George Leslie Mackay (偕叡理 or 馬偕), the first (modern) missionary to northern Taiwan, was born in Zorra , Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, on 21 March 1844.

Sent by Presbyterian Church in Canada (now mainly in the United Church of Canada), he arrived in Taiwan in 1871. After consulting with Dr James Laidlaw Maxwell Sr, the first (modern) missionary to Formosa (who was working in the north of the island), he arrived at Tamsui in 1872. He worked in Tamsui until his death. Starting with a dentistry practice amongst the lowland aborigines, he later established churches, schools and a hospital. He married Tiuⁿ Chhang-miâ, a lowland aborigine. Even today, some families in Taiwan trace their surname '偕' ('Kai' or 'Kay') to their conversion to Christianity by Mackay. The churches he planted became the Northern Synod of the present Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

Mackay died of throat cancer in 1901. He was buried near Oxford College (牛津學堂; now Aletheia University , 真理大學) in Tamsui.

External links

• MacKay and Taiwan, in the website of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Canada
• Full text of The Black-Bearded Barbarian: the life of George Leslie Mackay of Formosa by Marian Keith, from Project Gutenberg