Chao, Tsz-Chen 趙紫宸 (1888-1979)

Chao Tsz-Chen was born into a small merchant’s family in Xinshi Town (新市镇), Deqing County (德清县), Haining City (海宁市), Zhejiang Province (浙江省)

Chao declined the chance to attend a traditional school in favor of attending Suiying College, a Western institution with a novel teaching methodology and cutting-edge cultural and scholarly knowledge. The following year, he transferred to a school in Soochow (Suzhou苏州) established by the American Southern Methodist Episcopal Church.

His parents forced him to wed Tong Dingzhen (童定珍), the daughter of a small business owner, who was two years older than he was.

John R. Mott, the director general of the World Student Christian Federation, and D. L. Anderson, the president of Soochow University, convinced him to be baptized as a Christian.

After receiving his degree from Soochow (Suzhou 苏州) University, he went on to instruct students in middle school in English, math, and the Bible.

Chao's daughter Chao Luorui (赵萝蕤) was born.

He traveled to Oklahoma, in the United States, to represent the Southern Methodists of China at the General Meeting of the Southern Methodists. He enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, in the fall of that same year to study theology while also taking sociology and philosophy classes.

He received a bachelor's degree in theology and a master's degree in sociology from Vanderbilt. In addition, the school's founder awarded him a medal for his exceptional academic achievement. In 1917, he went back to China and began teaching at Soochow University (苏州大学).

He attended the First National Conference of the National Aspirational Mission in Guling (牯岭), the Christian National Conference in Shanghai, and the Eleventh World Christian Student League at Tsinghua University (清华大学).

He became the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Soochow University (苏州大学).

Chao Tsz-Chen joined Yenching University in 1926 after accepting a teaching position in the School of Religion at John Leighton Stuart's invitation as the president of Yenching 燕京 University in Peking. (Residence 燕东园 36号)

Chao went to Oxford University to further his studies and to teach Chinese poetry for a year.

He delivered a speech on t"The Reality of Jesus and God" at a gathering in Edinburgh, Scotland.

At the request of Bishop He Minghua 何明华 (R. Hall) of the Hong Kong Anglican Church, Chao Tsz-Chen took his family to Kunming (昆明) so he could preach at Wenlin Anglican Church  for a year

Chao traveled from Kunming (昆明) to Hong Kong. He was confirmed as a member of the Anglican church, ordained as a Deacon, and ordained as a Priest (Presbyter), all on the same day, in a ceremony during which Bishop Hall put his hands on him three times.

Chao Tsz-Chen and a dozen professors from Yanjing University were detained by the Japanese military police and incarcerated for six months.

After his release from the Japanese prison, Chao resided in the Anglican Church in Xuanneigouyan (Xicheng District 西城区) in Beijing . He had more time to write and instruct a small group of theological students on theology and the life of Paul.

Chao received an honorary doctorate in theology from Princeton University at the university's 200th anniversary,. This confirmed his academic standing.

When the World Council of Churches met for the first time in Amsterdam, Chao was the only representative from China there.

Chao attended the meeting of the first National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as one of five delegates of the Chinese Christian community.

Chao resigned as president of WCC (World Council of Churches) in 1951, because of the protest over papers the WCC Central Committee had released that were pro-Korean War. He was treated poorly during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

He was chosen to serve on the Chinese Christian Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee as a permanent member.

In 1979, after the 28 years of vilification that had begun in 1951, the Chinese government finally “rehabilitated” (i.e., cleared of any wrongdoing) Chao. On November 21, 1979, he passed away in Beijing at the age of 91.