Bao Youyi — The First Chinese Preacher in Zhejiang
A sketch of Bao Youyi preaching on the streets of Ningbo.
Although many Chinese were hostile to the missionaries and their message, some were searching for truth, and a few individuals repented of their sins and placed their trust in Jesus Christ. The first Evangelical fellowship was organized on Zhejiang soil in May 1845.
Irishman William Russell—who was later appointed the Anglican Bishop of North China—was one of the first Evangelical missionaries in Zhejiang. After the first two Chinese converts were baptized in Ningbo, Russell wrote:
"I cannot help but feeling that the Lord is having His way prepared among this people, and that ere long, if spared, we shall be privileged to see His truth telling largely upon them.... For the last few weeks I have been in the habit of going out once or twice a week into the neighboring villages and towns, distributing tracts and preaching. Had I physical power, each day I might have addressed some 20 different assemblies, varying in number from 50 to 200 persons, who in most cases would have listened attentively to me for half an hour."1
Russell was accompanied on his preaching journeys to the countryside by the first Chinese convert in Ningbo, a man named Bao Youyi. Bao proved to be a vital co-worker to Russell, and was especially effective at presenting the gospel to followers of Confucius, who argued that Jesus is a foreign god and therefore not relevant to the people of China. Bao skilfully yet respectfully stated the truth of Christ, and many listeners were impressed enough to give a hearing to the new teaching. On numerous occasions Russell and Bao had detailed and vigorous exchanges with the people of Zhejiang, like this account of William Russell pleading with locals to believe:
"'My friends, you are already falling into the dark and terrific pit of destruction, and neither Confucius, Mencius, or other sages can save you. Only the power and wisdom of God can save you. Christ Jesus is that power; Christ Jesus is that wisdom....
Remember that Christianity is not a foreign creed. We foreigners are but letter-carriers and heralds. The letter, the message, comes from heaven. See the setting sun. Is it a native sun or a foreign sun?'
The crowd laughs. 'We suppose you foreigners, too, are warmed by it.'
'Certainly so. There are native and foreign candles, but only one sun. And when day dawns and the sun is up, blow out your candles. And so when the doctrine of Jesus comes, then all human creeds are needed no longer. O my friends...believe in the light! Come, believe in Jesus.'"2
Bao was a tailor by trade, and when he heard the gospel being preached in his town he embraced it. His progress greatly encouraged Russell, who employed him as a catechist to accompany him on his preaching tours. The missionary wrote that Bao had
"given much satisfaction by his industry and good behavior. His views of the great truths of Christianity seem clearer, and his acquaintance with Scripture larger than the other converts. But this may arise only from his natural superiority of intellect, he being a very clear-headed and sharp-sighted fellow. He is, I trust, equally sincere in his acknowledgement of Jesus alone, as his only and all-sufficient Savior."3
Alas, the trust that William Russell and the other missionaries had placed in Bao appears to have been too hasty, and they were pained to discover that the illiterate man had many character flaws that emerged under the pressure of gospel ministry. He was quick to lose his temper with people, and sometimes his language degenerated to include unwholesome words. The missionaries had expected too much from their first convert, and they saw that, as with all Christians, time was needed for the Holy Spirit to shape and form Bao's character.
Although the two men remained closely connected, Russell placed Bao on probation for three months after one outburst. Although Bao received the decision with a humble attitude, the probation extended to 16 years. Russell and the other early missionaries had hoped Bao might become the first ordained church leader in the province, but their hopes were delayed indefinitely, and their unrealistic expectations were never fulfilled.
Bao Youyi lived until 1874, when he again expressed his trust in Jesus Christ on his death-bed. He was laid to rest in a quiet spot, with his friend and mentor William Russell grieving for the loss of his first Chinese convert.
Footnotes:
1. Moule, The Story of the Cheh-Kiang Mission, p. 18.
2. Moule, The Story of the Cheh-Kiang Mission, p. 22.
3. Moule, The Story of the Cheh-Kiang Mission, p. 22.
© This article is an extract from Paul Hattaway's book 'Zhejiang: The Jerusalem of China'. You can order this or any of The China Chronicles books and e-books from our online bookstore.