Christian Influence on Shanghai

Churches and priests may not be the first image that come to mind when discussing Shanghai, but they are nonetheless an important part of Shanghai's culture and history. The presence of the Christian church contributed greatly to the cosmopolitanism of Shanghai. Some of the first Westerners to live in Shanghai were missionaries and they played an important role in constructing an enticing image of Shanghai. Moreover, Christian institutions of education continue their contribution to Shanghai cosmopolitanism today. In addition, Shanghai is comparatively more friendly towards Christianity than other Chinese cities, which enhances Shanghai's appeal to prospective Christian immigrants. Furthermore, the presence of foreign religions create a cosmopolitan essence to Shanghai's community. Christianity was an important part of Shanghai's transformation into a worldly multicultural city since the beginning of this process.

Christian missionaries were a major component of Shanghai's first connections with the Western world. Jesuit presence in Shanghai led to the conversion of notable locals and there were approximately 135 chapels in the Shanghai area by the middle of the seventeenth century.1 Some of the initial settlers of the foreign concession in Shanghai created after the First Opium War were missionaries.2 Along with being members of Shanghai's increasingly cosmopolitan community, missionaries at the time also played an instrumental role in projecting Shanghai's image to the rest of the world through their reports of Shanghai back to the Europe and America. The missionaries highlighted the opportunities for converting the local population, which attracted an influx of more missionaries and other religious affiliates.3 Moreover, conv...

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...s due to the rising number of Christian immigrants arriving in Shanghai, the pace of the city will soon catch up with them as well. Shanghai currently moves in a more cosmopolitan direction, but its cultural mosaic may meld together as globalization pushes onwards and human cultures converge.

Works Cited

Central Intelligence Agency. “World,” CIA World Factbook. Date Accessed: May 15th, 2012 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html

Interview with the priest of the Chinese Congregation at Saint Peter's Church. May 13th, 2012.

Minter, Adam. “Jesus in China,” Los Angeles Times. July 16th, 2006. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jul/16/magazine/tm-china29

Sunday Mass at Zhongshan Tang. Date: May 13th, 2012.

Wasserstrom, Jefferey. Global Shanghai, 1850-2010: A History in Fragments (New York: Routledge,

2009) 27.