Chinese History

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A photo of Soong Qingling with children.

A Statue That Connected Hearts

As it enters this next season, my hope is that more readers will find their own place within this shared journey—whether through prayer, presence, or practical support—so that these heart connections can continue to form, deepen, and bear fruit for the generations to come.

Looking toward the 2040s: a watchful posture over China and the world. A new series adapted from Sam Ling’s 2025 HLS lecture asks four guiding questions across four axes—China, the West, the church, and ideas—to help us think and serve faithfully as we look toward the 2040s.

Four Questions for the 2040s

A new series adapted from Sam Ling’s 2025 HLS lecture asks four guiding questions across four axes—China, the West, the church, and ideas—to help us think and serve faithfully as we look toward the 2040s.

Two young Chinese police officers stand in front of a temple. When [Church of the East] missionaries arrived in the Chinese capital of Chang’an in 635, they understood that Christianity in the Middle Kingdom required government approval…The application was successful, and a government edict allowed the new Luminous Teaching, as it called itself, to be spread in all China, including the building of a church in the capital city.

The Long History of Government Oversight and China’s Church

When [Church of the East] missionaries arrived in the Chinese capital of Chang’an in 635, they understood that Christianity in the Middle Kingdom required government approval…The application was successful, and a government edict allowed the new Luminous Teaching, as it called itself, to be spread in all China, including the building of a church in the capital city.

From Brush Strokes to Unicode—How China Became Modern

Official and popular attitudes towards the written language vacillate between shame (characters are too awkward, slowing China’s development) and pride (characters are China’s unique cultural heritage) …China’s place among the nations rises in tandem with the development of her language, revealing the intimate relationship between linguistic modernization and the modernization of the nation itself.

Webinar Recording: Chinese Christianity in the Modern Era

In his April 7 webinar, Dr. Easten Law provided a historical overview of the different threads running through Chinese Christianity’s modern development, including themes of folk religiosity and healing, ethical living, familial belonging, and national salvation. What can these historical themes tell us about the church’s role amidst China’s current inward, nationalistic turn and how should we orient ourselves in response?