Arrival in China (1920) and Language School in Beijing

Anna Bog arrived in China on February 2, 1920, at Darien [Dalian]:

"I arrived in Dairen, Manchuria on a cold, icy morning. A Danish pioneer missionary, the Rev. Waidtlow, was on the dock to meet me. The last morning outboard ship I had asked God to give me a word on my entry into China. I had read St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, and in Chapter 4:17, I got [the] word: 'Attend to the duty entrusted to you in the Lord's service, and discharge it to the full.' So from that very morning in Dairen I felt right at home among the Chinese."

Almost immediately, Anna Bog went to Beijing to study Chinese. As she later related:

"Peking, with all its historical scenes from old, old China, is to me the world's prettiest city. All the Missions, Schools, Universities, Hospitals, that you can see here, and its International Language School, where all the foreigners from many lands begin to study Chinese, make a deep impression on any newcomer-missionary. In the Chinese language there are 40,000 word characters (and no alphabet) that one must learn, and one must learn to write the strokes in the right order to be understood! Oh, it was all so interesting!

"On our off-days we went on sightseeing trips, f. ex. to the Great Chinese Wall, to the Temple of Heaven, to the Forbidden City, etc. In the spring and fall of every year all foreigners in Peking were invited to the Imperial Palace of the President of China. We were all lined up in a circle in a large hall. When the President [Tuan Ch'i-jui?] entered the hall, we all bowed. He spoke to us, and someone in the group answered for all of us. Then we were all served tea in the adjoining rooms. All the servants . . . wore white gloves!"

The image above is a postcard depiction of the Imperial Palace and lake in the early 1900s.