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

Midwifery School and a key player in the National Midwifery Board, Yang was in a unique
position to mold China’s maternal and child health services based on her ideas and desires.
Outside Beijing, Marion Yang was involved in spreading her vision of good health care
for all mothers and infants nationwide. The FNMS helped to raise the standards of midwifery
education nationwide and assisted the National Midwifery Board in investigating and registering
such schools. In 1930, the only school that could fulfill National Midwifery Board requirements
was the FNMS, but by the end of 1932 one other school was registered, the Tongde Midwifery
School in Shanghai. Two others were recommended for registration: the “Kuang-ki” Midwifery
School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province; and the Zhejiang Provincial Midwifery School, also in
Hangzhou. The following schools were recommended to make improvements before registering:
Hangzhou Midwifery School and Jisheng Midwifery school in Hangzhou, Huimin Midwifery
School in Beiping, the Huisheng Midwifery School and Dade Midwifery School in Shanghai,
and the Jiangsu Provincial Midwifery School in Jinjiang. Furthermore, nine others were to be
investigated. Two schools were closed after investigation: the Yenji Midwifery School in
Beiping and the Guangdong Hospital Midwifery School in Nanjing. 400 In 1934-35, six
midwifery schools in Beiping (including a municipal one) were closed “through the influence of
the standards set by the First National Midwifery School.” 401 The FNMS helped to reinforce
government standards which, in reality, the FNMS created, through Marion Yang.
By 1932, several other organizations around the country had requested advice and
personnel from the school, undertaken primarily by Marion Yang. For example, in 1932-33,
Yang took five leaves of absence for a total of 50 days to go on such advising trips. 402 These
400 "Fourth Annual Report, FNMS." Chinese names were not listed for these schools, so I am unable to provide
translations.
401 "Sixth Annual Report, FNMS," 3.
402 "Fifth Annual Report, FNMS," 3.
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