Female trailblazer from the late 19th century
Reverend George Mackay, the Canadian missionary who preached in Taiwan in the late 19th century, is one of the most famous Westerners in Taiwanese history. Fewer people have heard of his Taiwanese wife, Minnie Mackay — yet she was vital to his missionary achievements.
Minnie was born in 1860 to a family living near Tamsui. Aged three, she was adopted out to her arranged husband's family, but in 1872 he became sick and died. However, Minnie's adopted grandmother, Chen Ta-sao, became her friend and was to change her life. When Chen met George Mackay, she converted to Christianity, persuaded her neighbors to follow suit, and invited Mackay to build the first chapel in northern Taiwan in her village.
Minnie attended the missionaries' school, converted, and was baptised in 1878. Later that year, though, George Mackay made a bold move, which was opposed by many of his colleagues in the Presbyterian Church. He decided that having a Taiwanese wife would help his missionary work, and decided to ask for Minnie’s hand in marriage. One point in Minnie's favor was that her feet had not been bound, which Mackay regarded as intolerable.
The Mackays were married that May. They began preaching throughout northern Taiwan, and Minnie was a great help in this work. Everywhere they went, women who had never been to chapel before came to meet Minnie. When the Mackays visited Canada in 1879, Minnie charmed the people she met, collected funds to build Oxford College (now Aletheia University), and learned to speak fluent English.
Minnie was a huge help to the missionary efforts for several reasons, not the least of which was that Taiwanese women found her easier to talk to than foreign missionaries. She also ran women's meetings, taught hymns, tended to the sick, and visited chapels. Perhaps the most important thing she did was teach at and run the Girls' School that Mackay established in 1884.
Minnie continued missionary work for 24 years after George Mackay died in 1901. The couple were survived by their three children: Mary Ellen, Bella Catherine, and George William. While Minnie may not be as famous as her husband, she has an important place in Taiwanese history. Given the importance her work had on Mackay's missionary work, it's hard to say what he would have achieved without her.
**Photo credit: Aletheia University