Publishers note--This volume intends to tackle two problems. The first is the historical framework of imperialism - until now widely applied by Western and Chinese scholars as an approach to the Christian evangelization movement in China. The theological aspect of the missionary action is seldom taken into account, nor is religion treated as an authentic human experience. In this volume two authors try to place the position of the Christian mission in its broader context. Scott Somers reflects on the changing image of the Japanese occupation in Taiwan, based on Protestant missionary sources; Koen De Ridder discusses the early diplomatic contacts between China and Belgium and the position of the Belgian missionaries. A second problem dealt with is that of the native Christians. While Jessie Lutz attempts to sketch a profile of the Chinese Protestant evangelizers, Jean-Paul Wiest focuses his attention on the Roman Catholics among the Chinese Hakka minority. Gary Tiedemann explains the material, spiritual and political incentives for conversion among the inhabitants of North China, paying special attention to the socio-political profile of the converts. In the contribution of Ann Heylen we return to Taiwan, where we are offered a better understanding of the Protestant contribution to the study of the Min language. Finally, Karel Steenbrink describes the changing religious affiliation of assimilated Chinese in Indonesia during the period 1900-1942.

Contents: Introduction / Ku Wei-ying and Koen De Ridder -- Missionaries, opium and imperialism in the Western perceptions of the Japanese colonial empire in Taiwan / Scott Sommers -- The first diplomatic contacts between Belgium and China: its background and consequences for politics, trade and mission activity / Koen De Ridder -- A profile of Chinese protestant evangelists in the mid-nineteenth century / Jessie G. Lutz -- Was the Christian God partial to the Hakka people? / J.-P.Wiest -- Conversion patterns in North China. Sociological profiles of Chinese Christians, 1860-1912 / R.G. Tiedemann -- Missionary Linguistics on Taiwan. Romanizing Taiwanese: codification and standardization of dictionaries in Southern Min (1837-1923) / Ann Heylen -- The religious quest of the Chinese diaspora of Southeast Asia ca 1900-1942 / Karel Steenbrink.

This volume appears to be an edition of vol. 4 of Malixun ru Hua xuanjiao 200 nian 馬禮遜入華宣教200年. 台北市, 基督教宇宙光全人關懷機構 (2006).

本書作者根據清末有關文獻資料，聚焦於清朝末年基督教對中國教育與社會的影響，從幾個專題如衛三畏與《中華叢刊》的關係、名詞翻譯與統一、教育會及其出版事業，以及鴉片問題等，來考察清末的教育和社會狀況，較為客觀地探討了傳教士在其中所起的推動作用，言之有據，是一部很有新意的近代中國歷史研究專著.

"本書是一部研究性論文集，集中探討了晚清和民初國人（以知識分子為主）反基督教的問題，作者以個案研究的方式細緻而生動地分析了近代中國分子反基督教的成因、表現及其後果與影響"--OCLC note.