was a distinctive place in the gospel narratives. It was where the poor and the sick encountered the merciful embrace of Jesus. It was where “Jesus wept” for his friend Lazarus. It was a place perhaps despised by the world but favored by our Lord. This Children’s Home is thus named, honorably acknowledging who we are in the sight of God.

Taking after the spirit of universal love of Christ, we accept, nurture, care, and guide the poor and the forsaken children from 0 to 18 years of age, committed to realize every potential God had in store for these otherwise underprivileged children.

Bethany Children’s Home was established in 1959. Since then, by God’s love and grace and the vision He gave, we continued to strive in our service proficiency, functional structures, and educational development, to uncompromisingly shoulder the charge to provide a sanctuary for the underprivileged children and youth of Taiwan.

A film based on her life, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, was released in 1958. It drew from the book The Small Woman, by Alan Burgess. Although she found herself a figure of international interest due to the popularity of the film, and television and media interviews, Aylward was mortified by her depiction in the film and the liberties it took.The tall (1.75m/5′ 9″), blonde, Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman was inconsistent with Aylward’s small stature, dark hair and North London accent. The struggles of Aylward and her family to effect her initial trip to China were disregarded in favour of a movie plot device of an employer “condescending to write to ‘his old friend’ Jeannie Lawson.” Also, Aylward’s dangerous, complicated travels across Russia, China and Japan were reduced to, “a few rude soldiers”, after which, “Hollywood’s train delivered her neatly to Tientsin.”Many characters and place names were changed, even when these names had significant meaning, such as those of her adopted children and the name of the inn, named instead for the Chinese belief in the number 8 as being auspicious. For example, in real life she was given the Chinese name 艾偉德 (Ài Wěi Dé- a Chinese approximation to ‘Aylward’ – meaning ‘Virtuous One’), but in the film she was given the name 真愛 Jen-Ai,( pronounced- Zhen-Ai, meaning “true love”).Colonel Linnan was portrayed as half-European, a change which she found insulting to his real Chinese lineage, and she felt her reputation was damaged by the Hollywood-embellished love scenes in the film. Not only had she never kissed a man, but the film’s ending portrayed her character leaving the orphans to re-join the colonel elsewhere,even though in reality she did not retire from working with orphans until she was 60 years old. She dedicated her life to the orphans in Taiwan, and was buried in Taipei. Her ministry continues to develop, and is now called Bethany Children’s Home in Taipei, http://bethany.org.tw/. The new director, Sharon Chiang, 江秀圈, is called from Seattle Washington to further develop Bethany Children’s Home for its new vision and new building.

No. 129, Baoyi Rd., Wenshan Dist., Taipei City 116010 , Taiwan (R.O.C.)