Other homes were opened until eventually there were four and a hospital. The girls moved on from the Receiving Home after the court hearing, when a Chinese magistrate together with a foreign representative considered the case and the girl could decide on her future. The future offered by the Mission included a safe home and an education which prepared the girls for a better life. The girls were instructed in sewing, everyday household jobs, reading, writing and, of course, Christian beliefs. The sewing included finely embroidered lingerie, babies' layettes, household linen and the dressing of dolls, all of which were later sold to raise funds for the Mission. At this stage the girls could earn a little money for their efforts. They were in demand as skilled wives when their time at the Mission was over and the Mission helped to arrange suitable marriages for them. The grooms had to be Christian but the girls had freedom of choice and were not forced into marriage.
The Door of Hope dolls are fascinating miniatures mirroring the different strata of Chinese society at the time. The costumes are authentic copies of those worn by various citizens, from kindergarten children to mandarins. Each outfit has many layers which are removable, not permanently sewn on. The sewing is all by hand and of the highest standard, even down to the fastenings on the tunics which are made of tightly wound cloth like frogging with cloth toggles. The dolls have carved wooden heads, stuffed cotton bodies, some have carved wooden hands and only the Farmer and Manchu Lady have carved legs and feet. The absence of hands in some of the dolls has no great significance and is thought to be due to the lack of hands available at the time.
Although the clothes were made to take on and off, the dolls were intended as collectors' dolls rather than play dolls. That is probably why, when they are found today, they are invariably complete and in good condition. The dolls were sold directly from the Mission but the bulk of the production seems to have been exported to the United States and at one time was imported by a large American wholesale company called Kimport. They were always fairly expensive to buy. Missionaries returning home also used the dolls when they gave fund-raising talks. The Mission closed around 1950 when life under the new regime in China became impossible.