URCAD Sneak Peek: Evelyn Yuen

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 21:39:15 -0400

URCAD is in 2 days! April 12, 2023

Evelyn Yuen

1:00-2:30pm Poster 13 in the UC Ballroom

Christians, Politics, and Diplomacy: The Anti-Christian Movements of 1922-1927 in the Republic of China

Mentor: Dr. Meredith Oyen

Christianity had played a central role in the diplomacy between China and Western Powers since the late nineteenth century. The propagation of mission work, and sometimes the death of missionaries resulting from anti-Christian attacks, gave Western Powers the excuse to further their encroachment through unequal treaties. As the young Republic of China (ROC) struggled to find a new national identity and achieve national unity in the warlord era (the 1920s), left-leaning skeptics and critics’ accusations against Christianity of being the forerunner of imperialism popularized. Thus, the Anti-Christian Movements between 1922-1927 began. These Anti-Christian Movements were vastly different from the 1900 Boxer’s Rebellion in that they eventually led the ROC to restore national sovereignty over education and catalyzed the independence of the Protestant churches from missionaries’ leadership. This research aims to explore Chinese Christians’ response to the Movements and the Movements’ impact on domestic politics. Furthermore, this research will shed light on U.S.-China relations as missionary schools in China were predominantly American-funded and operated; thus, it explores how the “special relationship” between the U.S. and China changed after the Anti-Christian Movements.

Image: Bitter Winter Magazine

For the full schedule of events, see: URCAD.umbc.edu