Commitment to China

564 pages - more than 470 images 

A rich collection of letters written in China from 1923 to 1941, along with numerous bulletins, programs and photographs, was assembled bit by bit from the memorabilia stashed away in the trunks and boxes of the Sutton family. Drs. Willard and Ellen Sutton wrote the letters from Fukien Christian University, one of ten Protestant-founded institutions of higher education in China, located at Foochow, in southern China, where Willard taught Chemistry in the Science Department.
Despite the gaps between letters they give a vivid impression of what it was like to live in China in the 20’s and 30’s. Life was not so easy in those days. Travel was uncertain and uncomfortable. There were uprisings and bandits. Means of communication were poor, with news taking weeks, even months, to arrive. Travel to Foochow city was in the earlier years only by river launch or sampan. Malaria and infectious diseases were prevalent in the damp tropical climate.
The letters nevertheless show the preachers, teachers, doctors and nurses to be hardworking and enthusiastic. The faculty was a close-knit community, often working and teaching for 7 years before returning home on furlough. The university campus, on a breathtakingly beautiful site overlooking the Min River and the mountainous region beyond, became their home.
The editor, Marion Sutton Attali, was born in Foochow, China, and now lives in Paris, France.