Chinese women and Christianity, 1860-1927

This study examines the relationship between Chinese women and Protestant Christianity from 1860 to 1927, using the writings of Chinese women and the collection of Chinese tracts and papers of the American board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions as primary sources.; The historical background of Protestant missions in China during this period is provided, focusing on issues pertinent to the encounter of Chinese women and Christianity. The Christian message communicated to the Chinese audience is reconstructed by means of a careful analysis of missionary popular literature, showing that the feminization of Christian symbolism in China enhanced the appeal of Christianity. The experiences of women in the Christian church is then described, with reference to religious activities for women in the local setting and the evolving patterns of religious leadership.; The formation of peer bonds and the development of leadership in churches and mission schools enabled Chinese Christian women to move into the public arena. The study shows that Christian women sought to apply maternal roles and feminine qualities practiced in the home to society when they initiated various social reforms, such as the anti-footbinding movement, temperance, health campaigns, and family reform. Broadened social involvement provided a critical context for women to reflect on their own religious faith and their Christian identity, as seen in women's conversion stories, autobiographies, testimonies, and religious writings.; The study argues that the relationship between Chinese women and Christianity changed over time and was much more complex than hitherto assumed. Christianity was faulted in nineteenth-century China for elevating the status of women, but it was condemned as patriarchal and conservative in the 1920's. Further, the development of the consciousness of church women was significantly influenced by the wider feminist movement in China. The ideal of the equality of the sexes made Christian women more aware of sexual discrimination in the church, and criticisms of Christianity during the anti-Christian movement (1922-1927) prompted these women to engage in a feminist critique of Christianity.