Social gospel and social service: A case study of Peking YMCA (1909--1949) (Chinese text)

The Young Men's Christian Association (abbreviated as YMCA) is an auxiliary organization of the Christian church. It had been serving over half a century until 1949 since it was introduced into China at the end of the nineteenth century. The YMCA played an important role in modern Christian history of China and made a notable impact on China, which were embodied by the followings. First, the Chinese YMCA was the result of the change of missionary tactics. As a new attempt of missionaries, it was founded with the help of the International Committee of Young Men's Christian Association of U.S.A and Canada. Second, the Chinese YMCA was an organization for the young men of the urban middle class and young men in the secondary schools and colleges. It imbued them with Christianity. Its career in China was an interaction process of Chinese and Western culture. Third, to serve China and benefit mankind was the aim of the Chinese YMCA. Its main causes were to propagate Christianity, make more friends and go in for activities of education and relief and so on. They were practice of the social gospel and broadening the way for the development of Christianity in China.; The dissertation focuses on the history of Peking YMCA in the first half of the twentieth century. It consists of eight parts.; The "Introduction" briefly discusses some theories such as the social gospel, social service and cross-culture and some questions concerning the researches on the history of the Chinese YMCA.; The main body embraces parts 1 through 6, making detailed investigations on the establishment, development, frustration, revival, dilemma and failure of Peking YMCA. It stresses that Peking YMCA was established and developed with the help of the graduates from Princeton University who joined the missionary ranks. It was full of vitality in 1920s and the social gospel was widespread. After 1922, Peking YMCA suffered setbacks, while it made some responses. One of them was quick indigenization and consistent social services. Its services for the Chinese soldiers, students and refugees in the Anti-Japanese War won praises from the Chinese people. The dissertation also has a close examination on the thoughts and deeds of P. C. Hsu and Y. T. Wu, two Chinese Secretaries in Peking YMCA.; The ending part summarizes the dissertation and analyses the reasons of the Chinese YMCA's success and failure. It concludes that Peking YMCA failed in its propagation of the social gospel, but succeeded in the practice of social service, which promoted the early modernization of Peking.