The CC&TSPM of Suzhou Church issued a memorial to the passing of Dr. Tsung-Dao Lee, the first overseas Chinese scientist to win the Nobel Prize in physics, mentioning his relationship with St. John's Church in Suzhou.
On August 4, Dr. Tsung-Dao Lee, a Chinese-American physicist and professor at Columbia University, died at his home in San Francisco, the United States, at the age of 98. The Suzhou CC&TSPM published an article entitled "Tsung-Dao Lee and St. John's Church in Suzhou - In Memory of Dr. Tsung Dao Lee, the First Chinese Nobel Prize Winner in physics," describing the Lee family's "deep historical connection with the Church in Suzhou."
The article mentioned, "Tsung-Dao Lee's great-grandfather Jiyi Lee, born in 1844 in Nanhui County, Jiansu Province, was baptized in 1869 as the first generation of followers of the Suzhou Methodist Episcopal Church and was also the first Chinese preacher trained by the Methodist Episcopal Church in Suzhou. He preached in Suzhou for several decades and died in 1904."
"Chong-tan Lee, Lee's grandfather, was the second son of Pastor Chi-yik Lee. He was born in 1870 in Suzhou and baptized at a young age, and he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church managed by Pastor Alvin Pierson Parker at the age of 16. After graduating from the Buffington Institute at the age of twenty, Chong-tan Lee received professional theological training and devoted himself to the study of English, Hebrew, and Greek, focusing on missionary work. At the age of 33, he was appointed the director of the East Parish of Suzhou. At the age of 40, he was appointed the rector of Suzhou of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the first Chinese to be appointed to this postion," the article continued.
In 1915, the first church of the Suzhou Methodist Episcopal Church (also known as Jesus Church, built in 1881) was demolished and a new St. John's Church was built. Chong-tan Lee was the first Chinese senior pastor of St. John's Church. He died in 1941 at the age of 72. There is a monument to him at the St. John's Church, and the inscription describes his life: "Seeking truth at 30, explaining truth at 40, realizing truth at 50, returning to truth at 72. An honorable man, who will always be the role model of the people."
"It is also worth mentioning that Bak-lin Lee, the eldest son of Pastor Chi-Yik Lee, has contributed greatly to the Suzhou Methodist Episcopal Church and is recognized as a lay leader within the church. Suk-ching Lee, the third son of Pastor Chi-yik Lee, was a well-known evangelist throughout China. Fung-chu Lee, the eldest daughter of Pastor Chi-yik Lee, was a zealous leader of the Apostolic Faith Mission, and Pui-yuen Wong, the husband of Haau-chu Lee, the second daughter of Pastor Chi-yik Lee, was known as the first physician of the Red Cross Society of China.
After the founding of the PRC, especially after the reform and opening up, the Lee family "cared about and supported the restoration work of Suzhou St. John's Church." The article explains, “On November 5, 1997, Ms. Shuk-cheng Lee, Tsung-Dao Lee's aunt, passed by St. John's Church and came to visit with her daughter, nephew, and other young families. They saw that the construction of St. John's Church had to be temporarily suspended due to a lack of funds. Mr. Yeung Lun, Tsung-Dao Lee's cousin, immediately expressed his willingness to contribute and successively donated a total of five hundred thousand yuan, which helped a lot for the successful completion of the restoration of St. John's Church."
On May 17 of 1998, "Shuk-cheng Lee, the younger aunt (then 84 years old) of Tsung-Dao Lee, her daughter, nephew, and grandchildren gathered at the St. John's Church from the United States, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other places to attend a thanksgiving service." On June 16 of the same year, Mr. Yeung Lun, a cousin of Tsung-Dao Lee, visited the St. John's Church with four members of his secretary and family.
On 19 June 2000, Dr. Tsung-Dao Lee visited St. John's Church with his whole family. The article said, "When Dr. Tsung-Dao Lee went to the memorial to Pastor Chong-tan Lee, he was very interested in reading the memorial to his younger families in English, explaining it to them word for word, and reminding them that wherever they go, they must remember that this is the eternal root of their family."
The article recalled, "When entering the main hall on the second floor of St. John's Church, Dr. Lee looked at the first row of seats on the south side and said, 'I remember sitting in this row when I was a child in worship.'"
On October 18, 2005, when he was nearly 80 years old, Dr. Lee and his family came to the St. John's Church again, recalling the past and expressing thanks to the Lord.
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
