The eighth session of the Guangzhou Master's Lectures on the Sinicization of Christianity in 2023 was hosted at a church located in Guangdong Province.
At Tianhe Church on October 17, Professor Dai Guoqing, associate professor at the School of History and Culture, South China Normal University, was invited to deliver a speech during the lecture themed "The Evolution of the Image of the Virgin Mary in China From the Tang Dynasty to the Ming-Qing Period," according to Guangzhou CC&TSPM.
Professor Dai has long been dedicated to the study of the history of the church and the history of cultural exchange between East and West, publishing articles in academic journals such as World Religious Studies, Religious Studies, and International Sinology.
During the lecture, Dai interpreted the changes in the image of Mary in China during different periods, with a focus on the Tang (618–907), Yuan (1279–1368), Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, against the backdrop of the four waves of Christianity coming into China. Additionally, Professor Dai provided insights into the situations of spreading Christianity in China and the contextualization of Christianity during different periods.
In his conclusion, Professor Dai pointed out that by tracing the historical development of the image of Mary in different periods in China, it was easy to see the dynamics of exchange, collision, and integration between Western and Chinese cultures. History has shown that Chinese society's unique political and cultural circumstances, as well as its own theological traditions, all had an impact on the sinicization of Christianity. Maintaining a relative balance in these two points above was the key to promoting Christianity in the Chinese context, he added.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
