Atla Digital Library Welcomes Hong Kong Baptist University Library

We are pleased to welcome Hong Kong Baptist University Library as the newest contributor to the Atla Digital Library! Their two collections include 491 items made up of postcards, books, photographs, maps and other visual materials.

Explore highlights from their collections below.

Christianity in China Collection

Most of the items in this collection are digitized books and serials from the “Archives on the History of Christianity in China” special collection in HKBU Library. They document the activities and writings of missionaries and their impact on China. Some materials were donations from digitization project partners.

The most valuable book in this collection is a New Testament printed in 1894 (above). A copy from the same printing run was presented to the Empress Dowager as a gift from women Christians for her 60th birthday, and was therefore also called the ‘Imperial edition’.

Another interesting gem is a hymn book published in Hong Kong in 1897 (above). This hymn book (above) was put together by a well-known active pastor Feng Huoquan, and a selection of its hymns has been included in an online Qing hymns database created by the Hong Kong Baptist University Library. Although most of the collection are older publications, there is also a batch of post-1949 pamphlets which reflect the official anti-Christian stance at the time. You can see the full Christianity in China Collection in the Atla Digital Library

Chinese Missionary Art Collection

This collection contains different types of materials published during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The broad range of posters, postcards, maps and tracts document the missionaries’ educational, evangelical, and medical work in China, and ongoing efforts to spread the gospel.

“God is light” is one of the Chinese Christian posters in the collection. These posters frequently incorporate intricate calligraphy, vibrant colors, and symbolic imagery to convey messages of faith and spirituality. The artwork on these posters typically includes elements such as crosses, doves, and biblical verses written in Chinese characters. They were printed in the early twentieth century in China.

These two postcards depict the missionary activities of a French missionary sister group in China in the 20th century. Picture 1 shows a missionary sister giving sewing lessons to girls at an orphanage, and they take a group photo during the class. Picture 2 shows a missionary sister distributing clothing to people.

You can see the full Chinese Missionary Art Collection in the Atla Digital Library

About

The Atla Digital Library brings together in a singular, searchable platform digitized collections from libraries, religious institutions, and other organizations worldwide who collect and preserve texts, records, maps, photographs, recordings, and other materials. The items found in the Atla Digital Library are of importance to those with an interest in researching, studying, teaching, and otherwise searching for historical and archival content in religion and theology. Learn more on how to become a contributing institution. 

Check out all of the over 132,000 works in the Atla Digital Library.