Academic Activities

The conference aims to bring together scholars studying the history of boundary- and border-crossing processes among diverse Christian actors within the broader Chinese cultural context before the 21^st century. The term “Christian actors” encompasses not only the Anglicans, Baptists, Charismatics, Eastern Orthodox churches, Lutherans, Methodists, Mormons, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and Seventh-day Adventists, but also indigenous movements such as the Local Assembly, founded by Watchman Nee, and the True Jesus Church, among others. 

The conference also seeks to foster dialogue among distinct denominational, ethnographic, historiographical, sociological, and theological traditions. It explores the historical trajectories of Chinese Christianities through the analytical lens of boundaries and borders. It employs the juxtaposition of temporally overlapping yet spatially divergent examples to explore conceptual and methodological directions for research.

Speakers of the conference will reflect on the history of Christianity in the broader Chinese cultural world before the 21^st century from the perspectives of crossing borders and boundaries, and present case studies addressing any of the following questions:

• How did various Christian groups perceive, appropriate, transcend, dismantle, or create borders and boundaries in specific historical settings? How have they responded to different forms of globalization?
• What are the methodological opportunities and limitations for scholars to consider when documenting how Christian actors (and objects) crossed borders and boundaries versus how borders and boundaries affected the circulation of people (and objects)?
• How did Christians’ perspectives on borders or boundaries, broadly defined, evolve? How did transnational and local Christian actors deal with the preexisting and new borders or boundaries when interacting with the imperial, colonial, and postcolonial powers?
• What new thematic and methodological insights can be gained from multiple archival, private, and oral sources on Christianity and boundaries or borders in the Chinese cultural sphere?

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Ryan Dunch, University of Alberta

Prof. Ryan Dunch is a Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History, Classics, and Religion at the University of Alberta in Canada. A distinguished specialist in modern Chinese history, religious studies, and global Christian missions, he earned his Ph.D. from Yale University. Over his extensive academic career, Prof. Dunch's research has focused deeply on the complex intersections of state policy, nationalism, and global faiths within greater China.

He is the author of the landmark monograph Fuzhou Protestants and the Making of a Modern China, 1857–1927 (published by Yale University Press) and serves as the co-editor of Taiwan in Dynamic Transition: Nation Building and Democratization. Celebrated for his expertise in how local societies navigate global modernities, Prof. Dunch brings valuable transnational insights into global history. We are thrilled to welcome him as our keynote speaker.

Prof. Peter Chen-main Wang, Fu Jen Catholic University

Prof. Peter Chen-main Wang is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at National Central University (NCU) and an Adjunct Professor of History at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. A leading authority on the history of Christianity in China, modern Chinese history, and Sino-American relations, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Prof. Wang has made profound contributions to our understanding of cultural exchanges, religious contextualization, and diplomatic histories in East Asia.

His extensive publications include The Life and Career of Hung Ch’eng-ch’ou (1593–1665): Public Service in a Time of Dynastic Change and the widely cited edited volume, Contextualization of Christianity in China: An Evaluation in Modern Perspective. Highly regarded for his rigorous archival research, Prof. Wang’s insights illuminate how global faiths intersect with local socio-political environments. 

Organising Committee

• Prof. George Kam Wah Mak, Hong Kong Baptist University (Chairperson)
• Dr. Michel Chambon, National University of Singapore
• Mr. Christopher Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University
• Prof. Wai Luen Kwok, Hong Kong Baptist University
• Dr. Lars Peter LAAMANN, SOAS University of London
• Prof. Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, Pace University
• Ms. Jeannette Wing Yan Ma, Hong Kong Baptist University
• Dr. Jeffrey Kyong-McClain, University of Idaho
• Prof. Man Kong Wong, Hong Kong Baptist University