"The Qing intransigence : a new interpretation of the Fu'an anti-Christian campaign in 1746-48" / Xie Jingzhen

Published by The Catholic Historical Review, v. 111, No. 1, Winter 2025

Also availible through Boston College Libraries

Abstract:

This article argues that the intransigence of the Qing state toward the Catholic mission in China was the essential cause of the suppression of the Dominican missionaries in Fu'an between 1746 and 1748. A fundamental conflict between the Catholic mission in China and the Qing state arose from the latter's commitment to preserving Confucian values while ensuring social stability. Due to this commitment, it was unyielding in adhering to its anti-Christian stance, especially during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. The Qianlong emperor's decision to impose severe punishment was significantly influenced by the antagonism of provincial officials, who sought to exculpate themselves from failing to control the practice of Catholicism. The Fu'an anti-Christian campaign in 1746–48 illustrates the Qing state's fundamentally vigilant attitude toward the expansion of Western influence. This attitude is also demonstrated by the tightened control the Qing exerted over Macau, a stronghold for the Catholic mission in the Far East since the late sixteenth century.