At the beginning of the 19th century, Christianity was introduced to Xiamen, a coastal city of China.The American Christian Refomed Church first came to the mainland. In 1853, the British Presbyterian Church began to establish churches in Nanxi Baishui county in Zhangzhou city. In 1877, Huang Debi arrived from Zhangpu county be the pastor. Christianity gradually developed in the southeast of Zhangpu county.
Yang Weiqiao, now called Yangmei township and located in the eastern part of Chiling village, Zhangpu county, was an ethnic minority village. In Yang Weiqiao (or the Yangmei township village of Xinzhong), there were more than 300 households, and nearly 2,000 people surnamed Lanshe. Lan Qingsheng, a son of Lan Congzai who had two sons and three daughters, led his whole family to serve the Lord after the British Presbyterian Mission came to Yang Weiqiao.
In 1902, the British Presbyterian missionary Alan S. Moore Anderson, having graduated from Cambridge Westminster College, started ministering in China. His first station was in Xiamen city. Later he moved to Quanzhou city. In 1904, he established the Peiyuan Middle School (predecessor of Quanzhou Peiyuan Middle School) near the Pingshui temple in Quanzhou city. Recommended by the British Presbyterian Church, Lan Qingsheng studied in the Quanzhou Peiyuan Middle School. He studied so hard and was a talented student of Moore Anderson. After having graduated from senior high school, Lan Qingsheng taught in some church schools, such as Anhai School in Jijiang city, Shijing School in Guangzhou city, Xiamen and Kinmen. Lan Qingsheng thought that nothing was more valuable than the Gospel so he engaged in evangelism. And soon he married.
In 1938, Lan Qingsheng went to Kelantan of Malaya with his wife, having been invited by pastor A.S. Moore Anderson, to preach in the church. He later preached in the Baluo church of Elder Li Mingjun, and there built a new church. On June 4, 1948, Lan Qingsheng was appointed as the pastor of Xi'an church. Onuyang Hou, chairman and representative of the Minnan Seminary College, congratulated him. Later, pastor Lan also became the first secretary of the Christian Coalition of Malayan overseas Chinese and was very involved Malaya evangelism work.
Pastor Lan Qingsheng actively set up new schoolhouses for the Lingyuan School run by the church. After four years, he fell ill because of overwork. Though he went to the local hospital for an examination, it was of no use. On April 13, 1954, he died at the age of 48. On April 15th, Xi'an church held a grand memorial for him and buried him in the Christian Cemetery of Hougang.
- Translated by Heirs Han
