Christian Missions among the Lisu People of Nujiang, China

In the early twentieth century, Christian missionaries from China Inland Mission (CIM) began evangelizing to people of the Lisu Ethnicity who live along China’s Myanmar border in Yunnan Province. The missionaries helped the... [ view full abstract ]

In the early twentieth century, Christian missionaries from China Inland Mission (CIM) began evangelizing to people of the Lisu Ethnicity who live along China’s Myanmar border in Yunnan Province. The missionaries helped the Lisu people develop the first system of transcribing the Lisu language and discouraged practices such as excessive drinking and opium use that had negatively affected the economic prosperity of the Lisu people.  In the process, the missionaries used various ethically questionable methods, such as adapting the Ten Commandments of Exodus in order to specifically prohibit some practices of the Lisu people's traditional culture, including singing folk songs and performing traditional dances.  Because Christianity in Lisu communities underwent localization brought about by both missionaries and the Lisu people themselves, a unique form of Christianity exists among the Lisu people today.  This presentation will focus on how this localized form of Christianity has permeated many aspects of the Lisu people’s daily lives, including religious and social culture, education, and economic status.