2025 marks the 160th anniversary of Senior James Laidlaw Maxwell’s missionary work in Taiwan, where he was the first Presbyterian missionary to arrive in Formosa (Taiwan as it was known during the Qing Dynasty).
Sent by the English Presbyterian Mission, Maxwell laid the foundations for what would become the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT). Years later, Maxwell’s own sons, John Preston Maxwell and James Laidlaw Maxwell Jr., would go on to become medical missionaries, establishing healthcare institutions such as the Tainan Sin-Lau Christian Hospital.
As part of remembering the 160th anniversary of Maxwell’s contributions in Taiwan, his grave at Plaistow Cemetery in London was renovated with the support of Tainan Sin-Lau Christian Hospital and the Taiwanese Fellowship in London. A Thanksgiving service was also held on 13 May.
Ninety-two-year-old Professor William Steen, a fourth-generation descendent of Maxwell, spoke to Hsin-I Chien, CWM’s roving reporter based in London, about his great-grandfather’s exploits for the gospel including his recently discovered death certificate.
During the interview, Steen also showcased a certificate of commendation and a medal awarded by Duan Qirui, the Chief of the Army of the Republic of China as well as a jade ruyi (scepter) bestowed by the Qing emperor to the elder Maxwell’s son, John Preston Maxwell, Steen’s grandfather.
John Preston Maxwell was the eldest son of James Laidlaw Maxwell. In 1898, at the age of just 27, he was sent by the Presbyterian Church of England to Fujian, China. He practiced medicine at the Yongchun Hospital Fujian, and at the Yuanliang Hospital in Zhangpu eventually he became the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
“This was entirely out of his love for Christ,” said Steen as he described the life work of John Preston Maxwell.
“I believe it was this sincere and deep faith which gave him the courage and ability to think calmly and demonstrate the love of Christ through his work. In my experience, it is the sincerity of Christian love which is the ‘still small voice’ that speaks through the noise of ‘civilisation’.”
Today, Steen lives alone in the United Kingdom, having lost his wife, Margaret, who passed away peacefully on 5 February this year at 93. However, he still carries on his days with the peace of God in his heart, gladdened to see the seeds of the gospel sown by his ancestors have led to the flourishing of life in Taiwan.
* This story is adapted from “The Hundred-Year Family Memory: A Journey into the Family of James L. Maxwell: An Exclusive Interview with the Fourth-Generation Grandson, William Steen, Bridging a Taiwan Connection Across Generations,” by Hsin-I Chien (CWM PIM), published in Taiwan Church News on 12 August 2025. Here is a link to the original Chinese article: https://tcnn.org.tw/archives/248849.
** Photo: The Taiwanese Fellowship visited the Steens in 2023. (Photo provided by Hsin-I Chien.)
