Heart-rending Story from Hudson Taylor's Biography

From The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor:

But the meeting was drawing to a close; the "foreign teacher" had ceased speaking. Looking round upon the audience with the instinct of one accustomed to leading in such matters, Nyi rose in his place and said with simple directness: "I have long sought the Truth, as did my father before me, but without finding it. I have traveled far and near but have never searched it out. In Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, I have found no rest, but I do find rest in what we have heard tonight. Henceforward I am a believer in Jesus."

The effect of this declaration was profound, for Nyi was well-known and respected. But no one present was more moved than the young missionary to who he especially addressed himself. Many interviews followed, and Hudson Taylor experienced the joy no words can expresss as he saw the Lord working with him and claiming this soul for His own.

Shortly after his conversion...
He it was who, talking with Mr. Taylor, unexpectedly raised a question, the pain of which was not easily forgotten.

"How long have you had the Glad Tidings in England?" he asked all unsuspectingly.

The young missionary was ashamed to tell him and vaguely replied that it was several hundreds of years.

"What," exclaimed Nyi in astonishment, "several hundreds of years! Is it possible that you have known about Jesus so long, and only now have come to tell us? My father sought the truth for more than twenty years" he continued sadly, "and died without finding it. Oh, why did you not come sooner?"