The
China Records Project
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The
China Records Project was initiated by the National Council
of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A in 1968. The aim of the project
was to insure the preservation of the personal records of former
missionaries to China and to provide a central repository where
these papers would be available to historians.
The
Yale Divinity School Library was chosen as this central repository
in 1969 and has continued to solicit and accept China-related
papers since that time. The Divinity Library now holds approximately
1600 linear feet of manuscript materials related to mission work
and the Christian church in China. Records of more than 300 former
China missionaries are represented. The library has also purchased
several microform archives collections to complement its holdings
of original manuscripts.
A
survey of topics pursued by researchers in recent years indicates
that these records are of use both in providing information
about events, movements, and institutions in China, and in providing
insight into the Western societies that sent, supported, and
were embodied in the missionaries.
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Archival
Collections at the Yale Divinity Library
See
the Online
Guide to Manuscript and Archival Material for a listing of individuals
and organizations for whom material is available. The China
Records Project Miscellaneous Personal Papers Collection contains
smaller collections of material, while separate record groups have
been established for larger collections.. Among these collections
are the personal papers of missionaries and their families, and
extensive documentation of Christian colleges and universities in
China in the Archives of the United Board for Christian Higher Education
in Asia (R.G. 11). Also of interest are the Historical Records Collection
("HR" and "A" pamphlet series) including documentation of mission
work in China by numerous Western agencies, and the Archives of
the World Student Christian Federation (R.G. 46) including documentation
of the student Christian movement in China (1890s-1920s). Many of
the finding aids to these collections are accessible on the Internet.
Microtext
Collections Documenting China Missions at the Yale Divinity Library
Archives
of the following agencies are available in microfilm or microfiche
format:
- American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (1827-1919)
- Baptist
Missionary Society (British) (1880-1914)
- Church
Missionary Society (British, Anglican)
- International
Missionary Council (1910-1961)
- London
Missionary Society (1822-1940)
- Methodist
Missionary Society (British) (1851-1946)
- Presbyterian
Church of England Board of Foreign Missions (1863-1950)
- Presbyterian
Church (USA) Board of Foreign Missions (1837-1911)
Periodical
Collections Documenting China Missions at the Yale Divinity Library
The
Divinity Library holds many annual reports and periodicals which
document church work in China. Following is a selected list of serials
which are now available in microfilm format:
- Anking
Newsletter (1920-1943)
- Bulletin/Newsletter
of the Diocesan Association for Western China (1934-1959)
- China
Christian Advocate (1914-1941)
- China
Christian Yearbook (1926-1940)
- China
Fundamentalist (1929-1940)
- China
Mission Year Book (1910-1925)
- China's
Young Men (1906-1925)
- Chinese
Recorder (1867-1947)
- Foochow
Messenger 1903-1940)
- Ginling
College Magazine (1924-1930)
- Hainan
Newsletter (1912-1940)
- National
Christian Council of China Bulletin (1922-1936)
- University
of Nanking Magazine (1909-1930)
- West
China Missionary News (1901-1943)
Call
numbers for these periodicals can be located through ORBIS.
Collections
on China at Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University
- Archives
of the Yale-China Association
- Personal
papers of:
- William
Allen Macy (1848-1858)
- George
Henry Hubbard (1885-1925)
- Samuel
Wells Williams (1833-1879)
- Numerous
individuals who served at the Yale-China institutions
- Yung
Wing, first Chinese student to graduate from Yale
Click
here to search Orbis for
more materials relating to China in the Yale University Libraries
Click
here to learn more about the Special
Collections at the Yale Divinity School Library
