China Inland Mission archive

Records of the China Inland Mission (later the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), including the minutes of the London Council, 1872-1951; minutes of the Mission's China Council, 1886-1947, 1951; (Ref: CIM); Overseas Missionary Fellowship papers (Ref: CIM/OMF) for the post-1950 period; substantial pape...

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Date(s) of creation: 1815-1999
Level: Collection
Format: Archive           

Reference number: CIM
Summary: Records of the China Inland Mission (later the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), including the minutes of the London Council, 1872-1951; minutes of the Mission's China Council, 1886-1947, 1951; (Ref: CIM); Overseas Missionary Fellowship papers (Ref: CIM/OMF) for the post-1950 period; substantial papers of the mission's founder, James Hudson Taylor (Ref: CIM/JHT), including some records, c1850-1860, of the Chinese Evangelization Society; material, 1880-1999, relating to the Chefoo Schools (Ref: CIM/CSP), founded by Hudson Taylor, including registers of pupils and papers of the Chefoo Schools Association; private papers (Ref: CIM/PP), comprising varied information on the lives of individual missionaries; a large photographic collection (Ref: CIM/PHOTO) including the official records of the China Inland Mission and Overseas Missionary Fellowship, among them a series of photographs collected from missionaries in the field concerning medical work and scenes of life in China, Taiwan, Thailand and Tibet; print publications issued by CIM/OMF, including instructions and guides for missionaries, 1877-1938, directories of missionaries and mission stations, 1886-1999, field bulletins, 1935-1975, China Millions / East Asia Millions (magazine), 1875-1994, as well as external publications, such as the 'Chinese Missionary Gleaner', 1853-1859, and 'The Chinese Recorder', 1867-1933.
Main author: China Inland Mission
Other authors: Overseas Missionary Fellowship
Extent: 156 boxes, 236 volumes
Admin history: The China Inland Mission (CIM) was officially set up in 1865 under the direction of the Rev James Hudson Taylor and William Thomas Berger. Refusing to appeal for funds but relying on unsolicited contributions, the goal of the China Inland Mission was the interdenominational evangelization of China's inland provinces. Missionaries were to have no guaranteed salary and were expected to become closely involved in the Chinese way of life. The first missionary party, including Taylor, left for China on the Lammermuir in May 1866. They reached S ... View more
Custodial history: The CIM historically based its headquarters in Shanghai, and so fewer of their records have survived compared with other missionary organisations whose head offices were located within the UK. Within Shanghai, a large volume of CIM records were accumulated, comprising extensive series of diaries and monthly letters written by missionaries, and quarterly accounts and statistical returns produced by senior missionaries from over 200 mission stations. Also held in Shanghai were records of mission properties in China, and other administrative recor ... View more
Acquisition: Deposited 1991-1994
Arrangement: The collection has been arranged into seven main sections: China Inland Mission (CIM); Overseas Missionary Fellowship papers (CIM/OMF); James Hudson Taylor papers (CIM/JHT); personal and private papers (of individual missionaries) (CIM/PP); Chefoo Schools and Chefoo Schools Association (CIM/CSP); China Inland Mission photographs (CIM/PHOTO); and publications (CIM/PUB). Each section is sub-divided, with material arranged broadly in chronological order or, in the case of the personal and private papers, by the names of individual missionaries.
Access status: Open
Copyright: Copyright held by Overseas Missionary Fellowship.
User restrictions: For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance
Language: English
Chinese
Finding aids: Hardcopy handlists of the CIM collection are also available in our reading room in two volumes, part 1 listing written materials (deposited 1991-1994) and part 2 listing photographs.
Copies: Adam Matthew Publications has microfilmed a large selection of the China Inland Mission (CIM) Archive, which covers the period from 1865 to 1951. The microfilm copies are available at various external libraries. Digitised versions of the microfilm are accessible through Adam Matthew Digital Area Studies: China and Southeast Asia, which is a third-party paid subscription service.
Related material: The School of Oriental and African Studies also holds other collections relating to the China Inland Mission: papers of Benjamin and Emily Elizabeth Bagnall (Ref: MS 380593); letter from TGW (possibly T G Willet), 1895 (Ref: MS 380642); papers of Charles Fairclough (Ref: MS 380693); and Mann Papers (Ref: MS 380302).
Format: Archive           
Subjects:
Access Points - Person, Corporate & Family Names:
Name Code Person, Corporate or Family Name Type of Entity
GB/NNAF/P160687 Berger; William Thomas (1815-1899); founder of China Inland Mission Person
GB/NNAF/P149922 Taylor; James Hudson (1832-1905); founder of the China Inland Mission Person
GB/SOASNAF/C13 China Inland Mission Corporate
GB/NNAF/C44154 Overseas Missionary Fellowship Corporate
Access Points - Places:
Place Code Place Name
1327865 Myanmar
1814991 China
7729894 Eastern Asia
7729896 South Eastern Asia
1643084 Indonesia
1861060 Japan
1733045 Malaysia
1694008 Philippines
1668284 Taiwan
1605651 Thailand
1279685 Tibet
1819730 Hong Kong
11494804 Korean Peninsula
2029969 Mongolia
1880251 Singapore