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Mark B Vodell, Principal

IT'S WORTH A THOUGHT

Let me share with you the story of Lou Tseng-Tsiang who was also known as René Lou and also as Pierre-Célestin.
Born in 1871, Lou was the son of a wealthy Chinese family, during the time of the Manchu dynasty. Young Lou became a Doctor of Law in the diplomatic service, and was posted to St Petersburg. The Chinese ambassador, Xu Jingcheng took an interest in his career and became his mentor and it was there that he gained fluency in Russian and met his future wife – Bertha Bovy from Belgium.
The cross-cultural wedding caused a sensation at that time and gave the diplomatic community much to talk about.  However the chatter could go on but that didn’t stop the young couple – they were inseparable. Whenever he travelled, to deliver a speech usually in either French, German or English, he was always accompanied by his wife.  
A shy and softly spoken man he was also fearless when it came to matters of politics, religion and morals.  He was the only delegate who did not sign the Treaty of Versailles because he believed that it was unjust.
At one point Dr Lou became the Premier of the largest population in the world and was Foreign Minister on four different occasions. It was during this time that fate dealt him a cruel blow – after a short illness Bertha died.  He relinquished all his positions in China and stepped down from the League of Nations.  He immediately began to give away his immense wealth – fields to the farmers, factories to the workers. He personally distributed his valuables to the museums and his clothes to the poor.
Then at 55 years of age Dr Lou, who was once one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the world, travelled to Belgium, his wife’s homeland, and entered a Benedictine monastery. He forgot the world that made him great and the world forgot him. Many visitors to the beautiful town of Ghent, were surprised to find the man in charge was Chinese. The standard answer to all the questions was: “He came to us to find peace. We don’t know whether he has found it but he has given to us much peace and love, so we don’t allow anyone to disturb his peace with inquisitive questions.”
When he finally passed away in 1949, he wished to be buried with his wife but this caused significant difficulties because communist China was being torn apart by a civil war. It took over 18 months and a remarkable cease-fire in the hostilities, but finally Dr Lou was laid to rest beside his beloved Bertha.
In his final years he had hoped to return to China as a missionary, to fulfill some instructions Xu Jingcheng had given him at the beginning of his career:
Europe’s strength is found not in her armaments, nor in her knowledge — it is found in her religion [...]. Observe the Christian faith. When you have grasped its heart and its strength, take them and give them to China.
While this is a love story that spanned continents, it is also the story of a man who had power, reputation and wealth, but recognised that humility, love, integrity and faith are stronger and more important.
It’s worth a thought,

Mark B Vodéll
Principal