He left his dependents in Hong Kong and then tried to return to Tanshui. But because Tanshui was closed, he was repeatedly denied entry. When he finally succeeded in coming on shore, he was welcomed by the Christian devotees, many of whom shed tears of joy.
馬偕將眷屬留在香港便即刻返回淡水，卻因淡水被封鎖，幾次不得其門而入，當他「登陸」成功時，受到信徒的歡迎，許多人甚至高興得哭了。