December 26, 2021, one day after Christmas Day, was the 100th anniversary of the death of Miss Alice Whitford (1867-1921), a British missionary who had served in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, for more than 30 years.
After arriving in Shanghai on January 13, 1890, the 23-year-old Alice was sent to a mission station in Wenzhou to replace Grace Ciggie Stott (the wife of Gorge Stott, the first missionary in Wenzhou) to be in charge of a girls’ school operated by the China Inland Mission (CIM) in the city. In this way, she became one of the pioneers of women’s education in Wenzhou in modern times.
After they got married in Shanghai on October 3, 1894, Alice and her husband Mr. Edward Hunt (1861-1922) went to Anqing in Anhui to preach the gospel. In May 1896, the couple returned to Britain for consultations. One and a half years later, they came back to China and were sent to Wenzhou again. Then, they served in the city known as China’s Jerusalem until they returned to their heavenly home.
As the initiator of the Sunday School of CIM in Wenzhou, she served as a supervisor at the girls’ school. She encouraged women to abandon the habit of foot-binding and to participate in the Natural Feet Society in Wenzhou. She established women's bible study classes in Wenzhou, Rui'an, and Pingyang to train female pastors.
She knew that she needed God’s grace and power to help Chinese women get rid of such long-standing corrupt custom, just like quitting opium. Alice said at an anti-foot-binding gathering that a female believer from Pingyang, Zhejiang, was moved by the Holy Spirit and made a prayer with tears, which helped her and other women in the gathering decide to break the bad habit.
The couple often preached in Wenzhou, appealing to the people to abstain from opium and accept the gospel. Besides raising funds to build churches, they opened Bible schools in many districts to train local pastors.
For thirty years, Alice engaged in managing the girls’ school, hosting Sunday worship services, opening literacy classes, and leading bible schools. Unexpectedly, due to long-term service and overwork, she became seriously ill. Several months after the surgery, she suffered a relapse, diagnosed with terminal cancer when she was sent to Shanghai for treatment. Finally, on December 26, 1921, she rested in the arms of the Lord at the age of 54.
After her death, Edward was deeply saddened. Just over a month later, he died of a heart attack at the age of 61.
- Translated by Abigail Wu