NMS operated a school for the blind at Taohwalun, Hunan, China. According to a report from 1947 it was a school for boys (see "Fra de blindes verden : diakon Karsten Lunde intervjuer diakon Havstad på Taohwalun",  Norsk Misjonstidende, no. 33, 16 August 1947, pages 1 and 6).

The photo won the first prize in a photo contest, held by Norwegian Missionary Society in cooperation with the Church of Sweden Mission and the Danish Missionary Society. See Jan Dalland, "Nordisk fotokonkurranse : resultatet av konkurransen om det beste misjonsmotiv", Norsk Misjonstidende, no. 18, 29 May 1954, page 3. The prize list was published in the same issue, page 8.