Taiwan Church News

3301 Edition

June 1 - 7, 2015

Headline News

Rev. Hugh Ritchie's Junk Carried Love Of Christ To Eastern Taiwan

Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan

An commemorative exhibition of Rev. Hugh Ritchie's junk mission to easternTaiwan and a charity watercolors painting about Orchid Island was held at Taitung Branch of Mackay Memorial Hospital(MMHTB) on June 1. This artifact of junk, manufactured by aboriginal wood-sculpture artists, was to remember the brave adventure of the missionary voyage by Rev. Hugh Ritchie launching from Kaohsiung via the sea route to Pei-nan harbor at eastern Taiwan in 1875.

Together with the junk exhibition, the charity watercolor paintings about thelandscape of Orchid Island were also displayed at the Li-Yu-San Gallery located inside MMHTB. This exhibit of watercolors paintings, drawn by the prodigiously talented Rev. Pan Shi-chi, was to remind the public about the blessing and wonderful steps left by the our forebear pioneering missionaries in order to call attention to care about the need of Orchid Island.

Dr. Wang Kon-liang, Superintendant of MMHTB, expressed that many people werequite familiar about the remarkable stories of Dr. Rev. George Laidlaw Mackay, but not many had a clear idea about the contributions of Rev. Hugh Ritchie. "It is because of him[Rev. Hugh Ritchie] that the gospel truth could be brought to the eastern Taiwan," said Wang, "this simulated junk is to remember the fearless journey of this brave missionary and encourage the next generations of Taiwan to carry on and explore more possibilities!".

Mr Kao Chung-yun, Deputy Director of Social Affairs Bureau of Taitung CountyGovernment, praised the extraordinary vision Rev. Hugh Ritchie 140 years ago. Had not the suffering of the Taitung people been heard and responded then, the convenient and efficient medi-care offered by MMMTB today would still be a lofty dream, said Kao.

Rev. Liu Ping-shi, Vice Moderator of PCT Eastern Presbytery, paid his tributeto the missionary Rev. David Masson, whose boat was unfortunately sank in the South China sea on his voyage to Taiwan, when the finished junk artifact came into his eyes. He reminded the audience that we should always remember those brave missionaries risking their lives and share the good news given to us with our people.

Rev. Pan Shi-chi, the hospital chaplain of MMHTB, pointed out that the specsof this imitated junk, made by Esteemed Wood Artefact Workshop, was 280 cm long x 90 cm wide. Inside junk, the wood material is made of cunninghama lancedata; the layer outside of it was finished via gluing different planks of lauan material. The junk, equipped with enough storage space, could carry 2 people to launch a real voyage on the sea.

Rev. Pan also explained the reason, why this canoe-like vessel named as "JunkBoat", was to remember the historically missionary voyage Rev. Ritchie and his four other accompanies spent 15 days launched from Kaohsiung, through Tang-kan, Fon-san, and ultimately arrived Pei-nan harbor in 1875. "This Junk Boat will be placed at Rev. Hugh Ritchie Memorial Service Hall, located at the 9th floor of MMHTB, for everlasting remembrance!", said Rev. Pan.

Translated by Peter Wolfe