One of China's Scholars

The first of two volumes telling the life story of Pastor Hsi, a Confucian scholar from Shanxi province in Northern China who became a Christian in the 1870s. Pastor Hsi grew up in a China now long gone, when the scholarly class to which he belonged held a leading place in society. He lived through tumultuous times of change in China, when the opium that enriched the pockets of Western countries brought widespread addiction and poverty while a multi-year drought brought famine, decimating the already weakened population. Into this scene of tragedy, two western men stepped, bringing with them food to help the poor and starving, seeds for planting when the rains returned, and news that The Supreme Ruler was not hidden behind the gates of the Temple of Heaven, reachable only by the Emperor once a year, but instead was reaching out to the people in love, seeking to reconcile them with Himself.

Hsi's life had been one of searching. While trained as a Confucian, he found himself unable to reach the high ideals espoused by its maxims and regulations. He explored Taoism and Buddhism but found them filled with idols and superstitions which trapped the common people in darkness and uncertainty. Hsi knew his heart and bore his failings with inner shame, even while people honored him as a scholarly disciple of Confucius. Was there a power anywhere that could change Hsi from within? (Summary by MaryAnn)