Overview
Dr. Margaret Phillips (1876-1951) was a pioneering missionary who served in China at a time when women were usually dutiful wives, and certainly not unmarried "suffragist" medical doctors who founded teaching hospitals. Educated as a medical doctor at Manchester University, she spent 43 years in China with a special mission to improve the health and circumstances of women, fight tuberculosis, and heal sick children. Recognized for her will and her uncompromising vision she was honoured with the Chinese name "Thunder." Margaret Phillips gave her heart and spirit in a lifetime of service to the Chinese people. She learned Mandarin, acquiring the fluency to translate much needed medical texts and to teach medicine to student doctors and nurses. Over her career Dr. Margaret established hospitals and clinics for the Society for Propagating the Gospel, the Church of England Mission, and the Canadian Church Mission. In her private practice as a doctor she became a prominent member of the expatriate Peking community. The life story of Margaret Phillips overlaps tumultuous times. She witnessed the collapse of the Empire, and the ensuing civil strife as warlords fought to control the shaky Republic. She was interned by the Japanese following their invasion and occupation of China. Reluctantly, she returned to England after the outbreak of the Communist revolution. Dr. Margaret Phillip's biography reflects on the great events that transformed China in the first half of the twentieth century revealing the perspective of a courageous, caring woman.Synopsis
Dr. Margaret Phillips (1876-1951) was a pioneering missionary who served in China at a time when women were usually dutiful wives, and certainly not unmarried "suffragist" medical doctors who founded teaching hospitals. Educated as a medical doctor at Manchester University, she spent 43 years in China with a special mission to improve the health and circumstances of women, fight tuberculosis, and heal sick children. Recognized for her will and her uncompromising vision she was honoured with the Chinese name "Thunder." Margaret Phillips gave her heart and spirit in a lifetime of service to the Chinese people. She learned Mandarin, acquiring the fluency to translate much needed medical texts and to teach medicine to student doctors and nurses. Over her career Dr. Margaret established hospitals and clinics for the Society for Propagating the Gospel, the Church of England Mission, and the Canadian Church Mission. In her private practice as a doctor she became a prominent member of the expatriate Peking community. The life story of Margaret Phillips overlaps tumultuous times. She witnessed the collapse of the Empire, and the ensuing civil strife as warlords fought to control the shaky Republic. She was interned by the Japanese following their invasion and occupation of China. Reluctantly, she returned to England after the outbreak of the Communist revolution. Dr. Margaret Phillip's biography reflects on the great events that transformed China in the first half of the twentieth century revealing the perspective of a courageous, caring woman.