Lin Lezhi

Lin Lezhi (1836-1907), whose original name was Young John Allen, was an American Christian priest and one of famous foreign priests in China.

He was baptized in 1853 and seven years later he got to Shanghai to begin his missionary work. In 1868 he founded Church News, which was renamed Chinese Globe Magazine. Since he attached much importance to the introduction of western culture besides some religious content, the newspaper was quite popular among Chinese scholars. In 1881 he founded Anglo-Chinese College in Shanghai.

His opinion was quite typical among priests from abroad. He thought that Christianity could be realized in China through influencing top Chinese leaders. He claimed that China should learn from some western countries and carried out a series of reforms. He was the first person who suggested combining Confucianism with Christianity.

He had missionized in China for 47 years and died in Shanghai in 1907.