THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM." ESSAYS ON THE CHINESE QUESTION. BY SIR ROBERT HART,BART,G.C.M.G. INSPECTOR GENERAL OF CHINESE IMPERIAL CUSTOMS AND POSTS. 爵 WITH APPENDICES. 4 LONDON:CHAPMAN HALL,LD. 1901
• "THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM." ESSAYS ON THE CHINESE QUESTION. BY SIR ROBER.T HART, BAR.T., G.C.M.G., .. IXS.ECTOr. CIJlIIlAL OF CHINUE IMPEIUAL CUSTOMS AND POSTS. WITH APPENDICES. LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, LD. 1901• ~ ..... , , ....... " .' , .. ~ .. '0 : ; , , , 0 .. . . , . , " o. " : ::. " ,,' ...... .. .... , , , . ' , , " , . ..... , ' .: :: .. ..... 00 ."",-..... ...... ' 0 ..... . .... , , .. ..... , , , ~ .... . • ~ I .. .. ,0' .......... .......... 0 0 , .. ..... .. " .... ::: ~
PREFACE. THE five papers wuhich make up this volume deal tentatively and progressively with a leading question of the day-how to treat China.They are republished in this form for the convenience of those who consider them either useful or interesting.They do not claim to be either exhaustive or infallible, and their main object is to promote a good understanding A Tsungli Yamen Circular to Chinese Ministers abroad and the Inspector General's Memorandum concerning Commercial Relations are appended to illustrate and complement the views these papers embody. ROBERT HART
PREFACE. THE jive papers wkick make up tkis volume deal tentatively and progressively witk a leading question of tke day-kow to treat Ckina. Tkey are republisked in tkis form for tke convenience of tkose wko consider tkem eitker useful or interesting. Tkey do not claim to be e#ker exkaustive or infallible, and tkeir main object is to promote a good understanding. A Tsungli Yamen Circular to' Ckinese Ministers abroad and tke Inspector General' s Memorandum concerning Commercial Relations are appended to illustrate and complement tke views tkese papers embody. ROBERT HART
、 CONTENTS. THE PEKING LEGATIONS:A NATIONAL UPRISING FAGE AND INTERNATIONAL EPISODE 女 CHINA AND HER FOREIGN TRADE····O IIL, CHINA AND RECONSTRUCTION:NOVEMBER,1900 84 IV. CHINA AND NON-CHINA ·186 V. THE BOXERS:I9oo,·· APPENDIX I-A TSUNGLI YAMEN CIRCULAR TO CHINESE MINISTERS ABROAD 7 APPENDIX II.-THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S MEMORANDUM CONCERNING COMMERCIAL RELATIONS.8
CONTENTS. L PAG& THE PEKING LEGATIONS: A NATIONAL UPRISING AND INTERNATIONAL EPISODE I II. CHINA AND HER FOREIGN TRADE 60 III. CHINA AND RECONSTRUCTION: NOVEMBER, 1900 • .., IV. CHINA AND NON-CHINA • 116 V. THE BOXERS: • 900 . • 150 .. APPENDIX I.-A TSUNGLI Y AMEN CIRCULAR TO CHINESE MINISTERS ABROAD '7' APPENDIX IJ.-THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S MEMORANDUM CONCERNING COMMERCIAL RELATIONS . liz
THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM.” 1 THE PEKING LEGATIONS:A NATIONAL UPRISING AND INTERNATIONAL EPISODE We cannot say we had no warning.Already, in September,1898,after the famous coup by which the reforming Emperor Kwang Hsu was relegated to the nothingness of harem life,and the well-known Empress Dowager,who had ruled the Empire through two minorities(Tung-Chih in the sixties,and Kwang Hsu in the eighties), again came to the front,the attitude of Tung Fuh Hsiang's soldiers had disturbed the Lega- tions,accentuated the possible inseourity of the foreign community,and brought guards to Peking.In the autumn of the following year the Shanghai press called attention to the Boxer movement in Shantung-its genesis and aspirations,while the Tientsin Times was laughed at,in the spring of 1900,for its bold denunoiations of the same movement and for B
"THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM." I~ I THE PEKING LEGATIONS: A NATIONAL UPRISING AND INTERNATIONAL EPISODE WE oannot say we had no warning. Already, in September, 1898, after the famous ~..J?.. by which the reforming Emperor K wang Hsil was relegated to the nothingness of harem life, and the well-known Empress Dowager, who had ruled the Empire through two ~orities (Tung-Chih in the sixties, and Kwang HSil in the eighties), again oame to the front, the attitude of Tung Fuh Hsiang's soldiers had disturbed the Legations, acoentuated the possible inseourity of the foreign oommunity, and brought guards to Peking. In the autumn of the following year the Shanghai press oalled attention to the Boxer movement in Shantung - its genesis and aspirations, while the Tientsin Times was laughed a.t, in the spring of 1900, for its bold denunoia.tions of the sa.me movement and for B
"THESE FROM THE LAND OF SINIM" its prophecies of the harm therefrom to come as the society's operations crossed the frontier and began to spread in Peoheli.In faot,if there was one ory to which our ears had grown so accustomed as to mind it less than our own heart-beats,it was this Chinese ory of Wolf!" Rebellion was ever on the point of upsetting the dynasty-the Government was always on its last leg8-foreigners were to be exterminated on a given date-the powers were about to partition China-eto.,etc.,etc.:each year- nay,every month,the press or local rumour, Cassandra-like,foretold woe,and yet,barring a few episodes of various degrees of importance, the Government went on as before.The last half of the nineteenth century saw the Taeping rebellion,the“Arow”war,the Tientsin mas-. saore,the Franco-Chinese misunderstanding,the war with Japan,and the surrender of Cochin- China,Burma,Kiao Chow,Port Arthur,Wei-Hai. Wei,Kwang Chow Wan,eto.,to the foreigner. It also saw the rejection of Italy's Chekiang demands-and still life went on unchanged and the cry of Wolf grew more and more mean- ingless:s0 it was not surprising that many supposed the Boxer scare would fizzle out similarly and with a minimum of danger to either Chinese Government or foreign interests. At the same time some of us regarded the movement as very significant,but we did not
:I "THESE PROM THE LIND OPSIN/AI" its prophecies of the harm therefrom to oome as the society's operations crossed the frontier and began to spread in Pecheli. In fact, if there was one cry to which our ears had grown 80 accustomed as to mind it less than our own heart-beats, it was this Chinese cry of cc Wolf I " Rebellion was ever on the point of upsetting the dynasty-the Government was always on its last legs-foreigners were to be exterminated on a given date-the powers were about to partition Chine.-etc., etc., etc.: each yearnay, every month, the press or local rumour, Cassandra-like, foretold woe, and yet, barring a few episodes of various degrees of importance, the Government went on as before. The last half of the nineteenth oentury saw the Taeping rebellion, the "Arrow" war, the Tientsin massacre, the Franco-Chinese misunderstanding, the ·war with Japan, and the surrender of Cochin- 'China, Burma, Kiao Chow, Port Arthur, Wei-Rai. Wei, Kwang Chow Wan, etc., to the foreigner. It also saw the rejection of Italy's Chekiang demands-and still life went on unchanged and the cry of Wolf grew more and more meaningleBB: so it was not surprising that many supposed the Boxer scare would fizzle out similarly and with a minimum of dangel' to either Chinese Government or foreign interests. At the same time some of us regarded the movement as very signi1icant, but we did not (