Church Chronology

Chronology of Chinese Christianity

Here is a chronological summary of the history of the Christian and Adventist Church in China. The chronology is determined by major events or landmarks within the Chinese Christian community or the Adventist community in China. While it is true that present-day Chinese Christians are largely the results of foreign mission efforts from the West, this chronology shows that many important Christian concepts may be traced to early Chinese tradition and culture which may predate Western Christianity.
Taxonomy of Chinese Christian Chronology

The chronology of Christianity in China is often characterized into waves. The "wave" metaphor is an interesting one, because throughout Chinese history one finds repeatedly the Christian church would rise to prominent for a period of time, and then declined into minority, went underground, or sometimes even appeared to have been eradicated from society, due to hostile political or cultural factors. Yet through out the history of China, Christianity would resurface again and again in Chinese society, after each period of dormancy.
  1. (2250 BC to 1911 AD) Pre-Adventist era in China
    1. (Approximately 2250 BC - 1911) Pre-Western Christianity: Border Sacrifice 
    2. (1st century AD)  Apostle Thomas
    3. (7th century AD)  Nestorianism in Tang Dynasty
    4. (13th & 15th century AD) Roman Catholicism 
      1. (13th century AD) Franciscan Friars during Yuan Dynasty
      2. (15th century AD)  Jesuit Priests during Ming Dynasty, the best known among them was Matteo Ricci.
    5. (1807) First Protestant Missionary in Qing Dynasty-Robert Morrison
    6. (1830) Evangelicalism-First American missionaries-Elijah & Eliza Bridgman
    7. (1865) Nondenominationalism-China Inland Mission founded  by Hudson Taylor

  2. (1822-1919) Early Adventist Mission in China
    1. (1822-1903) Adventism Entered China - Abraham LaRue
    2. (1903-1909) First Organized Mission in China under General Conference
    3. (1909-1919) China Union Mission under Asiatic Division
    4. (1919) China Union Mission under Eastern Asia Division
    5. (1920-1929) Six Chinese Union Missions  under Far Eastern Division

  3. (1930-1949) Institutionalization of Adventist Mission - China Division formed
    1. (1930-1939) Rapid Expansion under Nationalist China
    2. (1939-1945) Hardship during Sino-Japan War
    3. (1946-1949) Post -World War Consolidation

  4.  (1949-2010) Metamorphosis of Chinese Adventism
    1. (1949-1976) Church in Hibernation 
    2. (1960-....) Rapid Expansion of Overseas Chinese Adventism
    3. (1954, 1977-1989) Church under Three-Self & Indigenization
    4. (1980) Formation of China Christian Council
    5. (1990-2010) China Open Door

  5.  (2011- ...) Adventists in China Today
    1. House Churches in China
    2. (1999- ..)  Foshan Church story
    3. Shanghai Muen Church
    4. Xi'an Church
    5. Beijing Church
    6. Shenyang Church
    7. Chengdu Church
    8. Guangzhou Church
    9. Wenzhou Church
    10. Xiamen Chruch

China Timeline
For comparison, below is a timeline of the history of China. This timeline draws heavily on the work of Leon Poon at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

 DateSub-Date Dynasty 朝代World events
 2200-1600 BC Xia 夏  Stonehenge 
 1600-1027 BC Shang 商King Tut 
 1027-771 BC West Zhou 西周 King David 
 770-221 BC Eat Zhou  東 周 
  770-476 Spring & Autumn 春秋Confucius 
  475-221 Warring States戰國 Alexander  The Great
 221-207 BC Qin 秦 Rome 
 206 BC-24 AD West Han  西漢 Christ on earth
 25-220 AD East Han   東漢 
220-280 AD  Three Kingdom 三國  
  220-265 Wei魏  
  221-263Shu  蜀 
  229-280Wu  吴 
265-316 AD  West Jin   西晉 
 317-420 AD East Jin   東晉 
420-588 AD  South & North Dynasties  南北朝 
ururch 420-588 South- Song, Qi, Liang, Chen    南宋, 齊梁陳 
  386-588North- Wei, Qi, Zhou魏,北齊 周 
 581-617 AD  Sui隋Mohamad 
 618-907 AD  Tang唐Nestorian 
907-960 AD  Five Dynasties- Late Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, Zhou 五代- 後梁 唐 晉 漢 周   
 907-979  Ten Kingdom十國 
 960-1279 AD Song 宋  
 916-1125 AD  Liao遼  
 1038-1227 AD  West Xia  西夏 
 1115-1234 AD  Jin金  
1279-1368 AD   Yuan元 Fraciscans 
 1368-1644 AD  Ming明Jesuits 
 1644-1911 AD Qing 清Presbyterian,
Hudson Taylor, Adventists 
 1911-1949 AD Republic of China 中华民国 WWI, WWII
AD 1949 -  ...  ROC-Taiwan  
 AD 1949 - ...  People Republic of China中华人民共和国  

References
CLE (Christian Leadership Exchange), A Brief Timeline of Christianity in China, retrieved 8/20/2011 from  http://christianityinchina.org/Common/Admin/showNews_auto.jsp?Nid=88&Charset=big5

Zhou, Ruru (2012) Christianity in China, in China Highlights, retrieved 1/10/2013 from www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/christianity.htm.