This comparative study of the history of Christianity in China and in Korea opens up new perspectives for the understanding of the presence of the Christian faith in East Asia. Following the historical sequence throughout the last four centuries the author narrates the biographies of several outstanding Christians from China and Korea and attempts to understand them in their respective cultural settings by applying the principle of mutual illumination: the experience of China may help to illustrate the events in Korea, and biographies of Christians from Korea may reveal new layers of meaning if compared to those from China.