The Allegorical Narration of Redemption: An Analysis of the Missionary Paintings of China Inland Mission in the Late Qing Dynasty
CHU Xiaobai, East China Normal Universityfd
Abstract:
This article explores the book Eye Gate：The Value of Native Art in the Evangelization of China (1897) and related historical materials on the China Inland Mission and discusses the symbolism in the missionary paintings of the Qing Dynasty and the inculturation process. Missionaries sent to the interior of China imbedded themselves in grass-root society. Through the depiction of narratives and the use of symbols, they presented the image of Jesus Christ as one closely related to people’s daily needs and concerns. The purpose was to help believers overcome life’s hardships by transcending them. This well illustrates the courage and the hope offered by the Christian faith, which effectively inculturated Christ, the symbol of salvation, into the native consciousness and everyday life of the Chinese people.
Keywords:
China Inland Mission, missionary paintings, symbol, native consciousness
Full Text (International Version):
Full Text (Simplified Chinese Version):
