Orthodoxy in Western China and Central Asia: Historical Background

Abstract

The author discusses the prehistory of the spread of Orthodoxy among the residents of Western China that was inextricably linked to the policy of Russia in Central Asia in the second half of the 19th century and traces the first missionary projects carried out in Ghulja (1851) among the descendants of captive Albazinians exiled from Beijing to the Chinese Ghulja in 1712. While reconstructing the history of Orthodoxy in the Ile region, it was revealed that the initiative of Orthodox missionary work in Western China originally belonged to eminent churchman Parfeny (Aggeev); it was supported by Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow and brought to the attention of Emperor Nicholas I. The study of the official diplomatic correspondence in the period of the 1850-60s showed that the attitude of Russian diplomats to the missionary work of the Russian Orthodox Church in China was negative as this activity might exacerbate foreign policy relations between Russia and China. At the same time, the establishment of Orthodox churches at the Russian consulates in Ghulja and Chuguchak played a crucial role in the spread of Orthodoxy in Central Asia and Western China.