The Methodist Church And The Education Of Fujian Province In Modern Times

As the important province of “five-port trading” after the First Opium War,Fujian province is one of the preferred provinces which the christian missionary society chose to carry on missionary activities as well as one of the provinces with the largest population of Christians in modern times.As the important christian denomination in Modern China and the largest church group in Fujian province in modern times,The Methodist Church laid down promoting education as one of the important means to do missionary work before entering China.With the efforts from educational missionaries and ethnic Chinese Christians,it founded the Anglo-Chinese Middle School and led the establishment of Fukien Christian University.It set up the complete school system including primary education,secondary education,higher education,vocational education which provided important support for the social development and talents cultivation of Fujian province in modern times leaving bright imprint in the process of modernization of the education in Fujian province.It is also a characteristic school community in Fujian province in modern times which promoted female education vigorously,introduced female power consciousness of modern times,founded Hwa Nan College,started teacher education positively,trained medical professionals and made great achievements in the professional and diversified development of vocational education.It went through many different historical periods with the centurial change of the education of Fujian province in modern times.With continuous adaption and adjustment,its school system became sinicized continuously.At the beginning of arriving in China,it promoted primary education vigorously in order to do missionary work and its number and size occupied the top position among the christian denominations in Fujian province at that time.Afterwards it established secondary education for the need of port business activities and the development of church.Especially after the new school system was issued in Modern China,it became more professionalized,improved educational quality and accelerated the development of secondary education and higher education in order to assure its social influence.Propelled by the anti-Christianity movement and the Regaining Educational Right Movement,it adapted its school system to Chinese society further with appointing ethnic Chinese to manage school,carrying out vocational education and rural service,striving to finish relocating and running school during the Anti-Japanese War and realizing the transformation successfully after the founding of New China.The Methodist Church’s running school in Fujian province in modern times is not only because of its denominational tradition and the need of doing missionary work in China but also closely related with the social change in Fujian province in modern times.Although there exists limitation in The Methodist Church itself,it is worthy of detailed conclusion and analysis on the unique and important role played by it during the transformation of the education of Fujian province in modern times.