The cross that had topped the Hudson Taylor Memorial Tower, which stands behind Xuande Church in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province has been removed as shown in a picture recently circulating on the Internet, according to an unverified source.
The Hudson Taylor Memorial Tower was built in 2018, open to the public since June 2018. British missionary couple Hudson and Maria Taylor were buried under the ground of the Memorial building after their tombs were moved to Xuande Church (Hudson Taylor Memorial Church) in 2014.
The church and the Memorial used to have a cross on top of each building. According to the picture circulating on the Internet, while the Memorial’s cross has been removed, the church’s cross remains for now.
According to an informant, the cross removed from the Memorial weighs as much as 70 tons.
James Hudson Taylor (21 May 1832 – 3 June 1905) was the founder of the China Inland Mission. His famous quote, “If I had a thousand pounds, China should have it; if I had a thousand lives, China should have them”, has inspired many to the mission field.