Young John Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 23, 1836 Burke County, Georgia, US |
| Died | May 30, 1907 Shanghai, China |
Young John Allen (January 3, 1836 – May 30, 1907) or Young J. Allen, was an American Methodist missionary in late Qing dynasty China with the American Southern Methodist Episcopal Mission.[1] He is best known in China by his local name Lin Lezhi (林乐知).
Allen's most influential work was in the field of education, as he worked at a government school before founding the Anglo-Chinese College in Shanghai.[2] He was also a strong force in educating women at a time when that was very radical for Confucian society. His efforts helped to found the McTyeire School for girls.[3] Allen also published several newspapers and magazines as a form of both evangelism and education, which influenced many Chinese reformers of the Self-Strengthening Movement and prompted philosophical discussions comparing Christianity and Confucianism.[4] His publications were popular among many Chinese for their attention to Western concepts of international relations, economics and the natural sciences.
- ^ Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity Online website, Young John Allen
- ^ China Culture website, Anglo-Chinese College of Shanghai
- ^ Ray Castles Uttenhove, "Young J. Allen and Education for China, 1860–1907," Master's thesis, Georgia State University, 1972.
- ^ Adrian Arthur Bennett, Missionary Journalist in China: Young J. Allen and his Magazines, 1860–1883, Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press: 1982.