1900 - Liu Dong & Liu Shen

July 1900

Qian’an, Hebei

Two young men who shared the same family name of Liu were promoted to glory during the savage events at Qian’an during the summer of 1900.

Liu Dong accepted Christ at an early age, and immediately applied himself to learn all he could about the Bible. Because of his diligence and godly witness, Liu’s whole family became Christians. He became an evangelist, travelling around the area and exhorting people to give up all to follow Jesus. Coming from a wealthy family, Liu Dong never asked for financial support from the church, but joyfully ministered without placing any burden on the local believers.

Even before the Boxers came to Qian’an Liu Dong’s fellow villagers captured him and hung him from a tree. He died after a long night of suffering. Like the Lord whom he loved so much, Liu’s final words were prayers of forgiveness for his enemies. Liu Dong’s wife was grief-stricken, but a few months later she gave birth to a son, thus leaving an heir for this godly preacher. Her parents strongly urged her to abandon her faith in God, but she replied,

“No! Though they have killed my husband I shall behold him again in the presence of the Father. If I forsake God I am without hope of ever seeing him again. No! You may kill me, but I will never recant.”[1]

Liu Shen had the honour of being the first person in Qian’an to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Originally a doctor,

“it was due to his devotion and enthusiasm that many of the villagers and farmers were baptized and entered the Church. He was made a local preacher and knew no weariness in his work for Christ. He was indifferent to reviling and always answered it with exhortations. Many of those who were not believers respected him because of his patience, though there were others who, because of their own evil nature and because they misunderstood his motives, ceased not to persecute him, and so he was taken and hanged on the same tree with Liu Dong.”[2]

Somehow Liu Shen did not die from the hanging, so the Boxers came and took him 20 miles (32 km) to a temple and put him to death. On the way he tried to share the gospel with his captors, but they refused to listen to him. When they reached the temple, he was offered a choice of life or death. If he would bow down and worship the temple idols, he would be allowed to go home. Otherwise, he would be deemed unfit to live. Liu Shen immediately answered, “No! Do not tempt me with shame! Put me to death at once!” One flash of a sharp sword and Liu Shen’s head was separated from his body. In an instant this faithful Christian passed from temporal to eternal life.