Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal
A long-running English-language journal serving Western Christian missionaries and other readers in China from 1867 until its closure by Japanese authorities in 1941.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal was an English-language periodical associated with the Western Christian missionary community in China. It began in 1867 at the Methodist Press in Fuzhou, shortly after foreign residence and missionary activity had become legally permissible in treaty-port China. Its first predecessor, The Missionary Recorder: A Repository of Intelligence from Eastern Missions, and Medium of General Information, lasted only about a year. The Methodist Press then launched the Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal in 1868, creating a more durable publication devoted to missionary intelligence, religious discussion, reports from the field, and information about Chinese society and institutions. The journal’s early editorial history crossed denominational and institutional boundaries. Justus Doolittle of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions joined the Reverend Stephen Livingstone Baldwin of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission in editing the periodical. Publication ended in May 1872 after four volumes, but the title was revived by the Presbyterian Press in Shanghai in January 1874. From that point it developed into a sustained publication run lasting roughly sixty-seven years. It appeared every two months at first and became a monthly in 1886. Although created primarily for missionaries, the journal also attracted Chinese readers and functioned as a broader forum for English-language discussion of China. Its contents included missionary reports, theological commentary, translations, descriptions of Chinese religious and social life, institutional news, and reflections on the political conditions affecting Christian work. Through these materials, it became an important documentary source for the history of Christianity, education, medicine, publishing, and foreign communities in late Qing and Republican-era China. The publication became especially influential during the 1920s and 1930s under editor Frank J. Rawlinson. Rawlinson encouraged liberal theological perspectives, gave space to a broad range of views, and supported Chinese nationalism at a time when many missionary institutions were reassessing foreign privilege and the relationship between Christianity and Chinese society. The journal became particularly noted for commentaries and translations of Chinese writings, rather than functioning solely as an internal missionary newsletter. Rawlinson’s views contributed to his resignation from one mission; he subsequently joined the more liberal American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Rawlinson remained editor until September 1937, when he was killed by a bomb accidentally dropped by a Chinese aircraft during the Japanese attack on Shanghai. The journal continued after his death, but the worsening wartime environment placed severe constraints on its operation. By 1939 it was being published under the title The Chinese Recorder and Educational Review. Publication ended in December 1941 after Japanese authorities closed it. The periodical is now chiefly significant as a historical source. Complete or near-complete runs, indexes, and digitized volumes have been made available through archival and scholarly projects, including HathiTrust, the Internet Archive, the Berlin State Library, and National Taiwan University Press.
History
The publication’s roots lay in the Methodist Press at Fuzhou. In 1867 that press issued The Missionary Recorder, a short-lived periodical intended to circulate intelligence from Christian missions in Asia and provide general information. After approximately one year, it was replaced by the Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal, first issued in 1868. The new title brought together the work of Stephen Livingstone Baldwin of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission and Justus Doolittle of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Its initial series ended in May 1872 after four volumes. The Presbyterian Press in Shanghai revived the journal in January 1874. This restart established the periodical’s durable Shanghai identity and began a publication sequence that continued, with interruptions and changes of title, for approximately sixty-seven years. It was initially issued every two months and became a monthly in 1886. Editorial responsibility moved among prominent missionaries and publishing figures. Alexander Wylie edited it from 1874 to 1877, followed by Baldwin until 1879. Andrew P. Happer served from 1880 until declining health forced his departure in 1884, and Luther Halsey Gulick Sr. edited it from 1885 until his retirement for health reasons in 1889. Lucius Nathan Wheeler, who had been involved with the journal’s early beginnings, served as editor from 1891 until his sudden death in 1893. G. F. Fitch became editor in 1908, with Nelson Bitton joining the editorial operation in 1911. The journal was more than a denominational newsletter. Its principal audience consisted of Western Christian missionaries working in China, but it also reached Chinese readers and others interested in Chinese religion, education, society, politics, and foreign institutions. It published missionary correspondence and reports, theological arguments, information about churches and schools, and observations on Chinese life. Over time, translations and commentary on Chinese writings became especially important, allowing English-language readers to encounter Chinese perspectives and political arguments through a missionary publication. Frank J. Rawlinson became associate editor in January 1912 and editor in 1913. During the 1920s and 1930s, his leadership gave the journal a reputation for liberal theology and sympathy toward Chinese nationalism. Rawlinson’s engagement with liberal causes and nationalist positions eventually contributed to his resignation from his mission. He later joined the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, an institution identified in the source material as more liberal. Under his editorship, the journal continued to present a broad range of opinions while maintaining its role as a central English-language outlet for the missionary community in China. Rawlinson’s tenure ended in September 1937 when he was killed by a bomb accidentally dropped by a Chinese plane during the Japanese attack on Shanghai. The journal continued under increasingly difficult wartime conditions. By 1939 it appeared as The Chinese Recorder and Educational Review, reflecting an expanded or revised emphasis in its title. Japanese authorities closed the publication in December 1941, ending its historical run. The surviving volumes are valuable primary and secondary research material for the study of modern China and the history of Christian missions. A complete run has been issued by National Taiwan University Press with an index prepared by Kathleen Lodwick. Subscription access has also been provided through HathiTrust, while public-domain volumes, including volumes 1–45 covering 1868–1914, have been digitized through repositories such as the Internet Archive and the Berlin State Library. Lodwick’s two-volume index covers the complete run and provides access by personal name, place, and subject.
- 1941
Publication ends
[1]Japanese authorities closed the journal in December.
- 1939
Title changes to The Chinese Recorder and Educational Review
[1]The publication used a revised title during the final phase of its run.
- 1937
Rawlinson dies during the Shanghai conflict
[1]The editor was killed by an accidentally dropped bomb during the Japanese attack on Shanghai.
- 1913
Rawlinson becomes editor
[1]Frank J. Rawlinson assumed the editorship after serving as associate editor.
- 1886
Monthly frequency adopted
[1]The journal changed from bimonthly to monthly publication.
- 1874
Shanghai publication resumes
[1]The Presbyterian Press restarted the journal in Shanghai with a bimonthly schedule.
- 1872
First series ends
[1]The initial series stopped publication in May after four volumes.
- 1868
Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal begins
[1]The Methodist Press followed its predecessor with the first series of the Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal.
- 1867
Missionary Recorder is launched in Fuzhou
[1]The Methodist Press published the short-lived predecessor The Missionary Recorder.
Products and positioning
An English-language forum and information service for Christian missionaries in China that evolved into a significant cross-denominational record of Chinese religious, educational, social, and political life.
Missionary periodical · 1868
Chinese Recorder and Missionary Journal
The principal English-language periodical associated with the Western Christian missionary community in China. It published missionary intelligence, reports, correspondence, theological discussion, translations, and articles on Chinese religious, educational, social, and political life. Although its core readership was missionary, the journal also had Chinese readers and became a significant cross-denominational record of modern China.
Renamed periodical · 1939
The Chinese Recorder and Educational Review
The revised title used by the publication by 1939. It represented the journal’s final period during the wartime years before Japanese authorities ended publication in December 1941.
Brand decisions
1939
Adopt the title The Chinese Recorder and Educational ReviewGeneration changeBackground
The periodical continued operating during the increasingly restrictive wartime environment.
Action taken
By 1939, the journal was published under a revised title.
Aftermath
The renamed publication ceased in December 1941 after Japanese authorities closed it.
1886
Increase publication frequency to monthlyStrategyBackground
The journal had been issued every two months after its Shanghai revival.
Action taken
The publication adopted a monthly schedule.
Aftermath
The change supported the journal’s development into a sustained information outlet for missionaries and other readers in China.
Sources1 sources
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