Narrative of My Escape from Slavery

Although John Ross (1842-1915F) is not one of the best-remembered names in the history of Christian missions, he deserves to be recalled as one of the most effective missionaries of his generation. Making his home in China for almost four decades, he became the father of Protestant churches in both Manchuria and Korea. He had a grasp of eleven languages, made significant contributions in Bible translation and commentary, opened new vistas in the theory and practice of missions, and held novel ideas about Chinese history, culture, and religion. The story of this pioneer missionary with broad-ranging theological and intellectual interests constitutes a neglected chapter in the history of Northeast Asia missions.

At the time of the Rosses' arrival in China, Chefoo was the center of United Presbyterian Church missionary work headed by Alexander Williamson (1829-90), who was also concurrently the representative of the National Bible Society of Scotland in North China. Williamson was widely traveled and had visited Manchuria several times. During his trips Williamson had made a point to visit the customs station between Ch'ing, China, and Choson, Korea--the Kaoli-men, known to Westerners as the Corean Gate. As the Choson dynastic government strictly excluded foreigners, Williamson's visits to Manchuria and the Corean Gate convinced him of the need for a missionary presence in Manchuria and for missionary efforts toward Korea. Upon the Rosses' arrival in Chefoo, Williamson stressed to them the needs of Manchuria and the urgency to make a decision to relocate there before the waters of the Po Hai (Bo Hai) Bay froze over, making the passage impossible. With this urging, within a month of setting foot in Chefoo, the Rosses relocated to Yingk'ou (Yingkou), the treaty port for Manchuria at the mouth of the Liao River.