CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE

Section I: East Asia Missions

Part 15: Western China Mission, 1897-1934

Part 16: Western China Mission, 1898-1934 and Fukien Mission, 1900-1934

Part 17: Fukien Mission, 1911-1934

Part 18: Fukien Mission, 1900-1934, Kwangsi-Hunan Mission, 1911-1934, China General, 1935-1951
              and South China, 1935-1951

Part 19: South China Mission, 1935-1951, Fukien Mission, 1935-1951 and Kwangsi-Hunan Mission,
              1935-1951

Introduction to Part 17

Part 17 continues coverage of missions to China with the papers of the Fukien Mission covering 1911-1929. It contains the Original Papers for 1911-1929. The Original Papers for the years 1900-1910 were covered in Part 16.

The Original Papers, 1911-1929, are the incoming papers sent by the missions to London. They contain letters regarding all kinds of subjects, the current political situation in China being covered in depth. There are letters from missionaries describing their first impressions, requesting furloughs, increases in salary, permission to marry, illness and retirement and there are vivid descriptions of their travels in the countryside and their work carried out in the missions. These are contained in the missionaries’ letters, journals and annual reports.

Reports, Minutes and Pamphlets of all kinds are to be found: Reports on the Church Day Schools of Fukien including photographs of the pupils and teachers; Report of the Boys School; Minutes of the Standing Committee; Minutes of Conferences; Minutes of the Women’s Conference; Report of the Finance Committee; Report of the Medical School; Pamphlet of the Reform Movement in China; Minutes of the Education Committee; Report on the Kindergarten Training School; Report of the Girls School, Foochow; Report of the Blind Boys School Committee; Pamphlet on The Education of Chinese on British Lines; Minutes of the Fukien Anglican Mission Conference; Report of the Village Day Schools; Report on the Biblewomen’s Fund; Report of the Foochow Christian Women’s School of Industrial Arts.

Miscellaneous items include; certificates for language exams; notes from the Medical Board regarding the health of missionaries; missionary probation reports; plans for mission houses and schools; newspaper cuttings, many giving vivid descriptions of events in Fukien province such as one for 1911 in The Foochow Daily Record describing the bombardment and burning of the eastern quarters of Foochow city by the Revolutionists; a report on The New and Dangerous Position of Women in China; letters on the education of women in China; regular copies of The Fukien Diocesan Magazine including reports on schools, missionary itineration, hospitals, statistics of the work covered and a general review of all the districts; graphs showing the work of the mission – the educational and missionary strength and the number of Chinese workers; lists of workers needed for the mission such as doctors, nurses, educational workers; a prospectus for Trinity College, Foochow; a statement re a uniform salary needed for Chinese women workers; the charter and Catalogue for Fukien Christian University; a review of the year for the Fukien mission describing the work done in the missions and schools, the political situation and local events such as widespread flooding in 1922; letters describing the political situation in Fukien Province under Cantonese rule in 1927; memo of the Dublin University Fuhkien Mission stating its relationship to CMS.

The following extract describes vividly how the Chinese revolution affected Foochow in 1911. It is taken from a newspaper cutting of The Foochow Daily Echo of November 11 1911 and is from a missionary’s private diary.

Sunday Nov 5th 1911
I think it may be well to keep a record of events during these rather exciting times as a revolution in China does not take place every day and no newspaper account will give the ordinary small details. So far Foochow is in the hands of the Manchus, but already Hankow, Wuchang, Changsha, Kiukiang and Shanghai have fallen and probably the fate of Foochow will be decided in a few days. All last week the Chinese have been leaving the city and it is calculated two thirds of the people have left. All English missionaries were ordered out by the consul last Tuesday and are now on the island of Nantai, where our principal schools are… The Manchus have fortified their quarter of the city and are awaiting events… The roads leading from the city are full of people and loads, all fleeing away and the general belief is that the fighting will begin this week…

Monday Nov 6th
… I went down into the streets this evening after school to see what was going on. There was one ceaseless rush of loads being carried out of the city, over two thirds have left and strong wooden gates are erected on the long bridge and in the streets to keep back the mob should they attempt to attack the foreign settlement… An American, German and Japanese gunboats have come in to the anchorage.

Tuesday Nov 7th
This morning there was a persistent rumour that Pekin had fallen and that the Prince Regent was a prisoner… The Foochow Viceroy is willing to give in but the Tartar General says that rather than give in he will burn the city down. An English gunboat came in to-day…

Wednesday Nov 8th
Things are developing rapidly here now and tonight some of the foreign houses are guarded by marines from the different gunboats. The fear is mainly from thieves and river pirates who have come in to Foochow in large numbers… The villages are all arming against bandits and yellow flags are hung up…

Thursday Nov 9th
The fighting began this morning at 4.30. We were awake as the noise all night prevented one’s sleeping very much. Men were blowing horns and beating gongs to frighten off thieves… the revolutionaries were all about with white bands on their arms and notices were up to say that people could go on quietly… Just then we heard firing from the city and went to the top of a hill from which we could see clearly… Soon fresh fires arose from the city across the river from us and in half an hour four distinct fires had met.

Friday Morning Nov 10th 8am
At ten o’clock last night, the city fires had quite died down, the firing had ceased and except for the firing off of guns and the beating of gongs in the villages around us all seemed peaceful and we hoped the report was true that the Manchus had yielded and that all was over. However this morning there was heavy firing at daybreak and fresh fires were rising from the city.

Friday Nov 10th, one o’clock pm
The heavy firing ceased at six o’clock and since then has not been continued. No definite news has yet reached us but there is a report that the Tartar General’s yamen has been burnt down but that he has escaped and is holding out in the Industrial School, another report says that he is wounded and that one thousand Manchu soldiers have laid down their arms and that the fighting is practically over… This evening it is reported that the Tartar General has been captured and is severely wounded. He has certainly made a great fight, worthy of the traditions of a great dynasty, which has ruled China now for almost three hundred years… Revolutionaries are in possession of Foochow… I have heard no details as to the numbers killed and wounded on either side, but the Manchu loss was probably much the heavier.

Tonight the red glare has gone out of the sky, the harvest moon is shining and but for an immense amount of horn blowing, gong beating and firing off of guns, one might anticipate a quiet night’s rest.

From the same newspaper cutting is a paragraph which shows the Revolution was of benefit to some people!:

The Coolies in the City are gathering such a good crop with rebellion scare, that on last Sunday they gave a grand Sing Song dinner in one of the first class Chinese Eating houses (Kwan-chu-lau) amongst themselves that Sam Shu was freely indulged in, Bully for you chaps! But don’t disappear when carrying another people’s luggages.

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