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Chinese Women
Led the 20th-Century
Revivalist Movements
Adapted from LEANNE M. DZUBINSKI and ANNEKE H. STASSON.
Women in the Mission of the Church. Baker Academic, 2021.
Leanne Dzubinski, PhD, is associate professor in the Cook School of Intercultural Studies
at Biola University. Her email is [email protected].
Anneke H. Stasson, PhD is associate professor of humanities and history at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. Her
current research addresses the relationship between Christianity and cultural conceptions of gender, marriage, and family life.

D
uring the early 20th century, several remarkable she had the lower and less-well-paid position of “Bible
Chinese women led a revivalist movement in woman.” As a Bible woman, she visited women in
the Chinese church.1 First, there was Dora Yu their homes and shared the Gospel with them. During
(Yu Cidu), who grew up in a Christian family and one year alone, Yu visited with 925 women and 211
in 1896 was one of the first graduates of Soochow children.5
Women’s Hospital.2 In 1897, Yu became “the first
cross-cultural Chinese missionary in modern times.”3 Not surprisingly, after such a strenuous schedule,
She traveled to Korea, where she served as the mission Yu’s health deteriorated and she was forced to
doctor, helped to establish a girls school, preached, return to China in 1903. The next year, she gave up
wrote curriculum, and taught girls how to make lace practicing medicine and “established what might be
and embroider.4 Despite all this work, the mission called the first Chinese faith mission,” living without
initially refused to call her a “missionary;” instead, a guaranteed salary from a missionary organization.6
She also learned to trust God for the messages that He
asked her to give at prayer meetings.7
1 Silas H. L. Wu, “Dora Yu (1873-1931) Foremost Female
Evangelist in Twentieth-Century Chinese Revivalism,” in
Gospel Bearers, Gender Barriers, ed. Dana Robert (Maryknoll,
Yu had vibrant faith, often hearing God’s voice giving
NY: Orbis Books, 2002), 86. her strength and direction. During a particularly
2 Wu, 89.
3 Wu, 85. 5 Wu, 94.
4 Silas H. L. Wu, Dora Yu and Christian Revival in 20th Century 6 Wu, “Dora Yu (1873-1931),” 92.
China (Boston, MA: Pishon River, 2002), 89. 7 Wu, Dora Yu and Christian Revival, 128.
32 MISSIO NFR O NT IE R S.O R G MI S S I ON FR ON T I ER S | MAR /AP R 2 02 3

low point in her life, God sent her a dream where and prayed. Her parents feared that her hunger strike
He reminded her of his love.8 Held in God’s love, Yu would end in suicide if they didn’t allow her to go to
conducted prayer meetings in Chinese, English, and seminary. So her father arranged for Wang’s cousin
Korean. Many Chinese came to faith through her to marry her fiancé instead. Wang enrolled in Jinling
work.9 She published Hymns of Reviving, “probably Theological College for Women in 1919.15
the first such book in Chinese church history” and
became the first Chinese woman to establish a Bible Upon finishing her education, Wang began her work
school to educate people who became Christians.10 as a traveling preacher. Several denominations invited
Reflecting on this amazing woman, Silas Wu called her to hold services, and many people came to the
Dora Yu “the foremost female evangelist in twentieth Lord by her preaching, including a young man named
century Chinese revivalism.”11 Witness Lee. He later described how Wang led him to
the Lord:
Other prominent Chinese woman evangelists during
In April 1925 she was invited to my hometown
this period include Peace Wang (Wang Peizhen) and
of Chefoo to preach in the Southern Baptist
Ruth Lee (Li Yuanru). Peace Wang’s story is particularly
auditorium. I heard the report and was intensely
striking. Not growing up in a Christian family, she curious to witness such a young lady evangelist,
became a Christian at school.12 When Wang’s family twenty-five years old, preaching the gospel. We
discovered she was a Christian, her father pulled her had never heard of such a thing before. Therefore,
from school. For 18 months, Wang unsuccessfully I attended her meeting, and I can testify that from
pleaded with her parents to send her back. One night in that day to the present, I have never seen preaching
1918, she snuck out of the house long enough to attend that was so prevailing. She preached to a crowd
one of Dora Yu’s revival meetings, where she gave her of over one thousand, not about sin or about hell,
life to God. Wang believed that she was called to serve but concerning how Satan possesses and occupies
God as an evangelist, but she was engaged and knew people. She used the story of Pharaoh possessing
that ending her engagement would disgrace her family. the children of Israel as the basis of her message.
She was torn over her decision.13 But the following I was immediately caught by the Lord.16
Scripture kept resurfacing in her heart, Anyone who In 1926, Wang planted a house church in Shanghai
loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy with her roommate from seminary, Ruth Lee, and
of me.14 When she told her father that she would not male evangelist Watchman Nee. The group grew
marry, he confined her in his mansion to prevent her into the Little Flock Movement, led by Watchman
from running away. Nee. Nee himself was initially converted through
Wang felt God assure her that if she ran away, He’d help Dora Yu’s preaching, but after he read John Nelson
her. One night, she snuck out of the house and into Darby’s arguments against women’s leadership, Nee
the walled backyard garden. First, she took off her long decided that women should not teach men. He then
skirt, threw it over the wall, and scaled the wall. Then convinced Ruth Lee and Peace Wang to stop teaching
she took a train to the home of her spiritual mentor, men.17 Thus, “after 1927, one observes a marked shift
a missionary named Mrs. Sweet. When her father of gender selection in China’s revival movement,
discovered she was missing, he guessed where she went which was taken over by a new generation of male
and sent men to retrieve her. Wang’s parents would not evangelical revivalists such as Watchman Nee, Wang
listen to her when she told them that God called her Mingdao, John Sung, and Leland Wang.”18
to evangelism. She locked herself in her room, fasted,
8 Wu, 99. 15 Wu, Dora Yu and Christian Revival in 20th Century China, 167.
9 Wu, “Dora Yu (1873-1931) Foremost Female Evangelist in 16 Witness Lee, Watchman Nee—A Seer of Divine Revelation
Twentieth-century Chinese Revivalism,” 93. (Living Stream Ministry), chapter 14, section 6 of 8. www.
10 Wu, 85; Wu, Dora Yu and Christian Revival in 20th Century ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n
China, 142. 17 Wu, “Dora Yu (1873-1931),” 98.
11 Wu, “Dora Yu (1873-1931),” 85. 18 Wu, 86.
12 Wu, Dora Yu and Christian Revival, 165.
13 Wu, 166.
14 Matt. 10:37.
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Peace Wang and Ruth Lee continued to be very Yet these women are often overlooked. Most sources
active in Christian mission after 1927, but figuring label them as the supporters of Watchman Nee’s
out how to follow the Spirit’s leading became more ministry. But looking at their stories and their
complicated. They had to work within the constraints influence, it seems these women had a ministry of
of what was then considered appropriate for women. their own. Had Peace Wang been a man, it’s likely
One example of how Ruth Lee navigated faithfulness that Witness Lee would have called her his “mentor.”
within this new constraint shows clearly in a letter she Lee frequently sought her advice and intervention.
sent to Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. In the letter, However, because she was a woman, he said, “she
Lee shared her ideas about how to address several always strongly supported me, and those with her
issues in the churches she served. Instead of executing always received her help and care.”22 He says she
her plans, she labeled her concerns as matters that “was an indescribable help to me in the ministry,
she wished “from now on the brothers would pay so much so that a revival was brought in 1947” and
attention to.”19 Lee portrayed herself as delivering the “she played a crucial role under the Lord’s leading.”
information to “the brothers” so that they could act as Clearly, Wang had significant ministry giftings, but
they saw fit. At the same time, she encouraged them to Witness Lee used gendered language to describe those
act in ways she thought were best. giftings: “Hundreds of believers, not only sisters but
also brothers, received her warm, brooding care.”23
Although Watchman Nee was against women teaching Several times, Lee described Wang as “strong,” but
men, Lee’s letter shows that women’s roles may have never explicitly called her a “leader.” This omission
been somewhat more flexible in practice. Throughout is significant because the way in which people are
the letter, Lee emphasized the significant contributions described impacts how the Church remembers
that women made to their local churches. She insisted them. Peace Wang and Ruth Lee are remembered
that the brothers not speak harshly of women leaders as “helpers” who “assisted” the male leaders even
or blame them for church problems, especially if though “co-workers” was the title that God apparently
the men were neither willing nor spiritually mature suggested to Nee in a dream he had prior to meeting
enough to lead. She explained that women and men Ruth Lee:
should work together to build up the Church in the
unity and knowledge of Christ, though for the best The night before her arrival, Watchman Nee was
results she recommended that men minister to men considering whether or not to join the reception,
and women minister to women.20 thinking that although she might be a good
evangelist, since she was a female, she should
Ruth Lee’s ministry resembled Phoebe’s ministry not be too highly esteemed. However, during the
in Romans 16. Just as Phoebe ministered to Roman night he had a dream. … When he saw her in the
Christians on Paul’s behalf, Ruth Lee ministered dream, the Lord told him that she would be his
to developing churches operating under Nee’s co-worker.24
teachings. While Watchman Nee conversed with
The Chinese government arrested Ruth Lee and
leading international theologians and wrote spiritual
Peace Wang in 1956 for leading the Christian
treatises, Ruth Lee talked one-on-one with new
movement.25 Both women died in prison. Along with
believers and offered practical strategies for improving
Dora Yu, these women’s influence on the spread of
local church leadership. In the early 1940s, she and
Christianity in China was immense. The stories of
Peace Wang helped to stabilize Nee’s Shanghai church
their impact need to be remembered and shared.
after scandal forced him to step down.21
19 Ruth Lee, “A letter from Sister Ruth Lee in her travels,” in The 22 Lee, Watchman Nee, chapter 14, section 8 of 8. www.
collected works of Watchman Nee, ed. Watchman Nee (1993), 278. ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n, emphasis ours.
20 Lee, 278. 23 Witness Lee, Watchman Nee, chapter 14, section 7 of 8. www.
21 Witness Lee, Watchman Nee—A Seer of Divine Revelation ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n, emphasis ours.
(Living Stream Ministry), chapter 14, section 8 of 8, www. 24 Witness Lee, Watchman Nee, chapter 14, section 2 of 8, www.
ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n. http://bdcconline.net/en/ ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n.
stories/nee-watchman 25 Witness Lee, Watchman Nee, chapter 14, section 2 of 8, www.
ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n.