[China. Christian mission Beijing] Zonnestralen op een donkeren achtergrond.

Verslag van het Zendings werk van Rev. en Mrs. James P. Leynse. Presbyterian Mission, Peiping Zomer 1933. Colour-woodcut title page followed by 7 leaves with typed text and with each a colour (woodcut) illustration, the last leaf signed with a stamped signature by James P. Leynse, 27.7 x 21.5 cm., loose in the original envelope in which the work was shipped from Beijing to The Hague.

Traces of rust from previous paperclip in top left corner, vague folds, else in perfect, sound condition. The piece, intended as Christian hope in dark times (Japanese invasion), was sent to Mr. P.J. Risseeuw, editor of "De Spiegel" in The Hague. It is a beautiful and colourful example of the blending of Chinese art and European influence in Beijing, with paragraphs such as: "Het evangelie voor den Chinees door den Chinees", "Het tijdperk der overwinning breekt aan", "Huys byeenkomsten", "De zondagsschool" and "De kerk". The illustrations depict e.g.: "Een der evangelisatie zalen te Peking" (title page); Chinese girls with bibles, "Een zondagsschool", and a lovely parade of Chinese Christians with recruiting signs and flags. The large crowd in two of the illustrations suggests that the Presbyterian Mission was very successful. Very extensively on James P. Leynse (b. 1890), author of many works on China (e.g. his autobiograpy Beauty for Ashes): https://tinyurl.com/yc4bd9mk (Guide to the James P. Leynse Papers of Washington State University).