Chung Ho Chang, Szechuan, China
Alternative Title
Zhonghechang, Sichuan, China
Description
The Rural Service Station in Chung Ho Chang, opened in 1943 after the Japanese invasion of the rural area, and included child care, education, medical, home economics, and industrial programs.
In July 1943, Ginling staff moved to Chung Ho Chang to establish a Rural Service Station. Similar to their reasons for building a station in Jenshow, the impetus for creating these rural service stations was to help rural farmers revitalize their agricultural livelihoods, rebuild destroyed homes and buildings, strengthen family life, and give aid to those who were impoverished after the Japanese invasion in 1937. The rural service station was in use for six years, during the period of war and violence brought on by Japanese presence in the region, and was meant to aid people in post-war rural reconstruction. The station in Chung Ho Chang ended up serving the needs of surrounding communities, beyond the village itself.
Hsiung Ya-na and Tsu Yu-chih were staff members of Ginling College who facilitated the operations in Chung Ho Chang and recorded their observations of day-to-day activities in a report. These administrators also outlined the main goals of the program and detailed the specific services provided to the rural community in Chung Ho Chang. In the rural service station’s first year in Chung Ho Chang, the goals of the program included learning about the local environment, getting to know the local population, and establishing a foundation for a program for service work for women, children, and families. Later, the goals of the program were broadened to include educational programs and literacy training for children of all ages, medical services and health education, home economics, and industrial work.
Students at Ginling were to receive preliminary training at the Nanking campus then go through a training program in Chung Ho Chang as well, preparing them to work in the nursery school that was uniquely suited to rural conditions. This nursery school was meant to produce “little angels,” as described by Hsiung Ya-na’s written report. The report notes improvement in hygiene and cleanliness, politeness, discipline, nutrition, and friendliness for the children served. Girls aged 15-18 also worked in the nursery school as a part of their training for marriage, a program in which they learned child care skills along with other preparation for life as a housewife (such as sewing, cooking, and budgeting). In addition to child care services, the students of Ginling also provided training for local women in reading, writing, and religious studies. These programs aimed to encourage women to become more active and contributing members of their democracy. This dedication to democratic values also manifested in the encouragement of local leaders to serve their community and cooperation with local government and cultural institutions. Home visits allowed representatives from Ginling to integrate these services in the private home lives of the people they served.
The Rural Service Program Report describes the service station in Chung Ho Chang as a “laboratory,” and students describe themselves as fighting against “ignorance, disease, and selfishness” in these communities. While the Ginling students doing service work in these communities fondly recount their bonding experiences with the locals, it is important to note the characterization of their villages as a “laboratory” as dehumanizing and promoting an attitude of Christian exceptionalism and elitism. It is unclear how integrated the students and staff members of Ginling were in the rural community they served. The faculty stationed in Chung Ho Chang describe this period as living a “happy country life,” and list the simple pleasures of living in the rural countryside. The village also had a local church, which worked with students and faculty from Ginling in providing religious services for the community, such as Christmas and Easter celebrations. While students and teachers from Ginling certainly formed relationships with villagers in Chung Ho Chang and the surrounding area and helped them to rebuild their community’s resources after the devastating effects of the war, it is striking that accounts from the villagers themselves are missing from Thurston’s archive.
In July 1943, Ginling staff moved to Chung Ho Chang to establish a Rural Service Station. Similar to their reasons for building a station in Jenshow, the impetus for creating these rural service stations was to help rural farmers revitalize their agricultural livelihoods, rebuild destroyed homes and buildings, strengthen family life, and give aid to those who were impoverished after the Japanese invasion in 1937. The rural service station was in use for six years, during the period of war and violence brought on by Japanese presence in the region, and was meant to aid people in post-war rural reconstruction. The station in Chung Ho Chang ended up serving the needs of surrounding communities, beyond the village itself.
Hsiung Ya-na and Tsu Yu-chih were staff members of Ginling College who facilitated the operations in Chung Ho Chang and recorded their observations of day-to-day activities in a report. These administrators also outlined the main goals of the program and detailed the specific services provided to the rural community in Chung Ho Chang. In the rural service station’s first year in Chung Ho Chang, the goals of the program included learning about the local environment, getting to know the local population, and establishing a foundation for a program for service work for women, children, and families. Later, the goals of the program were broadened to include educational programs and literacy training for children of all ages, medical services and health education, home economics, and industrial work.
Students at Ginling were to receive preliminary training at the Nanking campus then go through a training program in Chung Ho Chang as well, preparing them to work in the nursery school that was uniquely suited to rural conditions. This nursery school was meant to produce “little angels,” as described by Hsiung Ya-na’s written report. The report notes improvement in hygiene and cleanliness, politeness, discipline, nutrition, and friendliness for the children served. Girls aged 15-18 also worked in the nursery school as a part of their training for marriage, a program in which they learned child care skills along with other preparation for life as a housewife (such as sewing, cooking, and budgeting). In addition to child care services, the students of Ginling also provided training for local women in reading, writing, and religious studies. These programs aimed to encourage women to become more active and contributing members of their democracy. This dedication to democratic values also manifested in the encouragement of local leaders to serve their community and cooperation with local government and cultural institutions. Home visits allowed representatives from Ginling to integrate these services in the private home lives of the people they served.
The Rural Service Program Report describes the service station in Chung Ho Chang as a “laboratory,” and students describe themselves as fighting against “ignorance, disease, and selfishness” in these communities. While the Ginling students doing service work in these communities fondly recount their bonding experiences with the locals, it is important to note the characterization of their villages as a “laboratory” as dehumanizing and promoting an attitude of Christian exceptionalism and elitism. It is unclear how integrated the students and staff members of Ginling were in the rural community they served. The faculty stationed in Chung Ho Chang describe this period as living a “happy country life,” and list the simple pleasures of living in the rural countryside. The village also had a local church, which worked with students and faculty from Ginling in providing religious services for the community, such as Christmas and Easter celebrations. While students and teachers from Ginling certainly formed relationships with villagers in Chung Ho Chang and the surrounding area and helped them to rebuild their community’s resources after the devastating effects of the war, it is striking that accounts from the villagers themselves are missing from Thurston’s archive.
References
Date
1943
Coordinates
105.0329392,30.5049181