1900 - Sai Enba

July 1900

Zhejiang

Overall, the eastern province of Zhejiang suffered much less Boxer persecution than the northern provinces, but while most of the missionaries made it to the safety of the coast, many Chinese believers suffered much loss of property, and a few were killed. The persecution in Zhejiang seemed to be done more by mobs emboldened by the feats of the Boxers in other provinces, rather than attacks by Boxers themselves. Still, in addition to 11 missionaries with the China Inland Mission who were massacred at Quzhou and Changshan in the west of the province, the Chinese believers at Wenzhou faced “fierce and bitter persecution. One evangelist at least was murdered, and others suffered serious injuries, as well as loss of house and home.”[1] In and around the large city of Ningbo, “over four hundred families of Christians and inquirers suffered property loss, many being stripped of all their possessions. Their lives were threatened, and dozens of them lived in mountain caves to escape violence. Some died from the fright and hardship of those months, but only one was actually killed.”[2]

A Christian man named Sai Enba (Sai En-pa) was over 60-years-old at the time of the Boxer attacks. He was a preacher and a man of prayer. The Boxers threatened Sai with death, but he didn’t worry about it until the edict from the empress was published, encouraging the murder of Christians throughout the nation. Sai tried to escape down the river, but the way was blocked. Later that evening one of the Boxer chiefs went into a demonic trance and declared that they must have a human sacrifice,

“so they went and took old Sai Enba. They carried him to a quiet temple, and, first of all, tried to make him worship the idols. This he refused to do, and then they said he must die. He asked time for prayer; but before he had finished they began cutting at his neck with their blunt swords. The murderers were afterwards heard to say that he was still praying when his head was half severed from his body.”[3]