1900 - Wang Zhonglin & Family

June 1900

Wang Zhonglin & Family

Beijing

When Wang Zhonglin was a “clever and mischievous” young boy, a missionary named George Davis established the first church in his village. The Wang family heard the gospel in those days, but could not see its relevance to their lives. Zhonglin’s father and grandfather were eager for him to enhance the family name by becoming a scholar, so they sent him to an excellent school to gain a superior education.

Zhonglin was a free-spirited teenager, and the pressure of trying to live up to his family’s expectations proved too much. He asked his father to give him a few coins every day on the pretence of needing to buy various items, but saved the money up until he had enough to fund an adventure that he had been planning for many months. At the tender age of 14 Wang Zhonglin left school one day, announcing to his friends that he was going “outside the Great Wall.” He took odd jobs in order to survive, but soon found the daily grind of life to be less glamorous than expected. Still he pressed on, desperate to put as much distance between himself and his home as possible. He travelled for two years, before a guilty conscience thought of the anguish his mother must have been experiencing due to his wanderings. Just like the Prodigal Son, Wang returned home.

Some time later the missionary H. H. Lowry met Wang Zhonglin, who was by now married with children. Impressed by his studious attitude, Lowry asked Wang if he would be willing to come to Beijing to continue his studies. Wang’s father came along too, and was given a job as the chapel keeper while his son attended school. Gradually God introduced himself to this strong-willed youngster, and Wang was drawn to the love and grace of the Heavenly Father. He believed in Christ, and became an evangelist to the people of Beijing. He also had a strong desire to be doctor, so entered Medical School, eventually graduation after several years of study.

When it became clear the Boxers would attack Beijing in 1900, Wang sent his wife and children to the safety of his father’s home while he remained in the capital. Almost immediately the Boxers arrested Wang and took him to the college campus, where he was one of many Christians massacred. Later, a cook in the Boxer camp recounted a conversation he had heard between two rebels about the death of Wang Zhonglin:

“‘We wanted him to recant and worship idols, and threatened that if he did not we would kill him. It was a pity to kill as fine a scholar as he was and we did not want to do it.’

‘What did he say? Did he refuse?’

‘Yes,’ he grated his teeth together and said, ‘We are four generations of Christians, my grandfather, my father, myself and my son, and shall I be the first to recant? Kill me if you will!’

‘What did you do? Did you kill a man of that kind?’

‘Yes; we stuck a spear into him twice and threw his body under the college building.’”[I]

After hearing the sombre news, Wang’s family went to the campus, recovered the bones and hair of several Christians, and gave them a proper burial. Wang Zhonglin’s father and grandfather were also martyred by the Boxers, but his wife and two sons survived the brutal summer of 1900.