![]() The doll heads were carved of pear wood by local carvers and attached to cloth bodies, which were stuffed with cotton. The dolls were designed to be dressed in the traditional costumes of the Chinese people. ![]() They were paid for dressing the wooden dolls, but more importantly, in the process they also learned to appreciate and be proud of their Chinese heritage. After graduating she returned to China where she spent most of her life and went on to write about Chinese life in novels such as The Good Earth, for which she won a Pulitzer Prize.ĭuring their first year in the mission, young women were taught to dress the Door of Hope Mission dolls. In 1910 Pearl entered the Randolph Macon Woman’s College. In 1909, at the age of 17, Pearl Buck, daughter of Presbyterian missionaries and known to us as a prize-winning author, briefly volunteered as a teacher at the mission, instructing girls in knitting and embroidery. The first challenge was for each girl to make her own gee-ba, a Chinese garment, and then to make cloth shoes. Some chose to stay and help other girls others went on to pursue their futures.Īt the mission the girls were taught reading, writing and math, as well as personal hygiene. Most girls stayed about two years, gaining self-esteem and skills that would make them self-supporting. The Mission began in a single rented house but grew to include five separate “homes”-The Receiving Home, First Year Home, Industrial Home, Children’s Refuge, Love School and Hospital here, anywhere from 125 to 200 girls were sheltered. ![]() Instead, it received its primary funding from charitable groups such as the Shanghai Rotary Club and the American Women’s Club, as well as the Shanghai Municipal Council and donations from residents of Shanghai. A Protestant mission, it was not associated with any specific denomination and received little financial support from churches. The Door of Hope Mission first opened in 1901. Girls as young as 5 years old were received there, and the mission also accepted young children who needed care. Shanghai police brought many girls to the mission. These girls could not read or write they had no skills. Outraged by these conditions, five women of various Protestant backgrounds-an Episcopalian, a Baptist, a Methodist and a Presbyterian together with a China Mission woman-decided to open a mission to provide a safe haven for destitute young girls. Missionary women were shocked by the custom of early betrothal of young women, the binding of women’s feet, the kidnapping and slavery of girls and young women, the buying and selling of women as slaves and worse, as concubines and prostitutes, and the practice of killing unwanted female babies. Amid this backdrop of Chinese struggle for Confucian tradition and the resistance to entry to the modern world, some missionaries’ interest turned to the plight of Chinese women. Missionaries were forced to retreat to Shanghai for protection. During this time anti-foreign feelings were directed at missionaries.Īt the beginning of 1900 the “Fists of Righteous Harmony,” called by Westerners “Boxers” (because of their fighting techniques), attacked and slaughtered western missionaries and Chinese who had been converted to Christianity. This led to the famous “Boxer Rebellion.” The Chinese empress supported the “Boxer” uprising, which hoped to close China to all foreign influence. The American interests wanted access to the country’s resources. Many European countries as well as Japan and Russia had been trying to separate China into spheres of influence and gain exclusive trading rights. In the 19th century, foreign powers were trying to exploit China. ![]() Like other pieces of Chinese art, these dolls have simple graceful lines and great attention has been given to the needlework in making their clothing. These dolls made at the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai have captured the interest of doll collectors and are much sought after today. At the beginning of the 20th century, destitute young Chinese women dressed carved wooden-head dolls in the costumes representing the various classes of people in their country.
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