St John’s University, Shanghai

The Episcopal Church began an institution for boys in Shanghai around 1851. It was the foundation for St. John's. The school was founded by the Rt. Rev. Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, Bishop of Shanghai, 1877-1883. The cornerstone of the building was laid on Easter Monday, Apr. 14, 1879, and a house for the bishop was completed in June 1879. St. John's College opened on Sept. 1, 1879. Instruction in theology began on Oct. 28, 1879. In Oct. 1880 a medical school with nine students was opened. St. Mary's Hall, a boarding school for women, opened in June 1881. It was separated from the college by a brick wall. In 1905 the college was incorporated as St. John's University. It was recognized as the foremost Christian institution in China.