Cullen Antiques Centre

Description

A huge and rare collection of notated photo diaries kept by Helen BK Maclean a Scottish Missionary during the 1920s and 30s in at times Japanese occupied China.

The diaries are mainly of the Kun Kuang Girls Christian School in Moukden and show life at that time.

There is enough material for a book or film.
Helen B. K. Maclean (known as Nell), (United Free) Church of Scotland missionary in China, was born

in a village in the highlands of Scotland. Her father was a schoolmaster and elder in the village

kirk and she graduated from Edinburgh University (MA) in 1916. She was accepted for China by the by

the mission in 1921 and spent her first six months in Peking learning the language. Further language

training and an introduction to evangelising followed in Kaiyuan in Manchuria where she first met

Fragrant Tree (Wang Su Fen) who was to become her lifelong friend. In 1923 she moved to Shenyang to

teach in the mission's girls school, became the school's principal missionary in 1925 and was also

involved in developing youth work in the area. She remained at the school for the rest of her time

in China, appointing a Chinese principal, encouraging the Church to take more responsibility from

the mission and seeing the school through a difficult period when the Japanese occupied Manchuria.

She returned to Scotland on furlough three times 1926-28, 1933-34 when she took Fragrant Tree with

her, and 1939 part of which she spent in Japan. After Pearl Harbour in December 1941 Maclean was put

under house arrest for six months and the school was closed. With other colleagues she was sent to

Japan for internment but was returned home as an exchange prisoner before the end of 1942. The

Church of Scotland sent her to work in Ghana from 1944 until 1946 when she was able to return to

Manchuria and the school. When the communists entered Shenyang in November 1948 her position became

more difficult, she suffered from bouts of dysentery and after the school was closed in 1949 she was

ordered home. From 1951 until 1954 she worked in Jamaica then returned to Inverness in Scotland. She

kept in touch with Fragrant Tree who secured permission to leave China in 1963 and joined Maclean in

Scotland. Fragrant Tree looked after Maclean during her final illness and after Maclean's death

moved to an old people's home where she died.