Among Hills and Valleys in Western China, first published in 1901, is a detailed and accurate picture of missionary work undertaken by Miss Hannah Davies, who had made it her life's work to tour the Chinese provinces and preach her Christian belief, as well as encouraging local people to build places of worship and also helping those in poverty. Some of the sketches of life and character are extraordinarily descriptive and beautiful, and a remarkable journey is described in this series of letters and journal extracts. There is, amongst other stories, a fascinating account of an assembly addressed by Bishop Cassells, the first Protestant bishop in western China, and his heartfelt pleas to the people to help build a new church. The book is well illustrated, with an introduction by Isabella Bird (now Mrs J. F. Bishop), the nineteenth-century British missionary, travel writer and historian.
