1927: Scripture Teaching Lane (教经胡同)
Jews resided along the Sinew Plucking Lane for centuries
By the early days of the Republic of China, Kaifeng had six clans and a Jewish population of two hundred. Most of them lived around the Sinew Plucking Lane. For centuries, the Jews were referred to by their neighbours as the people of the Sect that Plucks the Sinews (挑经教) to distinguish them from the local Muslims who also avoided pork.
Christian General Feng Yu-xiang (馮玉祥)
General Feng Yu-xiang 馮玉祥将军 [Zane Archives]
Feng Yu-xiang (1882–1948) was a warlord who converted to Christianity in 1914 and became known as the “Christian General (基督将军)" from 1919 onwards. He was rumoured to have baptised his soldiers with water from a fire hose. He actively promoted Christianity in China and showed little tolerance for other religions.
In August 1926, he returned from a trip to the Soviet Union with Deng Xiao-ping (邓小平, 1904–1997). The following month, he joined the Nationalist Party (国民党). On 1st June 1927, General Feng’s troops occupied Kaifeng.
On 14th February 1928, in the city of Kaifeng, he became blood brothers (结拜兄弟) with Jiang Jie-shi (蒋介石, 1887–1975), leader of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1975. From 1928 to 1930, Feng was made the Vice Premier of the Republic of China.
Scripture Teaching Lane considered as less barbaric
South Scripture Teaching Lane in 2018 [Zane Archives]
During General Feng’s time in Kaifeng, he felt that “Sinew Plucking Lane” was a rather barbarian (不雅) name and changed it to “Scripture Teaching Lane (教经胡同).”
In 1937, the road was further sectioned into South Scripture Teaching Lane and North Scripture Teaching Lane; the Jews mainly occupied the former. This was a short lane running from Grass Market Street (草市街) on the east and North Earth Street (北土街) on the west.