This detailed study investigates the early decades (1847-1880) of Protestant missionary work in one of the important provincial capitals of China. Missionary activities are examined from the points of view of the missionaries themselves, of the British and American consuls in Foochow, and of the Chinese officials in Foochow and in the Prefectural and District Cities around. The author gives careful consideration to the obstacles to missionary success, including sources of conflict between the missionaries and the Chinese. The Wu-shih-shan incident of 1878 in Foochow is given special attention.