Recently, Liang Xinuo, a doctoral student at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, initiated a four-month academic research project on the situation of women in Christianity at the Yaodu District Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province.
Being a native of Yunfu County, Guangdong, Ms. Liang is majoring in the history of Chinese Christianity at the SOAS University of London in the UK, pursuing a doctorate after her study in the Department of Philosophy at Shanxi University. The primary focus of this survey is the feminization imbalance in contemporary Christianity, exemplified by Linfen in Shanxi. The investigation delves into four key areas: the role of women in church revival after the reform and opening up, female Christian traditions within the patriarchal system, preaching methods within families, strategies to overcome traditional concepts within the patriarchal system, and the current roles of women in church development.
Liang chose Linfen for her research because Christianity has a lengthy history of being introduced here and has a rich cultural legacy. For instance, the China Inland Mission has long been active in southern Shanxi, represented by the Cambridge Seven and Hudson Taylor. They provided disaster relief, aided the impoverished, preached, formed churches, and founded Hongdong Bible School.
Before the visit, she extensively researched the China Inland Mission and conducted personal interviews at the Taiyuan Church. The CC&TSPMs of Shanxi Provincial, Linfen Municipal, and Yaodu District all showed support. During her stay in Linfen, she plans to engage in discussions with church pastors and staff, conducting in-depth research on pastoral areas and meeting points. Additionally, she will visit Christian churches in Hongdong County, Huozhou City, and Xiangfen County to gather more information.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times and the author reported in Linfen, Shanxi.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
