1900 - Liu Mingqin

July 1900

Qian’an, Hebei

Of the many Christians martyred by the Boxers in the town of Qian’an, Hebei Province, one of the most severe tortures was that carried out on Liu Mingqin. Originally a pharmacist, Liu was so impacted when he first heard the gospel that he returned home and immediately destroyed his family’s centuries-old idols. The Methodist missionaries in Qian’an offered Liu a job as the chapel-keeper, which he gladly accepted. This new occupation gave him ample opportunity to share the gospel with passers-by, as well as to study God’s Word with the other believers daily.

The Boxers captured Liu and took him to their headquarters at the Yuhuang Temple, where he was bound to a stake. He boldly preached to his persecutors, when,

“angered by his exhortations, or condemned by their own consciences, one slapped him in the face. Still he ceased not, until a brute exclaiming, ‘You still preach, do you?’ slit his mouth from ear to ear. Even this did not silence him, and they finally cut out his tongue, smoked him with incense, and cut off his hands and feet. Even while he was dying, we are told, his face wore a look of happiness and peace.”[1]

The joy and serenity on Liu Mingqin’s face deeply bothered the Boxers who saw it. They discussed why it was so, and arrived at the only conclusion their vile minds could conjure up. They surmised, “He has eaten so much medicine of the foreigner that he no longer fears death.”