thumb|250px|Yenching University campus

Yenching University () was a private research university in Beijing, China, from 1919 to 1952.

The university was formed out of the merger of four Christian colleges between 1915 and 1920. The term "Yenching" comes from an alternative name for old Beijing, derived from its status as capital of the state of Yan, one of the seven Warring States that existed until the 3rd century BC.

History

Yenching University was formed through the merger of four Christian schools over the course of five years, from 1915 to 1920:

  • The school of theology was itself a union of the theological seminary of North China Education Union and two Methodist theological schools in Beijing.

thumb|John Leighton Stuart, first principal of the university

John Leighton Stuart was appointed as the principal of the university in January 1919, prior to which he had been teaching Greek at the Jinling Theological Seminary (金陵神學院) in Nanjing. As the university was initially short on funds, he turned to fundraising worldwide and received support from the estate of Charles Martin Hall, an American executive of Alcoa Aluminum. The university bought the royal gardens of a Qing Dynasty prince to build a scenic campus and employed gardeners from the Imperial gardens. In 1926 the campus was completed. Theology, Law, and Medical were the main schools of the university, together with Arts and Science studies.

Stuart determined to create a university that served the Chinese nation. He attracted major Chinese and Western scholars to teach. Religion was not a qualification, although Stuart gave major support to the School of Theology. Among the first was William Hung, who became Chairman of the History Department and Dean. In 1928, the Harvard-Yenching Institute was jointly founded by Yenching University and Harvard University for the teaching of the humanities and social sciences in East Asia. Under Hung, the university's reputation for Chinese studies rose steadily, especially with the publication of the Harvard-Yenching Sinological Index Series. By 1930, the school was among the top universities in China, its teaching distinguished itself by a considerable academic freedom.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the area was occupied by Japan. Japanese military police (Kempeitai) sealed off the campus and also arrested its foreign faculty. The university was moved to Chengdu, Sichuan. After the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, Yenching University remained open.

In 1950, the School of Religion of Yanching University became independent as the Yanjing (Modern Pinyin spelling of Yanching) School of Religion, which was later renamed Yanjing Theological Seminary.

In response to the PRC's entry into the Korean War, the US froze all Chinese assets in America. The United States also prohibited transfers funds from the United States to recipients within the PRC, which cut off funding for American-influenced institutions in the PRC.

See also

  • History of Beijing
  • Michael Lindsay, 2nd Baron Lindsay of Birker and Hsiao Li Lindsay, Baroness Lindsay of Birker

Notes

References

  • West, Phillip Yenching University and Sino-Western Relations, 1916-1952 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976).
  • Arthur Lewis Rosenbaum. ed., New Perspectives on Yenching University, 1916-1952 : A Liberal Education for a New China. (Chicago: Imprint Publications, 2012). . Some of the essays were first published in Journal of American-East Asian Relations 14: 1-4 (2004-2006).

Further reading

  • Edwards, Dwight Woodbridge. Yenching University. New York, United Board for Christian, Higher Education in Asia, 1959.
  • Internet Mission Photography Archive (enter "Yenching University in Search Box)
  • Photos at the International Mission Photography Archive