The Scouts of China or the General Association of the Scouts of China in full, is the national

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

association of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

and represents the Scouting organization in Taiwan. It is a member of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...

. In 2011, the Scouts of China has 49,457 members.

History

Mainland China (1912–1949)

Following the birth of the

, the first

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

troop was organized by

Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

Yen Chia-lin Yen Jiā-lin (), also known as Benjamin Yen (1890-1967) was the founder of Scouting in China. He studied at Boone University and became an ordained minister in 1916. He studied at Springfield College and graduated with a Master's Degree in 1926. ...

Wuchang Wuchang forms part of the urban core of and is one of 13 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China. It is the oldest of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, and stood on the ri ...

on February 25, 1912 and the Scouting movement spread rapidly all over the country. The General Association of the Scouts of China was formally established in

Nanking Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, the former capital of the

in 1934, and became a member of the International Scout Bureau in 1937. Many Scouts actively participated in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

from 1937 to 1945. There were 570,000 registered members in 1941. Japanese military authorities did not consistently encourage the Scouting movement in occupied territories. Where local conditions were favorable, authorities would permit local Scouting or introduce Japanese-style Scouting, or ''Shōnendan'', and sometimes even made this compulsory. On the other hand, where conditions were not favorable, and anti-Japanese sentiments were likely to be nurtured through Scouting, the authorities would prohibit it entirely. Taiwan was a colony of the Empire of Japan from 1895 until 1945, and Taiwan Boy Scouts/''Shōnendan'' and other forms of pro-Japanese youth education had been introduced. Conversely, a number of Taiwanese boys were formed into a ''Shōnendan''-style boy corps called Taiwan ''Shaoniantuan'' from 1939 through the 1940s to assist in Chinese resistance in the

Scouts of China in Taiwan (1945-)

In 1949, the ROC government withdrew to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, where it remains today. However, Scouting has continued in Taiwan under the name of the Scouts of China. The organization was reorganized in 1950 after the ROC government was relocated to Taipei, and resumed membership in the International Scout Bureau as Scouts of China.

Program

There are 5 programs or sections in the Scouts of China. They are Beaver Scout (稚齡童軍), Cub Scout (幼童軍), Scout (童軍), Senior Scout (行義童軍) and Rover Scout (羅浮童軍). Beaver Scout is served for the children aged 6 to 8 including 3 ranks: Star (星星), Moon (月亮) and Sun (太陽). Cub Scout is served for the children aged 8 to 12 including 4 ranks: Anor now, Scouts of China are promoting the development of

Sea Scouts Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

Footnotes

References

External links

The official website of the General Association of the Scouts of China
{{WOSM, asia World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Scouting in Taiwan Youth organizations established in 1912 1912 establishments in China