BUILDING THE NATION THROUGH WOMEN'S HEALTH: MODERN ...

was moved to Nanjing, Peking’s name changed to Beiping, and its status changed to a special
municipality. In the same year, the local municipality appointed a Beiping Maternity Welfare
Commission in order to advise the Health Department in its maternity welfare work. In 1930,
the City Health Department was abolished, the Commission’s name was changed to the Beiping
Child Health Institute, and it fell under the domain of the Department of Public Safety. The
Institute was meant to be a national model for other municipalities to follow. The FNMS
cooperated with the National Midwifery Board to inaugurate the National Maternity and Child
Health Programme through the Beiping Child Health Institute in July 1930. This provided the
central health authorities with opportunities “to experiment with an urban plan for midwifery…
and [give] the [FNMS] field training facilities.” 365 The Institute was the “administrative
headquarters for city wide activities in the field of maternity and child health (at Jianlong
Hutong)” and would provide practical field experience for midwifery students. 366 It was housed
near the FNMS in a city-owned building and in 1932 had one physician and three midwives on
staff.
The Institute was run by the Beiping Maternity and Child Health Committee, which
consisted of nine senior medical and public health personnel in Beiping who were nominated the
first year by the Director of the Institute. In subsequent years, a sub-committee on election
recommended members to the Director for appointment. The term of office was one year, and
committee meetings were held bimonthly at the Institute. Its primary responsibility was as an
advisory body to the Institute, responsible for “unifying the maternity and child health facilities
365 "First Annual Report, FNMS," 3.
366 Yang and Yuan, "Report of an Investigation," 597.
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