The Testimony of Wang Tsuan Yi (Uang-Ts’Ong-I)

Appendix 1 The Testimony of Wang Tsuan Yi (Uang-Ts’ong-I)

1 Excerpt from J.E. Cummings’ A New Thing: Incidents of Missionary Life in China (1895) :

Pao-ning [Langzhong, Sichuan], September 26th, 1892. YESTERDAY was a red-letter day in Pao-ning. We met at 9.45 a.m. for a native Communion Service. A little company of twenty-eight – twenty-one natives (eleven men and ten women) and seven foreigners. Fifteen of the natives were receiving the Holy Communion for the first time, having been baptized last Feb- ruary. The Lord was very present with us, and it seemed to me a little foretaste of that day when we shall sit down, one large family, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, in the visible presence of our blessed Lord. At eleven o’clock the public service began, and there must have been a hundred and twenty present — the greater proportion men. Mr. Cassels preached from Rom. vi. 3, 4, “Christ died, was buried, and rose again for its we with Christ are dead, buried, and risen again.” At this service six were baptized – three men, one lad, and two women. 1. Chen-Sien-Seng, teacher of the girls’ school. 2. Wang Tsuan Yi, the man who was at Song-p’an with Mr. C. Polhill-Turner. 3. Lao-U, a farm-labourer, from the Shaos’ village. 4. Ku-uen-kin, one of the school-boys. 5. Chen-Si-niang, wife of the teacher. 6. Uang-ta-sao. After the baptisms there were a few testimonies...Wang Tsuan Yi testified next, and told us what a wicked man he had been in his younger days (he is now over fifty). There could hardly be any sin of which he had not been guilty. He seldom spent a night at home, stole people’s pu-kai (bedding), gambled away his money, smoked opium, was a sorcerer, and had even been a soldier!! (Thank God, sol- diers can be Christians, as we so well know!) Twenty years ago he came to Pao-ning (his home is about thirty-five miles from here) and heard of the Roman Catholics; but before then he had become tired of his wild, sinful life, and for three years had gone about reading and ex- plaining the Sheng Ü (Sacred Edict), and became a vegetarian, in order to atone for his sins. The Roman Catholics made him buy a candle for forty cash (2d), and

1 J. E. Cummings A New Thing: Incidents of Missionary Life in China (London: S. W. Partridge & Co., 1895), 316–320, IA.

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gave him three small books to read at morning, noon, and night, when the candle was to be burnt. The priest read to him from the Bible. He could not understand much, but for the first time he heard of God and Jesus. Following the priest’s di- rections, he read the books and burnt the candle; but still he knew that sin was in his heart. Two years ago he came again to Pao-ning, and was told that there were foreigners in the city, preaching God’s fuh-ing (happy-sound = gospel). This sound- ed good, and he came to the house, where he heard the pure gospel first from Chen-Sien-Seng (who was baptized with him yesterday). He bought two small books, and returned to his home in the country. Some months after, he returned to buy a whole Bible, and spent all day at the Fuh-ing-fang [gospel hall]. The HOLY SPIRIT was taking hold of him. In the autumn of last year, Mr. [Montagu] Beauchamp found out his house while itinerating in that neighbourhood. Wang was away at that time, but his wife and child were at home. There was no sign of idols or idolatry, but in the place where the paper gods would have hung there were scrolls, with characters written upon them to the effect that God was the One True God and Jesus the only Saviour. In the spot where incense-pots used to stand, were the treasured Bible and hymn-book, and Christian tracts. The little girl could repeat hymns, and knew how to pray. The neighbours added their testimony that Wang Tsuan Yi was a man who worshipped God. A message was left, inviting him to come to Pao-ning for the Christmas services. He came. At that time Mr. C. Polhill-Turner was here, on the eve of setting out to get a house and begin work at Song-p’an, a city to the extreme north-west of this Prov- ince, where there are many Thibetans. He was in need of some native to accom- pany him, and mentioned the matter at one of the services, saying that he could promise no salary, and that possibly a good deal of suffering and persecution would be involved. Wang Tsuan Yi volunteered to go. He knew Song-p’an, he said, having served there as a soldier, and would be glad to suffer for the Lord Who had done so much for him. His offer was accepted; he went with Mr. Turner, and, after being there about six months, was shamefully treated and beaten for the Lord’s sake. Owing to a drought in the city, Satan stirred up the people to attack the missionaries, ill- treat them terribly, and turn them out of the city. Wang Tsuan Yi and another Christian man, the cook, were beaten with a thousand stripes! Mr. and Mrs. Turner went to Ch’en-tu, and Wang Tsuan Yi came back to his home. A few Sundays ago, in telling of his experiences at Song-p’an, he made so little of the sufferings he had gone through, and so much of the joy of being counted worthy to suffer for His Name.