Church Universities, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Modern Rural Reconstruction Movement (1934–1944)

Abstract

During the Republican era, church-affiliated universities demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm for the rural reconstruction movement. However, due to persistent funding shortages, they were unable to achieve nationwide integration. Since the establishment of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1913, the Rockefeller family had pursued a clear set of objectives for philanthropic endeavors in China. To address the increasingly pressing issues in China's rural areas and improve the quality of life for rural populations, the foundation funded Yenching University, Nankai University, Tsinghua University, Peking Union Medical College, and the China Association for the Promotion of Popular Education led by Yan Yangchu. In 1934, it established the first comprehensive rural development project in China—the North China Rural Reconstruction Association. By analyzing the objectives, processes, and impacts of church-affiliated universities and the Rockefeller Foundation in China's comprehensive rural reconstruction, this article provides a concrete case study for examining the efforts and formidable challenges faced by Western civil society organizations—including Christian universities and private foundations—in reshaping non-Western societies. The Association made tremendous efforts to develop modern Chinese rural areas, yet its ambitious vision was hindered by years of war, political instability, and funding shortages. In 1944, the Rockefeller Foundation concluded its funding for China's rural village construction initiative. To this day, the movement's impact on modern Chinese rural society remains a subject of widespread scholarly interest.