Tells the story of a Chinese village that has been Catholic since the seventeenth century, drawing direct connections between its history, the globalizing church, and the nation. This title provides an insight into villager experiences during the Socialist Education Movement and Cultural Revolution, as well as the growth of Christianity in China.
"Through a brilliant analysis of Catholicism in one remote village, Harrison leads us to rethink much of the last three centuries of China's history. Her series of beautifully written narratives challenges not just our usual understanding of Christianity's reception, but the entire way we think about how local places fit into national and global networks of culture and trade." -Robert P. Weller, co-author of Rethinking Pluralism: Ritual, Experience and Ambiguity
"This is one of the most fascinating books on Christianity in China that I have ever read. By following the history of one Catholic village over more than three hundred years, Henrietta Harrison convincingly shows how Chinese Christians sought authenticity as members of a transnational and global community." -Nicolas Standaert, author of The Interweaving of Rituals
"Harrison has written an ethnographic history that will be a model for future researchers. She has linked archival research (in the Vatican's vast collections) with on-the-spot investigations of villages in north China. None of this work is easy, but the results are spectacularly successful. This is a must read for anyone interested in Chinese social history." -James L. Watson, Fairbank Professor of Chinese Society and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, Harvard University
"There is no book on Chinese Christianity quite like this absorbing and thought-provoking study."
