The Activities Of Chinese Catholics During The Prohibition Against Catholicism In Qing Dynasty (1721-1846)

During the middle of the Qing Dynasty, from the end of Kangsi to the OpiumWar, with the influence of some factors, especially the factor of'the rites controversy',the government began to prohibit the Catholicism. Catholicism has the tremendouschange in China's survival condition, and the work of missionary in China began toillegal. Foreign missionaries firstly were ejected from China, lately were killed.Catholicism's spread in China was forced into underground situation. The jobs ofmissionary had to been taken over by the Catholic clergies and Catholics of Chinathemselves with the reducing of foreign missionary, but they were always suppressedand persecuted by the government constantly, in that situation they still insisted topropagate Catholicism in the mass.This thesis attempts to begin from the Chinese clergies and general Catholics,which are the two major parts of the Chinese Catholics. Except for touching upongeneral Catholics, it has another chapter separately to illustrate the nobles of theemperor's relatives in order to prove that Chinese Catholics made most importantcontribution to the spread of Catholicism whether they preached full-timely or not.Based on the analysis of status, area of the activities, mode and characteristic of themissionary activities of these Chinese Catholics, it will show that Chinese Catholicstook over major party of missionary task, thus making more important contributionthan ever before to the spread of Catholicism in China during the special time andmaking progress of localization of Catholicism in China. It will also show thatChinese characteristic while accepting Catholicism in that incident of culturalconflicts between the East and the West, and the influence what the period of retardedgrowth brings to the Catholic spread in China.