時代背景與作者所處的關係網絡就變得相當重要。本
文嘗試以當代溫州改革宗傳入的過程為例,以田野考察所得資料與文獻記錄互相印證,
指出不同記載差異出現的原因,如溫州瑞安與樂清教會的分歧導致相關差異的出現,從
而說明走進研究對象的群體中,有助歷史研究者更深入解讀不同文件,更好地重構有關
歷史。
p. 14
Panel Session 4: Archives and Hong Kong Christianity
The recent interest in the social history of the Cold War has given rise to many narratives of
expulsions and migrations in world Christianity. This article focuses on the transformation of
several Lutheran missions from sojourning in the wilderness of China’s maritime frontiers into
becoming vital pastoral and welfare service providers in Hong Kong during the 1950s. While
licking their wounds after their reluctant exodus to Hong Kong following the Chinese
Communist Revolution (1949), the Lutherans employed the triple mission of feeding refugees,
saving souls, and planting churches, clinics, and schools to help the distressed population. They
mobilized their global and local church networks to secure financial, medical and human
resources for crisis management—resources that the British colonial government lacked. Its
multilayered operation of relief programs exhibited the organizational capacity of Lutherans to
assist stricken communities in Cold War Hong Kong.
德語文獻中的「道濟會堂」開基歷史鉤沉
「道濟會堂」被譽為在香港最早自理的華人教會,其成立過程卻有西人襄助的部份。由
於政治和語言的隔閡,德語系文獻中所記載,一直被忽略。本文旨在從德語文獻所留下
的線索,重尋德國相關人脈,在「道濟會堂」早期的參與,揭示人和事的另一頁敘事。
香港漁民教會歷史
香港漁民遍布昔日多個漁港及社區,他們多居於水上,自成獨特的本 土邊緣群體。本研
究以歷史文獻及教會檔案資料入手,討論香港漁民教會在 20 世紀的現代城市發展轉型
中成立,不少已過百年歷史,遍布多個社區和昔日漁港、漁村,目的為加深對香港漁民
宗教文化生活及歷史發展的認識。
p. 15
Reconsidering Social Services and Christian Churches in Post-War Hong Kong,
1940s-1970s
Ann Gillian CHU and Vincent Wan Ping LEE, Hong Kong Baptist University
This paper considers the social services spearheaded by Christian churches in post-war Hong
Kong (1940s-1970s) from an indigenous perspective. We argue that Hong Kong church social
service in the 1940s-1970s should be inspected by an indigenous lens because such service
neglects the indigenous knowledge of the working-class Chinese service receivers. We first lay
out the background of British colonialism and social welfare, modern social welfare and the
association between social services and Christianity, and Hong Kong society after the Second
World War. Then, we elaborate on social services offered by the missionaries and churches in
Hong Kong, and consider their long-term impacts on social development, advocacy for social
reform, and justice. We do so by assessing archival materials, including An Oral and
Documentary History of Hong Kong Protestant Christians (HKBU), Hong Kong Baptist
Association Papers: Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service Materials (HKBU), Hong Kong Sheng
Kung Hui (Anglican) Archival Holdings (Group 1), Files Relating to General Administration and
Activities of the Former Social Welfare Office and the Social Welfare Department (Government
Record Office of Hong Kong), Open Public Record of the National Archives of United Kingdom
(UK Government), and A Documentary History of Hong Kong (HKU Press). We conclude that
instead of focusing on providing services, the indigenous lens can be used to show how the
Christian church should consider its position in social service, negotiating with the
administration and different community stakeholders in promoting social justice and
transformation, empowering those it serves to be involved in the decision-making process.
Creativity over Loyalty? An Examination of Liang Fa’s use of the Morrison Bible in
Good Words for Exhorting the Age
When Liang Fa began writing and distributing his Christian tracts, the Protestant mission to
China was profoundly under the influence of one man – Robert Morrison. Not only was he the
first Protestant missionary that set foot on China, he was the first to complete the translation of
the New Testament into Chinese, and produced an impressive number of dictionaries, Christian
tracts, and grammar books in Chinese as well. The relationship between Morrison and Liang
began around 1810, and would develop into a trusted friendship, so much so that when William
Milne left for Malacca to open up a new mission in 1813, Morrison strongly recommended Milne
p. 16
to take Liang along because of his workmanship and trustworthiness.
Although Liang Fa was ordained by Robert Morrison and had consistently shown reverence to
the senior stateman in his writings, the same level of respect cannot be assumed when it came to
his view and use of the Morrison Bible. This paper reveals the creative side of Liang Fa when
quoting from the Chinese Bible in his Good Words to Admonish the Age, often deviating from
Robert Morrison’s translation with his own revisions, additions, and choices of terminology. It
indicates that even though the Morrison Bible enjoyed a great reputation in the history of the
Chinese Church, its translation was hardly universally accepted - not by later translators such as
Walter Medhurst or Karl Gütslaff, nor even by those closer to Morrison personally, such as Liang
Fa.
戴日—台灣基督教史的一個側面
在政治╱信仰正確的指導╱干擾之氛圍與處境中,本文梳理並拓展近代的台灣基督教人
物、史料,發╱展現過往跨越(中英日)國籍、種族、地域與身分(牧者、宣教士、長
執),相當特殊的一致現象—「戴日」(原意為崇拜日頭,在此指對日本的推崇、擁護、
連結與崇敬)存於其間:在不同時空卻近似的氛圍與處境中,經由留存的日記、刊物文
章與文案等文件檔案,龐雜多樣的文本,其可能意圖、脈絡與神學甚或經文詮釋已然呈
顯出高度的一致性與後座力,甚至戰後還持續了一段時日。盼吾人於其間—透過梳理、
呈現與反思,檢視其果、探究其因、思索信仰。
p. 17
History, Memory and Commemoration of Herman Chan-en Liu:
A Christian Hero in the Chinese Resistance Against Japanese Military Aggression
Herman Chan-en (C. E.) Liu (劉湛恩,1895-1938), an overseas Chinese scholar and intellectual,
emerges from the shadows of history as a forgotten figure in both China and the Western world.
Trained in education at Columbia University, Liu not only established profound connections with
renowned educators like John Dewey and Paul Monroe but also played a pivotal role in the
resistance against the Japanese invasion during World War II (WWII). Herman Liu returned to
China and became the education secretary of the national Young Men’s Christian Association
(YMCA). He was the first Chinese president of the University of Shanghai, previously known
as the Shanghai Baptist College, in 1928, established jointly by both Northern and Southern
Baptist Conventions in the U.S. He was one of the resistance leaders in Shanghai during the war
against Japanese invasion. He was assassinated in 1938 by pro-Japanese agents in Shanghai.
Despite his significant contributions, Liu remained obscure in Western scholarship and Chinese
historical narratives for decades, overshadowed by the complexities of memory politics. The
presentation will discuss how the memory and commemoration of this heroic figure is often
negotiated within the dynamics between politics, history, and public culture, and especially
driven by multiple cultural and political forces, including the Cold War, the post-Cold War logic,
and the neoliberalist logic of globalization as China joined the WTO in 2001. Most recently,
Liu’s life has been studied, revived, and remembered by Chinese universities partially due to
China’s ambition of building world-class universities and acknowledging that Christian higher
education is an integral part of Chinese modern higher education in the 20th century. This
research will discuss how the archives of him, the Baptist College of Shanghai are archived in
different places and how he was remembered and memorized in both state and institutional
historical narratives.
p. 18
Panel Session 6: Archives and Culture Re-presentation
The Aims of Printing Chinese Gospels and Tracts before the First Opium War (1832-
1839): On Perspective of ABCFM’s “Mission Press” and Its Early Missionary Policy
towards the Far-East
Chinese Gospels and Tracts were regarded as one of the important means for American
missionaries to preach in Modern China. ABCFM, the first American Mission Board which sent
missionaries to China, established their “Mission Press” in Canton in 1832, and then in Singapore
in 1834. Before China was “opened” by the first Opium War, both printing and distributing
Chinese Gospels and Tracts were prohibited in China by the Qing Government. Thus, ABCFM
decided to have the division of labor that, the Canton Press was mainly in charge of the English
Printing, and the Singapore Press was mainly in charge of the Chinese and other language's
Printing. Before the war occurred, ABCFM did not decide to use Chinese Gospels and Tracts to
preach inside China but tried to through the nations of the Sinosphere, and those Chinese
immigrants who would return or affect China, to accomplish their purpose of preaching Chinese.
Such problems were still indistinct. This article is going to describe the early aims of printing
Chinese Gospels and Tracts before the First Opium War by ABCFM, through using the archives
of ABCFM. That, firstly, describes the process of how the Canton Press and Singapore Press
were established and managed. Secondly, illustrates the details of ABCFM's intention to preach
Chinese through the Sinosphere and Chinese immigrants. Lastly, elucidates the change of aims
of printing Chinese Gospels and Tracts before and after the First Opium War, and reconsiders its
importance in the early history of American missionary work in the Far East.
文化調適:從巴色會檔案看客家宣教策略
p. 19
Practicing Christianity in Scouting: British Missionaries and the Making of
Chinese Youth Culture at Hankou’s Griffith John College, 1915–1925
This paper, which highlights the religious origin of early Chinese scouting, scrutinises the
connections between scouting, Christianity, and cultural exchange in early twentieth-century
China. It provides insight into the history of Chinese youth by examining how British missionary
scoutmasters, highly critical of Chinese parenting, introduced an alternate model of adolescence
with a ‘civilising’ mission at Griffith John College – a mission school founded by the London
Missionary Society in Hankou for Chinese male adolescents. This paper contends that Chinese
scouting was initially designed as an effective means to practice Christianity in evangelical
ministries which equipped Chinese scouts with ‘fine virtues’ – elements that shaped them to
become ‘good citizens’ and help them ‘overcome’ superstitious social customs. Apart from
studying the role of scouting in China, this paper also examines the effects of Christian missions
on Chinese society in the cultural exchange influenced by the ‘civilising’ perspective that upheld
by missionary scoutmasters. The cultural imperialism inherent in scout training hindered the
development of a thorough Chinese citizenship at the national level. But the ways foreign
evangelists educated their boy scouts did bring some positive impacts on Chinese youth culture,
enlarging the scope of Christian missions to different possibilities and creative potential in
cultural interaction between the colonisers and the colonised.
This paper uses the material history approach to study Chinese Christian posters produced by the
Religious Tract Society in China (RTS) in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth
century, a period of vigorous mission activities, including publishing in China. Protestant
publishers printed posters that were widely used in China to convey Christian messages.
It examines the size, paper quality, layout, and content of posters. By using RTS posters and
other English or Chinese archives preserved at Yale Divinity Library, this paper explores what
we can learn from Chinese Christian posters about Christians’ modern experience--prints’ role
in developing the Chinese Christian church. It argues that posters addressed the transnationality
of Christian church in China. Posters reflected a unified evangelical force influenced by Chinese
and Christian values, with few denominational, national, and gender differences.
Many texts had been left for scholars to understand church developments in China. But this
p. 20
dissertation can enlighten more possibilities opened by Chinese Christian posters in the
transnational context. Posters recorded history. The physical quality of posters suggested the
advancement of Chinese modern printing industry thanks to the global transportation of printing
machinery. The content of posters indicated Christian artists’ understanding of Christian
teachings and China. Posters created history by selling Christian messages to the Chinese and
arousing audiences’ trust in Christianity. Through the illustrations of decay, dangers, and safety,
posters highlighted the urgency of receiving salvation through Christ. Chinese Christian posters
featured the inseparability of the Christian church from Chinese history and world history.
從“新方志”到地理訊息系統輔助研究——以廣州和上海 1958-1964 年
基督教“聯合禮拜”研究爲例
探尋香港當代粵語基督教音樂的本土軌跡:以恢復粵語詩歌敬拜文化運動 (Canton
Hymn) 作為數位檔案空間的個案研究
Tsz Lok SIT and Christian N. NG, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
粵語當代基督教音樂發展逢勃,卻甚少被學界關注。故此,本文以恢復粵語詩歌敬拜文
化運動為個案,探索自二零一零年代香港當代基督教音樂的歷史發展。筆者指出,該運
動作為去中心化、下而上賦權的數位檔案空間,推動粵語當代基督教音樂發展。
本文第一部份為導論。筆者描述研究目的、問題 、方法論和個案。部份二為文獻回顧。
筆者爬梳相關研究,指出過去研究的不足和本文的貢獻。部份三為個案分析,包括歷史
爬梳、粵語詩歌類型學建構、該個案與本地基督教音樂發展的關係分析。部份四為理論
對話。筆者將以研究結果回應現有研究。
p. 21
Panel Session 8: Diasporic and Transnational Chinese Christianities
澳洲華人宣道會的建立過程 (1986-1989)
自清末以降,一批又一批中國人因不同原因離鄉別井而遠走他國,部分則南下至地廣人
稀的澳洲開展新生活,其中不乏基督信徒。本文首先簡介澳洲華人的歷史,然後論述當
地教會及華人宣道會的建立過程。文中可見,澳洲華人宣道會是中國宣道會的延伸與延
續,其建立過程與香港、越南華人及北美華人的宣道會息息相關。最後,本文以該會為
例,嘗試剖析澳洲華人教會的身分與使命,以及對中國教會的貢獻。
Randolph 在日本和中國基督教史上並不知名,但美南長老會在中國基督教史上培養出了
司徒雷登、畢范宇和賽珍珠)等,而 Randolph 是他們父輩的同工。
This paper seeks to investigate if the beginning of The Chinese Coordination Centre of World
Evangelism (CCCOWE) is a transnational exchange of Chinese Protestant Christians or an
outcome of international mission movements through its archival documents and publications.
Based in Hong Kong, The CCCOWE is arguably the first and—with 75 district committees
globally—the most developed transnational and interdenominational Chinese indigenized
Protestant Christian organization. CCCOWE informs and shapes the religious and cultural life
p. 22
of millions of overseas Chinese Christians. It alleviates theological and ancestral local divisions
of overseas Chinese Christian communities. It also initiates Christian social participation in
moral and environmental issues that many Chinese have challenges negotiating. With its
activities and ministries, the organization has evolved into a significant religious, political, and
social force in the communities that it serves; emerging as a power center that exerts influence
other than the traditional denominations and local church councils. The ministries of CCCOWE
articulate and redefine the very understanding of “Chinese” identity in dozens of emerging global
communities. It contributes additional complexity to the concept of Protestant Christian and
Chinese identity. But one may also argue that CCCOWE is a response to the liberal mission
movements initiated by World Christian Council and an outcome of the Lausanne Movement in
1973 of world evangelical Protestant leaders. This paper will study CCCOWE’s unpublished
archival documents and publications. It will argue that CCCOWE is heir of both international
Christian movements and transnational Chinese sentiment. This doubleness can explain its
contributions and limitations to the global Chinese Christianities.
The ecumenical and nationalist movements gave birth to the Church of Christ in China (CCC)
in 1927. The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), while actively participating in ecumenical
works in China, did not join the CCC as a denomination. But there is one exception: in November
1934, after finishing the ninth and last annual meeting on the 13th, the South Fujian Annual
Conference of the MEC disaffiliated with the MEC and joined the CCC on the 14th. This paper
seeks to understand why the MEC did not join the CCC as a whole and why its South Fujian
Annual Conference shifted its affiliation. How did the negotiation process go? How were
different levels of the church involved in the process? This paper utilizes archival materials,
including those at the Methodist Archives at Drew University and the Presbyterian Historical
Society, the Methodist periodical China Christian Advocate, and other relevant materials. It
argues that the MEC’s insistence on Christian internationalism in the ecumenical spirit prevents
it from joining the CCC, a Chinese national church. As the MEC Bishop James W. Bashford
states, “It will be more difficult to induce Christians to unite in one universal church after they
have become segregated into national churches.” However, the case of the South Fujian Annual
Conference also demonstrated the church’s flexibility in considering actual local situations,
p. 23
including language, manpower, and financial situations. In addition, the national leaders of both
churches provided critical support for the local unification.
Existing historical scholarship on the rural reconstruction movement in Republican China has
adequately explored how the reformers’ efforts were constrained by economic and political crises
in the early twentieth century. As the oft-told story goes, with the outbreak of Sino-Japanese War
in 1937, most of the reconstruction work ceased to progress due to lack of funding and personnel.
This line of research focuses on the role of the church in addressing China’s “rural problems,”
commenting on how the church and missions in China fell short in dealing with the obstacles for
long-term improvement of villagers’ livelihood, despite their merits of providing significant
social services.
This paper seeks to rethink such claims. It argues that the wartime period (1937-1945) offered a
unique opportunity for Chinese Christian leaders and Western missionaries to experiment with a
variety of schemes to further the project of “Christianizing the society” on the “home front” (da
houfang). Taking the work of Nanking Theological Seminary and the National Christian Council
in rural Sichuan as a case study, this paper attempts to examine: (1) how the Chinese church and
foreign missionaries perceived and dealt with the needs and demands of the Chinese countryside,
and (2) how the local peasants and Chinese government responded to the actions taken by
Christian reformers. Based on Chinese sources in the Shanghai Municipal Archives and the
Nanjing Second Historical Archives and combined with Western missionary documents, this
paper situates the Christian efforts of rural reconstruction in the Chinese hinterlands within a
transnational development scheme that sought to “modernize” the countryside.
抗戰時期美國教會對華救濟委員會援華活動研究
p. 24
背後帶有“隱性傳教”的訴求,對擴大基督教在華影響、促進良性政教關係的確立起到
積極影響。本文擬利用該組織的核心檔案重構相關史實,以推動戰時中國基督教史研究。
再探 1954 年中國基督教全國會議
1954 年的中國基督教全國會議,是中共建國後首次以基督教名義召開的全國大會。會上
議決成立中國基督教三自愛國運動委員會,不僅標誌著三自革新運動發展的新里程,也
對共產中國下基督教的發展,帶來深遠影響。本文嘗試結合不同史料,包括文獻、檔案
及口述歷史,對是次會議的由來、經過作出重構,並再探會議在中國基督教史的意義。
p. 25
List of Conference Participants
p. 26
Sui Tung TANG Lutheran Theological Seminary
Clement Tsz Ming TONG Trinity Western University
Jackson Ho Kei TSUI Macau Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cheng Wen WANG Tunghai University
Xin WANG Baylor University
Wenqian WANG The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Philip L. WICKERI Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Ming Hua Theological College
Christina Wai Yin WONG The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Wan Yu WONG Hong Kong Baptist University
Kin Pan WU The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Yimeng XU Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University
Bingsan XU Central China Normal University
Aixin YI Boston University
Tak Leung YIM The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Fuk Tsang YING Academia Sinica
p. 27
News
p. 28
Ching Feng: A Journal on Christianity and Chinese Religion and Culture
All articles are anonymously peer-reviewed. After they are notified of the receipt of their
submissions, authors should allow three to four months for a review.
p. 29
Campus Map
p. 30