1900 - Pastor Shao & Family

June 16, 1900

Yanshan, Hebei

Pastor Shao.

Pastor Shao of Yanshan was a graduate of the London Missionary Society’s theological seminary in Tianjin, which had been founded in the early 1870s. Shao was a student in one of the earliest classes, and had been faithfully serving in his appointed field of Yanshan for almost thirty years at the time of the Boxer Rebellion.

Shao and his brother were lamp-makers by trade when they first heard the gospel. Although Shao was not able to read well, he was convinced of the truths of Christianity and forced himself to read the New Testament, which became his constant companion. After Shao and his brother became followers of Christ the whole Shao household changed. They refused to worship their ancestors or to partake in any Buddhist or Daoist ceremonies. This infuriated their widowed mother, who

“induced Shao’s wife to unite with her in opposition to his new faith, so that peace fled from the home…. Her cruelty was extraordinary. His beloved books were constantly destroyed, and whenever the whim seized her the angry woman would take a bamboo and, ordering her grown-up son to lie down upon the ground, would beat him furiously. According to Chinese law, if Shao had at any time retaliated, the woman only needed to bring a charge against him and the magistrate would at once have sentenced him to death!”[1]

Through all these trials Shao continued to grow spiritually. The hardships produced in him a strong zeal for the gospel, so that he committed himself to the service of the King of Kings regardless of the cost. He became an excellent preacher, serving for several years in a large church in Tianjin, before relocating to his hometown of Yanshan where he led the local church. It was said of him, “When Mr. Shao was the preacher there were no listless hearers in the congregation, He was especially fond of illustrations, and they were always so apt that they fixed the truth he wished to impress upon the people in their hearts forever.”[2]

When the Boxers started their slaughter, most of the Yanshan Christians fled into the hills, hoping to preserve their lives. Pastor Shao refused to flee, saying, “As long as God’s house is here I shall remain.” After sending his son John to safety in Shandong Province, Pastor Shao remained at home with his wife and their third daughter. On Saturday, June 16, the Boxers arrived in large numbers and surrounded the mission buildings. They burned the chapel and other buildings to the ground. The Shao family was living in a house on the other side of the street. They were captured and dragged into the mission compound. One report says,

“With the intention of disturbing the preacher’s calm demeanour, the cruel Boxers cut down his wife and young daughter in his presence with frightful cruelty. According to the testimony of the Boxers themselves, Shao did not change face through these terrible moments, but kept calm and courageous as if sustained by superhuman strength…. Thus bravely and calmly he met his death.”[3]

The bodies of the three Shao family members, along with that of Mrs. Wang, were sliced into thin pieces and burned. The few bones that remained were later buried at the foot of the city wall. The sacrifice of Pastor Shao and his family was not in vain. Today Yanshan County contains at least 10,000 Protestant Christians among its 400,000 population, with a similar number of Catholics.