sfied."
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

I WISH to acknowledge that apart from my co-workers, Evangeline and
Francesca French, this book would have been impossible. To Mr. Albert
Lutley, Superintendent of the China Inland Mission Work in the Province
of Shansi, I am indebted for help and kindnesses which I can
acknowledge, but never repay. I am also indebted to my Chinese
secretary, Miss Wang, for her able reporting of the many interviews
which the compiling of this book has necessitated.

* * * * *

The Chinese themselves say: "One mile alters the speech, and ten miles
change the customs."

In view of the fact that the Province of Shansi alone is larger than
England and Wales, I wish it to be clearly understood that the usages
and customs to which I refer throughout this book are local.

EDITOR'S NOTE

ALL personal names are spelt according to the system employed by the
authoress, except where it has been necessary to modify this to retain
the identity of someone mentioned in Mrs. Howard Taylor's _Pastor Hsi_.
All place names are spelt according to the orthography of the Chinese
Postal Guide, which system is now used in the standard maps of China and
has been adopted by the larger missionary societies. Thus, Hoh-chau of
_Pastor Hsi_ becomes Hwochow, T'ai-yuean becomes Taiyueanfu, P'ing-yang
becomes Pingyangfu, etc.

CONTENTS

PAGE

PROLOGUE xix

CHAPTER I

MRS. HSI'S GIFT, BEING AN ACCOUNT OF THE
OPENING OF THE STATION OF HWOCHOW 3

CHAPTER II

THE BIG ROAD, INDICATING THE SITUATION OF
HWOCHOW IN THE PROVINCE OF SHANSI 11

CHAPTER III

A NEW VENTURE, IN WHICH IS RECORDED THE
APPOINTMENT OF THE FIRST MISSIONARIES
TO HWOCHOW 19

CHAPTER IV

THE CONTINUATION OF THE STORY, BEING A RECORD
OF SOME WHO WERE COUNTED WORTHY TO SUFFER
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, AND OF MRS. HSI'S
EXPERIENCE IN THE BOXER OUTBREAK 27

CHAPTER V

LIFE IN THE VILLAGES, AN INTRODUCTION TO
CHINESE HOME LIFE 37

CHAPTER VI

OUR RECEPTION AT HWOCHOW, SHOWING THINGS AS
THEY SOMETIMES ARE 47

CHAPTER