The exact date of Pastor Hsi birthday does not seem to be recorded, but he was born probably in the Autumn of 1836. Till he was seven years old the little Hsi lived the usual free life of the son of a Chinese scholar and was encouraged in every way to be overbearing and self-willed. Then he was sent to school, a school where a shrine of Confucius occupied the place of honour. Here the boy began the studies which, it was hoped, would make him a "Princely Man".
But, favourable though circumstances are, they do not satisfy the heart of this boy. At the early age of eight years, as he wandered through the incense-filled Temple and gazed at the hideous idols and vivid representations of punishments and terrors beyond the grave, he would ask himself, what was the use of living. "Men find no good, and in the end--?” he said to himself.
When told that he could win fame, and wealth and become a great Mandarin, he thought: "What good is there in that? Sooner or later, one must die." Over the years this fear of death and the hereafter increased. They were dark and dreary years. He married at 16. His mother had died years before, his father married again and had died leaving the stepmother, who lived with Hsi and his wife till he drove her from the home. He loved his wife but it was a grief to him that he had no children. He lost her whilst quite a young man and though he was in great repute and looked up to by all who knew him, holding an honourable position in his village, the death of his wife brought back all his dread of the terrors of the hereafter. He set to work to study the various "faiths" around, if perhaps he might find rest to his soul, but so great was his distress that he become quite ill. At about 30 years of age he married again: a sweet, intelligent girl of 18 or thereabout who possessed great force of character. Their real attachment ripened into love as the years went by but nothing stilled his restless soul.
Despair of finding a solution to the mystery of life and death: despair of finding peace, eventually reduced him to such ill health that he took to his couch for a time. Then came the opium beast. "Just a little”, enough to make him forget. He thought he could always leave it off but his friends were doubtful. He knew very well the awful power of the drug, for he had seen its victims - scholarly men, like himself, some of them - sitting in the dirt and dust of the highway and begging for a bit of opium, without which they could not live although and having it was certain death. He succumbed to the temptation at last, and became a confirmed smoker, hating the depths to which he sank, but sinking deeper still.
Then came David Hill with the message of salvation - the good news of sins forgiven and eternal life. It was in the days of the famine. The strangers, for there were two of them, Mr. Hill (known as Mr. Li) and Mr. Turner (known as Mr. Teh), had brought money to relieve the sufferers. Hsi resented their appearance: did they not belong to those who had forced opium on China? But God had laid hold of Hsi and when, later on, he went to David Hill's house to help him with "essays” (the net David Hill used to catch this scholarly gentleman). As it was necessary for him to study the New Testament he found that the Book answered all his doubts and set all his fears to rest. Joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory (1 Peter 1:8 ESV) was his indeed. The darkness of past years was lost in the glory of God which he saw in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ was everything to him from that time. The chains which opium had flung around him were snapped by the Holy Spirit's power.
The wonderful change in him was received at home with a mixture of appreciation and fear. It was good, very good, that he had given up opium smoking, but what would befall him and all his household now that he had taken away and burnt all his idols ?
Mrs. Hsi, was quick to see the change in his temper. He now had a quiet, loving manner towards herself. She also approved his recall of the old stepmother but was, nevertheless, apprehensive of calamity on account of his defiance of those idols which he once held sacred. True, he committed himself and his household to the care of his God, but could that avail? But the change was good and little Mrs. Hsi, even whilst she feared the consequences, was glad. In a little while she, too, had a like precious faith.
From the time of his conversion to the day of his Home-call, Hsi laboured unceasingly to draw others from the fearful depths in which he himself had struggled for so long. Well, he knew the suffering of a soul without Christ and the suffering of the body under the power of the drug. His life-work was soon discovered for he had studied medicine, and with his wife’s help he rented a shop in a market town, Tengts’uen, as a drug store (chemist). Here Hsi, as a Chinese doctor, was able to give advice and relief to anxious patients and also, having business capacities of no mean order, to control the finances. The store was an unusual sort of place.
In the inner room were high-backed chairs ready for visitors with a bright brass teapot and china cups on the table. Christian texts hung on the walls with books and benches for meetings: a strange man, Mr. Hsi! Over the doorway was displayed the sign - "Hall of the Joyful News”. Hsi carried on this station for about 20 years. Soon after the establishment of the store a larger sphere of work was opened. It came about through the failure of the supply of the medicine used in the treatment of opium smokers. This emergency showed the need of home cultivation and eventually Hsi was led to make the anti-opium pills, which did much good work and brought the opium victims under the sound of the Gospel. To Hsi this was the greatest thing, for he had no confidence in the permanent value of the medicine without conversion.
With regard to the making of the pills, he said: “With prayer and fasting I waited upon the Lord and besought Him to point out to me the proper ingredients.” His prayer was abundantly answered. There was employment, too, for Christian men in the industry which developed through the making of the pills. Refuges for opium smokers were established where victims could be treated and the pills, in all cases where it was possible, were charged for. Every effort was made to keep the Refuges self-supporting. At first all these Refuges were established in the rural districts but after a time Hsi found the great city of Chao-ch’eng was laid upon his heart.
For a time, he felt he could do nothing for the place. It was quite a different thing, opening Refuges in the villages. The Chao-ch'eng people, with their greater prejudice against the Christian faith, would reject the attempt. Two Christians, Si and Cheng, were sent to the stronghold of Satan, having as their weapon 3000 pills, and they lodged for a few days outside the walls. But inside the city, Hsi’s Refuges were already known, and it was not long before two gentlemen called upon Si and Cheng and stated their intention of renting and furnishing a house for a Refuge so that the victims of the "foreign smoke" may be cured. Very shortly afterwards the Refuge was in full swing. Several cities were entered, and the same work was established after this.
The story of Hoh-chau, an important city three days' journey away, is most touching. Hsi prayed for the city and its needs every day and one morning, after family prayer, his wife presented him with a package. “I think perhaps the Lord has answered our prayers”, she said. Within the package were all the ornaments which a married women in her position most prized: rings, beautiful hairpins, earrings, bracelets. His’s wife sacrificed them all that the Gospel might be preached to the lost souls in Hoh-chau. She now had no personal adornments but she will shine as the stars for ever and ever.
In 1885, Mr. Baller, of the CIM, with four of the "Cambridge Seven": Stanley Smith, W.W. Cassels, Montague Beauchamp and D.E. Hoste, came to Ping-yang. Later on, Mr. Stanley Smith worked at the Hung Tung Refuge with His. These young missionaries found it difficult at first to converse with His but, when he saw them with their Bible he brought his own and showed them certain portions which expressed what he wanted to say. They replied in the same way through their English version and were able to carry on quite a conversation. Mr. Stevenson visited Ping-yang a year afterwards and, at the same time, Mr. Hudson Taylor with Mr. Studd and Mr. Beauchamp arrived. Whilst the party remained several conferences took place and Hsi was appointed as Superintending Pastor of the three great districts which he had supervised for so long. A busy, happy year followed. Mr. D.E. Hoste and Mr. Stanley Smith threw themselves wholeheartedly into the work with Hsi.
But jealousy and discontentment had been smouldering for some time with many of Hsi's Chinese fellow-workers on account of the position which had been given to him. Fan and Chang, two prominent Christians, were particularly incensed against him and there was a sad breach which brought the Refuges into disrepute. This was a dark time indeed but after about two years the clouds broke and cleared somewhat allowing Refuges to be established far and wide. Mr. Orr Ewing, known as "Glory face”, was a helper at this juncture. Hsi spent himself in his Master's service until his Home-call, after some months of illness, on Feb. 19th 1896, at the age of about 60. He was in his own home, attended by his faithful loving wife, with Mr. Hoste a constant visitor, when he entered into this glorious beginning of the Heavenly Life.
Taken from. THE WAY OF LIFE POSTAL BIBLE SCHOOL July 1966