The Role of the European Christian Missionaries in China - Essay Example

‘Cultural Imperialism’ resulted due to the relationships of the different field committees (Protestant missionaries, mission field committees in China, home committees of America and Europe, the diplomats, and the Government). This cultural imperialism viewed Christian missionaries as exploiters of their foreign values because they ignored the reality that the Chinese were conscious of foreign influence and evangelism. However, their approach was ineffective since they ignored the native language, both spoken and written character, and that they were unacquainted with the natives’ customs and believes.

The Jesuits evangelism can, however, be seen as most successful in influencing the Chinese. Spearheaded by Matteo Ricci, the Jesuit's evangelism relatively attracted a meager group of believers. Matteo Ricci's mission to china was simply an effort to win the religious side of the natives of China. His strategic approach was, in essence, to incorporate China’s culture and religious acts in his evangelism tool to win them over (Laven 67). The best way the Jesuits considered fit for them to be influential and phenomenally impact on the Chinese culture, political effluences elite was indispensably to make themselves figures of curiosity and intellect. This is evident in their service to China, which included mapping the country, others serving as astronomers and diplomats, designing and blessing cannon, painting pictures, and the installation of fountains in the imperial gardens. Although it was not as successful, the number of people who won over to the Christian religion was relatively meager (Woods 40). This contributed jolly to the cross-cultural effect of the early ages. Jesuit's way of sending their religious message was tailored in their actions; for instance, they dressed like Confucian Scholars that suit the local circumstances and encounters and also worked unconditionally to impress their audience with their knowledge and trinkets efforts. Incidentally, they used prisms, clocks, seductive theories, maps among others. More often than not, such actions and efforts were controversial to the natives’ culture, especially when they were seen to pollute and threaten the sacred and theological boundaries of the natives, but this did not hinder them in gaining ingenuity and dynamism (Woods 40).

Also, the European missionaries impact the Chinese way of education as they introduced higher education in China. The missionaries were also part of the dynamics of the natives. Their goal was not significantly accomplished since they used unorthodox methods to reach the Chinese.