Handbook of Christianity in China, Volume 2: 1800-Present

In recent years there has been a remarkable shift in attitudes towards the study of Christianity in China. This has been prompted to some extent by the phenomenal growth of Catholicism and especially Protestantism since the early 1980s. Thus, even since the publication of Volume One of the Handbook of Christianity in China (hereafter Handbook I) in 2001 significant changes have taken place. A substantial number imaginatively conceived monographs and articles, employing new theoretical concepts and methodologies, have contributed signifi cantly to our understanding of the multifaceted nature of the propagation of Christianity, as well as its rejection, toleration or acceptance by Chinese society. Moreover, considerably more material has become available for study, as an increasing number of relevant archives in China and the West have become accessible. A growing number of Chinese and foreign academics have begun to recognise the value of this material. At the same time, various reference guides—both in print and on the internet—are facilitating research into the history of the missionary enterprise in China and Chinese Christianity. In order to accommodate the growing band of interested scholars, a number of dedicated research institutions have been establish in Western countries as well as in China.
In its basic structure, Handbook II follows the pattern established for Handbook I. To some extent, a number of continuities can be discerned in the development of Christianity aft er 1800. For instance, many of the Chinese Catholic communities that had been established in the eighteenth century and earlier became vital bases for the expansion of the Christian faith in the nineteenth century. The Rites Controversy serves as another example, for its effects were even more keenly felt during the modern missionary era in China. Since some of the common issues and explanatory discussions have already been presented in Handbook I, readers will be referred to that volume for f