Guo Songliao and Others' Six Records of Western Missions

Author: Guo Songtao/ Editor-in-Chief: Pan Zhenping
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1998-06-01
Features: This book selects six diaries or notes left by four famous diplomats of the late Qing Dynasty, except for Guo Songtao's Record of Journey to the West, Guo Songtao's Diary of London and Paris, Liu Xihong's Diary of the British Mission, Xue Fucheng's Diary of the Mission to Britain, France, Italy, and Belgium and Continuation of the Diary of the Mission, and Song Youren's Glimpses of Western Countries. Except for Guo Songtao's Record of Journey to the West, all the selected works are excerpts. These works record the situation in Britain during roughly the same period, and their perspectives, insights, and interests differ, providing material for researchers to compare. Their observations and experiences also showcase, from a unique angle, the conflicts between Western and Chinese culture in the late Qing Dynasty and the reactions of the scholar-officials to these conflicts. Excerpt:
[Note 6] "Keng'er," the manuscript reads "Keng'er."
[Note 7] "Yi yi," the manuscript has the additional fifteen characters "The failure of Chinese scholars in education is a great shame; I feel deeply distressed."
[Note 8] "Sui cheng," the manuscript has the additional two characters "Western" below.
On the twenty-first, I arrived in Hong Kong. At 22°12′ north of the equator, it is nearly nine degrees closer to Shanghai, yet the climate is vastly different, so we changed into thin cotton clothes. The Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy, Lanbold, came to meet me. He had previously visited the General Office and his Flying Camp gunboats were to return to Britain. They waited for me to arrive before departing. The Governor of Hong Kong, Keng'erdi, sent his adjutant Akenheng with four sedan chairs to welcome us. The Vice Envoy Liu, the Counselor Li, and the interpreter boarded the assigned ten-oar boat to land. Fifteen cannon shots were fired, and a large welcoming procession with military music was arranged. The British Consul General, Robertson, an old acquaintance, also greeted us on the shore and exchanged pleasantries. We then took sedan chairs to the Governor's residence. Over twenty civil and military officials gathered, including: the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Reed, the Vice Commander-in-Chief, Koramb, and the Magistrate, Smiles. When asked about the school, it happened that the Principal of the local university, Steward, was present, and he invited me to accompany him for a tour. After the banquet, we went to the school and met its Vice Principal, Fan and Keng'er [6], who jointly oversee the educational affairs. There are five classrooms: three for teaching the Chinese classics (Five Classics, Four Books, and civil service examination essays), one for teaching foreign languages, and one for teaching the classics to Western students. Each classroom accommodates about a hundred students, led by one instructor. The classics are taught by Chinese instructors, while foreign languages are taught by Western instructors. The classrooms are arranged in ten rows with an empty space in front. Each row has a long desk that can seat about ten students, arranged in tiers. The instructors sit directly opposite in the front. There are also classrooms where the instructors sit in the middle, with five rows on each side. This ensures that nothing escapes the attention of the students. The classics are taught with set deadlines, and essays are assigned as small lessons, once every five days, as this is considered a minor aspect of the subject. The rules are strict and orderly, yet the vision is broad, still preserving the ancient tradition of nurturing talent [7]. I heard there was another chemistry school, and I was about to visit it, but Akenheng told me, "The welcoming procession has been waiting for a long time." So I returned to the boat. The armored warship fired fifteen cannon shots, playing military music to bid farewell. The French warship also played music in response.
I recorded that in the Xianfeng era, traveling by sea to the Guangdong Provincial Governor's post, the houses in Hong Kong were only one-third of what they are today. In just over a decade, the streets became crisscrossed, and towers and pavilions stood one after another, turning it into a major city. There were over 130,000 residents, including 6,000 Westerners. There was one eastern and one western fort. Two armored warships: one named Odaishiasu (Italian name) and the other Fidormonul (also an Italian name, revered by the British and named after the king).
That evening, a British merchant ship entered the harbor and collided with the bow of our ship, the sound like thunder. The rear window was damaged by over ten feet [9]. A small boat hung at the stern, splitting the damage into two "over ten feet," the manuscript reads "one" instead. The rear window was slightly higher, not reaching the water, making it precarious.
On the twenty-first, I arrived in Hong Kong early. Shanghai is at 31°30′ north of the equator; Hong Kong is at 22°12′ north; the capital is at 39°54′ north. The Governor of Hong Kong, Keng'erdi, sent his adjutant Akenheng to welcome me and invited me to visit his residence. We agreed to meet at two o'clock. The Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy, Lanbold, came to meet me and had previously seen him at the General Office. His Flying Camp had two forts and six gunboats returning to Britain and awaited my arrival before departing. At noon, I took a ten-oar boat arranged by the Governor to land. A large welcoming procession awaited us. The British Consul General, Robertson, also greeted us at the riverbank and exchanged pleasantries. We then took sedan chairs to the Governor's residence. The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Reed, the Vice Commander-in-Chief, Koramb, and the Magistrate, Smiles, were all present. About twenty civil and military officials gathered. The Governor spoke of the school's curriculum for over four hundred students and invited me to visit. The Magistrate also mentioned the prosperity of the chemistry school. After the banquet, we went to the school. The Principal, Steward, and the Vice Principals, Fan and Keng'er, accompanied me on a tour of the five classrooms. Each classroom could seat about a hundred students, led by one instructor. Three classrooms taught the Chinese classics (Five Classics, Four Books, and civil service examination essays), one taught foreign languages, and one taught the classics to Western students. The classics were taught by Chinese instructors, while foreign languages were taught by Western instructors. The essays were assigned as small lessons, with set deadlines. The scale was indeed grand. Since the welcoming procession had been waiting for a long time at the riverbank, I did not visit the chemistry school. Akenheng, the adjutant, also escorted me back to the boat.