[00:00.00]Sitting in this old church in China [00:04.03]led me to contemplate [00:05.46]about the lives of men and their spouses [00:07.86]who lived decades ago, [00:09.73]when they traveled to this distant land [00:12.24]in the Eastern Hemisphere. [00:14.21]Many of these Christian ministers and laymen [00:17.78]left their comfortable churches, [00:19.97]even cathedrals to preach their ideology to foreigners. [00:24.34]They established small chapels [00:26.86]where people could join in Christian fellowship [00:29.49]and where some Chinese people [00:31.46]accepted conversion to a new faith. [00:34.74]They came to a land [00:37.03]where the predominate faith was Buddhism. [00:39.22]Even though their words were eloquent [00:42.84]the message at times [00:44.47]must have seemed formidable and gloomy. [00:47.10]Even the foreigners'clothing styles [00:50.27]would have appeared queer. [00:52.24]During this colonial time period [00:56.51]missionaries emigrated to all areas of China, [00:59.35]visiting small villages, distributing Bibles, [01:03.40]offering divine salvation [01:05.26]and preaching the word of God. [01:07.67]A unanimous decision was made [01:10.73]by many faiths to attempt [01:12.92]to enrich the lives of others [01:14.67]and to present the eloquent message of Christianity. [01:18.50]Some missionaries worked in the medical field [01:22.22]as doctors, surgeons, nurses and dentists. [01:26.16]Agriculture specialists helped the farmers [01:29.77]elevate their crop performance [01:31.62]to provide better nutrition for the people. [01:34.91]Finally there were teachers [01:37.97]who ran the mission schools. [01:40.16]All had to be very versatile at their work. [01:44.10]These people proved to be an inspiration [01:47.27]for others to follow in their footsteps. [01:50.55]Earnings from all these areas [01:53.95]would go back into further mission work [01:56.24]to fulfill their mandate. [01:58.54]In retrospect, my fascination with this historical era [02:04.45]may have been kindled in childhood. [02:07.40]While visiting my grandparent's home [02:10.55]every Thanksgiving, I was allowed to examine [02:13.95]the fascinating ornaments from the Orient. [02:17.22]There were delicate elephant sculptures [02:20.40]carved from ivory, lacy sandalwood fans [02:23.79]and an imposing brass Buddha. [02:26.08]Best of all, I was allowed [02:29.33]to don an exquisite silk embroidered jacket [02:32.07]and play with a blue and tan parasol [02:35.24]which was adorned with [02:37.21]sprays of plum blossoms and tiny buds. [02:40.16]It was then I was introduced [02:43.23]to an exotic new world. [02:45.41]Maybe this too, [02:48.00]is partly what lured me to this country. [02:50.85]Under a new regime in China, [02:53.91]government statesmen questioned [02:56.65]what justification these foreign ministers [02:59.38]had in their country. [03:00.69]Subsequently, the morality of the instruction was questioned. [03:06.55]The pendulum swung the other way [03:08.52]and church people would no longer be welcome [03:10.93]to impart their message. [03:12.79]A plea to reconsider the decision was unsuccessful. [03:17.49]Diplomats also would be required to leave the country. [03:21.65]It would be a long time [03:23.62]before visas would be issued to foreign people, [03:26.68]to again live in China. [03:29.09]And so here I am! [03:31.93]The clearance for my visitor's visa [03:34.67]had been administered swiftly. [03:36.64]My surroundings aroused in me a sense of heritage. [03:40.79]Today, sitting here pondering, [03:43.96]allowed me to be a participant [03:46.70]rather than just a spectator [03:48.67]in a new chapter of China's history.