中國基督教的區域發展：1918、1949、2004

Abstract

Since the ”Reform and Opening,” the rapid growth of Protestant Christianity in China has become a hot and sensitive issue in both the academic and church circles. Researchers on post-Mao Chinese society try to interpret the so-called ”Christianity Fever” from different perspectives. However, when we approach the ”Christianity Fever” from a regional perspective, we find that the uneven geographical distribution of Chinese Christians is a field not yet well studied. This article aims at quantitatively reconstructing the growth of Protestant Christianity in twentieth-century China, particularly focusing on the numbers of Chinese Christians in different provinces. These regional figures were based on the surveys and statistics of 1918, 1949 and 2004 respectively. The years being chosen reflected the unique meaning of different epochs. 1918 marked a centenary review on the Western missionary movement in China since Robert Morrison's arrival in 1807. 1949 opened a new chapter that the church struggled for her survival under Communism. 2004 signified another period of Protestant Christianity after a quarter of century of Post-Mao Reform. This article reveals the overall pattern and salient characteristics of Protestantism in different provinces in the three epochs in the twentieth century. Interesting topics to be explored are also pointed out throughout the article. After all, regional studies instead of the grand narrative should be the key of exploring the development of Protestant Christianity in China.