1815 - Joseph Zhang Dapeng

February 2, 1815

Guiyang, Guizhou

Joseph Zhang Dapeng. [CRBC]

Zhang Dapeng was born in Duyun, Guizhou Province, in the year 1754. He grew up in a non-Christian home without any knowledge of the gospel. As a young boy he was attracted to the Chinese religion of Daoism (Taoism), and later moved to the provincial capital Guiyang where he went into the silk business with a man named Wang. It was through Wang’s oldest son that he first heard the good news of Christ’s salvation. Zhang Dapeng repented of his sins and put his faith in Jesus Christ. He was not allowed to receive baptism, however, because at the time of his conversion Zhang kept a concubine, which was a standard practice for wealthy Chinese men at the time.

In 1797 a Catholic catechist, Hu Shilu, visited Guiyang and got to know Zhang. He persuaded him to leave his concubine; pointing out the eternal ramifications of living in such a union far outweighed the temporal benefits. Zhang sent the woman away and three years later was baptized, taking the name Joseph. After hearing of Zhang’s baptism in 1800, his two younger brothers strongly opposed him, being enraged that his association with Christianity was tarnishing their good family name.

Feeling he had wasted the first part of his life, the 46-year-old Joseph Zhang Dapeng was determined not to waste the remainder and was a zealous evangelist, sharing the good news with as many people as possible. He even purchased a house on a busy city street so he could teach the Bible. In 1808 he was asked to be the principal of a Catholic school, which he accepted.

During a crackdown on the White Lotus Society in 1815, Zhang went into hiding but was betrayed by his brother-in-law, who had strongly persecuted him from the time of his conversion. In prison Zhang met Peter Wu Guosheng. They encouraged one another to remain faithful to God. They also shared the gospel with their cellmates who didn’t know Christ.

The following year he was offered the chance for freedom after his family members came to the prison and pleaded with the authorities for clemency. The authorities agreed he could gain his release upon just one condition—he must first renounce his faith in Christ. “He refused, preferring the death sentence instead. On February 2, 1815 he was executed and buried in Xijiaotang.”[1]