| The topic of this thesis is the history of the LMS (London Missionary Society) missionary movement in Hong Kong and Shanghai in the early period and focuses on the two missionary agencies, Anglo-Chinese College in Hong Kong and London Missionary Society Press in Shanghai. These two missionary agencies were important stages for the early Protestant LMS missionaries to play a key role in the evangelization and communication in China.;Many articles and books on the history of the Protestant missions in China have been published, and some of them deal with the LMS missionaries and the early times of the mission history. Chapter 1 of this thesis surveys and comments upon the past results of research concerning this theme, and points out that such publications have laid foundation for my research, but there are still many problems should be studies thoroughly and systematically.;The period from 1807 to 1840 is the beginning and preparing era for the Protestant missions to China. In 1807, Robert Morrison, a missionary sent by LMS arrived in Guangzhou. His arrival marked the beginning of the LMS missionary enterprises in China. Because the government of Qing was tightly forbad propagation of Christianity, Robert Morrison and William Milne, another missionary sent by LMS, decided to organize "The Ultra-Ganges Mission", and founded a headquarter in Malacca named "Anglo-Chinese College". Afterwards, many Protestant missionaries, including LMS missionaries came to the South East Asia and undertook many tasks, such as learning Chinese, translation, publication and medical mission. Chapter 2 will introduce these activities of LMS missionaries in SEA at the period of "waiting for China".;After the Opium War, under the diplomatic and military pressure of the west powers, the government of Qing was forced to give up the policy of forbidding the propagation of Christianity. Protestant Missions, like that of Catholic, gained legal status, and they could begin the process to entering China inland. After the occupation of Hong Kong by the British according to the Nanjing Treaty, LMS which sent missionaries to China began to move the missionary base to this colony. It decided that Benjamin Hobson and James Legge who once worked in Malacca took the responsibility of mission in Hong Kong. And Anglo-Chinese College at Malacca was also moved to Hong Kong, then became the mission station of LMS in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the five ports, i.e. Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai, were opened, the LMS missionaries immediately resumed their exercises in Guangzhou, and opened new mission stations in other ports. Walter Henry Medhurst once worked in Batavia and William Lockhart went to Shanghai and established the LMS Press as a mission station in Shanghai. Chapter 3 will tell the stories of the early LMS missionaries leading by James Legge and W. H. Medhurst whose worked in Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively.;After the establishment of the mission stations in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the missionaries of LMS began to undertake several mission activities such as building churches, education, translation and publishing activities and medical missions. Chapter 4, 5 will introduce the missionary activities, such as education, publish and Bible translation that engaged in the Anglo-Chinese College of Hong Kong and the LMS Press of Shanghai. Based on these facts, I will expose the role of LMS missionaries in the Sino-western culture conflict and exchange, and the Christian mission indigenization in China.;Chapter 6 will concern those detailed things occurred in Tai-ping rebellion movement and the 2nd Opium War. I want to explain the effects of the colonialism and the Chinese social turbulence to the missionaries.;In Chapter 7, at the conclusion of the thesis, I hope to make a righteous evaluation of these missionaries' various works in China. |
