Napoleon declared, “When China wakes, she will shake the world.” 200 years later, the world is coming to terms with China’s growing economic and military dominance and is just starting to recognise its diplomatic and cultural influence.

In the front rank of those who awakened the sleeping giant was Walter Medhurst. By the time he left China in 1856, he had spent 26 years among the Chinese Diaspora of South-East Asia and another 14 years among the mainland Chinese following the Treaty of Nanking. In so doing, he became the Grand Old Man of the early foreign community in Shanghai, not just because of his achievements in publishing but by his influence on that whole generation of British and American Protestant missionaries who introduced modern education, medicine and social reform to China.

The story offers valuable insight into nineteenth- century China’s tumultuous state as it first encountered Western influences. It presents a counterbalance to the prevailing negative perception of colonial conquest and highlights the positive outcomes achieved by specific individuals during that era. Additionally, it tells a tale of remarkable perseverance by a man and his family through extraordinary hardships and tragedies, which is undeniably inspiring for readers today.