Analysis Of Christianity's Utilizing Medicine And Preaching In The Northeast In The Last Years Of Qing Dynasty And The Early Years Of The Republic Of China

After the Second Opium War , Yingkou was opened up as a commercial port , and thedoor of the Northeast was opened under foreign big powers. Under the protection of theunequal treaty, some Missionary Societies began to send missionary to the Northeast .Because there were many cultural differences between the east and the west and modernChristianity entered China under the protection of the powers, the missionary coming to theNortheast for the first time met local society's strong repelling. To alleviate people'sresisting mood and develop missionary work smoothly , Missionary Societies utilizededucation , medical treatment and charitable activities to shield and thus paralysis people'sthought, in order to achieve the goal of propagating " good news ". In these means, theutilizing medicine and preaching work shielded with medical activities made conspicuousresults. That preaching doctors utilized medicine to cure disease for local people made themfrom suspecting to accepting and even admitting them. This finally opened the situation ofmissionary work. This text bases on local history materials of the Northeast, regards Christianity'sutilizing medicine and preaching in the Northeast in the last years of Qing Dynasty and theearly years of the Republic of China as the research object and carries on the discussionfrom the three following aspects: First, the reason why Christianity utilized medicine and preached in the Northeast.This part starts with historical background of Christianity's entering the Northeast,preaching in initial stage and the positive role of the activity in utilizing medicine forpreaching and draws such a conclusion: the main reason for Christianity's utilizingmedicine and preaching is when their missionary work got obstruction in initial stage, therewas no function that other means could be substituted in abolishing the obstruction ofpreaching, so utilizing medicine and preaching became one of the main means thatChristianity developed church force in the Northeast. Second, Christianity's utilizing medicine and preaching activities in the Northeast.These activities mainly include establishing church hospitals , running medical schools andparticipating in epidemic prevention and providing disaster relief etc.. These measureswhich the church took, played a positive role in shielding Christianity. Christianity openedthe passageway to the Northeast, and achieved the basic goal that utilizing medicine servedfor preaching. Third, the appraisal of the activities of utilizing medicine and preaching in theNortheast. Christianity utilized medicine to open up the road for preaching, meanwhile itdid some beneficial things for the Northeastern people objectively and played a certain rolein spreading Western medicine science into Northeast, too. Through the above-mentioned analysis, such a conclusion can be drawn: Christianity'sutilizing medicine and preaching in the Northeast in the last years of Qing Dynasty and theearly years of the Republic of China was an important part of Christianity's missionarywork in the Northeast. Its original goal was for service in missionary work. WhileChristianity was spread in Northeast , the knowledge and technology of Western medicinewere also introduced in and played some positive roles for the development of the Westernmedicine in the Northeast. However, Christianity's utilizing medicine after all did not slipaway the original intention, and the positive role was inevitably discounted.