十九世纪四、五十年代，王韬、李善兰、蒋剑人、管嗣复、张福僖等中国文人陆续进入墨海书馆工作，成为通商口岸第一批与西方人合作的知识分子。与传教士的合作译书工作使他们逐步了解西学，肩负起向中国输入、传播西学的历史使命。他们所翻译出版的西方科学文化书籍，促进了西方近代科学在中国的传播，在中国近代史上具有重要意义。

During the 1840s and 1850s, some Chinese literati including Wang Tao, Li Shanlan, Jiang Tunfu, Guan Sifu and Zhang Fuxi successively joined the London Missionary Society Press. Thus they became the first group of Chinese intellectuals to cooperate with westerners. Their translation work with the missionaries enabled them to comprehend Western learning gradually, and to undertake the historical mission to import Western learning to China. The Western technical and cultural works that they translated accelerated the diffusion of modern Western science. Their efforts had great significance for the unfolding of modern Chinese history.