While student missionaries from Oberlin College were in Taigu as early as 1881, the official Oberlin Shansi (Shanxi) Memorial Association was founded in 1908 to support the educational efforts of H. H. Kung (Kong Xiangxi). An Oberlin graduate and Taigu native, Kung created the Ming Hsien (Mingxian) and Beilu Schools for boys and girls, respectively. Chinese students also traveled to the United States to receive education at prestigious American universities.