The Influence Of Christianity On Chinese Miao Areas
In 1887, British missionary S. Pollard was sent to the mountainous areas of southwestern China to start his career. In 1904, when he visited a small Miao village, he was attracted by their unique culture and silver jewelry art. Finally he made a decision to stay there.
At that time, the Miao lived in extreme poverty and were enslaved by the local nobles. The first thing Pollard decided to do was set up a church and a school.
He visited a local noble to buy a piece of land to build up the church and school. The noble asked him how much land he wanted to buy. Pollard answered that he only needed a piece of land as big as a cowhide. The arrogant noble thought it was a joke, and said that he could give Pollard that piece of land for free. So Pollard signed a contract with the noble.
Later Pollard used a chemical to make a cowhide into fine threads, and when they were all set out they measured one square kilometer!
Pollard built up churches and schools on this land. The Miao learned English, Chinese, math, music, science, and basic hygiene at the schools for free. The oldest student was 46 years old, while the youngest was just 8.
Pollard dressed him up with the ethnic Miao clothes and learned the Miao language from his students. At that time the Miao didn’t have a written script, because they lost it during their many years of migration across China. So Pollard, along with his disciples, created Miao letters based on English and Chinese characters. They used the new Miao language to translate and print the Bible. Christianity was spreaded widely among the Miao areas. More and more people went to Pollard’s school to learn the Miao script. Today, lots of local people still use this form of writing.
Besides schools and churches, Pollard also set up an orphanage, hospitals, soccer fields, and swimming pools on the land.
Pollard helped the local people repair roads, build houses, and plant potatoes. Potatoes were first introduced into the Miao area at that time. Pollard won the Miao’s hearts with his kindness and devotion to his career. The local people called him LaMeng, which means King of the Miao.
On September 16, 1915, Pollard died of typhoid at the age of 51. Lots of local people attended his funeral.
But the education brought lots of changes to the life of the Miao. From 1905 to 1949, thousands of students finished their primary school education. About 200 graduated from high schools. 30 students attended colleges in other areas of China, and one of them even became a doctor. With his wisdom and love, Mr. S. Pollard created a miracle in this remote land.
Christianity exerts a powerful influence among the Miao even today. Looking at their embroidery, silver jewelry, and batik work, you will be surprised to find that lots of designs come from the interesting stories of the Bible.
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