Soochow: The Capital of Kiangsu or A Guide to Soochow by Du Bose, Rev. Hampden C - 1888

Shanghai: American Presbyterian Mission Press (Kelly & Walsh), 1888. Paperback. Very good condition. The pamphlet is a description of Soochow by Rev. Du Bose, a Presbyterian missionary and then a 16 year resident. It is prefaced with the Chinese proverb: "Above is Heaven; below, Soochow and Hangchow." It describes the physical environs and cultural interests including missions and opium.

The Rev. Hampden Coit Du Bose, spent his life in China with the American Presbyterian Mission (South) and was a founder of the Anti-Opium League in China. Born in South Carolina, DuBose & his wife Pauline "went to China as missionaries with the Southern Presbyterian Church in 1872 and settled in Suzhou along the Grand Canal of China. His Chinese name is Du Buxi... " Observing the devastating effect of opium usage in China, he founded the Anti-Opium League. "In 1899 the League published a seminal book called "Opinions of Over 100 Physicians on the Use of Opium in China." It was influential in moving public opinion against the trade and garnered the support of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. Congress, and the International Opium Commission. "In 1906 the League achieved success when the British Parliament declared that the trade was "morally indefensible." DuBose circulated a petition signed by over a thousand missionaries in China and it was presented to the Guangxu Emperor. In turn the Emperor issued an imperial edict, following verbatim the petition Dubose had drafted, which prohibited the trade and abuse of opium." The opium trade was a blight on China perpetrated by foreign powers intent on subduing & indebting them to the West, who were massively indebted to China from tea importation. "DuBose was memorialized in Suzhou by a stone tablet and in the United States by being elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian Church in 1891. DuBose's missionary career in Suzhou lasted 38 years until his death in 1910." (Wikipedia)

8vo, 26pp, woodcut map on p.21 in Chinese with an English key underneath locating churches, a mosque, gardens, palace, temples, etc. Publisher's pink paper wrappers with slt chip at base of spine and slight corner loss at top right on early pages, faint vertical folds, overall in fine condition.

No copies located on OCLC; one copy at auction in 2006 (RareBookHub). Rare in the trade.