Letter (May 12, 1909) written by G. P. Stevens, a missionary representing the Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Presbytery, in Suchien, China, describing his experiences in Suchien.
In the 19th century and into the early 20th century, Presbyterian missionaries traveled and lived in China in an attempt to convert Chinese people. While they had little success in the early phases of the missionization effort, they were more successful in the early 1900s. In 1900, there were only 7 members in the church in Suchien, China. By 1909, membership grew to 65. Missionaries developed schools, and also treated thousands of patients. During this time, however, some Chinese people still rejected their missionary work. In a May 12, 1909 letter addressed to the Steele Creek Missionary Society, Stevens shared his experiences as an American missionary in Suchien, China. Due to the Communist Revolution in the 1940s, missionaries were expelled from China, leaving behind 700,000 Chinese Protestants.
Sources
Michael V. Metallo Presbyterian Missionaries and the 1911 Chinese Revolution. Journal of Presbyterian History (1962-1985). Vol. 62, No. 2 (SUMMER 1984), pp. 153-168 (16 pages)
China Research Center https://www.chinacenter.net/2016/china_currents/15-1/protestant-christianity-in-the-peoples-republic/
Presbyterian Historical Society https://www.history.pcusa.org/collections/research-tools/guides-archival-collections/rg-431
The collection contains a 4-page letter written by American missionary G.P. Stevens dated May 12, 1909 about his experiences in Suchien, China. He discusses the practice of footbinding, women's status in society, the progress of the lady missionaries in Suchien, as well as the bias towards westerners by the Chinese. The collection also contains a photograph (12.6cm x 8cm) showing a man with his wife and a large family squatting in front of their hut. On the reverse is the manuscript caption "This is the group of houses of poor people – a typical scene. Houses made of mud, grass, and corn stalks. No floors in the houses. You can see the stoves on the outside."
Purchased from Denning House Antiquarian Books & Manuscripts
Processed by Aleck Tan, January 2020
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.