Page 303 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era

289.

had as their sole purpose the conversion of Chinese residents.

Therefore., they were considered temporary establishments, use­

ful only until Western missionaries could venture into China

itself.

1
Throughout the 1830 s the central thrust of American
missionary efforts remained Canton. After Abeel left in 1831,

Elijah Bridgman stayed alone at Canton to direct the American

mission in China. At first he concentrated his energies in

preparing himself in the Chinese language. Under the tutelage
of Robert Morrison, Bridgman also began to translate biblical

tracts into Chinese for propagation. Bridgman and the Ameri­

cans who later joined him modelled their activities after

those already established by Morrison and the London Missionary

Society. The core of Morrison's work included translating and

distributing biblical and religious texts. Both the English

and American missionaries believed "that the Chinese were a
10
reading people and much influenced by books." Since active

preaching was not possible, proselytism through pamphlets

seemed the most practical alternative. On his arrival in

China, Bridgman naturally entered into Morrison's work. The

American shortly communicated to the Board of Commissioners

a description of his activities in China. In January 1831,

overseas Chinese communities before 1844. Singapore remained
the most important of these missions. As missionaries obtained
a foothold in China after 1844, they concentrated their efforts
on the mainland and gradually shut down their establishments in
Southeast Asia.

10
Strong, Story of the American Board, p. 109.