1900 - Elizabeth Qin Bian & Family

July 19, 1900

Renqiu, Hebei

Elizabeth Qin Bian & Family. [CRBC]

Qin Bian was born in Renqiu County, Hebei Province, in 1846. She married and had six children, before her husband suddenly died, leaving her a widow with six mouths to feed. Faced with great hardship, the family relied on the mercy of Catholics in the area to help them survive. Qin Bian and all her children became Christians, with Qin Bian receiving the name Elizabeth at her baptism.

Elizabeth had three sons—Matthew Qin Guochen, Paul Qin Baolu, and Simon Qin Qunfu, and three daughters—Anna, Mary, and Francisca. All were martyred except Matthew, who managed to escape, and Francisca, who was adopted by a relative.

In the summer of 1900, the Boxers planned to round up all the Christians in Renqiu County and put them to death if they would not denounce their faith. Elizabeth and her children hid in a friend’s house, spending seven days in constant prayer. The Boxers discovered their hiding place, but they fled to Liu village, where they hid for another ten days. In Liu village a rich man offered to protect them from the Boxers if Elizabeth’s youngest son, Simon, would agree to marry his daughter. The 14-year-old Simon said, “Mother, do not deem my bodily life worth more than my soul. I have decided not to leave you. If we die, we die together!”[1]

Insulted by this rejection, the rich man informed the Boxers of the Qin family’s whereabouts. The Boxers soon caught up with them. Simon asked the Boxers to let the others go, knowing the rich man was really only after him for spurning his daughter. He knelt down and prayed to the Lord. Without a word the Boxers killed him and wounded his brother Paul. The murderers then pursued the remaining children and their mother. Sympathetic people came from Liu village, buried Simon’s corpse, and carried Paul back to the family home.

When they arrived, they found it had been reduced to ashes, so for a day and a half they hid in the cemetery, under intense emotional and physical distress. The Boxers found the wounded Paul Qin Baolu. They killed him by nailing him to a tree. They then took the women back to the village and tried to entice the daughters to deny Christ and marry some men from a neighbouring area. The girls replied, “We are God’s daughters and will keep our virginity for life. We believe in Him and there is no changing our mind. To kill or not is your business, but it is impossible for us to deny our faith.”[2]

As Elizabeth Qin Bian and her children were being led to the execution ground, Elizabeth turned to a group of watching women and said, “Please go home; what will happen to us will frighten you. As for us, God will reward us with eternal life, so we are not afraid of death—to die is to return home.”[3] As they walked on, Mary started to cry. Her mother held her hand, telling her not to be afraid. This devout widow and two of her children were led to a pear garden, where they were killed in a barrage of gunfire on July 19, 1900.

1. CRBC, The Newly Canonized Martyr-Saints of China, 51.
2. “The Martyrs of China 1648-1930,” Tripod, 59.
3. “The Martyrs of China 1648-1930,” Tripod, 59-60.