This paper examines the pivotal yet often marginalized role of Franciscan women in the evangelization and social infrastructure of China from the late 19th century through the first decades of the 20th century. While traditional missiology has frequently centered on the leadership of male clergy, this study argues that Franciscan sisters were fundamental actors in the changes that Catholic missionary activities underwent in the late Qing period, at the volatile crossroads of imperial transition and rising nationalism. These women navigated complex gender dynamics within Church hierarchies, Chinese society, and Catholic communities in China. Research has shown that out of twenty-nine Franciscan groups that reached or were directly established in China, only four were of male missionaries, underlining the importance of the female presence in this context. The purpose of the paper is to give an outline of the main features of the role the Franciscan women played in early 20th century China, examining the activities of a wide variety of groups, from the more famous as the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, to less-known local groups as the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. By analyzing archival correspondence and missionary periodicals, this research demonstrates that Franciscan women were not merely auxiliaries to male missionaries, but they asserted a silent but powerful agency that deeply influenced the landscape of Chinese Catholicism during a period of profound cultural upheaval.