Figure 1.--Here we see an inidentified Christian mission in India during the 1920s. Like many such missions, they had taken in orphned children. Notice the lady holding up an empty bowl.

Great civilization arose in Asia. China and India are most important, but there are many others throughout history. For centuries China even in realtively recent times was the wealthiest and most inventive society in the world. The Mogul Emppire was wealthier than Europe (16th-17th centuries). We have been unable to find information about any orphanages in Asia until very recently. And they were not founded by imperial regimes. Family was all imprtant throughout Asia. Unless family members took orphaned children in, they were essentually outcasts. The first orphanages we know of were founded by Christian missionaries. This was the case in both China and India as well as Korea and countries in Southeast Asia. The first Hindu orphanage we know of was founded by the British Governor of Mumbai, Lady Northcote, with the help of some affluent businessmen (1900). The Lady Northcote Hindu Orphanafe continuyes to function to his day. It he started an orphanage to shelter the children orphaned by a catastrophic plague in Gujarat. Christian missions throughout China and India cared for orphaned children. Christian missionaries played a major role in founding orpgnages in Korea. This began in the early 20th centyury, but played a major role is saving countless children orphaned as a result of the Korean War.

China

We know nothing about orphanages in China before the modern era. We know of no orphanages in China before the arrival of the Europeans. That does not mean they were none, but we do not know of any. The first missionaries were Catholic (16th century). Protestant missionaries did not arrive until later (19th century). We have information on Christian missionaries and schools in China, but not yet on orphanages. Many if not most of the Christian missions established in China took in orphans. We do not yet know of major orphanages established by the missionaries, but our information is very limited. The Imperial Government restructed missiionary activity. And the Taiping Rebellion did nmot imprive attitudes toward Christians, but the British Government as part of the Opium Wars forced the Imperial Government to accept both opium and missionaries -- quite a combination. the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and than the Japanese invasion (1937) all affected missionary activity. Still thouusands of foreign missionaries served in China. The Protestants were mostly Amrrivan and British. The Catholics were more varied. We do not know to what extent the Nationalist Government opened orphanages. After the Japanese invaded, theur resources were very limited (1937). After the Communist victory in the Civil War (1949), they did open orphanges, but we know very little about them. As far as we know, they still operate. The tradition of foster care for a child outside of family relatives is still not widely accepted in China.

India

India since the introduction of free market reforms (1990s) has made great economic progress. Even soit is still a country where huge numbers of people live in poverty. nd where ever poverty exidts, children are in trouble. Not only does endemic poverty result in large numbers of children being abandoned, but famine, drought, natural disasters, AIDS, malaria, other problemsadd to the numbr of children being abandoned or left without their parents. Some of the children are killed (especially girls) if their parents can't care for them. Aa a result, government statistics show many more boys being born in India than girls. One report indicated that 7,000 fewer girls are born in India every day than the global average would suggest. [UNICEF, 2006.] Other children are abandoned or sold into a life of manual labor or sexual servitude. The situation for handicapped children and baby girls is especially severe. Poor parents often can't aford the doweries required for marriage. As axresult girls that are not abandoned are killed might be married off while still very yound (preteens) to adult men, sometimes even middle-aged men. As a result, there is a great need for orphanages in India to care for abandoned children. We do not know a great deal about Indian orphanages. There are apparently a number of goverbnment-sponsored orphanages. Most of the orphanages we know of are charities founded by Christian churches. Muslims and Hindus do not seem very active in addressing this problem.

Korea

Korea does not have a tradition of carrying for orphans. Family is very important to Koreans and still is. Orphans who were not taken in by family faced a difficult life and the younger children a desperate stuggle for life itself. We know of no orphanages or institutional fscilities crrying for orphabns until the 20th century. The first known orpohanage was Pung Duck Won (1913). Several other orphanages appeared during this period, most of Christian foundation and financed by American or European Christisn charities. Many more were set up after Japan surrendered and the United States and the Soviet Union occupied the country. This was a period of enormous disorder. The Japanese including Japanese civilisans left. Koreans were returning from Japan and other foreign areas where the Jaopanese had taken them. Large numbers of abandoned or orphaned children were wandering about the streets. Many small orphanages were established, again often involving Christian foundation. It was the Korean War, however, that created an unprecedented refugee and orphan problem. Many civilians were killed in the fighting. The North Koreans executed many South Korans, both people associsted with the Government and social classes like merchants and landowners believed to be hostile to Communism. In the wake of the War, over 100,000 orphaned children wandered the streets. Some 400 orphanages were set up for the children, many supported by American servicemen and overseas Christian charities. Placing the children proved a problem. Few Korean families wanted to take in orphans, A factor here was economic devestation, but perhaps even more important was a cultural predelection against caring for unrelated children. So the orphanages began placing the children abroad. Many of the early adoptions were mixed-race children, the children of Anmrican servicemen and Korean women. Korean attitudes toward racial purity led to these children being turned over to orphanages and eventuslly adopted overseas. Koreans had no problem with this as it was seen as a way of getting rid of children that were not fully Korean. Foreign adoptions, however, continued with fully Korean babies. These foreign adoptions eventually became a national embarassment as Korean became one of the Asian Tigers and an increasingly affluent country.