At the age of only twenty, Walter Medhurst set sail in August 1816 from London, aboard the General Graham, bound for Malacca to establish a printing facility for the London Missionary Society. Thereby began a career as missionary, adventurer, printer, writer, translator, teacher and nineteenth-century pioneer to China. The adventure begins in Madras, where Walter meets and falls in love with his wife Elizabeth and together they move on to Malacca, Penang and Batavia, preparing for the day when China opens up to the 'foreign devils' so that he can take the Christian message to the heart of the Celestial Empire. Following the First Opium War and the signing of the Treaty of Nanking, Medhurst took the opportunity in 1843 to set up the LMS mission centre in Shanghai. From this base he built churches, schools, a printing works and a hospital (now a major Shanghai hospital). During the time of the Taiping Rebellion, Walter maintained contact with the rebel leaders and he became a leading source of information in Britain and America about the situation in China. In the years between 1847 and 1850, he led the team that translated the Bible into Chinese. Encapsulated within this life is the whole history of the nineteenth-century integration of the West and the Orient - from a new, shared religious belief to common trade and enterprise. This is a true story of love, adventure, dedication and tragedy, set during a time of great turmoil, and one that changed the course of history.

About the Author
John Holliday was born and grew up in England, where his service in the Royal Air Force led to an opportunity in the burgeoning computer industry of the 1960s. John moved to Canada in 1968, initially joining IBM but later breaking out on his own with his first business in a career as a serial entrepreneur. The experiences of his working life became the subject of a book, 'Toughing It Out: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur', and so started a love of writing.

Reviews
'John Holliday has done a great service by writing this excellent biography... The reader will relish the memorable scenes of Medhurst's life, ranging from the carefree boyhood coach rides through the Cotswolds to the tense months of living under siege in Shanghai.' -- Revd Dr Andrew Lake One-time vicar of All Saints Church, Jakarta



Book Information
ISBN 9781445661346
Author John Holliday
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Amberley Publishing
Publisher Amberley Publishing
Weight(grams) 671g