Different Narratives: The Pingli Missionary Case in Wenshi Ziliao and Private Expression
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis paper deals with a Chinese “rebellion” resulting from the conflicts between Chinese Christians and non-believers in Pingli County, Shaanxi in 1903. Please find below my comments on the work.
I appreciate the author’s effort. The structure of the paper is good and the writing is concise. However, the paper seems to be a translation of a similar work in Chinese. Additionally, secondary sources in Chinese are heavily used. These (Chinese) authors except one or two are not experts on the history of Catholicism in China. This is a big flaw of this paper. For the primary sources, those related to the missionaries are not found. But, I think this is very important. How did they interpret the reasons for the conflicts and the rebellion? Were those Chinese converts true bullies or bandits in the eyes of the missionaries? At the level of the theory, I don’t think the theory of micro-history is appropriate here. Yes, it is an analysis of a missionary case. However, the voices of those Chinese converts are not provided and analyzed. Any particular individual is analyzed and the focus of the paper? No. Overall, this is a summary of the Pingli missionary case assisted with some theoretical framework which is not always appropriately used, based on the paper's content. Additionally, Prof. Bays talks about the reasons for the conflicts between Chinese Christians and non-believers. This paper referred to Prof. Bays’ writing but didn’t fully understand how scientific or neutral Prof. Bays wanted to be when writing about these issues.
Below are my specific comments on this paper:
Shaanxi's historical background regarding the spread of Christianity is not mentioned at all. The province was an important point for the Catholic mission in the Ming and Qing. Extremely important missionaries worked there. This tradition has anything to do with the Pingli case?
How does the author define Chinese Christians being bullies and nuisance to the community?
Big statements are made in the paper.
The author says he/she referred to internal church records. What are these?
I think the author probably needs to have a better understanding of the history of Christianity in China. When the Chinese embraced Christianity, the reasons were very complex, including that they truly believed in Christian doctrines.
Are there any particularities of the Pingli case, compared to other cases which took place in the same period?
This is a paper summarizing secondary Chinese sources assisted with some theory. Some terms used in the paper are indeed heavily influenced by the secondary Chinese sources referenced.
It seems the author knows how to tell a good story. However, I feel something important is missing from this paper when discussing missionary cases. The theory used is a good one but doesn’t fit completely. It talks about Chinese Christians (bullies), but details are missing. I feel it is still quite in the scope of the conventional discourse that Christianity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a “bad thing” for the Chinese.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
The English is good.
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis is an excellent paper. It examines the historiographical issues of classifying and understanding Christian missionaries, using the 1903 Pingli missionary case as a lens. My comments are as follows:
1. The paper can pay analytical premium to the history and sociology of religion. Discussions on the legitimation or demonization of brethren and heathen, orthodox and heterodox, truth and falsehood, and other dichotomies have surrounded the history of Christianity back in Europe. The author may want to contextualize the paper in this history and extend it to the Pingli case. Are such dichotomies to be eschewed or established, and do third spaces exist between these dichotomies?
2. The elephant in the room is the Boxer Rebellion, which, as some scholars have suggested, was regional or even national in scope and influence. Did the events in Beijing and North China affect Pingli in any way?
3. Sources: Legal cases and documents are useful yet questionable, as the author has claimed in an extended footnote. Could this be elaborated? Regarding the weishi ziliao series, the author might want to consult Martin Fromm's Borderland Memories (2019) as well. In fact, rather than rehashing the history of the Pingli case, the second section, and much of the paper, can give way to a sustained discussion on the issues and politics of historiography, focusing on the writers, writings, and memories that have transpired from the case. Detailed biographies and prosopographies can reveal the motivations and even chereographies of display or legacy by those who generated the sources that the author has consulted.
4. At parts, the paper can seem more descriptive than analytical. Parts of the Conclusion can be shifted to the Introduction, and a last-ditch effort can be made to frame or theorize the subject for greater interpretive value.
Overall, I look forward to reading the paper in print. Truly fascinating work.
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsNo further comments!
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageEnglish is good!
Author Response
In order to improve the English quality of this article, I have modified and replaced some words, such as:
Line 7: is → creates
Line 9: portrayed → seen
Line 14: bishops → priests
Line 23: made public → disclosed
Line 24: generally similar to → closely aligns with
Line 25: account → narrative; broke out → occurred
Line 26: came from → was derived from
Line 39: participation → involvement; interests → concerns
Line 44: At the same time → Simultaneously; are significant differences → exist notable disparities
Line 46: These differences → The discrepancies
Line 47: delicate → shed light on
Line 161: spread rapidly in Shaanxi → experienced a remarkable expansion in Shaanxi
Line 167: Unlike → In contrast to
Line 168: administered → overseen
Line 178-179: managed ecclesiastically by → was under the ecclesiastical administration of
Line 192: status → social standing
Line 217: persisted → endured
Line 225: status → prestige
Line 282: often → frequently
Line 283: parties involved → individuals engaged
Line 376 These → the
Line 424: in compiling content about → when it comes to gathering information regarding/
Line 425: the best case → most ideal scenario
Line 428: Such → These
Line 429: use → leverage
Line 441: remain clear-headed → maintain a rational perspective
Line 443: over → rather than
Line 447: chronic → continuous; harmonize → reconcile; absorb → incorporate
Line 460: led → commanded
Line 461: easily conducted collective spirit rituals seen in → communal spirit rites commonly observed in
Line 462:everyone → all individuals; vie → fiercely compete; power → dominance; plunder survival resources → exploit essential resources
Line 463: each other → one another
Line 471: local → native
Line 474: various → multiple
Line 477: relying → depending
Line 478: inferred → deduced
Line 483: privileges → benefits
Line 486: materials → publication
Line 489: reflected → conveyed; utilized → employed
Line 492: a weakening of its original "United Front" function→ a decline in its initial function of "United Front"
Line 503: presence → existence
Line 505-506: easily fall into the trap of → succumb to; having to adhere → are required to confirm
Line 507: within → restricted in
Line 529: writing letters to → corresponding with
Line 538: lacking extreme romanticized nationalism → and do not exhibit excessive idealized patriotism
Line 547: autonomy → independence
Line 550: suitable → appropriate
Line 551: space → section
Line 554: their → its; absorption and transformation → assimilation and conversion
Line 555: relegated → limited
At the same time, this paper also adjusts some sentences to make them conform to English expression habits, including lines 170-173; 195-198; 233-236; 264-267; 270-275; 291-296; 323-328; 337-340; 393-405; 410-411; 426-427; 438-440; 479-482; 497-499; 494-495; 518-525.
