16 CHINA'S UNPREPAREDNESS CHINA'S RESPONSE TO THE WEST 17 Peking was reduced to six timid Lazarists and an aged Jesuit.The revived three bridges and its city water pipes providing clear water to the inhabi- activity of the Jesuits in the nineteenth century,which centered in the tants.England also has a great many prostitutes;but illegitimate children Lower Yangtze (based at Zikawei outside Shanghai)did not begin until the have to be reared and they do not dare to destroy them.Men and women Opium War.Protestant missions in China were to be a vigorous new growth both wear white clothes but black for mourning.Military officers wear red radiating from the treaty ports.But until that time the representatives of and women wear narrow-waisted dresses,tight above and full below.On Christianity were in no position to influence the tone and trend of Chinese festive occasions the young and pretty girls dress up and perform dances thought about the West.21 All in all,the first decades of the nineteenth cen- to the accompaniment of singing.The army is organized in squads of five tury seem to have been a low point in Sino-European relations at Peking, and companies of twenty and relies chiefly on the technique of volley-firing where the Catholic and Russian missions remained almost vestigial (lien-huan-ch'iang).When their trading junks go overseas to trade and Examples of barbarian lore.In this situation a body of folklore grew up meet a ship in distress they have to send boats to succor it,feed the sur- concerning the new overseas barbarians.A number of Chinese are known vivors and return them to their countries under penalty of law,such is to have reached Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,chiefly the excellence of their administration.Otherwise,their customs are similar under Jesuit auspices,but none of them described Europe to their country- to the rest of Europe.Their products include metals,woolen goods,and men in any written record,so far as is known.22 It remained for the more the like.25 extensive contact of Sino-European commerce to produce such descrip- Hsieh states that North America,about ten days to the west of England, tions.23 The type of information about the West available through the is also an isolated island,rather small,with customs similar to the English, Chinese junk trade to Southeast Asia is recorded in an interesting work de- to whom it once belonged,and with similar products.The Americans are rived from a blind interpreter at Macao named Hsieh Ch'ing-kao.During chiefly distinguished for their steamers,which have a fire box in the hold his youth this man had traveled abroad for fourteen years (1782-95)and and (paddle)wheels turned by the fire,which makes the boat go without learned the languages and customs of the Southern Ocean (Nan-yang) human effort.He also says that no American has two wives,whether king region.In r82o a Cantonese literatus named Yang Ping-nan used Hsieh as or commoner.20 an informant and compiled the Hai-ls(A maritime record).This work sys- Another work which reflects the learning of the time was the Yuek hai- tematically presents sailing directions and brief descriptions concerning kuan chik (Gazetteer of the maritime customs of Kwangtung),compiled by more than sixty countries or trading ports on the routes around the Malay Liang T'ing-nan at the time of the first war with England.This is a sys- peninsula to India and through the Philippines to the East Indies,conclud- tematic treatise on the history and administration of the Canton customs ing with a third section on the countries of the Great Western Ocean.The with sections on tributary trade and the overseas nations.This work seems authentic first-hand quality of the work is indicated by its description of the to have been based partly on previous publications and partly on archival British at Singapore and Penang and their eclipse of the Dutch at Malacca, records and must have been regarded as a most authoritative source in its which had occurred in 1819.24 In this first-hand account many romanizations day.It discloses a few facts about the British,including the following: are made de novo,representing both Portuguese influence and Hsieh's England was once a dependency of Holland but became rich and strong Cantonese accent.Except for Portugal,the sections on Europe seem ob- and eventually her enemy.In England there is a mountain which produces viously based on hearsay,but this work was later used by the famous black lead (lit.,graphite,or coal?);people mine it and pay duties to the Chinese geographers of the 184o's,Wei Yuan and Hsti Chi-yui (see Chap- officials.Liang's general description also mentions ports and fortresses and ters II and I5 below),and its comments on the British represent one strand a series of recent rulers named Ching-yeh-chik ("George").In summariz- of early nineteenth-century barbarian lore. ing certain highlights of Sino-British relations in the preceding hundred Hsieh says that the British population is rather thin but extremely years,he emphasizes the British request to present tribute in 1792,the wealthy.Their houses are many-storied and they make their living by mari- receipt of twenty-nine different items of tribute presents in 1793,and the time trade and the establishment of overseas bases.The population give gifts bestowed by the emperor in return.Ch'ien-lung's famous edicts to Brit- the king military service from the ages of fifteen to sixty,and they also ain are quoted at length.Liang then states that in 1796 England presented train foreign armies,so that their nation,although small,has strong military some "yellow colored broadcloth of a new sort"as tribute (presumably forces of more than one hundred thousand men and other overseas coun- sent from Canton by the East India Company).Communications from the tries fear it.Hsieh also describes London as a great emporium,with its British in 1804 are quoted as"tributary memorials"and the dispute with16 CHINA'S UNPREPAREDNESS Peking was reduced to six timid Lazarists and an aged Jesuit. The revived activity of the Jesuits in the nineteenth century, which centered in the Lower Yangtze (based at Zikawei outside Shanghai) did not begin until the Opium War. Protestant missions in China were to be a vigorous new growth radiating from the treaty ports. But until that time the representatives of Christianity were in no position to influence the tone and trend of Chinese thought about the West.21 All in all, the first decades of the nineteenth cen￾tury seem to have been a low point in Sino-European relations at Peking, where the Catholic and Russian missions remained almost vestigial. Examples of barbarian lore. In this situation a body of folklore grew up concerning the new overseas barbarians. A number of Chinese are known to have reached Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, chiefly under Jesuit auspices, but none of them described Europe to their country￾men in any written record, so far as is known.22 It remained for the more extensive contact of Sino-European commerce to produce such descrip￾tions.23 The type of information about the West available through the Chinese junk trade to Southeast Asia is recorded in an interesting work de￾rived from a blind interpreter at Macao named Hsieh Ch'ing-kao. During his youth this man had traveled abroad for fourteen years (1782-95) and learned the languages and customs of the Southern Ocean (Nan-yang) region. In 1820 a Cantonese literatus named Yang Ping-nan used Hsieh as an informant and compiled the Hai-lu (A maritime record). This work sys￾tematically presents sailing directions and brief descriptions concerning more than sixty countries or trading ports on the routes around the Malay peninSUla to India and through the Philippines to the East Indies, conclud￾ing with a third section on the countries of the Great Western Ocean. The authentic first-hand quality of the work is indicated by its description of the British at Singapore and Penang and their eclipse of the Dutch at Malacca, which had occurred in 1819.24 In this first-hand account many romanizations are made de novo, representing both Portuguese influence and Hsieh's Cantonese accent. Except for Portugal, the sections on Europe seem ob￾viously based on hearsay, but this work was later used by the famous Chinese geographers of the 1840'S, Wei Yuan and Hsii Chi-yii (see Chap￾ters II and 15 below), and its comments on the British represent one strand of early nineteenth-century barbarian lore. Hsieh says that the British population is rather thin but extremely wealthy. Their houses are many-storied and they make their living by mari￾time trade and the establishment of overseas bases. The population give the king military service from the ages of fifteen to sixty, and they also train foreign armies, so that their nation, although small, has strong military forces of more than one hundred thousand men and other overseas coun￾tries fear it. Hsieh also describes London as a great emporium, with its CHINA)S RESPONSE TO THE WEST 17 three bridges and its city water pipes providing clear water to the inhabi￾tants. England also has a great many prostitutes; but illegitimate children have to be reared and they do not dare to destroy them. Men and women both wear white clothes but black for mourning. Military officers wear red and women wear narrow-waisted dresses, tight above and full below. On festive occasions the young and pretty girls dress up and perform dances to the accompaniment of singing. The army is organized in squads of five and companies of twenty and relies chiefly on the technique of volley-firing (? lien-huan-ch'iang). When their trading junks go overseas to trade and meet a ship in distress they have to send boats to succor it, feed the sur￾vivors and return them to their countries under penalty of law, such is the excellence of their administration. Otherwise, their customs are similar to the rest ,of Europe. Their products include metals, woolen goods, and the like.25 Hsieh states that North America, about ten days to the west of England, is also an isolated island, rather small, with customs similar to the English, to whom it once belonged, and with similar products. The Americans are chiefly distinguished for their steamers, which have a fire box in the hold and (paddle) wheels turned by the fire, which makes the boat go without human effort. He also says that no American has two wives, whether king or commonet.26' Another work which reflects the learning of the time was the Yueh hai￾kuan chih (Gazetteer of the maritime customs of Kwangtung), compiled by Liang T'ing-nan at the time of the first war with England. This is a sys￾tematic treatise on the history and administration of the Canton customs with sections on tributary trade and the overseas nations. This work seems to have been hased partly on previous publications and partly on archival records and must have been regarded as a most authoritative source in its day. It discloses a few facts about the British, including the following: England was once a dependency of Holland but became rich and strong and eventually her enemy. In England there is a mountain which produces black lead (lit., graphite, or coal?); people mine it and pay duties to the officials. Liang's general description also mentions ports and fortresses and a series of recent rulers named Ching-yeh-chih ("George"). In summariz￾ing certain highlights of Sino-British relations in the preceding hundred years, he emphasizes the British request to present tribute in 1792, the receipt of twenty-nine different items of tribute presents in 1793, and the gifts bestowed by the emperor in return. Ch'ien-Iung's famous edicts to Brit￾ain are quoted at length. Liang then states that in 1796 England presented some "yellow colored broadcloth of a new sort" as tribute (presumably sent from Canton by the East India Company). Communications from the British in 1804 are quoted as "tributary memorials" and the dispute with