Devoted to Education as Light and Salt: Story of 90-Y-O Fujian Female Believer

A picture of the 90-year-old Huang Yachuan
A picture of the 90-year-old Huang Yachuan (photo: Mrs. Huang Yachuan and Mr. Huang Shitai)
By Lin MuliNovember 29th, 2023

The theme of the 2023 Bible Day is “Put the Bible into Practice,” for which CCC&TSPM has issued a call for papers to the national congregation on November 11.

Among the submissions, CCC&TSPM has chosen Mrs. Huang Yachuan's story as the Fujian Province's role model, which will be promoted to the public via video.

Born in November 1934, Huang Yachuan was raised in a Christian family with her ancestral home in Zhangpu County, Fujian Province. Her grandfather, Rev. Huang Depi, was the first president of Fengyuan Primary School, founded by Zhangpu Christian Church at that time.

Her father, Mr. Huang Weimin, was also a pastor who served in Kinmen, Xiamen Xinjie (New Street) Church, and Zhushu Church after graduating from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in 1924.

In 1949, after graduating from Zhangzhou Jinde Girls' School, Huang was determined to devote herself to early childhood education and applied to the normal school for preschool teachers that her mother had attended.

After graduating in 1952, she began to engage in early childhood education and became the first head of the affiliated kindergarten of the normal school she attended (now Riguang Kindergarten). Subsequently, she was successively elected as a delegate to the first, second, and third Xiamen Municipal People's Congress.

In 1959, Teacher Huang was transferred to the Fujian Provincial Department of Education to participate in research on early childhood and primary education. After 23 years, in 1982, she was assigned to the Preschool Education Research Center of the Xiamen Institute of Education (now Xiamen City University). Over her 50 years of contributions, Huang has insisted on combining scientific research with educational practice.

Apart from her work, Mrs. Huang is enthusiastic about donating money to support schools. In February 2009, she donated 120,000 yuan from her savings through frugality to establish the "Yachuan Scholarship and Teaching Fund" at Zhangpu No. 6 Middle School, encouraging the students not to give up their studies easily because of poverty and hardship.

Since 2013, there has been an increase of at least 10,000 yuan in the Yachuan scholarship every year. By 2021, the total donation had already reached 380,000 yuan.

In addition, Mrs. Huang cares about the churches and contributes to the construction of church buildings in mountainous areas such as Zhangpu Changqiao and Pinghe Xiazhai. On her path of faith, she not only lives her life with a grateful heart and a spiritual perspective but also preaches the gospel with faith and unity in the Lord.

- Translated by Poppy Chan

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