Message From Curator

In the peaceful pages of The Way of the Cross, printed nearly a century ago in dioceses across China, we find not only spiritual appeals, but a historical account in print. This text provides glimpses of voices that were once suppressed, of spirituality that was adapted into the local culture, and of typography that was crafted by local hands.

This project was born out of the discovery of two printed booklets. Though they shared a common name, they were vastly different in terms of tone, language, and theology. These differences, despite the small size of the texts, encourage a discussion that transcends the physical bounds of the texts themselves.

As a curator, I encourage readers to view these texts not just as texts to be read, but as a discussion of translation, adaptation, and identity. What does it mean when a universal religion finds a place in the local landscape? How does this alter our understanding of the divine in the margins of colonialism and local print culture? This site is a work in progress, and we welcome your participation in this academic journey.

Zicong Zhou