Scouting in Mainland China
Encyclopedia
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China
(PRC) by the Communist Party
in 1949, Scouting has officially been banned, while the Young Pioneers of China
and the Communist Youth League
have become the dominant youth organization in mainland China
for younger and older youth, respectively. However, the People's Republic of China now has multiple and originally separate Scouting activities within its borders. The newly founded Scout Association of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国,童军总会) serves Venture Scouts (15 years old to 20) in both genders as well as Rover Scouts
(18 years old to 25).
Scouting
is active in both Hong Kong
and Macau
, special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, whose legal systems are separate from that of the rest of the PRC.
Scouting existed in mainland China before 1949 under the Republic of China
(ROC). In 1949, the ROC government withdrew to Taiwan
, where it remains today, and Scouting has continued in Taiwan under the name Scouts of China
.
In 2004, the Scout Club of Hainan (海南童子军俱乐部), borrowing heavily from Scouting in terms of emblems, uniforms and activities, was founded in Hainan Province
; it is, however, not affiliated with worldwide Scouting. An attempt to organize a nationwide Scouting organization in Wuhan
was ended by the government in 2004.
, the first Scout
troop was organized by Reverend Yen Chia-lin in Wuchang on February 25, 1912 and the Scouting movement spread rapidly all over the country.
The General Association of the Scouts of China
was formally established in Nanking in 1934, and became a member of the International Scout Bureau
in 1937. Many Scouts actively participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War
from 1937 to 1945.
There were 570,000 registered members in 1941. However, all Scouting activities were interrupted in 1949, when the Chinese communists
took over mainland China
. The Chinese Scout Association was reorganized in 1950 after the ROC government was relocated to Taipei, and resumed membership in the International Scout Bureau as Scouts of China
.
It was destined to evolve into a viable British Association of British and English speaking
Scouts whose nationalities were of more than forty countries, and who were full time residents of the
“International Settlement,” at Shanghai, which had been a Treaty Port of China since 1842.
In 1909 a Troop of "Boy Scouts" was formed as a branch of the then existing (British) "Boys’ Brigade,”
a precursor to Shanghai Scouting, whose members were representative of the cosmopolitan but culturally Western population of the city.
On October 6,1910, twenty-five boys were selected from the Boys's Brigade Scouts to form the “Shanghai Boy Scouts," independent of Headquarters, London, expressly for purpose of separation from the Boys' Brigade. These were boys of various nationalities including some British subjects and those of several different faiths.
In the spring of 1911, the Shanghai Boy Scouts finally left the Boys' Brigade, emerging as three Troops;
A, B, and C. with approximately forty-two members, wearing three different scarves. There were six
Scoutmasters, the Chief Scoutmaster being G.R.Welch, a Briton. They were not registered at HQ, London
and soon became an independent Association under the aegis of the Shanghai Municipal Council, the
governing body of the International Settlement of Shanghai.
Before Empire Day, 1911, a mature, independent Dragon Troop with some choir boys of the
Holy Trinity Cathedral
amalgamated with a number of experienced British Scouts from the Boys' Brigade,
and were issued a new Warrant dated May 24, 1911, as the entirely British, Troop. Consolidation was credited to a Warranted Scoutmaster from England, H.R.Hertslet.( Medal of Merit ca.1912.) The Trinity
Cathedral Church House and compound became the 1st Shanghai Baden-Powell Group’s Headquarters for
the next 30 years.
On April 12, 1912, a joint parade was held at the British Consulate Grounds in honor of Lt. General
Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who inspected both Scout Associations during his visit to Shanghai.
Undoubtedly all existing Scouts of the Settlement would have attended. Present were
35 Baden-Powell Scouts, 70 Shanghai Boy Scouts, 15 Baden-Powell Girl Scouts and combined, 11
Scoutmasters, for a total strength of 131. There were no Boys' Brigade Scouts present. It appears that Boys'
Brigade had divested themselves of a Scouting program which was in keeping with some similar actions in
Great Britain around that time.
Soon after this memorable parade, nine senior boys left the 1st Baden-Powell Troop to continue or
complete their education in England. Thus, the 1st Shanghai Troop of Baden-Powell Scouts was able to
make a presence at the “Imperial Scout Exhibition” in Birmingham, July 1913, as the “Dragon Troop”
of Shanghai wearing their original dark uniforms of 1909. (1st Baden-Powell had changed to khaki in 1911.)
By April 1914, without any senior members of the Shanghai Public School left in the 1st Baden-Powell
Troop, the remaining Cathedral School Scouts were registered as the 1st Shanghai Cathedral School Troop,
thus becoming the 1st Baden-Powell. Their first Scoutmaster was L.R.Wheen. (Warranted April 7, 1914
HQ London.)
In August, the Great War in Europe had an unforeseen effect on the composition of the Scout Groups in
Shanghai. F.C. Millington, one of the earliest Warranted Scoutmasters in the world, took charge of the
1st Baden-Powell Scouts at the end of 1914 and on January 30, 1915, he and Rev. A. J. Walker, invested
twenty-two new boys from the two schools, including several senior British Scouts from the Shanghai
Public School Troop of Shanghai Boy Scouts. By the end of 1914 five British Scouts had left to serve at
the Western Front, as signalers.
On May 24, 1915, the fourth anniversary of the Troop, a telegram from HQ London, sanctioned the
addition of all Public School Patrols, as a separate section of the 1st Baden-Powell. This included
members of the of other nationalities, and without having to leave the den at the Shanghai Municipal
Council's “state of the art” school building. These were the first international members of the British
Association. By the end of the year at least another ten British Scouts including Millington, had left
to serve their country.
A Combined Rally of three Associations was held on June 26, 1915. The Chinese Boy Scouts
Association had approximately 200 attendees, the Shanghai Boy Scouts, about 30, and the Baden-Powell
Scouts, about 60. The 1st Baden-Powell comprised Cathedral School Patrols and newly sanctioned Public
School Patrols ( formerly of the Shanghai Boy Scouts .) In August 1915, Fitzroy Lloyd took over as
Scoutmaster with Samuel Hore as Assistant Scoutmaster. It is all but certain that Lloyd and Hore
originated as Scouters in Boys' Brigade and were not warranted by HQ London until a few years later.
C.A. Connor, W.R. Hatton and E. Judah also originated in Boys' Brigade and were skilled signalers;
Connor was an Instructor, while Hatton was the first death recorded.
In late 1916, the Public School Patrols of 1st Baden-Powell, became the 2nd Shanghai Public School
Troop of Baden-Powell Scouts; they became the trailblazers for the thousands that followed in the next
thirty years.
In 1919 a 3rd French Municipal School Troop and 4th Thomas Hanbury School Pack were
formed and from 1919 to 1948 many new Troops of international members were registered with
“Imperial Headquarters” (a name change in 1920). Sixteen Group numbers were issued by the
Shanghai Branch, up to 1942. This rapidly growing Association provided impetus for mature Troops
to form their own National Associations.
In Shanghai, Scout troops for the Americans, the French, the stateless Russians, and other Europeans, all got their start with the British Movement of the “International Settlement.” Prior to the establishment of other Associations, foreign Scouts were taking instructions and passing tests in English and wearing British uniforms and badges. Many, however did have the benefit of an early British education at schools in the International Settlement.
In regard to Chinese Scouts, they first started at Boone University in Wuchang in 1912, but began
at Shanghai in 1913 with the help of resident bilingual British and American Scoutmasters. By the
summer of 1915 they had grown into six Troops. Four out of the six were linked to Christian institutions
and two were of secular schools. Chinese Scouts converted to their Nationalist Association toward the
latter part of 1926. In 1932, at least four Chinese Scout paramedics became martyrs during the
Battle of Shanghai.
The British Association’s peak strength was 621 in 1940, averaging about ten constant Groups
from 1932 to 1941. From the beginning of The Boy Scouts Association at Shanghai in 1911 up
to 1948, sixteen Group Numbers were issued with several being reissued to new arrivals as older
Groups expired. This eventually comprised about thirty known Groups of one or more units of
Wolf Cub Packs, Scout Troops or Rover Crews.
In addition to several School and Church Groups, there was a Jewish Group, two Catholic Groups,
two central European refugee Groups, Czechoslovakian “Old Scouts,” who became Rovers, two
"White" Russian Troops and a French Municipal School Group. At one time there was even a German
Lutheran Group based in Shanghai's German School, the Kaiser Wilhelm Schule, which was taken
over by the Hitler Jugend in 1933, when their membership was cancelled. There were also two Shanghai
Telephone Company Rover Crews, a Wool Manufacturing Company Cub pack and several Independent
Groups.
Among the British Scout Groups in Shanghai was also the 5th Shanghai (Jewish) Boy Scout Troop, that was under the leadership of Scoutmaster Noel Jacobs
. Jacobs and Scouts from the 5th Boy Scout Troop founded together with members from the Jewish youth movement Betar
a a Jewish unit in the Shanghai Volunteer Corps
.
The European refugees were mostly Austrians and many others who had escaped the Holocaust. They were the latest Scouts to find safe haven in Shanghai but became restricted to a designated area by the Japanese military during the occupation. They became very active after the war when other Groups were closing and those of all nationalities were emigrating to various parts of the world, while awaiting their own turn in 1948.
In 1939 the 13th (United) Group were founded by the Austrian Scouter Fredy Mittler in Shanghai
. This group consisted of Austrian
and German
Jewish émigrés. It was affiliated to The Boy Scout Association
. At the end of World War II
there were 120 members. This group continued its service also after World War II. The Group closed after most of the members left for Europe, America and Australia after World War II. Until the Group closed there were active members in Shanghai, Australia, Austria, the United States and South America. The members abroad reported about their new life in the Groups paper "The 13th News". Within the 13th United Group were Cubs, Scouts, Rovers, Old Scouts, Brownies and Girl Guides. In 1947 Patrol Leader Robert Knop gained the rank of King Scout and the Red All Round Cord. Patrol Leader Fritz Tausig took part in the 6th World Scout Jamboree
as a member of the Austrian Contingent.
In much earlier decades they were preceded by other refugees who had been persecuted by the pogrom in Siberia, and Russians who had escaped the Russian and Bolshevik Revolutions of 1917 and 1918.
The heyday of the British Association was from 1931 to 1941. The Cathedral School, which moved
into a new buiding in 1928, finally became a senior school. The Cathedral School Troop won the Rotary
Shield Competition four times in nine years, competing with all the Scout Troops of Shanghai.
The Shanghai Public School in the Eastern District had won the first two contests in 1921 and 1922,
but at that time there were only two competitors. In the subsequent years the Jewish Troop won it
seven times, the Public School twice, Russians twice, the French once, the Catholics once, and, in 1941,
in what was destined to become the final Jamboree, the Western District Public School won by what was
an unprecedented margin of 10%.
British Scout also provided Postal Service for the International Settlement during a big strike in 1932.
The Crown Colony of Hong Kong was the official Far Eastern base of Britain's China's fleet,
but Deep Sea Scouts of the Royal Navy were frequent visitors to Shanghai, their their “home away
from home." The Royal Navy’s first reported visit with local Scouts at Shanghai was in 1911, before
Deep Sea Scouts or Rover Scouts existed.
The Scouting District of Shanghai endured for over four decades, and proudly thrived under the authority of Lord Baden-Powell and the International Commissioners at Imperial Headquarters, London, starting with Hubert Martin in1920-38, Richard Frost in 1938-43, and Glad Bincham in 1943-52. These administrations preceded the universally recognized “British Groups Abroad” of the Scout Association, at Gilwell, in the United Kingdom. Shanghai's vibrant Association of “British Scouts,” whose members were actually mostly international, lasted through WW II. By 1943, virtually all British and Allied nationals had been interned by the Japanese for duration of the war. Their plight at best was unpleasant and humiliating, and in many cases tragic. Nevertheless, Scouting continued, discretely during the occupation of 1941-1943, and secretly from 1944-1945, when tensions had reached a dangerous level.
After two world wars and major political, economic and societal changes, the mass exodus of
Western populations from Shanghai was inevitable. The Communist Government had taken over in 1949, and the
British Association virtually ended with the terminal illness of District Commissioner A. H. Gordon (Silver Wolf, 1950) the last British Scout. He witnessed a remaining Pack of mature Wolf Cubs grow up into the small Catholic “Champagnat,” Scout Troop, before he left China in July 1950.
There were no longer any British members but he put these international boys as well as Association
flags into the trusted hands of Warranted Assistant Commissioner for Rovers, Emil Stembera,
a Czechoslovakian. This Acting Commissioner was obliged to disband them in November 1953 and did
so at a solemn ceremony, reaffirming the “Scout Promise”in closing the Troop and Shanghai Branch.
fleeing bolshevism followed White Russian émigrés
from 1917 to 1922 through Vladivostok
to the east into Manchuria
and south into central China, where very large groups of Russian Scouts came into being in cities such as Harbin
, Tientsin and Shanghai
.
to PRC in 1997, The Scout Association of Hong Kong
(SAHK) has been being actively organising exchange programmes in mainland China. In 2004, the SAHK, the Shenzhen
Youth Federation and the Working Committee of Young Pioneers
in Shenzhen organized the first joint camp with 490 Hong Kong and 360 Shenzhen participants. The SAHK held five regional camps in mainland China in 2005: in Xinjiang
, Gansu
, Qinghai
, Jilin
and Inner Mongolia
. All mainland China activities of the SAHK are coordinated via its "International and Liaison Branch".
The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
has also established partnerships with youth and women organizations in mainland China.
A first local Scout organization emerged in the Tianjin municipality
in 1997 mainly aimed at disadvantaged children. It was still active in January 2004 with 40 local groups and more than 4,000 members of both genders, but its actual status is unknown.
An attempt to start a nationwide Scouting organization in Wuhan
was curtailed by the government in mid-2004. The website of the incipient organization continues to exist as an active community of people interested in the subject, but the organization has not been restarted.
Also in mid-2004, the Scout Club of Hainan was started in Hainan
province. It borrows heavily from international Scouting in terms of its emblem, ideals, uniforms, and activities, and has organized frequent outdoor camps since its founding. It is not aligned to an international Scouting movement.
The Shanghai Scout Club founded in Shanghai
in December 2006 participated in JOTI
2007 and JOTI 2008. It also borrows heavily from international Scouting in terms of its emblem, ideals, uniforms, and activities.
This group was mentioned as a Radio
Scout group in the Austrian Scout magazine Telescout-News in December 2007. The Shanghai Scout Club joined the newly founded Scout Association of the People's Republic of China
(中华人民共和国,童军总会) and is registered as Shanghai Scout.
Further units of this Scout association are the Rover Alpha Fujian Crew, Guangdong Rover, Rover "A" Jiangsu Crew.
The Scout Association of The People's Republic of China serves Rover Scouts
and Venture Scouts. Scouts of these associations took part in JOTA
and JOTI 2009 and the association issued several memorabilia
for these events. In close connection to Scout Association of The People's Republic of China is the Team Delta Rovers (中国三角洲成人童军队).
and Macau
are special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, i.e. with legal systems separate from that of mainland China
(i.e. the rest of the country). The two territories were European possessions until 1997 and 1999 respectively. Scouting has continued after the transfers of sovereignty. In Hong Kong, The Scout Association of Hong Kong
has 96,682 Scouts, and The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
has 55,145 Guides
. In Macau Scouting is organised by the Associação de Escoteiros de Macau, a WOSM associate member.
in various cities including Nanjing. There are two units of Girlguiding UK
, served by British Guides in Foreign Countries
in Shanghai.
USA Girl Scouts Overseas
in the People's Republic of China are serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in New York
, with troops in Beijing
, Guangzhou
, Kunming
, Nanjing
, Shanghai
, Shekou
, Tianjin
and Zhuhai
. Also, there are both American Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as American Cub packs in Wuxi
and Tianjin
and an American Boy Scout troop in Dali
. Further more there are a Varsity Scout Team in Beijing and Lone Scouts in Xiamen
(Amoy) and possibly other locations, linked to the Direct Service branch of the Boy Scouts of America, which supports units around the world. American Scouting in Mainland China is open to youth holding a foreign passport and includes youth from Korea, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Great Britain, Sweden and Singapore.
is Tayyar Bol, translating as Be Prepared.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC) by the Communist Party
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
in 1949, Scouting has officially been banned, while the Young Pioneers of China
Young Pioneers of China
The Young Pioneers of China is a mass youth organization for children aged six to fourteen in the People's Republic of China. The Young Pioneers of China is run by the Communist Youth League, an organization of older youth that comes under the Communist Party of China...
and the Communist Youth League
Communist Youth League
The Communist Youth League of China also known as the China Youth League is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight, run by Communist Party of China. The league is organized on the party pattern. Its leader is its First Secretary...
have become the dominant youth organization in mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
for younger and older youth, respectively. However, the People's Republic of China now has multiple and originally separate Scouting activities within its borders. The newly founded Scout Association of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国,童军总会) serves Venture Scouts (15 years old to 20) in both genders as well as Rover Scouts
Rover Scouts
Rover Scouting is a service division of Scouting for young men, and in most countries, women. A group of Rovers, analogous to a Scout troop, is called a 'Crew.'...
(18 years old to 25).
Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
is active in both Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, whose legal systems are separate from that of the rest of the PRC.
Scouting existed in mainland China before 1949 under the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(ROC). In 1949, the ROC government withdrew to 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...
, where it remains today, and Scouting has continued in Taiwan under the name Scouts of China
Scouts of China
The Scouts of China is the national Scouting association of the Republic of China, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
.
In 2004, the Scout Club of Hainan (海南童子军俱乐部), borrowing heavily from Scouting in terms of emblems, uniforms and activities, was founded in Hainan Province
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
; it is, however, not affiliated with worldwide Scouting. An attempt to organize a nationwide Scouting organization in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
was ended by the government in 2004.
Chinese Scouting 1912-1950
Following the birth of the Republic of ChinaRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, the first Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
troop was organized by Reverend Yen Chia-lin in Wuchang on February 25, 1912 and the Scouting movement spread rapidly all over the country.
The General Association of the Scouts of China
Scouts of China
The Scouts of China is the national Scouting association of the Republic of China, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
was formally established in Nanking in 1934, and became a member of the International Scout Bureau
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...
in 1937. Many Scouts actively participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
from 1937 to 1945.
There were 570,000 registered members in 1941. However, all Scouting activities were interrupted in 1949, when the Chinese communists
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
took over mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. The Chinese Scout Association was reorganized in 1950 after the ROC government was relocated to Taipei, and resumed membership in the International Scout Bureau as Scouts of China
Scouts of China
The Scouts of China is the national Scouting association of the Republic of China, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
.
British and International Scouting in Shanghai
The 1st Dragon Troop, formed in 1909 and registered 1910, was the earliest Scout Troop in the Far East.It was destined to evolve into a viable British Association of British and English speaking
Scouts whose nationalities were of more than forty countries, and who were full time residents of the
“International Settlement,” at Shanghai, which had been a Treaty Port of China since 1842.
In 1909 a Troop of "Boy Scouts" was formed as a branch of the then existing (British) "Boys’ Brigade,”
a precursor to Shanghai Scouting, whose members were representative of the cosmopolitan but culturally Western population of the city.
On October 6,1910, twenty-five boys were selected from the Boys's Brigade Scouts to form the “Shanghai Boy Scouts," independent of Headquarters, London, expressly for purpose of separation from the Boys' Brigade. These were boys of various nationalities including some British subjects and those of several different faiths.
In the spring of 1911, the Shanghai Boy Scouts finally left the Boys' Brigade, emerging as three Troops;
A, B, and C. with approximately forty-two members, wearing three different scarves. There were six
Scoutmasters, the Chief Scoutmaster being G.R.Welch, a Briton. They were not registered at HQ, London
and soon became an independent Association under the aegis of the Shanghai Municipal Council, the
governing body of the International Settlement of Shanghai.
Before Empire Day, 1911, a mature, independent Dragon Troop with some choir boys of the
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Shanghai is a Anglican Cathedral in Huangpu District, Shanghai.-History:Before the forced amalgamation of the Anglicanism in mainland China into the lianghui in 1958, it was an Anglican Cathedral of the Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui, the eldest in China...
amalgamated with a number of experienced British Scouts from the Boys' Brigade,
and were issued a new Warrant dated May 24, 1911, as the entirely British, Troop. Consolidation was credited to a Warranted Scoutmaster from England, H.R.Hertslet.( Medal of Merit ca.1912.) The Trinity
Cathedral Church House and compound became the 1st Shanghai Baden-Powell Group’s Headquarters for
the next 30 years.
On April 12, 1912, a joint parade was held at the British Consulate Grounds in honor of Lt. General
Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who inspected both Scout Associations during his visit to Shanghai.
Undoubtedly all existing Scouts of the Settlement would have attended. Present were
35 Baden-Powell Scouts, 70 Shanghai Boy Scouts, 15 Baden-Powell Girl Scouts and combined, 11
Scoutmasters, for a total strength of 131. There were no Boys' Brigade Scouts present. It appears that Boys'
Brigade had divested themselves of a Scouting program which was in keeping with some similar actions in
Great Britain around that time.
Soon after this memorable parade, nine senior boys left the 1st Baden-Powell Troop to continue or
complete their education in England. Thus, the 1st Shanghai Troop of Baden-Powell Scouts was able to
make a presence at the “Imperial Scout Exhibition” in Birmingham, July 1913, as the “Dragon Troop”
of Shanghai wearing their original dark uniforms of 1909. (1st Baden-Powell had changed to khaki in 1911.)
By April 1914, without any senior members of the Shanghai Public School left in the 1st Baden-Powell
Troop, the remaining Cathedral School Scouts were registered as the 1st Shanghai Cathedral School Troop,
thus becoming the 1st Baden-Powell. Their first Scoutmaster was L.R.Wheen. (Warranted April 7, 1914
HQ London.)
In August, the Great War in Europe had an unforeseen effect on the composition of the Scout Groups in
Shanghai. F.C. Millington, one of the earliest Warranted Scoutmasters in the world, took charge of the
1st Baden-Powell Scouts at the end of 1914 and on January 30, 1915, he and Rev. A. J. Walker, invested
twenty-two new boys from the two schools, including several senior British Scouts from the Shanghai
Public School Troop of Shanghai Boy Scouts. By the end of 1914 five British Scouts had left to serve at
the Western Front, as signalers.
On May 24, 1915, the fourth anniversary of the Troop, a telegram from HQ London, sanctioned the
addition of all Public School Patrols, as a separate section of the 1st Baden-Powell. This included
members of the of other nationalities, and without having to leave the den at the Shanghai Municipal
Council's “state of the art” school building. These were the first international members of the British
Association. By the end of the year at least another ten British Scouts including Millington, had left
to serve their country.
A Combined Rally of three Associations was held on June 26, 1915. The Chinese Boy Scouts
Association had approximately 200 attendees, the Shanghai Boy Scouts, about 30, and the Baden-Powell
Scouts, about 60. The 1st Baden-Powell comprised Cathedral School Patrols and newly sanctioned Public
School Patrols ( formerly of the Shanghai Boy Scouts .) In August 1915, Fitzroy Lloyd took over as
Scoutmaster with Samuel Hore as Assistant Scoutmaster. It is all but certain that Lloyd and Hore
originated as Scouters in Boys' Brigade and were not warranted by HQ London until a few years later.
C.A. Connor, W.R. Hatton and E. Judah also originated in Boys' Brigade and were skilled signalers;
Connor was an Instructor, while Hatton was the first death recorded.
In late 1916, the Public School Patrols of 1st Baden-Powell, became the 2nd Shanghai Public School
Troop of Baden-Powell Scouts; they became the trailblazers for the thousands that followed in the next
thirty years.
In 1919 a 3rd French Municipal School Troop and 4th Thomas Hanbury School Pack were
formed and from 1919 to 1948 many new Troops of international members were registered with
“Imperial Headquarters” (a name change in 1920). Sixteen Group numbers were issued by the
Shanghai Branch, up to 1942. This rapidly growing Association provided impetus for mature Troops
to form their own National Associations.
In Shanghai, Scout troops for the Americans, the French, the stateless Russians, and other Europeans, all got their start with the British Movement of the “International Settlement.” Prior to the establishment of other Associations, foreign Scouts were taking instructions and passing tests in English and wearing British uniforms and badges. Many, however did have the benefit of an early British education at schools in the International Settlement.
In regard to Chinese Scouts, they first started at Boone University in Wuchang in 1912, but began
at Shanghai in 1913 with the help of resident bilingual British and American Scoutmasters. By the
summer of 1915 they had grown into six Troops. Four out of the six were linked to Christian institutions
and two were of secular schools. Chinese Scouts converted to their Nationalist Association toward the
latter part of 1926. In 1932, at least four Chinese Scout paramedics became martyrs during the
Battle of Shanghai.
The British Association’s peak strength was 621 in 1940, averaging about ten constant Groups
from 1932 to 1941. From the beginning of The Boy Scouts Association at Shanghai in 1911 up
to 1948, sixteen Group Numbers were issued with several being reissued to new arrivals as older
Groups expired. This eventually comprised about thirty known Groups of one or more units of
Wolf Cub Packs, Scout Troops or Rover Crews.
In addition to several School and Church Groups, there was a Jewish Group, two Catholic Groups,
two central European refugee Groups, Czechoslovakian “Old Scouts,” who became Rovers, two
"White" Russian Troops and a French Municipal School Group. At one time there was even a German
Lutheran Group based in Shanghai's German School, the Kaiser Wilhelm Schule, which was taken
over by the Hitler Jugend in 1933, when their membership was cancelled. There were also two Shanghai
Telephone Company Rover Crews, a Wool Manufacturing Company Cub pack and several Independent
Groups.
Among the British Scout Groups in Shanghai was also the 5th Shanghai (Jewish) Boy Scout Troop, that was under the leadership of Scoutmaster Noel Jacobs
Noel Jacobs
Noel S. Jacobs was the first and only commander of the Jewish Company of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps.Born in England to a Methodist family, he grew up in Hong Kong. He was a founder-member of the first Boy Scout Troop to be formed in the city...
. Jacobs and Scouts from the 5th Boy Scout Troop founded together with members from the Jewish youth movement Betar
Betar
The Betar Movement is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir Jabotinsky. It has been traditionally linked to the original Herut and then Likud political parties of Israel, and was closely affiliated with the pre-Israel Revisionist Zionist splinter group...
a a Jewish unit in the Shanghai Volunteer Corps
Shanghai Volunteer Corps
The Shanghai Volunteer Corps , also known as the Shanghai Defence Corps, was a part time military unit of the Shanghai International Settlement in existence from 1853 to 1942.-History:...
.
The European refugees were mostly Austrians and many others who had escaped the Holocaust. They were the latest Scouts to find safe haven in Shanghai but became restricted to a designated area by the Japanese military during the occupation. They became very active after the war when other Groups were closing and those of all nationalities were emigrating to various parts of the world, while awaiting their own turn in 1948.
In 1939 the 13th (United) Group were founded by the Austrian Scouter Fredy Mittler in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. This group consisted of Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
and German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
Jewish émigrés. It was affiliated to The Boy Scout Association
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
. At the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
there were 120 members. This group continued its service also after World War II. The Group closed after most of the members left for Europe, America and Australia after World War II. Until the Group closed there were active members in Shanghai, Australia, Austria, the United States and South America. The members abroad reported about their new life in the Groups paper "The 13th News". Within the 13th United Group were Cubs, Scouts, Rovers, Old Scouts, Brownies and Girl Guides. In 1947 Patrol Leader Robert Knop gained the rank of King Scout and the Red All Round Cord. Patrol Leader Fritz Tausig took part in the 6th World Scout Jamboree
6th World Scout Jamboree
The 6th World Scout Jamboree was held in 1947 and was hosted by France at Moisson.Following the devastation of World War II, this event was aptly named the Jamboree of Peace...
as a member of the Austrian Contingent.
In much earlier decades they were preceded by other refugees who had been persecuted by the pogrom in Siberia, and Russians who had escaped the Russian and Bolshevik Revolutions of 1917 and 1918.
The heyday of the British Association was from 1931 to 1941. The Cathedral School, which moved
into a new buiding in 1928, finally became a senior school. The Cathedral School Troop won the Rotary
Shield Competition four times in nine years, competing with all the Scout Troops of Shanghai.
The Shanghai Public School in the Eastern District had won the first two contests in 1921 and 1922,
but at that time there were only two competitors. In the subsequent years the Jewish Troop won it
seven times, the Public School twice, Russians twice, the French once, the Catholics once, and, in 1941,
in what was destined to become the final Jamboree, the Western District Public School won by what was
an unprecedented margin of 10%.
British Scout also provided Postal Service for the International Settlement during a big strike in 1932.
The Crown Colony of Hong Kong was the official Far Eastern base of Britain's China's fleet,
but Deep Sea Scouts of the Royal Navy were frequent visitors to Shanghai, their their “home away
from home." The Royal Navy’s first reported visit with local Scouts at Shanghai was in 1911, before
Deep Sea Scouts or Rover Scouts existed.
The Scouting District of Shanghai endured for over four decades, and proudly thrived under the authority of Lord Baden-Powell and the International Commissioners at Imperial Headquarters, London, starting with Hubert Martin in1920-38, Richard Frost in 1938-43, and Glad Bincham in 1943-52. These administrations preceded the universally recognized “British Groups Abroad” of the Scout Association, at Gilwell, in the United Kingdom. Shanghai's vibrant Association of “British Scouts,” whose members were actually mostly international, lasted through WW II. By 1943, virtually all British and Allied nationals had been interned by the Japanese for duration of the war. Their plight at best was unpleasant and humiliating, and in many cases tragic. Nevertheless, Scouting continued, discretely during the occupation of 1941-1943, and secretly from 1944-1945, when tensions had reached a dangerous level.
After two world wars and major political, economic and societal changes, the mass exodus of
Western populations from Shanghai was inevitable. The Communist Government had taken over in 1949, and the
British Association virtually ended with the terminal illness of District Commissioner A. H. Gordon (Silver Wolf, 1950) the last British Scout. He witnessed a remaining Pack of mature Wolf Cubs grow up into the small Catholic “Champagnat,” Scout Troop, before he left China in July 1950.
There were no longer any British members but he put these international boys as well as Association
flags into the trusted hands of Warranted Assistant Commissioner for Rovers, Emil Stembera,
a Czechoslovakian. This Acting Commissioner was obliged to disband them in November 1953 and did
so at a solemn ceremony, reaffirming the “Scout Promise”in closing the Troop and Shanghai Branch.
British Scouting in other parts of Mainland China
In 1930 there were British Boy Scout Troops not only in Shanghai, but also in Tientsin.Russian Scouting in Mainland China 1922-1947
Russian ScoutsScouting in Russia
Scouting in Russia comprises several dozen Scout associations, based on religion, politics and geography.-History of Scouting in Russia:-1908 to 1922:...
fleeing bolshevism followed White Russian émigrés
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
from 1917 to 1922 through Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
to the east into Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and south into central China, where very large groups of Russian Scouts came into being in cities such as Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, Tientsin and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
American Scouting in other parts of Mainland China
There were also several American Scout Troops in China during the 1920ties i.e. in Beijing.Recent developments
Since the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to PRC in 1997, The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the overall Scouting organization in Hong Kong. After the first Scouting initiatives in 1909, the Hong Kong branch of The Scout Association of the United Kingdom was started in 1914 by registering the St. Joseph's College Scout Group, and was formally...
(SAHK) has been being actively organising exchange programmes in mainland China. In 2004, the SAHK, the Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
Youth Federation and the Working Committee of Young Pioneers
Young Pioneers of China
The Young Pioneers of China is a mass youth organization for children aged six to fourteen in the People's Republic of China. The Young Pioneers of China is run by the Communist Youth League, an organization of older youth that comes under the Communist Party of China...
in Shenzhen organized the first joint camp with 490 Hong Kong and 360 Shenzhen participants. The SAHK held five regional camps in mainland China in 2005: in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
, Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
and Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. All mainland China activities of the SAHK are coordinated via its "International and Liaison Branch".
The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
Hong Kong Girl Guides Association is the sole Guide organisation in Hong Kong. It was formally established in 1919 though the first Girl Guides Company was formed in 1916. The association became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1978...
has also established partnerships with youth and women organizations in mainland China.
A first local Scout organization emerged in the Tianjin municipality
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
in 1997 mainly aimed at disadvantaged children. It was still active in January 2004 with 40 local groups and more than 4,000 members of both genders, but its actual status is unknown.
An attempt to start a nationwide Scouting organization in Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
was curtailed by the government in mid-2004. The website of the incipient organization continues to exist as an active community of people interested in the subject, but the organization has not been restarted.
Also in mid-2004, the Scout Club of Hainan was started in Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
province. It borrows heavily from international Scouting in terms of its emblem, ideals, uniforms, and activities, and has organized frequent outdoor camps since its founding. It is not aligned to an international Scouting movement.
The Shanghai Scout Club founded in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in December 2006 participated in JOTI
World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17....
2007 and JOTI 2008. It also borrows heavily from international Scouting in terms of its emblem, ideals, uniforms, and activities.
This group was mentioned as a Radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
Scout group in the Austrian Scout magazine Telescout-News in December 2007. The Shanghai Scout Club joined the newly founded Scout Association of the People's Republic of China
Scout Association of the People's Republic of China
The People's Republic of China now has multiple and originally separate Scouting activities within its borders. The newly founded Scout Association of the People's Republic of China serves Rover Scouts and Venture Scouts 15 years old and above in both genders.Registered units of this association...
(中华人民共和国,童军总会) and is registered as Shanghai Scout.
Further units of this Scout association are the Rover Alpha Fujian Crew, Guangdong Rover, Rover "A" Jiangsu Crew.
The Scout Association of The People's Republic of China serves Rover Scouts
Rover Scouts
Rover Scouting is a service division of Scouting for young men, and in most countries, women. A group of Rovers, analogous to a Scout troop, is called a 'Crew.'...
and Venture Scouts. Scouts of these associations took part in JOTA
Jota
Jota may refer to:*the name of J, the tenth letter of the Spanish alphabet and Portuguese alphabet*Jota , a type of Spanish music and dance*Jota, a bean-sauerkraut soup of Slovenian/Croatian origin*Laverda Jota, a motorcycle...
and JOTI 2009 and the association issued several memorabilia
Scouting memorabilia collecting
Scouting memorabilia collecting is the hobby of preserving and cataloguing Boy Scouting and Girl Guiding items for their historic, aesthetic and monetary value. Since collecting depends on the interests of the individual collector, the depth and breadth of each collection varies...
for these events. In close connection to Scout Association of The People's Republic of China is the Team Delta Rovers (中国三角洲成人童军队).
Hong Kong and Macau
Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
are special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, i.e. with legal systems separate from that of mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
(i.e. the rest of the country). The two territories were European possessions until 1997 and 1999 respectively. Scouting has continued after the transfers of sovereignty. In Hong Kong, The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the overall Scouting organization in Hong Kong. After the first Scouting initiatives in 1909, the Hong Kong branch of The Scout Association of the United Kingdom was started in 1914 by registering the St. Joseph's College Scout Group, and was formally...
has 96,682 Scouts, and The Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
Hong Kong Girl Guides Association
Hong Kong Girl Guides Association is the sole Guide organisation in Hong Kong. It was formally established in 1919 though the first Girl Guides Company was formed in 1916. The association became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1978...
has 55,145 Guides
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
. In Macau Scouting is organised by the Associação de Escoteiros de Macau, a WOSM associate member.
International Scouting units in Hong Kong and Macau
- Corpo Nacional de Escutas has a group in Macau.
- There are an American Cub Scout pack and Boy Scout troops in Hong Kong, linked to the Direct Service branch of the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, which supports units around the world. - Girl Scouts of the USAGirl Scouts of the USAThe Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
, served by USAGSO headquarters - Scouts CanadaScouts CanadaScouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association that, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
has a group in Hong Kong
International Scouting units in mainland China
In addition, British Scouts have units of The Scout AssociationThe Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
in various cities including Nanjing. There are two units of Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
, served by British Guides in Foreign Countries
Girlguiding BGIFC
Girlguiding BGIFC is part of Girlguiding UK and is for British nationals living overseas. Administratively it is based in Commonwealth Guide Headquarters in Victoria, London. Members in this section of Girlguiding UK follow the normal programme very closely. Girls make the same promise as girls in...
in Shanghai.
USA Girl Scouts Overseas
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
in the People's Republic of China are serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with troops in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
, Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Shekou
Shekou
Shekou is an area at the tip of Nantou Peninsula in Shenzhen, Guangdong, southern China, south of Nantou and facing Lau Fau Shan of Hong Kong across Deep Bay.It was formerly a customs station in Bao'an County and now belongs to Nanshan District of Shenzhen...
, Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
and Zhuhai
Zhuhai
Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones...
. Also, there are both American Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as American Cub packs in Wuxi
Wuxi
Wuxi is an old city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Split in half by Lake Tai, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou across the Yangtze River, while the southern half also borders the province of Zhejiang to the south...
and Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
and an American Boy Scout troop in Dali
Dali
-Places:*Dali City, Yunnan , a city in Yunnan province in the People's Republic of China*Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture , prefecture in Yunnan, China*Kingdom of Dali , centered in modern Yunnan...
. Further more there are a Varsity Scout Team in Beijing and Lone Scouts in Xiamen
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
(Amoy) and possibly other locations, linked to the Direct Service branch of the Boy Scouts of America, which supports units around the world. American Scouting in Mainland China is open to youth holding a foreign passport and includes youth from Korea, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, Brazil, Great Britain, Sweden and Singapore.
Chinese Scouting ideals
The Scout Motto in Chinese is 準備, translating as Be Prepared (pronunciation may vary by spoken variant). The Scout Motto in UyghurUyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
is Tayyar Bol, translating as Be Prepared.
See also
- Scouting and Guiding in Hong Kong
- Liu BochengLiu BochengLiu Bocheng was a Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army.Liu is known as one of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history...
- Sun Li-jenSun Li-jenSun Li-jen was a Kuomintang General, best known for his leadership in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. His achievements earned him the laudatory nickname "Rommel of the East". His New 1st Army was reputed as the "1st [Best] Army under heaven" and credited with defeating...
- Yang HuiminYang HuiminYang Huimin was a Girl Guide during the 1937 battle of Shanghai who supplied a Republic of China flag and brought supplies to besieged defenders of the Sihang Warehouse...
External links
- Scout Club of Hainan
- Shanghai Scout Club
- The Scout Association of The People's Republic of China
- The Scout Association of Hong Kong: International and Liaison Branch
- http://www.pinetreeweb.com/left5-2.htm