II - BEFORE THE MASSACRE
Little chronology of France in Asia during the Second Empire
1856 : French landing in Saigon in Cochinchina (South Vietnam).
1857 : Occupation of Canton by the French and English armies.
1858 : 1st Treaty of Tien-Tsin between France and China, which states in particular (Article 13) "The
Christian religion having for essential purpose to bring the men to
virtue, members of all Christian communities will enjoy full security for
their people, their properties and the free exercise of religious
practices ; and an effective protection will be given to the missionaries
who will go peacefully inside the country. "
1858 : Great-Britain occupies India.
1858 :
Franco-Spanish expedition to Vietnam led by Admiral Rigault de
Genouilly : bombing of Tourane (Annam in central Vietnam)
1859 : capture by the French of the citadel of Hue, the capital of the empire of Annam.
1859 : (February 17) the French troops capture Saigon and occupy it until 1862.
1860 : start of the Franco-Vietnamese war for control of Cochinchina, which lasted until 1862.
1860 : September-October Raid to China. Franco-British victory at Palikao bridge (September 21), occupation of Peking (October 13). Looting and burning of the Summer Palace.
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Image advertising "Medal of China"
(source : Wikipedia")) |
1860 : Second Treaty of Tien-Tsin, opening of new ports to France and England.
1862-1867 : annexation of Cochinchina
1862 : Treaty of Hue, where France wins the eastern part of Cochinchina.
1863 : treaty of protectorate on Cambodia (April 11).
1867 : annexation by France of the western part of Cochinchina.
1870 : Franco-German war, abdication of Emperor Napoleon III and end of the Second Empire.
Our version of the events of Tien-Tsin before the massacre
Although it certainly is imperfect, but not biased, we give our version of this tragic story. The passages in italics, unless otherwise stated, are quotations from a book written by a missionary (Maurice Collard, The Martyrs of Tien-Tsin, Imp. Balan-Sedan, 1926)
The
two treaties of Tien-Tsin, the first non-applied, the second imposed
after the victory of British and French troops and the regrettable,
reprehensible and inexcusable "Summer Palace sacking" open in 1860
many places in China, to official (presence of consuls), commercial and
religious westerners. Tien-Tsin (Tianjin) is one of them. A Lazarist Chinese priest, Father Joseph Tsiou, a skilled doctor, begins the roman catholic mission there. " He specializes in baptism of dying babies. " He meets a strong opposition from a part of the population before dying of illness in August 1861. He
is replaced by another French missionary and also by a group of nuns
send by the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. Most of them are French, with the exception of one Irish and one Belgian sisters.
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These nuns come of course with in mind and heart the best intentions: saving the souls of many Chinese from the Devil and barbarism ! To
"add to the turnover" (May the Martyres forgive us!), they
continue as their predecessor did to baptize children on the
brink of death, including in a Chinese orphanage where that they
had gained access. "From the first year, ... we could send six hundred little angels to heaven "(Sister Dutrouilh).
But very quickly, some Tien-Tsin inhabitants are annoyed by their activity, and at the end of 1863, Sister Martha says "Thousands of fabulous rumours run on our behalf, and the Christians here are a too small number to refute them." After the purchase of a new house to a mandarin, things seemed to improve a bit: "... The pagans are beginning to understand that we are not coming here to tear their eyes, or to make a trade advantage" For that was the kind of rumours some people where spreading ! (And note that, "the day of the killings were to be found ... a jar of pickled onion, and the people claimed that it was a can eyes torn from children" ...).
The
sisters were soon assisted by two Catholic Lazarists priests, one
French, Claude-Marie Chevrier (appointed in late 1864 after a mission in Mongolia), the other Chinese, Ou Vincent. Also in line with a charity then in vogue, the so-called "Holy Childhood", they too sought to baptize and
to teach young children (sometimes sick or stunted) when their families were
unable or unwilling to deal with.
Père
Claude-Marie Chevrier
Père
Vincent Ou |
Father Chevrier did a lot in order a church was built. He insisted, (as a former soldier !) that it was dedicated to Notre-Dame des Victoires (Our Lady of Victories), which perhaps was not so much a good mark in psychology. This is the very church showed on our fan. It was completed on December 8th 1869 ... and
experienced many difficulties : destroyed in 1870 during the events we
are now evoking, it was rebuilt but very soon devastated
again during the well
known "Boxer War" in 1900. Rebuilt again, it was more recently victim
of the
1976 earthquake and rebuilt one more time, always with the same
appearance : that of a North of France church !
|
the church photographed before 1900 (Boxer rebellion) |
the church nowadays |
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