The Spread of Christian Gospel and Social Influence through Medical Mission: A Case Study of Ningbo Huamei Hospital

This paper explores the development of Christian missionary medical undertak-ings in modern China, focusing on the establishment and contributions of Ningbo Huamei Hospital. Christianity experienced ups and downs since the in-troduction of Nestorianism in the Tang Dynasty, but its spread was significantly promoted under foreign pressure following the Opium Wars and the Qing Dyn-asty's decline. Huamei Hospital, originally founded by the missionary D.J. Mac-gowan in 1843, evolved from a small clinic into a systematic Western medical institution and played a positive role in historic events in modern China. Par-ticularly during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the hospital provided medical aid to the wounded and made significant contributions to the timely diagnosis and prevention of the plague caused by biological warfare. The approach of "medicine as a means, gospel as the end" not only facilitated the mission of spreading the Christian gospel but also profoundly influenced the modernization process of China’s medical and social practices.