 Nevertheless, during his time in Anhui, Mathews' interest in the Chinese language deepened due to the variety of dialects he encountered.In 1921 Mathews returned to Henan, where he led Bible classes for the troops of the warlord Feng Yuxiang, a convert known as "the Christian General", whom the CIM supported.Mathews then travelled around Sichuan for the next four years, leading Bible classes and supervising Chinese seminarians.