University of Nanking - Linguist Yearbook (Nanking, China)

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so p H THE LINGUIST of business, for in theteyes of the Chinese an envoy came to do homage- and to bring tributeg it was his duty to receive his orders and not claim to negotiate business. The manner of reception of this English ambassador confirmed the belief of the Chinese that the emperor was the universal sovereign. In 1816 a second English embassy was sent under Lord Amherst. upon his immediate arrival he was summoned to appear before the Emperor. He begged to be excused on the ground of fatigue and the non-arrival of his uniforms. This so offended the Emperor that he prtleged the embassy to leave at once. Thus England's second overture ai e . From 1840-43 England engaged in the Opium War with China. Opium is mentioned in China annals as early as the Sth century. In 1729 laws were made interdicting its use. But it continued to pour in from India under the East India Company in spite of the efforts of the government. In-1834 England appointed a Superintendent of Trade to protect the traffic and extend it to other parts of the Empire and to open direct communications with the central government. Thereupon the opium question took on a new phase. The Chinese awoke to the fact that for years enormous wealth had been going out of the country and in return they had no benefit except the baneful opium. In 1839 the English merchants were ordered to deliver up all the opium in their possession. 20,000 chests representing a market value of 89,000,000 were disposed of by mixing the opium in trenches of lime and salt water and drawing them off to the sea. The foreign merchants were then asked to file a bond binding themselves not to engage in opium trade on pen- alty of summary execution, and confiscation of ships and cargo. The English objected. The result was war. The Treaty of Nanking drawn up after the war provided among other things that five ports should be opened to foreign trade and residence, Canton, Amoy, Fooehow, Ningpo and Shanghai. These are called treaty ports. A treaty was made with America, France and other nations also, and was subject to revision at the end of twelve years. In 1858 the Treaty of T.ientsin provided for the opening of 3 more ports, on the Yangtze River, foreign residence at Peking, and the toleration of Christianity. The question of Customs Tariff was also made a part of the treaty. By it China was deprived of her free will in the matter of import and export duties, and from that day to this has not been able to adopt any measure of her customs revenue without the consent of foreign governments. p .. In 1876 the Chinese legation was established in London, and later in other countries. The Chino-japanese war, 1887-95 opened the eyes of- the Chinese to the errors of Lheirgovernment. China came out of the struggle deeply humiliated. , European powers, eager for land, busied them- selves with schemes for the division of her territory. Their threaten- ing attitude naturally frightened the Chinese and lent strength to the new forces that had been gradually but steadily gaining ground in China. After the Chino-Japanese war there was a marked increaseof

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JOTTINGS FROM CHINESE HISTORY 49 ago,-outwardly nor inwardly. About three fourths of China Proper IS now claimed by Protestant forces, and 7 provinces of the 18 report 110 unclaimed area whatever. In the last 20 years as many missionary residential centres have been opened as in the previous 93 years. There is a tremendously rapid increase of Christian contacts totaling now nearly 10,000 evangelistic centres of all kinds. A part of the royal way to the Ming Tombs. the resting place of the first emperor of the ming dynasty. 1338-1398. The small stones on the backs of the elephant monoliths were tossed up by women wishing sons, each believing that She would be-blessed with as many sons as stones lodged on the back of the elephant. It is not recorded who started the idea or when. FOREIGN INTERESTS IN CHINA. H The Treaty of Nanking in 1842 marks the beginning of formal treaty relations between China and foreign nations. As early as 266 A. D.-during the Han Dynasty,-overland routes of intercourse were begun with India, Greece and Rome. It was not until 1516, however, that maritime trade began. The Portuguese were the Iirst to arrive, settling at Ningpo, Amoy, alld later, at Macao. In 1548 the Spaniards followed, taking possession of the Philippines. The Dutch came somewhat later, settling at Formosa and the Pcs-- cadores. Maritime trade gradually gravitated to Canton where the English had succeeded in spite of Portuguese opposition, in establishing a factory. The year 1720 saw the birth of the notorious Co-Hong System in Canton,-an organization of native merchants to regulate the prices of commodities in their own interest. Later it became a government organization and made itself useful to officials as a channel of wealth. Pigeon-English is a relic of Co-Hong days. It was form- ed at Canton by taking words from all European and Asiatic lang- uages and corrupting them sufficiently to suit Chinese taste and grammar. About this time trade was being carried on at Canton with the French, Danes, Prussians, Mexicans and other foreign nations, but none was so important as that of England. England was naturally anxious to begin diplomatic relations with China, so in 1792 she sent Lord McCartney as an ambassador. He knelt on both knees before the Emperor but could not bring the latter to discuss a single point

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JOTTINGS FROM CHINESE HISTORY 51 anti-foreign agitation. Anti-missionary riots led to the massacre of two German missionaries in Shantung. Germany retaliated by helping herself to Kiaochow, forcing China to lease it to her for 99 years, with the right to build fortifications, and docks, to land and station soldiers, to control railways and mines in the whole of Shantung. The game of land grabbing was then' the order of the day. Russia got Port Arthur, Talienwan, and a strip of adjoining landg Great Britain compelled China to lease 400 square miles of land and water including a part of the mainland opposite Hongkong g France got lease of Kuangchourwan for 99 years. In 1896 it was agreed that Russia receive all railway concessions north of the great wall while Great Britain should have those in the Yangtze Valley including the provinces of Chekiang and Honan. Great Britain also secured a promise from China that she would not surrender any part of the Yangtze Valley to any other foreign power. In this way each power had China ear-marked for exploitation. The parts so marked were called in diplomatic language spheres of influence. In 1899 both Russia and Germany threw open theirleased territory to foreign commerce. Availing himself of the opportunity John Hay, Secretary of State of the U.S.A. addressed a circular letter to Euro- pean powers and to japan. proposing the Open Door Policy, which had for its object the maintenance of China's integrity and the assur- ance of equal rights to all. This policy put a stop to further spheres of influence. Foreigners in China are not amenable to Chinese courts, but to consular courts of their own nationality. This privilege is called Extraterritoriality. In view of the desire of the Chinese govern- ment to bring the judicial system into accord with that of western nations, both Great Britain and the U. S. have agreed to relinquish their extraterritorial rights when they are justified in such a step. The boycott of 1905, whereby China refused to buy American goods because of the anti-Chinese agitation in the States,-threatened China's friendly relations with the U. S. but its effect was only tem- porary. The return of Boxer indemnity funds by the U. S. is an evi- dence of the improved relations between the two countries. Mrs. l-l. C. R. Graves