1926 Field Locations of all Missionaries in Sichuan

Item

Title
1926 Field Locations of all Missionaries in Sichuan
Identifier
DS_0004
Description
Bar chart based on the 1926 WCMAB list, comparing the percentage of cohort versus non-cohort West China missionary societies by the locations of their designated mission fields.
Commentary
This bar chart is based on the list of 607 missionaries in Sichuan compiled by the West China Missions Advisory Board (WCMAB) in 1926 (see the “Is Part Of” dataset record). It is part of an analysis that aims to identify the traits of a cohort of West China missionaries who had similar experiences before, during and after their lives as missionaries. Members of the cohort were descendants of rural Anglophone settlers in North America. Born between the 1850s and 1920s, cohort members were linked through social networks within the organizations to which they belonged. The Methodist and Baptist denominations in North America worked closely with the YM/WCA and other parachurch organizations to funnel promising youth into mission work. These common backgrounds tended to produce similar theological leanings within the broad umbrella of the social gospel, although there were also subtle differences in perspectives and approaches among them.

Missionary geography in Sichuan played a role in determining cohort/non-cohort membership, as the station locations for each denomination remained very similar to the way the WCMAB carved up the map of “fields” in 1902 (see related map). A major change came when CMM took over the territory formerly assigned to the London Missionary Society (LMS) in 1910. Although seeming peripheral on the map, the western corridor along the Min River from Chengdu to Yibin (Suifu) became a major focus of missionary activity, as well as where many of their summer resorts were located. Those denominations on the northern, eastern and southern perimeters remained marginal to the cohort that became established in the central areas.

Included in the “Center” category are the cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, Yibin (Suifu) and Leshan (Kiating). These are the oldest and most centrally located mission centers, each being on major transportation routes and featuring centuries-old Chinese industry, heritage and scholarship. Each of these cities also had multiple denominations stationed there. In contrast, locations in the “Periphery” category are smaller towns both in between the main centers and around the perimeter of mission activity.

The contrast is quite stark. Those denominations in the periphery remained marginal to the cohort that became established in the central areas. In the cohort group, 73% are stationed in central cities. The non-cohort group is the opposite – 81% are stationed in peripheral small towns.
Creator
Cory Willmott
Date Created
2024
Relation
Map of West China Mission Fields, 1902
Is Part Of
The West China Missions Advisory Board’s Directory 1926, According to Missions
Provenance
Original scholarship by Cory Willmott.
Access Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher
SIUE
Record Date
2024-11-06
Contributor
Cory Willmott
Type
Dataset
Item sets
Datasets
Media
DS_0004 1926 ALL Field Locations.png

Linked resources

Items with "Has Part: 1926 Field Locations of all Missionaries in Sichuan"
Title Class
The West China Missions Advisory Board’s Directory 1926, According to Missions Dataset