Building Bridges between East and West through Education and Cultural Exchange
Visit Zhenjiang (2015) – Hudson Taylor Memorial Daxi Road
Taylor was a famous missionary who founded the largest foreign mission organization in China during the late 1800s and early 1900s. (See details of his life in my articles here.)
This is one of three albums describing my visits to Zhenjiang (Jiangsu Province), located about one hour by car east of Nanjing. On this second visit we were attempting to locate the site of memorial markers for Dr James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) who made this area his home for many years.
Other albums describe a new church being built to possibly replace the small historic Gospel Church on Daxi Road that currently houses these memorial markers. Plans for the new church are significant because a new “memorial park” is reportedly being created to more adequately honor the lives and work of Dr Taylor and other missionaries of the era.
I am indebted to my friend Dr. Peter Li from the Nanjing College of Information Technology (NJCIT) for facilitating my visits to Zhenjiang in both 2014 and 15.
Click/tap images below to view in larger format.
In central Zhenjiang, just a few city blocks from the Zhenjiang Museum and other historical buildings.
With urban renewal, very little remains of streets and buildings of a hundred years ago.
In our search for an old historic church on Daxi Road, however, we are pleased that some old parts of town are preserved.
We make our way along Daxi Road, in search of the old “Gospel Church.”
At 343 Daxi Road, we do find it. In English, this is sometimes also called the Zhenjiang Gospel Church.
From an earlier phone call, we know it should be open today.
We approach the door, but we find it locked.
We note the cornerstone. (I’ll try to add a translation here later.)
One of two main entrances; another, like it, is on the other side.
Times of the various meetings throughout the week are posted here.
Someone appears with a key. Our first glimpse of the interior.
We are here primarily to search for a memorial to Dr Hudson Taylor, but it is not here in the main church.
Looking back, from the alter area; note the balcony. There is maybe seating here for 300 people.
This could be a bookstore, but we didn’t ask specifically.
On the other side of the church, we see another structure. It is also locked.
To the right of the church we note what might be called the “guard house.”
Inside we find a sweet older lady doing some knitting.
She happily takes her keys to unlock the place we want to see.
The small room is what we are looking for. It is clearly dedicated to the memory of Dr Hudson Taylor.
This is the original grave marker which was discovered by family members in the Zhenjiang Museum in 1986.
This damaged headstone has the names of some of the Taylor family, possibly including the name of his first wife, Maria.
There have been special times of celebration of the life of Hudson Taylor in recent years.
Outside we find a collection of memorial markers for maybe other missionaries.
One large grave marker was totally illegible. We were curious.
We got paper from a shop selling calligraphy products, and bought some lead pencils.
Using a “rubbing” technique, we uncovered the inscription on the stone marker.
However, Richard Starkey is not a name we recognize as a missionary to China. The mystery continues.
This is one of three albums describing my visits to Zhenjiang (Jiangsu Province), located about one hour by car east of Nanjing. On this second visit we were attempting to locate the site of memorial markers for Dr James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) who made this area his home for many years. 
