China Oral Histories | Archives & Special Collections | Luther Seminary

Skip to main content

China Oral Histories

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Switch View View Slideshow

Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Ethel M. Akins

Description of Peking Language School; adjustments to life in China; memories of Feng Yu-hsiang and Sun Yat-senl establishment and description of high school for girls and women (Emmy Evald School) in Honan, 1923; evaluates growth of indigenous church during first term in China; effect of revivalism on Lutheran Church of China; training Chinese women as evangelists; the effects of Japanese military activity upon mission work; the locusts of 1941 and the famine of 1942; trip to and life in Chungking during the early 1940s; establishment of Bible school in Chungking; experiences with U.S. people stationed in Chungking; return trip to Hsuchang, Honan, 1945; personal experience during the Communist take over of Hsuchang, 1947; leaves China for America; general evaluation of missionary lifestyle; general evaluation of Chinese attitudes toward Communism; experiences as a missionary in Japan and Taiwan.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Alice K. Anderson

Experiences as teacher of the American School- Kikungshan (ASK); comparison of teaching assignments at ASK and Loyang Bible School; description of students in Loyang; description of evangelical work in the countryside; memories of the revival and its effect on mission work; the bombing of Loyang; travelling west to Chengtu to escape the Japanese; the role, effectiveness and background of Bible women;relief work during famine; the changing role of the missionary during the 1940s and response to Chiang Kai-shek; living and working in Chengtu; vacation on Mt. Onei; poem entitled "Called" written by narrator.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Colena M. Anderson

Initial impressions of China; work at University of Shanghai; the Shanghai Volunteer Corps; memories of Pearl S. Buck; observations of village life outside of Shanghai; description of university students; experiences associated with Nationalist takeover of Shanghai , 1927; description of Chinese family work at Shanghai American School; discussion of devolution of missionary leadership.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Viola Anderson

China Experiences: description of trip to China, 1913; language school at University of Nanking; river trip to station at Fancheng, Hupeh 1914, lifestyle and living conditions in Fencheng; husbands responsibilities and struggles as head master of Hauge Academy, Fancheng; work with women in bible school' pros and cons of raising children in china; infanticide in China; obtaining supplies; relationships with Norwegian missionaries in Laohokow' return trip to China, 1923; anti-foreign sentiment at the academy; fleeing to Shanghai, 1927.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Robert Ball

China Experiences: trip to and description of Tientsin, 1945; response to living in China; description of patrol duty in Tientsin; personal awareness of the Chinese civil was and the parties involved; various experiences in Tientsin; comparison between Okinawa duty and China duty; perception of Chinese and Marine attitudes toward each other and the Japanese POWs in Tientsin; experiences with Marist brothers in Tientsin; description of USO sponsored trip tp Peking; response to People's Republic of China.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Kay Haines Beach

China experiences: adjustment to life in China, initial assignment with Chinese Nationalist Relief and Rehabilitation Administration working on Yellow River tractor project; various memories of China.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Herman Bly

China experiences: assigned to language study in Peking; returns to America because of civil unrest in China, 1927; adjustments made to life in China; challenges faced as a new pastor; making the Chinese church indigenous; response to ecumenicity in China; evangelism in the countryside; experience with revivalism, early 1930's; church expectations of Chinese seeking to become Christians; working conditions in Kwangchow; the Kuomintang and the Communists in Kwangchow area; efforts to raise ransom for Bert Nelson and Kristofer Tvedt; return trip to Kaifeng, Honan, to reopen Bible school, 1938; moves school west to Chengyang, 1939; working with war refugees; travels west through China to return to America; returns to China to re-open Lutheran Bible Institute, 1946; post-war conditions in Honan, post-war plans of the Lutheran Church of China; the decision to leave and the journey out of China; later experiences as missionary to Taiwan; lessons from missionary experience; response to the People's Republic of China' memorable missionaries and Chinese Christians.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Carrie M. Bright

Early Life: family background; memories of people and lifestyle at the Southern Presbyterian mission in Hangchow; contact with Chinese; description and impressions of Shanghai American School; adjustments to American society as college student.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Heinz Bruhl

Early life: family background, education.

China Experience: trip to and description of Hankow; description of the foreign community; lifestyle and work in Hankow as a private physician; the Hankow Rotary Club; awareness of the Chinese Communist Party; response to Japanese occupation of Hankow; evaluation of mission hospitals and Chinese medicine; memories of the missionary community; comments on the Nazi influence in Hankow; reasons for leaving China; memorable personalities from China experience.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Ernest Caha

Early life: family background; education, enlists in US Navy and volunteers for China duty, 1910

China Experience: description of US Naval Asian fleet; contacts with and impressions of missionaries; incident involving the American flag in China; transports Dr. Sun Yat-sen and family along new currency of the Chinese Republic to Hong Kong from Canton, 1912; efforts to help establish a YMCA in Shanghai, 1912; additional memories of Naval duty in China.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Emery Carlson

Emery Carlson and Elvera Teed Carlson

Early Life: accepted as medical missionaries by the Augustana Lutheran Mission Board, 1940.

China Experiences: trip to Hsuchang; experience during famine of early 1940s; working conditions in Hsuchang; fleeing from the Japanese to Chungking; work in Kunming after the war; lessons learned from the China experience.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

H Mead Cavert

Early life: family background; education; joins US Air Force and assigned to the Tenth Weather Squadron, 1943.

China Experiences: examples of local Chinese technology; visit to a Chinese university; description of a local village and local agriculture; memories of inflation; participation in a Chinese dinner; the YMCA in Kuming; weather forecasting in Kunming; description of military installations in Kunming and Nanking; forecasting, traveling, living and other activities at Laohokow and other bases, 1944 - 1945; a Maryknoll mission compound in Fukien; response of American service people to Chinese; awareness of corruption in China; scholarship support given graduate students in Amoy University by Nationalist government; the Nationalist livestock experimental farm near Yungan, Fukien.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Benedictus Chao

China experiences: family background; decision to become a novice at Our Lady of Joy Trappist monastery; relations with Communists during WWII; Trappists forced to leave China, 1949; the Trappists in Hong Kong; the Trappist theology.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Ivy Chou

Early life: family background; details of father's career in Christian education.

Adult life: education; evaluation of relationships between Methodist Church and Methodist affiliated schools; work of Communist cadres in Hwa Nan High School; responses to issue of cultural imperialism, personal experience with public criticism, 1948 - 1950; efforts to leave China; comparison of Marxism and Christianity; views on Christianity in China today; discusses "rice" Christians; discusses women, as pastors; relationship between mission schools and Chinese culture.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Leita Partridge Christianson

Early life: family background; education; called by and application process of China Inland Mission (CIM); financial arrangements of CIM.

China experience: CIM cultural education and language school; trip to and description of station (Yungping) in West Yunnan, 1933; impressions of Shanghai; adjustments to life in China; evangelical and medical work and CIM baptism requirements; medical risks of mission work; effects of Japanese and Communists upon CIM work; adjustments to western lifestyle during furlough; memories of wartime Chungking; description of post-war Lungling; experiences with Communists in Lungling; journey out of China; lessons learned during China experience; memorable missionaries.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Daniel Chu

Father's life: parents decision to join Lutheran Church of China; role in and development of Sinyang Lutheran Church; involvement in community and social programs; experience with Red Spears in Sinyang; anti-Christian sentiment and imprisonment during 1927; as president of Lutheran Church of China, 1932 - 1938; views on denominationalism and ecumenism; activities in Chungking during Japanese war, plans for post-war church.

Personal experience: education, thoughts about Christianity's meaning for China as a students; reposnse to mission schools; comparison of being a student at Yale-in-China and Lutheran Theological Seminary in Shekow; recommendations for Lutheran Church.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Douglas Clifford

Early life: family background; education; joins Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU) as doctor.

China experience: adjustments made in practice of medicine in Honan; memories of social, political and health conditions upon arrival, 1946; rehabilitating the Hwa Mei I Yuan Hospital in Chengchow, Honan; compares philosophy and leadership of Nationalists and Communists; trip to First International Peace Hospital as member of Medical Team 19 (MT 19) December, 1946; impressions of the Communist government in Yenan; working conditions of MT 19 mobile hospital units; 9 case histories of patients treated during 1947 - 1948; leaves China, 1950.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Rowland Cross

Early life: receives commission from American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 1979.

China experience: discussion of evangelism, social work, and ecumenism in China; assigned to North China Mission (NCM); NCM's policy of developing indigenous Chinese church and results; organizational structure of NCM; NCM membership requirements; brief biographies of more than 15 Chinese Christian leaders; political attitudes/activities of NCM in response to Japanese and western actions; biographical information of post-war church leaders; Y.T. Wu and the origins of the Three-Self Movement; efforts and individuals involved in establishing post-war plans for enlarging ecumenical church in China; efforts to unify Christian press, early 1940's; brief description of the origins of various evangelical programs; Chinese requirement for missionaries seeking work in China after WWII.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Helen Depass Dahlin

Life in China: brief description of housing and education in Peking and Tientsin; memories of beggars and amahs; relations between the military, business and missionary communities.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Earl Dahlstrom

Early life: education; accepted as missionary by Covenant Mission Board as teacher of American School Kikungshan (ASK), 1940.

China experiences: closes ASK; description of ASK financial support, campus and religious atmosphere; comparison between ASK and Shanghai American School; discussion of literature class taught in China; memories of post-WWII China; comments on relationship between Chinese and missionaries; activities after the deaths of three Covenant missionaries; ASK leaves Mainland China; response to Marcus Cheng; response to decision of Covenant Mission Board to turn control of entire church over to Chinese.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Morris Barnett Depass

Early life: education; receives orders from US Army for China, 1923.

China experience: organizes language school for US Army officers; gathers information for military intelligence regarding warlords prior to the Japanese war; response to the White Russians in China; impressions of missionaries, foreign business people and Chiang Kai-shek memerable American military figures in China; rescue of lost American servicemen during WWII.
Midwest China Oral History and Archives Collection

Jack Dodds

Early life: education; joins Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU), 1944; trip to China.

China experience: various FAU projects involved with; trip to Honan after the war's end; work with the FAU kala-azar team; work with the medical team 19 (MT 19) in Yenan; comparisons and observations of the Nationalists and Communists; description of land reform in Communist areas of China; memories of Chinese people in Yenan; the greatest satisfaction obtained during MT 19 work.
Midwest China Oral History Interviews

Paul Clifford Domke

Early life: education; selected to participate in the Carleton-in-China program, 1937

China experiences: trip to Peking, 1937; travels to Fenchow, Shansi to teach at the Carleton-in-China school; memorable personalities of Fenchow experience; school evacuates to Sian, Shensi, due to Japanese advance; description of two-week visit to Yenan during June, 1938; description of trip down Han River; trip up the Yangtze River; joins U.S. Army, stationed in China under Stilwell, 1943; trains Chinese infantry officers; assigned to and description of U.S. Army observation group sent to Yenan, 1949 (Dixie Mission); response to Chinese Communists.
Midwest China Oral History Interviews

Astrid Erling

Early Life: family background; education; called by Mission Board of Augustana Lutheran Church.

China Experiences: language school in Peking; nursing duties in Loyang, Honan; effects of the revival movement of the early 1930s; life as a nurse and a nursing instructor; medical personnel of hospital in Loyang; effects of Japanese war on the hospital; journey out of China, 1939; evacuation of the hospital to Chungking due to Japanese advance, 1944; duties in Chungking; Communist takeover of Loyang; working with beggars in Kunming; role of the single woman missionary.
Midwest China Oral History Interviews

Dillard Marion Eubank

Early Life: parents' work in China; memories of the Boxer Rebellion and the Shanghai American School.

Return to China: trip to China as Army Air Corps volunteer, 1944; duties as Army Air Corps search and rescue officer; trip to Yenan to establish liaison with Mao Tse-tung; search and rescue to Tibet; memories of George Hatem; disagreement between Joseph Stilwell and Claire Chennault concerning V.D. epidemic among American servicemen in China.

1
2
3
4
5