Christianity and Female Empowerment: The American Presbyterian Mission Schools in Weixian, Shandong Province (1883-1920)

Between the arrival of Robert Morrison in 1807, the first Protestant missionary to China, and the expulsion of Western missionaries in the early 1950s, one important area of missionary work for Chinese women was the establishment of schools at the primary, secondary and university levels. This education work afforded girls and young women opportunities for advancement not provided under the existing patriarchal society. This article focuses on the development of the American Presbyterian primary and secondary schools for girls in the rural area of Weixian in Shandong province. The Presbyterian station in Weixian played a leading role in establishing primary and secondary schools for girls throughout its mission field. Although the missionaries began with a conservative agenda of creating good Christian households at the time, the local population eventually embraced the schools. These girls’ schools not only trained female students to become professional teachers but also enlightened and empowered them in the local cultural sphere