ARI Working Paper Series
WPS 63 Mongol Responses to Christianity in China: A Yuan Dynasty Phenomenon
| Author | : | Li TANG |
| Publication Date | : | Apr / 2006 |
| Publisher | : | Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore |
| Keywords | : | Nestorian Christianity, Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Yelikewen, Marco Polo, Franciscan missionaries, Roman Catholic |
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The second arrival of Christianity in China went hand in hand with the Mongol conquest of Eurasia. Although the Mongols themselves were not Christian missionaries, they did create a special political, social and religious atmosphere, which happened to be favourable to the spread of religions like Buddhism, Islam and Christianity in China in the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. Nestorian (East Syrian) Christians earned a special respect, if not total privilege, because the Mongol Khan family had marriage alliances with some Christian tribes on the Steppe, especially with the Kerait.
As a result, Nestorian Christianity, which had flourished in China during the Tang Dynasty, made a second comeback to China under Mongol rule. Medieval European travel accounts and numerous Nestorian tomb-stones, which have been unearthed in many parts of China, testify to the wide spread of Nestorian Christianity during the Yuan Dynasty. The 13th century saw also the establishment of Catholic, especially Franciscan, missions in China.
This paper seeks to investigate some Mongol policies and responses to Christianity in China and the consequences of their religious policy.