Watson McMillan Hayes
Encyclopedia
Watson McMillan Hayes was an American
missionary and educator in China
.
Hayes graduated from Allegheny College
. He was ordained on August 15, 1882 and sent to China in the same year. He taught at Tengchow College and later served as its president in present-day Penglai
, Shandong
. In 1901, he was invited by Yuan Shikai
to organize Shandong College, the forerunner of Shandong University
and the second modern university in China. With the backing of Yuan Shikai, he also published Shandong's first successful newspaper and petitioned the Qing court to grant a holiday on Sundays; Shandong College was closed on Sundays right from the start. However, by the end of 1901, Hayes and six Chinese Christian teachers he had brought with him had resigned already over disagreements regarding the policy of mandatory Confucius
worship for students of the college. After that, Hayes went on to teach the Presbyterian Mission Theological Class in Cheefoo (Yantai
).
During the Second Sino-Japanese War
, W. M. Hayes, together with his wife (Margaret Young Hayes) and his son (John David Hayes), was held as a prisoner in the Weihsien (Weixian) Internment Camp
, a civilian assembly center operated by the Japanese on the premises of a former Presbyterian mission in the present-day town of Weifang
. He refused to be repatriated under the “Prisoners Exchange Project” organized by the International Red Cross and died in the camp in 1944, about one year before the camp was liberated by the Americans on August 12, 1945.
W. M. Hayes' son John D. Hayes (1888–1957), continued to work as a missionary and English teacher in China until he was arrested and tried as a spy in 1951. After 10 months in jail, he was expelled from China. His trial in China was the topic of an article ("The Brainwashing of John Hayes", written by Frederic Sondern, Jr) published in Readers Digest and a television drama of the same title in which Hayes was portrayed by the actor Vincent Price
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
missionary and educator in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Hayes graduated from Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
. He was ordained on August 15, 1882 and sent to China in the same year. He taught at Tengchow College and later served as its president in present-day Penglai
Penglai City
Penglai City , is a port, a town and an administrative subdivision of the prefecture-level city Yantai in Shandong Province, northeastern China. The port was formerly called Dengzhou . Penglai Water City or Water Fortress , a fortified harbor hidden from the sea, is one of China's oldest military...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. In 1901, he was invited by Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...
to organize Shandong College, the forerunner of Shandong University
Shandong University
Shandong University is a public comprehensive university in Shandong, China. It is one of the largest universities in China by student population and is supported directly by the national government....
and the second modern university in China. With the backing of Yuan Shikai, he also published Shandong's first successful newspaper and petitioned the Qing court to grant a holiday on Sundays; Shandong College was closed on Sundays right from the start. However, by the end of 1901, Hayes and six Chinese Christian teachers he had brought with him had resigned already over disagreements regarding the policy of mandatory Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
worship for students of the college. After that, Hayes went on to teach the Presbyterian Mission Theological Class in Cheefoo (Yantai
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
).
During the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, W. M. Hayes, together with his wife (Margaret Young Hayes) and his son (John David Hayes), was held as a prisoner in the Weihsien (Weixian) Internment Camp
The Weihsien Compound
The Weihsien Internment Camp was a Japanese operated Civilian Assembly Center in the former Wei County , located in the present-day city of Weifang, Shandong, China. The compound was a Japanese-run military internment camps created during World War II to keep civilians Allied countries living in...
, a civilian assembly center operated by the Japanese on the premises of a former Presbyterian mission in the present-day town of Weifang
Weifang
Weifang is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the Laizhou Bay to the north.-History:Weifang is a historical city...
. He refused to be repatriated under the “Prisoners Exchange Project” organized by the International Red Cross and died in the camp in 1944, about one year before the camp was liberated by the Americans on August 12, 1945.
W. M. Hayes' son John D. Hayes (1888–1957), continued to work as a missionary and English teacher in China until he was arrested and tried as a spy in 1951. After 10 months in jail, he was expelled from China. His trial in China was the topic of an article ("The Brainwashing of John Hayes", written by Frederic Sondern, Jr) published in Readers Digest and a television drama of the same title in which Hayes was portrayed by the actor Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
.