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.
To
discover materials related to China, search the Finding
Aid Database, or browse the listing of China missionaries
found at http://www.library.yale.edu/div/spc/ChinaMissionariesYDSL.html
or the list of organizations for which archival records are available
at http://www.library.yale.edu/div/colgarch.html.
Also
of interest are the Historical Records Collection ("HR" call numbers)
and "A" pamphlet series, which include documentation of mission
work in China by numerous Western agencies. These can be searched
for in Orbis, the
online catalog.
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