Site of the Xilin Missionary Case

Site of the Xilin Missionary Case

The site of the Xilin Missionary Case is a cultural relic protection unit of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The site of the "Xilin Missionary Case" is located in Ding’an Town, Tianlin County. Starting in 1852, French invaders sent Catholic priest Auguste Chapdelaine to operate covertly in the Ding’an area of Tianlin County, conducting illegal activities under the pretext of preaching. Chapdelaine and his accomplices ignored the local government and acted wantonly. In February 1856, Zhang Mingfeng, the magistrate of Xilin County, acting in accordance with public will and the law, had Chapdelaine and his devoted followers Bai Xiaoman and Cao Gui (female) beheaded in public at the Ding’an military training ground. This incident became the internationally shocking “Xilin Missionary Case.” Using this as a pretext, Napoleon III of France colluded with British invaders to launch the Second Opium War against China and forced the Qing government to build a large Catholic church in Ding’an Town, the county seat of Xilin. From then on, Ding’an Town became a stronghold for French missionaries to promote foreign religions.

Given the special historical significance of the "Xilin Missionary Case" as a precursor to the modern Chinese people’s movement against foreign religions, in 1994, the regional government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.

The Duoniang River is located within Bokai Town, Funing County, Yunnan Province, at the border between Yunnan and Guangxi provinces (autonomous regions). It is 102 kilometers from Funing County and 73 kilometers from Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

On October 7, 2019, the site of the Xilin Missionary Case was included in the eighth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level