The ‘Door of Hope’ Christian mission was started in 1901 in Shanghai, China, to teach girls and women a trade so they could support themselves. The ‘Door of Hope’ dolls have wood heads and hands created by local wood carvers hired by the mission; the difference in the carvers’ skill can be seen. The dolls were assembled and dressed by the young women after they were taught the necessary skills. Pearl S. Buck, later a famous author who wrote extensively about life in China, taught embroidery and knitting at the mission when she was 17 years old.