Young John Allen

Young John Allen ( born January 3, 1836 in Burke County, (Georgia ), † May 30, 1907 in Shanghai) was an American missionary in China.

Life

Young grew up as an orphan raised by relatives who brought him up in the Baptist faith. Even as a teenager, Allen turned to Methodism. He attended the " Emory and Henry College " in Washington County ( Virginia), and the " Emory College " in Georgia. Both schools were influenced by Methodism. 1858 Allen graduated from college and married after he had sold both his land and his slaves. In 1860 he traveled as a missionary to China, where he settled in Shanghai. There he worked as a teacher and translator for Chinese authorities. His concern was to reduce the hostility between the Chinese and the Western foreigners in the country through education. On his initiative, several small schools were later founded the Anglo-Chinese College. Around the turn of the century Allen had acquired a name in China and did not contribute insignificantly contribute to social change in China. Allen translated several books into Chinese, was the editor of a Chinese newspaper and author of several books.