This paper examines missionary outreach efforts aimed at evangelizing local Chinese communities in Shenzhen, China, through the lens of inculturation—the adaptation of Catholicism to Chinese cultural contexts. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and interviews, it focuses on Saint Anthony’s Church in Futian District, where the parish priest, Fr. Francis Xavier Zhang, has actively integrated Chinese cultural elements into Catholic practice and expression. Inspired by the missionary ethos of St. Francis Xavier and Matteo Ricci, these initiatives center on the concept of fengxian, or “offering,” understood as the dedication of one’s life and labor to evangelization.
Against the backdrop of President Xi Jinping’s policy of religious sinicization, Fr. Zhang has incorporated Chinese cultural symbols into the church’s architecture, artwork, and liturgical practices. His initiatives include commissioning a Marian icon with Southern Chinese features and local motifs, as well as designing a garden where plants carry both biblical and Chinese cultural significance. Yet, inculturation at Saint Anthony’s extends beyond material expressions to encompass embodied religious practice. Lay parishioners enact fengxian through acts of service, such as cleaning the church before Mass, providing guided tours for non-Catholic visitors, and offering pro bono legal and counseling services after Sunday Mass.
Fengxian operates on both an immanent and transcendent register. As a praxis of religious devotion, it manifests in concrete acts of labor that sustain the church community and facilitate missionary engagement. At the same time, fengxian is framed as a spiritual offering — an act of self-giving that deepens personal faith and aligns the individual with the Church’s evangelizing mission. This ethos of offering also encompasses discipline (zhixu), as seen in the emphasis on bodily comportment during Mass: standing straight, hands clasped in prayer, and refraining from fidgeting. Parishioners describe these disciplined postures as a visible testimony of faith, reinforcing the belief that “through our discipline, others can perceive the greatness of God and thus offer Him praise and glory.”
By analyzing inculturation as both an evangelistic strategy and a mode of religious subjectivity, this paper contributes to broader discussions on the localization of global religions, the intersection of state policies and religious practice, and the evolving dynamics of Catholicism in contemporary urban Asia.
This paper explores missionary outreach in Shenzhen, China, focusing on inculturation—the adaptation of Catholicism to Chinese cultural contexts—through ethnographic research at Saint Anthony’s Church in Futian. Led by Fr. Francis Xavier Zhang, the church integrates Chinese cultural elements into religious practices, inspired by St. Francis Xavier and Matteo Ricci. Central to this approach is fengxian (“offering”), a dedication of one’s life and labor to evangelization.
Amid Xi Jinping’s religious sinicization policies, Fr. Zhang incorporates Chinese symbols into church architecture, artwork, and liturgical practices, including a Marian icon with Southern Chinese features. Parishioners practice fengxian through service, discipline, and evangelistic engagement, seeing their actions as both communal support and spiritual devotion. The paper examines inculturation as both an evangelization strategy and a form of religious subjectivity, contributing to discussions on the localization of global religions, state-religion dynamics, and contemporary Catholicism in urban China.