Christianity Spread In China Yi Areas (1840-1949)

Yi is a minority nationality in southwest China which has a long history and brilliant culture. During a century time after the Opium War, the missionaries of Catholic and Protestant of the developed western countries came to China and tried to spread Christianity among the Yi areas in southwest China.Christianity encountered strong resistance among the Liangshan inhabitants of Sichuan province, and the Yi people there made many incidents to against Christianity; On the other hand, among the Yi nationality in the north and the northeast of Yunnan and the northwest of Guizhou provinces, Christianity was succeed.On this historical phenomenon, the scholars in China and aboard have not made a specialized study yet. This dissertation tries to do some research in this field. On the basis of a detailed study on a hundred years of the history of the spread of Christianity on Yi nationality, the author draws conclusion:The fully remained traditional social structure, the profound traditional Yi culture, made Yi people in Liangshan gathered together and strongly resisted the Christianity. The early missionaries tried many times but still failed to bring Christianity to the Yi inhabitants in the Liangshan of Sichuan province.On the other hand, among the Yi nationality in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, Christianity got chance to spread and flourished. Reasons for this phenomenon were that, after bringing the aboriginal chieftains under the jurisdiction of the central government by assigning these palaces regular officials in southwest China in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the feudal landlordism economy of Han nationality influenced the Yi people in Yunnan and Guizhou strongly, and at the same time, many Han immigrants moved to the regions where Yi people lived. Thus, the traditional Yi social structure changed and the influence of the Yi traditional culture weakened. Therefore the conditions of the spread of Christianity were founded.From the history of the spread of Christianity among Yi nationality in China, we could figure out that whether Yi people converted Christianity or not, it was the social circumstance which decided their choice. It confirms the exactitude of Marxian viewpoint about the essentiality of religion, that is, material conditions decide people's mind.We should do more research on the traditional Yi culture, since it has successfully resisted many kinds of culture from outside like Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity. The deep research of profound Yi traditional culture will help the improvement of the socialism spiritual civilization of Yi nationality.During the process of the expansion of Christianity among Yi peoplein Yunnan and Guizhou province, Yi people themselves were the principal parts of this movement of converting Christianity. Yi people built churches and also provided the financial needs. The constructing of parishes and schools were lead by Yi key members. Without the support of government and investment from outside, Yi people founded many modern level primary schools all by themselves, and cultivated a large number of Yi intellectuals. To found schools in every village and call on every person to do his or her best to support for education is rather good experience to follow at the time when we are exploring and richening the west by means of science and education.