A Research On The Social Contradiction Of North Hubei Province In Late Qing Dynasty: By Analyzing "Gucheng Christian Case"

The Christian cases that cropped up in the latter part of the 19th century were characteristically momentous events in China's modern history, which had lasted for more than half a century, and has extremely far-reaching influence. This thesis takes the "Gucheng Christian case" happened in 1892 as the research object. By analyzing this case, the author aims at investigating the contradiction's growth and decline in the late Qing Dynasty's rural society.The emergence of the Gucheng Christian case originated from the outburst of pestilence in the north area of Hubei Province in the summer of 1892. It was rumored that it was a missionary of Catholicism who bribed people to poison the well water. The rumor spread rapidly, and thousands of villagers made up the militia and surrounded Shenya Catholic church in Gucheng, and claimed that they would kill the priests and grab their possessions. Thanks to the officers of Xiangyang District who arrived in time with the army, they prevented the emergence of a serious incident concerning foreign affairs.The emergence of the Gucheng Christian case was caused by reasons in many aspects. The serious natural calamity was a main inducement, the extensively spreading rumor was the immediate cause, and its deep reason was that the development of Catholicism force's brought impacts to the rural society since modern times, made very deep contradiction produced between Catholicism and Chinese people, therefore when facing the pestilence calamity, Catholicism became the target on which people vented their spleen.The secret society was the secret manipulator behind the Gucheng Christian case. By 1880s, the secret society gradually became the main force of the Anti-Christianity movement. In the Gucheng Christian case, from spreading rumors, burning and robbing the believer, to besieging the church, they were all active organizers and participants. Because the secret society took actions reconditely,although local authorities regarded it as the sting in their heart, they had no way out.At the same time, the emergence of the Gucheng Christian case brought endless worries to officers at all levels. They, mediating between the mass, the catholic and the secret society, were afraid of causing interference between China and foreign countries on one hand, and afraid of evoking mass uprising on the other hand, so the final result was dilatory and mediate, which not only influenced the government's efficiency of handling affairs, but also damaged it's authority, and increased the mass's discontent.The society of north Hubei Province of late Qing Dynasty was at the starting stage of making the transition to modern society. Peasants in the situation wandered up and down at their psychological base line endurably, for their economic pressure was greater and greater, the living standard became worse and worse. The existed social faith and beliefs were wavering day by day and they were extremely anxious psychologically. They needed to relieve the pressure and seek the sense of safety and freedom. The pestilence in 1892 was like a fuse, and the Catholic Church was just a suitable target of leading off.And in the emergence and settlement of Gucheng Christian case, we can find out the social contradiction's growth and decline of north Hubei Province's rural society at late Qing Dynasty. Originally there were four strata in the rural society: officer, gentry, the mass and the secret society. The involvement of the foreigners and Roman Catholic Church had changed the existed social structure and contradiction. Since they had special background and identities, they made themselves the target which the original strata joined their forces to resist against. The Qing Government failed to handle various kinds of contradictions, so that the new contradictions were deteriorated with the old. This made the transition of late Qing society under an absolutely unfavorable condition, so China's modernizing course was zigzag, repeated and developing at slow speed. It should be used for reference of today.