Blind Chang (Chang the Blind)

Blind Chang was a Chinese believer remembered for a striking conversion and fearless witness during the Boxer uprising. In his early years he was known as an alcoholic, a thief, and a violent gangster. His sin left ruin behind him—his household broken and his future darkened—until blindness fell upon him, a living reminder of the wages of rebellion. In desperation he came to a Christian mission station, heard the gospel of Christ crucified and risen, and was made new. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Returning to his home district, he preached with stubborn hope even when he seemed to have no audience—“to stones and dogs,” as the saying went—speaking as if heaven itself were listening. Missionaries later discovered that Chang had quietly led about 200 people to Christ. Though blind, he learned Braille, stored Scripture in his memory, and used what he knew to point others to the Savior with clarity and patience.

Chaoyang and the Boxer Uprising

Chaoyang, in northeastern China, became one of many places where Chinese Christians were targeted in the anti-foreign, anti-Christian violence of 1900. The Boxers (the “Righteous and Harmonious Fists”) believed they could purge China of outside influence by destroying churches, driving out missionaries, and forcing believers to renounce Christ through idol worship.

Martyrdom, July 22, 1900

When Boxers seized fifty Christians near Chaoyang, they demanded Blind Chang by name, viewing him as a ringleader. Chang offered himself in exchange for the others, a shepherd willing to be struck so the flock might live. Ordered to sacrifice to Buddha, he refused, choosing loyalty to Christ over his life. He was beheaded on July 22, 1900, sealing his testimony with blood. In fear and confusion, his killers fled, later admitting they had slain a righteous man.

Legacy

Chang’s death echoes the conqueror’s path of faith: “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.” (Revelation 12:11). His story calls believers to repentance, courage, and steady witness—Christ is worth more than safety, reputation, or breath.