Bo Jia (1804-1889), whose original name was
Peter Parker, was an American missionary of Christianity. He was the first
Christian missionary doctor that came to China.
He was born in a Christian family in
Massachusetts and graduated from Yale University in 1831. After that he entered
a seminary to study theology. In 1834 he got the doctor's degree and also the
priest qualification. He went to Guangzhou in the same year. Since he was an
ophthalmologist he mainly missionized through providing treatments for patients.
After the Opium War, he began to take part
in many diplomatic activities. In 1847 he became the deputy of the United States
representative office in China. In 1857, he finished his missionary work and
went back to the United States.