"Lee's volume is a valuable contribution because of its thoughtful reconceptualization of the particularist approach." (Joshua Dao Wei Sim, Exchange, Vol. 48 (1), 2019)
1. Christianizing Maritime Chaozhou-Shantou
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Why Chaozhou?
1.3 New Archival Sources and Perspectives
1.4 Organization of the Book
Joseph Tse-Hei Lee
2. The First Group of Chaoshan Biblewomen
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Profiles of the Biblewomen
2.3 Reasons for Conversion
2.4 Christianity as an Enlightened Religion
2.5 Impacts of Biblewomen on Local Churches
2.6 Conclusion
Ellen Xiang-Yu Cai
3. The Divergent Careers of Adele Marion Fielde and Catherine Maria Ricketts
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The Resignation of Adele Marion Fielde
3.3 The Story of Catherine Maria Ricketts
3.4 Conclusion
Carol Li Nie
4. “Spirits That I’ve Cited”: Christian Mission Schools and the Chinese State in Jiaying (1903–11)
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Curriculum
4.3 Architecture
4.4 Time Discipline
4.5 Conclusion
Hajo Frölich
5. Christianity and Needlework Industry in Chaoshan
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Growth of the Modern Needlework Industry
5.3 Needlework for the Baptist and Catholic Missions
5.4 Needlework and the English Presbyterian Mission
5.5 Impacts of the Christian Needlework Enterprises
5.6 Conclusion
Ellen Xiang-Yu Cai
6. Missionaries as Developers: Industry and Real Estate under the American Baptists
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The American Baptist Missionaries in Business
6.3 Ashmore’s Investment in Fishery
6.4 A Millionaire Missionary
6.5 Conclusion
Qiyao Li
7. Christian Activism in 1950s Chaoshan and Wenzhou
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The Story of Chaozhou-Speaking Christians
7.3 The Story of Wenzhou’s Seventh-day Adventists
7.4 The Christian Revival in the Reform Era
7.5 Conclusion
Christie Chui-Shan Chow and Joseph Tse-Hei Lee
8. Chapter 8. Christianity and the Peng Lineage
8.1 Introduction
8.2 An Overview of The Peng Genealogy
8.3 Conversion Across Generations
8.4 The Symbolic Significance of Christian Families
8.5 Conclusion
Weiqing Hu (Translated by Joseph Tse-Hei Lee)
Joseph Tse-Hei Lee is Professor of History and Executive Director of the Confucius Institute at Pace University in New York, USA. His previous works include The Bible and the Gun: Christianity in South China (2003), Marginalization in China (2008), China’s Rise to Power (2012), and Hong Kong and Bollywood (2016).
Christianity flourishes in areas facing profound dislocations amidst regime change and warfare. This book explains the appeal of Christianity in the Chaozhou-Shantou (Chaoshan) region during a time of transition, from a stage of disintegration in the late imperial era into the cosmopolitan and entrepreneurial area it is today. The authors argue that Christianity played multiple roles in Chaoshan, facilitating mutual accommodations and adaptations among foreign missionaries and native converts. The trajectory of Christianization should be understood as a process of civilizational change that inspired individuals and communities to construct a sacred order capable of empowerment in times of chaos and confusion.