Tianjin Massacre 4074730 223708789 2008-07-05T11:10:08Z GnuDoyng 236841 /* See also */ {{Christianity in China Portal}} The '''Tianjin Massacre''' ([[Chinese character|Chinese]]: 天津教案; [[Pinyin]]: Tiānjīn Jiào'àn) occurred in [[Tianjin]] in 1870. It is considered to be one of the archetypal and most important ''jiao'an'' or missionary cases of the late [[Qing Dynasty]]. The incident marked the end of the comparative cooperation between foreign powers and the [[Tongzhi Emperor|Tongzhi]] court, and adversely affected the ongoing renegotiation of the [[Treaties of Tianjin]] of 1858. In June of 1870, kidnappings (or rumours thereof) spread throughout central China, with the blame frequently being attached to the Catholic missions. Local Catholic nuns had been active in bringing children into their orphanages, sometimes with the inducement of payment to their family. During 1870, the already high number of deaths at these orphanages increased through outbreaks of disease. On [[June 18]], a kidnapper was arrested in [[Tianjin]] who claimed to have sold children to the janitor of the orphanage, which seriously raised tensions. Missionaries and foreign officials blamed local officials and gentry for stoking the tensions. Chinese officials met with their French counterparts, who had assumed responsibility for the Catholic missions to China since the [[Arrow War]], which led to some reduction in tensions. However, in a disputed sequenced of events on [[June 19]], the French consul Fontanier forced his way into the yamen of the local magistrate. An angry crowd gathered, and the consul appears to have ordered his guards to fire on the magistrate. The incited crowd rioted, killing the consul and his advisor. Catholic institutions were attacked and ransacked, with 30-40 local converts and 21 foreigners<!-- the number killed is in some dispute in the sources --> killed. French gunboats were sent to Tianjin. Reparations and reprisals were demanded by the French government. Chinese negotiations to mitigate the damage were led by the aging statesman [[Zeng Guofan]]. 16 Chinese were executed, though little evidence was adduced to their participation in the massacre. A Chinese mission of apology later sailed for France, formally apologising to the provisional French Head of State [[Adolphe Thiers]] in November 1871. ==See also== * [[Yangzhou riot]] * [[Kucheng Massacre]] ==References== *Cohen, Paul A., ''China and Christianity: The Missionary Movement and the Growth of Chinese Anti-Foreignism, 1860-1870''. (Harvard University Press, Cambridge: 1963) *[[John King Fairbank|Fairbank, John King]]. "Patterns Behind the Tientsin Massacre." ''Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies'' 20, no. 3/4 (1957): 480-511. *Barend J. ter Haar, ''Telling Stories: Witchcraft and Scapegoating in Chinese History'', (Brill, Leiden: 2006) chap. 4, ‘Westerners as Scapegoats’ pp. 154-201. [[Category:Conflicts in 1870]] [[Category:Foreign relations of the Qing Dynasty]] [[Category:1870 in China]] [[Category:Massacres in China]] [[ja:天津教案]] [[no:Tianjinmassakeren]] [[zh:天津教案]]