FOOTNOTES
[1] As an example of unbalanced vituperation, uttered in good faith and with the best intentions, vide The Chinese Crisis from Within by “Wen Ching,” republished from the Singapore Free Press in 1901 (Grant Richards).
[2] About £120.
[3] The same euphemism was employed to describe the Court’s flight in August 1900.
[4] Grandfather of Na T’ung, the present head of the Waiwupu.
[5] “Yi” and “Cheng” are honorific names, meaning respectively “harmonious” and “sedate.”
[6] The expression has reference to the fact that the Empresses Regent are supposed to be concealed from the sight of Ministers at audience by a curtain suspended in front of the Throne.
[7] The age of the Emperor was less than six, but the solemn farce of his alleged acts and opinions is solemnly accepted by the Chinese as part of the eternal order of things.
[8] To allow women privily to accompany the Imperial cortège is a crime punishable by law with the penalty of the lingering death.
[9] The Prison of the Imperial Clan Court.
[10] Poetical term for Purgatory.
[11] Hereditary titles in China usually descend in a diminishing scale.
[12] He was the father of that Marquis Tseng who, as Minister to England (1878), lived to be credited by the British press with literary abilities which he did not possess and liberal opinions which he did not share. His grandsons, educated partly in England, have lately been distinguished for that quality of patriotic Conservatism which prides itself on having no intercourse with foreigners.
[13] A short biographical note on Tso Tsung-t’ang, the hero of the Mahomedan rebellion who gained distinction under Tseng against the Taipings, is given in the [appendix].
[14] So called because they declined to plait the queue, as a sign that they rejected Manchu rule.
[15] His younger brother, subsequently made an earl and Viceroy of Nanking for many years.
[16] This is merely figurative, referring to an ancient and obsolete custom.
[17] So named because, before becoming a eunuch at the age of sixteen, he was apprenticed to a cobbler at his native place, Ho-Chien fu, in Chihli, from which district most of the eunuchs come.
[18] This form of argument, under similar conditions, obtains all over the Empire. “How could I possibly squeeze my master?” says the servant.
[19] Quotation from the Book of Changes, implying a sense of impending danger.
[20] Chinese pamphleteers in Canton record the event with much detail, and state that this son is alive to-day under the name of Chiu Min.
[21] A fantastic account of this mission is contained in an imaginative work recently published (La Vie Secrète de la Cour de Chine, Paris, 1910), where the Chief Eunuch’s name is given as “Siao.” This curious blunder is due to the fact that the Eunuch’s nickname, on account of his stature, was “Hsiao An’rh” (little An), just as Li hien-Ying’s is “P’i Hsiao” Li all over China.
[22] The Phœnix flag signified that he was sent by the Empresses Regent.
[23] The same expression is used of a novice taking the vows of Buddhist priesthood.
[24] Tzŭ Hsi was fond of masquerading with her favourite, till well advanced in years. One photograph of her is on sale in Peking, wherein she is posing as the Goddess of Mercy (Kuanyin) with Li in attendance as one of the Boddhisatvas.
[25] A term of humility.
[26] This Kuei Ching was an uncle of Tuan Fang, recently Viceroy of Chihli, and a man generally respected.
[27] This disease is regarded amongst the Chinese as one of good omen, especially if the symptoms develop satisfactorily.
[28] The annual and seasonal sacrifices at the ancestral Temple and at the Imperial tombs involve “kowtowing” before each tablet of the sacred ancestors, and this cannot be done in the presence of one of the same generation as the last deceased, much less by him.
[29] Prince Kung was the sixth, Prince Ch’un the seventh, in order of seniority.
[30] On the occasion to which the Memorialist refers, the lawful heir to the Throne committed suicide. The allusion would be readily understood (if not appreciated) by the Empress Dowager, whose irregular choice of Kuang-Hsü and violation of the dynastic laws had certainly led to the death of A-lu-te. Looked at from the Chinese scholar’s point of view, the innuendo was in the nature of a direct accusation.
[31] The writer refers to the united action of the Manchu Princes and nobles who assisted in the establishment of law and order, and the expulsion of the Chinese rebels and Pretenders, during the troublous time of the first Regency (1644) and the minority of the infant Emperor, Shun-Chih.
[32] The burial place was close to, but necessarily outside, the large enclosed park which contains the Imperial mausolea.
[33] Burial clothes should all be new and clean—by cutting away the soles, his boots would look less shabby.
[34] I.e. by causing the Empresses to have his corpse mutilated.
[35] About £10.
[36] The point whence, according to legend, the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven and where his clothes were buried.
[37] A quotation from Tseng Tzu, one of the most noted disciples of Confucius.
[38] A sort of Chinese Mr. Malaprop, known to history as one who invariably spoke at the wrong time.
[39] It is curious to note how frequently the Imperial tombs have been the scene of such unseemly wrangles, wherein grievances and passions, long pent up within the Palace precincts, find utterance. A case of this kind occurred in 1909, on the occasion of the burial of Tzŭ Hsi, when the surviving consorts of T’ung-Chih and Kuang-Hsü, having quarrelled with the new Empress Dowager (Lung Yü) on a similar question of precedence, refused to return to the City and remained in dudgeon at the tombs until a special mission, under an Imperial Duke, was sent humbly to beg them to come back, to the no small scandal of the orthodox.
[40] This title was originally given to an infamous eunuch of the Court of the Ming Emperor Chu Yü-hsiao, who, because of his influence over his dissolute master, was canonised by the latter after his death. The same title was claimed and used by the Eunuch An Te-hai, vide supra, [page 90].
[42] Tzŭ Hsi had no love for this official, for it was he who drafted Hsien-Feng’s valedictory Decree, at the dictation of Su Shun, in 1861. Vide [page 33].
[43] Sun remained in high favour until December 1894, when the Emperor was induced by Weng T’ung-ho to dismiss him. At that time the Empress was taking little active part in the direction of affairs, occupying her time with theatricals and other diversions at the Summer Palace, and playing a watching game in politics, so that for a while Sun’s life was in real danger.
[44] Apricot yellow is a colour reserved, strictly speaking, for the use of the Throne.
[45] In that event it would not be the Yehonala clan alone which would benefit, as the present Emperor’s grandmother (who was one of Prince Ch’un’s concubines) is still alive and would necessarily share in any honours posthumously conferred on her husband, whilst Kuang-Hsü’s mother would be excluded.
[46] The results of the Prince’s eminent services in naval and military reorganisation were demonstrated three years later, not entirely to the nation’s satisfaction, in the war with Japan.
[47] From a sentence in the Book of Rites, which means “to give rest and peace to Heaven-sent old age.”
[48] Sir Walter Hillier, appointed by Yüan Shih-k’ai to be foreign adviser to the Grand Council in 1908. When Yuan was compelled to flee from Seoul before the advance of the Japanese, he was escorted to Chemulpo by a guard of blue-jackets.
[49] i.e. the Japanese (literal translation).
[50] At present Chinese Minister in London.
[51] Now known as the Empress Dowager Lung Yü.
[52] Kang Yi was a bigoted reactionary and the arch instigator of the Boxer movement at the capital. Young China has carefully preserved one of his sayings of that time: “The establishment of schools and colleges has only encouraged Chinese ambitions and developed Chinese talent to the danger of the Manchu Dynasty: these students should therefore be exterminated without delay.”
[53] In 1901, this official begged Tzŭ Hsi, just before her departure from K’ai-Feng fu for Peking, not to return thither, on the ground that her Palace had been polluted by the presence of the foreign barbarians.
[54] The Emperor prided himself on being a great stickler in such matters, and many of the younger officials feared him on account of his quick temper and martinet manner in dealing with them.
[55] K’ang’s subsequent escape under British protection, in which one of the writers was instrumental, is graphically described in despatch No. 401 of Blue Book No. 1 of 1899.
[56] She was thrown down a well, by Tzŭ Hsi’s orders, as the Court prepared for flight after the entrance of the allied forces into Peking. (Vide infra.)
[57] It is interesting to note that this Manchu Prince (Tsai Ch’u) was released from prison by the present Regent, the Emperor’s brother, and was appointed to the command of one of the Manchu Banner Corps on the same day, in January 1909, that Yüan Shih-k’ai was dismissed from the viceroyalty of Chihli. The Emperor’s party, as opposed to the Yehonala Clan, heartily approved of his reinstatement.
[58] Vide Blue Book China No. I. of 1899, letters Nos. 266, 401, and 426.
[59] As an example of Chinese official methods: the Shanghai Taotai when requesting the British Consul-General’s assistance to arrest K’ang Yu-wei, did not hesitate to say that the Emperor was dead, murdered by the Chief Reformer. Vide Blue Book No. I of 1899; letter No. 401.
[60] From The Times of 31st March, 1899.
[61] Chang Yin-huan, who had been created a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George in connection with Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebration, was subsequently put to death, after banishment to Turkestan. An order given by Prince Tuan at the commencement of the Boxer crisis was the immediate cause of his execution.
Another reformer named Hsü Chih-ching was condemned to imprisonment for life in the Board of Punishments under this same Decree; he was released by the Allies in August 1900, when he proceeded at once to T’ai-Yüan fu, and handed himself over to justice, disdaining to accept his release at the hands of foreigners. This incident is typical of the Chinese officials’ attitude of mind and of their reverence for the Decrees of the head of the State.
[62] On the occasion of her seventieth birthday (1904), the Empress Dowager promulgated a general amnesty for all those who had taken part in the Reform Movement of 1898, excepting only the leaders K’ang Yu-wei and Liang Ch’i-ch’ao, who were expressly excluded from grace, and Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who was a fugitive from justice on other counts.
[63] Li Tuan-fen returned from exile in Turkestan under the amnesty of 1904.
[64] Weng T’ung-ho has been posthumously restored to his full rank and titles by a Decree of the present Regent. Thus is the Emperor tardily justified and the pale ghosts of his followers continue to suffer, even in Hades, the chances and changes of Chinese official life!
[65] This official was eventually decapitated by the allies, as one of the originators of the Boxer rising.
[66] This Prefect of Hsüanhua was subsequently promoted by the Empress Dowager, when passing through that city, at the beginning of the flight from Peking.
[67] Hsü, to whom Jung Lu was writing, was a Cantonese by birth, and was at this time Viceroy of Foochow.
[68] A note on the career and character of this courageous official is given in the [Appendix].
[69] The Decree is given at the end of this chapter.
[70] The victim was British, not French—viz., the Rev. Mr. Brooks, killed on 31st December, 1899, just after Yu Hsien’s removal had been arranged.
[71] Between January and June the entries are of no particular interest.
[72] The Supreme Deity of the Taoists and tutelary spirit of the Boxers.
[73] A nickname of An Te-hai, vide supra, [p. 90 et seq.]
[74] The Chancellor of the Japanese Legation, Mr. Sugiyama.
[75] This was a forgery.
[76] A quotation from the “Book of Odes.”
[77] This man’s subsequent arrest and execution are described in a Censorate memorial at the end of this chapter.
[78] Mr. (later Sir Harry) Parkes.
[79] Professor James.
[80] Mentioned above under full name of Chi Shou-ch’eng. Chi Pin was his “hao” or intimate personal name.
[81] Ching Shan’s house was just inside the Tung An Gate of the Imperial City, about a quarter of a mile to the north of the present Legation area boundary.
[82] This favourite companion of Tzŭ Hsi was really Jung Lu’s secondary consort, who was only raised to the rank of la première légitime after his first wife’s death in September, 1900. She survived him and continued to exercise great influence with the Old Buddha.
[83] A short biographical note on Chang Chih-tung will be found in the [Appendix].
[84] Vide under June 20th.
[85] A quotation from Mencius.
[86] Quotation from Mencius.
[87] History of events under the Chou dynasty, by Confucius; one of the Five Classics.
[88] How well and successfully she did it, has been told in Miss Catherine A. Carl’s book, With the Empress Dowager of China. The painting of her portrait for the St. Louis exhibition was in itself an example of Tzŭ Hsi’s “cardinal virtues of government,” which she practised with conspicuous success on the simple-minded wife of the American Minister, Mrs. Conger. (Vide Cordier, Relations de la Chine, Vol. III., p. 423.)
[89] The second character of Prince Tuan’s name contained the radical sign for dog, and was given him by the Emperor Hsien-Feng, because he had been begotten during the period of mourning for his parent Tao-Kuang; it being an offence, under Chinese law, for a son to be begotten during the twenty-seventh months of mourning for father or mother.
[90] A classical allusion, in common use, equivalent to “Ne sutor ultra crepidam.”
[91] A traitor whose crime and punishment are recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals.
[92] A classical expression, meaning the Spirit-world.
[93] Referring to his part in the coup d’état of 1898.
[94] The expression is figurative.
[95] A species of owl—classical reference.
[96] Consort of Kuang-Hsü, now Empress Dowager, known by the honorific title of Lung-yü.
[97] Prince Ch’un subsequently married Jung Lu’s daughter, by special command of the Empress Dowager.
[98] This Memorial was never published officially, and Tzŭ Hsi refrained from issuing a Rescript thereto; it was forwarded by an official with the Court at Hsi-an to one of the vernacular papers at Shanghai, which published it.
[99] A lane four hundred yards north of the glacis which now surrounds the Legation quarter.
[100] Quotation from Confucius.
[101] Tzŭ Hsi was addicted to gentle sarcasm of this kind in Decrees.
[102] Admiral Seymour’s expedition.
[103] See Dr. Smith’s “China in Convulsion,” page 361.
[104] The North Gate of the Imperial City.
[105] At that time Governor-designate of Shensi. He had come north with troops to defend the capital.
[106] Tutor of the Heir Apparent, father-in-law of the Emperor T’ung-Chih, his daughter, the Empress Chia-Shun (A-lu-te), had committed suicide in 1875 (vide supra).
[107] An allusion to Kuang-Hsü’s order for Jung Lu’s summary execution in September 1898.
[108] See biographical note, infra ([Appendix]).
[109] Deceased, 26th August 1910.
[110] As he had done for Tzŭ Hsi’s son, the Emperor T’ung-Chih.
[111] Amongst Chinese officials no characteristic is more common than their jealousy of each other and their promiscuous habit of backbiting and slandering.
[112] It was because of Tung Fu-hsiang’s great popularity in Kansu that Her Majesty, fearing another rebellion, hesitated to order his execution.
[113] This sentence is equivalent to imprisonment for life.
[114] See Ching Shan’s Diary, [page 258]; also cf. [page 324].
[115] The Empress Dowager was from the outset most anxious to screen and protect this official, for whom she had a great personal regard. On reviewing his case in the light of later information and current public opinion, it would appear that most of his actions were instigated, if not ordered, by Kang Yi, and that the decision of the foreign Ministers to insist upon his death was taken without any very definite information as to his share of guilt.
[116] In accordance with prescribed custom.
[117] He was directly descended from Nurhachu, the conqueror of the Mings.
[118] This was no empty boast. Yü Hsien, cold-blooded fanatic that he was, bore a most honourable name for absolute integrity and contempt for wealth. He died in poverty, so miserable, that amongst all his clothes there was not one suit new enough to be fittingly used for his burial robes. His name is still held in high honour by the people of Shansi, who sing the praises of his Governorship, and who claim that his proud spirit it was which protected their Province from being invaded by the foreigners. They erected a shrine to his memory, but it was demolished to appease the foreign Powers.
[119] The Chinese rendering of a German name.
[120] This is the Chinese date; the day of the audience was the 4th September.
[121] Wen T’i had been a censor in 1898, but was cashiered by the Emperor for being reactionary. Tzŭ Hsi restored him to favour after the coup d’état.
[122] Precisely the same quotation was used by Ch’ung Hou in a despatch to the British Minister (Mr. Wade) in 1861, under somewhat similar circumstances. Since that date the most frequent criticism of foreign observers on the subject has been “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.”
[123] The literal translation of the Chinese is, “She has eaten her meal at sunset, and worn her clothes throughout the night.”
[124] Ginseng, the specific remedy of the Chinese pharmacopœia for debility, supposed to possess certain magical qualities when grown in shapes resembling the human form or parts thereof. The best kind, supplied as tribute to the Throne, grows wild in Manchuria and Corea.
[125] This house-law was made by the Emperor Ch’ien Lung to prevent his Court officials from intriguing for the favour of the Heir Apparent.
[126] The chief eunuch in reality objected to the Buddhist pontiff on his own account, for the Lama’s exactions from the superstitious would naturally diminish his own opportunities.
[127] He had succeeded Jung Lu as custodian of the mausolea.
[128] The Imperial Mausoleum lies about ninety miles to the east of Peking, covering a vast enclosure of magnificent approach and decorated with splendid specimens of the best style of Chinese architecture. It consists of four palaces, rising one behind the other, and at the back of the fourth and highest stands the huge mound classically termed the “Jewelled Citadel,” under which lies the spacious grave chamber.
[129] Vide Biographical Note in the [Appendix].
[130] 2nd January, 1909.
[131] Vide the Diary of Ching Shan, [page 259].
[132] Grant Richards, 1901.
[133] Two patriarchial rulers of China (B.C. circa 2300) whose wise principles of government were immortalised by Confucius.
[134] With the Empress Dowager of China (Eveleigh Nash, 1906).
[135] Since the days of the Emperor Ch’ien-Lung, these expenses have averaged some forty millions of taels per annum. Vide “The Times,” special article, 7th Dec., 1909.
[136] The nucleus of this hoard was the money confiscated from the usurping Regent Su Shun in 1861.
[137] An account of his life was given in a memoir published by The Times on the 6th October, 1909.
[138] Vide supra, Chapter I., [page 12].
[139] It has remained thus in many districts until now, vast solitudes of ruins being the chief characteristic of a region that, before the rebellion, supported some thirty million inhabitants.
[140] Subsequently Governor of Formosa.