On May 7, an article on Swedish missionaries in Yuncheng City, Shanxi was published by the local government, showing how the missionaries preached the gospel and engaged in local social service programs.
The post entitled “A Journey from Overseas: A Bond of Ten Decades - Swedish Missionaries in Yuncheng City” introduces an exhibit of photos and articles about the Swedish missionaries in a series called Yanhu Stories. It was released on the official Wechat account of the People’s Government of Yanhu District.
The series of stories was based on materials now preserved in the Yanhu District Government Archive. The purpose of the series is to share an original perspective on this period of history and show the role of the missionaries in the area’s development. They also served as an inspiration to the local youth, a very promising part of the bright future of Yanhu.
As the one hundred years of history unfolded in the story, it showed how the local people lived through the turbulent political situation of the Late Qing Dynasty, and how they coped with the conflict and mixing of traditional feudal culture, western culture and the revolutionary climate of that time. It also depicted many aspects of the Swedish Missionary Society of China (SMC)—how over time they adapted to local customs and became assimilated into the local community. The missionaries provided advanced medical services, introduced new advances in science and founded social welfare institutions, all which led people to Christianity.
The first Swedish missionary, Theodore Hamberg, was sent to China in 1847. He is well known for recording the events of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and founding the first Hakka Church in Guangdong province.
Thirty years after that, the SMC was established by Erik Folke, a young Swedish Christian. The society established its mission area in the golden triangle of the Yellow River, the birthplace of Chinese civilization, and Yuncheng was chosen as its centre.
Despite the good reputation earned by a British missionary, David Hill, who helped in Yuncheng’s drought and pestilence in 1878, the local people did not give a warm welcome to the missionaries and their faith. In the first 12 years, only eight missionary stations and five Christian schools were built in the whole parish.
It was after the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom that the mission society gradually adjusted its strategy and things became more open. The missionaries made more local acquaintances, both among the upper and lower class and held more training courses in areas like literacy and sewing. They did more rehab work, began orphanages and built primary schools that children could attend at no cost. In these schools they were taught Western civilization. They also adopted more ways of doing evangelism that were not limited to just the church. Up until the 1911 Revolution, they established eight men’s schools and five women’s schools in Yuncheng, which included 328 students.
In the 1920s, Yuncheng again suffered from serious drought and pestilence. One of the society members, Verner Wester, collected 50 thousand Swedish Krone for local people and distributed 20 thousand kilograms of food. As the newly elected leader of the disaster relief committee, Wester adopted scientific methods to identify the famine victims and suggested the “work relief” model to fix the city.
According to the story, during the fifty years from the end of the 19th century to 1946, the society gradually withdrew from China. About 115 Swedish missionaries had served in the Yuncheng mission area. They built more than 60 churches with 6,000 members, 270 of them were native. Apart from these, the most important legacy was the Yuncheng Evangelismos Hospital, established by a Christian, Liu Zixiang. The hospitals scale, equipment and medical techniques made it the best facility in the entire city at the time.
Another important legacy left in Yuncheng, which is less visible than the hospital, is the deep attachment to this city of the missionaries, whose offsprings often came back to China to retrace their parents’ or grandparents’ steps in Yuncheng.
One example was in 2015 when the granddaughter of Verner Wester and her husband planned to visit Yuncheng in the spring. As the news spread, one student of Verner Wester, who was already 93 years old, began to do the countdown to their trip. However, the couple arrived in November, when the student had already passed away. The student’s daughter, Ms. Xie Yuling took care of the couple and cooked for them every day during their two weeks stay, so as to repay the teacher-student friendship between her mother and Verner Wester.
漂洋过海 结缘百年
——瑞典传教士在运城
国之相交利万民，民之相好代代传。千百年来，人类文明就是在互促互进、互融互惠的历史大潮中不断走向辉煌。
区政府陈列馆收集史料、照片，挖掘历史背后的故事，目的就是客观公正地记录历史，还原历史，在构建人类命运共同体的大背景下，用一段段盐湖往事，用一则则奋斗案例，讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音，为盐湖发展、时代进步添砖加瓦、加油助威。
近代世界百年文明史，伴随着中西方文明的交流融合而滚滚向前。清末，外国传教士踏入这片古老土地，他们惊叹中华文明的同时，也带进了西方文明。在我们运城，就曾有一批早期传教士，在输入西方宗教、教育、艺术、医学等文化因素的同时，他们对百年前的中国做了一个真实客观的记录，为今天我们进行历史研究提供了详实的素材。
清末民国的盐湖儿女如何生活，怎样面对生老病死，以及如何主动或被动地在革命文化、西方文化和封建文化的熏陶和冲突中接受各种教育，通过原水利局副局长董利群、原西街小学校长王典、原政府办副主任张虎威儿子张荣等人的帮忙推荐，结识卫校教师刘洪和搬运公司冯运安，找到从1888-1946年瑞典传教士在运城的照片、史料，更感谢刘洪将近30多年辛勤地调查取证和翻译整理，让我们可以直观了解百年前盐湖人的文化生活历史。
1847至1947年的中国，政府腐败、国力衰弱，国门洞开，对外历次战败签订不平等条约，廉价工业品摧毁手工业，鸦片涌入，荼毒国人，国内灾害瘟疫频发，人民流离失所。而此时的北欧瑞典，奉行中立政策，完成工业化，国力增长、国民富裕、文化繁荣、思想活跃，国家的强盛促进了国民的民族自豪感和参与国际事务的强烈愿望。在整个欧洲宗教复兴运动的大背景下，瑞典教会也派遣传教士踏着这条以船坚炮利杀开的血路，涌入中国内地，扩展自己的教会阵地。从1847年瑞典传教士韩山明到两广一带传教几经波折，到1887年3月14日激进青年符愷励（Erik Folke）只身来到上海，5月成立瑞典中国差会，简称瑞华会（缩写SMC），也称晋秦豫信义公会；同年暑期，到西安、蒲州一带考察各地宗教发展状况，后与英国内地会宗教团体达成协议，教区界定为中华文明的发祥地—黄河金三角地区，包括现在的临汾、运城、渭南至韩城和三门峡至洛阳一带，中心区设定在运城。
1888年11月,符愷励第一次从运城北门进入运城，成立第一个传道站，标志瑞华会在运城中心区传教活动的开始。为尽快取得民众的认同和信任，符愷励和随后而来的胡林德等传教士四处奔走，在山西内地会长老席胜魔牧师的帮助和支持下，发展运城第一个中国姓张的信徒，成立第一个天召局，帮助抽食鸦片的老百姓戒烟毒。随后又在猗氏、万泉以及安邑北部开设天召支局（又称戒烟局，即戒毒救助所），后来又逐步在渭南、西安、同州（大荔县）办起天召局。
其实，符愷励之所以选择在运城传教，一个最重要的原因就是山西1878年的旱灾瘟疫。英国传教士李修善作为赈灾委员会成员，积极参与赈济救灾，发展烟鬼秀才席胜魔成为一名基督徒，获得了良好口碑，运城人对欧洲人相比其他周边地区比较友好，但即使这样，受各地教案频发，民众仇洋排外运动愈演愈烈，在运城守城门的军士因私放符愷励进城，被责罚200军鞭；在韩城，传教士山如仁请办天召局，但遭到强烈抵制，直到1897年才建起福音堂；在渭南，把房屋租给传教士用作戒烟局的人遭到鞭打数百下的惩戒，甚至在河南府，凡是与传教士有联系的人，都被迫逃离等等，致使瑞华会早期十二年传教活动收效甚微。在黄河金三角地区几十个县仅建立运城、解州、韩城、新安等8个传道站、运城崇真女校等5个学堂，学生合计51名；发展30名传教士和167个信徒。
义和团运动被镇压以后，瑞华会传教士不断总结经验教训，改进传教方法，逐步打开局面，取得较快发展。一是逐步增加本土色彩，穿中国衣、吃中国饭，上结各级官吏、士绅名流，下联三教九流、平民百姓；二是举办各种类型的识字班、训练班、专修班，培养更多的本土神职人员；三是救济弱势群体，通过开办更多戒毒所，为患有鸦片毒瘾的人治病施药，开办各类免费的教会小学，吸引无钱念书的穷孩子上学，接受西方文明；四是通过在庙会集市上搭帐棚传教、流动巡回传教、教堂传教、家访传教、节日大会传教等多种方式，顺利开展传教活动，拉近与国人的距离。至辛亥革命前，建起了8所男学堂、5所女学堂，学生总人数328人，其中男生201人，女生127人。
民国时代，中国社会处于新旧交替的剧烈阵痛期，五四新文化运动的矛头直指腐朽的封建文化和带有文化侵略色彩的基督教、天主教，我党早期共产党人张闻天等领导青年学生掀起了“反西方基督教会”和“收回教育主权”运动，1926年民国政府颁布了“私立学校董事会设立章程”，出台限制教会未经申请不得私办教育等措施，促使教会采取一些改革措施，如合并男女校，实施新学制，增加自然科学教程，增加中国教师人数，学校领导逐渐由中国人担任。
为维持传教活动，瑞华会在运城也相应采取了一些侧重于“社会福音”的慈善救济措施，如传教士玛利亚在新安县创办的孤儿院，采取西方比较先进的教养并重的理念，收容因灾害、战争流落的孤儿，为他们提供食宿、医疗救济和文化教育的同时，传授一些谋生的技艺，如孤儿院聘请教习教学生学习织地毯等等，以使其能够自立自救。
1921-1923年，运城地区受瘟疫、水灾、旱灾和兵祸等影响，农业严重破坏，农田荒芜，甚至灾民连树皮拌面都吃不上，运城传教士卫润世筹集5万瑞典克朗（2万两银子），一年发放赈灾粮食2万公斤，被运城地方推举为赈灾委员会领导人，他制定了较为科学的识别办法，饥民先要登记，经过评估后发放一枚证章，凭证章才可以分到粥喝；采取“以工代赈”的办法，让灾民从运城赶马车到黄河边，回来时，马车上装着从寺庙拆下来的砖石，用来筑路，一年下来为挣一口馍饭而筑路的就有300人。
卫润世的妻子叶特鲁德也亲自在蒲州施粥处参与救灾，每天给300多一无所有、嗷嗷待食的人分粥喝。1923年2月，叶特鲁德病逝，与几个孩子葬在解州“洋人坟”。至1946年，瑞华会逐步撤出中国，先后葬在解州的外国传教士20多人，50年间往来运城的瑞典传教士达115人，发展教徒6000人，建教堂60余所，发展本土基督徒270人，其在运城最重要的遗产基督徒刘子祥创办的运城福音医院，其医院规模、设备及技术为运城地区之冠。
回顾从1847-1947年盐湖区百年历史，在运城这个古老的大地上，有腐朽封建的卫道士、有壮怀激烈的革命者、有执着传福音的传教士、有为理想献身的马克思主义者以及为民族解放和独立而牺牲成千上万的烈士，共同钩织出百年盐湖的历史画面，让人不胜唏嘘。无论方向、道路和结果的对与错，作为个体，因为付出就会倍加珍惜，也是其一生的情结。从1946年陆续撤离的传教士中，有一位海如蓝教士在1989年给运城福音堂刘子祥大夫的徒弟卫宾一来信，询问近况，表达她想念中国，想念中国友人，由于是用外文书写，所以由卫校外语教师刘洪翻译。同年，永济传教士郝概伦的妻子郝秀阑带着女儿爱绒重返永济，故地重游，与儿时的伙伴一起分享美妙时光。爱绒后来写了一本书，讲述她父母年轻时在中国10余年的故事，里面有一句话，“虽然后来他们再也没能重返中国，但他们对中国和中国人民的挚爱一刻也没有停止过”。
卫润世一家7口人葬在解州，只留下斯文一人回国与外祖父母生活。2015年初，解玉玲93岁的母亲听说卫润世老师的孙女将在春天来到运城，她每天掐指数算，翘首以盼。米克的来访因故多次更改，老人最终没能等到米克11月来访。老人临终交代女儿解玉玲一定要代她好好接待米克夫妇，后来见面的两周时间，解玉玲每天骑车5公里，来到米克住处，为他们做饭，代母亲偿还当年的师生情，后来一些传教士后代和中国教友集资15万元修缮了解州“洋人坟”。过去十年，还有很多的传教士后代来到运城，走遍他们从小父母讲述故事中的地方，中国情结已深植他们的心里。
时光荏苒，见证芳华。从清末的闭关锁国到如今的海纳百川，百余年波澜壮阔的改革实践、探索创新，带来翻天覆地的变化。瑞典作为老牌工业强国，1972年在世界上第一个提出了可持续发展的理念，在创新、绿色发展、环保等领域都处于世界领先水平。借助运城和瑞典100余传教士后代在百年前结下的中国缘分，我们必能优势互补、深度融合，促进两地共赢发展。
形势在发展，时代在进步。近年来，中国同世界各国的友好合作不断拓展，人类命运共同体理念得到越来越多人的支持和赞同，这一倡议正在从理念转化为行动。今天，我们挖掘陈列馆里的历史故事，正是珍惜前辈们结下的百年之缘，把这份和平、开放的文明交融传承好、延续好，与世界、与时代，同呼吸、共命运、齐发展。（陈功）
On May 7, an article on Swedish missionaries in Yuncheng City, Shanxi was published by the local government, showing how the missionaries preached the gospel and engaged in local social service programs.
The post entitled “A Journey from Overseas: A Bond of Ten Decades - Swedish Missionaries in Yuncheng City” introduces an exhibit of photos and articles about the Swedish missionaries in a series called Yanhu Stories. It was released on the official Wechat account of the People’s Government of Yanhu District.
The series of stories was based on materials now preserved in the Yanhu District Government Archive. The purpose of the series is to share an original perspective on this period of history and show the role of the missionaries in the area’s development. They also served as an inspiration to the local youth, a very promising part of the bright future of Yanhu.
As the one hundred years of history unfolded in the story, it showed how the local people lived through the turbulent political situation of the Late Qing Dynasty, and how they coped with the conflict and mixing of traditional feudal culture, western culture and the revolutionary climate of that time. It also depicted many aspects of the Swedish Missionary Society of China (SMC)—how over time they adapted to local customs and became assimilated into the local community. The missionaries provided advanced medical services, introduced new advances in science and founded social welfare institutions, all which led people to Christianity.
The first Swedish missionary, Theodore Hamberg, was sent to China in 1847. He is well known for recording the events of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and founding the first Hakka Church in Guangdong province.
Thirty years after that, the SMC was established by Erik Folke, a young Swedish Christian. The society established its mission area in the golden triangle of the Yellow River, the birthplace of Chinese civilization, and Yuncheng was chosen as its centre.
Despite the good reputation earned by a British missionary, David Hill, who helped in Yuncheng’s drought and pestilence in 1878, the local people did not give a warm welcome to the missionaries and their faith. In the first 12 years, only eight missionary stations and five Christian schools were built in the whole parish.
It was after the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom that the mission society gradually adjusted its strategy and things became more open. The missionaries made more local acquaintances, both among the upper and lower class and held more training courses in areas like literacy and sewing. They did more rehab work, began orphanages and built primary schools that children could attend at no cost. In these schools they were taught Western civilization. They also adopted more ways of doing evangelism that were not limited to just the church. Up until the 1911 Revolution, they established eight men’s schools and five women’s schools in Yuncheng, which included 328 students.
In the 1920s, Yuncheng again suffered from serious drought and pestilence. One of the society members, Verner Wester, collected 50 thousand Swedish Krone for local people and distributed 20 thousand kilograms of food. As the newly elected leader of the disaster relief committee, Wester adopted scientific methods to identify the famine victims and suggested the “work relief” model to fix the city.
According to the story, during the fifty years from the end of the 19th century to 1946, the society gradually withdrew from China. About 115 Swedish missionaries had served in the Yuncheng mission area. They built more than 60 churches with 6,000 members, 270 of them were native. Apart from these, the most important legacy was the Yuncheng Evangelismos Hospital, established by a Christian, Liu Zixiang. The hospitals scale, equipment and medical techniques made it the best facility in the entire city at the time.
Another important legacy left in Yuncheng, which is less visible than the hospital, is the deep attachment to this city of the missionaries, whose offsprings often came back to China to retrace their parents’ or grandparents’ steps in Yuncheng.
One example was in 2015 when the granddaughter of Verner Wester and her husband planned to visit Yuncheng in the spring. As the news spread, one student of Verner Wester, who was already 93 years old, began to do the countdown to their trip. However, the couple arrived in November, when the student had already passed away. The student’s daughter, Ms. Xie Yuling took care of the couple and cooked for them every day during their two weeks stay, so as to repay the teacher-student friendship between her mother and Verner Wester.
Photos, Articles of Swedish Missionaries Published in Local Archive
