王元信 (1892-1969)
Yuan-Hsin Wang attended Grinnell for only one year (1927-1928) but left behind an oversized imprint. Born into a poverty-stricken peasant family in Shandong, in 1911 he graduated from the Porter Boys’ School in Pang Zhuang, a precursor to Grinnell-in-China in Dezhou, Shandong. He then attended North China Union College, graduating in 1915, and after two short-term teaching posts at other mission institutions joined the faculty at Grinnell-in-China. In 1927, at 35 he came to Grinnell as part of the exchange between Grinnell-in-China and Grinnell College, which reportedly stipulated that Chinese teachers who had served there faithfully for a decade were eligible to apply for attending Grinnell for one year on a full scholarship (Zhang 51).
At Grinnell Wang was a sought-after speaker who granted interviews to the student newspaper Scarlet and Black, among others. One report noted his “marvelous command of English,” even though he apparently voiced the controversial opinion that “Western civilization’s conquest of [the] Chinese nation has been good for her,” explaining that it had forced China out of complacency and inertia (SB 10/26/1927). Wang also joined the fundraising drive for Grinnell-in-China in 1927, speaking at chapel service alongside Forrest Chapman (’24), a Grinnell alumnus who had taught at Grinnell-in-China in 1924-1926 (SB 10/05/1927). Additionally, he gave talks at the Cosmopolitan Club and the World Fellowship Club, newly organized on campus by YWCA.
After Grinnell, Wang studied education at the University of Chicago and science at Cornell University, reportedly receiving a master’s degree in chemistry from the latter in 1929. He became Principal of the Grinnell-in-China schools after his return to China the same year. He was credited with launching a series of reforms during his tenure as principal. He combined the Porter Boys’ School and the Wycoff Girls’ schools to make Grinnell-in-China coeducational. He navigated the Nationalist government’s push for Sinicizing missionary education in China, turning Grinnell-in-China into Bowei 博衛 and eventually Bowen 博文 School, and officially registered it with the government. Bowen became known as the “Top School in North Shandong” under his leadership, thanks in no small part to the students’ stellar academic performances at the Shandong provincial graduation exam of 1933 when they won second place, but also on the strength of a curriculum known for both rigor and breadth: many of the science textbooks used at Bowen were in English and the school boasted an excellent physical education program (Zhang 51).
After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident 盧溝橋事變 on July 7,1937 that signaled the eruption of the full-scale Japanese invasion during WWII, Shandong was occupied by the Japanese army. Wang had to step down temporarily after he clashed with the Japanese authorities for attempting to protect the students. Alice Reed (’13), another Grinnell alum and seasoned Grinnell-in-China faculty, took over as interim principal. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, Reed was detained and sent to a concentration camp in Wei Xian, Shandong. In 1946 the Grinnell-in-China compound was razed by the victorious Communist army, who defeated the Nationalists during China’s civil war (1946-1949). Wang went on to become principal of Jinan Railway Middle School, where he retired in 1958. He also served on the Political Consultation Committee of Shandong in the 1950s. He passed away in Jinan, Shandong in 1969 (Zhang 51).
McKee, Joseph. “Western Civilization’s Conquest of Chinese Nation Has Been Good For Her. Wang Tells Interviewer.” SB 10/26/1927.
“Students Talk in Chapel for Drive.” SB 10/05/1927.
Zhang Lisheng. “Xifang jiaohui zai Dezhou de jiaoyu huodong shulun” (Recording and Discussing Western Educational Missionary Activities in Dezhou Area). Journal of Dezhou University, Vol. 36, no. 1 (Feb 2020): 45-55.