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A Year in China, 1899-1900

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A Year in China, 1899-1900 (SiOtmll Itttocratta ffithratg atljara. New 5«k CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GTFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON, CLASS OF 1875 1918 Cornell University Library DS 709.B58 3 1924 023 131 042 The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/cletails/cu31924023131042 S^-'^i.^^'/in^y^c.d^e^^ '//L^ A YEAR IN CHINA [Frontispiece : The \angtze Kiang Rapids. A YEAR IN CHINA 1899-I900 BY CLIVE BIGHAM, C.M.G. {Late Hon. AttacM to H.M. Legation in Peking) WITH ILLUSTRATIONS MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited NEW YORK : THE MACMILLAN COMPANY I 901 All rights reserved %^ Richard Clay and Sons, Limited, London and Bungay. PREFACE This book only purports to be a record of the personal experiences and impressions gained during nearly eighteen months' stay in the Far East. Part of this time was spent in travel, part in diplomacy, and part in fighting. High questions of statecraft, strategy and finance have been avoided, nor has any attempt been made to discuss the recent or to advise the future policy of the British or any other Government. But it is a pleasure to remember the courage, com- petence and perseverance of those who work for this country in China. It was the author's privilege to serve under both Sir Claude Macdonald and Sir Edward Seymour, and to experience great kindness from many consuls, naval officers, missionaries, and merchants, and also from several native officials. He takes this oppor- tunity of thanking them most heartily for their hospitality and assistance, and of wishing them all prosperity and success in the future. C. C. B. London, March, \(;f3i- CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE CANTON TO HANKOW I CHAPTER II HANKOW TO PKKING 23 CHAPTER III THE BRITISH LEGATION • 39 CHAPTER IV THROUGH MANCHURIA 51 CHAPTER V EASTERN SIBERIA 69 CHAPTER VI THE KOREAN LITTORAL 80 CHAPTER VII SEOUL 92 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER- VIII PAGE UP THE YANGTZE KIANG I03 CHAPTER IX WESTERN SZECHUAN 1^2 CHAPTER X CHENTU TO SIANFU . 134 CHAPTER XI DOWN THE YELLOW RIVER 147 CHAPTER XII TIENTSIN AND PORT ARTHUR 159 CHAPTER XIII THE ADMIRAL'S EXPEDITION 168 CHAPTER XIV THE CAMPAIGN ON THE AMUR 192 CHAPTER XV THE RAILWAY ACROSS ASIA 203 CHAPTER XVI CONCLUSION , 213 CONTENTS i APPENDIX A PAGE LIST OF THE CHINESE PROVINCES > . , 219 APPENDIX B THE JOURNEY ACROSS ASIA 220 APPENDIX C THE TRANS-MA NCHURIAN RAILWAY 222 Glossary of Words 223 Index 227 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE YANGTZE KIANG RAPIDS Frontispiece THE CANTON RIVER To face page 4 FLOWER GARDENS AT CANTON „ „ 7 RICE FIELDS „ „ 16 DOWN STREAM „ „ 20 BUND AT HANKOW „ „ 1^ BRITISH CONSULATE- GENERAL, HANKOW ... „ ,,27 STREET IN KAIFONG „ „ 3I TARTAR CITY WALL, PEKING „ „ 37 HUNCHBACK BRIDGE NEAR PEKING „ „ 41 APPROACH TO THE MING TOMBS „ „ 49 A MANCHU FAMILY „ „ 52 CHINESE BANKERS AT MUKDEN „ „ 59 CROSSING THE RIVER SUNGARI „ ,,67 PEASANTS ON THE RIVER AMUR „ „ 7 CHINESE CART „ „ ^^ KOREAN COOLIES „ „ 82 KOREAN HUTS „ „ 88 KOREAN GOLD MINES „ „ 88 STREET IN SEOUL „ „ 95 MARBLE PAGODA NEAR SEOUL , „ 98 BRITISH GUNBOAT „ „ 108 xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CHINESE GUNBOATS To foce page io8 CHINESE CROWD ON BANKS OF YANGTZE ... „ „ m POPPY FIELD (opium) „ » IH BRIDGE IN SZECHUAN „ j, 119 TIBETAN TRIBESMAN „ „ 123 IRRIGATION WATERWHEEL „ j, 129 COOLIES CARRYING COTTON „ . ,; 137 THE CANGUE „ ji 142 TARTAR GENERAL AND HIS COURT „ „ H^ MANDARIN WITH BUTTON AND FEATHER ... „ ,, 155 l6o RUSSIAN RAILWAY AT NEWCHWANG „ ,, l65 CHINESE SOLDIERS „ j, REPAIRING THE LINE „ „ 174 GUN ON TRUCK „ ,,174 RUSSIAN SOLDIERS WITH PRISONERS „ „ l88 A RUSSIAN GENERAL „ ,,198 BURIATS OF THE AMUR „ „ 2o6 IRKUTSK „ „ 210 MAPS COUNTRY BETWEEN PEKING AND TIENTSIN . To face page 1 78 CHINA PROPER Atendqfbook MANCHURIA AND KOREA „ „ THE RAILWAYS OF ASIA „ A YEAR IN CHINA CHAPTER I CANTON TO HANKOW Early in April 1899 I arrived in Hongkong after a rather lively run of five days from Singa- pore. My destination was the British Legation at Peking, to which I had been attached, and where I contemplated spending some time. It was three years since I had paid my first visit to China, and this had been limited to the Turki city of Kashgar, which lies at the extreme western verge of the Empire on the lower slopes of the Pamir Plateau, and contains only a limited number of Chinese mandarins and a small garrison of soldiers. My modest knowledge of the Celestials, of their country and their customs, was therefore mainly derived from books, and from what I had seen of them on my journey out in Rangoon, Upper Burma, and the Straits Settlements. There, although they are an important and increasing factor in the population B 2 A YEAR IN CHINA CHAP. and wealth of the colonies, their political existence has hardly as yet begun. Hongkong was at that time mainly occupied with the approaching annexation of the new territory of Kowlung, which was to be formally taken over by the British Government in a fortnight. The executive of the island was already engaged in erecting on the mainland barrack accommodation for the troops and police, and in generally preparing the natives for the change of rule and the comparative civilisation that it would entail. Within the last few days, however, a considerable number of anti-foreign or "patriotic" placards had been posted and disseminated in the small market town and villages of Kowlung. As this was calculated to cause trouble at the outset, though it was presumably only the work of a few ill-conditioned and irresponsible outlaws, Sir Henry Blake, the Governor of Hongkong, determined to personally visit at his Yamen in Canton the Viceroy of the Two Kwangs (as the provinces of the South China Littoral are called), and so endeavour to nip any insurrection in the bud. His Excellency, with whom I was staying, allowed me to accompany his staff as extra A.D.C., and we started early one morning on H.M.S. Fame, one of the destroyers then in harbour. From Hongkong to Canton, up the broad estuary of the Pearl River, is little over eighty miles, a distance which we accomplished in the very respectable time of three hours and a half, CANTON TO HANKOW Steaming at twenty-three knots. We scudded across the narrow straits in among the green Httle islands, and soon entered the river. Once past the Bogue Forts the low banks begin to close in, and some faint idea of the enormous traffic and floating population of the vast Chinese city dawns on one. Heavy stern-wheelers, junks of the most grotesque design, gaudy flower boats and fragile sampans underlie a regular forest of masts and bunting, and are alive with swarms of half-naked coolies, chattering traders, singing girls and sailors, all with their families and children—a world whose ancestors have probably been more or less am- phibious for the last five centuries. As one nears Canton, with its beautiful pagodas and terraced gardens, a perfect babel of noise becomes incessant, everybody screaming orders, advice or abuse at the pitch of his or her voice, so that it is a marvel to the callow European how anything ever progresses. The secret seems to be that no one pays the slightest attention to what any one else says, and the rower, porter or skipper, while yelling derisive directions to some other craft fifty or sixty yards away, still manages to go on with his own work, though he is always apparently just on the point of deserting it in order to assist or assault some one else who is absolutely unconscious of his existence. To steer a path through such a turmoil would ordinarily be a labour of hours, were it not that Chinese courtesy, extraordinary luck or "beneficent influences" (a safe and comprehensive term that B 2 A YEAR IN CHINA CHAP. involves no " loss of face ") invariably opens, as if by magic, a clear way for the foreign warship. So we glided on and soon anchored off the British Consulate with the usual celerity and accuracy that distinguish H.M. Navy. The Consul's boat, flying his blue ensign and manned by Chinese rowers, came off for us, and we went on shore to get into uniform for our state visit. The Viceroy, Tan-chi-lin, had been warned of our arrival, and had turned out all the available troops in the city to line the two miles of streets from the gates of the Settlement to his Yamen. Many of these warriors however, promiscuously armed with tridents, matchlocks, and modern rifles, were only coolies dressed up for the day. The practice of officers commanding Chinese regiments is to keep their roster up to full strength (on paper), and indeed to draw the equivalent pay and rations for the benefit of their private pocket, but not to curtail the liberty of the subject by enforcing his attendance at parades or other duties except on extraordinary occasions such as the present. Our cortege started in ten four-bearer chairs, the Governor wearing his G.C.M.G. collar and the rest of us in full dress. " Even their buttons are solid gold " murmured the rabble, and this spe- cious affluence to a certain extent restrained those •delicate or indelicate innuendoes with which the passing foreigner is usually saluted in a Chinese city. Our progress was necessarily slow as we were carried through the narrow crowded streets CANTON TO HANKOW between shops glittering with gorgeous sign-boards and stacked with silks, ivory and drugs, or steaming with hot food of all sorts.
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