Question

For what purpose would Yung Wing include this explanation in his text? (2 points)

As early as 1834, an English lady, Mrs. Gutzlaff, wife of the Rev. Charles Gutzlaff, a missionary to China, came to Macao and, under the auspices of the Ladies' Association in London for the promotion of female education in India and the East, immediately took up the work of her mission by starting a girls' school for Chinese girls, which was soon followed by the opening of a school for boys also.

Yung Wing included the excerpt to explain how missionaries were the reason behind his education.

Yung Wing wanted the reader to understand that Mrs. Gutzlaff was educating children in China for years.

Yung Wing wanted the reader to understand that Mrs. Gutzlaff didn't know anything about educating boys.

Yung Wing included it to illustrate how common it was to have a Chinese child educated in English.

Answer 1

Yung Wing included the excerpt about Mrs. Gutzlaff to demonstrate the impact of missionaries on education in China, highlighting the importance of education made possible by early missionary efforts like hers.

Yung Wing included the explanation of Mrs. Gutzlaff's actions in his text for a specific purpose. By highlighting Mrs. Gutzlaff's missionary work in China, which involved starting schools for both girls and boys as early as 1834, Yung Wing sought to emphasize the impact that missionaries had on educational opportunities in China, possibly even affecting his own educational journey. Additionally, it demonstrates an earlier recognition of the value of education for Chinese children, contradicting any notions that the concept was a completely foreign or new idea injected by Western influence. There is no indication in the text to support the idea that Mrs. Gutzlaff didn't know anything about educating boys; thus, that statement can be disregarded. Also, it is not expressly stated that Yung Wing's intention was to illustrate how common English education was for Chinese children but rather to highlight a specific positive contribution by a missionary.