Annie Royle Taylor
Encyclopedia
Annie Royle Taylor was an English Evangelical missionary
to China
and the first Western woman known to have visited Tibet
. She attempted to reach the "forbidden" city of Lhasa
.
of packet ships. At the age of 13 she became converted to evangelical Christianity and determined to become a missionary, against her parent's wishes. After studying medicine and working in the slums of London and Brighton
, she joined the China Inland Mission
. (She was no relation to CIM founder Hudson Taylor
.) She sailed to Shanghai
in 1884 and was posted to Lanzhou
on the borders of Tibet in 1886. Recalled from Lanzhou in 1888 because of poor health, she recuperated in Australia and determined to evangelise within Tibet
.
She described herself as a troublesome and unhealthy child. She was a "lone wolf...so bad at harmonious relationships with colleagues that she would have to be returned to Britain or stretched to her own limits." Hudson Taylor wrote in 1890 that she was "having a very hard time of it." Her father's wealth permitted her to be independent, not needing financial support from CIM.
to study the Tibetan language
at a Buddhist monastery. While there she converted to Christianity a young Tibetan named Pontso, about 19 years old, who was to accompany her on her expedition to Tibet. In March 1891, she left Sikkim with Pontso and traveled to China, making her way to Tianshui
where she founded a mission. Tianshui was a jumping off spot for commerce with Tibet.
On September 2, 1892, Taylor and Pontso left Tianshui with three Chinese helpers (one died and another left the party shortly), sixteen horses, two months food and equipment, and the objective of reaching Lhasa
, capital of Tibet, closed to foreigners. Taylor shaved her hair and wore Tibetan dress to disguise herself as a Tibetan. They proceeded southwest, passing through lands belonging to Mongol and Golog
nomads, losing some of their horses to bandits, and spending two months without seeing a house. They arrived in Gyegu (Jyekundo), the center of the tea trade between China and Tibet on November 11, but bypassed the town, fearing they would be apprehended by the authorities. From Gyegu they followed a well-known caravan trail toward Lhasa.
By this time, the little caravan was riven with dissention with Taylor fearing that Noga, her hired Chinese Muslim guide, might betray or even murder her. The transcriber of Taylor's diary, who knew Taylor well, suggests that Noga did not consider himself a servant, but rather an equal and that the dissention might have been due to misunderstanding about their servant/master relationship. To Taylor's relief, Noga departed on December 14.
On January 3, 1893, cold, most of their horses dead or stolen and without food—but only three days march from Lhasa—Taylor, Pontsu, and another servant were apprehended by Tibetan authorities beyond Nagchu. After several days of difficult negotiations, Taylor was told that she must return to China by the shortest route. She demanded food and horses from the Tibetans, complained about the quality of both, and traded her watch for a tent. On January 19, with a ten-soldier escort, she and her two companions departed Nagchu and returned to Gyegu. The soldiers soon left them in the company of merchants and she traveled onward in bitter cold, reaching Gyegu on February 21. From Gyegu, she arranged to continue her journey with Chinese merchants via the tea road to Kangding
(Tachienlu), paying Tibetans to carry their few remaining goods. On April 12, 1893, she and Pontso, her only remaining companion, arrived in Kangding. French missionaries there assisted her and two days later she departed to the coast of China and to return to England.
Taylor returned to London in 1907, where she died on 9 September 1922. She was buried on 13 September 1922 at West Norwood Cemetery
.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and the first Western woman known to have visited Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. She attempted to reach the "forbidden" city of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
.
Early life
Christened as Hannah Royle Taylor, she was a daughter of John Taylor, one of the directors of the Black Ball LineJames Baines & Co.
James Baines & Co. of Liverpool was the parent company of a fleet of packet ships running between Liverpool, England and Australia under the name of Black Ball Line.-History:...
of packet ships. At the age of 13 she became converted to evangelical Christianity and determined to become a missionary, against her parent's wishes. After studying medicine and working in the slums of London and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, she joined the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
. (She was no relation to CIM founder Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
.) She sailed to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in 1884 and was posted to Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
on the borders of Tibet in 1886. Recalled from Lanzhou in 1888 because of poor health, she recuperated in Australia and determined to evangelise within Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
She described herself as a troublesome and unhealthy child. She was a "lone wolf...so bad at harmonious relationships with colleagues that she would have to be returned to Britain or stretched to her own limits." Hudson Taylor wrote in 1890 that she was "having a very hard time of it." Her father's wealth permitted her to be independent, not needing financial support from CIM.
Expedition to Tibet
In 1889, Taylor journeyed to Darjeeling, India and subsequently to SikkimSikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
to study the Tibetan language
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
at a Buddhist monastery. While there she converted to Christianity a young Tibetan named Pontso, about 19 years old, who was to accompany her on her expedition to Tibet. In March 1891, she left Sikkim with Pontso and traveled to China, making her way to Tianshui
Tianshui
Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road at the Wei River, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west...
where she founded a mission. Tianshui was a jumping off spot for commerce with Tibet.
On September 2, 1892, Taylor and Pontso left Tianshui with three Chinese helpers (one died and another left the party shortly), sixteen horses, two months food and equipment, and the objective of reaching Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, capital of Tibet, closed to foreigners. Taylor shaved her hair and wore Tibetan dress to disguise herself as a Tibetan. They proceeded southwest, passing through lands belonging to Mongol and Golog
Golok people
The Golok or Ngolok peoples are groups from Amdo in eastern Tibet, where their territory is referred in Tibetan as sMar-kog. They are located around the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the sacred mountain Amnye Machen . They are not an homogeneous group but are composed of peoples of very...
nomads, losing some of their horses to bandits, and spending two months without seeing a house. They arrived in Gyegu (Jyekundo), the center of the tea trade between China and Tibet on November 11, but bypassed the town, fearing they would be apprehended by the authorities. From Gyegu they followed a well-known caravan trail toward Lhasa.
By this time, the little caravan was riven with dissention with Taylor fearing that Noga, her hired Chinese Muslim guide, might betray or even murder her. The transcriber of Taylor's diary, who knew Taylor well, suggests that Noga did not consider himself a servant, but rather an equal and that the dissention might have been due to misunderstanding about their servant/master relationship. To Taylor's relief, Noga departed on December 14.
On January 3, 1893, cold, most of their horses dead or stolen and without food—but only three days march from Lhasa—Taylor, Pontsu, and another servant were apprehended by Tibetan authorities beyond Nagchu. After several days of difficult negotiations, Taylor was told that she must return to China by the shortest route. She demanded food and horses from the Tibetans, complained about the quality of both, and traded her watch for a tent. On January 19, with a ten-soldier escort, she and her two companions departed Nagchu and returned to Gyegu. The soldiers soon left them in the company of merchants and she traveled onward in bitter cold, reaching Gyegu on February 21. From Gyegu, she arranged to continue her journey with Chinese merchants via the tea road to Kangding
Kangding
Kangding or Dardo is the name of a county in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, China. It is administrated at the city of Kangding...
(Tachienlu), paying Tibetans to carry their few remaining goods. On April 12, 1893, she and Pontso, her only remaining companion, arrived in Kangding. French missionaries there assisted her and two days later she departed to the coast of China and to return to England.
Later life
Taylor became a minor celebrity in England. She formed an organization called the "Tibetan Pioneer Mission" and recruited 14 people to travel with her to Sikkim to study Tibetan and evangelize on the borders of Tibet. Within a year "the infant mission was in a shambles. The new missionaries repudiated her leadership and called on the CIM for assistance." After the failure of the Tibetan Pioneer Mission Taylor remained in Sikkim and in 1904, she joined the Younghusband Expedition to Tibet, serving as a nurse.Taylor returned to London in 1907, where she died on 9 September 1922. She was buried on 13 September 1922 at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
.
Published works
- Taylor, Annie R. Pioneering in Tibet. London: Morgan and Scott, (1898)
- Taylor, A. R. My diary in Tibet, ed. W. Carey, in W. Carey, Travel and adventure in Tibet (1902)
External links
- Taylor, Annie Royle (1855–1922), Dorothy Middleton, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 31 Oct 2010