Zhu Qing

Zhu obtained the xiucai秀才degree and at the age of 30 had his first contact with Robert Morrison. In 1821, he traveled to Malacca, where he taught the missionary Walter Henry Medhurst Chinese. Under William Milne, he was a teacher of Chinese at the Anglo-Chinese School. In the summer of 1832, after having taught for about 8 years, he returned to China.

His ship (via Singapore and Shanghai) hit a typhoon, and facing death, Zhu vowed to become a Christian. He gave up his habit of opium smoking and asked Morrison to be baptized. He was baptized by Robert Morrison on 16 December 1832. 

He began to read the Bible at home and prayed. First he was ridiculed by his wife and relatives, but soon he led a community of 10 relatives and friends. Morrison hired him as secretary, and Zhu’s conversion story was translated and published in Bridgman’s magazine, “The Chinese Repository.” 

Morrison died in 1834, and due to Liang Fa’s梁发 activities, the Chinese Christians were blacklisted. Thus Zhu Qing hid himself during the following years. After the war of 1840, with the help of Morrison’s son J. R. Morrison, Zhu Qing was employed in Hong Kong, but J. R. Morrison died in 1843, and Zhu was dismissed. He returned to Canton. It was not easy for him to care for his family (he had seven children), and Zhu asked Dr. Peter Parker for help. In 1844 he was employed as language teacher for the newcomers George Smith and Thomas McClatchie, but after a short time McClatchie moved on to Shanghai, and Smith had health problems and went to Hong Kong. After that nothing is known about Zhu Qing.