Records of YMCA international work in Taiwan

The first YMCA established in Taiwan was an association created for Japanese residents in 1898 in Taipei. This association continued to serve Japanese members until the end of World War II when the Japanese were evacuated from the island and Taiwan was returned to the Chinese Nationalist Government. In 1946, a newly established (1945) Chinese YMCA moved into the former Japanese association building.

The new Chinese association was independently organized in Taipei by a group of 22 Taiwanese Christian Church leaders led by Dr. Lee Tsao-Zan. The Taipei Association was invited to join the National Committee of the YMCAs of China in 1948; however, after the intensification of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Taipei Association ended their relationship with the mainland Chinese YMCAs. After leaving his secretary post in China in 1951, Roger David Arnold was sent to work with the YMCA in Taipei.

By 1954, Taipei was home to two YMCA centers with 3,004 members, 469 volunteer workers, and seven secretaries. A new YMCA association was established in the southern city of Tainan in 1955, and a camp was purchased in 1956. The early emphasis of the YMCA in Taiwan focused on camping, club programs, physical education, and educational programs. New associations were established in the cities of Taichung (1962) and Kaohsiung (1963), and the four city associations formed the National Council of YMCAs of the Republic of China in 1966.

The National Council focused their resources on promoting youth leadership programs throughout Taiwan. The YMCAs offered student exchange programs, English education and typing courses, vocational training, and the Management Training Project, which was established in the early 1970s to educate Taiwan’s future government and business leaders.

In addition to leadership development, the YMCAs offered physical education, water safety training, and other recreational activities to its members. The National Council also promoted the development of industrial YMCAs to make an impact on young people in Taiwan’s increasingly industrialized society. During the 1980s, the National Council worked with OSCY (Overseas Service Corps YMCA) to place American teachers with classes of Taiwanese students. The YMCA also formed a partnership with the Amity Foundation, a Chinese Christian charity, in the mid 1980s. By 1987, the YMCAs of Taiwan operated eight associations throughout the island.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Taiwan, along with their dates of service, if known: