Christian Universities and Medical Education in Modern China

One of the greatest contributions Christian universities made was medical education. The earliest medicine department of a Christian university in China was established at St. Johns University in 1880， which initially offered courses above secondary-school level. The year 1896 saw the founding of its medical school， which enrolled graduates of college preparatory departments， who were required to complete four-year courses at the school. Only those who completed a oneyear internship were granted a diploma.

It was this moment that China started its medical education for higher learning.

The first group of medical students from St. Johns College graduated in 1900. Beginning in 1906， the medical school offered candidates equivalent curricula with first grade medical schools in the United States. All classes were taught in English， with frequent lectures by first-rate authorities from British and American medical circles. Of its graduates， one third chose to study overseas to acquire masters degrees. In 1931， for example， eight graduates went to University of Pennsylvania for further study.

Apart from providing medical services， both teachers and students were committed to researching medical science through publishing essays on public health and participating in campaigns related to health and welfare. Dr. Edgar， one of many graduates of St. Johns University， formerly served as director of Beijing Center for Infectious Disease Prevention. His laboratory provided the whole country with serums and vaccine， affordable particularly for those with low income.

Whats more， many students at such medical schools contributed considerably to the establishment of the national medical system and terminology in the Chinese language.

One of the best medical education centers in northern China was believed to be the Medical College of Cheeloo University in Jinan， the provincial seat of Shandong.

The first medical missionary to reside in Shandong was Divie Bethune McCartee （1820–1900） from the American Presbyterian Church. He arrived in Chefoo（present-day Yantai） along with his wife in July 1862. His efforts drastically accelerated medical work in Shandong by 1883， when the Presbyterian Church dispatched Dr. Nie Huidong to Shandong for the establishment of the medical department of Dengzhou College. Another watershed year for Jinan was 1910， when the English Baptist Missionary Society and American Presbyterian Church jointly conducted a medical training program.

In 1915， the Rockefeller Foundation proposed making the medical college at Cheeloo University a high-level Chinese-teaching medical institute to contrast the English-language curriculum at the medical college of St. Johns University. The Chinese Medical Commission began financing the medical college， and in the following two years， merged the Medical Department of University of Nanking and Hankou Union Medical College. In 1924， North China Womens Union Medical College relocated to Jinan as part of the Medical College of Cheeloo University.

Cheeloo University established its Nurse Training School in 1915. By 1924， the school enrolled 40 students， who received a four-year education with textbooks provided by the Chinese Association of Nurses founded in 1909.

Those who had no idea how hard nurse training would be in China also didnt realize the extreme importance of such training in the country back then. A medical authority asserted that the Christian Church made a greater achievement in founding the nursing profession in China than in introducing modern medical science and establishing medical colleges because the latter would happen sooner or later. Young women in China would have never opted to work as nurses without examples of Christian women from Western countries. Therefore， nursing schools blazed new trials of social enlightenment in the country.

Another successful medical college that Christian Church helped establish in China is the Dental College of West China Union University in Chengdu.

In 1914， four years after the university was established， it set up a medical department. Most teachers were doctors from the United States and Canada. In 1917， the university opened a dental clinic thanks to great efforts by Ashley W. Lindsay （1884-1968）， a missionary dentist from Canada. Dental education accounted for an overwhelming part of the curriculum at the universitys Medical College soon after its launch， and was consolidated in its Dental Department founded in 1917. Four years later， the department was upgraded to a college， which later produced a great number of dentists and dental educators for the country.

Between 1927 and 1928， the Dental College and the Medical College were merged into a dental college， marking the maturation of dentistry as it stood out as an independent system complemented by medical science. West China Union University led the country in dental education， one leg of modern science.

The Dental Colleges outstanding performance can be proven by data. First， the West China Union University granted its Ph.D.s a special permit authorized by the Board of Directors of State University of New York（1934）. Second， all its curricula followed Grade A standards outlined by the Association of American Medical Colleges for medical colleges in the United States and Canada. Finally， the college enjoyed a comparable reputation to its counterparts in the United States and Europe in terms of teaching staff， many of whom won honors and prizes for their remarkable contributions. For a long period of time， the college served as the only institute of medical science in Sichuan Province as well as western China that specialized in teaching， scientific research， and clinical practice. It also served as a pioneer of medical modernization for the western part of the country. It built a modern mode for West Chinas medical science featuring dentistry as its major service with the dynamic integration of dentistry with other medical courses. The Dental College always attached great importance to medical research. Its West China Dentistry， the first academic dental journal in China， published a great number of research results， boosting scientific research and communication throughout the country. The school was one of the oldest institutes of higher learning in ophthalmology （eye） and otorhinolaryngology （head and neck）. Its academic journal， West China Medical News， was launched in 1944， building a platform for academic exchange between China and the rest of the world and popularizing medical science in the country. Over the years， it has published numerous academic works， clinical reports， and case analysis for readers. Of its many influential articles， the most famous were studies on the prevention of gout and leprosy as well as an epidemic outbreak of malaria in southwestern Sichuan.

Christianity and 20th-Century Chinese Society

Compiled by Yao Weijun and Hu Junxiu， Guangxi Normal University Press， April 2014

Christianity and 20th-Century Chinese Society traces the haphazardly fused histories of Christianity and contemporary China， covering the development of Christianity in China in the 20th Century： from the Boxer Uprising in 1900 to 2000.

The spread of Christianity in China reached its zenith between 1901 and 1922， a period when missionaries underwent comprehensive introspection and overall reform after battles between boxers and the Eight-Power Allied Forces. The country witnessed an anti-Christianity movement in 1922， which effectively blocked the spread of Christianity in China. The church eventually realized that as a Western religion， Christianity would find difficulty merging with Chinese society. Its mission turned to “sinicizing” Church doctrine between 1922 and 1937.

An apocalyptic disaster swept across China as well as its Christian institutions in 1937 when Japan invaded China. Standing alongside those opposing the invasion became the choice for Chinese Christians who joined the fight against Japanese aggressors. The founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 marked a new chapter of Christian history in China. After so many twists and turns， Christianity eventually became popular during the 20th Century.

Yao Weijun， professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of History and Culture under Central China Normal University， specializes in studies of historical literature and the history of Chinese culture. Hu Junxiu， vice president， assistant professor， and postgraduate supervisor at the Institute of Political Science and Law under China Three Gorges University， specializes in histories of urban life and culture in modern China.

Handouts of New Political Economy： Pondering Justice， Efficiency and Public Choice in China

by Wang Dingding， Shanghai Peoples Publishing House， April 2014

Author Wang Dingding teaches at the National School of Development of Peking University. For many years， Wang has been committed to educating and studying across disciplines encompassing major subjects such as intellectual history of economics， basic system analysis， behavioral economics， and evolutionary social sciences. Over the past few years， he has focused on essential Chinese social issues regarding justice， righteousness， freedom， and efficiency from a perspective of new political economy highlighted by the ethical foundation of the market economy， reconstruction of the academic tradition of social sci- ences， higher education， and medical system reform. He also shares insights on social reform that China has experienced， arguing that such reform would take several centuries to complete. In his eyes， the primary social issues China needs to address are justice and coordination of issues straddling emotion and modern lifestyles.

The Great Divergency– New Pattern of Global Economics and Finance

by Xu Yisheng and Xu Yuanrong， China Economic Press， March 2014

The authors illustrate a“great divergency” between rising developed markets and falling emerging markets presently and in the future， as well as divergences within developed markets and emerging markets. China joined WTO in 2001， which has brought prosperity to both developed and emerging markets， particularly in the period stretching from 2001 to 2007. The global financial crisis of 2008 weakened them from 2008 through 2010， leading to great divergence in the global economy. Why？ The answers are found in The Great Divergency – New Pattern of Global Economics and Finance through analysis of logical changes of developed economies in the Americas and Europe.

First， the United States is experiencing a financial transition from definite expanse to relative constriction. Second， the Federal Reserve has shifted its 10-year loosening policy cycle to fiveyear austerity. Finally， the United States has resumed growth in manufacturing， enabling a substantial economy.

“In 2013， Helene Rey proposed the idea of ‘global financial cycles，” explains Yu Yongding， a well-known economist in China. “The cheap money policy made by the Fed prior to the global financial crisis resulted in asset bubbles as well as brisk emerging markets around the world. In 2014， the Fed began retreating from the low interest rates， bringing the world a new financial cycle along with rising interest rates for US dollars. The book depicts a picture of the new global financial cycle， pinpointing the initial divergence and ongo- ing paths of emerging markets. Chinas fragile financial system is facing challenges brought by the‘great divergence. The authorscritical warning should grab our attention.”

Grandpa Gu on Masterpieces

by Gu Mengjie， CITIC Press Group， March 2014

Grandpa Gu on Masterpieces was inspired by blog posts of the same title by Gu Mengjie， an art enthusiast who singularly recounts stories of nine global master painters， including Michelangelo（1571-1610） from Italy， Rembrandt（1606-1669） and Van Gogh （1853-1890） from the Netherlands， Joseph Mallord William Turner （1775-1851） and John Constable （1776-1837） from Britain， and Claude Monet （1840-1926）， Pierre-Auguste Renoir （1841-1919）， Edgar Degas（1834-1917） and Paul Cézanne（1839-1906） from France.

The book recounts stories of life， artistic creation， and the unique styles of these masters in an easy， humorous way using simple language seasoned with gossip and anecdotes， energizing formerly stiff names in textbooks with vigor and vitality. The stories are also enhanced by vivid pictures.

“Not only does the author talk about paintings， but he leads us into the amazing world of art，”commented one reader. “Through this window into a palace of worldclass paintings we learn more about the profundity of art and establish our own appreciation.”

Gu Mengjie is a Chinese graphic designer and cartoonist residing in Australia， where he works as a designer for Pure Blue.