Christiana Tsai 2

Christiana Tsai is interesting as one of the first Chinese women to receive a western high school education in China. She was from a wealthy family who, howecer, eventually lost their wealth. As an educated woman she was offered employment as an education administrator which she turned down to live as an evangelist. She also received an offer of marriage which she later refused because her fiancé became a liberal Christian while studying in the States.

In 1921 Christiana Tsai visited the United States with Mary Leaman. She spoke to the Presbyterian General Assembly in Detroit, she preached at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, at the Sing Sing prison in Mew York and was invited to meet President Harding in Washington.

Christiana Tsai was the close companion of Mary Leaman who produced the first complete Chinese Bible in Chinese characters and the National Phonetic System in parallel. The Board of Education in China recognized Miss Leaman's work and in 1937 invited her to attend a conference. She was given a set of records prepared by Dr. Y. R. Chao, and was asked to prepare a message on the phonetic to be broadcast over the Central Broadcasting Station.

Although Christiana assisted Miss Leaman, she spent those years entirely in her darkened room due to malaria of the bone marrow. Christiana remained well known as an evangelist and people came to her room for Bible teaching and advice.