History of Christianity in China
What’s the history of Christianity in China? Early history tells us that Bartholomew was a missionary to Persia and Thomas was a missionary to India. The generations that followed these courageous apostles took the Gospel even further east and ultimately established churches along what became known as the Silk Road. Archaeological discoveries have now confirmed that Christianity was established in China as early as 630 AD.
A large stone monument – or stele — was unearthed in the province of Xi’an that recorded 150 years of Christian history during the early Tang Dynasty. The heading on the stele reads, “Memorial of the Propagation in China of the Luminous Religion from Daqin.” Back in the day, Daqin was the far western edge of the Chinese world map. The text on the stele makes clear that the “Luminous Religion from Daqin” was Christianity.
While this early group of Christians planted a number of churches that lasted for about two centuries of the Tang Dynasty, later dynasties persecuted Christianity, and the Chinese churches nearly died out by 845 AD.
In 966, a visiting monk reported, “Christianity is extinct in China; the native Christians have perished in one way or another; the church which they had has been destroyed and there is only one Christian left in the land.”
Thus, early attempts at spreading the Gospel in China died out in the 9th century, and it wasn’t until the 16th century that Christian missionaries once again returned to this part of the world. In 1552, it was the famous Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, who first arrived in the east. His missions were based primarily in India, Malaysia, and Japan, but he was instrumental in paving the way for Christianity in China.
Then, in 1582, it was the Italian Jesuit, Matteo Ricci, who landed at the Portuguese settlement of Macau and made his way into the heart of Mainland China. Ricci went on to be the founding figure of the Jesuit China Missions. In 1601, he was invited by the Chinese emperor to be the first European to enter the Forbidden City in Beijing.
It was in this mysterious part of Beijing that Matteo Ricci went on to serve the Chinese in areas of astronomy, mathematics, and Latin translations. He also produced a map of the world in Chinese characters that introduced East Asia to the discoveries of European explorers. By the beginning of the 17th century, Ricci saw a number of prominent Chinese officials convert to Christianity because of his heart to serve them.
But the 18th century brought something much different. The Catholic Church decided that combining Christian doctrines with Chinese customs didn’t work. As a result, the Pope ordered all Jesuit missionaries to publicly oppose Chinese traditions such as ancestor worship and praying at shrines of the dead. The Chinese emperor found this order “petty” and began running Catholic missionaries out of his realm. By 1773, the Christian presence in China, Mongolia, and Taiwan nearly ceased to exist, once again.
During the second half of the 20th century, it was communism that stalled the spread of the Gospel in China and the surrounding region. However, as seen in other parts of the world, religious oppression ultimately creates a more robust Christian faith. Instead of foreign missionaries, local Chinese pastors took the lead, and secret house churches grew throughout the land. Today, according to Pew Research, there are an estimated 67 million Christians in China. The Christian faith is also spreading in Mongolia and Taiwan as well.
However, a new era of persecution has just started. In China, the latest Communist regime has once again targeted Christianity. Large church buildings have been destroyed, pastors have been imprisoned, and technology has been used to track Christians. In a nation that has more than 200 million security cameras, facial recognition systems are being used to monitor every aspect of life, including religious expression. Yet, Christian history tells us that great persecution is often followed by great expansion. While the “official church” is forced to be a bit quiet at the moment, there are simmering signs of hope and growth for the underground church in China.
History of Christianity in China
Randall acts as the lead writer for ColdWater’s Drive Thru History® TV series and Drive Thru History® “Adventures” curriculum.
Leave a Reply