Susanna Carson Rijnhart
Encyclopedia
Susanna Carson Rijnhart, better known as Susie Rijnhart, was a Canadian
medical doctor, Protestant missionary
, and Tibetan explorer. She was the second Western woman known to have visited Tibet
, after Annie Royle Taylor
.
. At the age of twenty she graduated from Trinity College in Toronto
as a medical doctor. She was in private practice for six years in Ontario.
In 1894 she met Petrus Rijnhart, a Dutch-born former missionary with the China Inland Mission
. Rijnhart had worked in the Netherlands
for the Salvation Army
but was sent to Canada in 1886 to avoid charges of sexual assault. He eventually made it to China
and worked for three years with the CIM. He was dismissed by CIM in 1893 as an ‘imposter” after stirring up “Rijnhart’s hornet’s nest." A charismatic speaker, he was lecturing in Canada and soliciting financial support to return to China and work in Tibet
when he met Susie. The couple was married in September 1894 and before the end of the year departed Canada for China. Unlike most missionaries, they were independent, not representatives of any missionary organization. Apparently, however, the funds they had raised in Canada were adequate for their expenses. Independent missionaries were often criticized as loose cannons, more likely to cause trouble than to achieve progress in the goal of making China a Christian country.
, one the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Kumbum was home to about 3,600 monks. Ferguson parted ways with the Rijnharts after a few months and their nearest Western neighbors were missionaries in Xining
, seventeen miles away.
The immediate objective of the Rijnharts was to learn Tibetan and work among the Tibetans. Their ultimate ambition was to reach Lhasa
, the remote and forbidden capital of Tibet, unvisited by Westerners since 1846. In 1896, a revolt broke out among the Muslim population and Kumbum was in danger of being overrun. Susie and her husband were invited by the monastery to tend to the wounded and sick and subsequently invited to reside at the monastery. Petreus became a friend and confidant of the abbot of the monastery, according to Susie.
In late-summer 1896, for unclear reasons, the Rijnharts moved to the trading town of Tankar, about 24 miles from Kumbum, to open a medical dispensary. The British traveler, Montagu Sinclair Wellby, passed through Tankar in October 1896 and gave a favorable view of the Rijnharts and their good relations with Chinese officials. They lived a "hard life" dependent upon the small sums they charged for medical services at their dispensary. Petreus left Susie alone in Tankar for several months while he acted as a guide and interpreter for Wellby. In November Susie was visited by the famous explorer Sven Hedin
who passed through Tankar. He described Susie as a “bareheaded young lady wearing spectacles and dressed after the Chinese manner…Through her medical knowledge and skill, Mrs. Rheinhard [sic] had won several friends among the native population.” Shortly after Petreus returned, the couple had a son, Charles Carson, born June 30, 1897.
, eight hundred miles away as the crow flies but across a series of mountain ranges through passes at elevations of up to 5,000 meters. (16,400 feet). They carried with them food and other supplies sufficient for two years as well as several hundred bibles translated into Tibetan. Following a known caravan route to Lhasa, they skirted the Tsaidam and proceeded southwest, roughly following the track of a modern highway.
All went well for more than two months until their two Chinese hired men deserted. Shortly thereafter, on August 11, five of their pack animals were stolen. And on August 21, the baby Charles died suddenly. They were at this time just north of the district capital of Nagchu, 14,850 feet (4,526 mts) in elevation. As they continued Tibetan soldiers tried to persuade them to abandon their quest and return the way they had come. A Tibetan official in Nagchu refused to allow them to continue to Lhasa, only 100 miles further south, or to remain in Nagchu, but insisted they leave Tibet via a caravan route leading to Kangding
(Tachienlu), 600 miles to the east. Their reliable Muslim guide departed at this time, with their permission, to journey to his home in Ladakh
and they were left alone at the mercy of the Tibetans
On September 6, in a snow storm, with three guides provided by the Tibetan government, the Rijnharts departed Nagchu on the "tea road" east. On September 17 their little caravan was attacked by bandits. One of their guides was wounded and all their horses except three were stolen. Their guides deserted and they were left alone. They abandoned most of their goods and continued. On September 26, Petrus left Susie behind to seek help from Tibetans camped on the other side of a river. She never saw her husband again. She was left with a revolver and a supply of silver bullion, the currency of the area.
Susie engaged guides to accompany her on the road, but they proved faithless. She threatened them with the revolver to prevent being raped and robbed. She finally arrived at Gyegu (Jyekundo), rested a few days, and there negotiated a passport from the Abbot of a monastery. She then proceeded onwards, crossing a series of mountain ranges, partially on foot and alone, but mostly with an escort of local guides. She arrived in Kangding penniless, in rags, and with frost-bitten feet on November 26, 1898. Kangding at that time was the most remote outpost of Christian missionaries in China. She asked the way to the house of the China Inland Mission and there she introduced herself to missionaries Edward Amundsen and James Moyes, who would later become her second husband.
. In 1905 she married James Moyes. Because of her former husband’s dismissal from the CIM, Moyes had to resign from the CIM to marry her. Her health failed and in 1907 she and her husband returned to Canada. She had a baby, a son, in January 1908 and died on February 7, 1908 in Chatham.
James Moyes returned to China in 1911 and in 1915 was working for the American Bible Society in Nanking.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
medical doctor, Protestant missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, and Tibetan explorer. She was the second Western woman known to have visited Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, after Annie Royle Taylor
Annie Royle Taylor
Annie Royle Taylor was an English Evangelical missionary to China and the first Western woman known to have visited Tibet. She attempted to reach the "forbidden" city of Lhasa. -Early life:...
.
Early life and marriage
Susie Carson was born in 1868 in Chatham, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. At the age of twenty she graduated from Trinity College in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
as a medical doctor. She was in private practice for six years in Ontario.
In 1894 she met Petrus Rijnhart, a Dutch-born former missionary with the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
. Rijnhart had worked in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
for the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
but was sent to Canada in 1886 to avoid charges of sexual assault. He eventually made it to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and worked for three years with the CIM. He was dismissed by CIM in 1893 as an ‘imposter” after stirring up “Rijnhart’s hornet’s nest." A charismatic speaker, he was lecturing in Canada and soliciting financial support to return to China and work in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
when he met Susie. The couple was married in September 1894 and before the end of the year departed Canada for China. Unlike most missionaries, they were independent, not representatives of any missionary organization. Apparently, however, the funds they had raised in Canada were adequate for their expenses. Independent missionaries were often criticized as loose cannons, more likely to cause trouble than to achieve progress in the goal of making China a Christian country.
On the borders of Tibet
In mid 1895, the Rijnharts and their colleague, William Neil Ferguson, arrived at their destination of Lusar, a small village servicing the KumbumKumbum Monastery
Kumbum Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Qinghai province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo. Its superior monastery is Drepung, immediately to the west of Lhasa...
, one the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Kumbum was home to about 3,600 monks. Ferguson parted ways with the Rijnharts after a few months and their nearest Western neighbors were missionaries in Xining
Xining
Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, People's Republic of China, and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. It has 2,208,708 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,198,304 live in the built up area made of 4 urban districts.-History:...
, seventeen miles away.
The immediate objective of the Rijnharts was to learn Tibetan and work among the Tibetans. Their ultimate ambition was to reach Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, the remote and forbidden capital of Tibet, unvisited by Westerners since 1846. In 1896, a revolt broke out among the Muslim population and Kumbum was in danger of being overrun. Susie and her husband were invited by the monastery to tend to the wounded and sick and subsequently invited to reside at the monastery. Petreus became a friend and confidant of the abbot of the monastery, according to Susie.
In late-summer 1896, for unclear reasons, the Rijnharts moved to the trading town of Tankar, about 24 miles from Kumbum, to open a medical dispensary. The British traveler, Montagu Sinclair Wellby, passed through Tankar in October 1896 and gave a favorable view of the Rijnharts and their good relations with Chinese officials. They lived a "hard life" dependent upon the small sums they charged for medical services at their dispensary. Petreus left Susie alone in Tankar for several months while he acted as a guide and interpreter for Wellby. In November Susie was visited by the famous explorer Sven Hedin
Sven Hedin
Sven Anders Hedin KNO1kl RVO was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, and travel writer, as well as an illustrator of his own works...
who passed through Tankar. He described Susie as a “bareheaded young lady wearing spectacles and dressed after the Chinese manner…Through her medical knowledge and skill, Mrs. Rheinhard [sic] had won several friends among the native population.” Shortly after Petreus returned, the couple had a son, Charles Carson, born June 30, 1897.
The attempt on Lhasa
The Rijnharts, baby Charles, and three local hired men, two Chinese and one Muslim, left Tankar on horseback, May 20, 1898. Their destination was LhasaLhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, eight hundred miles away as the crow flies but across a series of mountain ranges through passes at elevations of up to 5,000 meters. (16,400 feet). They carried with them food and other supplies sufficient for two years as well as several hundred bibles translated into Tibetan. Following a known caravan route to Lhasa, they skirted the Tsaidam and proceeded southwest, roughly following the track of a modern highway.
All went well for more than two months until their two Chinese hired men deserted. Shortly thereafter, on August 11, five of their pack animals were stolen. And on August 21, the baby Charles died suddenly. They were at this time just north of the district capital of Nagchu, 14,850 feet (4,526 mts) in elevation. As they continued Tibetan soldiers tried to persuade them to abandon their quest and return the way they had come. A Tibetan official in Nagchu refused to allow them to continue to Lhasa, only 100 miles further south, or to remain in Nagchu, but insisted they leave Tibet via a caravan route leading to Kangding
Kangding
Kangding or Dardo is the name of a county in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, China. It is administrated at the city of Kangding...
(Tachienlu), 600 miles to the east. Their reliable Muslim guide departed at this time, with their permission, to journey to his home in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
and they were left alone at the mercy of the Tibetans
On September 6, in a snow storm, with three guides provided by the Tibetan government, the Rijnharts departed Nagchu on the "tea road" east. On September 17 their little caravan was attacked by bandits. One of their guides was wounded and all their horses except three were stolen. Their guides deserted and they were left alone. They abandoned most of their goods and continued. On September 26, Petrus left Susie behind to seek help from Tibetans camped on the other side of a river. She never saw her husband again. She was left with a revolver and a supply of silver bullion, the currency of the area.
Susie engaged guides to accompany her on the road, but they proved faithless. She threatened them with the revolver to prevent being raped and robbed. She finally arrived at Gyegu (Jyekundo), rested a few days, and there negotiated a passport from the Abbot of a monastery. She then proceeded onwards, crossing a series of mountain ranges, partially on foot and alone, but mostly with an escort of local guides. She arrived in Kangding penniless, in rags, and with frost-bitten feet on November 26, 1898. Kangding at that time was the most remote outpost of Christian missionaries in China. She asked the way to the house of the China Inland Mission and there she introduced herself to missionaries Edward Amundsen and James Moyes, who would later become her second husband.
Later life
Investigations by the British and Dutch government uncovered no information concerning the fate of Petrus Rijnhart and in 1900 Susie returned to Canada. She wrote a book about her experiences and lectured and in 1902 returned to China, this time to Kangding with the Foreign Christian Missionary SocietyForeign Christian Missionary Society
Foreign Christian Missionary Society was an Protestant Christian missionary society that was involved in sending workers to countries such as China during the late Qing Dynasty.-See also:* Protestant missionary societies in China during the 19th Century...
. In 1905 she married James Moyes. Because of her former husband’s dismissal from the CIM, Moyes had to resign from the CIM to marry her. Her health failed and in 1907 she and her husband returned to Canada. She had a baby, a son, in January 1908 and died on February 7, 1908 in Chatham.
James Moyes returned to China in 1911 and in 1915 was working for the American Bible Society in Nanking.