未命名

The blood of martyrs, the seed of civilization: Reflections on St. Agata LIN Zhao's life(圣林昭)

（殉道者的血是人类文明的种子）

Fr. Dr. Peter ZHAO Jianmin

The life of St. Agata LIN Zhao (林昭）

St. Agata LIN Zhao (圣亚加大 林昭）was born in 1817 in a samll village called Ma Chang (马场) , located in Xingyi County (兴义县) in the Province of Guizhou during Qing Dynasty, China. Her house were still standing in 1891 when Mgr. Guichard passed through there. He also suggested to buy that house to build a church. Her father LIN Guoxiang (林国相）was selling salt for the family living. Her mother YIN Shi (尹氏),who lived to a ripe old age, was taking care of the family life as at that time no women could go out to work.

We do not know the exact time when this family was baptized. However, it is sure that they were converted by a Chinese catechist, St. Giuseppe ZHANG Dapeng(张大鹏). St. Agata Lin's father had been tortured several times by the county's local governor because he did not renounce his faith. When St. Agata Lin was born, her father was still in the county prision. Three days after her birth, St. Agata Lin was baptized by her mother, and later the family had to move to Longli County (龙里县）, south of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, and they remained in Longli for three years.

At that time, there was a very popular Chinese custom: proposing a marrage by pointing to the stomach (指腹为婚) or proposing a child marrage by both parents of the children. When St. Agata Lin was a baby or very little, following the popular Chinese custom at that time, she was engaged by her parents to another catholic family of Liu in Ta-pa-tien(大坝田？) village. Perhaps her parents wanted her, when she was growing up, to marry into a catholic family. Compared with the population as a whole at that time, even today perhaps, Catholics were very few. So this child engagement was a good idea for both family and gave them catholic connections.

At that time, there was another Chinese custom. Only boys, if the family rich enough, were sent to a traditional private school (私塾) or a home school with private tutor in a village or a town. A large number of girls had no possibility of learning how to read or how to write unless the family was very rich. The parents, in a rich family, could pay a home tutor to come to their house to teach their girls. Therefore, the very ancient custom was that girls would not be educated and therefore they would remain within their husband's home to assist husband and bring up children (相夫教子). St Agata Lin's parents were not very rich. However, it is evident that St Agata Lin's parents were influenced by their Catholic faith and were so open-minded that they asked other catholic catechists to teach their girl to study Chinese language at the seven years age. This learning opened St Agata Lin's eyes.

Later, when St Agata Lin was growing up, her parents informed her of her “child engagement”. Nonetheless, she informed her parents that she did not wish to be married and she would like to be a virgin (贞女), to serve God. Because of this, her parents had to call off the “child engagement”.

When Fr. Matthew Liu(刘玛窦), a Franciscan priest, came to St Agata Lin's village for the Eucharist, she revealed her intention to the priest. Then, Fr. Liu discussed the matter with St Agata Lin's father and asked her father to send her to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province. In the capital there were two schools, one for boys directed by a catechist, and one for girls guided by Chinese virgins from Sichuan, whose family name was Yuan(袁). A few months later, a persecution began and the two virgins had to move out of the town. Later, the first Chinese priest in Guizhou, Thomas Luo (骆文灿), whose ordination was on 23 May 1850, asked St. Agata Lin to initiate a girls school in a small and quiet village. This girls school was quite successful.

In 1852, Paul Yang's family, newly converted to CatholicFaith, moved from Zhenning County （今贵州省安顺市镇宁布依族苗族自治县）to the village of Maokou (毛口) near Langdai County (今贵州省安顺市郎岱镇).¹ In the village Paul Yang (杨保禄) wrote two books: Sheng Jiao Li Zheng (《圣教理证 published in 1852 by Bishop Bai (Etienne Raymond Albrand), Apostolic Vicar of Guizhou) and Zhen Dao Zi Zheng (沙守信的《真道自证)，published in 1718 by the Jesuit Emeric de Chavagnac) to a learned Chinese Lu Tingmei(卢廷美). Later St. Jerome Lu was martyred with LIN Zhao. Subsequently, St. Jerome Lu's family were all baptised. By the end of 1853, when Fr. Thomas Luo (骆文灿) came to Maokou, there were already more than 200 neophytes (men and woman) in the surrounding villages. These neophetes were mostly from ethnic Dongzu. Since the numbers of neophytes was growing rapidly and many of them were women, Fr. Thomas Luo and St. Jerome Lu asked the virgin St. Agata Lin to come to Maokou(毛口) to establish a female school to teach Catholic doctrine, reading and writing to the women and girls.

On 4^th June 1857 behind the church in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou, a virgins community was established and those virgins in Guizhou were asked by the Apostolic Vicariate to be admitted to this community.

Some time later the governor of Anshun(安顺) Prefecture, to which Maokou village was subject, released a public notice that prohibited people to become a Catholic. In January 1858, Lawrence Wang Bing(王炳), who was a catechist in an nearby county named Puan County(普安县), south-west by 100 kilometers from Maokou, came to the small village to visit Jerome Lu Tingmei to discuss a project to build an oratory. Catechist Jerome Lu had prepared some donations and rice for building of the chapel.

On 27 January 1858, governor Dai(戴) with some soldiers, came from Langdai(郎岱厅), ² arrived at Maokou in the evening and surrounded the oratory there. Lawrence Wang, Jerome Lu and some other Christians were arrested. After being questioned, they were all released to go home but required to stay in their home. A little later they went to visit Agata Lin to let her knows there were freed. As usual at that time the female school(女堂) was separate from the male school(男堂). St Agata Lin encouraged them and said: “Prepare you souls. It may be martyrdom, or at least, most likely you will be taken to the town of Langdai for judgement.” ³ Then, the two catechists returned to their home for night.

In the early morning, 28^th January, the governor with Jerome Lu's uncle and some soldiers went to the river bank of the Maokou and selected a place for executing the death penalty. Then they returned to the village and arrested Jerome Lu, Lawrence Wang and a little later Agata Lin, the virgin catechist who was in charge of the female school. The governor ordered them to renounce their religion again. However, they all refused.

After interrogating Jerome Lu and Lawrence Wang, governor Dai turned to St Agatha Lin and interrogated Agata Lin.

“What is your family name?”

“My family name is Lin”. Agata Lin answered.

“Which place are you from?”

“From Lao-ouang-tang, behind Hong-hoa-ti.”

“Your name Lin: is it your parents name or that of your husband when you were married?” Dai asked again.

“It is my parents name, because I am not married.”

“Why you don't want to marry?”

“Me, a poor and humble woman, I guard my virginity.” Lin answered.

“Ha! You guard your virginity! The whole world should get married. In renouncing marriage, you are destroying the five relations necessary for a human being. How can you come to Maokou? What are you coming here for? Why did you come here?”

“I come to teach books.”

“What books do you teach? You teach something to men, youth and old people?”

“In this place, the young girls ignore our language and our custom; I teach them that they can contract an honest marriage and then they can more easily have conversation with their parents and their husband. I also teach them obedience. At the end, these young girls can have their own honor which belongs to them.” Lin explained.

“You are a noble race of Chinese, how can you come so far to instruct Tchong-kia-tse(侗家子, ethnic Dongzu)?⁴ What relationship do you have with these people? You said you come to teach them. What you said is very foolish. All of you, and Teacher Wang, comes from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou, to Maokou; you are from the place of Lao-ouang-tang, a distance of 80 or 90 Li (里); you all come to the place of Maokou! You are all race of Han Chinese, but you are doing well with the families of Tchong-kia-tse(ethnic Dongzu)! What are you really trying to do here? I am afraid that you may organize something. I am afraid that you are trying to start a rebellion. As for me, I am the governor, and I learned in my town Langdai (郎岱) that you are destroying stability a lot in this area. Really, I am afraid that later the country may suffer a serious harm. As the governor here, I come here to examine your doings. …... You said you come here to teach the Tchong-kia-tse(ethnic Dongzu). Teacher Wang also said the same thing. I am afraid that you are provoking a rebellion. As the governor, I require that you go to abandon this evil religion? ”

St. Agata Lin firmely replied: “I will not abandon it. Lu Da Shanren (卢大善人) and Wang Shanren (王善人) are men.⁵ I am just a poor and humble woman, virgin, and what I can do to destroy the public peace? Your great man ordered me to renounce my religion. How can I do that? I received it from my ancestors. A poor and humble woman, I adore the Supreme Spirit, the Highest God for everything. I cannot renounce my religion.”

“Nonsense! You are stupid! You even do not obey the governor. You do not know the difference between the governor and the Tchong-kia-tse(ethnic Dongzu). Ha! You come and conspire with Dong Jia zi! ⁶ No doubt, you come to teach the young people and the old people, even the governor orders you to renounce this sect and to rejoin your family, you refuse to obey, you look down upon the governor! I can sentence you to death, don't you understand?”⁷

St Agata LIN Zhao was sentenced to death immediately.

The death penalty at that time had a procedure: the local governor had to report to the emperor to ratify the death penalty. According to “Laws and Regulations of the Qing Dynasty”(《大清律例》), the death penalty generally has two procedures: one is the execution immediately (斩立决), the other is a delayed execution (斩监侯). Normally, the death penalty would be carried out by hanging, in some most serious cases, it could be by beheading. In Chinese law and custom, beheading as a penalty was more serious than hanging. Nevertheless, both sentences needed to be ratified by the Qing Imperial Court (刑部) or by the emperor himself. Of course, there were exceptional cases that did not need the ratification of the Imperial Court, such as during a war. However, there are also other cases where the death penalty could be executed immediately in its place (就地正法), such as in the plot of treason (谋反), rebellion(叛乱) or gathering together to challenge the government(聚众抗官). According to the “laws and regulations of Qing Dynasty”, “Those who spread and promote sects are to be sentenced as slave to ethnic Elute according to the imperial edict, and in the case of those who escaped, on the recapture they were to be executed death immediately.”⁸

During the rebellion of Heavenly Principles Sect (天理教) in Henan(河南) Province, Emperor Jiaqing(嘉庆) in September 1813 decreed that with regard to rebellions “on the one hand to record and report, and on the other hand to be executed to death immediately”. Possibly, this imperial edict could be the most recent example for local governors in Guizhou to deal with the matters of Catholic catechists. This imperial edict, in 1855, was influenced by the Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) in Guangxi Province. The ethnic Miaozu, at that time, together with ethnic Dongzu in south-east of Guizhou, lead by Zhang Xiumei (张秀眉 1822-1872), started a rebellion at the end of 1855 and in September 1858 they even seized Zhenyuan county(镇远县), which is located east of Guiyang by about 250 kilometers.

Yet, how did the governor of Langdai dare to abuse his power to put the three catechists to death? It is evident that the governor of Langdai used the exceptional procedure to punish the three catechists with a death penalty under the guise of orgnizing a rebellion by the ethnic Dongzu, spreading a sect in the area and gathering together to disobey the government. Bcause of these three issues the governor of Langdai was able to abuse his power and sentence the three catechists to death in a way that “at one hand to record and report, and at the other hand to be executed death immediately”, a further factor was that in the same province the ethnic Miaozu and Dongzu were just rebelling and making war against the government army.

However, even in this case, following the Chinese custom then, the three catechists still had a chance to be saved from a death penalty. There was a very old Chinese custom called “Dadian” (打点) or “Dadian Dadian” for the prison guards and even for the local governor. If the relatives or friends of the one who was put into prison wanted him or her to be less tortured or to reduce the penalty or to have a little better board and lodging, they must give some money to the guards or the governor. This was called “Dadian” in Chinese and it was well-known, popular and semi-public custom in Chinese prison system. For example, if one was punished by a penalty of “Dabanzi”（打板子, beating on the buttock)，which was a quite popular penalty for people given by the local governor according to laws that determined how many strikes should be beaten. If the guards got some money or “Dadian” they would beat the people very slightly, otherwise, they would beat the prionser as heavy as normal. Even though there was a costom that “It is improper for men and women to touch each other's hand in passing objects”(男女授受不亲), however this penalty of “Dabanzi” was the same for both a man and a woman. However, this long standing Chinese custom “Dadian” was seen as bribery by the missionaries and the Chinese christians were forbidden to use “Dadian”. In a letter dated on 14^th September 1858, eight month later after the three catechists were beheaded, Fr. Paul Perny (童文献), the pro-vicar apostolic of Guizhou made reports about the three martyrs and said also that whenever Christians were put in prison “it is a rule in the Mission of Kooy-tcheoo never to purchase life. If our neophytes are poor, we support them in prison; and this being done, their fate, like our own, is in the hands of God.”⁹

“Dabanzi”，beaten the buttock.

St. Agata Lin, as a woman, followed another ancient Chinese custom, foot binding. Therefore, on the road to the bank of the river of Maokou, where she with Jerome Lu and Lawrence Wang would be beheaded, the soldiers seized her by the hair to train her move so that she can follow the others. Hundreds people, indifferent to what was happening, followed them just to see the death of the tree catechists. At the place nearby, the River-god Temple, Agata Lin was beheaded. The executioner were not accoustomed to performing the penalty of beheading, so that he chopped several times to cut off the head of St. Agata Lin. According to the custom, the garments of those beheaded, and their shoes, etc. were shared by the executioners. The day is 28 January 1858.¹⁰ The heads of the three catechists were hung up in the trees along the road for some days. One of the executioners who beheaded Jerome Lu lived in the Maokou village, at least, till 1889. In 1890 when Mgr. Guichard visited the village he obtained the sabre with which St. Jerome Lu was beheaded.

Then, in the afternoon of that day, the bodies of the three catechists were buried in a nearby place. St Jerome Lu's son buried his father. St Agata Lin and St. Lawrance Wang were buried by some Christians named Lou Lao-pe (卢老伯--音译), Pe-y(白义—音译)，Pe San-ye(白三爷) and Lou Tin-chen(卢廷真—音译). Their heads were still hanging by the roadside of Maokou as the custom for the great criminals. Some long time later, one month or three months, by the order of the local official, their heads were allowed to be taken down and to be buried in a hill in Maokou. According to the trandition for the great criminals, the heads of those executed were not allowed to be buried with their bodies. Only some time later, St. Jerome Lu's son took his father's head and buried together with the body. Five years later, on the night of 4^thJanuary 1860, Fr. Jean-Victor Muller, with the help of catechist Joseph Zhang and some Christians, collected the heads of those executed, and 6 days later the bones of three Saints were transferred to the missionary college at Lu Chongguan (鹿冲关，贵阳北郊) in Guiyang. Fr. Paul Perny (童文献) received them in pleasure respectfully. There, the relics of the three Saints were in safe keeping.

The relics of Saint Agata Lin Zhao, the museum "House Paulina Jaricot", Lyon, France

Reflections on St. Agata LIN Zhao's life

On 2^nd May 1909, Agata LIN Zhao was beatified by Pope Pius X and on March 10^th , 2000 her canonization with other 120 Chinese Saints was announced by Pope John Paul II. St Agata Lin's feast is celebrated each year on 9^th July, the feast of Chinese Blessings and Martyrs, in the Catholic Church's calendar.

Of course, there are many possible perspective for reflection on the life of a Saint. The well-know wisdom is from Tertullian, who wrote in the year 197: “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians”. The first Christians at the beginning of Christianity witnessed to their Faith by offering their life. It is beyond doubt that their witness imitated their Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross and He taught his followers that "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12: 24) The martyrs become the seed of Christians because the Seed, that is the Word of God, produces much fruit in their life. “The seed is the word of God. ”(Lk 8:11) The seed is the Word of God, that is Jesus Christ. Beyond all appearances, it is in keeping and spreading the Word of God that the martyrs offered their life once and completely. The Book of Revelation clearly states that “I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God.”(6:9) The martyrs are identifying themselves with Christ. Identifying with Christ is asked for by Jesus Christ to his followers in their day to day life. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(Jn 8:12) Thus, in the Catholic Church there are not only martyr Saints but also other type of Saints, such as confessor of the faith. Canonization in the Catholic Church is a statement of the Church that the person certainly enjoys the Beatific Vision of Heaven. As Pope Francis said in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, “The processes of beatification and canonization recognize the signs of heroic virtue, the sacrifice of one’s life in martyrdom, and in certain cases where a life is constantly offered for others, even until death.”¹¹

We have the long parable of the sowing of the seed in Mt 13:1-43. Jesus Christ, explained this parable to his disciples. Nevertheless, his disciples did not seem to understand the parable quite well because later they approached him and asked: “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”(Mt 13: 36) Then, Jesus explained to them that “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one.”(Mt 13:37-38) However, Jesus did not stop here, he continued to say “and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”(Mt 13:39)

The martyrs and the Saints are the good seed, the children of the Kingdom, in the field of the world. The good seeds have been sowed in the field of the world during their life time. The good seeds are growing little by little and “When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”(Lk 13:19) The time that it is fully grown is the time of harvest, and “the harvest is the end of the age”. This perspective allow us to take in a much more longer historic view, in understanding martyrdom. Particularly in the postmodern and multi-religions world of today, seeing martyrdom in this historic view is extremely important for human society and cutlure.

As well as this long historic view, another point should be mentioned. The canonization of a Saint, even a martyr, is not the Church making a martyr or making a Saint, but, as Pope Francis said, is to “recognize the signs of heroic virtue, the sacrifice of one’s life in martyrdom, and certain cases where a life is constantly offered for others, even until death.”¹²Therefore, from the life of a Saint we evidently can see “the signs of heroic virtue”, “the sacrifice of one's life in martyrdom” and “a life is constantly offered for others”. These elements or signs of the life of a Saint cannot be completely separated from one another since a human life is a life in its totality. Nevertheless, as Pope Francis said, “Their lives may not always have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord.”¹³

From the life of St. Agata LIN Zhao, we can see the signs of her heroic virtue, the sacrifice of being beheaded, and her life constantly offered for others. Reflecting on St. Agata Lin's life, we can obviously see the good seed, the Word of God, that she has sowed. She is keeping and spreading the word of God in the field of the world. St. Agata Lin is, in her life, building the “kingdom of love, justice and universal peace.” ¹⁴ Jesus Christ, whom St. Agata Lin followed, is the perfect visible example of keeping and spreading the word of God because He himself is the Word of God. If we go into detail of St. Agata Lin's life, we will recognize that the seed is growing although it might be not very fast.

St. Agata Lin, in her life, has broken the Chinese custom of child marrage. There was a very popular Chinese tradition of pointing to the stomach where the unborn child would be and it was time for marriage(指腹为婚); or the girl child, at an early age, would be sold to the boy husband and sent to his home for marriage(童养媳). In both cases when they reached a certain age, they could get married. According to reports, even in the present times there were still some cases of child marrage in China,¹⁵ although according to present Chinese law the legal marriage age is 20 for a girl and 22 for a boy. Following the Chinese tradition, St. Agata Lin was also engaged at a very early age with another Catholic family by her parents. In following this custom, was a simple way for both Catholic families to avoid their children marrying into a non-Catholic family. However, when St. Agata was growing up, she decided to follow a call to be a virgin to devote herself to God. Then, she has to break the early engagement made by her parents. Within the Chinese custom of the time, this would be seen as unbelievable. However, St. Agata Lin, following her conscience and her calling from God, made her decision and asked the missionary to help her to persuade the parents of both family not to proceed with this arrangement. Encouraged by her faith, St. Agata Lin firmly called off the child engagement that was one of most popular Chinese tradition in that time. Considering this popular bad Chiense custom in that time, wasn't this firmly calling off the child marrage engagement a sign of heroic virtue?

After calling off the engagement, St. Agata Lin devoted herself to God and to educate women and girls. A Chinese virgin (贞女) at that time was some one staying in family, not in a convent, but devoted her life to God and, under the guidance of the missionary, to educate women and girls, to teach the neophytes Catholic doctrine, to baptize the new converts and the abandoned infants, to care for orphans and attend to the medical cares centres opened by the Catholic Church. According to the records, in Guizhou Province from 1855-1859 there were 121,841 abandoned infants baptized. In the year 1853 there were already four medical care pharmacies in Guiyang(贵阳府), Dingfan(定番州), Duyun(都匀府)，Zhenyuan(镇远府). ¹⁶ The abandoned infants were already in a very bad state of health, some were even dying, and many of the infants died after baptism. The Church baptized the dying infants because she believed that the baptized infants, if they dead before growing up and committed any sins by themselves, they would enter immediately to Heaven. In the year 1855 there were total 2,600 Catholics in Guizhou Province and ten years later in 1865 there were 5, 200 Catholics. Comparing tto he population in Guizhou, the Catholics were small and minority. However, there were good numbers of Chinese virgin in Guizhou Province.

In 1723 the Yongzheng Emperor began to expel foreign missionaries and later Qianlong Emeror in 1736 also decreed the prohibition of people to believe in Catholic Faith. During this persecution period, the virgins played a very important role in spreading the gospel. The virgins normally lead some small women communities in their nearby villages according to the arrangement of missionaries (including Chinese priests), both hidden in rural areas and working in the emperor's court.

Neverthelss, the virgins had to face a heavy social pressure. According to a long Chinese tradition in that time, a widower was hightly praised and honored for not marrying again. There was a saying that a good women never marries a second husband (好女不嫁二夫). Some famous widows, who were widowed for a long time, could obtain an honorable decree from the emperor. But if a woman did not marry she would not be tolerated by her family and by the society. A Chinese priest, Fr. Li Ande(李安德), reported in 1748 that a clan elder refused to recognize his blood sister and granddaughter because they became a virgin. People in the village would gossip that they were vampires or sinister evil attempts behind the decision not to marry. The governor of Langdai in questioning St. Agata Lin showed this idea clearly. He said that “The whole world should get married. Renounce marriage, you are destroying the five relations necessary for human being.” The five relations were Emperor and Subjects(君臣)，Father and Son(父子)， Elder and Younger brothers(兄弟), Husband and Wife(夫妇) as well as Friends(朋友). These five relations were under the three cardinal guiding principles, namely Emperor guides the Subjects(君为臣纲), Father guides the Sons(父为子纲), Husband guides the Wives(夫为妻纲). That was the reason that the governor of Langdai considered that a woman who did not marry was destroying the five relations.

However, even under this heavy family and social pressure, the virgin group in Guizhou Province as well as in other provinces developed very well. “The Christian virgins phenomenon was initiated by the Chinese themselves. In the beginning all Christian virgins were Chinese women. They chose not to marry and devote themselves to religious life. Albeit at the beginning they obviously intended to limit themselves for a life of meditation, but in 1770s, they accepted the mission for apostolate and social works.”¹⁷ Then, the missionaries in Guizhou and nearby province of Sichuan developed some regulations for the Chinese virgins. They would educate themselves in reading and writing, even though they were from a poor family. This was an obviously breaking through in the long Chinese tradition that girls seldom could get some education. Also, they started to make decision for themselves through having a devoted celibacy life. In some cases they would have a public vows in front of Catholic people. Besides these, the Chinese virgins could guide a female school as leader and teacher if their education and personality qualified them like St. Agata Lin. This was also a significant break-through in the long Chinese tradtion that only men could teach and dominate women under one of the three cardinal guiding principles. St. Agata Lin, a Chinese virgin, a Chinese female, in living her faith became an educated leader and teacher in a male dominated rural Chinese villages, even if only in a female school. What a significant sign of heroic virtue in the Chinese traditional culture under the heavy unjust social pressure! Could we not say this was a kind of persecution for St. Agata Lin even if the Saint was not beheaded? In fact, Saint Ambrose has said, when the external persecutions had ended in his time, that “How many today are Christ’s secret martyrs, bearing witness to the Lord Jesus!” (Comment for psalm 118).

St. Agata Lin's life was constantly offered for others, especially for those un-educated ethnic women and girls. This constant offering of her life for others was significant in that time. The women and girls groups that St. Agata Lin was leading and educating were mostly Dongzu Ethnic. In the time of Qing Dynasty, these ethnic minorities were discriminated by the Han nation. The governor Dai from Langdai clearly showed his attitude to the ethnic Dongzu: “You are a noble race of Chinese, how can you come so far to instruct Tchong-kia-tse.” “You are all race of Han Chinese, but you are doing well with the families of Tchong-kia-tse(ethnic Dongzu)!” In the eyes of governor Dai the ethnic Dongzu, especially the women, were not worthy of being educated. Even to get along well with them was wrong and should be avoided. However, St. Agata Lin as a female of Han nationality did not take this attitude and encouraged by her Catholic faith she knew that the ethnic Dongzu “young girls ignore our language and our custom” and she came to teach them so that “they can more easily have conversation with their parents and their husband.” This basic education for the ethnic Dongzu women and girls were greatly needed! It is true that at that time all women in China lacked basic education. However, St Agata Lin was instructing the discriminated ethnic Dongzu women! That shows the significant sign of her heroic virtue and her life constantly offered for others who were un-justly discriminated against by her own Han nation. In her life which she constantly offered for others, St Agata Lin was promoting equity among the nations by leading and educating the ethnic Dongzu women and girls. The purpose of her doing was not only spreading the gospel and teaching Catholic doctrine to the ethnic Dongzu women, but, as the Saint has said, “at the end, these young girls can get their own honor that belongs to them.” Helping people to get their own honor and their own dignity, that was the end St Agata Lin for which constantly offered her life. It is evident that in St. Agata Lin's vision this end could be reached through Catholic faith as instructed by her, and in her leading and teaching groups of ethnic Dongzu women and girls.

St Agata Lin not only constantly offered her life for this end but also sacrificed her life totally. Obviously, it is possible that if the Christians and missionaries followed the Chinese bad tradition or custom to make some “Dadian” or, in other words, bribery, St Agata Lin and other two Saints would have not been beheaded by the governor of Langdai. Yet, the missionaries had their principles that “it is a rule in the Mission of Kooy-tcheoo never to purchase life. If our neophytes are poor, we support them in prison; and this being done, their fate, like our own, is in the hands of God.”¹⁸ In fact St. Jerome Wang's family was rich enough to “Dadian Dadian”(打点打点). But, the Christians in Maokou kept their faith and observed the rule of the Church, and they did not engage in bribery or they did not purchase life! Nevertheless, this could be considered by Chinese custom as foolish because the Christians did not want to spend money to purchase life. St Agata Lin and the other Christians in Maokou witnessed in their life the truth that “Dadian” or bribery was a bad and dark custom that should be destroyed. They, following Jesus Christ, the light of the world, walked out of the darkness of life and the darkness of the culture, and by totally offering their life they witnessed to the light of the life and the light of the civilization.

1郎岱，因建成于古郎山（又称老王山)而得名，春秋时期属牂牁（zngk)国，秦汉时为夜郎国腹地，语出《史记》的著名成语“夜郎自大”即指此地。今为贵州省六枝特区。毛口(或茅口)据郎岱不到30公里，坐落于郎岱之西，北盘江（牂牁江）之畔，为牂牁江与磨盘江汇入之地，故有此称，素有“夜郎都邑”之称，如今是牂牁江省级风景旅游区的核心。牂牁国、夜郎国时期，境内以仡佬族为主，清时以苗族、侗族为主。

2郎岱厅于雍正九年(1731) 设置，隶属安顺府，治所在郎岱，由安顺府同知一员分驻此地负责。

3 LAUNAY, Adrien, Histoire des Missions de Chine, mission du Kouy-Tcheou, Tome I, Société des Missions-Étrangères, 1907, p.492.

4Tchong-kia-tse(侗家子) and Miao Tse(苗子) are racial discrimination name to the ethnic Dongzu and Miaozu in that time.

5Lu Da Shanren and Wang Shanren means Lu Grand Nice Man and Wang Nice Man, an honor titile called by the village people for their good doings.

6A discrimination title for calling the ethnic Dongzu.

7 LAUNAY, Adrien, Histoire des Missions de Chine, mission du Kouy-Tcheou, Tome I, Société des Missions-Étrangères, 1907, p.499-500.

8“传习邪教人犯，拟发额鲁特为奴，各发犯曾奉有谕旨，如在配脱逃被获即行正法者，因钦遵办理。”《大清律例》：390.07。

“凡妄布邪言, 书写张贴, 煽惑人心为首者, 斩立决, 为从者皆斩监候。”《大清律例》：256.01

9“A letter from M. Perny, pro-vicar apostolic of Kooy-tcheoo, to Messrs. The Members of the Central Council of the Propagation of the Faith”, in: Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, Vol. XX, 1859, p. 3, London.

10清咸丰七年十二月十四日

11Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, no. 5, 19 March 2018.

12Ibid.

13Ibid. no. 3.

14Ibid. no. 25.

15 http://www.sohu.com/a/114941801_475228

https://www.bomb01.com/article/24944/記者深入農村地方拍攝「童婚現象」的紀錄照片，13歲小妹妹的故事真的不可思議到極點啊…

16 LAUNAY, Adrien, Histoire des Missions de Chine, mission du Kouy-Tcheou, Tome I, Société des Missions-Étrangères, 1907, p.303, 450.

17Robert E. Entenmann, Tr. GU Weimin, “Christian Virgins in Eighteenth Century Sichuan”, in: ZHAO Jianmin, ed., Journal of Catholic Studies, no. 1 (2004), p.173. Religious Culture Press, 2004.

18“A letter from M. Perny, pro-vicar apostolic of Kooy-tcheoo, to Messrs. The Members of the Central Council of the Propagation of the Faith”, in: Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, Vol. XX, 1859, p. 3, London.