NUMBER 6 CHINA THE CHINA MISSION 1. The Country T he vast land of China comprises more than 4,000,000 square miles of territory. It would spread all over the United States and cover nearly two thirds of North America. The five divisions of the country are Mongolia, Manchuria, Tibet, Chinese Turkestan, and the Eighteen Provinces, which latter is the portion commonly known as China. China is wonderful in its physical conditions. It has magnificent river systems, two of which, the Yangtse and the Hoangho, compare with the Mississippi, the Amazon and the Congo in extent. It has lofty mountains, deep and fertile valleys and extensive plains. Its climate is healthy, its soil productive, its products various and abundant. More wonderful than the country itself is the vast, un- measured sea of China’s millions of humanity, which have surged through the land since centuries before the Christian era. Compilers of statistics strive in vain to count these millions, or to make us comprehend their extent. It is safe to say that China proper comprises a territory about as large as the United States, east of the Rockies, and con- tains more than three times as many people as the United States. The population of the whole country is estimated at 350,000,000. 2. The People The Chinese claim an authentic history going back to 2800 B.c. Yet, by a revolution lasting but a few months, they broke away from the custom of 4,711 years and the ancient empire became a republic. The revolution started in October, 1911. It was practically ended in February, 1912, when Sim Yat Sen, the provisional president of the revolutionists, resigned that Yuan Shi-kai might be elected to that office by the National Assembly. The Chinese have many things to be proud of, but there are also many things that call for condemnation. Although they admire learning and have always had a written language, the mass of the people are densely ignorant; although business men have a reputation for fulfilling their obligations, public officials are notoriously dishonest; although human sacri- fices have not been offered for centuries, infanticide is com- mon and uncondemned by public sentiment; and although the position of women is better than in some other non- Christian countries, they have little freedom, are maimed by footbinding, can be sold by their parents, and, in the house- hold, are little better than slaves. Reformers are trying to remedy these evils, but only Christianity can cure them. 3. Religions There are three nominal religions in China; Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Confucianism is the system of morals taught by the great philospher, Confucius. It has a very strong hold on the Chinese in its doctrine of the worship of ancestors. Buddhism was introduced into China in our first century. From it come the deadly apathy and pessimism of the East, and the degrading belief that the souls of human beings may have the future existence in the bodies of beasts. Taoism is, in theory, a system of moral philosophy. Prac- tically, it means spirit worship and the practise of a great variety of superstitious rites. Buddhism has its images of Buddha; Confucianism has no idols; but the Taoist temples are filled with images. These religions are not definitely separated, but all are often ac- cepted by the same persons. “The Chinese support the priests of all religions, and worship in all their temples.” Thus the stupendous problem of the gospel in China stands revealed; it must meet the contemptuous pride of the learned class; it must overcome the inertia, falsehood and supersti- tion of three great religious systems; it must work in a so- ciety where women are degraded and where child murder is not a crime. 4. Beginnings of Mission Work As long ago as the early part of the sixth century the Nestorians came to China, and formed churches in several cities. In 1288 the Roman Catholics came, and had consider- able success untd the edict of expulsion against Christians in 1767. The pioneer of modern Protestant missions to China was Robert Morrison, who came to Canton in 1807. 5. Baptist Missions in China Beginnings in Siam There are many strange facts in the history of our mis- sions, and one of them is that our mission to China began in Siam. The mission to the Siamese was established at Bangkok in 1833; but though the work was carried on in the Siamese language, the first converts were three Chinese, among whom there promised to be more success than among the Siamese. South China Mission Thus Siam proved to be the open door to China. Our missionaries went first to Bangkok, but the call of the great land with its millions that needed the gospel was too clear to be disregarded, and our workers began to go to China and to plan broadly for the work of the gospel there. The South China Mission was begun in 1836. Its oldest station is Swatow, in the province of Kwangtung. We have now seven stations in the mission. Two dialects are spoken: the Swatow, near the coast, and the Hakka, in the hill coun- try in the interior. Siam is now included in the South China Mission field. East China Mission Our East China Mission is located in Chekiang and Kiangsu provinces. This work was begun at Ningpo in 1843, and there are now six central stations in this mission. West China Mission The great rivers of the Orient have often become the high- ways of the gospel. It was because of the mighty Yangtse that it was possible to establish a mission in western China, 2,000 miles up the river. Work was begun at Suifu in 1889, and four other stations have since been established. 6. Results of Missions • We have been at work for China for about eighty years and the good that has been accomplished cannot be told by statistics. It has been shown that in spite of the three religions the heart of the people is not at rest; they long for the peace which Christ alone can give. “We wish you would stay here and teach us,” said some women to our missionaries; “what you say is good, but we want to know more about it.” Even the children in our mission schools learn to sing “Jesus Loves Me,” and they know what it means, too. A little boy who was sick unto death there said to the missionary, “No, I am not afraid, for I know that Jesus loves me, and is taking care of me.” Our medical work is the “pictorial language of the gospel.” In it the Chinese see the true doctrine of Jesus, for nowhere else could the unfortunate be so helped. And above all, among our many converts some have stood firm amid per- secution even unto death, and others have developed Chris- tian character worthy of the apostolic age. “When China is converted, one half of the heathen world will have been conquered for Christianity.” China Literature At the Mercy of a Mob Free China; Missionary Surveys $ .01 Golden Hour in West China. The .03 Guide Book .25 Learning Chinese in Sixty Days Free Missions in China. An historical sketch .10 Reconciliation of Ko, The .01 Winning of Vong Met-chun, The .01 Catalog giving list of general literature on China free. Annual Report of Society free on receipt of 10 cents to cover postage. 179-2M-6-18-1919