Humanities Quadrangle, Yale University
320 York Street, New Haven CT, 0651, Room 136
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Sponsored by MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale and the Council on East Asian Studies
In 1870, tales of kidnapping and sorcery swirled around the city of Tianjin. The local magistrate wanted to investigate the charges of witchcraft being made against a group of Catholic nuns. The head of the mission, a French soldier turned priest, vowed to protect the Faith. France’s consul in Tianjin insisted the missionaries were protected from prosecution by treaties signed with the Chinese government. In the middle was a hapless Manchu official unable to keep the peace. On June 21, 1870, the city of Tianjin exploded into a day of rage and violence which shocked the world and revealed the perilous position of foreign missionaries in 19th century China.