Robert Morrison: the first Protestant missionary to China, who compiled the first Chinese-English dictionary and the first Chinese Bible — and lies buried in Macau

An England-born missionary and sinologist sent by the London Missionary Society, who arrived in Macau in 1807 as the first Protestant missionary to China. Working from Macau and Canton, he single-handedly compiled the first Chinese-English dictionary, made the first complete translation of the Bible into Chinese, and served as a translator for the East India Company. He died in Canton in 1834 and is buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau.

A missionary who treated Macau as his gateway into China — in this small city he wrote the first Chinese-English dictionary, translated the first Chinese Bible, and was finally laid to rest.

Robert Morrison was the first Protestant missionary to China and an important early sinologist and lexicographer. His years in China began and ended in Macau.

Profile

• Chinese Name: 馬禮遜
• English Name: Robert Morrison (FRS)
• Born: 5 January 1782 (Morpeth, Northumberland, England)
• Died: 1 August 1834 (Canton); buried in the Old Protestant Cemetery, Macau
• Domains: Culture · Religion · Language
• Subject type: Historical figure · Missionary · Sinologist

Background

Robert Morrison was born on 5 January 1782 in Morpeth, Northumberland, in northern England, of Scottish parentage. Drawn early to missionary work, he was sent to China by the London Missionary Society. Because the Qing court forbade Christian proselytising and restricted foreigners' movements, Macau — Portugal's port in the Far East — became the place where he could gain a foothold and study Chinese.

Career

I. Arrival in Macau and the East India Company (1807–)

Morrison reached Macau on 4 September 1807, becoming the first Protestant missionary to China. On 20 February 1809 he married Mary Morton in Macau and, the same day, was appointed Chinese translator to the East India Company — a post that gave him both an income and a legitimate basis for staying long-term in Macau and Canton.

II. The Chinese-English dictionary and the Chinese Bible

With extraordinary perseverance, Morrison single-handedly compiled the first Chinese-English dictionary (A Dictionary of the Chinese Language, published in parts from 1815 to 1823), laying a foundation for modern Sino-English exchange. He also made the first complete translation of the Bible into Chinese, completed and published in 1823 — a milestone in the history of Protestantism in China.

III. The Anglo-Chinese College and Chinese publishing

In 1818 Morrison and William Milne founded the Anglo-Chinese College in Malacca to train workers in mission and translation; the college later moved to Hong Kong and survives to this day. He also advanced Chinese-language publishing, issuing the Chinese periodical Zawen pian in Macau and helping launch some of the earliest Chinese periodicals.