Life and sport in China / Second Edition

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mon of all queries, yet each time it is made I

n untaking, unlikeable people, still they possess many qualities and traits

somewhat in the light of pearls before swine, but it is the truth. On the other hand, we know that our footing in the country was gained and is maintained by force, which knowledge, in addition to that pressure of silent enmity of which we are at all times conscious, brings our minds into a hostile attitude vis-à-vis the Chinese. We are always in a state of antagonism, be it defensive or

hinese as being romantic, artisti

of which their pet quotation is truly emblematical: "A man's greatest pleasure

ecimen is almost priceless and over which connoisseurs hypnotise themselves; dancing, except by flower-girls, is unknown; while in literature they are safe from adequate criticism, owing to the impossibilities of their language. Embroidery, bronzes, carving, and dyeing in both pottery and silks are, in my opinion, their best artistic productions, although it is said that the

slavish adaptability to the smallest circumstances in their daily struggle for existence. To a man who has been some year

. In some things, from our point of view, they und

e a feeble show in battle cannot be gainsaid, but then they are a most matter-of-fact people, without any craving for military glory,

arm them with flags, pikes and muzzle-loaders, and then march them against a crack European regiment. You may be sure the Chinese example would be quickly followed

s which has deprived their character of that vital force, initiative, which, while the greatest of safeguards to rival nations, has removed from the Chinese mind the power to comprehend and carry out large and complicated undertakings involving the handling and direction of modern systems

ium-smoking, the universal usage of fans, the wearing of flowing garments and braided hair, and the discharging of domesti

at the same object from widely-different points of view we express our ideas, talk them over and invite criticism, while he-is silent.

ghosts, dreams, devils and manifestations. He believes in them all without a suspicion of doubt, but, knowing our wonted thoughtless

okout for something to find fault with. My own idea is to maintain a naturally polite bearing and treat them precisely as you would your own countrymen of whatever rank

le doubt but that a Chinese merchant would immediately "do" you if he could be perfectly sure of not being found out, and so losing face, and that too without in any way violating his own feelings. "Face," or otherwise "appearances," is a Chinaman's passport to respectability, and therefore of great commercial value, but has nothing whatever

of irritable, rasping temperament quickly loses respect and weakens control, while he who can keep calm under any circumstances, and only very rarely gives rein to a fierce outburst at the psychological moment, inv

y cause him is as nothing in comparison with the lowering effect it will have on your own status i

illion souls who are bound together by ties of blood, language, tradition and religion. This race, which until quite modern times existed as a world apart and was

ey never will again be left undisturbed, but more and more subjected to the pressure of other nationalities in the feverish struggle for domination and wealth. To this pressure they will surely yield in one way or

tain as day and night that they are here to stay, if only by force of numbers, and that no political convulsions will wipe them

al power, they only await good government to start them along the rails of progress. Wh

gua

age is like China

ie north of the Yangtse, while south of this line Cantonese is the principal dialect, although the number of others is legion, and so pro

small traders, and the sight of compatriots in a foreign land greatly delighted the boy, who, on my departure after tiffin to make a tour of the town, asked if he meanwhile might go out to drink tea with his countrymen. I gave permission, but on returning some hours later to the hotel found him in a very disappointed frame

requently condescendingly refer to all othe

nces together with a slight admixture of Portuguese and French, the frequent wrongfu

If you want to get some old chinaware your Chinese agent will let me know," while I ha

idgin English simply means a workable knowledge of colloquial English as picked up by t

ontiers there is a

able to read, and more especially write, a single sentence, each individual character in it must be closely studied and committed to memory, as we commit to memory the letters of the alp

r complete, committing these characters to memory and welding them into t

o a stone slab or "ink-stone," until the penmanship is frequently of a firmness and beauty surpassing that of copper-plate. In such veneration is the written character held that it is accounted wrong to debase in any way paper on which writing may be in

cted to handwriting, knowledge of characters, composition and national history, the Chinese admit

ge of the language? It is like the

speaking one of the dialects so as generally to make himself understood, but to the end of his days his speech,

Some missionaries, notably Jesuits, have given their lives to the work and have undoubtedly attained to considerable erudition in the classics and in subjects p

e able to read or dictate letters on any subject, but he probably

a letter himself, but the fact of its being phenomenal shows how unusu

gaged on serious Chinese work. Unaided, they might read much correctly, but they might a

s muster with literary Chinese, while the penmanship would be laboured and coarse, for the manner of holding the pen or brush is quite d

cter, which, by way of illustration, may be said to corre

ever have the slightest chance of passing e

is inability to reach the attainments of

d, I very much question if the unattractive nature of native literature would satisfy his more versatile brain, wh

ands of years, is fostered from infancy by their surroundings, and is so exactly suited to their patient, phlegmatic temperament that it comes to them as naturally as

s and infinite labour to the study of Chinese, lacking this native instinct, they can neve

iona

y anent mi

ibes liberally to missionary funds in order that labourers in the vineyard m

g unmarried ladies without experience and frequently without suitable escort to wander about the country, to outrage all sense of decency, thus generating ill-will which not infrequently leads to riots, bloodshed and diplomatic trouble, while the good they do is microscopic and the number of converts or "rice-Christians" coincides with the amount of alms distributed, and who, when nothing further is to be acquired, revert to the faith, or indifference, of their forefa

ics are absolutely worthless. In fact, they know nothing whatever about either the missionaries or their work, but simply repeat, with their own additions, thi

son, probably, the mere sight of a professional good man is worse than the proverbial red rag, and the tendency

es commit shady actions. I have kn

rgotten, are very human, and contain in their r

ance I have almost invariably found them at heart, whatever their methods, attainments or achievements, to be men of sterling worth, of

e natives, and that their message to the heathen, inviting them to forsake the gods of their fathers and embrace

blind to read and the dumb to speak, adverse comment by anyone speaking with sincerity and briefest knowledge of the facts

st and Acolyt

page 2

w-citizens. This interference has undoubtedly frequently occurred and with marked success, thereby causing extreme irritation to the Chinese officials, who dread

thusiastic inexperience, for veteran missionaries have ge

res, and in Chinese eyes to forfeit their reputations, for the sake of doing a very problematical amount of good is, I cannot help feeling, a great mistake and too heavy a price to pay. If there must be missionaries, at least let them be men

greatly over-condemned by Europeans residing in China

themselves, the vital question is-"Will they

tics to offer a very valuable opinion, but, such as

cution is sporadic and fitful: storms succeeded by sunshine. When persecution partakes of a stern, unrelenting natu

ties, I greatly fear that these persecutions will be more bitter

ht sunshine, and unless storms of persecution soon burst again to roll back the tide, as after the last Mohammedan rising, when, it is said, loads of human ears were forwarded to Peking in token of successful repress

hinese be any the better for becoming Christians?"

an element which it now altogether lacks-chivalry, and which, added to his many exc

darkness to light and hostility to friendliness. Instead of the unwieldy mass now lying sulking at the feet of other nati

g with it reformation and progress, having once been breathed into her nostrils, it would be just as poss

an

lien hands. Fortunes were made with startling rapidity, and money came in so freely that the standard of living amongst foreign merchants and their employés reac

om an inflated prosperity to a mean w

the cause of

ingly timid of their own officials. As time wore on this ignorance and timidity grew less and less, until the Chinese purchaser came to close quarters with the English importer, eliminating middlemen at the small ports and transferring operations chiefly to the great emporiums of Hongkong

d more to centre in the hands of a comparatively few large European firms with which Chinese merchants f

as great a quantity of tea is still exported from China as formerly, it nearly all goes to Russia, and this trade being in the hands of Russian monopolists, there is but little employment fo

radually passing to the credit of Chinese capitalists, if not in name yet in reality, and

ion on the inland waters, and by simplification of inland duties, foreigners will reap such adva

rewd Chinese business men backed by a plentiful supply of native c

the kind. On a recent trip to Wuchow I saw scores, and possibly hundreds, of small steamers and launches crammed with cargo and passengers, or towing strings of deep-laden junks, but they were

m, when, being extremely good business men, holding absolute command of the native markets, and able to live much more cheaply than Europeans, they have g

antage of a few only, while the chances of a man who comes out from home with a small capital being able to make for himself a successful commercial career are woefully meagre. Even

ts to be obtained, carrying with them comfortable remuneration, but thes

r steamers, engineers and directors for docks and factories, professors for various colleges, mining experts and railroad constructors, there is an increasing demand at fair salaries, bu

and a salary of four hundred dollars a month represented twelve hundred pounds a year, now it takes more than twelve dollars to

ntry. This is quite a mistake. China is a silver-using country, yet the standard of value maintained by her four hundred million soul

cash, you gave him six dollars a month. To-day his wages may still be six thousand cash but a dollar being now worth only five

at home, that is, in gold, and as you now have to give three times as many dollars for a sovereign as formerly your imported goods are three ti

ig businesses the earnings of which are in silver and the expenses largely in gold, as well as for those who had already invested their fortunes in shar

fore leaving home secures a definite position in a good business firm, in Government employ or in some p

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