LIFE IN CHINA

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 191, 6 April 1932, Page 7

LIFE IN CHINA

ILLVSTRATED LECTURE ON CUSTOMS OF PEOPLE MISSIONARY EXPERIENCES ■ St. Johfl's Hall was crowded on Monday evening for the lantern lecture given by the Rev. A. Hayman, of the China Inland Mission. A number of people could not obtain seats and had to stand at the back of the hall. Some excellent slides were shown of Chinese life and customs, while Mr. Hayman gave a very interesting and instructive lecture on the work of his mission and 'on life in China as he had seen it. The Rev. A. C. Randerson presided and introduced the Rev. H. S. Conway, seeretary of the mission, who spoke briefly of the work of the mission. Mr. Hayman, in opening his lecture, made .passing mention of the great floods that had recently devasr tated portions of China, with a toli of millions of lives. He then described the life in the main cities, Shanghai, Nanking and Peking. Mr. Hayman showed several interesting slides illustrating the cultivation of the rice, which is one of Chipa's staple products. He also made mention of the wonderful scenery in the gorges of the Yangtse Kiang River which, however, were so overrun by bandits, that it was often dangerous to travel thyough them. Mr. Hayman then spoke of the aboriginal tribes' of inner China. These aboriginals, the Miao were despised by the Chinese, wore different dress and spoke an entirely different language. These people, said Mr. Hayman, were very kind-hearted and hospitable and he then showed a number of slides illustrating their life and customs. A thing which greatly hindered the work of the mission, said the speaker, was the planting of the opium poppies. Unfortunately, in several places the governors of the inland provinces encouraged this growing of opium, although it was forbidden by the National Government. Yery often, the people were forced to plant the poppies to get money to live, and in some places, the poppies could be seen as far as the eye could reach, very beautiful, but illustrative of one of the worst evils in China to-day. Mr. Hayman several times * ref erred to the numerous brigands who infested the hills in China. Numbers of missionaries and other Europeans had lost their lives at their hands, and he himself had once been captured hy them, stripped of his clothes and severely injured. The lecturer gave several instances of missionaries who had their lives saved by faith and: concluded by making a strong appeal for the prayers of those present for the success of the mission.