1900 - Paul Ge Tingzhu

August 8, 1900

Shen Xian, Hebei

Paul Ge Tingzhu. [CRBC]

Paul Ge Tingzhu was born in 1839 at Xiaotun village, Shen Xian, Hebei Province. Over many years he forged a reputation as an honest and sincere person, and became the Catholic leader of his community.

On the morning of August 8, 1900, just after sunrise, Paul Ge Tingzhu went out into the field for his daily work. At that time a group of Boxers entered the village and ordered Ge to denounce his faith. He boldly replied, “Absolutely not!” He was tied to a tree and the Boxers prepared to kill him with their swords. Paul Ge Tingzhu stopped the men and said,

“‘Wait a minute. This land is not mine. If I die here, the landowner may have some trouble. I have my own field, and there are trees there, too. I would rather die there. Would not that be better?’ When they reached his field and tied him to a tree, they said: ‘Now it is time for you to deny your faith.’ But Paul said, ‘No, no! It does not matter if you kill my body; I want to save my soul.’”[1]

The Boxers started to savagely dismember their Christian victim,

“opening his abdomen with a knife and carving out his heart. Like a lamb before the butcher, he did not utter a single word of protest. He had often told people to be brave in bearing witness to their faith. Now, while the persecutors killed him, he added his good example to his previous exhortations. He was 61 at the time of his death.”[2]