Fin-de-Siècle Diplomat: Chen Jitong (1852-1907) and Cosmopolitan Possibilities in the Late Qing World by Ke Ren A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland July 2014 © 2014 Ke Ren All Rights Reserved Abstract This dissertation explores Sino-Western interactions in the late Qing period through a biographical study of the diplomat-writer Chen Jitong (1852-1907). A flamboyant writer and self-appointed cultural mediator between China and France, Chen published, while serving as secretary in the Chinese legation in Paris in the 1880s, several books in French on Chinese culture and society. He also became a skilled public speaker at various learned societies and international congresses. In the last years of his life, Chen returned to China as a reformer, expectant official, and newspaper editor. With a colorful transnational life and career that was nevertheless heavily rooted in the late Qing self-strengthening and reform movements, Chen Jitong offers an exemplary case study for viability of late imperial Chinese literati culture in the modern world. Chapter 1 discusses the confluence of local literati culture and the opportunities opened for a generation of late-Qing cultural figures in the cosmopolitan environment surrounding the Fuzhou Navy Yard. Chapter 2 shows that in his writings, Chen employed an innovative mélange of classical Chinese texts and references to European literature to capture the uniqueness of Confucian values while also emphasizing the universality of human feelings and shared literary values. Chapter 3 analyzes the ways in which Chen’s public activities constituted a significant discursive and personal presence for China in fin- de-siècle Paris and at the 1889 Universal Expositions. Chapter 4 reconnects Chen to the late Qing milieu by retracing his involvement in a number of political and social projects upon his return to China. In mapping out Chen Jitong’s experiences as a cultural mediator and as a literatus- reformer, this study seeks to connect the dots between various studies of late Qing ii industrialization, social activism, cultural innovation, and political reform. It demonstrates that on the international stage, late Qing diplomats were highly conscious of their position not only as representatives of the Qing polity, but as bearers of Chinese civilization. Chen Jitong’s cross-cultural performance, in particular, is a reminder that the late nineteenth century was not only an age of imperialistic encroachment, but also a time of cosmopolitan encounters. Advisors: William T. Rowe; Tobie Meyer-Fong iii Acknowledgments Even before coming to Hopkins, I already had a sneaking suspicion, following a couple of thoroughly enjoyable telephone conversations, that Bill Rowe and Tobie Meyer- Fong would be wonderful advisors. Seven years later, I feel extremely fortunately to have learned so much from their guidance and example about Qing society and culture, rigorous scholarship and historical empathy, reflective thinking and precise writing, as well as intellectual autonomy and academic community. Along the way, I have frequently tried their patience, only to be repeatedly rewarded with generosity and encouragement. I will always think of Bill and Tobie not only as concerned mentors but also as dear friends. I have also learned much from many other teachers at Hopkins. Todd Shepard and David Bell graciously allowed me to sit in on their French history seminars to acquire familiarity with a historiography outside of China studies but quite relevant to my dissertation. A field with Erin Chung gave me much useful grounding in scholarship on modern Japan. Peter Jelavich opened my mind with his insightful explications of social and cultural theory and was very kind when I found myself in a difficult situation. Joel Andreas’ seminar on contemporary China helped me understand better a subject I remain deeply concerned about. He, Kellee Tsai, Rebecca Brown, and Marta Hanson have provided great support to us graduate students in East Asian Studies. I hope Yuki Johnson can be reassured that I will continue to study Japanese in the near future. I am grateful to my fellow graduate students at Hopkins for being such a collegial and supportive group. Yige Dong, already a good friend and always an intellectually stimulating brunch partner, made things better by simply showing up. Shaohua Zhan and Lingli Huang warmed me up with their friendship and the hotpot they occasionally fed me. iv Emily Mokros has consistently been a wonderful pal and reliable classmate in and beyond Baltimore and Beijing. Zhang Ting was a most astute and cordial tongnian in Qing history. Jack Bandy, Zhang Ying, Yixian Li, Burak Gurel, Fumiko Joo, Adam Bronson, Samson Lin, and Rachel Hsu, along with visiting scholars Liu Wenpeng and Zhang Xiaochuan, rounded out a friendly lot in East Asian Studies during my time at Hopkins. At some point or another, my senior shijie and shixiong Saeyoung Park, Amy Feng, Zhao Ma, Gang Zhao, and Di Wang each imparted helpful advice in person and encouragement by example. Outside of Chinese history and East Asian studies, I also thank Alex Orquiza for sharing culinary delights and a healthy dose of Bay Area camaraderie. Ian Beamish, Will Brown, Joe Clark have been excellent teammates on the basketball court and cheerful company during happy hours. For a few months in Paris, Chris Tozzi generously shared a cozy apartment on Quai de la Tournelle with a then-distraught roommate and allowed me space and time to work things out with myself. Dave Schley and Jess Valdez were familiar faces to see in Shanghai. Coffee and conversations with Linda Braun, Jonathan Gienapp, and Carolyn Salomans helped me get through the last couple of years of writing. I wish I could have met Zhang Nan, a fellow Lin Yutang and Virginia Woolf enthusiast, much earlier, but, as we have been telling each other, “better late than never.” And, as he himself well knows, Khalid Kurji was always the most brilliant in luring me out of my shell. It would have been impossible to make it through these Hopkins years without the endless patience and resourcefulness of the administrators in the History Department and East Asian Studies, especially Megan Zeller and Gale Berninghausen. Coming to graduate school in the first place would have been impossible without the encouragement and v support of my Berkeley teachers Anthony Adamthwaite, Andrew Barshay, Michael Goldstein, Miriam Neirick and Ye Bin. Many friends and teachers outside of Hopkins have been instrumental in my intellectual development and personal growth over the past seven years. Atop the list is Bian He. Although we never officially became classmates, He’s own scholarly example, warm support, and generous introductions have been among the most rewarding and reliable things during our simultaneous graduate school journeys. Through her I met Yu Wen, whose sense of intellectual responsibility as a historian and teacher and whose caring friendship have been a constant source of inspiration. They, along with Bin He and Stefano Anzellotti, also opened their homes to me during two memorable winter holidays in Cambridge. Angela Xiao Wu, herself a strong-minded scholar, has also been an important friend. Weiwei Luo dramatically improved two summers in Beijing by sharing with me adventures in and beyond the archive and library. After insiting that we have lunch together during a conference, fellow late Qing scholar Jean Tsui has continued to be a terrific friend and pen pal. I am glad to have done a panel together with Jenny Huangfu and look forward to future collaboration and exchange with her on our mutual interest in late Qing diplomats. I learned a great deal, not only about experimental music and sound art, but also about creativity and courage, from Adel Wang Jing. I am also thankful to Maggie Greene, Kaijun Chen, Kristina Kleutghen, Yu Zhang, Wen Shuang, Yubin Shen, Gary Wang, Keren He, Zhijian Qiao, and Xinxian Zheng for a strong sense of a generational community of China scholars beyond my own institution. My dissertation has also benefitted from the suggestions of a number of senior scholars. Nanxiu Qian deserves extra thanks for giving me years of advice and guidance vi and for sharing her own work on Xue Shaohui, Chen Jitong’s sister-in-law. During their visits to Hopkins as guest speakers, Dorothy Ko, Max Ko-wu Huang, Charlotte Furth, and Emma Teng each offered concrete suggestions for my own project. From California, Andrea Goldman sent a fascinating lead about Soulié de Morant. In Portland, Doug Fix generously read an early dissertation outline and discussed it with me in person. Katharine Norris urged me to present my work at the Western Society for French History meeting, where Greg Shaya offered insightful comments. In Beijing, Li Huachuan graciously discussed his own work on Chen Jitong and shared sources and tips. In Fuzhou, I had productive conversations with Shen Yan and Wu Dengfeng about Chen Jitong and the history of the Navy Yard. In Shanghai, Zhang Zhongmin and Jin Juyuan helped me track down a document in the Fudan University archives. Finally, Chen Shuping welcomed me to her home in Hangzhou to discuss her great-grandfather and treated me to a wonderful lunch. I look forward to sharing with her my findings. Beyond history or China studies, many friends, some of whom I have known for well over two decades, have sustained me over the past seven years. Without Naishan Chen’s delightful companionship and always sparkling originality during my first years of graduate school, there would not be nearly as many things in life that I continue to enjoy. Chen Zufang did much to spark my intellectual curiosity and bibliomania. No words of gratitude or affection could ever repay the generosity and forbearance with which they and Chen Yan gave me a sense of family and home in the Bay Area in those early years.