17 Facts About Zhang Dapeng

Zhang Dapeng, known as Saint Joseph Zhang Dapeng, was a Chinese martyr.

Zhang Dapeng was born in 1754 as a Buddhist in Guizhou.

Zhang Dapeng was a silkmaker by trade and operated a business with a partner that was surnamed Wang.

Zhang Dapeng had married a wife named Chen Shi, but after many years, she had not provided him with a son, so he had taken a concubine as a second wife to produce a child.

Zhang Dapeng then had a son with his second wife named Zhang Dewang who was born in 1793.

Hu Shilu encountered Zhang Dapeng and managed to convince him to change his mind about accepting the faith.

Zhang Dapeng paid a dowry for her to be married to a Catholic layman that was surnamed Du, and then he began religious instructions to join the Catholic Church.

Zhang Dapeng taught over a thousand people to accept Catholicism.

Zhang Dapeng sometimes helped in doing service for poor elderly people and orphans.

Zhang Dapeng spent three years working as a headmaster and teacher at a Catholic school that was set up by a missionary in Guiyang.

Zhang Dapeng heard of his son's death and fled to Sichuan.

Zhang Dapeng's brother-in-law betrayed him to the authorities for a monetary reward and then Zhang Dapeng was captured and was imprisoned in the year 1814.

Zhang Dapeng was put into the same prison that was holding Wu Guosheng and other Christians arrested for the faith.

Zhang Dapeng was tied to a crucifix shaped like a capital letter T and the executioner used a rope around his neck to strangle him to death.

On 12 March 1815, Zhang Dapeng was killed by the Mandarins at the age of 61.

Zhang Dapeng had two wives and a son named Dewang Dapeng.

Zhang Dapeng was beatified on 12 February 1909 by Pope Pius X and was canonized on October 1 of 2000 by Pope John Paul II.