The Catholic Church in China: 1978 to the Present

184 Pages·2012·1.245 MB·English

by  Cindy Yik-yi Chu (auth.)

The Catholic Church in China
Also by Cindy Yik- yi Chu
Chinese Communists and Hong Kong Capitalists: 1937– 1997 (2010).
Meigui xiunü, “The Maryknoll Sisters” (Chinese, 2010).
Edited, The Diaries of the Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong, 1921–1 966
(2007).
Edited, Foreign Communities in Hong Kong, 1840s– 1950s (2005).
The Maryknoll Sisters in Hong Kong, 1921– 1969: In Love with the Chinese
(Hardcover 2004; Paperback 2007; Chinese edition 2007).
Edited with Ricardo K. S. Mak, China Reconstructs (2003).
Edited with Lam Kai- yin, Yapian zhanzheng de zai renshi, “A Reappraisal
of the Opium War” (Chinese, 2003).
The Catholic Church in China
1978 to the Present
Cindy Yik- yi Chu
the catholic church in china
Copyright © Cindy Yik- yi Chu, 2012.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012 978-1-349-34270-9
All rights reserved.
First published in 2012 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United
States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York,
NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the
world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers
Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-34270-9 ISBN 978-1-137-07565-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137075659
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Chu, Cindy Yik- yi.
The Catholic Church in China : 1978 to the present / Cindy Yik- yi Chu.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 230- 34009- 1
1. Catholic Church— China— History—2 0th century. I. Title.
BX1665.C555 2012
282'.5109045— dc23 2012013265
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Scribe Inc.
First edition: October 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In celebration of the Maryknoll Sisters’ Centennial
(1912– 2012)
Contents
Preface ix
A Note on the Names of People and Places xi
1 Introduction 1
2 Doors Opened in the 1980s 21
3 Modernization in the 1980s 37
4 Becoming Prosperous in the 1990s 53
5 The Dynamic 1990s 69
6 The First Decade of the Twenty- First Century 85
7 Chinese Society and Catholicism 103
8 Conclusion 119
Notes 135
Bibliography 163
Index 169
Preface
Maryknoll Sister Betty Ann Maheu once wrote, “We in the West, who
like things neatly boxed in categories, are not comfortable with this kind
of ambiguity.”1 An American nun who lived in Hong Kong for many
years and often visited mainland China made this observation of the situ-
ation of the Chinese Catholic Church. It is applicable not only to West-
erners and foreign visitors to China but also to a Chinese Catholic like me
who lives in Hong Kong, knows Chinese, and speaks both Cantonese and
Putonghua. The history of the contemporary Chinese Catholic Church
is intriguing, complex, and difficult. Here I attempt to review and clarify
this history from December 1978 onward.
The subject matter under study is complicated, constantly changing—
if not to say confusing—a nd challenging. The Catholic Church in China
concerns not only the Chinese and their authorities but also the Vati-
can and its position on Chinese matters. The history has been that of
cross- cultural exchange, interactions, and conflicts. Recently China has
become an active participant in world affairs; in contrast, the Chinese
Catholic Church is not in union with the Universal Catholic Church.
Indeed, China’s case has been unconventional and has aroused attention,
discussion, and speculation.
This book is the first outcome of a long- term research plan that will
last for quite a few years. I am much indebted to the early comments of
Professor Stephen Uhalley Jr., who was the supervisor of my PhD stud-
ies in Hawaii in the early 1990s. At the same time, I am very grateful
to Sister Betty Ann Maheu for her insightful explanations, sharing of
her experience, and valuable advice. I would like to thank Sister Rose
Duchesne Debrecht, MM, for her feedback of my previous works. I also
thank Professor Richard Madsen; Professor Jean- Paul Wiest; Mr. John
Kamm; Mr. Dominic Cheung; Father Louis Ha; Father Patrick Taveirne,
CICM; Sister Anne Reusch, MM; Precious Blood Sister Beatrice Leung;
and other friends who are well acquainted with the mainland situation.
With the funding of Hong Kong Baptist University, I was able to hire an
assistant, Mr. Jacky Li, whose work is appreciated.
During the writing of this book, I discussed some of the problems
with a respected colleague, Professor Martha Cheung, whose scholarship
has set a model for me. I also benefited from the wonderful working
x preface
environment at the David C. Lam Institute for East-W est Studies (LEWI)
in my university and questions from the director, Professor Li Si-m ing,
and the researchers there, who attended my seminar on the Chinese
Catholic Church. Longtime friends in the History Department like Pro-
fessors Lam Kai-y in and Wong Yin-l ee offered their support to complete
the book. There are many friends in and outside the university, as well as
my family, who also deserve thanks. The Catholic Church in China is an
engaging topic, which will take me some more years to further explore
and understand. I always say, “History gives reasons for our existence. A
historian lives in the present but is a missioner for the future.”
A Note on the Names of
People and Places
Pinyin is used for the names of people and places in mainland China, for
example Jiang Zemin and Sheshan respectively. As for Chinese Catho-
lics on the mainland, their Christian name appears before their Chinese
name, for example Aloysius Jin Luxian—J in being his family name and
Luxian being the combination of the two Chinese characters that follow
his family name. As for Chinese Catholics in Hong Kong and outside
the mainland, their names are spelled in the way they prefer, for exam-
ple John Tong Hon—w hose family name is Tong—a nd Thomas Law
Kwok-f ai—L aw being his family name and Kwok-f ai indicating the two
Chinese characters that follow his family name.