China Mission

A Personal History from the Last Imperial Dynasty to the People's Republic

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Asia, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology, Biography & Memoir, Literary
Cover of the book China Mission by Audrey Ronning Topping, LSU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Audrey Ronning Topping ISBN: 9780807152805
Publisher: LSU Press Publication: October 7, 2013
Imprint: LSU Press Language: English
Author: Audrey Ronning Topping
ISBN: 9780807152805
Publisher: LSU Press
Publication: October 7, 2013
Imprint: LSU Press
Language: English

When the Reverend Halvor Ronning, his sister Thea, and fellow missionary Hannah Rorem set out in 1891 to found a Lutheran mission and school in the interior of China, they could not have foreseen the ways in which that decision would ripple across generations of the Ronning family. Halvor and Hannah would marry, and their son Chester, born in Hubei Province in 1894, would spend over half his life in China as a student, teacher, and a Canadian diplomat. Chester's daughter, Audrey, studied at Nanking University during the Chinese Civil War and later spent decades reporting on the People's Republic of China for the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and many other publications. "During the last century," Audrey Topping notes, "a member of our family was there for almost every event of importance." China Mission presents a personal history of her family's ties to their adopted home and the momentous events that radically changed one of the most powerful countries in the world.
The Ronnings found Imperial China at the end of the nineteenth century to be a nation on the cusp of change, and they were swept up as both observers and participants in these dramatic events. During their years as missionaries, the Ronnings witnessed the Boxer Uprising in 1898, the subsequent Palace Coup and the Siege of Peking, the death of the last emperor, and the collapse of China's dynasty system. They also endured personal challenges -- famine, births, deaths, and the almost constant threat of attack -- that were countered with songs, celebrations, friendship, and a deep appreciation for the culture of which they had become a part.
Later, Chester Ronning would return to China, as would his daughter Audrey, bringing their family's story to the end of the twentieth century. This extraordinary account, compiled from the diaries, letters, and photographs of three generations, offers modern readers a rare and remarkable look at a world long gone.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When the Reverend Halvor Ronning, his sister Thea, and fellow missionary Hannah Rorem set out in 1891 to found a Lutheran mission and school in the interior of China, they could not have foreseen the ways in which that decision would ripple across generations of the Ronning family. Halvor and Hannah would marry, and their son Chester, born in Hubei Province in 1894, would spend over half his life in China as a student, teacher, and a Canadian diplomat. Chester's daughter, Audrey, studied at Nanking University during the Chinese Civil War and later spent decades reporting on the People's Republic of China for the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and many other publications. "During the last century," Audrey Topping notes, "a member of our family was there for almost every event of importance." China Mission presents a personal history of her family's ties to their adopted home and the momentous events that radically changed one of the most powerful countries in the world.
The Ronnings found Imperial China at the end of the nineteenth century to be a nation on the cusp of change, and they were swept up as both observers and participants in these dramatic events. During their years as missionaries, the Ronnings witnessed the Boxer Uprising in 1898, the subsequent Palace Coup and the Siege of Peking, the death of the last emperor, and the collapse of China's dynasty system. They also endured personal challenges -- famine, births, deaths, and the almost constant threat of attack -- that were countered with songs, celebrations, friendship, and a deep appreciation for the culture of which they had become a part.
Later, Chester Ronning would return to China, as would his daughter Audrey, bringing their family's story to the end of the twentieth century. This extraordinary account, compiled from the diaries, letters, and photographs of three generations, offers modern readers a rare and remarkable look at a world long gone.

More books from LSU Press

Cover of the book Legendary Louisiana Outlaws by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Heredities by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Bourbon Street by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Political Belief in France, 1927-1945 by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Acadian Odyssey by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Los Brazos de Dios by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Upton and the Army by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book The Southern Middle Class in the Long Nineteenth Century by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Postmark Bayou Chene by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Curses and Wishes by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Rough Fugue by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Yoknapatawpha Blues by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book Queer Chivalry by Audrey Ronning Topping
Cover of the book God and General Longstreet by Audrey Ronning Topping
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy