This summer, Kuliang in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, has become a popular destination for both events and summer retreats. Among those invited to participate in local activities was Thomas Hemenway, a descendant of Dr. Ruth V. Hemenway, one of the "Kuliang Friends."
According to Fuzhou Evening News, on July 13, Thomas Hemenway retraced the footsteps of his ancestor, Dr. Ruth V. Hemenway (known in Chinese as 韩路德), who served in the region over a century ago. Dr. Hemenway, an American female doctor, dedicated more than a decade to the Liudu Shanmu (Good Shepherd) Hospital in Liudu, Minqing. Through Thomas's journey of historical retracing and an upcoming documentary, her story is gradually being rediscovered by a broader audience.
It is learned that in 1864, Nathan Sites, an American missionary from the Methodist Episcopal Church, arrived in Minqing to preach. By the late Qing Dynasty, a growing number of local believers had emerged in Liudu. Seizing this opportunity, Sites invited American physician Dr. Mary Carleton from Magaw Memorial Hospital in Fuzhou to provide medical care, particularly in gynecology and pediatrics. Later, with Sites' support, Dr. Carleton established a medical facility in Liudu. In 1899, the Nathan Sites Memorial Hospital was founded in Bandong Township as the first hospital in Minqing County, with Dr. Carleton serving as its first director.
In 1905, Dr. Carleton relocated the clinic to Bandong Village, renaming it "Liudu Shanmu Hospital." Beyond treating patients, she also launched public health initiatives and devoted nearly 30 years of her life to medical service in Minqing. She returned to the United States in May 1925 and passed away in 1927 at the age of 71.
While in Fuzhou, Dr. Carleton, like many foreign residents seeking relief from the summer heat, purchased a residence in Kuliang. Although the house no longer stands, a boundary stone bearing the traditional Chinese characters "蘭界" (Lanjie) remains at the original site. During her years in China, she adopted two girls. One, also named Mary Carleton and known by her Chinese name Sing-Gieu, earned a master's degree in the U.S. before returning to China to serve the Christian community in Fuzhou. She later became the principal of two local schools and moved to the United States in 1949. The other adopted daughter, Zheng Meijiao (also known as Dr. Dang Gieu), Sing-Gieu's younger sister, graduated from medical school and joined Liudu Good Shepherd Hospital as a physician, working alongside Dr. Carleton.
Dr. Ruth V. Hemenway came to China by chance after being deeply moved by a report delivered by a Chinese doctor in the United States. Inspired to serve the Chinese people, she traveled to China with support from the Grace Harris Memorial and an appointment by the Methodist Women's Board of Foreign Missions. She began her work at a 100-bed women's hospital in Minqing County, Fujian Province. In 1924, while serving as the hospital's director, Dr. Hemenway oversaw the construction of the "Enlan Building." The following year, she added new wards, staff dormitories, and a reinforced concrete water tower, then the most advanced structure in Minqing. She also established a laboratory and an operating room, outfitting them with running water, telephones, and horses for transport. As a skilled general practitioner, she was proficient in internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics. That same year, she successfully performed thyroid and intestinal resections, marking a milestone in surgical practice in the region.
Between 1924 and 1929, she trained 24 nurses and continuously expanded the hospital's scale and capacity. In addition to managing the hospital's daily operations, she frequently traveled to rural areas to provide medical care. Given the lack of convenient transportation, she often walked or rode horseback and sometimes stayed in villages for several days. Wherever she went, she treated illnesses, administered vaccines, delivered babies, promoted healthcare and childcare awareness, and even performed surgeries—earning the hospital a strong reputation across Minqing. In 1931, the hospital acquired a car, and a year later, a branch facility was established in the county seat. Dr. Hemenway regularly traveled between both locations.
In 1934, she opened branch clinics in Baizhang and Jinsha, conducting routine visits. In 1936, after a medical leave in the United States, she returned to China and planned to gain further experience at Kangcheng Hospital in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, before returning to Minqing. However, with the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, she was unable to return. Instead, she volunteered for the Chinese Red Cross, offering her services in the anti-Japanese medical effort. She was later dispatched to Chongqing to treat casualties from Japanese air raids. In 1939, she served at a hospital in Zizhou (now part of Zizhong and Ziyang), Sichuan Province. Prolonged exposure to harsh working conditions led to illness from overwork, and she ultimately returned to the United States in 1941.
Dr. Hemenway served in China for 18 years, including 12 years at the Liudu Shanmu Hospital in Minqing. During her time in China, she not only mastered Mandarin and the Minqing dialect but also kept a detailed diary, preserving valuable historical records. She also adopted two daughters while in Minqing. The elder, Hwa Hui, was adopted at the age of seven and later moved to the U.S. to live with Dr. Hemenway after 1940. The younger daughter, Hwa Sing, was adopted at the age of one. When Dr. Hemenway joined the anti-Japanese medical effort in 1937, she sent Hwa Sing back to Minqing. Hwa Sing later graduated from medical college, worked in Beijing, and in 1961 moved to Yinchuan, Ningxia, to support healthcare efforts in the border region.
Although health and family circumstances prevented Dr. Hemenway from returning to China after 1941, she remained concerned about the country's development. In the U.S., she continued to practice medicine, organized her work diaries from China, and painted watercolor works to express her affection for the country. Dr. Hemenway passed away in 1974 at the age of 81. In 2013, her English memoir was translated and published in China under the title Ruth V. Hemenway, M.D.: A Memoir of Revolutionary China, 1924–1941. Her significant contributions to local healthcare were highly recognized in Minqing, where she was honored in the "Biography" section of the county's chronicles between 1988 and 2005.
With appreciation to Dr. Liu Jiaping, former Director of Minqing County Hospital, for providing the Brief History of Liudu Hospital.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times, and the author is a Christian in Fuzhou, Fujian.)
- Edited by Karen Luo and translated by Poppy Chan
