Introduction

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The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have had a century of connections with China, exemplifying their commitment to global education.  Evidence of that connection appeared in 1923, when  Li You Ching of Nanking, China came to Saint John’s, followed later by John S. Chow, Neu-Lung Sung, and Dominic Koo in the 1940s.   The connection with China grew for monks of Saint John’s in 1929, when Aidan Germain, OSB joined the faculty of The Catholic University of Peking. Soon after, six Sisters from Saint Benedict’s Monastery traveled in 1930 to Beijing (Peking) to teach women at the Catholic University.  In 1931, Saint Benedict’s enrolled its first two students from China, Lucy Chung and Florence Chi, and soon thereafter Ina Chang as well as sisters Ruth and Rachel Liu came to campus from Peking.   The Communist Revolution and World War II led to a diminished involvement with China, though a few students arrived from both the People's Republic and Taiwan.  The 1970s saw an influx of Hong Kong students, and by 2005 a steady enrollment of mainland Chinese students as well.   China connections were reinforced by a thriving study abroad program beginning in 1988, sending CSB and SJU students to China’s Southwest University for over thirty years.  This exhibit celebrates the many ways Johnnies and Bennies have cultivated a China connection.  


Compiled February 2023

Principal researcher: Kathryn Schug '25

Introduction