Selected Works of Thomas Torrance

Works by Thomas Torrance printed in this volume include:

• 1910: Burial Customs in Sz-chuan, p. 10
• 1916: The Early History of Chengtu, p. 46
• 1920: The History, Customs and Religion of the Ch’iang, p. 82
• 1926: The Chinese Cat, p. 132.
• 1933: The T’ieh-Ch’i Earthquake of August 1933 and Afterwards, p. 180
• 1933: The Basic Spiritual Conceptions of the Religion of the Chiang, p. 188
• 1937: China’s First Missionaries: Ancient ‘Israelites’, p. 234

The “Preface” was written by Professor Huo Wei, Head of Sichuan University Museum (Selected Works of Thomas Torrance, pp. 6-8):

“Thomas Torrance was a missionary who came to China in 1895. He was also a foreign friend with profound affection and regard for the Chinese people and their culture. The time he spent in Sichuan was for him one of the most precious memories of his whole life.

Over the many years in which he carried out his missionary activity he took advantage of his many travels to various places in Sichuan to observe and study, using his distinctive insight to research and make detailed records of both the natural and human aspects of Sichuan: the beautiful scenery, the various kinds of animals and plants, the ancient villages and pathways, the irrigation works, and the customs and religous beliefs. In so doing he bequeathed to later generations an archive of many valuable historical documents.

Mr. Torrance also had a strong interest in China’s history and archaeology. He was a forerunner of today’s Sichuan University Museum — one of the founders of what was originally the ‘West China Union University Museum’ and one of the most important collectors in the early period of the museum as it began to preserve historical and cultural artefacts. The objects which he collected were many and varied, including items from cave tombs, brick-chambered tombs and the stone coffin burials of the upper Min River. These formed the earliest collection of material from the research of that period into the archaeological cultures of the Sichuan region.

Mr. Torrance had a broad range of interests, read widely, and had an extensive knowledge of many things. He wrote many articles describing various things in China which were of interest to him. Some of these articles are serious scholarly papers such as his overview of the cave tombs and ancient graves of Western Sichuan and his ensuing reflections on Sichuan’s burial customs. These can all be regarded as early archaeological survey reports and those which define the characteristics of Han cave tombs and which describe the distinctive features of other ancient Sichuan graves, their structural style and the burial objects found in them, can even today be regarded as of scientific value. Among his articles there are also his accounts of the religion and history of the Qiang people of the upper Min River region, which he recorded as he travelled widely for his missionary work. Reading his writings it is very evident that his observations were extremely meticulous and pertained to a wide range of subject matter. His method of noting his observations had much in common with that of modern ethnology and anthropology. In contrast to these more serious articles, some of Torrance’s writings reflect the sincerity of his own character with his passion for life and love of nature, such as ‘The Chinese Cat” which is included in this collection of his works. This is a vivid and detailed account ranging from the history of the cat to its habitual behaviour, its relationship with humans and its way of life, all exquisitely and comprehensively observed and described.

In the 120th year since the founding of Sichuan University and the 100th year since the founding of Sichuan University Museum, the translation and publication of this selection of Mr. Torrance’s works provides a distinguished contribution with regard to research into Chinese traditional culture and the local culture of Sichuan and to the cultural exchange between East and West and is a fitting commemoration of the earlier generation represented by Mr. Torrance. I would like here to particularly thank Mr. Wu Damin for his deep interest in and comprehensive understanding of Mr. Torrance’s life and achievements, collecting papers and artefacts over many years relating to Torrance’s research. The cooperation between Wu Damin and the young scholars who have participated in the translation work of this worthwhile project has resulted in the Selected Works of Thomas Torrance, a work which has wide-ranging appeal and which, I believe, will surely have far-reaching social and scholarly influence.”

Professor Huo Wei, Head of Sichuan University Museum