1910 March: Bishop White arrived in Kaifeng
Head of Canadian Anglican Church
The Canadian Anglican Church began its mission work in Kaifeng with Bishop William Charles White (怀履光, 1873–1960) as its regional head. Bishop White stayed on this job for twenty-five years, during which he spearheaded the building of eleven churches in Henan Province, each with their own ordained Chinese paster. By 1934, the mission was forced to leave China due to the First Phase of Chinese Civil War (第一次国共内战, 1927–1937). Bishop White went back to Toronto.
Urged Jews to reunite and return to Judaism
Bishop White's initial intention with the Kaifeng Jews was to convert them to Christianity. He soon realised this would be a challenge and urged, instead, for the community to unite and return to Judaism. For twenty-five years, he lived amongst them and frequently interacted with them. Bishop White observed, "no spark of interest in their history and in the divine heritage of Israel could be aroused in them. They were Jews no longer, either in a religious sense, or even as a community."
Jews came to China during the Roman Empire
White believed the Jews first came to China in the days of the Roman Empire. They travelled via the overland caravan routes in hopes of making a fortune from the Silk Trade. He wrote that the clay figures with West Asian features found along the caravan route supported this argument. These artefacts, however, he admits, dated to the Tang Dynasty rather than the Roman era.
1910: Tried to purchase synagogue site but failed
On his arrival, Bishop White was looking for a site to build his Canadian mission. He felt no place was more suitable for his evangelical centre than the consecrated soil of the Jewish synagogue.
He tried to purchase the property from the Jews; however, they refused to sell.
1912 December: Bishop White obtained the stelae
Zhao Yun-zhong (赵允中) arrested
Zhao Yun-zhong 赵允中next to a stone inscription, c. 1919 [Zane Archives]
In 1912, Bishop William Charles White (1873–1960) negotiated for the stone inscriptions of 1489 and 1679 to be transferred to his custody. However, the sale did not go smoothly. The local police arrested Zhao Yun-zhong for making the sale. These monuments were subsequently confiscated.
No money paid for the stelae
No monetary compensation was provided to the Kaifeng Jewish community. However, it was agreed upon that the stones would be returned to the Jewish community whenever they decided to rebuild their synagogue and wished to re-install these tablets.
Stelae placed at western entrance of Trinity Cathedral
When the monuments were returned to the courtyard of Trinity Cathedral by the police, the 1489 Stone Inscription was placed on the right-hand side of the western entrance, the 1679 Stone Inscription on the left-hand side. Roofs were built to protect them from weathering.
1935: Bishop White returned to Canada
William Charles White was the Bishop of the Canadian Missionary Diocese of Henan Province starting from 1909. In 1934, the church had to leave China due to the ongoing civil war.
Upon returning to Canada, Bishop White served as Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Toronto and Keeper of the East Asiatic Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum, a collection enhanced by his acquisitions from the Kaifeng synagogue and the mosques in Henan.
Bishop White’s engagement with the Kaifeng Jews was more extensive than any of his predecessors.