Gladys Aylward
Encyclopedia
Gladys May Aylward (24 February 1902 – 3 January 1970) was the evangelical Christian
missionary
to China
whose story was told in the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess, published in 1957. In 1958, the story was made into the Hollywood film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
, starring Ingrid Bergman
.
in 1902. Although she became a domestic worker
at an early age, she always had an ambition to go overseas as a missionary, and studied with great determination in order to be fitted for the role, only to be turned down because her academic background was inadequate and the missionary training school to which she applied was convinced that it was not possible to learn the language at her age.
Her determination was such that, in 1930, she spent her life savings on a passage to Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, China
. The perilous trip took her across Siberia
.
Aylward became a revered figure among the people, taking in orphans and adopting several herself, intervening in a volatile prison riot and advocating for prison reform, risking her life many times to help those in need. In 1938, the region was invaded by Japanese forces, and Aylward led 94 orphans to safety over the mountains, despite being wounded herself. During this period, she contemplated marriage to a Chinese officer, Colonel Linnan, and appears to have accepted his proposal; however, she later realized that her admiration and gratitude had blinded her to the fact that he was not a Christian, which led her to end the relationship. She never married.
She returned to England in the 1940s. After 10 years in England she sought to return to China, but was denied re-entry by the Communist government and instead settled in Taiwan
in 1953. There she founded the Gladys Aylward Orphanage, where she worked until her passing in 1970.
, was released in 1958. It drew from the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. Although she found herself a figure of international interest thanks to the popularity of the movie and television and media interviews, Aylward was mortified by her depiction in the film and the many liberties it took. The tall, Swedish Ingrid Bergman was inconsistent with Aylward's small stature, dark hair and cockney accent. The struggles of Aylward and her family to effect her initial trip to China were skipped over in favor of a plot device of an employer "condescending to write to 'his old friend' Jeannie Lawson," and Aylward's dangerous, complicated travels across Russia and China were reduced to "a few rude soldiers," after which "Hollywood's train delivered her neatly to Tsientsin." Many characters and places' names were changed, even when their names had significant meanings, such as those of her adopted children and of her inn, named for the Chinese belief in the number 8 as an auspicious number. Colonel Linnan was portrayed as half-European, a change which she found insulting to his Chinese lineage, and she felt her reputation damaged by the Hollywood-embellished love scenes in the film; not only had she never kissed any man, but also the film's ending portrayed her character abandoning the orphans in order to join the colonel elsewhere even though in reality she did not retire from working with orphans until she was sixty years old.
, New Taipei, Taiwan. She was known to the Chinese as 艾偉德 (Ài Wěi Dé - a Chinese approximation to 'Aylward' - meaning 'Virtuous One').
Shortly after her death, an Edmonton secondary school formerly known as Weir Hall was renamed Gladys Aylward School in her honour.
Numerous books, short stories and movies have been created about the life and work of Gladys Aylward (listed below).
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
whose story was told in the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess, published in 1957. In 1958, the story was made into the Hollywood film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness is a 1958 American 20th Century Fox film based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, a tenacious British maid, who became a missionary in China during the tumultuous years leading up to World War II...
, starring Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
.
Early life
Aylward was born of a working-class family in Edmonton, LondonEdmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
in 1902. Although she became a domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
at an early age, she always had an ambition to go overseas as a missionary, and studied with great determination in order to be fitted for the role, only to be turned down because her academic background was inadequate and the missionary training school to which she applied was convinced that it was not possible to learn the language at her age.
Her determination was such that, in 1930, she spent her life savings on a passage to Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The perilous trip took her across Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
Work in China
On her arrival in Yungcheng, Aylward worked with an older missionary, Jeannie Lawson, to found The Inn of the Eight Happinesses. For a time she served as an assistant to the Chinese government as a "foot inspector" by touring the countryside to enforce the new law against footbinding young Chinese girls. She met with much success in a field that had produced much resistance, including sometimes violence against the inspectors.Aylward became a revered figure among the people, taking in orphans and adopting several herself, intervening in a volatile prison riot and advocating for prison reform, risking her life many times to help those in need. In 1938, the region was invaded by Japanese forces, and Aylward led 94 orphans to safety over the mountains, despite being wounded herself. During this period, she contemplated marriage to a Chinese officer, Colonel Linnan, and appears to have accepted his proposal; however, she later realized that her admiration and gratitude had blinded her to the fact that he was not a Christian, which led her to end the relationship. She never married.
She returned to England in the 1940s. After 10 years in England she sought to return to China, but was denied re-entry by the Communist government and instead settled in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 1953. There she founded the Gladys Aylward Orphanage, where she worked until her passing in 1970.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The major motion picture based on her life, The Inn of the Sixth HappinessThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness is a 1958 American 20th Century Fox film based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, a tenacious British maid, who became a missionary in China during the tumultuous years leading up to World War II...
, was released in 1958. It drew from the book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. Although she found herself a figure of international interest thanks to the popularity of the movie and television and media interviews, Aylward was mortified by her depiction in the film and the many liberties it took. The tall, Swedish Ingrid Bergman was inconsistent with Aylward's small stature, dark hair and cockney accent. The struggles of Aylward and her family to effect her initial trip to China were skipped over in favor of a plot device of an employer "condescending to write to 'his old friend' Jeannie Lawson," and Aylward's dangerous, complicated travels across Russia and China were reduced to "a few rude soldiers," after which "Hollywood's train delivered her neatly to Tsientsin." Many characters and places' names were changed, even when their names had significant meanings, such as those of her adopted children and of her inn, named for the Chinese belief in the number 8 as an auspicious number. Colonel Linnan was portrayed as half-European, a change which she found insulting to his Chinese lineage, and she felt her reputation damaged by the Hollywood-embellished love scenes in the film; not only had she never kissed any man, but also the film's ending portrayed her character abandoning the orphans in order to join the colonel elsewhere even though in reality she did not retire from working with orphans until she was sixty years old.
Death and legacy
Aylward died on 3 January 1970 just short of her 68th birthday, and is buried in a small cemetery on the campus of Christ's College in GuanduGuandu
Guandu may refer to:*Battle of Guandu , battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in the Three Kingdoms Period*Guandu Station , station of the Taipei Metro in Beitou District, Taipei, Republic of China...
, New Taipei, Taiwan. She was known to the Chinese as 艾偉德 (Ài Wěi Dé - a Chinese approximation to 'Aylward' - meaning 'Virtuous One').
Shortly after her death, an Edmonton secondary school formerly known as Weir Hall was renamed Gladys Aylward School in her honour.
Numerous books, short stories and movies have been created about the life and work of Gladys Aylward (listed below).
Videography
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) - feature film
- Gladys Aylward, the Small Woman with a Great God (2008) - Documentary
- Torchlighters: The Gladys Aylward Story (2008) - animated DVD for children ages 8–12.