Section 3 - China, a Land to be Saved? 中国是一个需要拯救的国家吗？
‘Enlighten China and you have illuminated the eastern world. Move China and you move the world. Save China and the problem of the world’s salvation is solved.’
-Annual Report of the Canadian Methodist Church Missionary Society, 1896-7
“启迪中国，便可照亮东方世界；推动中国，便能撼动全球；拯救中国，便可解决世界的救赎之道。”
—《加拿大循道宗教会传教士协会年报》，1896-1897
This section traces calls to “save China” and the evolution of this desire in the first half of the 20th century. New ideas about what it would mean to save China paralleled James G. Endicott’s changing perspectives, which were, in turn, shaped by personal relationships and the social reality he encountered abroad. In 1911, the Provisional Republic led by Sun Yat-sen replaced China’s last imperial dynasty, but Sun was soon forced into exile by military rivals. The ensuing chaos sparked calls to “save the nation” 救国 (jiuguo) from imperialism, warlordism, and perceived cultural backwardness.
In 1926, Sun’s successor, Chiang Kai-shek, launched a successful military campaign to defeat China’s rival warlords and unite the country with aid from the Soviet Union. When the allied Nationalist-Communist forces reached Shanghai in 1927, Chiang ended this arrangement by violently purging the Communists in what became known as the “White Terror.” After establishing an internationally recognized government in Nanjing, Chiang turned his attention to saving China from what he perceived to be its greatest threat, communism.
Jim initially advised the Nationalist Party’s New Life Movement but grew disillusioned with what he described as fascistic tendencies within the campaign. By 1946, Jim’s wartime experiences had convinced him that only through revolution could the Chinese people truly “stand up” 翻身 (fanshen) and save themselves.
这一部分展览追溯了“拯救中国”的呼声及其在20世纪上半叶的演变。关于拯救中国的理念变化与文幼章视角的转变相呼应，而他的观点变化又深受个人关系以及他在海外所见社会现实的影响。1911年，中国的最后一个封建王朝被推翻，取而代之的是由孙中山领导的临时政府。孙中山敏锐地意识到，基督教传教士对保守势力的冲击中蕴藏着革命的潜力。然而，在他短暂担任中国首任总统后，由于军事对手的压力，他被迫流亡海外，国家也陷入了军阀割据的混乱局面。这一动荡局势激发了对国家拯救的紧迫呼声，人们呼吁摆脱帝国主义的压迫、军阀割据的分裂，以及被视为过于“落后”而无法应对现代挑战的传统文化。
1926年，孙中山的继任者蒋介石在苏联援助下发动了一场成功的军事行动，击败了割据一方的军阀。这一援助是以中国共产党与蒋介石领导的国民党合作为前提。当国共联军于1927年抵达上海时，蒋介石通过一场针对共产党员的大规模清洗终结了这一联盟，这一事件被称为“白色恐怖”。在南京建立起一个获得国际承认的政府后，蒋介石将注意力转向他认为是中国最大威胁的共产主义。当时，文幼章担任新生活运动的顾问，但他对运动中所表现出的法西斯化倾向感到失望。同时，他对自由主义改革缓慢推进的现状也深感挫败。1946年，文幼章离开传教团时，他在战争中的经历使他坚信，唯有通过革命，中国人民才能翻身并实现自我拯救。