Abstract
Wei Dazhong (1575-1625) was one of the leaders of the Donglin party who was killed by order of the eunuch dictator Wei Zhongxian (1568-1627). He and his first son Xueyi (1596-1625) gained great reputations because of their loyal and filial behaviors, respectively. In this paper the author tries to develop a better understanding of the cataclysm of the fall of Ming dynasty through the life of a Christian covert Wei Xuelian (1608-1644?), Dazhong's second son. After Li Zicheng (1606-1645) took over Beijing in 1644, some writers claimed that Wei Xuelian immmediately surrendered and served in the new government. However, others claimed that his surrender was a ploy to seek an opportunity to overthrow Li Zicheng. The story that he committed suicide, violating the Ten Commandments of Christianity, on the day Li ascended the throne, is also questioned by many people. Perhaps owing to the reputation of his family, a especially high moral standard was expected of him. Wei Xuelian unfortunately became the target of resentful civilians to express their grievances toward those officials who forfeited their integrity. This article will try toclarify various versions of stories about the life of Wei Xuelian and to clarify the role played by political struggles between different parties in the fall of Ming dynasty. Some effort will be made to explore the struggle in his inner world. The depth and the range of the influence of Western learning and religion within the literati of the late Ming period will also be discussed.