“The China Inland Mission possessed a number of unique features which set it apart from established missionary societies and gave it an intensity and, perhaps, a glamour, which other more conventional organisations must have envied.”
Rosemary Seton, former Archivist, SOAS

Parts 1 and 2 of the CIM archive make available the papers of its remarkable founder, James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905).

While Part 1 offered Taylor’s letters and journals, Part 2 covers his subject files. These were organised after his death by Frederick and Geraldine Taylor (his son and daughter-in-law), who also added much interesting ancillary material as they prepared to write a history of the mission.

For instance, one box contains detailed records describing the General Missionary Conferences in Shanghai in 1877 and 1890 in which Taylor played a leading role. There are also substantial folders dealing with the school he established in Chefoo, journeys in Shanxi, the Muslim rebellion, riots in Shanghai, ancient religions, and the Boxer Rebellion.