112
are
THE HONGKON 3 WEEKLY PRESS AND
as the "knocker-up,
nap.
TROUBLE EXPECTED IN CHINA.
|
in
DOWAGER's edicts of last year, reforming Chinese criminal jurisprudence, have been officially ignored all over China. There is the case of the offender recently bamboo'd to death; and the still more recent case of an employee in the Nanking Powder Works who was found guilty of stealing gunpowder, and was ordered to be summarily decapitated by Viceroy Chou Fu. The culprit was beheaded on Chinese. New Year's Eve. At present it is stated that the Tientsin con- stable, whose real sin in Chinese eyes was that he served foreigners, has not been maltreated; and we hope that YUAN SHIH- K'AI will further show his wisdom by releas. ing the man. His surrender at all was another blow to British prestige in China; and, as we have suggested, may be regarded as another indication of foreign timorous- ness.
THE NEW COMMERCIAL
SETTLEMENTS.
Ay
[February 19, 1908. phrase," the awakening of China." Until
must not go away | CONSUL-GENERAL appear prima facis" to foreign critics at a distance become alive until China “shows a leg;" otherwise, the have done a shameful in handing over to what we have often pointed out, and sleeper will roll over for another prolonged to Chinese "justice" an old British servant what should be obvious, namely, that China
for an offence which at the worst was a cannot be correctly spoken of as one entity,
mild form of lèse majesté; and we can animated by any one feeling at a time, this
only assume that they were induced confusion will continue to permeate their
thereto by most serious considerations well-meant discussions. It seems stupid
(Daily Press, 16th February)
the endeavour, “at any reasonable cost,” and unnecessary to repeat that China is There has been a great deal of talk lately avoid precipitating a crisis which might not both awake and asleep. MARK TWAIN about America rushing troops to Manila pass over as well as did the December affair has an amusing account of "Siamese in expectation of trouble in China, and our
at Shanghai. This native constable in the Twins" and their troubles. One half of telegram to-day probably has connection British service was sentenced by the the dual creature, so to speak, was a therewith.
No one regarded the matter as VICEROY, on a charge of which his em- teetotaller; the other frequently got drunk. anything more serious than a yellow news-ployers had declared him innocent, to a One “hemicorpus"-to coin a useful word paper scare, until the Americau Government thousand blows and three years' imprison- was a misanthrope: the other a lover. took the trouble to deny that any extraordin- ment with hard labour, "virtually & death That is the idea of China which must be ary movement of troops was contemplated. sentence," as the N.-C. Daily News remarks. nculcated in order to arrive at a better Upon this, naturally, the assumption was
It must be remembered that the EMPRESS- understanding of the modern situation. that there must be "something in it." China is awake to the necessity of rail. Assuming that there have been reasonable ways; but the actions of Viceroy SHUM, causes for this Americau nervousness — typical, by the way, of the Central which, by the way, is apparent at nearly Government, make us suspect that all the Treaty Horts--what was their nature? the official "hemicorpus" and its public It night have been only a kind of “ bluff,' twin are not equally alert. Somebody to remind official China of the possible conse- is only half awake. Thus the Statist quences of a continuation of the boycott; remarks: "They have decided against grant- but there are other circumstances which ing concessions, and they desire to keep all that theory cannot account for. We may the railways in their own possession." "Our say at once that there are apprehensious contemporary earlier speaks of "interested of another anti-foreign rising; and that the foreigners of the worst type" who exagger first alaruuas have come from the religious ate the follies and crimes of China; and missions it the interior. A certain consulate now says both the decisions quoted at Amoy, for instance, has been deluged described by the kind of foreigners referred lately with reports and inquiries frora to as evidence of the wickedness of the missionaries, asking if they are to be re- Chinese. There is nothing wicked, or even called, cr, otherwise, if any steps are being foolish, in those decisions, were it not that taken to ward off the catastrophe which they the Chine. Government has not the com-regar 1 As imminent. The Sinwanpao petent persons for constructing and manag-reports that a number of "armed robbers" ing railways." Exactly. There was nothing made an attack on missionary premises foolish in ROBINSON C's decision to at Changpubsien, in Changchoufu, about build a boat, wereen that he was unable 60 miles from Amoy. The missionaries to-get-i-to the sea when built. There is escaped without injury, though one of them nothing wicked or foolish in China's desire had to take refuge in the magistrate's to have railways, and to own them herself; yamên. That might seem to account for but we have just seen a case of folly (with many rumours, but it does not. The which no "interested foreigners" had any. incident followed the rumours, and we thing to do) in Kwangtung: China was have fairly good authority for saying very noticeably awake here. Official that the
Chinese journal's description China was awake to the urgent need of the of the law-breakers ns mere robbers" Canton-Kowloon Railway: popular China is misleading. At Amoy the foreign com was awake to the incompetence and worse munity feel sure of the nature of the trouble. of official China, The Statist does not Chinese Christians with their families and deny that the Chinese Government was moveable property have been coming into grossly corrupt" and that" consequently the Settlement with. noticeable frequency, it discouraged every proposal for improve- and settling there. At Shanghai it is ment, and kept down all progressive public reported there is a continued feeling of men. The result is that China has not the anxiety;" and a gentleman who scorns the capable and far-seeing statesmen Japan had idea that the events of 1900 are likely to be to guide it in the way of progress." That repeated rather gives himself away in the is surely equivalent to saying that China, following passage:
"So far as I can see- official China, is something less than half awake. Yet our contemporary regards the fact that Japan avoided giving railway con- cessions to foreigners as an example proper for China to take. We could agree to that if China would awake to the advisability of copying Japan in other ways. If Japan had stopped at preventing foreigners from building railways, Japan would Chave been where China is now, The Statist goes on to speak of the influence of Japan as something that must be almost infinite"-another popular European fal- lacy. We know better out here; that the spirit which prompts China's anti-foreign policy is duplicated, if not intensified, in her attitude towards Japan. The awakening of China, in fact, although so much spoken of, is a tedious performance. She is like those persons whose minds do not open at once with their eyes o mornings. All the symptoms and evidences so enthusiastically trumpeted of "China's awakening" amount to little more than the rubbing of wax-tight eyelids and perhaps a tentative yawn or two. The "interested foreigner," acting
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(Daily Press, 17th February.) The opening of the commercial settlement of Chinantu on Jan. 10th was remarkable. for the reason that it was the first event of the kind that could be called spontaneous, The application to have the place thrown open to foreign trade did not come from any foreigners. This has been regarded as an- other sign of grace upon the part of China; and the fact that the main street was lighted by electricity for the first time on that day must have appeared to those who depend upon old books like "Chinese Characteris tica for their knowledge of modern China. as an' incontrovertible evidence that the Empire is keeping step with Japan on the road of progress. The affair did not lack the congratulatory speeches customary on such occasions, and it is and I stand in pretty close communication of interest to put on record some of the with Chinese of several provinces-while remarks made by the GOVERNOR of Shan- there is a more general agitation all over tung. He said the privileges now to be the country than ever before, it is so unlike enjoyed by the general public of all nations the agitation preceding the Boxer trouble in perpetuity are the result of long- that there is not the thousandth part of a continued consultations and do not repre- probability that it will have a similar sent a hasty resolve, to which the retort result. Not every breeze is the forerunner is inevitable, that nothing other than of a typhoon." He makes it quite clear "long continued consultations "⠀⠀⠀ could that there is a breeze of some sort blowing. have been expected in such a matter. The people of Cauton are not yet re-assured Foreigners are not disposed to begrudge, that all is well; and at Tientsin there ap- the Chinese full credit for ample delibera- pears to be a general feeling that the foreign tion. HIS EXCELLENCY further said that community is treading on thin ice. The such commercial settlements were steps in Peking and Tientsin Times on Feb. 1st re- the right direction, with which we can again marked: Our relations with H.E. the agrée, especially if he was right in saying VICEROY have been throughout of the most that this one was indicative of the Chinese cordial, and his unfailing courtesy and Government's "spirit of good-will towards hospitality to all naturally inspire a desire other nations." His remark afterwards, on the part of the community to maintain that" the prosperity of the commerce of a those relations at any reasonable cost." The nation is always founded on the close friend- last words, which we have italicised, have ship of thatn ation with others," may not peculiar significance when read in conjunc-improbably be found useful in the future tion with the article headed "A Tientsin if, as we suspect, there has been no real Incident," which we reproduce elsewhere. effort on either side towards the sweeping The British Municipal Council and the sway of mutual distrust.” The fact is that .