Cambridge Seven

Cambridge Seven were 6 students from Cambridge University and one from the Royal Military Academy(RMA). In 1885 they decided to become missionaries in China through the China Inland Mission.

For a month before they left the 7 toured University campuses of England and Scotland, holding meetings for students. During the tour someone dubbed them '‘The Cambridge Seven’

On the 18th March 1885 they arrived in Shanghai and engaged in a variety of ministries throughout China.

The 7 were;-
William Wharton Cassels
Stanley Peregrine Smith
Charles (C.T.) Thomas Studd (See separate TES entry)
Arthur T. Polhill-Turner
Cecil H. Polhill- Turner
Montagu Harry Proctor Beuchamp
Dixon Hoste (RMA (See ‘Work’ for what each of them achieved)

One of the missiological distinctives of CIM was that the missionaries were expected to wear Chinese dress and queue (pigtail). ( See picture of 7)

The conversion and example of the 7 was one of the grand gestures of 19th century missions, making them religious celebrities; as a result their story was published as 'The Evangelisation of the World: A missionary Band and became a national best seller.

The China Inland Mission was set up in 1865 by James Hudson Taylor. The missionary society became known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (1964), today it is called OMF International (1990s).

Source
Wikipedia