| Wang Shijing (1897-1983), a native of Fuzhou , was a woman Christian educator. In 1913, she was admitted to Hwa Nan Women's College and in 1919 went to study in Morningside College in the U.S. Later, she entered the University of Michigan and obtained master's degree in chemistry in 1923. After she came back to China, she first got a teaching position in Xiamen University and in 1924 returned to her mother college, Hwa Nan Women's College. In 1928, the board of trustees appointed her to be the president of Hwa Nan. Since July, 1929, when Wang Shijing returned from University of Michigan and took over the administration of the college, she had been the president for 22 years. This 22 years witnessed many difficulties and disasters of the college. As the first Chinese president, she led the college out of many crises and brought it to maturity. The college was accredited by the Ministry of Education of Nationalist government and authorized by New York State University to confer B.A. and B.S. degrees respectively. In 1935, Hwa Nan joined the United Board of 13 Christianity universities in the U.S. All these achievements were attributed to President Wang, who had inherited the fine tradition of old Hwa Nan and adhered to the college motto "Having received, I ought to give." With Christian spirit, she devoted herself to Hwa Nan and managed to develop a strong team of faculty and staff. She cherished the college like her own home.Wang Shijing and Hwa Nan Women's College represented the spirit of an age in China's education as well as the spirit of human culture. The culture is for dissemination and integration. The idea of human progress is universal. In the late Western Han Dynasty, Buddhism was introduced into China from India and had far-reaching effect on Chinese culture. The 19th century witnessed the spread of Western religion in China, which also enriched the Chinese culture. In her time, Wang Shijing experienced the spread of Western culture and the integration of religion and education in China. The culture and education system as represented by Christianity changed the Chinese women and exerted special influence on women emancipation.Just as writer Wang Kailin said: In the Republic of China, female life is like a song, a happy song as well as an elegy; in the Republic of China female life is like a dream, a fond dream as well as a nightmare. Regardless of being a happy song or an elegy, regardless of being a fond dream or a nightmare, they all have deducted the life in the world, without the least bit of hesitation, they undertake morality and justice and the responsibility with their weak shoulders and delicate hands, make many insufferably arrogant "men", "the real men " to be far behind. They lived 100% real, they lived 100% friendly and they lived 120% beautiful.I am young and sorry to have not been able to follow Wang Shijing and her old Hwa Nan sisters in their noble cause. However, I am fortunate to work with her students for the cause of New Hwa Nan.The research methodology of the present paper is to use oral accounts and non-structure interviews of old Hwa Nan alumni and intersperse narration with comments. Through the study of their recounts and related works, the author summarized and the excavated education spirit of Wang Shijing, which is, in fact, also the spirit of human beings. |
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