Chinese Rites controversy

The Chinese Rites Controversy was a dispute among Christian missionaries, Roman Catholic and Protestant, about how to properly follow Jesus. Some missionaries wanted to try to follow Jesus in the way that the Chinese people did things. They thought that if Chinese people already had customs or festivals for worshipping gods, then it was okay for Christians to join in on those activities and treat them like worship. But other missionaries thought it was wrong for Christians to do this, because it would be like praying to someone other than God. So the Chinese Rites Controversy was about how to properly practice Christianity in a new place with different customs and beliefs.