American Treaty^ Article 29. "The principles of the Christian religion, as professed by the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches, are recognised as teadung men to do good, to do to others as they woold have
CHINA
251
CHINA
otlwrt to do to them. Hereafter, thoee who quietly profess and teach these doctrines shall not be harassed or peraecnted on account of their £uth. Any person; either citixen of the United States or Chinese convert, wIm, aeocrdiag to these tenets, peaceably teaches and praciisee the principles of Christianity, riiall in no ease be interfsred with or molested.'*
EngKJk Treaty, ArticU 8. "The Christian religion, ss professed by Protestants or Roman Catholics, in- culcates the practice of virtne, and teaches man to do ss he woold be done by. Persons teaching it or pro- fesshsg it, therefore, shall alike be entitled to the pro- tection of the Cliinc»e authorities ; nor shall any such, peaceably pursuing their calling and not offending against the laws, be persecuted or interfered with."
Frmck Treaty, ArHde 18. "The Christian religion baring for its essential object to lead men to virtue, the members of all Christian bodies (communions) shall enjoy full security for their persons, their prop- erty, and the free exercise of their religious worship ; and entire protection shall be given to missionaries who peacefully enter the country, furnished with pass- ports such as are described in Article 8. No obstacle shall be interposed by the Chinese authorities to the recognised right of any person in Cliina to embrace Christianity if he pleases, and to obey its requirements, witliout being subject, on that account, to any penalty. Whatever has been heretofore written, proclaimed, or published in Cliina, by order of government, against the Christian feith, is wholly abrogated and nidlified in all the provinces of the empire."
AufNm Treaty, Article 8. " The Chfaiese govern- ment, recognising the truth tiiat the doctrines of Chrif^tianity promote the establishment of peace and good order among mankind, promises not to persecute its sul»}ect8 who may wish to follow the requirements of this fSiuth; but they shall enjoy the same protection which is granted to those who profess other forms of religion tolerated in the empire.
" The Chinese government, believing that Christian missionariee are good men, who seek no material ad- vantages for themselves, hereby permits them to prop- agate tiie doctrines of Christianity among its subjects, and allows them to pass everywhere in the country. A fixed number of missionaries passing through the cities or open ports shall be furnished with passports, signed by the Russian authorities."
In March, 1861, the ambassadon of England and France, and in July, 1861, the ambassador of the Unit- ed States, took up their permanent abode at Pekin, and this dty became at once a centre for the missionary operations of both Protestants and Roman Catholics. Since that time the f^ propagation of Christianity hss not been again interrupted. After the deatii of the emperor Hien-Fung (Aug. 22, 1861), the adminis- tration of the empire, which, in the name of the minor emperor Ki-Tsiang, was conducted by Prince Kung, beoune still more favorable to the free and friendly in- toconrse with Christian nations. Commercial trea- ties were concluded with almost all the nations of Eu- rope ; thus, on Sept. 1, 1861, with Prussia and the Gkr- ■um Zollverain (ratified 1868); in 1862, with Spah^ Belgium (Aug. 8), and Portugal (Aug. 18); hi 1868, with Denmark (July 10). Besides the ambassadors of the United States, England, and France, those of Bnssia and Spain took up their residence at Pekin, while a Portuguese mhiister was appointed at Macao and a Prussian at Shanghai
1. NeMorian Mitsioni, — The Nestorian patriarchs ara said to have sent missionaries to Cluna in the 5th cen- tury. Between A.D. 686 and 781, seventy Nestorian minionaries, among whom Olopnn (arrived in 696) was distinguished, labored in China. The history of the Nestorian missions is given in an inscription, discover- ed in 1625 by Jesuit missionaries in Si-anfh. Its genu- iaeneBs, long doubted, has been recently defended by Abel Remusat and others. In 714 the patriarch Sali-
bazacha is reported to have sent a metropolitan to Chi- na. Timotheus, who appears to have been the Nes- torian patriarch upwards of forty years, was zealoiisly devoted to Christian missions. During his patriarch- ate, Snbcha^june, a learned monk Anom the convent of Beth-oben, after having been ordained bishop, pene- trated China, and there extensively preached the Gos- pel. He was soon followed by others, in the 9th century Christians were found in Southern China by two Arabian travellen, and in 877 many Christians, conjointiy with Jews, Mohammedans, and Pershms, were massacred in Canton by one Baichu, who had re- volted flrom the emperor. In 845, Wutsung is report- ed to have ordered 8000 priests from Ta-tsin to retire to private life. Marco Polo, the distinguished traveller of the 18th century, who spent more than twenty yeara in China, for a time holding a hi^ office, speaks of his meeting with Chinese Christians. Rubruquis, in 1250, tells of fifteen cities where then wera Nestorians ; and the author of the PEikU du gran Caan (1880) reports 80,000 Nestorians in China. The Nestorian mbsions seem to have been wholly or nearly extirpated simul- taneously with the expulsion of the Mongnls in 1869 by the Ming dynasty. At present no Nestorian churches are known to exist in Cliina, and no Nestorian trans- lation of the Bible is known to exist (Newcomb, CycUh jHBtUa ofMimont, p. 262). See Nbstoriaits.