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 More than one-fourth of the world's inhabitants live in 
 Chin 
 
 China has 400,000 people to one doctor. 
 
 The annual death rate is from forty to fifty per thousand. 
 Only 6 per cent, of the school population is in school. 
 China's new phonetic alphabet will unlock the doors of 
 learning for hundreds of millions of people. 
 
 With a written language of 40,000 characters only about 
 one person in twenty had time to learn to read and 
 write. 
 
 The new alphabet has but thirty-nine characters. 
 Christian missionaries have been influential in promoting 
 the phonetic system. 
 
 The Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions of the 
 Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. 
 
 156 Fifth Avenue, New York 
 
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PEN PICTURE 
 
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 of the 
 
 SOUTH CHINA 
 AND HAINAN MISSIONS 
 
 THE BOARD OK FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 Department for Specific Work 
 
 THE WOMAN’S BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 
 OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE U. S. A. 
 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City 
 
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Pen Picture 
 
 of the 
 
 South China Mission 
 
 Established — 1845. 
 
 Stations in the Order of Founding 
 
 Canton 1845 Kochou 1912 
 
 Yeung Kong... 1886 Shek Lung 1915 
 
 Lienchow 1890 
 
 Outstanding Features 
 
 Favorable location on the sea with convenient 
 harbors. 
 
 Rich in resources. 
 
 The ablest and most enterprising Chinese mer- 
 chants come from Kwantung Province. 
 
 The province furnishes the majority of the 
 emigrants to foreign countries. 
 
 The scene of the labors of Robert Morrison, 
 the pioneer of Protestant Missions to China. 
 
 Effective union work. 
 
 In the early years marked hostility ; now in 
 creased friendliness and a growing interest in 
 Christianity. 
 
 3 
 
Other Protestant Missions Operating in this Field 
 
 Church Missionary Society; American Board 
 of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ; London 
 Missionary Society; United Brethren Mission; 
 Canadian Presbyterian Mission; New Zealand 
 Presbyterian Mission; Wesleyan Methodist Mis- 
 sion ; American Baptist Mission ; American Bible 
 Society; British and Foreign Bible Society; 
 Seventh Day Adventists ; Y. M. C. A. ■ Y. W. 
 C. A. 
 
 Union Work 
 
 Union Theological College; Women’s Normal 
 School ; Union Middle School. 
 
 Location, Climate and Size 
 
 The South China Mission comprises the prov- 
 ince of Kwantung which is the most southerly 
 of China, stretching along the seaboard for a 
 distance of nearly 800 miles. Kwantung lies 
 for the most part within the tropics. Its area 
 is about 100,000 square miles. Two-thirds of 
 this territory, especially toward the inland 
 boundary is hilly or mountainous, while the 
 alluvial plains stretch down to the sea. These 
 plains are so intersected with a network of 
 water courses that there are few cities or larger 
 towns that do not lie on the banks or within 
 easy reach of some navigable river. Eastward 
 and westward through the very heart of the 
 province stretch the great East and West Rivers, 
 the headwaters of the one springing near the 
 sources of the rivers that find their way to the 
 ocean in the extreme southeastern coast, while 
 
 4 
 
the headwaters of the other are hundreds of 
 miles away, beyond the farthest limits of the 
 province of Kwang Si. From the extreme north- 
 ern boundary comes the North River gathering 
 its waters from a hundred streams and then 
 cutting its way down through mountain passes, 
 whose beauty and grandeur are rarely equalled, 
 until its waters unite with those of the East and 
 West Rivers and find their way through many 
 winding channels to the sea. 
 
 Latitude 
 
 Between 20° to 25° north, corresponding ap- 
 proximately to that of Cuba. 
 
 Population and People 
 
 The population of Kwantung Province is 
 about 23,700,000. The people, as a whole, have 
 few rivals in physique and in mentalitj^. In 
 different sections of the province the charac- 
 teristics differ and several dialects are spoken. 
 The Hakkas have a few large villages and 
 occupy for the most part scattered towns and 
 hamlets in the mountainous districts, which are 
 only capable of maintaining a rather sparse 
 population. They arc a manly and vigorous 
 race, chiefly engaged in agriculture and they 
 are better educated than the people living in 
 the more crowded plains. At the same time 
 they are a turbulent and lawless people and 
 revolutionary societies flourish among them. 
 The Cantonese and Swatow men, on the other 
 hand, have numerous large towns and cities 
 
 5 
 
and thickly crowded villages of large size. The 
 country people are hard working agriculturists, 
 while those of the seaports are the ablest and 
 most enterprising of Chinese merchants. 
 
 From this province come the majority of 
 emigrants who are found not only in Singapore, 
 in Siam and the Philippines, but also in Aus- 
 tralia, South Africa and America. Many of 
 these emigrants return to their homes as men 
 of wealth and influence. The coast towns have 
 a large population of sturdy seamen and fisher- 
 men. Many of them are employed on foreign 
 steamers as deck hands, carpenters and 
 engineers. 
 
 Products 
 
 The products of Kwantung are of great 
 variety and value. The most important are 
 silk, sugar, indigo, rice, tea, tobacco, fruit, salt 
 and oil. Tt exports large quantities of fish, 
 fresh vegetables and live stock. 
 
 Importance of the Province. 
 
 On account of its location on the sea, its 
 convenient harbors and its natural resources, 
 Kwantung Province became in ancient times the 
 seat of an extensive foreign trade and was in 
 touch with other nations earlier than any other 
 Chinese province. The Ilakka section was the 
 cradle of the Taiping Rebellion which held its 
 conquering course for years over a Avide region 
 of China, until the moral degeneration of its 
 leaders caused their defeat. The numerous 
 estuaries and the complicated network of its 
 
 6 
 
rivers and canals, not only lend themselves to 
 legitimate commerce but they also have been the 
 shelter and hunting-ground of hordes of daring 
 and formidable pirates. 
 
 The literax-y achievements of Kwantung are 
 perhaps less glorious than those of some of the 
 other parts of China, but it can claim by right 
 of residence, the illustrious names of Han Yu, 
 the brilliant statesman and essayist, and of Su 
 Tung-p’o, the famous poet. Within recent times, 
 the province has produced the well known 
 “Modern Sage,” K’ang Yu-wei. 
 
 Mission History 
 
 Roman Catholic Beginnings — The Jesuits were the 
 first Christian missionaries in the Kwantung Province. 
 Their first effective beginnings were made in the six- 
 teenth century, when they made an entrance into the 
 province disguised in the garb of Buddhist priests. 
 Their leadei-s made it their aim to reach Peking, the 
 capital, anti thus establish themselves in touch with 
 the Chinese eoui’t. 
 
 Robert Morrison — The Pioneer of Protestant Mis- 
 sions to China — The pioneer Protestant missionary to 
 China was Robert Morrison who was sent out by the 
 London Missionary Society in 1807. Unable to enter 
 the city of Canton, lie was forced to live just outside 
 of it in a factory. Mr. Morrison’s position was one 
 of delicacy and difficulty. A footing on Chinese soil 
 seemed almost unattainable and the limitations under 
 which he labored were most disheartening. Still he 
 toiled bravely with no encouragement. The great 
 work of his life was the preparation of his dictionary 
 and his translation of the Bible. The publication of 
 
 7 
 
his books caused a storm of opposition from the 
 Chinese. Mr. Morrison was assisted in this work by 
 Rev. Robert Milne who arrived in China in 1813. 
 When Mr. Morrison died in 1834, the prospect of the 
 extension of the evangelistic work was nearly as dark 
 as when he landed. 
 
 Beginnings of Our Mission — The city of Canton was 
 not opened to foreigners until the year 1842 at the 
 close of the Opium War. Rev. Andrew P. Happer 
 reached the city in 1845 and was able to secure tem- 
 porary quarters outside the walls. The first years of 
 labor were trying owing to the hostility of the 
 Chinese. It was ten years before the first convert 
 was baptized, and the first church was not organized 
 until January, 1862. Most of the churches in the 
 Canton district have been founded in the face of 
 bitter opposition. In 1894 the bubonic plague swept 
 away nearly 100,000 victims in the city. A wide- 
 spread outbreak of hostility resulted against the for- 
 eigners who were supposed to have caused the pes- 
 tilence. During the Boxer outbreak of 1900 almost 
 all the chapels in the country districts were destroyed 
 and the Christians were persecuted. Since then the 
 people themselves have restored the chapels and the 
 ingathering of converts has been unprecedented. 
 There has been a vast extension of the country work 
 through itineration on the rivers and canals and the 
 training and employment of native evangelists. 
 
 Union Work — Effective union work has been car- 
 ried on in the city of Canton. Canton Union Theo- 
 logical College, the Union Middle School and the 
 Women’s Union Normal School are examples of effec- 
 tive interdenominational cooperation. Added re- 
 sponsibility is being placed on the Chinese Church and 
 
 8 
 
the response has been most encouraging to the mis- 
 sionaries. Canton Christian College, although con- 
 ducted in harmony with the Mission work, is inde- 
 pendent of our Board. As an institution of higher 
 learning its influence has been widespread. 
 
 A Conspicuous Feature — The medical work of Can- 
 ton has always been important. Two hospitals, a 
 training school for nurses and a medical college for 
 women have been important agencies in furthering 
 Christianity by deed and by training efficient Chris- 
 tian nurses and physicians. The Hospital for the 
 Insane founded by Dr. John G. Kerr, one of China’s 
 great medical missionaries, has wrought many cures. 
 
 Ming Sam School for the Blind, founded in 1910 
 by Dr. Mary Niles, has trained many poor unfor- 
 tunate blind children in industrial work and has 
 thus made them self-supporting. Nearly all of its 
 graduates have done Christian work in the various 
 Missions. 
 
 Shun Talc - West River District — This section, 
 known as the Four Districts, constitutes one of the 
 most populous and prosperous sections of the Kwan- 
 tung Province. It is situated to the south of Canton 
 City. Villages are as close together as are the sep- 
 arate farmhouses of a thickly settled Pennsylvania 
 county, and large cities lie in the midst of the villages. 
 It is estimated that there are a million souls in this 
 region alone. One of the Board’s Secretaries gives a 
 most picturesque description of the Four Districts : 
 
 “A network of yellow streams, narrowing and 
 broadening, winding in every direction over the wide 
 plain ; low fields bounded by them, some flooded, 
 some half covered with the water, but green with 
 the tender freshness of the young rice plants, some 
 
 9 
 
barely raised above the water’s reach, and verdant 
 with the low-cropped mulberry bushes which feed the 
 silkworms of one of the finest silk districts in China ; 
 boats of all sorts passing to and fro ; men and women 
 in the wet fields, preparing the ground for the rice 
 with great hoes, or plowing or harrowing with buf- 
 faloes, or setting the rice plants, knee deep often 
 in the loam, children scraping the river bottoms for 
 shellfish, or gathering greens ; the whole country so 
 flat that the sails of the boats in the myriad streams 
 seem to spring from the ground, while great moun- 
 tains yet loom up misty and blue in the distance, — 
 these are a few of the many and fascinating sights 
 that we glided past as we sat on the roof of a 
 hotau boat.” 
 
 Shun Tak-West River field, although easy of access 
 lias been difficult to work on account of the former 
 opposition of the people. This is gradually being 
 overcome by the activities of the missionaries and the 
 field shows great possibilities. 
 
 The second Station to be opened in the South China 
 Mission was Yeung Kong which is situated in the 
 southern part of the province of Kwantung, 150 miles 
 from Canton. In 1886, Dr. Joseph Thompson opened 
 the work there and the first years were marked by 
 opposition. During the year of the Boxer outbreak 
 ill 1900 the Station was deserted. The region around 
 Yeung Kong is infested with robbers and pirates, and 
 the unsettled condition of the government at present 
 (1921) has added to the difficulty of the work. 
 Nevertheless, in the city and throughout the country 
 districts the people are showing an interest in Chris- 
 tianity. The women are anxious to study and the 
 school houses are crowded to overflowing. Yeung 
 
 10 
 
Kong needs more schools and the need for country 
 medical itineration is great. Thousands of people are 
 waiting for medical advice and the Gospel message 
 which it brings. There are calls from all parts of the 
 field for evangelistic campaigns. 
 
 Lienchou, the Scene of Martyrdom — This city in 
 the northern part of Kwantung was visited in 1872 
 by missionaries from Canton, but the Station was not 
 formally opened until 1890. Early efforts met with 
 much difficulty, as the officials and gentry would not 
 sell the Station any land in or near the city. By 
 1896 this antagonism was practically broken down. 
 However, in 1905, due to the excitement of the annual 
 idol festival the Station was attacked. While the 
 Mission buildings were being burned by the mob, 
 the missionaries tried to get across the river to the 
 official Yamen for protection, but no boat dared to 
 take them. So they wandered as far as a cave and 
 there hid themselves. With grass torches the in- 
 furiated mob hunted out Mrs. Machle and her little 
 girl, Dr. Eleanor Chesnut and Rev. and Mrs. John 
 R. Peale. They failed to find Miss Patterson who was 
 in a deep hole under a ledge, and also Dr. E. C. 
 Machle, who separated from the rest, was immersed 
 in water in another recess of the cave. Those found 
 were treated with cruel indignity and killed. The 
 names of Mrs. Machle and little Amy, Dr. Chestnut, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Peale, were that day added to the roll 
 of the martyrs of our Church. 
 
 The Station was rebuilt and the work again pros- 
 pered, although it has been hindered in recent years 
 by unsettled political conditions. 
 
 A Gateway for the Hunanese — Lienchow is the 
 gateway through which the products of the southern 
 
 11 
 
part of Hunan Province reach the outer world. Many 
 Hunanese coolies come every day for trading purposes 
 and there are about 10,000 in the city of Lienchow 
 alone. They are a sturdy and serious people who 
 stay by themselves. A great opportunity is given 
 to the missionary to give the Gospel message to these 
 people that they may eventually carry it back to 
 their homes. 
 
 In spite of many hindrances. Mission activities 
 have progressed. Lienchow field is large and there 
 are many mountain tribes who have never heard the 
 story of Christ. 
 
 Kochou, first an Out-station of Yeung Kong, was 
 formally opened as a Station in 1912. Owing to 
 disturbed political conditions at present, evangelistic 
 itineration with training classes for men has been 
 the main activity of the Station. Work among the 
 women has been most encouraging. Kochou with its 
 six counties is a field of magnificent distances and a 
 hard one to itinerate. On the other hand the people 
 are most friendly and well disposed toward the 
 Gospel. 
 
 Shek Lung, a commercial center, 45 miles southeast 
 of Canton, was started as an Out-station of Canton 
 and permanent work was established in 1915. During 
 the early years there was great opposition to Chris- 
 tianity, but since the days of the Republic there has 
 been an attitude of friendliness toward the Mission 
 work. In the year 1920, the greatest revival that 
 Shek Lung has ever known took place. As a result, 
 organized bands of Christians have visited the dif- 
 ferent villages, preaching the Gospel. Everywhere 
 there is a desire to know more about Christianity. 
 
 12 
 
The Outlook 
 
 In Public Affairs — The Chinese can be aroused 
 against evil, and the crusade against gambling is 
 now (1921) taking hold among them. Not long ago 
 15,000 citizens of Canton, in a parade several miles 
 long, presented to the Governor a petition from more 
 than 50,000 members of the Anti-Gambling Society, 
 asking for the abolition of the vice in Canton. 
 Churches, schools, trade and labor organizations took 
 part in the affair. In answer to the petition, the 
 Governor issued a proclamation to stop the gambling 
 and said that he would enforce the order by military 
 law. The Governor called on the Christian citizens 
 to aid him in the enforcement of the order. Such an 
 incident is hopeful for the cause of Christ. 
 
 At a patriotic celebration held in Canton (1921) 
 the authorities ordered the burning of half a million 
 dollars worth of opium that had been seized in 
 various raids, — an evidence that they are in earnest 
 about cleaning out this destructive traffic. 
 
 The unification of China may come from the South 
 after all and find its beginning in the progressive 
 government which is gathering power and influence 
 in Canton. 
 
 In Christian Activity — In educational interests, 
 the Mission is in the day of concentration on large 
 central institutions, — both union and those which are 
 our Mission’s exclusive responsibility, — in which the 
 children of the Church can be well trained and the 
 government be provided with models of a high type 
 of schools. In medical service the Mission is planning 
 for better plants and means of training men and 
 women doctors and nurses in sufficient numbers to 
 
 13 
 
meet the needs of the Christian community in China, 
 first of all, and to extend as widely as possible this 
 ministry to suffering humanity. In evangelistic effort 
 has come the day of close cooperation with the native 
 Church which is developing strength and individu- 
 ality. The Chinese Church is growing in stature but 
 it needs more help from America than ever. Com- 
 pared to the task ahead it is still a very young plant 
 and needs good cultivation that it may grow sturdily 
 in numbers, grace and power. 
 
 Note. For most recent statistics of the South China 
 Mission consult the current Annual Report of the 
 Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. 
 
 A Pen Picture of each Station of the South China 
 Mission describing the work in detail can be secured 
 at five cents per copy from the Department for 
 Specific Work, Presbyterian Board of Foreign 
 Missions, or from the Woman’s Board of Foreign Mis- 
 sions, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City. 
 
 October, 1921. 
 
Pen Picture 
 
 of the 
 
 Hainan Mission 
 
 Established — 1893 
 
 Stations in Order of Founding 
 
 Nodoa 1884 Kachek 1902 
 
 Kiungchow 1885 
 
 Outstanding Features 
 
 The field of the Mission is an island composed 
 of fertile valleys and imposing mountains, with 
 tropical vegetation, and healthful climate. 
 
 The Presbyterian Church has the only 
 Protestant Mission on the island. 
 
 The Hainanese are a robust, virile people. 
 The population is made up of Chinese ; the Loi 
 who are the original inhabitants of the island ; 
 the Miao, and a few thousand Hakkas. 
 
 Ready response of the Miao and the Loi to the 
 Gospel message, practically a ‘ ‘ Mass Movement. ’ ’ 
 
 Extensive and intensive evangelistic work. 
 Evangelism also stressed in educational and 
 medical work. 
 
 15 
 
Location and Size 
 
 The island of Hainan, often called “The Isle 
 of Palms,” is situated off the extreme southern 
 point of the mainland of China, 290 miles south 
 of Hong Kong. Its name implies, “The Land 
 South of the Sea.” Legend, probably founded 
 on fact, has it that Hainan was once connected 
 with the peninsula of Luichow but a volcanic 
 disturbance caused the sinking of the stretch of 
 land where the Hainan Straits now are. These 
 straits are about 15 miles wide. The island is 
 approximately 160 miles long and 90 wide with 
 an area of some 14,000 square miles, or nearly 
 twice the size of the State of New Jersey. 
 
 Climate 
 
 During the summer season the temperature 
 ranges from 80° to 90° F. The heat of the sun 
 is intense and the humidity is great. During the 
 winter the temperature occasionally drops to 45°. 
 Frost is practically unknown. 
 
 Latitude 
 
 Between 18° and 20° north. About the same 
 as Cuba or Hawaii. 
 
 Physical Features, Plant and Animal Life 
 
 In the northern part of Hainan there are ex- 
 tensive regions that are comparatively level but 
 the greater part of the island is composed of noble 
 mountains interspersed with fertile valleys. For- 
 ests of rare wood, rosewood, mahogany and betel- 
 wood are abundant. Everywhere the vegetation 
 
 16 
 
is of tropical exuberance and beauty, the moun- 
 tain slopes in particular being covered with a 
 dense, almost impassable, jungle in which many 
 wild animals roam. Fruits grow in abundance — 
 papaya, “the melons that grow on trees,’’ 
 mangoes, cocoanuts, bananas, pineapples, figs and 
 citrous fruits of several varieties. In the forest 
 many strange and interesting birds abound ; wild 
 pigeons are found everywhere. 
 
 Population, Number and Character 
 
 The population of Hainan is estimated at 
 1,500,000 most of whom are Chinese who came 
 originally from the mainland, the island having 
 been conquered by them during the reign of 
 the Emperor Wu Pi, 1001 B. C. A few thou- 
 sand llakkas, immigrants from northern China, 
 are also found in the district near the hills. The 
 Hainanese are a robust, virile people with the 
 general characteristics of the Chinese, industrious 
 and frugal, but perhaps more warlike in temper 
 than their countrymen across the strait. Their 
 tendency is toward turbulence. For a long time 
 they gave the Chinese government some trouble 
 and British men-of-war were needed to break up 
 their disposition to prey on the commerce passing- 
 til rough the strait to and from Hong Kong. 
 
 The Loi — About one-third of the island is in 
 possession of the original inhabitants, the Loi, 
 who occupy the whole of the hill country and 
 a part of the northwestern plains. They are 
 thought to be of the Tai race of the Laos of 
 Siam and of Indo-China. The term “Loi,” as 
 
 17 
 
used by the Chinese in Hainan, is applied to a 
 number of different tribes. First, there are those 
 who can scarcely be distinguished from the 
 Chinese except by their aboriginal language. 
 Next, there is a class of Loi who have wholly 
 submitted to the Chinese government but have 
 retained their aboriginal dress and some of their 
 customs. The third class are the natives who 
 now occupy the south central or hilly part of 
 Hainan, into which they have been forced by 
 successive waves of immigration of more highly 
 civilized people from the mainland of China. 
 
 The Loi are generally taller and finer looking 
 than the Chinese, having gentler manners. While 
 the different tribes have constant trouble among 
 themselves, they are kindly disposed towards 
 strangers and seldom attack the Chinese unless 
 they have received some injury from them. They 
 are governed by their own chiefs, some of whom 
 recognize Chinese authority. The Loi have their 
 own language and a few understand the Hain- 
 anese dialect. 
 
 The Miao — These people are not native to 
 Hainan but have migrated from the province of 
 Kwangsi in southern China. They inhabit the 
 mountainous interior of the island and build 
 their villages far up on the mountains. In cus- 
 toms, dress, habits of life and temperament they 
 differ from the Chinese. The Miao are an honest, 
 industrious and peace loving people. In spite 
 of privations and bitter toil, they are singularly 
 open and responsive to any who gain their 
 confidence. 
 
 18 
 
Products 
 
 The Hainanese cultivate rice, cocoanuts, silk, 
 peanuts, pineapples, bananas, cotton, indigo, 
 sugar, cinnamon, sweet potatoes, tobacco, tea and 
 betel nuts. They also raise horses, cattle and 
 hogs. The chief exports of the island are rice, 
 hides, leather, tallow, sugar, hemp, eggs, poultry, 
 silk, grass cloth and carved articles of fragrant 
 wood. 
 
 General Conditions 
 
 Hainan in the last twenty years has made 
 some progress along with the rest of China, so 
 that instead of the wheelbarrow and sedan chair 
 as the only means of conveyance, one now sees 
 in the cities of both Hoihow and Kiungchow, the 
 rickshaws, the horse-drawn carriage and the 
 automobile. The queues of the men have gone 
 and the custom of binding the feet of the girls 
 is passing also. There have been, however, no 
 changes among the Loi of the interior. Aside 
 from the two places in the east and south sides 
 of the country where Christian chapels have 
 been opened, the heart of their land remains un- 
 touched. In 1920 there was civil war on the 
 island of Hainan. 
 
 Missionary History 
 
 Roman Catholic Activity — The beginning of mis- 
 sionary work in Hainan dates back to the sixteenth 
 century, when as early as 1560 the Jesuits visited the 
 island. In the old cemetery between Hoihow and 
 Kiungchow are many grave stones marked with a 
 
 19 
 
cross. In 1849 the Roman Catholics reopened their 
 work and still have a small mission on the island. 
 
 Beginnings of Our Mission — The first Protestant 
 missionary to Hainan was Mr. C. C. Jeremiassen, a 
 Dane, who came in 1881 and made his headquarters 
 at Hoihow, the only port in Hainan which was open 
 to foreign trade. Before his conversion he had spent 
 a number of years in the Chinese custom service of 
 Canton as a pirate hunter. At first he labored as 
 an independent, self-supporting missionary, the 
 British and Foreign Bible Society furnishing him 
 with a Chinese Christian colporteur. Previous to this 
 he had studied medicine for two years under the well- 
 known missionary. Dr. J. G. Kerr, of Canton Station. 
 The first year, Mr. Jeremiassen made a trip around 
 the whole island, a trip that still involves much hard- 
 ship and a month of travel. He sold tracts, gospels, 
 and medicines and thus sowed the good seed which 
 has since brought an abundant harvest. During this 
 time, Mr. Jeremiassen was associated with the Amer- 
 ican Presbyterian Mission of Canton which he joined 
 in 1885. 
 
 In 1883, the Rev. B. C. Henry, D.D., of Canton, 
 came to Hainan and made a journey of exploration 
 with Mr. Jeremiassen into the interior of the island. 
 On their trip they found a large settlement of Hakkas 
 near Nodoa and a colporteur was placed among them. 
 Nodoa is situated on the northern end of the island, 
 90 miles inland from Kiungchow. Although it is 
 only a small market town, Nodoa is the center of a 
 populous part of the island and is a gateway to 
 many fields of missionary activity. In 1885 Rev. H. 
 B. Noyes of Canton visited the place and baptized 
 nine converts. During 1887 a body of Chinese 
 
 20 
 
troops was sent to Nodoa to punish those who had 
 been engaged in the insurrection of the previous year. 
 Fever broke out among the troops, and Mr. Jeremias- 
 sen was so successful in treating the soldiers that the 
 Governor gave him a plot of ground and also money 
 to erect two inexpensive hospitals. 
 
 Separation from Canton Mission — In May, 1893, 
 Hainan was organized as a separate Mission, thus be- 
 coming independent of the Canton Mission. The 
 first years of Protestant Mission activity were not 
 years of ease. Without proper houses for comfort- 
 able living in a tropical climate, with no course of 
 study or trained teachers to assist in learning the 
 new language, with natives always suspicious and 
 often unfriendly, the pioneers laid the foundations 
 for the work that has since been carried on. 
 
 Development of Stations 
 
 Since 1894 regular Mission work has been conducted 
 in Nodoa Station and missionaries have lived there 
 continuously, with a few exceptions when disturbed 
 conditions made it necessary for foreigners to go 
 to the port as a precautionary measure. 
 
 Beautiful views of the mountains and the healthful 
 climate compensate in part for the isolation of the 
 Station. Nodoa is the most settled of the Sta- 
 tions of the Hainan Mission. As it has been estab- 
 lished the longest, it can see the results of its labors 
 in the second and third generations of Christians. 
 
 In 1885, H. M. McCandliss, M.D., came to the island 
 and Kiungchow, the capital, three miles inland from 
 the port of Hoihow, was chosen as the place for 
 opening a new Station. In the same year the Rev. and 
 Mrs. F. P. Gilman joined the work there. Attempts 
 
 21 
 
to secure property in Kiungchow were difficult at 
 first and it was not until 1897 that a hospital was 
 built at Hoihow, the port. This hospital has proved 
 of the greatest service to the community in epidemics. 
 The work of visiting in the homes in the city has 
 been carried on by the Bible women. They are also 
 at hand in the hospital to give instruction. 
 
 The field covered by Kiungchow Station is exten- 
 sive. It includes Ngai-chow and Lui-chow, the penin- 
 sula just across the straits from Hainan. Other 
 untotiched fields are ready for the Gospel message. 
 
 Kachek, the third Station of the Hainan Mission, 
 is situated in the southeastern part of the island, 
 twelve miles from the coast and 60 miles south of 
 Kiungchow. Its opening is associated with the Boxer 
 uprising in the year 1900. At that time Rev. F. P. 
 Gilman, Rev. C. H. Newton and Dr. S. L. Lassell 
 were appointed for the work at Kachek. Owing to 
 the unsettled conditions, the Station was not per- 
 manently occupied as a residence until 1902. 
 
 Every member of the Kachek church (1921) is en- 
 listed in personal evangelistic work. New converts 
 have opened three country churches. Village schools 
 are held, in each case, in the chapel building, with 
 one exception, where the non-Christian villagers asked 
 the Christians to use the ancestral hall. Two idol 
 shrines were torn down, and the bricks from the 
 shrines were used to enlarge the hall. 
 
 A Mass Movement 
 
 The particular work of Kachek has been among 
 the Miao and the Loi. The Miao work had a most 
 interesting beginning. A Miao chief had an impres- 
 
 22 
 
sive dream. He saw his house in darkness, suddenly 
 illumined by a great light. In the spring of 1916 he 
 came to Kacliek, asking that his people be taught the 
 Gospel, as he believed that they were in darkness. The 
 missionaries told him that Jesus was the Light of the 
 world. After their first visit to his village, his people 
 built a thatched chapel and throngs came from miles 
 around to learn of the Christian’s God. When they 
 had learned a few lessons in the worship of the true 
 God, they returned to their villages and built chapels 
 of their own. One village chief was asked how many 
 families in his village worshipped God. “All of 
 them, ’ ’ he replied ; ‘ ‘ when we built this chapel two 
 families refused to join with us and so they moved 
 to another village.’’ On Easter Sunday, April 20th, 
 1919, the first communion was held for these people 
 of the forest in the chief’s village. The response from 
 the Miao has been practically a mass movement, and 
 the work offers a great opportunity and a great chal- 
 lenge to our faith. Over 2,000 Miao are hearing the 
 Gospel in 23 chapels which they have built at their 
 own expense (1921). Ninety of these Miao, including 
 a Loi chief and five or six Miao chiefs, have been 
 baptized since 1918 and hundreds more are asking 
 for baptism. 
 
 A most unique experience took place near Kachek 
 in the fall of 1920. The people of a village some 
 30 miles from Kachek threw away the village idols. 
 This is the first time this has happened in Hainan. 
 Village idols are different from the family idols. 
 Nothing can be done to them except by consent of 
 all the people. Therefore this means that the hun- 
 dred odd families of this village, — with nearly 600 
 people in it,— have as a village given up idolatry. 
 
 23 
 
This is a remarkable action for China and we may 
 rejoice at the power of the Gospel to overthrow in this 
 way the strongholds of heathenism. The small temple 
 from which these idols were taken has been turned 
 into a school, a Christian school with 96 pupils in 
 attendance. 1 his village is the center of Christianity 
 and Christian influence in the district. A church has 
 been organized in it with 149 charter members. 
 
 The Loi work took definite form in 1916 in Leng-tui. 
 Two brothers who were the head chiefs were anxious 
 to open schools for their people. Teachers were 
 sent out and schools were opened. Later one of the 
 brothers was killed in an uprising of some of his 
 people. The teachers were forced to flee and the work 
 was interrupted for a short time, but was later re- 
 sumed. The Loi people have treated the missionaries 
 most kindly in their trips among them. Just as one 
 of the missionaries was leaving one of the Loi villages, 
 the chief said, “Pray for us, and do send a woman 
 to teach our women the Way!” 
 
 Proclaiming the Glad Tidings 
 
 Street Preaching and Campaigns — Both extensive 
 and intensive evangelistic work has been carried on 
 in the three Stations of the Hainan Mission. Street 
 preaching and the selling of tracts have been effective 
 means of opening work in new markets. The sight 
 of a foreigner is sufficient to draw a crowd and in 
 this way opportunity presents itself to give the Gospel 
 message. Tracts for those who can read and pictures 
 for the illiterate attract the crowd. Often the mis- 
 sionary will preach in a temple or guild room, in an 
 
 24 
 
inn or a shop, — wherever there is an opportunity 
 offered. 
 
 Evangelistic campaigns carried on by the mis- 
 sionaries and their native assistants have proved of 
 great value. The interest of the officials and the 
 opportunities to speak in government schools have 
 been unusual. By means of these trips, the seed of 
 the Gospel has been sown literally in thousands of 
 hearts, the Christians have been aroused and inter- 
 ested and the assistants have received a much larger 
 vision of the work lying at our door. 
 
 The Bible Women — Each Station has a number of 
 Bible women who are able to give all or part of their 
 time to carrying the Gospel to the women. Some of 
 them have interesting histories, showing how the 
 power of God brought them out of heathen darkness 
 into the light of His love. Only a few Hainanese 
 women can read, so they must be taught to read the 
 Scriptures and hymns. These women with their nar- 
 row, shut-in lives respond quickly to the message 
 of love. 
 
 Ever since women missionaries came to Hainan the 
 training of women has been carried on. In 1903, 
 a building was erected in Kiungchow for a Bible 
 women’s school, but it was used for both women and 
 girls. In 1910, when the Pitkin School was built, 
 the old building was released for the Women’s Bible 
 School which was opened in the spring of 1912. The 
 school has had three definite aims in view, — to make 
 good earnest Christian women, to give them a knowl- 
 edge of Bible truths so that they may be able to 
 teach others, and to train Bible women. 
 
 25 
 
Educational Aims 
 
 The aims of the schools in the Hainan Mission are: 
 
 (1) Education of the children of the Chinese 
 constituency ; 
 
 (2) The training of church leaders; 
 
 (3) The training of Christian teachers; 
 
 (4) Inculcating the idea of the dignity of honest 
 labor ; 
 
 (5) The general leavening of the community with 
 Christian thought. 
 
 The hope of the Mission has been to establish more 
 lower primary schools in the Christian villages where 
 the children can be at home with their parents. 
 These village schools would logically act as feeders 
 for the higher primary schools located in each Station. 
 For several years the three Stations each maintained 
 a middle school or high school for boys and the Pit- 
 kin school at Kiungcliow had a middle department. 
 In 1919 the Hainan Christian Middle School was 
 opened in Kiungchow, the middle pupils from the 
 three Stations attending this institution. 
 
 Medical Service 
 
 From the very beginning medical work has been an 
 opening wedge. Mr. .Jeremiassen ^^sed his medical 
 knowledge to spread the Gospel message. From 
 dispensary and medical work carried on in rented 
 houses, when surgical work scarcely dared be at- 
 tempted for fear of riots, there has been a steady 
 expansion until there are at present three hospitals, 
 one in each of the Stations. If better sanitary con- 
 ditions could be put into operation, many of the 
 diseases prevalent in Hainan could be prevented. 
 
 26 
 
Infant mortality is very high, owing to the lack of 
 cleanliness and proper sanitary care. 
 
 Evangelism has been stressed in the hospital work. 
 The morning preaching services in the chapels reach 
 many patients, and special attempts are made to 
 follow up those who have been discharged. 
 
 A Trip to Nodoa 
 
 One of our missionaries gives the following interest- 
 ing account of a trip from Hoihow, the port, to Nodoa : 
 
 “Southwest from Hoihow, perhaps sixty -five miles 
 as the crow flies, but seventy-five or eighty as one 
 winds in and out among the rice fields and adds 
 detours around the foothills, lies Nodoa. For com- 
 fortable travelling it is a three and a half day trip 
 with stops at several places. 
 
 “Over the Hummocks, nearly 800 feet high, winds 
 the narrow road. Like all Chinese roads it varies 
 in width from the size of a wide trail to a path a 
 foot wide. For some distance either side of the Hum- 
 mocks and part way over the hills itself it is paved 
 with irregular volcanic boulders, worn smooth and 
 slippery by years of travel, and difficult to walk on. 
 In places near the top the porous lava has been 
 gathered and built into walls from five to ten feet 
 high on either side of the trail, gray and forbidding 
 except for the foliage beyond and the songs of the 
 birds in the woods. 
 
 “As we zigzag across the fields beyond the Hum- 
 mocks, we find ourselves in An Zin almost before we 
 know it. Chinese villages are all built on the same 
 principle, based on fear. The country is so infested 
 with pirates and robber bands that for mutual pro- 
 
 27 
 
tection the village houses are built side by side, sep- 
 arated in most cases only hv a party wall. In many 
 villages, the end of each street leading out into the 
 country is provided with a gate of heavy posts, fitting 
 into sockets at top and bottom and locked in place 
 at dark, thus shutting out all marauders. 
 
 “After spending a restless night in a room with 
 eight other people, we started on our journey back 
 to Hoihow. Toward the end of the trip, the bright 
 moonlight of the early evening had given place to a 
 cloudy sky and we had to pick our way carefully over 
 the uneven paving with eyes constantly on the path 
 to prevent stumbling. At about- sunrise I sat on the 
 grass beside the road and looked back. There on the 
 horizon rose the Hummocks, blue-grey against the sky. 
 Beyond them lay the village of Doa Hun with all its 
 spiritual night and misery, typical of the suffering and 
 need of China. But on either side are the hospitals 
 and churches and missionaries of Nodoa and Kiung- 
 chow and Hoihow, and their influence, is spreading 
 from village to village, and bringing the knowledge 
 of the only One who can change hearts and give relief 
 adequate to the need. This relief can come only 
 through the channels of human prayer and sacrifice. ’ ’ 
 
 Our Opportunity 
 
 Hainan needs more consecrated men and women 
 to carry on the evangelistic work, to care for the 
 sick that fill the hospitals and to instruct the youth 
 that are crowding every school. Funds are needed 
 to continue the work among the Miao and the Loi 
 who have received the Gospel with so great joy. 
 Hainan appeals especially to the Presbyterian Church 
 
 28 
 
as it has the only Protestant Mission in the island. 
 In one Station over 800 candidates for baptism have 
 been examined by the session in the last five years 
 (1916-1921) and over 400 have been baptized. More 
 than half of these have been received since the begin- 
 ning of 1920. Schools, hospitals and churches are 
 taxed to the utmost to minister in Christ’s name to 
 the more than 2,000,000 population of Hainan and 
 Lui-chow peninsula. One dialect is understood by 
 the majority of the people. Chinese, Miao and Loi 
 are begging to have the Gospel preached to them. 
 The Christian Church has never had a greater oppor- 
 tunity or a greater responsibility than to answer this 
 appeal with money and with consecrated lives. 
 
 Note. For most recent statistics of the Hainan Mis- 
 sion consult the current Annual Repoi’t of the 
 Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. 
 
 A Pen Picture of each Station of the Hainan Mis- 
 sion describing the work in detail can be secured 
 at five cents per copy from the Department for Spe- 
 cific Work, Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, 
 or from the Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions, 156 
 Fifth Avenue, New York City. 
 
 October, 1921. 
 
 29 
 
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