anti-Chinese campaigns abroad, appeared to be very irresponsible, if not
a weak,
defenseless position. The treatment that coolies
many humanists.
received in
North America and Latin America was sometimes comparable to African
slaves. Some scholars pointed out the coolies were demanded simply as a
replacement for African slaves, who were banned after serious concern by
Condemnation was raised by many sympathetic foreign
diplomats, scholars and missionaries. Yet, the Ching regime took action
only after being pushed by some English and American diplomats, to raise
a campaign to stop Chinese slavery trade. Anti-Chinese campaigns,
which started from around 1880 in America, Canada, Australia, South
Africa and Southeast Asia, had also damaged the Ching regime. The
anti-Chinese campaign in America, in particular, had gotten out of hand.
In several locations, anti-Chinese campaigns occurred continuously
hundreds of Chinese were wounded and killed,
several years,
41
42
for
nearly all
43
of the several hundred thousand Chinese in America were affected.
Although protests were raised by Ching officials, damages were claimed,
and the American President sympathized, a discriminatory act called the
Chinese Exclusion Act was passed and renewed for several decades.
44
Even worse, similar anti-Chinese laws were passed in Australia,
Canada and elsewhere. The Ching regime could do practically nothing to
prevent this. Its weakness was shown not only to foreign powers, but
also to her people. Misfits resulted from anti-Chinese were reported
increasingly in China, and public protests against foreigners in China
to counter these anti-Chinese campaigns were constantly suggested even
45 by high Ching officials." But constant defeat in various wars with
foreign powers made the Ching regime very indecisive and cowardly.
Finally, a nation-wide boycott against America was organized to show the
anger of the Chinese over the anti-Chinese
campaign in America.
46
Popular revolts in the late Ching period were further encouraged because
-
18
--