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| Cover of China's Millions for 1885 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Prayer to begin, prayer to accompany and prayer to close any undertaking for His service is the secret of all prospering in our ways. --Lord Ashley, UK Parliament, 1800s, a turbulent century of British-China tea trade, diplomacy, and foreign influences.
A. J. Broomhall's biographical work is a series I recommend, on the lives of missionaries to China in the 19th century. The series introduced me to Charles Gutzlaff, also a writer and an outstanding and controversial 19th century German missionary to China and Macao.
Nineteenth-century China, Catholics, German, British and American protestants, European diplomats and civil servants before and into the 1800s... their story deserves attention in the history of the ever-changing China. Very different people and paths converged there in the 1800s. They were present in somewhat safer port cities where the "barbarians," as the Chinese called the British and all foreigners, docked East India and other ships. A few ventured north into areas unknown to foreigners, where foreigners were odd sights for Chinese in remote places. Everyone, the century was a dangerous one due to internal upheavals and power grabs and challenges.
For his series on mission personalities in China, A.J. Broomhall applied solid research efforts and avoided putting halos on heroes. Charles Gutzlaff wrote from direct experience before his death on Macao.
Source of prayer quote: Broomhall, A. J., Hudson Taylor & China's Open Century; Book One: "Barbarians at the Gates," Hodder and Stoughton and The Overseas Missionary Fellowship, page 267. First published 1981.
Gutzlaff, et al. on China-see cover image above-is available in German and English.
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