18 THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN CHINA THE BEGINNINGS OF REFORM 19 Paul's in Hong Kong,St.John's in Shanghai,the Methodist Episcopal our officials study them earnestly,and they will soon acquire proficiency;at the same University in Peking,and an American Board College in Tungchow.20 time let them avoid that undesirable specialisation which comes from concentrated The question of conversions to Christianity quite aside,the importance of study of the classics.We are now borrowing educational methods from foreign countries with a view to broadening our own and increasing its accuracy,but we these schools in opening the path to Western learning was great.For this have no intention of abandoning the teachings of the Sages.How,then,can our reason Tungwen College,the school of Western learning under the aus- action prove detrimental to the minds of scholars?20 pices of the Chinese government,may be grouped with the mission schools, since,except for the omission of Christian teachings,its course of study, Yet with all this encouragement from high places,the new departure directed by missionaries,closely resembled those of the mission institutions. did not win many converts.Dr.Martin admitted that the college was not It was started in 1862 as a school for interpreters.The British in the at first viewed with respect,and that the president of the Hanlin Academy, Treaty of Tientsin had declared that thereafter their official communica- an arch-obstructionist,even accused it of being responsible for a prolonged tions would be in English,though accompanied,for a time,by Chinese drought.so The turning-point in its fortunes came when one of its gradu- translations.20 Three schools of Western languages were therefore estab- ates attained to the highest place in the Chinese scholastic hierarchy, lished,one in Canton,one in Shanghai,and one in Peking.Five years membership in the Hanlin Academy.From that time on,the quality of later a translation department for the publication of scientific books was its clientele improved and its influence increased.Dr.Martin credits the installed in the Kiangnan arsenal." success of the college with being responsible to some degree for the in- About 1864 a missionary,Dr.W.A.P.Martin,took over the teaching clusion of mathematics in the official examinations,which was decreed in of English in the school for interpreters in Peking and thus started on 1887.1 This provision proved futile in the face of inertia,for very few the path which ultimately led him to the presidency of the Imperial Uni- papers in mathematics were presented,the classics furnishing the older versity.The school was then a very small affair indeed,consisting of one and more certain route.to success.backed as they were by the strong class in French,one in English,and one in Russian.The Chinese had sanction of custom. tried to start the institution without foreign assistance,but there were no In 1897 Tungwen College had a faculty of thirteen and offered in- Chinese suitably equipped to teach foreign languages and Europeans had struction in international law,physics,astronomy,anatomy and physiology, had to be employed. chemistry,mineralogy,mathematics,French,Russian,German,English, In 1865 Prince Kung memorialized the Throne,proposing that a and Chinese.The student body was limited to 120,their expenses being department of modern science be added to the Tungwen Kwan,or "School paid by scholarships.The full course covered eight years,with official of Combined Learning."In a second memorial he declared it no disgrace rank as a prize for those who did well.A decree making those who ob- to borrow from the wisdom of the West:"When a small nation like tained the doctorate in the official examinations fellows of Tungwen Japan knows how to enter on a career of progress,what could be a greater College increased the prestige of that institution.2 The work given in disgrace than for China to adhere to her old traditions and never think of Tungwen College was not very advanced,but whether called college or waking up?2s Even the Empress Dowager herself,a few years later, secondary school it strove to give the students enrolled in it something responded in no uncertain terms to a memorialist who suggested that worthy of the name of education.Most of the graduates of the institution astronomy and mathematics were properly to be confined within the went into the consular diplomatic service.Wang Fung-tsao,the province of the Imperial Board of Astronomy: academician before mentioned,served as minister to Japan before the The Throne has established this College because it is incumbent on our scholars Sino-Japanese War and later became president of Nanyang College." to learn the rudiments of mathematics and astronomy.These are not to be regarded, Three Tungwen students accompanied the Manchu Pinchun on his semi- as the Memorialist suggests,as cunning and mechanical branches of knowledge.Let official mission to Europe in 1866,and one of them,Chang Teh-yi,years as Martin,The Awakening of China,pp.285-290. Bland and Backhouse.op.cit.,pp.493-494. 2 Treaties,Conventions,etc.,between China and Foreign States (The Maritime 30 Martin,A Cycle of Cathay,p.312. Customs),I,418. 1 Douglas,op.cit.,pp.264-265. Fryer,"Chinese Education-Past,Present,and Future,"in Chinese Recorder, 32 Martin,A Cycle of Cathay,pp.311-312,318. August 1897. aa Ibid.,p.318;also North-China Herald,June 4.1902,hereafter referred to 28 Douglas,op.cit.,p.264;Martin,A Cycle of Cathay,pp.301-303. as NCH. 【18] [191