36
C H ]
N A
[history
as also the Shansi Mining Companies’ lines, were European Powers and Japan, with a view to securing their definite Yangtse, A contract for a trunk line from Canton to Hankow adhesion to the “open-door” policy. The British Government secured. negotiated in the latter part of the same year (1898) by an gave an unqualified approval to the American proposal, and the was company, which completed the list for the time being. replies of the other Powers, though more guarded, were accepted American It would have been more satisfactory if these various concessions, at Washington as satisfactory. A further and more definite step instead being wrung out of the weakness of China by the towards securing the maintenance of the “open door” in China rivalry ofofforeign Powers, had been freely granted in the confidence was the agreement concluded in October 1900 between the British of strength. and German Governments. The signatories, by the first twoarticles, can indeed be little doubt that the Powers, engrossed agreed to endeavour to keep the ports on the rivers and littoral in There the diplomatic conflicts of which Peking was the centre, had free and open to international trade and economic activity, and entirely the reactionary forces gradually The reform to uphold this rule for all Chinese territory as far as {wo in the musteringunderrated for a final struggle against the movemeat. German counterpart) they could exercise influence ; not to use the spirit of Western civilization. The lamentable conexisting complications to obtain territorial advantages in Chinese sequences of administrative corruption and incompetence, and dominions, and to seek to maintain undiminished the territorial the superiority of foreign methods which had been amply illuscondition of the Chinese empire. By a third article they reserved trated by the Japanese war, had at first produced a considertheir right to come to a preliminary understanding for the pro- able impression, not only upon the more enlightened commercial tection of their interests in China, should any other Power use but even upon many of the younger members ot the those complications to obtain such territorial advantages under classes, classes in China. The dowager-empress, who, in spite any form whatever. On the submission of the agreement under official the emperor Kwang Su having nominally attained his the fourth and last article to the Powers interested, Austria, of had retained practical control of the supreme power France, Italy, and Japan accepted its principles without express majority, reservation—Japan first requesting and obtaining assurances that until the conflict with Japan, had been held, not. unjustly, blame for the disasters of the war, and even before its conclushe signed on the same footing as an original signatory. The to the young emperor was adjured by some of the most United States accepted the first two articles, but expressed no sion opinion on the third. Russia construed the first as limited to responsible among his own subjects to shake himself free from baneful restraint of “petticoat government,” and himself ports actually open in regions where the two signatories exercise the the helm. In the following years a Reform Movement, un“their” influence, and favourably entertained it in that sense, take genuine, though opinions differ as to the value of the ignoring the reference to other forms of economic activity. She doubtedly popular support which it claimed, spread throughout the central fully accepted the second, and observed that in the contingency and southern provinces of the empire. One ot the most signicontemplated by the third, she would modify her attitude accordficant symptoms was the relatively large demand which suddenly ing to circumstances. Meanwhile, negotiations carried on by the British minister a,t arose for the translations of foreign works and similar publicain the Chinese language which philanthropic societies, such Peking during 1898 resulted in the grant of very important privi- tions that “for the Diffusion of Christian and General Knowledge leges to foreign commerce. The payment of the second instalment as the Chinese,” had been trying for some time past to of the Japanese indemnity was becoming due, and it was much amongst though hitherto with scant success. Chinese newsdiscussed how and on what terms China would be able to raise popularize, papers published in the treaty ports spread the ferment of new the amount. The Russian Government, as has been stated, had ideas far into the interior. Fifteen hundred young men of good made China a loan of the sum required for the first portion of the applied to enter the foreign university at Peking, and in indemnity, viz., £15,000,000, taking a charge on the customs family some of the provincial towns the Chinese themselves subscribed revenue as security. The British Government was urged to make towards the opening of foreign schools. Reform societies, which a like loan of £16,000,000 both as a matter of friendship to China not infrequently enjoyed official countenance, sprang up in many and as a counterpoise to the Russian influence. An arrangement of the large towns, and found numerous adherents amongst the was come to accordingly, on very favourable terms financially to younger literati. Early 1898 the emperor, who had gradually the Chinese, but at the last moment they drew back, being emancipated himself fromin the dowager-empress s control, sumoverawed, as they said, by the threatening attitude of Russia. moned several of the reform leaders to Peking, and requested Taking advantage of the position which this refusal gave him, the their advice with regard to the progressive which British minister obtained from the Tsung-Li-Yamen, besides the should be introduced into the government of themeasures empire. Chief declaration as to the non-alienation of the Yangtse valley above amongst these reformers was Kang Yu-wei, a Cantonese, whose mentioned, an undertaking to throw the whole of the inland scholarly attainments, combined with novel teachings, earned for waterways open to steam traffic. The Chinese Government at him from his followers the title of the “Modern Sage.” Of his the same time undertook that the post of inspector-general of more or less active sympathizers who had subsequently to suffer customs should always be held by an Englishman so long as the with him in the cause of reform, the most prominent were Chang trade of Great Britain was greater than that of any other nation. Yin-huan, a member of the Grand Council and of the Tsung-LiMinor concessions were also made, such as the opening of new Yamen, who had represented his sovereign at Queen Victoria s ports, but the opening of the waterways is by far the greatest jubilee in 1897 ; Chin Pao-chen, governor of Hu-nan ; Liang Chiadvance that has been made since 1860. The privilege is chao, the editor of the reformers’ organ, Chinese Progress; Su Chihampered as yet by the obstruction of the likin service, but as cliing, a reader of the Hanlin College, the educational stronghold the Chinese have applied for a general revision of the treaty of Chinese conservatism ; and his son Su In-chi, also a Hanlin tariffs it may be presumed that the occasion will be used to put man and provincial chancellor ol public instruction in Hu-nan. . the inland revenue tariff on a more satisfactory footing. It soon became evident that there was no more enthusiastic Of still greater importance are the railway and mining conof the new ideas than the emperor himself. Within a cessions granted during the same year (1898), a list of which advocate months the vermilion pencil gave the imperial j.^e reform has already been given above. The Chinese Government had few to a succession of edicts which, had they been edicts been generally disposed to railway construction since the con- sanction into effect, would have amounted to a revoluclusion of the Japanese war, but hoped to be able to retain carried as far-reaching as that which had transformed Japan thuty the control in their own hands. The masterful methods of tion previously. The fossilized system of examinations for the Russia and Germany had obliged them to surrender this control years public service was to be altogether superseded by a new schedule so far as concerned Manchuria and Shantung, the lines in which based learning, for the better promotion of which a were left to be financed and worked by the Powers interested. In numberonofforeign were to be converted into schools for Western the Yangtse valley, Sheng, the director - general of railways, education ; temples a state department was to be created for the translahad been negotiating with several competing syndicates, playing tion and dissemination of the standard works of Western literature one off against the other to force better terms. One of these was and science ; even the scions the ruling Manchu race were to a Franco-Belgian syndicate, which was endeavouring to obtain be compelled to study foreign oflanguages travel abroad ; and the trunk line from Hankow to Peking. A British company was last but not least, all useless offices bothand Peking and in the tendering for the same work, and as the line lay mainly within provinces were to be abolished. A further in was even reported the British sphere it was considered not unreasonable to expect it to be in contemplation, doing away with the edict queue or pigtail, which, should be given to the latter. At a critical moment, however, originally imposed upon the Chinese by their conquerors the French and Russian ministers intervened, and practically as a badge of subjection, had gradually become Manchu most characterforced the Yamen to grant a contract in favour of the Franco- istic and most cherished feature of the nationalthe dress. Had China Belgian company. The Yamen had only a few days before possessed a governing class imbued with similar explicitly promised the British minister that the contract should patriotism to that which induced the Japanese enlightened daimiqs in not be ratified without his having an opportunity of seeing it. 1869 to sacrifice their feudal rights in the interests of national As a penalty for this breach of faith, and as a set-off to the regeneration, even the crude series of imperial edicts drawn up Franco-Belgian line, the British minister required the immediate by’ Kang Yu-wei might have proved the starting-point of a new grant of all the railway concessions for which British syndicates era. But the bureaucracy of China, which had battened for cenwere then negotiating, and on terms not inferior to those granted turies on corruption and ignorance, had no taste for self-sacrifice. to the Belgian line. In this way all the lines in the lower
