1819 - Paul Liu Hanzuo

February 21, 1819

Dezhou, Sichuan

Paul Liu Hanzuo. [CRBC]

Paul Liu Hanzuo was born in 1778 in the village of Lezi in Sichuan Province. Although his parents were not materially wealthy, they provided a rich spiritual heritage for their children.

Because of his family’s poverty, Liu was required to work from an early age. He was given the job of tending sheep, and as a consequence he never had an opportunity to attend school. By the time he was 24-years-old he had still not learned how to read or write. Despite these disadvantages he strongly desired to be a priest. Liu begged the Rector of the Seminary at Luorenggou to admit him. After much persistence he was allowed to attend. He studied the best he could, but struggled with most of the subjects, especially Latin. The seminary leaders saw that Liu would not come close to passing, so they allowed him to study philosophy and theology using the Chinese language instead of Latin.

Finally, at the age of 35, Paul Liu Hanzuo was ordained into the priesthood and began his service to God’s people. He was assigned to lead the work in Deyang, Hanzhou and Xindu counties; all located north of Chengdu City. When an anti-Christian persecution broke out Liu was forced to disguise himself as a merchant. One source says he “sold goods by day and at night visited his parishioners.”[1]

In 1818 Liu went to Dezhou where he stayed in the home of a Catholic family. A feast was approaching, so he asked a new convert, who was a carpenter, if he would construct a canopy for the feast. When the canopy was finished it wasn’t to the specifications that they had agreed upon. The carpenter was angry at Liu’s lack of appreciation. To get his revenge, the following Sunday the man went to the authorities and told them where Liu was. They stormed the meeting place and arrested him.

For the next five months Paul Liu Hanzuo was held in dire conditions in prison, his feet and hands chained to the wall. On February 21, 1819, he was executed by hanging. His body was buried on a mountain outside the town.

1. “The Martyrs of China 1648-1930,” Tripod (Vol.XX, No.119, September-October 2000), 57.