Wu Yifang and the Impact of Religious Faith on Personal Growth

One of the significant features of liberal arts educationliberal arts education is the application of inter-disciplinary studiesinter-disciplinary studies. This paper on Wu YifangWu Yifang adopts an inter-disciplinary approach, using a combination of historical and psychological approaches to the study of the life of a Chinese president at a Christian university in China. Wu Yifang was one of the first women presidents of a Christian university, Ginling CollegeGinling College in China (1928–1952), and this paper studies her life by applying Eric Erikson’s theory of “Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development” plus the concept of “Relationship” introduced by Carol Gilligan, an American psychologist who emphasized psychological theory and women’s development. There are thus discussions on the development of trust, identity formation, generativity and relationship, as found in Wu’s life, and special attention is given to relating them to the evolution of a new interpretation of the college motto, “abundant lifeabundant life” (厚生) at Ginling College. The emphasis on nurturing human persons and building up intimate relationships at Ginling reflected both a new way of representing Christian faith in the college and the creation of a new form of liberal arts education, with the emphasis on character building and close relationships among teachers and students as well as sister-classes in Ginling College. It is also interesting to note that the motto of “Abundant Life” was passed on to its successor, Nanjing Normal UniversityNanjing Normal University, where it is also a part of the university motto.