Stephen Endicott 

cctv.com 09-20-2005 16:12

James Endicott came to China a missionary, but left a strong supporter of communism. A controversial figure in the West, he went against his peers, colleagues, and government to pursue what he felt was right and good. He was a missionary, a teacher, and an advisor鈥ut ultimately James Endicott stood for one thing鈥peace. In this edition of Up-Close, James鈥son, Stephen Endicott shared his father鈥檚 philosophy and the Endicott family鈥檚 long-standing relationship with China.

James G. Endicott was a Canadian preacher born in Sichuan Province of China in 1898. After serving with the Canadian army during the Great War, he returned to China in 1925 and served as a Christian preacher, language specialist and author.

After Japan began its invasion in China in 1931, the strong aggression made life impossible for the Chinese people. The Kuomintang鈥檚 Chiang Kai-shek persisted in his belief of 鈥渇irst internal pacification, then external resistance鈥 Instead of supporting a full-blown effort to defeat Japan, he continued to dedicate resources to fighting the Communists throughout the war with Japan.

He used to be political adviser of Chiang Kai-shek鈥檚 New Life Movement. As a foreigner living in China and considering the country his home, Dr. James Endicott witnessed the corruption within the Kuomintang, and believed it could not work in the best interest of the Chinese people. After careful deliberation, Dr. Endicott concluded the Communist Party of China, was the true leader which could bring the Chinese people out of suffering, and save the entire country. From then on, he served as an advisor to the Chinese Communist forces fighting against the Japanese invaders in World War II. After the Anti-Japanese War, he spoke at student demonstrations urging opposition to the Kuomintang. He wrote the Shanghai Newsletter to support China鈥檚 revolution. When he returned to Canada, he did not give up publishing the Newsletter 鈥instead, he changed its name to 鈥淭he Canadian Far Eastern Newsletter鈥 In 1952, he disclosed the American forces鈥experiments in biological warfare in Korea and Northeast China after his investigation in Liaoning Province. Because of his great contribution to the peace of the world, he was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize.

Through Stephen Endicott, the son of James Endicott, and his story-telling, audiences will get to understand Chinese history during that unstable period. Through a friendly Canadian professor鈥檚 words, all the audience will experience the strong bond between this ordinary Canadian family and the Chinese people. When you hear an old Canadian man using his local Chengdu dialect to sing the Chinese Guerilla Song, your spirit will also lift in encouragement鈥

--Written By Zhang Yao

Editor:Hu  Source:CCTV.com