Calvin W. Mateer (Di Kaowen) and his wife Julia were missionaries who opened a boys’ school in Dengzhou, Shandong Province, in 1864. Over time, they expanded the school to include both primary and secondary students, and in 1882, established Teng Chow College, the first modern institution of higher learning in China. Pupils enrolled in a six-year curriculum took courses in algebra, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, surveying and navigation, physics, and astronomy.