Rewi Alley
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Rewi Alley (2 December 1897 - 27 December 1987), writer, educator, social reformer, potter, and internationalist born in New Zealand.
Rewi Alley probably contributed more than any other foreigner to 20th century China, in particular the Communist revolution. He dedicated sixty years of his life to his adopted country, being a key figure in the establishment of industrial cooperatives and technical training schools, including Peili Vocational Institute in Beijing.
Early life and influences
Rewi was born in the small town of Springfield in inland Canterbury, New Zealand. He was named after Rewi Maniapoto, a Maori chief famous for his staunch resistance to the British military during the New Zealand land wars of the 1860s. Alley's father was a schoolmaster, and Rewi attended primary school at Amberley, New Zealand then at Wharenui School in Christchurch where his father was appointed headmaster in 1905. His mother, Clara was a leader of the New Zealand suffrage movement. The keen social reform and educational interests of the parents appeared to rub off on all their children:
- Geoffrey (born 1905) became an All Black and worked as a travelling WEA (Workers Education Tutor) sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation, before becoming New Zealand's first National Librarian in 1947.
- Daughter Gwendolen was a pioneer in primary school education practices.
- Younger daughter Joyce became a prominent nursing administrator, and
- Son Philip was a lecturer at the engineering school of the University of Canterbury. He is credited with the idea to move the university campus from the central city to the suburb of Ilam.