Fifty Years at the End of the Qing Dynasty

1864: The fourth year after the Qing government signed the unequal Treaty of Beijing with Britain and France (the Xianfeng Emperor’s flight), and the third year after a palace coup led by the Yehenara clan (the Xinyou Coup). That year, local militia forces led by Zeng Guofan captured Tianjing, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s stronghold, allowing many Han officials in the provinces to rise to prominence.

That year, Zhou Youhai, the second son of the Zhou family in Zhouping Town, earned the court’s favor and was entrusted with important responsibilities for his role in putting down the rebellion. It was also that year that a French Catholic priest arrived in town. After making his observations, he decided to build a new church there as a base for missionary work.

And so the story begins here...

P.S. This is not a transmigration story.