Li, Wenwen2019-09-252019-09-252018-05-0820150009-4668http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/167774In the late Qing and the Republic of China, a group of missionaries was sent by the American Protestant Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) to the region on the Kansu-Tibetan border. Aiming to gain a deep and thorough understanding of the intended preaching targets, the missionaries conducted detailed examination and documentation of the local multi-ethnic community, producing a great wealth of historical documents. In the hope to establish a firm foothold on the Kansu-Tibetan border—an important gateway to Tibet, the C&MA missionaries adopted some specific tactics and methods based on their analysis of the geographic context of the border region, the characteristics of the multi-ethnic community and the social structure and religious institution of the local tribes. Despite all their efforts to thoroughly and meticulously examine the indigenous society, the missionaries failed to genuinely acknowledge the local religion, which was primarily owing to their ingrained objectives, religious stance, and values.engChristian Study Centre on Chinese Religion and Culture, Chung Chi College, Shatin, Hong KongC and MA missionaryKansu-Tibetan borderperipheral societymulti-ethnic communityIntercultural and contextual theologiesMissiologyAsian theologiesArticle