Young J. Allen’s educational enterprise and his introduction of American education system in late Ch’ing China

Abstract

In the process of westernization of education in late Ch’ing China, the establishment of the American protestant mission schools, seen as an education revolution, was one of the important strategies to evangelism. The main aim of this article is to explore Young J. Allen’s educational enterprise and his devotion to introducing the American education system into China. Historical method is undertaken. Due to personal experiences, education in Allen’s view became a vehicle for attaining the mission’s goal, so he established day schools, Anglo-Chinese School and the Mctyeire School for Girls, and then initiated the plan of university. Later, mission school system and Soochow University were established. After 1894 he advocated education as important means of state formation, introduced the American educational system and initiated programs for reforming Chinese educational system. Therefore, his impacts cannot and should not be ignored. Implications to educational transfer as well as mission schools and its relation to the state education today are also discussed.