Group portrait of first missionaries of the China Inland Mission, England, 1865

Group portrait of founding members of the China Inland Mission, Spring 1865. Comprising [Standing] S. Barchet, James Stevenson, Mr. Crombie, [seated] Richard Truelove, Maria Hudson Taylor, James Hudson Taylor, Mrs. Crombie [née Skinner]. Photograph by Barnes & Son, 422 Mile End Road, London.; The China Inland Mission (CIM) was officially set up in 1865 under the direction of the Rev James Hudson Taylor and William Thomas Berger. Refusing to appeal for funds but relying on unsolicited contributions, the goal of the China Inland Mission was the interdenominational evangelization of China's inland provinces. Missionaries were to have no guaranteed salary and were expected to become closely involved in the Chinese way of life. The first missionary party, including Taylor, left for China on the Lammermuir in May 1866. They reached Shanghai in September, and the first Mission base was established at Hangchow, Chekiang. Between 1866 and 1888, work was concentrated on the coastal provinces. In 1868 the headquarters moved to Yangchow, which was better situated for beginning work in the interior