Exactly one year ago, I relocated back to my hometown, Xiangyang in Hubei province, from Galway in Ireland. In an attempt to understand my hometown from a global perspective, I began to research Xiangyang's international connections. I then first encountered the name Chester Ronning, and was amazed to find that Chester, a Canadian, was also a Xiangyang native.
Chester was born on December 13, 1894, in Fancheng, Xiangyang, and was the first foreign baby born in this city. From the day of his birth, his life was entwined with the history of China. His father, Halvor Ronning, was born in Norway in 1862, immigrated to the United States in 1883, and in 1891, accompanied by his sister and wife, became the first Lutheran missionary in the interior of China. They set up a Church, a clinic, and schools- a boys' school and a girls' school- in Fancheng.
A century later, the small clinic survived to become the main hospital in Fancheng. The boys' school, which had started with only a handful of students, became one of the major primary schools in Xiangyang today. Renamed as 'Xiangyang No.1 Primary School', it caters to more than 4,000 students. The Ronnings served in Xiangyang for 11 years until 1899, when they left China on furlough, narrowly missing being caught in the Boxer Rebellion. When the situation seemed to be safe again, the Ronnings would later come back to Fancheng, serving God and blessing China.
Chester was the second of seven children and grew up speaking the Xiangyang dialect. He was proud of being born in China and often told people that a Chinese wet nurse suckled him. The Ronnings were not only devoted missionaries; they also adopted local customs - they learned Chinese, dressed in Chinese-style clothes, and led a lifestyle like the locals. As a result, they didn't face the amount of hostility like the other missionaries did during those times in China.
In 1907, Chester's mother, Hannah, caught one of the then-prevalent diseases and died in Xiangyang, rather prematurely at 36 years old. Mrs Ronning was buried in Fancheng near the school she and her husband started. In 1908, Chester's father, Halvor, moved the family to the Peace River Country of Alberta. A few years earlier, Halvor once wrote to his brother Nils:
"The problem of the missionaries in China is not only how to save souls but also how to save their bodies from perishing from hunger and disease. If China could receive the light of education, science and technology it could become one of the most powerful nations on earth. But alas, this will not happen in my lifetime. We missionaries can only sow the seeds and pray for Heavenly rain."
Chester completed a science degree at the University of Alberta in 1916 and married Inga Horte in 1918. In 1921, after having accepted a position as Principal of a teacher's school in Fancheng, Chester, his wife Inga and their daughter Sylvia set out for China. They stayed for six years, returning to Alberta in 1927. Later, Chester became the principal of Camrose Lutheran College and spent the next 15 years there.
When World War Two ended, Chester was asked to go to China to help Canada's Ambassador to Chongqing. In 1945, he arrived in Chongqing, beginning his service until his departure in 1951. Chester was an early advocate for Western recognition of what was then Red China and can be credited with helping Canada to establish diplomatic ties long before the U.S. and other countries were willing to do so. In a difficult period covering a quarter of a century, Chester worked to bridge gaps in communications between North America and China. Because of his involvement with China over the years, he developed a unique comprehension of that country and its people, and constantly strove for a better understanding between East and West.
In October of 1983, Chester and five of his children visited China. In Beijing, they were honored at a banquet in the Great Hall of the People, and at his birthplace of Fancheng, there was a gala birthday party celebrating his 90th year.
Chester died on the last day of December 1984. His funeral was attended by family members, friends, colleagues, as well as admirers from Canada, the United States, Norway, and China.
