Mr. Chen Shun Fu

Interview Name Mr. Chen Shun Fu
Interview Date January 26 (Wed)
Interview Time Afternoon 2:00~5:00 pm
Location UALL CAFÉ
Interviewees Mr. Chen Shun Fu
Interviewer Chiu,Jia-le
Recorder Hsu,Lang-en
Purpose of the interview Want to have a deeper understanding of the history of Mackay, as well as the development of humanistic education in Taiwan, and understand the purpose of Mackay's footsteps, and motivation.

　

Introduction

　　For this International Cyberfair competition, we invited Dr.Chen Shun Fu, who has been studying Dr. Mackay for 7 years. He introduced himself in the beginning, saying that he had moved from Taipei to Yilan and lived in the countryside. But he later joined the Toucheng Church after moving there, because he was curious about how the Toucheng Church was established, and later found out that there was a missionary named Mackay, so he went on to study this legend.

Why did Dr. Mackay preach in Taiwan?

　　When Mackay was in junior high school, he listened to Pastor William's speech, he was deeply inspired and determined to go to China to preach. Later, when he arrived in China, he discovered that many people were already preaching there, so when someone told Mackay that he could go to Formosa, he came to Takao(Kaohsiung) without a doubt.

Dr. Mackay went North to Hobe

　　After Mackay came ashore, he asked Rev. Hugh Ritchie where he could go extend the religious boundaries because Mackay felt that he was a pioneer. Rev. Hugh Ritchie told Mackay that there was already a Scottish church in the Southern region. He then took Mackay to Tamsui and told Mackay that the regions between Taichung and Tamsui were all available, so then Mackay knew that there were so many places waiting for him to spread the gospel and serve the people.

Dr. Mackay's encounter in Sino-French War

　　According to Mr. Chen Shun Fu, during the Sino-French War, when Mackay broke into the battlefield to help out the residents of Toucheng, he was arrested by the Qing soldiers. The Qing commander at the time was Liu Ming Chuan. He ordered Mackay to be brought in. Liu Ming Chuan asked Mackay what was he doing here, and Mackay told him that he was going to Yilan help out and check on my disciples. Liu Ming Chuan told Mackay that he couldn’t pass through to Yilan because the side is blocked. But Mackay insisted on going anyways, so Liu Ming Chuan sent 6 Qing soldiers to escort Mackay. When he arrived at the Keelung coast, the Qing soldiers suddenly said that they all had to go back, because the French navy is nearby waiting to attack. So then Mackay had to continue his trip by walking with his two students, but it did not take long. In the process, he was caught by the French soldiers, Mackay immediately picked up the white flag he had prepared, ready to surrender. Mackay was blindfolded with white cloth, walked for a while, and also climbed a long rope ladder, after the white cloth was taken down, in front of Mackay was the French commander. The commander asked Mackay what he was doing here, Mackay said that he has to help out the residents of Toucheng, at this time, the translator beside him told the commander that when he was stationed in Tamsui, he saw Mackay preached in Tamsui and treated the locals. The commander finally believed him and ordered several French soldiers to escort Mackay. About halfway through at ReiFang, the French army saw a bunch of Qing troops and returned, leaving Mackay and two students walking on foot again to Toucheng.

Wherever there was malaria, Mackay went

　　Mr. Chen Shun Fu also said that, at that time, Guanxi Township in Hsinchu County had a serious malaria outbreak. Mackay immediately went to Hsinchu County and brought Quinine (white potion) with him to help the villagers. He also got malaria three times and almost died because of it, but Mackay still rescued the residents of Hsinchu County desperately even though it was extremely dangerous.

Dr. Mackay's interaction with the aborigines

Mackay once went to the Atayal tribe and was called by the chief. The chief knocked on Mackay's chest (representing that he is his person), this little gesture saved Mackay's life later. One time, Mackay went to the nearby mountainous area and met a group of aborigines who were hunting. Mackay made a chest knocking motion to them, which made the aborigines frightened because it was a gesture only the leader would do, so the aborigines left. However, Mackay's student Xu Rui was once hunted by the aborigines in Shitan.

Dr. Mackay was hunted when doing his missionary work

When Mackay was going to Toucheng to preach, he encountered Atayal hunters who were coming down the mountain to hunt. Mackay and his student ran for their lives and the hunters chased them from behind. Luckily, Mackay led his students to jump into the Pacific Ocean. Because the Atayal are mountain tribes can not swim, they escaped a dangerous situation.

Dr. Mackay at the British Consulate

　　There were doctors in the British consulate and Mackay was just an assistant at that time. But Mackay studied on his own, observed how British doctors treated others, and later went on to teach students.

People who are also named “Mackay”

　　A captain named Mackay donated 2500NT dollars to Dr.Mackay to help build the MacKay Hospital, and the “Kai” of the Hobe MacKay Hospital was to commemorate this captain.

Mrs. Tiu Chhang-min gave speeches

　　Mackay would took Mrs. Tiu Chhang-min with him when he returned to Canada. He would travel to fundraising speeches when he was in Canada, and sometimes it is Madam Tiu Chhang-min who went up to deliver speeches in English. And after the speech, the audiences would be amazed, and the money raised would be more than Mackay’s.

Dr. Mackay's greatest contribution in Taiwan

　　Breaking racial discrimination, gender equality are the two greatest contributions Mackay achieved in Taiwan because he himself married an indigenous woman, Mrs . Tiu Chhang-min, who is from the Kavalan tribe. Mackay said that he was willing to marry their daughter to the indigenous people. Additionally, he founded the first girls' school called the Tamsui Girls' school, so that the girls have the same right as the boys to study, the students were mostly Kavalan then, and status of the indigenous people at that time was also much more improved.

The building that best represents Dr. Mackay today

　　Oxford Academy (later became Aletheia University), Hobe MacKay Hospital (Mackay Memorial Hospital)

The churches Dr. Mackay founded in the Northern region

　　From the time Dr. Mackay arrived in Taiwan to the time he passed away, the number of Christians in Taiwan grew from 0 to 4000. And he also founded 71 churches on his own.

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