Raising funds to send missionary exhibition to China

An exhibition about a 19th Century Swansea missionary could soon be on its way to the Far East.

Swansea Council is leading the charge to raise enough funds to send an exhibition about Griffith John to China’s Wuhan province.

John, who was born in 1831 at 14 Llangyfelach Street in Greenhill, worshipped at Ebenezer Chapel, where he received membership as an eight-year-old. John delivered his first sermon at 14 and became a regular preacher at 16.

He arrived in China in 1855 and stayed there for over half a century. John made his base in Hankow, about 400 miles west of Shanghai, where he established a number of schools, hospitals and colleges, many of which are still in use today.

He also became known for missionary journeys deep into the heart of mainland China. While there, John translated the New Testament and part of the Old Testament into more than one Chinese dialect.

An exhibition about the travelling missionary is currently in storage at Swansea Museum, having been on display there from October 2012 to February 2013. It includes a number of objects which John donated to the museum, including a set of satin Chinese banners and ceremonial Chinese weapons. The display also included letters Griffith John sent from China as well as an original manuscript of his biography, which was on loan from the National Library of Wales.

Hosted by Mal Pope and Kevin Johns, a fundraising dinner has been organised for the Brangwyn Hall on February 5 next year to help raise money to send the exhibition for display at Wuhan Museum in China, where it will help mark the 150th anniversary of the Union Hospital in Wuhan that the missionary was instrumental in founding.

The fundraising dinner, which will explain how John’s work helped pave the way for economic prosperity in China, will also celebrate the end of the Year of the Sheep. Booking information will be made available as soon as it’s finalised.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “As the first Welsh missionary to step foot in China, Griffith John is one of Swansea’s most accomplished ever sons. His work in China led to the establishment of many schools, colleges and hospitals that still serve the country well over 100 years later.

“John is hugely revered in the Wuhan province to this very day, which can be illustrated by the visit of a Chinese delegation a few years ago to present the city with a commemorative bust that formed part of the exhibition at Swansea Museum.

“There’s now a demand for the exhibition materials to go on display in China to mark the 150th anniversary of the Union Hospital in Wuhan, so we’re determined to do all we can to help. As well as the fundraising dinner at the Brangwyn Hall in February, we’re also applying for external funding to help cover the costs we need to raise.

“China’s role in the Welsh economy is set to grow over the next few years, so this is also a way of improving our relations with one of the world’s leading economic powerhouses, while further strengthening a cultural link that goes back to the 1850s.”

A blue plaque was unveiled for Griffith John outside the Ebenezer Baptist Church on Ebenezer Street in Swansea city centre in September 2013.

Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in central China, has a population of more than 10 million people. Divided by the Yangtze, the city is known as the ‘Three Towns of Wuhan’ with Hankou and Hanyang on the west bank, and Wuchang on the east.