China became subject to various Western influences in the nineteenth century. Conspicuous in the realm of technology was the transformation of printing from xylography to Western typography. The new method was introduced by Protestant missionaries and mainly by those of the London Missionary Society (LMS). The motive behind this transformation was their hope to print the Bible and by an adequate method, but later the impact of this technological change extended widely beyond religion, resulting in the burgeoning and rapid development of modern Chinese publishing enterprises, including newspapers, periodicals and books. Based mainly upon the LMS archives and the Chinese works printed by LMS missionaries, this study is a history of the LMS's printing presses, beginning with their establishment in the very early nineteenth century until their closure in 1873. The two principal themes in this study are: first, the missionaries' application of Western technology to Chinese printing; and secondly, the role and response of the Chinese to this transformation. Whilst trying to demonstrate the interaction between missionaries and natives in the process of change, an attempt is also made, in the context of contemporary China, to interpret how Western printing technology gradually gained influence in native minds. The printing press did not achieve as much as expected in helping to spread Christianity in China. However, the LMS missionaries were able to produce the first fount of Chinese type and raised Chinese awareness of its greater efficiency, compared with their thousand-year-old blocks, as an agent for the introduction of modern knowledge and as a means to transform their old society.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [414]-423).

More than half a century has passed since the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement was established, and quickly rose to monopolize institutionalized Protestantism in China. The Three-Self theology remains poorly understood, however, both on mainland China, and abroad. This study intends to uncover why Ting's work has been constructed in the way it has been, to delve beneath its totalizing discourses as they were shaped and reshaped in the transitional period, and on into the 1980s, when Three-Self theologians were active again. As Ting's work is considered an official guide to Theological Reconstruction, this examination of Ting's theology also aims to show how, and why, the CCP accommodated or endorsed Ting's projects, discourses and evaluations, and what the impact of this was. Centring on the idea of the Three-Self, each of the chapters of this study will further elaborate upon the emergence and development of Three-Self principles in China, and how it helped to form the core of Ting's theology, most particularly in the 1980s. Chapter One presents the Three-Self's original meaning. Simultaneously, close attention is paid to how Chinese Christians practised the Three-Self principles, tackled various issues such as the interaction with traditional Chinese culture, religion and science, and Christianity and revolution in the 1920s and 1930s. The key theme of Chapter Two, consequently, is located in the question of how the Three-Self has mutated as a political instrument, and transformed itself into the Three-Self movement between 1950 and 1979. Chapter Three, from a political perspective, is devoted to presenting how we are to understand Ting's Theological Reconstruction, in comparison with the Three-Self in the 1950s. The key consideration of Chapter Four is to engage with Ting's idea of Theological Reconstruction in 1980s, which includes his particular way of appropriating Christianity in the contemporary Chinese context. In the light of Stephen Bevans' classification of contextual theology, this chapter's three thematic parts point to three patterns which were adapted to construct Chinese theology in the past and contemporary history of Christianity in China. Surveying the central concept of the 'Cosmic Christ', and why/how Ting has been so passionate about popularizing this idea in China, this chapter will provide a thorough review of the particular work in Ting Kuanghsün Wenji (Collected Essays of Bishop Ting), and this detailed account provides an opportunity to observe how Ting weaves Marxism, process theology and liberation theology into his theological construction, and how he links his theological proposal to mainstream theology. In the final chapter, this study will investigate the strength and weakness of Ting's Theological Reconstruction. I will argue that Ting's main purpose in transforming, as well as reconstructing, Christianity is not to try to make Christianity more easily accepted by the Chinese in their cultural and social situation, but it is instead intended to be used as a 'post-transformational Christianity', specifically as an instrument to provide help for the CCP to find a way out of its political situation.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1981. / Also available in print.

The thesis "Taoism in European terms at the beginning of 21st century. Presentation of this phenomenon in Christian perspective." Taoism as the original Chinese philosophical and religious system, which deeply influenced Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism, is presented in this thesis. The main principles of Taoism and Taoist writings are introduced. Taoism penetrates into different areas of contemporary European culture; its influence is evident in science, literature and the contemporary lifestyle. Special emphasis is placed on traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist exercises that are significantly beneficial to Westerners. In contrast, the risk is found in uncritical accepting and simplifying of selected aspects without a deeper understanding of the principles of Taoism and its tradition. These benefits and risks are documented by publications of Christian theologians. The difference in Eastern and Western thinking is the cause of the difficulty of mutual understanding of both cultures. Keywords Taoism, Chinese philosophy, Chinese traditional medicine, healing, Tai Chi, Christianity

No description available.

This thesis examines political engagement amongst young urban Chinese Protestants. Based on 100 interviews in Beijing and Shenzhen, 50 with Protestants, and 50 with non-Protestants, it focuses on three areas: national narratives (what individuals think about China, its current situation and its future direction), political opinions, and social and political activity. I firstly argue that Protestants generally adhere to a relatively ‘critical’ national narrative, one that is more divergent from the Party-state’s nationalist discourse than that of their demographic peers. I then argue that in causal terms, it is primarily individuals who hold these critical values who are most drawn to Christianity, rather than developing the values as a result of their faith. Secondly, Protestants do not just hold more negative opinions of China's political regime, but that the criteria by which they judge it are different. In contrast to their demographic peers, Protestants do not base their judgements of the regime on its performance at delivering on everyday political issues. Thirdly, Protestantism catalyses the development of a sense of agency in its adherents: a sense of moral responsibility towards China and a desire to bring change through transformative activism. However, factors in China's cultural, historical, social and political context serve to steer Protestants' activism away from engagement with secular society and inward towards the church community. I conclude by arguing that Protestantism poses two challenges to China's Party-state: Firstly, it is symptomatic of an underlying sense of social and political malaise, of scepticism towards the primacy of economic enrichment and towards the Party-state’s attempt to legitimise its rule based upon this. Secondly, Protestantism catalyses the emergence of a critical, morally agentic individualism that anchors its worldview in a discourse outside the control of the Party-state. Adapting to these social shifts presents a major future challenge for the CCP.

Introduction, the history of Christianity in China. Chapter 1, like rain falling and grass growing: the growth of China’s underground church. Chapter 2, a comparison of the theologies of K.H. Ting and Wang Mingdao. Chapter 3, marching back towards Jerusalem. Conclusion, the spread of the American kingdom.

Le traité des Catégories d’Aristote est l’une des premières œuvres de la philosophie occidentale traduite en chinois. Introduit par les jésuites en Chine au XVIIème siècle, sa traduction fut une confrontation entre la pensée gréco-chrétienne et la pensée chinoise. Elle nous renseigne sur le rapport entre la langue et la pensée. Le premier chapitre est un aperçu de l’environnement historico-culturel dans lequel cette traduction a été réalisée. Le deuxième chapitre présente notre méthode et nos outils de travail. Nous expliquons, dans le troisième chapitre, le titre de l’ouvrage en chinois : il est censé être la traduction du mot « logique », mais il est composé de mots qui renvoient à des doctrines philosophiques chinoises traitant de problèmes fondamentalement différents de ceux dont s’occupe la logique aristotélicienne. Les quatrième et cinquième chapitres constituent un commentaire de la traduction chinoise du premier chapitre du traité aristotélicien. Les différences linguistiques entre le chinois et les langues indo-européennes se révèlent tant sur le plan lexical que sur le plan grammatical. Nous terminons notre travail par une discussion sur la traduction du verbe « être ». Notre objet est de montrer que ce qui est perdu dans la traduction est moins le sens du mot « être » que sa syntaxe et le mode de pensée qui lui est lié. Étudier les intraduisibles en philosophie, c’est découvrir les différentes façons de thématiser et de problématiser, qui caractérisent chaque système de pensée. Cette étude de philosophie comparée gréco-chinoise espère contribuer à la réflexion sur la pluralité linguistique et culturelle. / Aristotle’s Categories is one of the first Western philosophical texts translated into Chinese. Since Jesuit missionaries introduced scientific thoughts into China in the 17th century, Chinese literati have shown a strong interest in the demonstration method that was originated in Aristotelian logic. This dissertation presents a detailed study of the Chinese translation Ming li tan, with the aim of addressing several issues on the relationship between language and thought. Chapter 1 is an overview of the historical and cultural environment in which the translation took place. Chapter 2 presents our approach to comparative philosophy. Chapter 3 discusses the translation of the title “Ming li tan”. The term “ming li” is used as a translation of the word “logic”, but is actually composed of terms referring to Chinese philosophical doctrines which deal with problems fundamentally different from those of the Aristotelian logic. Chapters 4 and 5 provide a detailed commentary of the Chinese translation of the first chapter of Categories, focusing in particular on three notions: homonym, synonym and paronym. We conclude our work with a discussion on the translation of the verb “to be” and its derivatives (e.g., being, substance), and explain the reasoning behind its various Chinese renditions. Our central claim is that what is lost in translation is less the literal meaning of word “to be” than its syntax and the way of thinking underlying the use of this word. The focus on translation provides a unique approach to studying linguistic relativism and linguistic and cultural pluralism. A good understanding of these issues is crucial for improving the intercultural dialogue.