It was not till nine years (1884) later that a permanent footing was obtained, when Mr. Sambrook secured premises in Chowkiakow, an important trade centre connected by water with Chinkiang and the Yangtse. The first converts were baptized there in 1887, and to-day there are twelve out-stations in connection with this centre. In 1886 a similar station was opened by Mr. Slimmon in the mart of Shae-ki-tien, in the south-west of the province, a town of considerable commercial importance, connected by water with Hankow. The names of Johnstone, Mills, Slimmon, Gracie, King, all of the China Inland Mission, and Lund are associated with early attempts to enter important cities north and south of the Yellow River, but they were driven forth from Hwaiking, and ejected from Chuhsien Chen.
In 1891 Mr. Slimmon succeeded in opening Hiangcheng Hsien to the Gospel.
The year 1894 saw the establishment of the work of the Canadian Presbyterian Mission in the prefectural city of Changte Fu. Their first workers had come out in 1888 (four men and one lady). Finding it impracticable to enter the "Fu" cities at once, Mission stations were established in Chuwang and Hsinchen, and these places continued to be occupied till 1900—the year of the Boxer uprising—when both were given up.
In 1902 Weihwei Fu and Hwaiking Fu were occupied, and together with Changte Fu these form the centres around which the work of the Canadian Presbyterian Mission has grown. With 31 foreign workers, 4 hospitals, 6 schools, 406 communicants, and 647 under instruction, their work is rapidly increasing.
In 1895 Dr. Howard Taylor and some fellow-workers of the China Inland Mission opened Chengchow Fu and Taikang Hsien, in both of which places there have been encouraging results.
During 1897 Mr. F. M. Royal of the Gospel Mission, Shantung, paid visits to Kweite Fu in East Honan. Mr. L. L. Blalock has since had the principal charge of the work in that city and in Yungcheng Hsien and Luyi
