Between The Cups: Narrative, Textual Criticism And Interpretation Of Nanchang Missionary Case, 1906

Chiang Chaotang, the magistrate of Nanchang hien of Kiangsi, was injured with his throat in a Catholic church, as he was invited for dinner by the French Catholic Priest Lacruche in Feb. 22nd 1906, and died a week later. The Catholic church and the Catholic school nearby were burned out by the furious mob, and the Priest Lacruche and five teachers were killed. Most sadly, the Protestant missionary Kinghams'were involved into this tragedy and lost their lives. This is the resounding Nanchang Missionary Case, which is the last significant missionary case and the last important diplomatic matter result from the missionary case in Late Qing Dynasty so that it plays a very important role in the history of missionary case in Qing Dynasty. In the revolutionary paradigm, with the hypothesis that Chiang Chaotang's being murdered, the story of Nanchang Missionary Case is told that the government of Qing is corrupted, on the other hand, the Catholic mssion and the Imperialism is fierce and cruel. Putting it into a historical context and viewing it as a approach to the Qing society, the dissertation have explored and analyzed all kinds of text, and has a detailed investigation with the historical facts. The dissertation has seven parts and its outline is as follows.The first part processes from the myth of Nanchang Missionary Case and introduces the interests and the academic meanings of the dissertation, as well as the collection and operation of the historical materials.The second part deals with the backgrounds of the Nanchang Missionary Case. Firstly it introduces the general situation of the Nanchang City and the basic facts of the Christianity in Nanchang. Secondly it explores the intercourse between the Chinese officials and the missionaries and presents the anti-christian tradition, which provides the spatial dimension and temporal dimension for the case.The third part discusses the death of Chiang Chaotang. First, it shows the dilemma of Chiang Chaotang both through his official career and through two old missionary case, namely, Chigang Missionary Case and Xinchang Missionary Case. Second, it explores the secret of the injury of Chiang Chaotang in Feb. 22nd with the texts and finds out that Chiang Chaotang's committing suicide. What's more, it is not a fatal injury, but with the persuasion of his superiors he killed himself so as to absolve himself from responsibility with the occurring of the missionary case. The upper officials in Kiangxi know the truth from Chiang Chaotang's manuscript so that they haven't arrested the Priest and the Chinese Christian on the spot, which as a result have been criticized by the public opinion.The forth part explores the concrete scene of the riot in Feb. 25th. Firstly, it discusses the risk and challenge that the missionaries have to confront with in China. Then has a thick description with the disordered occasion with the following two methods: one is the analyzing of the different texts so that shows the riot in different viewpoints, the other is the inquiry and identification to the relative historical facts so as to enter into the disorder locale.The fifth part narrates and analyzes the negotiation between China and France. Firstly, it narrates and rebuilds the process of the negotiation and discovers that the attitude of Waiwupu is stronger than that of Kiangxi's local government. Due to the report of Liang Tunyen and the autopsy report of the west doctors, Waiwupu changes its attitude and compromises with France. As a result, it signs a contract with France to acknowledge the committing suicide of Chiang Chaotang and show the result to the public.The sixth part turns the view into the reports of the newspapers. Due to the different standpoints, the different newspapers have a different report on Nanchang Missionary Case. Around the reason of the death of Chiang Chaotang, there breaks out a intense newspaper-battle between the Chinese newspaper and the west newspaper in Shanghai. Afterwards, based on the national feelings of the Chinese newspapers, it discusses the relation between the public opinion and the truth during the reports to Nanchang Missionary Case.The seventh part discusses the influences of the Nanchang Missionary Case. Firstly, it discusses all kinds of disasters that the missionary case brings about in Late Qing Dynasty, and then explores the panic in Nanchang city after the riot and the coping strategy of the local government. Secondly, it explores the appeal to peace between the citizen and the Christian during the negotiation on Nanchang Missionary Case, and then thinks that the mutual understanding of the compatibility between the citizen and the Christian is of very importance to the disappearance of the missionary case. Thirdly, starting with the issues of mobilization and identity, it discusses the relation between the Nanchang Missionary Case and the nation-state building in Late Qing Dynasty.