Liang Fa

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Template:Chinese name

Liang Fa
Traditional Chinese梁發
Simplified Chinese梁发
Liang Gongfa
Traditional Chinese梁恭發
Simplified Chinese梁恭发
Liang A-fa
Traditional Chinese梁阿發
Simplified Chinese梁阿发

Liang Fa (1789–1855), also known by other names, was the second Chinese convert to Protestantism and the first Chinese Protestant minister and evangelist. He was ordained by Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary in the Qing Empire. His tract Good Words to Admonish the Age was influential on Hong Xiuquan, who went on to lead the Taiping Rebellion.

Name

Liang Fa[1] is the pinyin romanization of Liang's usual Chinese name, which his father used.[2] Leung Faat[1][3] is the Jyutping romanization of the same name in Cantonese, the usual spoken dialect of Guangdong's natives. His personal name 發 is the common Chinese verb for "to send" but in Chinese grammar can also be understood as its past participle, "[he who is] sent".[2] He is also known as Liang A-fa,[4][5] "A-Fa",[6] "Afa",[7] "Ah Fa"[1] or "Ah-fa"[8] from the Southern Chinese habit of forming affectionate nicknames using the prefix Ā- (阿). Liang Gongfa was apparently his complete name, although it was used less often.[9] It variously appears as "Leang Kung-fa"[4] and "Leong Kung Fa".[1]

Life

Liang was born in Gaoming, Zhaoqing, Guangdong, China in 1789. Coming from a poor family, he quit his schooling at 15 and went to work as a pen-maker and then in 1810 as a printer in Guangzhou (then known as "Canton").

Even though it was illegal at the time to print materials related to Christianity, Robert Morrison sought Liang's help to print his Chinese translation of the Bible. Morrison and his associate William Milne began the process of Liang's conversion. In 1815, Milne moved to Malacca in British Malaysia as a result of Qing restrictions against preaching Christianity; Liang followed him and, becoming a devoted Christian, was baptized by Milne on November 3, 1816. In 1821, Liang was ordained by Morrison in Macao, becoming a minister with the London Missionary Society. Liang was accompanied by Keuh Agong, another Chinese Christian, on a 250-mile trek in 1830, distributing Christian tracts across China.[10] He also started writing books and pamphlets introducing people to Christianity. One of the works was "Good Words to Admonish the Age, which later proved influential on Hong Xiuquan, the theocratic leader of the Taiping Rebellion.

In 1834, Liang's missionary work brought him into conflict with the local government and he fled to Malaysia for five years.

He returned around the beginning of the First Opium War. He argued against Britain's persecution of the war, saying that its support of opium smugglers and assaults on China would turn its people against Christianity in general and the British missionaries in particular.[citation needed] Benjamin Hobson, a medical missionary, began operating a hospital in Guangzhou's western suburbs in 1848. Liang worked there with Hok Chau,[11] whom he baptized in 1852.[12] Due to the ban on evangelism by the Qing, there was persecution. Liang was beaten with 30 strikes by court order.

Liang died in 1855 in Guangzhou. His grave was found to be on land purchased for the expansion of Lingnan University (formerly Canton Christian College and now Sun Yat-sen University). He was re-interred in the center of the college campus on the site reserved for the college chapel. The site was dedicated 7 June 1920.

Works

Liang Fa is primarily remembered for his Quànshì Liángyán (t 《勸世良言》, s 《劝世良言》), formerly romanized as Ch‘üan-shih Liang-yen[8] and variously translated[14] as Good Words to Admonish the Age,[7][15] "Good News to Admonish the World",[17] "Good Words to Exhort the World",[8] etc. This was a form of the New Testament in vernacular Chinese based upon Morrison's classical Chinese translation[8] and became the sacred text of Hong Xiuquan and his Taiping rebels.[8] Although often called a "tract", it was over 500 pages long in nine stand-alone chapters or scrolls (juan).[18]

He also published:

  • The Essentials on Mastering Theology (《熟學聖理略論》 Shouxue Shengli Luelun)
  • Simple Explanations to the Questions and Answers of the Truth (《真理問答淺解》 Zhenli Wen Da Qian Jie)
  • Seeking the Source of the True Way (《真道尋源》 Zhendao Xun Yuan)
  • On Souls (《靈魂篇》 Linghun Pian)
  • On Heresy (《異端論》 Yiduan Lun)
  • Convenient Uses of Introductory Bible Sunday Classes (《聖經日課初學便用》 Shengjing Rike Chuxue Bianyong)
  • Prayers and God-Praising Poems (《祈禱文贊神詩》 Qidao Wen Zanzhu Shi)

Liang also created The Monthly Total Record of the Inspection of the Worldly Customs (《察世俗每月統記傳》 Cha Shisu Meiyue Tongji Zhuan), one of the first Chinese magazines.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d BDCC.
  2. ^ a b McNeur (1936), p. 10.
  3. ^ Lee (1971), p. 32.
  4. ^ a b Wylie (1867), p. [https://books.google.com.hk/books?id=jRQQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA21 21.
  5. ^ McNeur (2013).
  6. ^ Joyce (1960).
  7. ^ a b Fischer (2008), p. 150.
  8. ^ a b c d e Liu (2001), p. 1058.
  9. ^ Kim (2011), p. 1.
  10. ^ Wylie (1867), pp. 11–12.
  11. ^ "当年传教士进羊城", MW悦读室之岭南话廊, 25 December 2005. Template:Zh icon
  12. ^ Chung, Rebecca Chan; et al. (2012), Piloted to Serve.
  13. ^ McNeur (2013), p. vi.
  14. ^ Seitz's introduction to McNeur.[13]
  15. ^ Kim (2011), p. i.
  16. ^ a b McNeur (2013), p. i.
  17. ^ Seitz's introduction to McNeur.[16]
  18. ^ Seitz's introduction to McNeur.[16]

Bibliography

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