Joseph Zhang Dapeng: A Chinese Martyr

The Catholic Church in China maintained a continuous vital history from the time of the first Jesuit missionaries in the late 16th century until the upheavals of the mid twentieth century. At first, the Church took root in various regions through the preaching and ministry of European missionaries. The Jesuits had built up enough credit with the imperial court in Beijing to gain permission for evangelization efforts all over the Empire in the 17th century. However, Rome eventually became convinced that the Confucian practices of ancestor veneration that were so deeply woven into the whole fabric of Chinese culture constituted pagan religious superstitions, and declared that Chinese Christians could no longer participate in these family and civic rituals (a prohibition that was lifted by Pope Pius XII in 1939). This decision was one of the forces that alienated the Qing dynasty from the Church, and in 1724 Western missionaries were officially banned from China.

Although enforcement varied, persecutions broke out in different places throughout the period that is considered the “Golden Age” of the Qing dynasty. Priests were in short supply. Nevertheless the Gospel continued to fascinate Chinese people who came in contact with it, often instilling within them an urge to share it with others. Catholic communities grew and expanded by the force of their own Christian witness. Meanwhile, many ordinary Chinese sought greater truths that would speak to their unsatisfied hearts. They were drawn to “brotherhoods” of Buddhists and Taoists who had practices of meditation, fasting, and other techniques that promised to bring inner enlightenment and vitality.

One such seeker was Zhang Dapeng, a silk merchant born in 1754 in Guizhou. While he sought spiritual truth, his business ventures flourished and his extended family rose to prominence in the region. Zhang Dapeng was married, but he had no sons. In traditional China, men of means often obtained a “secondary wife” in such circumstances, in an effort to have a son to carry on the family lineage. As he approached middle age, Dapeng married a “second wife” and she gave birth to a son.

Meanwhile his friend and business partner sent his own son, Wang Zheng, to Beijing for the civil service examinations. There he encountered Christians, was baptized, and returned to Guizhou as Xavier Wang Zheng, a young man on fire for Christ and the Gospel. He began drawing others to conversion, and his witness grabbed the attention and interest of “Uncle” Dapeng, who also studied Xavier’s books and catechism. Dapeng began to believe, and wished to seek baptism, but he was hindered by the fact that he had two wives. His brothers and other relatives also raised violent objections, fearing that Dapeng’s conversion would disgrace the whole family. Dapeng struggled to choose Christ over his social status, which meant a great deal to him.

It was a catechist — Laurence Hu Shilu — who accompanied him during this struggle and guided him to make the courageous decision to convert. He stood against the opposition of his brothers (though they continued to harass him and his fellow Christians). He provided for his “second wife,” both financially and by introducing her to a Catholic man who would become her husband. Finally, at the age of 47, he was baptized Joseph Zhang Dapeng. The former silk merchant began a new life of witnessing to Christ’s saving love while also keeping one step ahead of his brothers and civil authorities. After much fruitful labor, Joseph was finally captured and executed on March 12, 1815.

Saint Joseph Zhang Dapeng is among the group of 120 Chinese martyrs canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II in the year 2000, who are celebrated as a group on the Universal Roman Calendar on July 9th. He also has a personal day for the commemoration of his own martyrdom on March 12th.