Why the expansion of Christianity in China could change the destinies of the world
Qhen we think about the miseries and glories of European expansion between the 15th and 20th centuries, China is not at the center of our collective memory. China was too large and complex to be colonized; in fact, the great attempt to colonize China came from Imperial Japan. However, through the great Chinese rivers, the naval and commercial superiority of the West managed to penetrate at some points, creating episodes (conquest of Macau and Hong Kong; the imposition of free trade and evangelization in some areas; the Opium Wars; the Boxer Rebellion), which, despite being secondary to us, are absolutely central in Chinese memory. The Opium Wars are a footnote in our history books, but in Chinese identity they represent the beginning of the great decadence. And, in the current situation, it seems even more interesting to me to talk about the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) against the entry of Christianity into China; it was the end of a process of Chinese nationalism launched against Christianity, which grew in the 19th century to the point of being the mortar of a legendary revolt, epic material waiting for a director — the Taiping Revolt (1850) was launched by Chinese Christians against the imperial status quo, and came to control a third of the territory.
