Page 165 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 165
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
Motor vehicles were much less frequent here than at the coast, and it was quite hair raising at times
as we drove through the Tongguan streets. While avoiding a pig on one side, we narrowly missed
several toddlers on the other. A deaf old lady escaped by a hairsbreadth and chickens and dogs
seemed to be continually escaping from under our very wheels. Then, as we left the town behind, our
route took us through village after village, through green fields and over at least one ancient bridge
built in the Han dynasty. We saw a train of fifty camels, carts with a buffalo and mule yoked together,
men sitting by the roadside, the top part of their bodies naked as they searched through their upper
garments for fleas or more likely lice, and always and everywhere there were beggars.
At 9:15 pm we reached Xi’an, one of the ancient Capitals of China and, as we pulled up, our main
impression was of a great old city wall stretching in both directions, and in front of us, towering above
us, the city gate, shut tight and apparently quite impregnable. In response to much knocking, two
soldiers peered over the parapet at the top and demanded to know our business. After much talk
they came down to the inside of the gate, opening a tiny hole through which Mr. Vatsaas pushed his
pass. More talk, and at last the great gates swung open and we passed through. But that was not
the end, for there was still another half to the entrance
and another gate where we were met by three
soldiers, two with fixed bayonets and one flourishing a
horrible looking knife about three feet long! More talk,
and then those gates swung open too and, with much
bowing and many thanks to the soldiers, we were in
Xian. A long drive through the sleeping city brought
us to another gate at the far side where there was
more talk and more explanations, and then we were
out in the suburb and very quickly at the Mission home
where Mrs. Vatsaas got out of bed and welcomed us
with hot water to wash away at least some of the dust
that seemed to have clung to every inch of us, and a
delicious hot meal. Then we tumbled into a
comfortable bed and were asleep almost before our
heads touched the pillows.
We spent some days in Xi’an before setting out on the long trip over the Qin Ling range of mountains
down to South Shaanxi. From here on we would be travelling in Chinese clothes, so we bought
materials and then visited the tailor to have things made up. We visited an ancient Chinese temple
outside the city where we saw the famous Nestorian Tablet, the sole relic of Nestorian Christianity in
China. (See picture of the 2 tablets mentioned) We were able to buy rubbings of the tablet and the
wording on it, so I got one for myself and one to send to my Uncle Percy in Bayswater, as I knew he
would be interested. I also got a rubbing of a figure supposed to be that of St. Thomas. By the time
we got back to the house our luggage had arrived from Tongguan and we would be leaving next
morning for Fengxiang.
XI’AN TO HANZHONG
We left Xi’an at 9 am and it was 6:30 that evening when we reached Fengxiang. We travelled by truck
with Miss Haslam, who had a lame leg, in the front with the driver, and we three girls sitting on some of
our luggage at the back. We managed to put a few boxes behind us to make a back rest so that we
could face the way we were going. The driver was good, but he drove over those dusty roads,
through small villages and later through mountain cuttings and gorges, at such a rate that in the back
165
Amy Moore
Motor vehicles were much less frequent here than at the coast, and it was quite hair raising at times
as we drove through the Tongguan streets. While avoiding a pig on one side, we narrowly missed
several toddlers on the other. A deaf old lady escaped by a hairsbreadth and chickens and dogs
seemed to be continually escaping from under our very wheels. Then, as we left the town behind, our
route took us through village after village, through green fields and over at least one ancient bridge
built in the Han dynasty. We saw a train of fifty camels, carts with a buffalo and mule yoked together,
men sitting by the roadside, the top part of their bodies naked as they searched through their upper
garments for fleas or more likely lice, and always and everywhere there were beggars.
At 9:15 pm we reached Xi’an, one of the ancient Capitals of China and, as we pulled up, our main
impression was of a great old city wall stretching in both directions, and in front of us, towering above
us, the city gate, shut tight and apparently quite impregnable. In response to much knocking, two
soldiers peered over the parapet at the top and demanded to know our business. After much talk
they came down to the inside of the gate, opening a tiny hole through which Mr. Vatsaas pushed his
pass. More talk, and at last the great gates swung open and we passed through. But that was not
the end, for there was still another half to the entrance
and another gate where we were met by three
soldiers, two with fixed bayonets and one flourishing a
horrible looking knife about three feet long! More talk,
and then those gates swung open too and, with much
bowing and many thanks to the soldiers, we were in
Xian. A long drive through the sleeping city brought
us to another gate at the far side where there was
more talk and more explanations, and then we were
out in the suburb and very quickly at the Mission home
where Mrs. Vatsaas got out of bed and welcomed us
with hot water to wash away at least some of the dust
that seemed to have clung to every inch of us, and a
delicious hot meal. Then we tumbled into a
comfortable bed and were asleep almost before our
heads touched the pillows.
We spent some days in Xi’an before setting out on the long trip over the Qin Ling range of mountains
down to South Shaanxi. From here on we would be travelling in Chinese clothes, so we bought
materials and then visited the tailor to have things made up. We visited an ancient Chinese temple
outside the city where we saw the famous Nestorian Tablet, the sole relic of Nestorian Christianity in
China. (See picture of the 2 tablets mentioned) We were able to buy rubbings of the tablet and the
wording on it, so I got one for myself and one to send to my Uncle Percy in Bayswater, as I knew he
would be interested. I also got a rubbing of a figure supposed to be that of St. Thomas. By the time
we got back to the house our luggage had arrived from Tongguan and we would be leaving next
morning for Fengxiang.
XI’AN TO HANZHONG
We left Xi’an at 9 am and it was 6:30 that evening when we reached Fengxiang. We travelled by truck
with Miss Haslam, who had a lame leg, in the front with the driver, and we three girls sitting on some of
our luggage at the back. We managed to put a few boxes behind us to make a back rest so that we
could face the way we were going. The driver was good, but he drove over those dusty roads,
through small villages and later through mountain cuttings and gorges, at such a rate that in the back
165
