The Formation of Mission School System of the A.B.C.F.M. in North China in Late Ch’ing

Abstract

Protestant mission schools were instrumental in the westernization of education in late Ch’ing China and the subsequent borrowing of educational ideas and practices from American education. This article explored mission schools at Tung-chou Chili, established by American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (A.B.C.F.M.) — the first American protestant mission in China in the early 19th century. First-hand sources, such as annual reports, pamphlets, journals, biographies, and books were reviewed in this article. A mission station was established at Tung-chou in 1867, followed by a boys’ school. The number of schools was increasing at the time, and their levels were also being elevated. Tung-chou High School was upgraded to North China College at Tung-chou in 1889. Additionally, an American mission school system was established, comprising day and boarding schools in addition to academies and colleges. After the Boxer incident, the North China Education Union was established by four protestant missions, and North China College was transformed into North China Union College. After its merger with Peking Methodist University and North China Union College for Women, North China College turned into a new university, Yenching University, in 1918. A case study of the development of North China College demonstrated the process of American education being transferred into late Ch’ing China.

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