Rumor and Secret Space-The Tianjin Massacre.

Why did certain information become unavailable in a social context and how that unavailability of information caused rumors? To explore the production of rumor, I focus on the anti-missionary rumors that prevailed in 19th-century China. Four types of rumors are identified: directly/indirectly related to medicine and directly/indirectly related to secret space. Through looking at everyday encounters between missionaries and local community, I find that the spatial arrangements of medical missionaries' daily activities, i.e. the spatial distribution of activities, the accessibility of space and the spatial placement of people, contradicts the endogenous spatial settings in 19th century China, therefore made the acquiring of correct information impossible. Rumors were the results of this intrusion of the local spatial settings. The implications for space and comprehending information are discussed. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]