Ma Xiangbo at Tushanwan
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Year:
- 2011
- Journal Title:
- Chinese Cross Currents
- Volume:
- 8
- Issue:
- 4
- Language:
- Abstract:
Located in Shanghai’s Xujiahui area on the south side of No. 55 Puhuitang Road, the “Tushanwan Museum’s” third floor opened last year. On the west side of this floor there is a series of five empty rooms linked together which comprised the living quarters of the Catholic patriot, Ma Xiangbo. Hung on the entrance of the lower-level hall and capturing the attention of pedestrians passing by is an antique bronze sign engraved in both Chinese and English that reads: “Ma Xiangbo’s Home.”Originally, this was the merging point of the Zhaojiabang and Puhuitang rivers. During the late Qing dynasty, the area was dredged and the slush from the dredging was piled into a mountain on the bend of the river; hence the name Tushanwan (literally translated as earth/soil mountain bay). Around 150 years ago, Taiping troops attacked Shanghai causing many civilians to become destitute and homeless. Many orphans were displaced as a result of the war. To help mitigate the disaster ravaging the city, the Catholic Diocese of Shanghai bought Tushanwan, bulldozed the mountain and began a massive construction project named the “Southern Orphanage”. Their aim was to build a large-scale orphanage facility that would be able to accommodate the 400 displaced orphans from the Qingpu Hangtang orphanage and the Dongjiadu orphanage in Shanghai. The facility was named the Tushanwan Orphanage.Acting on a foundation of Christian charity, Jesuit missionaries provided the orphans with clothing, food and education. They did all this in hopes that they could equip the orphans with the skills necessary to support themselves and flourish in society. In 1943, after 80 years of unremitting effort, the orphanage had housed more than 5500 orphans and economically disadvantaged children. This total reached nearly 10,000 in 1949. The Tushanwan Orphanage gradually expanded until it occupied 84 acres, with buildings totaling in the hundreds. The orphanage became an integral component in Xujiahui Catholic culture and education enterprise. The orphanage consisted of several elementary schools. There were numerous workshops teaching painting, carpentry, metal work, photo-engraving, stained glass production, printing, garment weaving and shoe making. It was a place where Catholic charities, education of orphans and vocation training were integrated together. The orphanage also became the place where Western culture, art and technology were introduced into China. Essentially, it was the confluence where Chinese and Western cultures could mix and integrate with each other. The Tushanwan Orphanage trained China’s first Western painters, sculptors, photo-mechanic professionals, printers, industrial artists and a large number of other skilled craftsmen. The orphanage was thus instrumental in the creation of modern Chinese culture, creating many ‘firsts’ in the history of technology. The students trained by the Orphanage submitted their works and won many medals in previous World Expos. In 1942, the well-known art educator no comma, Xu Beihong wrote: “The Catholic Church’s entry into China, particularly Shanghai’s Xujiahui location, has made a very valuable contribution to the exchange between Chinese and Western culture. Tushanwan is the cradle where many Chinese-Western painters developed their skills.” Ma Xiangbo and Tushanwan shared a very close relationship. Ma Xiangbo was born in 1840. During his youth, he traveled alone to the Shanghai Xuhui Public School to study. In 1870, he received a doctorate in theology and became a Catholic Jesuit priest. For a period, he was principal at Xuhui Public School. From 12 years of age until he reached the age of 36, Ma Xiangbo spent a full 25 years at Xujiahui. In 1876, Ma left the Society and started getting involved with Jesuit politics. Under the guidance of Li Hongzhang, he became specialized in foreign affairs and had been delegated to Japan, Korea, Europe and the United States. In 1897, he resigned from his high official position in the Qing court. With his ideal of “education for national salvation” he returned alone to Xujiahui, Shanghai. Under the mediation of his schoolmate, Father Shen Zegong, he donated all the land that his brother Ma Jianxun gave him to the church in order to establish a school. This included good farmland in, Sijing Songjiang and property in areas of Shanghai such as in Lujia Bay, Dongjiadu etc. He was determined to give up his property in order to run a school and enlighten the Chinese people. Father Shen Zegong’s younger brother, Father Shen Zekuan, was the person in charge of the Tushanwan Orphanage at the time (they were known as “the two Shen priests”). Shen Zekuan was also one of Ma Xiangbo’s classmates. He hoped to build a modern full-facility primary school for the orphans. Ma Xiangbo invested funds into building a three-story school with a pemthouse on the west end of the Tushanwan orphanage. Each floor had sixteen classrooms and the building was named “Ciyun Primary School.” On the third floor of the building, there were five rooms facing west which Ma Xiangbo reserved as his living quarters. After half a century of transformation, most of the original buildings of the Tushanwan orphanage have been replaced due to the expansion of the asphalt road and the construction of many clusters of high-rise buildings. Only the red-brick, three-storey building that Ma Xiangbo invested in still stands on Puhuitang road. It had been repaired several times, quietly witnessing the many changes that occurred over the years (Figure 1). The establishment of the Tushanwan Museum has dusted clean our long-buried memories. It sewes to revive the historical heritage of the Xuhui district and culture and relives Tushanwan’s former splendor. Ma Xiangbo lived in this building for nearly 40 years while playing an active role in China’s modern history. Not many people know about the influence this man had on Chinese history. The author is not afraid to retell these old tales and recount how Ma Xiangbo was essential in the promotion of the district’s history and cultural heritage and development.
- Who (Jesuits):
- What (Subjects):
- Where (Locations):
- When (Centuries):
- Page Range:
- 80–88
- ISSN:
- 1810-147X