In the Land of Pagodas: A Classic Account of Travel in Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai, Hubei, Hunan and Guizhou 9788776942021, 8776942023

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Introduction The book in your hands was written by a man on the run. “Alfred Raquez” was the pseudonym of Joseph Gervais, a bankrupt, reprobate lawyer with a warrant out for his arrest. 1n 5arKh  ! , Gervais Æed his native .ranKe for 4ondon. *y April, he was in Singapore on his way to Java. Then in June, in the town of 5y Tho in 1ndoKhina¼s 5ekong ,elta, a loKal .renKh administrator noted in a KonÅdential telegram that a man named Alfred Raquez had turned up. Gervais was to be known as Raquez for nearly all of the next decade. His true identity would not be revealed until after his death in January 1907. That revelation caused a brief sensation in the Indochinese press and then was quickly forgotten, and Alfred Raquez’s writing looked destined to slide into the dustbin of history. Today, he is remembered – if at all – for the nearly 00 postcards of 4aos he produced. If it were not for avid vintage postcard collectors and early photography aÅcionados, Joseph Gervais (and his alter ego, Alfred Raquez) may well have sunk into oblivion. Aside from the occasional footnote, there is virtually no mention of his work in either .ranco- or Anglophone studies of the .rench colonial experience in Asia.2 This is a sorry fate. During his brief existence as Alfred Raquez, Gervais published three books and hundreds of articles about the .ar 1 Marie-Hé ène Degroise, “A fred Raquez,” in Des Photographes en Indochine: Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchine, Cambodge, et Laos au XIXe Siècle, ed. 8. .ranchini et a . (8aris" Marva & Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2001), 234. This one-page biography of Raquez was the Årst to be pub ished since a two-paragraph notice printed in 193 in Antoine *rébion’s Dictionnaire de bio bibliographie générale, ancienne et moderne de l’Indochine française (8aris" Société d’jditions Géographiques, Maritimes, et +o onia es), 319. Neither source ists his true name, which was uncovered in ear y 201 by ?i iam 4. Gibson. See P0ILA7: *ulletin de l’Association Internationale des Collectionneurs de Timbres‫ځ‬ poste du Laos 102 (201)" . 2 An exception is Marion .romentin 4ibouthet, L’image du Laos au temps de la colonisation française: 1861 1914 (8aris" 4’Harmattan, 2012), which dea s on y with Raquez’s writings about 4aos.

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East and took thousands of photographs, including some of the earliest known of 4aos. He helped mount two exhibitions of .rench colonial material, one in Hanoi, the other in Marseille, and he recorded hundreds of phonographic rolls he described as “dialogues and songs from the many tribes” in 4aos, which are likely the Årst sound recordings ever made in that country.3 Raquez met and worked with people in the highest circles of *elle jpoque Indochina, including Governor Generals 8aul Doumer (1 7– 1932) and 8aul *eau (1 7–192), yet he was unafraid to Rourney into remote and lawless regions. Some of the villages he visited in upper 4aos would not have electricity or all-weather roads until the 21st century, more than 100 years after his death. To recover Raquez’s work by translating it into English for a wider audience is more than blowing the dust o‫ ٺ‬a musty travel book. Raquez’s writing opens a unique window onto the .rench experience in the .ar East. His prescient use of close personal narrative coupled with a bricolage of media feels remarkably familiar in an era of touch-and-scroll digital reading. The man may have taken his leave of the world more than a century ago, but his voice remains astonishingly fresh. ACCORDING TO HIS DEATH CERTIFICATE, Joseph Gervais was born in 1863 in Dunkirk (when he assumed his pseudonym, he made himself younger by two years).4 In his adult life, he was a lawyer in 4ille and active in lay +atholic organizations. In 188, he founded and became president of the +ircle of +atholic Students and the +atholic Aouth of 4ille. There are hints of the life to come. Gervais served on the Press and Propaganda +ommission for the +atholic General Assemblies of the Nord-Pas-de-+alais region,6 which shows that he had an early inter3 See ?i iam 4. Gibson, “A fred Raquez and the .irst Recordings in 4aos,” For the Record, No. 8 (2016), 81 8. These recordings are now unfortunate y ost. 4 The death certiÅcate is he d in the Marsei e municipa archives under the name Gervais.  Revue de Lille. Series II, >o . 4. (4i e" J. 4efert, 1896), 161. See a so ?i iam 4 Gibson and D. Geay-Dri ien, “4a vie d’A fred Raquez" un véritab e puzz e . . . qui se met en p ace,” P0ILA7: *ulletin de l’Association Internationale des Collectionneurs de Timbres‫ځ‬ poste du Laos 103 (2016)" 2 4. 6 Les Assemblées Générales Catholiques du Nord et du Pas de Calais tenues à Lille du 23 au 28 Novembre 1886 (Paris" Imprimerie >ictor Ducou ombier, 1887), 184.

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est in – and propensity for – Rournalism and publicity. At a +atholic conference in November 1890, he gave a speech in which he outlined how +atholic missions could help extend .rance’s inÆuence overseas.7 ?hen Raquez Årst arrived in Indochina in June 1898, he met the *ishop of +ambodia, Jean-*aptiste Grosgeorge (1846–1902), and, as readers shall see, stayed in close touch with .rench +atholic missionaries on his trip though +hina.8 Although he was traveling incognito, he retained his title as a lawyer. 7n August 2, 1898, he gave a presentation about his brief passage through Java to the Society for the Study of Indochina in Saigon. The notice in the Society *ulletin refers to him as an “advocate with the Paris bar.”9 This a‫ٻ‬liation with Paris is important, for it not only allowed Gervais to retain his professional distinction in law while distancing himself from his life in 4ille, but it also acts as the genesis for his alter ego, a Parisian bon vivant-cum-explorer. It allows Gervais to litter his texts with references not only to law but also to the bohemian nightlife of Paris, with which he appears to have been well acquainted. Raquez constantly mentions speciÅc stage actors and composers, authors and singers, restaurants and theaters. He is also adept at introducing Ån de siècle Parisian argot into his text. At one point in Macao, he notes the kind of spot, typically a park or a lonely section of a street, where men can appraise and select “parsley,” Parisian slang for prostitutes. This is an unexpected taste of Montmartre in Macao. Raquez the wandering boulevardier went on to write pro-colonial polemics for .rench periodicals published in Indochina. Aet his forte was the daily travelogue. He blends a Rournalist’s attention to detail and facts with the soulful descriptions of a Åction writer. He captures the impressions of a Rourney, the taste of a strange dish, or the sounds and 7 Le Gaulois, November 21, 1890, 3. 8 “Sadec-+u- ao-Awn 4’jvèque de Pnom-Penh 4’Esprit de a +o onisation en Indo-+hine,” La Revue Indochinoise 178 (March 17, 1902)" 243 24. The artic e is introduced as an excerpt from Raquez’s manuscript entit ed Feuillets détachés, which was a so announced as being “in preparation” in the front matter of his second book, Pages Laotiennes (1902). However, with the exception of excerpts in La Revue Indochinoise, Feuillets détachés appears never to have been pub ished. 9 Bulletin de la Société des Études Indo Chinoises de Saigon 36 (Saigon" Imprimerie +ommercia e Rey, 1898), 91 92.

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sensations of being carried up a mountain in a sedan chair, but also the political nuances of travel, what can and cannot be done without o‫ٻ‬cial approval, and how travelers can Ånd ways around such rules. To Rudge from his published work, Raquez kept a regular Rournal. ?e do not know if this began during his time in the .ar East or if it was something he always did. *ut the overall impression is that his published work was culled and edited from a mountain of impressions logged daily. He records his trip in minute detail. He tells us the names of hotels where he stayed and ships on which he sailed, their general managers and their captains. He reproduces entire menus. *ut despite this mass of detail, he omits basic facts" ?hat is he doing there' ?hy is he traveling in +hina' Gervais hides amidst the minutia of Raquez’s descriptions. Very occasionally, he drops hints about his private life. In +hapter Three, in what is perhaps a veiled reference to his own Rudicial situation, he says" “In Rustice, we should seek the views of those who ended up on the losing side.” This philosophical sentiment would take on an added dimension for any readers who may have known the truth about his identity. In the entry dated October 19, 1898, which describes a funeral procession, he writes" “Top hats, which had been absent from my horizons for over a year, are brought out for the occasion by those following the cortege.” As noted above, Gervais Æed .rance in March 1898 and presumably did not see any such headgear in this travels through Asia for nine months. Is his claim of being away “over a year” part of his camouÆage' He o‫ٺ‬ers the timeline in precise details yet gives away nothing concrete about himself. R AQUEZ ’ S C HINA TRAVEL JOURNAL BEGINS on September 1, 1898 in Hong Kong and ends on April 24, 1899 in Shanghai. About two months later, his writings began to appear serially from June 12 to November 6 in L’Écho de Chine: Journal des intérêts français en Extrème Orient, a weekly newspaper published in Shanghai by Presse Orientale, which would later collect and publish the articles in book form. In addition to news items and travel pieces, the newspaper, which ceased publication in 1911, also printed excerpts of the latest novels from .rance. The – xii –

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newspaper was supposedly funded in part by the +atholic +hurch, and the .rench consulate in Shanghai had a hand in its production. 0 L’Écho de Chine was established primarily to promote .rench interests in +hina, and was especially concerned with the “daily life of .rench residents in Shanghai.” There are elements of this self-reÆection in Au Pays des Pagodes, especially the long chapters describing Shanghai, in which Raquez mentions people by name as if they were as familiar to us as our own family. .or the fewer than 300 residents of the .rench +oncession, they most likely were. Readers wrote letters to the editor and, in one instance, published as an Appendix to the original book, a reader who signed his name “Judex” in a letter dated August 8, 1899, complained about Raquez’s description of the Mixed +ourt at Shanghai as “bizarre.” Raquez responded the following day with a vehement defense that became a blistering attack. He signed his piece “A. Raquez, Docteur en droit” (Doctor of 4aw). 2 Gervais kept his legal expertise close to hand, even when incognito. The newspaper was also available in .rance and Indochina, so the author makes a point of informing his readers of the current state of a‫ٺ‬airs in greater +hina. The result is long lists of every railroad and mining operation in the country, every European-language publication in Shanghai, descriptions of ethnic peoples in Western +hina, and discursive digressions about Tibetan *uddhism. Such dry accounts were meant to educate .rench audiences not only about the exotic wonders of +hina but also about the progress of the civilizing mission of European – and speciÅcally .rench – enterprises in the .ar East. While such lists may be of limited interest for modern readers who do not specialize in the history of the late Qing era, they occasionally o‫ٺ‬er insights into Raquez’s own story. In +hapter 10, he informs his readers about the history of L’Écho de Chine as well as his own book" 10 Hanqi .ang and V. H. 4ee, History of Journalism in China, Vol. 2 (Hong Kong" Si kroad Press, 2013), 140. 11 .rank H. H. King and P. + arke, A Research Guide to China coast Newspapers, 1822 1911 (+ambridge" Harvard =niversity Press, 196), 9. 12 The signature appears on page 417 of the origina text.

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On September 11, 1896, Messrs. J. Em. 4emière and A. +unning ham 3 founded Le Messager de Chine, a weekly, which became a daily on April 7, 1897 and was published until June 30 of that year. Next day, on July 1, the Imprimerie .rançaise, a limited company with stockholders led by a group of devoted compatriots with Mr. Mar cel Tillot at its head, launched the Årst issue of L’Écho de Chine, with the editorship entrusted to 4emière. Since that time, the editor has defended .rench interests in the .ar East with an alert and vigorous pen and the assistance of the volunteer collaborators he sagely gathered around the newspaper. The struggle is especially di‫ٻ‬cult in these troubled times. The newspaper’s enemies are many, powerful, and tenacious. Justice should be rendered to Shanghai’s .rench newspaper, which without relinquishing an iota of its strength, has earned the respect of even its enemies through the dignity and courtesy of its polemics. The company simultaneously manages the commercial press known as Presse Orientale, which employs a sta‫ ٺ‬of 0, including compositors, binders, etc., all of them +hinese, plus six Japanese workers for the artwork. Admirably set up with Marinoni presses, 4 Presse Orientale is high ly esteemed in the .ar East. Its operation is managed by Mr. H. Smith, a typographer of great merit. *ut readers should see one of the columns of Au Pays des Pagodes after the Årst correction to form a sense of what composition done by those brave +hinamen is like, not one of whom knows a single word of .rench. A third correction is required, and even then

Who were these men who Årst brought Raquez’s writing to print' Marcel Tillot (1867–') arrived in Shanghai in 189 and opened an import-export company in his own name. In 1899 he was appointed .rench External Trade +ommissioner. He served on the Municipal +ouncil of the .rench +oncession in Shanghai for six years and was its president in 1907. He left +hina in 1909. Shanghai’s Rue Marcel Tillot 13 A fred +unningham (1870 19') was a so the owner and pub isher of the Shanghai Mercury and the Shanghai Daily Press. In 1902, he pub ished a book entit ed The French in Tonkin and South China (Hong Kong" Hongkong Dai y Press). 14 A rotogravure printing press invented by the Parisian Hippo yte Auguste Marinoni (1823 1904). In 1897, it wou d have been considered state-of-the-art.

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(now renamed @ingang 4u) was named after him.  The Editor-in-+hief of L’Écho de Chine until 1907 was Jules jmile 4emière. 4ittle is known about this man, though a picture emerges from scattered sources. A lawyer, he Årst appears in Kobe in 1888 as an agent for Oppenheimer .rères, a Paris-based trading house. In 1890, he is working for the same Årm in Aokohama. At some point in the next six years, he arrives in Shanghai and stays. He would later co-found the Revue Nationale Chinoise, a magazine launched in Shanghai in 1929 by the +omité .ranco-+hinois (of which 4emière was a member), which covered “politics, literary, and economic” stories from a +hinese point of view. He would remain in Shanghai and continue publishing into the early 1940s. 6 What was his connection with Alfred Raquez' The author mentions 4emière several times in his descriptions of Shanghai, and it seems that the two men were at least on friendly terms. They would meet again in Hanoi in 1902, when 4emière traveled there as part of the international press corps to cover the +olonial Exposition for L’Écho de Chine. In his book about the Exposition, Entrée Gratuite, Raquez describes 4emière as a writer “whose vigorous and delicate pen leads the good Åght with spirited .rench Æair.” 7 In addition, 4emière contributed to the La Re vue Indochinoise in 1902 and 1903, when Raquez was also contributing to that publication. 8 Although we do not know with certainty why L’Écho de Chine decided to publish Raquez’s Rournal, the answer may simply be that the 1 See Who’s Who in the Far East (Hong Kong" +hina Mai Press, 1906 1907), 313, and Pau .rench, The Old Shanghai A Z (Hong Kong" Hong Kong =niversity Press, 2010), 22. 16 The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo China, Straits Settlements, Malay states, Siam, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, &c. (Hong Kong" The Hong Kong Dai y Press O‫ٻ‬ce, 1888). A subsequent references to this annua pub ication wi appear here as “The Directory” fo owed by the pub ication year in parenthesis. In May 1937, 4emière pub ished an artic e in La Revue Nationale Chinoise, no. 9, entit ed “Souvenirs"  ans d’Extrwme-Orient,” which wou d indicate that he Årst arrived in the .ar East in 1882. He is isted as Administrative Director of the Shanghai-based pub ication La Chine d’aujourd’hui" Revue documentaire mensuelle for 1941. After this, he disappears from the historica record. Perhaps he did not survive the war. 17 Entrée Gratuite (Saigon" + aude & +ie., 1903), 19. A references are to this edition. 18 Rona d David Hi , Index Indochinensis: An English and French Index to Revue Indochinoise, Extrême Asie, Extrême Asie Revue Indochinoise, and La Revue Indochinoise Juridique et Économique (Hong Kong" =niversity of Hong Kong Press, 1983), 4.

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Editor-in-+hief had a friendly respect for the author, and the work was well written. The articles were compiled into a book early the following year, 1900, and published as Number Two in the press’s Série d’Orient, with the full title of Au Pays des Pagodes: Notes de Voyage, Hongkong, Macao, Shanghai, Le Houpé, Le Hounan, Le Kouei Tchéou, or The Land of Pagodas: Notes of Travel in Hong Kong, Macao, Shanghai, Hubei, Hunan, and Guizhou. The series is an eclectic mix of travel books and Sinological studies rounded out by imprints of +hinese imperial decrees translated into .rench. Three other titles (presented here in full) published around the same time illustrate the eclectic nature of the series" No. 1 Tchang Tche-t’ong Vice-Roi du Hou-koang, K’ien-Bio P’ien [Exhortation à l’Étude] Ouvrage traduit du Chinois, par Jérôme Tobar S.J. et précédé d’une notice biographique par J. Em. 4emière, Rédacteur en chef de L’Écho de Chine (1898). No. 3 P. Bons d’Anty Consul de France Excursions dans le pays chan chinois et dans les montagnes de thé Avec carte en couleur des régions parcourues par l’auteur dessinée par J. Em. 4emière d’après l’original de *. Gif fault (1900). No. 4 Koang Siu et T’se-hi Empereur de Chine et Impératrice douairière Dé crets impériaux 1898. Traduits du chinois par Jérôme Tobar S.J. Avec préface, tables, et notes explicatives par J. Em. 4emière, Rédacteur en chef de L’Écho de Chine (1900). 9

The other active writer and editor in this series was Jérôme Tobar (18–1917), a Spanish Jesuit missionary who Årst arrived in +hina at the Kiangnan Mission in Hankow in 1880. He was Æuent in +hinese and published numerous studies in Sinology and the history of +hristianity and Judaism in +hina.20 19 Gustave Sch ege and H. +ordier, T’oung Pao, pour servir à l’étude de l’histoire, des langues, de la géographie, et de l’ethographie de l’asie orientale (Chine, Japon, Corée, Indo chine, Asia Centrale, et Malaisie), series II, vo . 4 (4eiden" Imprimerie E. J. *ri , 1903), 10. The ast tit e is of particu ar interest to scho ars of +hina since it represents European interest in the reform movement aunched by Emperor Guangsu and ater quashed by Empress Dowager +ixi. 20 .or Tobar, see the obituary in the Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 49 1 (Shanghai" Ke ey & Wa sh, 1918), 16.

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The preface to Raquez’s book was written by a very di‫ٺ‬erent type of man. General +hen Jitong (181–1907) was a .rench-speaking +hinese writer and diplomat who spent time in Paris. A bon vivant as well as a diplomat, he was known for casting a Æamboyant Ågure in Parisian circles. +hen Jitong married a .rench woman in 1890 before leaving Paris and settling in Shanghai in 1891, though, as we shall see, he would return to Paris brieÆy in 189.2 In +hapter Eight, Raquez suggests that he knew +hen in Paris, and we know that +hen was familiar with at least two Ågures (on whom more in a moment) who accompanied Raquez on his travels up the Auan River. After its publication as a book, Au Pays des Pagodes acted as a vehicle for spreading Raquez’s reputation as a writer. It was republished in .rance in 1901 by Maisonneuve as part of the 4ibrairie d’Amérique et d’Orient series (cost" 12 francs) and was reviewed in at least two international publications.22 The review printed in the Bulletin de l’École Française d’Extrême Orient, published in Hanoi, was approving. The anonymous reviewer noted that, while the genre of travel writing is generally dull, Raquez’s book was an exception. It is praised for its simple, frank, and cheerful outlook. Raquez is an excellent and enRoyable guide, the reviewer notes, and despite some sloppiness in the scholarship, the book is shrewdly observed, and, in the reviewer’s opinion, demonstrates patriotic concern for .rance’s interests in the .ar East.23 The Bulletin was published by .rançois-Henri Schneider (181– 1923), who would publish Raquez’s next book, entitled Pages Laotiennes, in 1902, which details a Rourney through 4aos immediately following his +hina trip. Subsequently, Raquez was to write almost exclusively for Schneider’s Indochinese periodicals, particularly La Revue Indochinoise and L’Avenir du Tonkin. It was while traveling to 4aos that Raquez penned a letter to Adolphe *risson (1860–192), the editor of the respected Annales Politiques et

21 On +hen’s iterary activities as we as co orfu persona ife, see +atherine Vance Aeh, “The 4ife-Sty e of .our Wenren in 4ate Qing Shanghai,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 7" 2 (December 1997), 419 470. 22 Bibliographie Française, 1900 1904 series II, vo . 1 (Paris" 4ibrairie H. 4e Soudier, 1908), 612. 23 Bulletin de l’École Française d’Extrême Orient 1 (1901)" 37 38

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Littéraires, which he sent along with a review copy of Au Pays des Pagodes. 4uckily, *risson published Raquez’s letter along with his review. Raquez tells *risson that he writes from the “packet boat Haiphong o‫ ٺ‬the coast of Annam.”24 In the letter, he describes himself as a freelance “explorer without a mission.” He claims that two thousand copies of Au Pays des Pagodes were printed and that the Årst thousand sold in the .ar East in Rust one month. Intrigued and amused, *risson gives the book a glowing review, which concludes by saying" “.rom the Annales, I send the valiant Mr. Raquez, who continues, amid dangers, his beautiful explorations, a cordial and fraternal Salut ”2 Raquez’s work was noticed elsewhere, including in the .rench capital. An article in the newspaper Le Journal of March 14, 1900 by Rournalist and explorer Jean Hess (1862–1926), entitled “4a Grace et Volupté +hinoises,” mentions the book and its author favorably. As Hess also wrote an article for the August 22–23, 1899 issue of Schneider’s L’Avenir du Tonkin, which covers the visit of +ambodian King Norodom to .rance, it is possible that he was aware of Raquez’s writing on Schneider’s recommendation. What can be stated with certainty is that Joseph Gervais Æed .rance in 1898 to escape bankruptcy and arrest. Two years later, Alfred Raquez was making a name for himself in Paris as a writer and explorer of the .ar East. .or a man on the lamb, Gervais had chosen excellent camouÆage" he was hiding in plain sight. OTHER THAN RUNNING FROM THE law and concealing his true identity, what was Gervais doing in Asia' To an “explorer without a mission,” the .rench possessions in the Orient o‫ٺ‬ered an attractive frontier in which to hide while maintaining ties to the motherland. .or all the time Raquez spends in urban centers such as Shanghai and Hanoi – both of which, he tells us, remind him of home – he can also quickly disappear into the hinterlands of Guizhou or 4aos. Thanks to this dual 24 On page 34 of Pages Laotiennes, he c aims to be on the Haiphong on December 31, 1899 at Tourane, the o d .rench name for Da Nang in modern Vietnam. Pages Laotiennes: Notes de Voyage Le Haut Laos, Le Moyen Laos, Le Bas Laos (Hanoi" .. H. Schneider, 1902). A subsequent references are to this edition. 2 Les Annales politiques et littéraires: Revue populaire paraissant le dimanche 888 (Ju y 1, 1900)" 12 13.

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focus, his work provides a unique perspective on the .rench colonial experience in Asia. Raquez arrived in +hina amidst what has been described as one of the most dynamic decades in +hinese history. To local observers, more changes were happening more quickly than ever before, and this was largely due to the impact of Western imperialism – which brought with it new ideologies and technologies – as well as humiliating military incursions by Japan.26 The key changes that a‫ٺ‬ected local economic structures and ruling elites and led directly to the civil conÆicts that would eventually establish the modern +hinese Republic can be traced to this period" the rise of the mercantile comprador as a political force# the imperial reform and “self-strengthening” movements that attempted to adopt Western methods to help modernize +hinese industry (and were frequently quashed)# attacks on missionaries in remote provinces and the legacy of ethnic strife in the border regions, such as the Miao =prisings and *lack .lag movements# industrial strikes, the expansion of the Western concessions, and the rumblings of the incipient *oxer Rebellion" Raquez was a front row witness to this nexus of rapid change in the +elestial Kingdom. While the .rench were actively expanding their .ar East colonial territories, public opinion on the value of this enterprise back home was far from unanimous. There were both pro- and anti-expansion factions, and books such as this one were part and parcel of a propaganda drive meant to sway the .rench populace in the direction of seeing the virtues – economic, spiritual, political, and otherwise – of colonial expansion into Asia, which was reaching a crescendo during Raquez’s time in the .ar East. In the aftermath of the .ranco–+hinese War of 1884–188, .rance gained control of the territory of Tonkin (now northern Vietnam), which led to the formation of the Indo–+hinese =nion in 1887 (4aos was added in 1893). It was from this base that the .rench began a push into southern +hina. In 1898, the small territory of Kouang-TchéouWan (Guangzhouwan) in Guangdong Province was leased for 99 years from the Qing government. In addition, a large sphere of inÆuence 26 See Marianne *astid-*ruguière,“+urrents of Socia +hange,” The Cambridge History of China, vo . 11, part 2, ed. D. Twitchett et a . (+ambridge" +ambridge =niversity Press, 2006), 3.

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was exercised over the southern provinces bordering Tonkin, especially Aunnan, with the aim of exploiting mineral and other resources. This later stage of .rench colonial activities in +hina has been labeled “soft imperial expansion” because it involved treaties and railway construction rather than gunboats and infantry. Raquez’s book takes the reader directly into the heart of this process. His visit to the .rench +oncession in Shanghai, the largest concentration of .rench citizens in the .ar East outside of Indochina, came when the concession was growing. It had been established in 1849, but it was not until 1899 that signiÅcant expansion rights were granted, thereby enlarging the .rench claim from 66 to 144 hectares. However, this came at the price of friction with local landholders, which, as Raquez vividly describes, could quickly spill over into violent riots. The second half of this book Ånds Raquez in Hunan province, voyaging up the Auan River with a mining entrepreneur, his *elgian engineers, an Italian doctor, and a local potentate. This Rourney puts a face to what could otherwise be seen as numbingly dull colonial economic activity. It is one thing to say that a .rench company opened a mercury mine in remote Guizhou. It is another to read about the human exertion required to pull o‫ ٺ‬such a feat. The leader of the expedition, in which Raquez becomes what would today be called an “embedded Rournalist,” was a man named jmile de Marteau (dates unknown). An Austrian citizen, de Marteau was an engineer and manager with the Société Générale d’jtudes Industrielles et de Travaux Publics en +hine, formed in January 1899 in Shanghai. Originally, the company operated as the Syndicat d’jtudes Industrielles et de Travaux Publics en +hine (formed in April 189) or, as it was known colloquially, the “de Marteau Syndicate,” an organization that was approached in 1897 to build the Peking–Hankow railway. In the event, the commission went to another company.27 jmile de Marteau is also listed as advisor to the Anglo-.rench Quicksilver and Mining +oncession of +hina 4td., which, as Raquez points out in the Ånal chapter of this book, gained access to the mining rights the Syndicat d’jtudes had obtained in 1898. According to a 27 See Robert 4ee, France and the Exploitation of China: A Study in Economic Imperialism, 1885 1901 (Oxford" Oxford =niversity Press, 1989), 64. Hereafter “France and the Exploitation of China.”

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prospectus published in The Economist newspaper, the mining rights the syndicate obtained were awarded by imperial edict on .ebruary 8, 1898 and extended to all mercury, coal, and iron deposits in Guizhou province as well as to the defunct ironworks at Qingxi.28 According to collectible bonds, the mercury mines obtained by the Anglo–.rench Quicksilver and Mining +oncession were located at Wanshan in Tongren Prefecture. This is close to the town of Qingxi (Qingxizhen on modern maps), the principal destination of the Rourney described in the second half of this book, in the county of Zhenyuan near the border of Guizhou and Hunan provinces on the Wu River (the name of the upper portion of the Auan). Qingxi was the site of the Kweichow Mining and Ironworks, set up in the late 1880s with +hinese government funding. It used equipment imported from Europe and relied on Western-trained +hinese engineers and managers. However, the plant was not successful and closed in 1893.29 The trip Raquez makes with de Marteau in 1899 was meant to investigate the possibility of reopening the foundries and mines on behalf of the Syndicat d’jtudes. *ut how did Raquez come to travel with de Marteau in the Årst place' He does not tell us, but there are hints here and there in the historical record. jmile de Marteau met +hen Jitong, the author of the foreword to this book, in Paris in 189.30 +hen also knew +hen Mingyuan ('–1920), the mandarin who accompanied de Marteau and Raquez on this trip and is listed as a second advisor to the Anglo-.rench Quicksilver and Mining +oncession. +hen Mingyuan was an assistant taotai in Guang28 The Economist, March 2, 1899, 43. On de Marteau’s invo vement, see 4. de 4aunay, La Géologie et les Richesses Minérales de L’Asie (Paris" 4ibrairie Po ytechnique, 1911), 13, and Dieter *rte , Frankreich im fernen Osten: imperialistische Expansion in Siam und Malaya, Laos und China, 1880 1904 (Wiesbaden" .ranz Steiner Ver ag, 1996), 08. On other Ang o-.rench mining consortiums, especia y in Aunnan, see France and the Exploitation of China, 26. 29 See .ang Aibing, “The *eginning of the Transfer of Western Iron and Stee Techno ogy to East Asia" A +omparison between the Kamaishi Ironworks, Japan and Qingxi Ironworks, +hina,” Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology 32 (2011)" 43 471. 30 Ke Ren, “.in-de-Sièc e Dip omat" +hen Jitong (182 1907) and +osmopo itan Possibi ities in the 4ate Qing Wor d” (PhD diss, Johns Hopkins =niversity, 2014), 271 272.

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dong Province and had acquired the lease for the Qingxi ironworks in 1898. However, they were never reopened and the license lapsed in 1907.3 It is possible that +hen Jitong put Raquez in touch with de Marteau and +hen Mingyuan, though we can only speculate on this point. Raquez’s description of his travels with these men into a remote region of +hina humanizes the trip in a way that dry historical accounts cannot. This springs from the fact that the book was begun as a Rournal. The tone is immediate and personal and crammed with excerpts from newspaper articles Raquez collected as well as photographs he took along the way. As noted above, Raquez’s writing is often a form of bricolage. He moves easily from his own impressions to information copied nearly verbatim from history books or travel guides, here and there inserting dinner menus, shipping timetables, translations of +hinese characters, and stories and Rokes told by others. Photographs and illustrations supplement this textual mélange. There are hand-drawn diagrams of dinner table seating arrangements, along with illustrations of +hinese money and carefully drawn depictions of military training exercises. Many of these images are lifted from other sources, a point only occasionally noted in the original footnotes. The situation is even more extreme for the photographs, for which almost no credits are given. The exception is noted in an Addenda page to the original publication, which informs us that the photo captioned “The .rench +ompany of Volunteers” shown in +hapter Ten was taken from a book entitled Notes sur les Monnaies et les Métaux Précieux en Chine, which was also published by Presse Orientale, in 1898. While Raquez is remembered today primarily for his photos of 4aos, research suggests that he did not in fact take many of those that appear in this book. Some are well-known historical images, including those of the beheaded pirates in Kowloon in +hapter One, while others appear in magazines or postcards. .or example, the photograph of the +hinese barber in +hapter Eleven clearly shows the embossed logo of the Singapore-based photographic Årm of Gustave Richard 4am-

31 We ington K. K. +han, Merchants, Mandarins, and Modern Enterprise in Late Ch’ing China (+ambridge" Harvard =niversity Press, 1977), 86 92.

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bert (1846–1907) and seems to have Årst been published in 4ambert’s Fotoalbum Singapur in 1890.32 The picture entitled “Genies Guarding a Temple (2)” in +hapter .ive also appeared in a volume of the East Asia Magazine published in 1903 by the North-+hina Herald newspaper o‫ٻ‬ce in Shanghai, which provides no photo credits either.33 Similarly, the image that appears in +hapter Two with the title “Street Scene – Shop Signs – Paving Stones” also appears on a postcard published in Hong Kong by the Sternberg +ompany, which was active from 190 to 192. The same company published as a postcard the image of the Æower boat that appears in +hapter Three. Neither of the Sternberg postcards o‫ٺ‬ers a photo credit. It is highly doubtful that Raquez took these photos then later sold them through *ritish publishers. More likely, as the use of the 4ambert photo indicates, Presse Orientale simply printed stock images in the book, which also made their way onto postcards and into other publications. However, Raquez does tell us that he had a camera with him in +hina and was actively taking pictures. He writes on January 13, 1899 that “The pretty little town of *ushei would be so interesting to photograph as it displays its opulent houses, its pavilions with their unusual curves, and the gates of its yamen in carved granite all along the river.” =nfortunately, the light is failing and he cannot get the picture. While the photographs taken in the European settlements of +anton and Shanghai may well have been reproduced from stock images, the pictures from Guizhou were most likely taken by Raquez. This can be assumed in part because, as Raquez himself testiÅes, very few Europeans trekked through that part of +hina, fewer still bought souvenir images of the territory, and even fewer carried their own photographic equipment. Moreover, the images themselves are of lesser quality, which indicates an amateur hand. Raquez hints that one of the photographs from Guizhou was taken by himself. The picture entitled “Group of Miao Women” in +hapter 32 The image is printed on page 167 of John .a coner, A Vision of the Past: A History of Early Photography in Singapore and Malaya: The Photographs of G. R. Lambert & Co., 1880 1910 (Singapore" Times Editions, 1987). 33 *one, +. “+anton.” The East of Asia Magazine vo . II (1903)" 19 211, 209.

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Twenty is captioned “Snapshot taken from the sedan chair. On the left of the photograph, the shaft of the chair is visible.” This is the sort of raw image and almost live comment modern readers have come to expect from a backpacker’s blog, and in a way, Raquez’s book, with its loose Årst-person narration and bricolage of text and images, reads like a forerunner of travel blogs. And very much like that of a modern trekker, Raquez’s traveling equipment inspires reverence as it becomes as much a part of the record of the Rourney as the memories and the souvenirs. In +hapter .ive, he tells us that the camera he is using is a Vérascope Richard. He would mention this same camera four years later in his book Entrée Gratuite" .or ten years, we have used the Vérascope Richard. Our device walked all latitudes during its seven years in the colonies and took a bath for one hour in the rapids of the Mekong. The camera has not been taken back to .rance since, and several photo engravings of this work CEntrée Gratuite] come from its Zeiss lens. This relieves me of longer arguments. Over 3,000 positives on glass obtained from Guilleminot plates allow us to recreate our trips from time to time and to recall feelings experienced earlier.34

The Vérascope Richard was a small, lightweight, hand-held camera that took pictures stereoscopically, that is, on two slightly o‫ٺ‬set images. A special stereoscopic device was required to view the glass plates, though it was also possible to print the images (the Guilleminot +ompany also manufactured developing paper).3 Raquez would stay true to his machine. Nearly ten years after his trip through +hina, he was responsible for organizing and collecting all the materials for the 4aos Pavilion at the Marseille Exposition of 1906. There, he set up two stereoscopes so that visitors could “Rourney to 4aos by examining one hundred plates in a Vérascope Richard.”36 AFTER HIS TRIP TO CHINA, Raquez was to spend a year touring 4aos. The country must have struck a chord with him – or perhaps it was a 34 Entrée Gratuite, 300. 3 Didier +abiddu, “Raquez and Photography,” in Old Postcard Series Vol. 1: Laos. Lao Postcards by Alfred Raquez: A Collection of his 166 Postcards from 1906, ed. D. Ande (*angkok" White 4otus Press, 201), 271 272. A further references are to this edition. 36 L’Indo Chine à L’Exposition Coloniale de Marseille 1906 (Marsei e" Imprimerie Marsei aise, 1906), 167.

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good place for Joseph Gervais to be Alfred Raquez – for 4aos came to be his habitual haunt for the few years of life he had remaining. Raquez writes that in 1901 and 1902 he organized caravans of pirogues and elephants that traveled 180 kilometers between Pak Hin *oun in 4aos and Vinh in Annam.37 The claim brings to mind the plot of Werner Herzog’s 1982 Ålm Fitzcarraldo, in which a Rungle-bound, turn-of-the-century entrepreneur attempts an impossible feat of Rungle transit for grandiose reasons, and there is more than a passing resemblance between the real-life explorer and Herzog’s opera-loving Åctional character. Despite this success, the intrepid frontiersman also longed for the urbane pleasures a metropolis could a‫ٺ‬ord. *y 1903, Raquez had settled in Hanoi at 6 Rue Gia-long (now *o TriɎu Street). He had been a maRor contributor to La Revue Indochinoise since 1902 and would take over as Editorial Director in 1904, profoundly changing the look and feel of the publication. His new position was announced – and the new format launched – in the January 1904 issue. The changes included a wider purview, with articles covering history, geography, ethnography and folklore as opposed to mere news. The Rournal was now issued bi-monthly instead of weekly and followed a book layout as opposed to a newspaper column format, which allowed for longer articles of more depth.38 Another of Raquez’s innovations was a new .ar East press review section that included excerpts from regional newspapers. It is surely no coincidence that his Årst publisher, L’Écho de Chine, was excerpted frequently. In 1904, the explorer without a mission Ånally secured one. The Government of Indochina gave him 11,00 francs for “Mission Raquez,” a Åfteen-month expedition through upper Tonkin and 4aos to collect material for the 1906 +olonial Exposition in Marseille.39 Raquez details this trip in dispatches in the Revue Indochinoise, starting from his departure from Hanoi in November 1904.40 He trekked through some of the most remote regions of 4aos, lugging with him 37 “De a côte d’Annam au Mékong" 4a mission *i ès,” La Revue Indochinoise 2"6 (September 30, 1904), 430 442. 38 “Aux 4ecteurs,” La Revue Indochinoise 1"1 (January 1, 1904), 1 2. 39 Bulletin o‫ٻ‬ciel de l’Indochine française, 1905, vo . 3 (Hanoi" .. H. Schneider, 1906), 192. 40 “Vers e 4aos,” La Revue Indochinoise 3"8 (Apri 30, 190), 6 8.

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not only his photographic equipment but also a Pathé phonograph, along with both recorded music and blank cylinders so he could record sounds on the trail. The photographs were printed and sold as postcards, while the cylinders were available for visitors to hear at the 4aos Pavilion at the +olonial Exposition, which ran from April to November of 1906.4 On April 21, 1906, Raquez gave a talk about statues and bronzes found in 4aos to the International +ongress of Anthropology and Prehistoric Archaeology in Monaco. He is described in the conference proceedings as an explorer and editor of La Revue Indochinoise.42 Two months later, he was back in Paris to receive what would be the highest acknowledgement in the brief life of Alfred Raquez. According to an article in La Presse newspaper, Raquez attended a ceremony on June 18 hosted by the Société d’Encouragement au *ien at the +irque d’Hiver theater in Paris. He received a Medal of Honor from the Ministry of War, presumably for his Mission to 4aos. The +ommissioner General of the Exposition, Jules-+harles Roux (1841–1918), also received a medal at this ceremony.43 According to this newspaper, three Indochinese Ågures accompanied Raquez and each also received a medal" Khou Sing, from Southern 4aos, a head monk of the Maha-Nicai sect# Duong Van Hinh, born in Annam, the second interpreter on Raquez’s 4aos mission# and Tran Van Than, born in Tonkin, who apparently spoke perfect .rench and supported a family of eleven. 41 See Wi iam 4. Gibson, “Sao Si and the Postcards from the 1906 +o onia Exposition in Marsei e,” Old Postcard Series Vol. 1: Laos, 293 298. 42 Congrès international d’anthropologie et d’archéologie préhistoriques: Compte rendu de la treizième session, Monaco, 1906 (Monaco" Imprimerie de Monaco, 1907 1908), 2" 113. 43 There is a mistaken be ief that Raquez was awarded a go d meda at the 1906 +oonia Exposition. This error Årst appears in the obituary pub ished on January 1, 1907 in La Revue Indochinoise. It was repeated by Degroise in her brief biography of Raquez in Des Photographes en Indochine (2001), in which she cites the obituary as her source (see note above), and it has subsequent y been repeated e sewhere, inc uding the on ine biography at co ection- aos.cabiddu.net'p 16 ( ast updated January 10, 2007), and Old Postcard Series Vol. 1: Laos, page two. Raquez served on a Rury for the Exposition awards in the ro e of Rapporteur in the category “Archeo ogy, Ancient Arts, Re igious Arts.” However, there is no indication that he won any meda . See Aimé *ouis, Le Livre d’or de Marseille, de son commerce, et de ses industries (Marsei e" Typographie and 4ithographie A. Ged, 1907), 423, for his ro e as we as a ist of a meda categories and recipients.

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INTRODUCTION

After the Exposition closed, Raquez stayed on in Marseille. It would prove to be his last stop. He died from smallpox in his house on the +orniche at 10 Plage du Prado on the night of January 10, 1907. The cause of death was reported in several newspapers, though it does not appear on the death certiÅcate.44 It was rumored that he committed suicide by poison because his true identity had been discovered. However, no supporting evidence for this conRecture has been uncovered.4 Two witnesses, Antoine Georges Amédée Ernest Outrey (1863– 1941) the Inspector of +ivil Services of Indochina, and Gaspard Galy (dates unknown), a local Rournalist, identiÅed the body as “Alfred Raquez.” This indicates that he was living incognito Rust as he had traveled and that his true identity was unknown even to his associates. About a month after his death, someone went to Marseille to set the record straight. .ollowing a court order, the name “Raquez” is crossed out on the death certiÅcate and the name Joseph-Nicolas-.erdinand Gervais appears in a hand-written emendation. Despite the change, both men, the real and the persona, are identiÅed as “explorers.” Above are some of the basic facts known about Raquez. A lack of critical scholarship has meant that speculative gossip constitutes much of what currently passes for research into his life. .or example, in +hapter Nine, Raquez mentions Aristide *ruant (181–192), a famous Parisian cabaret singer and proliÅc author, perhaps best recognized today as the man in the red scarf in posters by Henri de Toulouse-4autrec. The name “Raquez” appears in Volume .our of *ruant’s sprawling, 2,400-page Rabelaisian novel Les Bas fonds de Paris, published serially between 1892 and 1902. While hiding in Paris pretending to be another character named Raquedalle, the character TapHoar, the Åctitious MaharaRah of Seringapatam, uses the pseudonym 44 See Le Figaro, Le XIXe siècle, and Le Rappel newspapers of January 12, 1907. 4 The conRecture is mentioned in *rébion’s 193 Dictionnaire de bio bibliographie générale, which is the on y biographica materia on Raquez pub ished in the twentieth century. *rébion does not say who it was who uncovered Raquez’s true identity and, as noted above, neither does he revea Raquez’s true name. However, *rébion’s innuendos cannot be dismissed easi y. He was an administrator in the .rench co onia service who arrived in Indochina in 1884 and remained unti 1912 (born in 4yon in 187, he died in Paris in 1917). Whi e there, he was a so active as a Rourna ist and worked on La Revue Indochinoise, a beit about ha f a decade after Raquez’s death. Even if he did not meet the man in person, it is ike y that he wou d have known peop e who knew and worked with him.

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“Raquez” to publish a pharmaceutical magazine entitled Pilule dorée, or, “The Golden Pill.” *ruant’s Roke, published after Au Pays des Pagodes appeared under Raquez’s name in L’Écho de Chine, indicates that some readers in Paris were aware that “Raquez” was a pseudonym. *ruant’s novel is written in Parisian argot, and the name Raquedalle is itself a pun" a combination of “raquer,” or being forced to pay a debt or to pay an excessive price (similar to the American slang phrase “cough it up”), and “que dalle,” which means “nothing at all,” similar to the American “zilch” for zero.46 Despite this use of argot, *ruant’s novel generated a belief that Raquez’s real name was Raquedalle and that he was a homosexual pharmacist who sold dodgy sex pills in Paris before Æeeing to the .ar East.47 Or again, various sources o‫ٺ‬er di‫ٺ‬ering dates on which Raquez assumed the role of Editorial Director of La Revue Indochinoise, ranging from 1897 to 1904, sometimes within a single publication. None of these publications cites primary research from La Revue Indochi noise.48 If such a minor point leads to confusion, it is hardly surprising that more critical questions remain unanswered. How did he manage to fool so many people' Did he receive any help in his deception, and if so, from whom' One period source indicates that he worked alone and essentially charmed his way into his relatively high position in the colonial order, and further that he tricked everyone until his true identity

46 “4e *agne des Gosses,” Les Bas fonds de Paris, vo . 4 (Paris" *arthème .ayard and +ompany, 1900), 9, 33, 34, and 36. 47 “=nderground rumor has it that Raquez, in his Parisian ife and under another name, Raqueda e, was a pharmacist (or at east passed as one) who had marketed some pi s to which dubious qua ities had been ascribed. This may have caused him enough troub e for him to depart for the co onies in 1898.” Around Laos in 1900, A Photographer’s Adventures, trans. Wa ter Tips (*angkok" White 4otus Press, 2012), 32, n. 29. This is Raquez’s book Pages Laotiennes, with the changed tit e high ighting the modern perception of Raquez primari y as a photographer. The “underground rumor” is repeated and embe ished further in the Introduction to Old Postcard Series Vol. 1" Laos. See pages three, e even, and 17. Neither book o‫ٺ‬ers a source for its c aims. 48 Degroise sets the year as 1901# *rébion c aims 1903. In Old Postcard Series Vol. 1: Laos, Ande c aims the year 1901 on page two, whi e on page 321, note two, the year given is 1897. The biography that appears on the postcard co ection website of D. +abiddu (see =R4 above) ists the year as 1904.

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INTRODUCTION

was uncovered after his death. However, these suggestions appear in a polemical newspaper and have yet to be independently veriÅed.49 We also know next to nothing about Gervais’s private life. His death certiÅcate indicates that Gervais was married to a woman named 4aure-Rachelle-Marie *oitelle, however this is the only mention of this person in the documents thus far uncovered. The reader will Ånd that he often reveals a fondness for attractive women (and would seem to know a suspicious amount about Parisian prostitutes). *ut the book also contains descriptions of men that occasionally betray a homoerotic tension. Was Raquez gay' *isexual' Or, like many otherwise straight Western men who come to the .ar East, did he discover an unexpected attraction to younger, androgynous Asian males' Did he act on these attractions' We can only speculate, and the few hints he o‫ٺ‬ers in his publications must be taken with a pinch of salt. The man was, after all, a con artist. A paragraph from the obituary published by his colleagues at La Revue Indochinoise sums up the Alfred Raquez the reader will encounter in this book as much as in the historical record" Although few even among those closest to him succeeded in piercing the secrets of his heart, it is entirely fair to say that Raquez was a stranger to no one here. He charmed all those who came close to him through the warmth of his welcome and hospitality and his invariably a‫ٺ‬able and smiling manner. As for the others, those who knew him only by name, he conquered them through the appeal and seductiveness of his writings.0

Comparing Costs In +hapter Ten, Raquez notes that “. . . life is not easy” for Europeans living in the Shanghai concessions, and that although “the salaries of government employees and of the heads and sta‫ ٺ‬of trading houses may seem high, . . . if one wishes to live up to one’s rank and not break with tradition, it is virtually impossible to accumulate savings.” 49 “4e .avoritisme et ses conséquences,” Le Courrier populaire de Dunkerque: Paraissant tous les quinze jours 168 (June 23, 1907), 1 2. The artic e consistent y misnames Raquez as “Raquer,” which is most ike y not a mistake but a de iberate insu t, since the phrase meant (as exp ained above) to be forced to pay a debt. The artic e states that Raquez’s untime y death was the work of .ate. 0 “A fred Raquez,” La Revue Indochinoise 1"49 (January 1, 1907), 1 2.

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To give a sense of the day-to-day economic realities of colonial life in *elle jpoque +hina not only for those in positions of power but also for working masses eking out a living by performing menial duties for their masters, Raquez provides a wealth of details about prices and relative values in no fewer than nine currencies. Of these, the franc is the most frequently quoted as Raquez aims to give his readers a sense of costs in terms familiar to them, followed by the Hong Kong dollar. The others are the =S (gold) dollar, the +hinese dollar, and the pound sterling, and especially the tael, the sapèque, the silver sycee, and the Mexican piastre. Even the humble sou, .rance’s answer to *ritain’s shilling and also worth one-twentieth of its parent unit, makes an appearance. .or ease of comparison, all examples below have been standardized to a =S dollar equivalent adRusted for loss of purchasing power between 1898 and 201, suggesting that late 19th century =S dollar values should be multiplied by 30 to yield present-day equivalents based on the information available at www.measuringworth.com. *ased on the exchange rates provided in the book, at the turn of the 20th century, one =S dollar was worth Åve francs or two Hong Kong dollars. In other words, 10 Hong Kong dollars in Raquez’s wallet would amount to 10 today, and a purchase costing 100 francs would set him back $600. If life was tough for expatriates, it was a good deal tougher for locals. On several occasions, Raquez comments that “manpower is extremely cheap.” In +hina’s Western Guizhou Province, a skilled carpenter could be hired for $2.2 a day. Even after deducting the agent’s “inevitable squeeze,” this must have been a living wage as “the +hinese live well on pork, rice, and vegetables” for 7 cents a day. In fact, it may have seemed an enviable option for the “mechanics” toiling away in the Kowloon shipyards for $36 a month, or $1.20 a day, while their “foreman” would have considered himself privileged to have $330 a month at his disposal. On his Rourney up the Auan River, Raquez comes across gold panners struggling to earn $1.20 a day as well as “a crowd of destitute individuals in rags” working deep inside a mercury mine for $3 a day, a right they earned only after paying the government a fee of $9 “per month per hammer.” Not surprisingly, beauty trumped brawn. In one of Shanghai’s .oochow Road cabarets, a “pretty doll” could earn $1 simply by Roining – xxx –

INTRODUCTION

carousers at their table, while an equally comely singer was rewarded with the same sum per song for a contribution that rarely took up “more than 1 minutes” of her time. .or less decorative or talented mortals, life could be harsh and punishments severe. When following his *ritish master’s orders, a +hinese servant threw “boiling water over some rats caught in a trap,” devotion to duty cost him (but not his master) “a $300 Åne and 200 strokes of the cane.” Girls could be tra‫ٻ‬cked into service (or worse) at a very young age" witness the “sweet child” from Saigon sold in +anton by her adoptive mother for $3,000 “to a European who lives in one of the coastal ports,” with the quayside transaction witnessed by an incredulous Raquez in broad daylight. A few tears are shed, but as “the mama carefully stores the bank bills into a chest,” the girl casually “picks up her bundle and boards a boat about to sail for Hong Kong.” As though the horrors of frequent public executions were not enough, dealing with the aftermath was expensive, even for wealthy families. When on the Empress Dowager’s orders “the executioners sent six heads tumbling in the presence of a huge crowd,” following “negotiations with the executioners,” it cost “friends and families” of the victims between $10,00 and $16,800 to be “permitted to remove the corpses during the night” and avoid the agony of seeing them publicly displayed “for Åve days,” as was the norm. .or expatriates stranded on these alien shores, salaries were set at levels calculated to attract – and retain – faithful servants of Empire, with even a fourth-class assistant in the *ritish-run +ustoms Service earning $70,000 a year. While hiring standards were high, for the successful candidate, generous rewards made the trip to 4ondon to take the civil service examination worthwhile as, in addition to the prospect of a mouth-watering salary, “the happy new functionary immediately receives a Årst-class ticket to Shanghai” in addition to a cash payment of $1,000 “to cover the cost of the purchases necessary to his relocation,” plus, if married, “half the travel costs incurred by his wife and servants.” Once in post, enRoying the good life while keeping up appearances was not always beyond reach. In +anton, led by a friend from his Saigon days up to the ri‫ٺ‬-ra‫ٺ‬-free heights of a restaurant, Raquez samples “cakes . . . , candied fruit . . . , Rellies, dumplings, nougats, compotes, and of course the traditional cup of tea” for a mere $1.0 for two. At the more discriminating end of the social scale, Rust $10 per annum – xxxi –

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allowed members of the prestigious Hong Kong +lub to “enRoy all of life’s comforts,” not the least of which were .rench newspapers. *ut for Shanghai residents, “the most modestly furnished room – and they are hard to Ånd – costs” $3,000 a month, an outlay not unfamiliar to modern-day renters in New Aork or 4ondon. In addition, the master of even “a humble bachelor establishment” felt compelled “to engage a boy and a coolie” and to “purchase a rickshaw and hire a runner by the month” for $10–120. If government service or business required travel further aÅeld, passage on “one of those superb river vessels . . . that ply the Pearl River and the Aangtze” cost $128 one way for the relatively short distance from Hong Kong to +anton, even if the fare included “free travel for one personal attendant,” who in any case would be consigned to “the vast hall reserved for the +hinese passengers . . . encamped among a mountain of parcels, bags, and trunks.” Nor did the spending stop there as a modest ti‫ٻ‬n lunch cost the traveling functionary a steep $22.0. .or Raquez and those other “excellent but all-too-rare .renchmen” he names, “disseminating the charms of our race” in the .ar East was a costly enterprise.

Translation and Images With the exception of historical place names (e.g., Peking, Amoy, +anton, Hankow, etc.), +hinese place and peoples’ names have been written in Pinyin. However, to maintain a period Æavor, street names have been retained as they appeared in contemporary use (e.g., .oochow Street, not .uzhou Street). One problem we encountered with identifying +hinese names is that Raquez does not use a consistent system for romanizing +hinese. Rather, he seems to follow a proto-version of the jcole .rançaise d’Extrwme Orient (E.EO) system, based more or less on the spellings adopted by .rench missionaries but which was not formalized until 1902. He did not speak the language, and often seems to have transliterated +hinese names by ear. To make matters even more di‫ٻ‬cult, the romanized spellings are often inconsistent within the text, sometimes within a single chapter. Add to this the issue of typographical errors he himself notes in his comments on the publishing process of the book – xxxii –

INTRODUCTION

(quoted above), and transliterating his proto-E.EO romanization into Pinyin is a tricky business. One example of his phonetic spelling occurs on page 297 of the original book. Raquez spells the name of a village on the Auan River as “Sha-ah-ki.” While E.EO “ki” corresponds to Pinyin “Ri,” neither “sha” nor “ah” occur in E.EO. One guess is that he heard the word for “sand,” which is shǴ (㱁), with a long “a” vowel. This means that “sha-ah” would represent shǴ, in which case the name of this village can be written as “ShaRi” in Pinyin (without the diacritical mark). To compound matters, elsewhere he writes “ki” to stand for “xi.” So does he mean ShaRi or Shaxi' We do not know because no village of either name appears on modern maps for his stated location on the Auan River. In sum, while identifying the names of well-known persons, provinces, maRor cities and towns, and geographic features is relatively easy, Raquez also wrote down the name of every village where he and his party spent the night as they traveled far up the Auan River. Identifying these small places proved to be a Herculean task. .or the names of places or persons we could not positively identify, we transliterated his proto-E.EO romanizations into Pinyin using the Index Translationum norms suggested by =NES+O in conRunction with a reconceptualization from the word-sound correspondence between spoken +hinese and Raquez’s phonetic spellings. .or the names of provinces and places that no longer exist, we used Richard’s Comprehensive Geography of the Chinese Empire and Dependences, published in 1908, to retain period spellings. .or 19th-century Parisian argot, we consulted the 1889 edition of Dictionnaire de la langue verte, by Alfred Delvau (182–1867), and Dic tionnaire d’argot moderne (1888), by 4ucien Rigaud (dates unknown). Raquez appears to have been Æuent in English (for example, he translated excerpts from English newspapers into .rench for publication in La Revue Indochinoise). Words Raquez originally wrote in English in Au Pays des Pagodes are here printed in italics. Obvious errors such as spelling or grammatical mistakes have been silently corrected. The images are reproduced from an original 1900 Shanghai edition of Au Pays des Pagodes. While they have been digitally enhanced for reproduction, we have made no e‫ٺ‬ort to retouch them. It will be noted – xxxiii –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

that the images are often of poor quality, somewhat akin to newspaper print, with murky exposure and much surface noise. +omparison with other editions of Au Pays des Pagodes shows that these deÅciencies were part of the original print quality and are not speciÅc to our copy of the book. The images the reader encounters here are essentially the same as would be found in an original edition. WE OFFER DEEP THANKS TO Aap Ker 4ing and +hee Wah Aong for their assistance in translating +hinese, and Gahl and Doris 4eddel for identifying place names in Hong Kong. Thank you also to Ke Ren and Donald S. Sutton for sharing their scholarship, and to Philippe Drillien and Dominique Geay-Drillien for their enthusiastic support. We express our deep gratitude to Gerald Jackson, David Stuligross, Don Wagner, and the rest of the team at NIAS Press for their endless patience and consummate professionalism. Thank you Sheila for the wonderful cover art. William L. Gibson Jakarta Paul Bruthiaux +hiang Mai October 2016

– xxxiv –

Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

From Hong Kong to Canton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canton and its Trades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Here and There in Canton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canton’s Pagodas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canton – The Port and the River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Macao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hong Kong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Yangtze River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Across Hunan on the Yuan River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On the Yuan River – Hunan: From Changde to the Border Guizhou - Qingxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guizhou – The Mercury Mines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Across Guizhou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guiyang-fu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Across Guizhou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Yuan River – The Canals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Yangtze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. .5 . 14 . 28 . 44 . 56 . 73 . 84 . 118 . 161 . 206 . 239 . 264 . 292 . 320 . 331 . 373 . 394 . 408 . 422 . 436 . 457 . 468

Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488

–v–

Figures A Chinese tribunal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Execution of the Namoa pirates at Kowloon (before) . . . . . . . . 6 Execution of the Namoa pirates at Kowloon (after) . . . . . . . . . 7 Shamian – The British bridge – The guardhouse – The canal – The Chinese city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Street scene – Shop signs – Paving stones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Monsignor Chausse and the Shamian French colony – The French consulate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 A Æower boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Temple of the Five Hundred Genies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 The yamen’s ruins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Genies guarding a temple (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Genies guarding a temple (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Macao: The marina and Praia Grande . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 The bust of Camões. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Hong Kong: View from the harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 The club – The Customs House – The Bund – The Whangpoo River – The French semaphore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 A wheelbarrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 The French ÅreÅghting company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Feminine types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Actors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Tombs in a Åeld along a creek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 French policeman – Prisoners paraded in the street – Chinese member of the French police force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 A tea house in the Chinese city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 A theater orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 La Fille Encombrante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Street scene in the International Concession . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 The French company of volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Soldiers at their post on the road to Zikawei . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Monks at prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Cannon practice at the K iangnan Arsenal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 The Longhua Road – The King of Beggars – The creek . . . . . 250 A barber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Inauguration of the Iltis monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 – vi –

CONTENTS

Prince Henry of Prussia and his orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 A bridal procession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Military examinations – The stone – The cutlass – Archery . . . . 289 Military examinations – Archery on horseback . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Fishermen and their hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 The Bund – The Yangtze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Orphan girls working cotton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 A houseboat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 A bridge along the route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 The bridge over the Yuan River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 1. Chinese puddling furnace (full view) 2. Chinese puddling furnace (cross-section) 3. Chinese bellows 4. Chinese furnace (vertical cross-section) 5. Chinese furnace (horizontal cross-section) . . . 388 A covered bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 The brush – A bunker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411 Bunkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415 Crossing a bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419 The Mandarin Road – Triumphal arches . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Group of Miao women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442 A halt before an inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451 Father Victorin’s corpse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465 A gunboat – Soldiers – The encampment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469 A bridge in the vicinity of Shashi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471 The pagoda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Maps Macao, Hong Kong, Canton Shanghai . . . . . . . . . . Guizhou Journey, part I . . . Guizhou Journey, part II . . Guizhou Journey, part III . .

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– vii –

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. 20 . 120 . 293 . 305 . 374

Foreword

When during my stay in Europe I began a series of studies of my country, I aimed to introduce Western readers to the true China, which is so imperfectly and superÅcially known there. With rare exceptions, accounts of travel Rustify the well-known saying: Long ways, long lies. I have read a number of books written by various globetrotters who called only brieÆy at one of our ports but who discuss China with the self-assurance of longtime residents, while other studies betray such bias that they clearly consist of preconceived ideas the author then tries to Rustify on the basis of dubious observations. Yet I must confess that my most recent visit to an ocean liner’s library left me deeply pensive even if it provided me with a brief moment of delicious merriment. The author of Voyages Pratiques au Japon, who in 1893 dedicated his book to the President of the Board of Messageries Maritimes,2 tells how the boy of M. C., one of Shanghai’s most respectable residents, acted as his guide in that city. But let the author’s own words speak for themselves: “Here is a lady of mature age, neatly dressed in shiny, brightly-colored fabrics but with both feet mutilated. – »So that story about squashed feet is true, then, is it'’ – »Yes,’ says the lad, »she is an adulteress.’” “So it is a punishment rather than a practice'” As Gavroche3 would say, you cannot improve on that. For practical purposes, Mr. Lecomte’s travels may be useful, but to whom? 1 François-Denis Lecomte (1819 19??) a so used the pseudonym “Dionys.” His Voyage Pratique au Japon was pub ished in Paris by Cha ame in 1892. 2 Louis Henri Armand Béhic (1801 1891). Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes, as it was known from 1871 to 1914, was one of the argest French shipping companies of the time, with a maRor presence in Asia. 3 Gavroche Thénardier, a Åctiona street urchin in Victor Hugo’s famous nove Les Misérables (1862).

–1–

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

For me, the real title of this book should be: “China as revealed by boys.” In another, more recent volume, the author tries to draw the reader’s attention by describing the Æower boats of Shanghai, a city where I have lived for six years without having ever heard of these pleasure crafts (as the author would have us imagine them). Finally, a third, more learned author states without hesitation that Chinese people are forbidden by their religion to eat pork and that my compatriots do not slaughter bu‫ٺ‬alos because, Rust like their womenfolk, they are useful to them for plowing their land. Obviously, these various accounts must be of interest to the public since their print runs show that they readily Ånd readers. The outlines of Chinese society I once penned must seem truly bland compared to these highly colorful depictions. But I Ånd it di‫ٻ‬cult to understand how such nonsense can be credited in an age when what matters most is the truth. In this sense, and regrettably for my friend A. Raquez, In the Land of Pagodas will not prove as diverting as the accounts of his predecessors. The author’s only merit is to give a bird’s eye view of the Orient; he depicts what he sees and writes what he thinks. If the book has a fault, it is an excess of sincerity. Serious readers will hold it in high regard, but how many of them are there?

A Chinese tribunal

–2–

FOREWORD

From the bottom of my heart, I pity poor Raquez, who, instead of aping the maRority, imposes upon himself the task of writing in the Åeld, day after day. Is he aware that sincerity can be harmful and that not all truths are Åt to be revealed? Still, In the Land of Pagodas is rolling o‫ ٺ‬the presses. Too bad for its author! As for me, I wish that all travelers would draw inspiration from someone who Rust spent several long months among us. If that were to happen, the European public would be better informed about our poor China and its peace-loving people, more than ever regarded as a negligible quantity. It would come to appreciate her true value, though not – I hope – to the point of wishing to devour her. The human heart being the same under all latitudes, our Western brothers would eventually discover maRor qualities in us if only we were presented as we are. We do not ask to be decked out, but neither do we wish to be disrobed, and we object to the boasts of various charlatans who add to our faces beauty spots that nature did not place there. I cannot share all the ideas, all the perceptions of the author of In the Land of Pagodas. But having often seen him at work, I have witnessed his determination to see for himself, his relentless desire to know and observe. To my mind, a traveler’s honest account is worth inÅnitely more than a proposal for universal disarmament or a peace conference. Such an account captures public opinion, forestalls misjudgments, and resolves the misunderstandings that often lead to war. Are those who inhabit our planet, at once so vast and so tiny, not destined to get along? They would agree with each other, appreciate each other, love each other if only they knew each other better. May Raquez’ book contribute one more stone to the ediÅce of fraternity. I wish it all the success it deserves. The author of In the Land of Pagodas does not depict China as Bazin did at the Opéra Comique: China is a charming country That we cannot fail to like. Everywhere tintinnabulations, Everywhere chimes!4 4 François Emmanue Joseph Bazin (1816 1878) was a French composer. His threeact comic opera Le Voyage en Chine was pub ished in Paris by Labiche et De acour in 1865 and Årst performed in 1866.

–3–

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

China is thousands of years old; her existence is based on its social life. So follow in Raquez’ footsteps. Make use of his reÆections, which move faster than steam or electricity. In a few short moments, he will enable you to travel the length and breadth of the Middle Kingdom. With such a guide by your side, you will not regret having set out on this journey. Have a good trip! CHEN JITONG5 Shanghai, November 15, 1899

5 See the Introduction for more information on Chen Jitong (1851 1907).

–4–

Chapter Ten

Shanghai At the French Theater – The Dongjiadu reservoirs – A great Hungarian nobleman – Chinese money – Horseracing – The French volunteers – European living – Zikawei

October 28 The French Dramatic Society is putting on a performance for the beneÅt of the French colony. Knowing what amateur performances are usually like, we head for the Lyceum Theater not without some concern. Happily, we are disabused. Everything is perfect. The attractive auditorium reminds me of the Menus-Plaisirs, with its armchairs, balconies, boxes, and orchestra. This is a select audience: the gentlemen in morning coat, the ladies in evening costume. The entire international elite has assembled to applaud our compatriots. The play to be performed is La Fille Encombrante, a diverting comedy by Guimbourg performed last year at the Théptre Déjazet.2 On stage, two charming young ladies from Shanghai’s society trade repartees like the best thespians with some of our friends from the Villa of the CertiÅable: Chosseler, Lemière, Payan, and Chapeaux. In Mr. Portier,3 one of our oldest residents in Shanghai, they have a model lead actor. 1 Based on his description, Raquez is most ike y referring to the Ita ian-sty e Théatre des Menus-P aisirs in the 10th arrondissement, not the Menus-P aisirs du Roi in Versai es. The Paris theater was opened in 1866 and kept that name unti 1874. It was ca ed the Théptre Antoine from 1897, and is sti open. 2 A bert Guimbourg (dates unknown; possib y a pseudonym). The p ay =ne Ålle encom brante# Comédie bou‫ٺ‬e en trois actes was pub ished in Paris in 1897 and performed at the Théatre Déjazet on February 3 of that year. See Le Rappel newspaper (February 4, 1897), 3. The Théptre Déjazet opened in 1859 in an ear ier theater origina y bui t in 1770 in the 3rd arrondissement. It changed names again severa times unti once again becoming the Déjazet in 1880. It remains open. 3 The Directory (1899) ists E. Portier, co ector, French Municipa Department. On Lemière, see the Introduction.

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SHANGHAI

La Fille Encombrante

Our amateurs are excellent. La Fille Encombrante is performed most brightly. As I watch the entire audience convulsing with laughter, I reÆect that one of the greatest surprises of my journey is this illusion of France and its theaters seen tonight 4,000 leagues from Place de l’Opéra.4 This French colony of Shanghai is well and truly alive as it succeeds in gathering around itself the cream of international society in this large and busy city. Bravo, my friends!

October 29 I propose to visit the waterworks, or the reservoirs of drinking water the French Municipality is building about three kilometers from the Concession. Walking along the Quai de France, we take a look at the immense wharf of the China Merchants Steam Company, the Chinese Shipping line. Further on is the eastern police station, built of red brick. One of its surrounding walls was completely destroyed by some Chinamen during last July’s events. The fury of these maniacs can easily 4 In the 9th arrondissement of Paris. This is the ocation of the famed Paris Opera House, the Pa ais Garnier, comp eted in 1875.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

be seen in this new and solidly built enclosure over two meters high, one-and-a-half bricks thick, and surmounted by a cement cornice, now reduced to rubble. We are on the Chinese Dongjiadu quay, along which runs a superb road, entirely sealed and Åtted with a guardrail on the side of the river. On the Whangpoo River sails an extraordinary number of junks of all kinds on which huge crowds swarm. On the other side of the road are solidly built Chinese houses. Then come the pig slaughterhouse and the pitiful-looking Chinese power plant followed by lumber yards piled with hundreds and hundreds of massive tree trunks. Some are curved and will be used to make the raised fore and aft sections of junks. =rns made of varnished earthenware are piled high into oddly assembled pyramids. The French Æag comes into view. We have arrived at the reservoirs along the Quai de Bezaure. The waterworks cover a substantial area. The three treatment pools will contain 45,000 cubic meters each. The river’s water will collect at high tide and slowly zigzag though a series of small cells where it will shed its impurities. The work is undertaken directly by the French Municipality. I observe the workers, many of them boys aged seven to twelve and toiling with extraordinary energy. These children are quite a sight as they carry on bamboo rods containers Ålled with water, mortar, or cement to the sound of a coolie’s guttural cries, or perched atop a wall, they shape a brick by striking it with their trowel before aligning it in a layer of mortar with the attention to detail of consummate masons. Most extraordinary! The waterworks manager explains that following local practice, he employs workers for a daily wage of 40 cents, with each worker having the option of selecting as a substitute an urchin on whom he keeps only a cursory watch and to whom he gives the equivalent of three or four of our sous. These unfortunate children are very brave, and I cannot but admire them as they buckle under the weight of their burden.

Sunday, October 30 A learned Hungarian, Count Eugène de Zichy,5 chamberlain and close 5 Count Eugène (Jen˟) de Zichy (1837 1906) was advisor to Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830 1916). Convinced that the Hungarian peop e originated in Circassia, he trav-

– 208 –

SHANGHAI

adviser to His Majesty the Emperor of Austria and Member of the Hungarian Parliament, has just arrived in Shanghai accompanied by a group of professors of archeology, philology, ethnography, and geology. Once we add a photographer-artist to the list, we will have accounted for all of the Count’s traveling companions as he roamed throughout Asia. I Ånd it admirable that this great aristocrat devotes to science not only his life but also his fortune when others fritter away both without a thought. This is the third major scientiÅc expedition undertaken by the Count. It left in early February and headed for Odessa and the Caucasus toward Astrakhan and the Caspian Sea. The expedition visited the steppes of the Khirgiz people by following the route once traveled by migratory populations between the Don and the Volga, conducted excavations of burial mounds that enriched the historical record with invaluable Ånds, traveled through the lands of the Thouvas, the Bashkirs, the Mordvins, and the Tartars before turning north toward Kazan, whose museums house superb ethnographic collections. Traveling through Perm and Yekaterinburg, he pressed on and reached the White Sea before turning south again toward Tobolsk, Omsk, Taiga, Tomsk, the Altai Mountains, and eventually Irkutsk. After crossing Lake Baikal, our scholars searched for traces of an ancient shamanic religion among the Bouriat, Tunguz, and Ostyak tribes. Finally, via Mongolia, Ourga, and the Gobi Desert, they reached the Chinese Empire and its present capital. There, Count de Zichy was motivated by a purpose higher and closer to his learned but patriotic heart. It is well known that during the 13th century, the Mongols led by Batu Khan invaded the West, laying waste to everything in their path. In the 1240s, they took away the archives of Hungary, Poland, Silesia, Bohemia, and Southern Austria before heading home via Bulgaria, taking with them 350,000 prisoners they later slaughtered mercilessly. Reaching Karakorum, the capital of the Mongol Empire whose traces have vanished, Batu Khan found the city gates shut. The widow e ed to Centra Asia and pub ished a two-vo ume book about his journey in 1897 entit ed Voyages au Caucase et en Asie Centrale: La migration de la race hongroise (Budapest: G. Ranschburg). The historica information Raquez presents here is sourced from that book.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

of Chaghan Kopratina had an enemy of the triumphant conqueror, young Kuchik Khan, a nephew of lgedei Khan, elected to supreme power. The victorious leader then took leave of his ungrateful compatriots and went o‫ ٺ‬to found a city that would become the capital of the Middle Kingdom under the name of Zhongdu. =nder the Ming Dynasty, the city shifted three or four kilometers eastward to the site of what is now Peking. The western archives from 900 to 1240, these precious documents having been carted o‫ ٺ‬along with the loot, were deposited in Peking’s Sea Palace, one of 96 Imperial Palaces.6 Although no European may enter the perimeter of the palace, during an audience with the Zongli Yamen, Count de Zichy astonished the Celestial Empire’s learned men by revealing the existence of this treasure, which most of them knew nothing about, supporting his claim with evidence that put all doubts to rest. He requested that a Chinese scholar undertake research under his supervision, for which he would make generous payment. But the moment was hardly favorable. The palace coup had just taken place and the high-ranking mandarins had more important things to worry about beside archives. Just today, the Zongli Yamen informed the Hungarian scholar that two learned men had been selected to copy the manuscripts under the supervision of a mandarin and would thus facilitate his historical research. Old Li Hongzhang, who received Count de Zichy in audience, seemed to him fatigued and haunted by an idée Åxe, namely wealth. “You must be very rich,” said he to the noble stranger. “I do not do badly.” “Your parent, whom I once met, had a great deal of money. Are you as rich as he was?” 6 Zichy’s expedition reached Peking on September 30, 1898, but because of the tense atmosphere over the recent imperia suppression of the Hundred Days Reform movement, he eft for Shanghai a most immediate y. See Martin S obodnyk, “Ear y Contacts Between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and China: The Zichy Brothers in East Asia,” Talking Literature: Essays on Chinese and Biblical Writings and their Interaction, ed. by Raou David Findeisen and M. S obodnyk (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Ver ag, 2013): 101 121. The Sea Pa ace, ocated in Zhongnanhai Park, was a favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi; it burned to the ground in 1900 whi e serving as the headquarters of the German occupation force fo owing the Boxer Rebe ion.

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“We want for nothing, either of us.” Then after a few sentences devoid of any interest, the old fox asks the Count if there is a property tax in Hungary, to which the learned man replied that indeed there is. “How much property tax do you pay?” “65,000 Æorins.” “Ah,” the former Viceroy exclaims with a triumphant smile, “you see: you are phenomenally rich!” Recalling suddenly the recent assassination of the Empress of Austria,7 he asks the Count: “Why did you kill your Empress?” “We killed her? Hardly.” Whereupon our traveler explains to Li Hongzhang that the hideous deed was the work of an anarchist, followed by a brief explanation of the nature of this anarchist epidemic. As he saw his visitor to the door, the old mandarin persisted repeating: “When you return to Europe, be sure to say that we have no anarchists in China. We do not know what they are.” No anarchists? But how do we explain the actions of those who for six weeks have been inÆicting a reign of terror on governmental spheres? What would you call that old friend of the Viceroy’s, the Empress Dowager, who had the heads of the Emperor’s young secretaries chopped o‫ ٺ‬when these unfortunate individuals were in fact working by legal means for the good of their country, this woman who sends into exile China’s most devoted servants and forces the entire nation to sink further into the quagmire of the mandarins’ exactions? These are the true anarchists! But before we take our leave of Count de Zichy, let me mention that Tsar Nicholas8 is deeply interested in his work, received him at length at the Peterhof Palace, and made all sorts of facilities available to him to ease his travels. The noble explorer is all praise for the high intelligence and lofty ideas of the Emperor of All Russia. He has now published in Budapest the account of his Årst two expeditions to the Caucasus and Central Asia, in Hungarian and French. 7 E isabeth of Austria (1837 1898), the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, was stabbed to death on September 10, 1898 whi e stro ing on the promenade in Territet, Switzer and, by an anarchist named Luigi Lucheni, who used a sharpened fourinch need e Å e. 8 Nicho as II (1868 1918).

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October 31 Mr. Raphael Marty, the head of the large French navigation company in the Far East and currently passing through Shanghai following a long sojourn in Japan and Northern China, agrees to initiate me to the riches held in his currency collection. For many long years, this numismatic stockpiler has been hunting every kind of metal or paper money in the Far East from Siam to Japan. When his collection is complete, it will contain approximately 10,000 items. During his most recent voyage, Mr. Marty came by some rare Ånds. Nothing could be imagined that would be more daintily displayed than these silver or copper coins, each nestling in a satin-covered holder placed in a series of identical wooden panels that slide on a hinged mechanism like the compartments of a cigar humidor. Mr. Marty’s collection holds coins of all shapes and ages, some round and full, others pierced or consisting of ingots large and small, elongated, Æattened, carved in the shape of clogs or pirogues, or cut into knives, keys, or spade blades. Others consist of vulgar sapèques worn thin from repeated rubbing, wealthy merchants’ precious ingots, or mementoes from ages past discovered in the depths of funeral vaults. But we should note that counterfeiting has become a veritable art form in China. Today, Mr. Marty purchased on approval a coin that is almost impossible to Ånd. The dealer has been promised a substantial sum if the coin turns out to be genuine, or he will incur a loss if it is fake. To put his mind at rest, the collector has just broken o‫ ٺ‬a fragment of the coin, which is shaped like a long knife. The break shows that it is not made of red copper despite being an admirable imitation and is therefore utterly worthless. In fact, the dealer himself recognized it as such. Two notes on Chinese money.9 China uses only silver (tael or dollar) or copper coinage (sapèque). There are no gold coins. Bills are issued by a few banks such as the 9 See Notes sur les Monnaies et les Métaux Précieux en Chine, by Messrs. M. Ti ot and S. Fischer, Bureau of L’Écho de Chine, Shanghai CRaquez]. The Addenda to the origina imprint inc udes the fo owing information about the engravings in the text: “The engravings are taken from the pamph et entit ed Notes sur les Monnaies et les Métaux Précieux en Chine by permission of the authors, Messrs. M. Ti ot and S. Fischer.”

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Chartered, the Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Imperial Bank of China, and various other Chinese institutions. I should add that the tael is not really a currency but a weight. One tael equals one ounce, the word being derived from the Malay term tahil (or 37.32 grams). In business dealings, one tael is therefore equivalent to one ounce. But few ingots of this weight are produced. Most are worth three, Åve, ten, or Åfteen ounces. These are silver taels. They are minted in the shape of clogs in the hollow of which an o‫ٻ‬cial seal is stamped. Properly speaking, these ingots are known as sycees (pronounced sigh see). Obviously, the value of the tael varies with the price of silver, reaching as much as seven or eight francs a few years ago, though the rate is now approximately 3.50 francs. The usual currency is the dollar, or piastre. As in all of the Far East from Singapore onward, it is the Mexican piastre that is the most commonly found in circulation. Shanghai’s merchants and bankers mark the dollars thus veriÅed with China ink, naturally. A great many counterfeited coins circulate among the public. As a result, at all times in every trading house, employees can be seen testing the sound made by dollars. When they receive a payment, the Chinese balance a piastre coin on the tip of the ring or middle Ånger of their left hand and make it jingle by Æicking it with another piastre coin they hold in their right hand. Dollar rapidly succeeds dollar on Ånger tips and ends up on the operator’s left or right depending on whether it is rated Årst, second, or third choice. These are the three categories into which coins in circulation are classiÅed depending on their stored value. Banks accept number one coins only. On the basis of a quick acoustic test, their employees classify them without ever making any mistakes. There is probably no other country where dubious coins can be unloaded less easily. A Shanghai small trader in receipt of a dollar immediately runs to one of those currency dealers who proliferate in the concessions as well as in the Chinese city ready to submit the coin to the usual test. Chinese dollars are minted in Canton and Shanghai. They show a dragon in e‫ٻ‬gy. Sapèque coins are made of a copper and zinc alloy. Each sapèque is worth one-thousandth of one tael. – 213 –

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Their value therefore varies along with that of the tael, though not always in the same proportion. Around 1860 or 1870, one ounce of silver was equivalent to 1,400 to 1,700 sapèques, whereas today the rate varies between 1,100 and 1,200. The value of the sapèque is therefore 800 to 850 to the dollar. However, this rate varies from province to province and even from town to town.

November 1 All Saints’ Day is most odd in Shanghai. The British know nothing of this holiday, which is so close to French hearts. So commercial activity continues apace despite the chiming bells calling the faithful to the Church of St. Joseph. A group of British and Irish sailors under the command of an o‫ٻ‬cer are led in to hear mass. The seamen carry no weapons but walk in step, each with prayer book in hand.

November 2 Shanghai is not exactly idle on the Day of the Dead either. 0 Better still, yesterday marked the start of the Autumn races the gentlemen of the Race Club put on for the beneÅt of Shanghai’s society. Let us head for the far end of Nanking Road, where a superb onemile-long track is located. The vicinity of the perimeter fence is crowded with a vast number of Chinese people of all ranks. There is no dividing barrier, only a wide gully separating the racecourse from the street. So the Celestials built bleachers, with the rich equipages of the yellow faces parked outside. A deafening clamor arises from this immense multitude as the horses gallop past. Only Europeans are admitted to the stands and within the precinct, which forms a large and elegant society with its betting stands, its music, its bu‫ٺ‬et, and its restaurant. It is as if we were a thousand leagues from China. All the riders are gentlemen. The races last four days. When a victorious rider returns to base, he passes the stand to the 10 In France, this is ce ebrated on November 2, the day fo owing La Toussaint, or A Saints’ Day.

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applause of the crowd. The sportsman’s wife or sister insists on the honor of holding the bridle and guiding back to the stable the horse that just covered itself in glory. Shanghai’s European residents do not exactly live like hermits in the middle of the desert!

November 3 Back to the races. After lunch, I saunter over to the racecourse through the Chinese streets and those of the International Concession. I invariably Ånd something novel and interesting to observe in these exotic scenes of life, and I never cease in my admiration of the astonishing activity of these yellow ants. There are a great many restaurants. The Foyots of the place wrap mincemeat in dough in the shape of a tomato. The ball is placed in an enormous steam oven and cooks in a water bath. Here, a baker employs a kneading system as simple as it is convenient. The dough is placed on a table set up along the wall. A long piece of wood is fastened to the wall at one end, with the worker holding the other end in his hand. Its inner side is Æuted. The baker holds the dough Årmly between the table and his instrument, which he moves continuously while dancing like one possessed. Once the dough has been turned into a fairly thin sheet, another worker takes it and cuts it up with a carver into long strips connected at one end. The resulting brush looks exactly like a collection of yellow lace items. The Chinese eat it without any other preparation. Near Nanking Road, coach makers work on these beautiful and convenient vehicles that are so numerous in Shanghai. In the same street, a huge building is being constructed of red brick along with a multi-story market with an iron frame. I am told this is the new Åtness hall for the British and German volunteers as well as the market for the Foreign Concession. Further on is a barber, who cleans out with a collection of small instruments the ears of the customer he just shaved. 11 Foyot (dates unknown) was chef to King Louis Phi ipe I (1773 1850). After Louis Phi ipe was deposed in 1848, Foyot opened a Åne restaurant bearing his name on the Left Bank in Paris. The restaurant was the scene of a notorious anarchist bomb attack in 1894; it c osed in 1937. Foyot sauce (named after the chef) is a type of Béarnaise that uses a meat g aze, thus Raquez’s use of it here in reference to bao zai, or steamed meat buns.

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Street scene in the International Concession

At the racecourse, a large crowd has assembled. Elegant outÅts are worn by the many beautiful women. Here is the taotai, H. E. Ts’ai, splendidly attired in his silk gown with a large square Ågure embroidered front and back representing a phoenix with outstretched wings. H. E. is no pauper. He looks in no way like those starving Indians. He has very full cheeks and his belly would do Falsta‫ ٺ‬or Pantagruel proud. 2 A superb necklace made of coral and dao wood decorates his neck and drops down his chest. The bookmakers are at work, while other bets are placed in the stands and the circles. The Shanghai and the Concordia Clubs each have their own tent within the perimeter of the stands. The betting is brisk. One of our friends won 800 dollars yesterday, and one gentleman whose blushing wife parades him up and down the stand pocketed over 50,000 dollars from betting on horses from his own stable. Virtually all the riders are British, mounted on those excellent Chinese ponies whose value I was ignorant of until my arrival in Shanghai. 12 Sir John Fa sta‫ ٺ‬is a key character from Wi iam Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V p ays and The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Life of Gargantua and Pantagruel is a nove pub ished seria y in the 16th century by François Rabe ais. Noted for both its wordp ay and scato ogica humor, the nove conveys Pantagrue ’s phi osophy of pointed noncha ance. Both Gargantua and Pantagrue are giants and, ike Fa sta‫ٺ‬, have a ove of food and drink.

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November 4 Today, Mrs. de Bezaure, the most gracious wife of the Consul General, will hand prizes to the winners of the shooting competitions organized by the company of French volunteers. Our uniformed compatriots have gathered in the Municipal Hall. The Shanghai band strikes up La Marseillaise, and everyone takes his place in this vast and attractively decorated hall. Shanghai surprises me more and more every day. Yesterday, war was announced between France and Great Britain, 3 but standing on stage next to Mrs. de Bezaure is the French Captain Bard, 4 the French Consul General, then the British Major, his helmet on his head, next to Navy Lieutenant Amen, Commander of the Lion, which is visiting our port. In the hall next to our 85 volunteers in uniform stand other British o‫ٻ‬cers and the commander of the German company in his helmet topped with a gilded spike. The festivities were given an especially moving character by the recent troubles at the Ningbo Pagoda, and Mr. de Bezaure spoke from the heart when he congratulated the French volunteers for the discipline and strength they showed in such di‫ٻ‬cult circumstances. Needless to say, the Consul General’s words were received with rapturous applause. Captain Bard, who is due to return to France and will be succeeded by Mr. Saint-Cyr Penot, 5 who was appointed this very day, has a gracious word for the many ladies in the audience, who did not hesitate to expose their husbands to danger when duty called them to arms. The winners of the competition step up to receive their prizes. All are inmates of the Villa of the CertiÅable: friends Appay, Rey, Forest, and Binder. Everyone adjourns to the neighboring room as the band strikes up 13 A reference to what is known as the Fashoda Crisis of 1898. Named after a vi age (now ca ed Kodok) on the White Ni e in South Sudan, the incident saw French and British armies face o‫ ٺ‬over contro of the region. The British eventua y prevai ed without Åring a shot. 14 The Directory (1899) ists E. Bard as the chairman of the Municipa Counci of the French Concession. 15 The Directory (1899) ists St. Cyr Penot as a si k inspector with Ti ot and Company.

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The French company of volunteers

the stirring Marche des Volontaires by Maestro Vinay. 6 Champagne circulates and toast succeeds toast. The British Major drinks to the French company’s prosperity, whose newly-appointed captain replies in the most courteous terms. In Shanghai, the French close ranks yet live in perfect concord with their neighbors. There is cohesion and a patriotic spirit it would be good to see in many of our French colonies. The volunteers have barely changed out of their uniforms when the alarm bell calls them to a Åre as most of them double as Knights of the Pump. Flames are leaping out of a cluster of Chinese habitations just 100 meters from the Municipal Building. Some 20 houses are burning like a pack of matches. The glow is terrifying. But the pumps are put in place with marvelous speed. The remarkable layout of the Åre hydrants is most helpful to the devoted and brave ÅreÅghters. The Åre is brought under control within half an hour. Our Shanghai compatriots have no time to get bored!

16 There is no trace of this composition. However, it is interesting to note that a composition with the same tit e, “March of the Vo unteers,” composed in 1935 by Nie Er to yrics by Tian Han, has been the Chinese Nationa Anthem since 1949.

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November 5 Shanghai boasts a respectable number of newspapers published in various languages. It will not be without interest to follow the growing di‫ٺ‬usion of thought that has taken place in this great city of the Far East since its inception. Most of the information below should be credited to the most obliging Mr. Lemière, the distinguished editor of L’Écho de Chine, or was taken from the annual report of the Society for the Di‫ٺ‬usion of Christianity in China. 7 Saturday August 3, 1850 saw the Årst newspaper roll o‫ ٺ‬the presses under the title of North China Herald, and is still published today though as the weekly edition of another daily. Twelve years later in 1862, the Daily Shipping and Commercial news came out, soon to be renamed the North China Daily News, a name it retains to this day. The success enjoyed by these two broadsheets led to the appearance in rapid succession of myriad publications, most of which promptly vanished: Shanghai Daily Times, Shanghai Times, Recorder, Evening Express, Shang hai News, Shanghai Evening Courier, The Cycle (60 issues), Shanghai Budget and Weekly Courier, Shanghai Chronicle of Fun, Fact and Fiction (three months), Puck or Shanghai Charivari, China and Japan Sporting Magazine (two months), Evening Gazette, Common Wealth (two months), Far East, Rattler, etc. Beside the North China Daily News, Shanghai’s current dailies are the Shanghai Daily Press (a morning paper), the Shanghai Mercury, and the China Gazette (both evening papers). The last two also publish a weekly edition. Also published weekly is the Union newspaper. Finally, let us round up this list of English publications with the Sport and Gossip, a sporting daily, as its name indicates. A German newspaper, the Ostasiatische Lloyd, has been published every Saturday since 1886. On December 5, 1870, our compatriots founded the Nouvelliste de Shanghai, edited by Mr. H. A. Béer, who remained at the helm until December 31, 1872. 17 The Society for the Di‫ٺ‬usion of Christian and Genera Know edge Among the Chinese (SDCK) was founded by American and British Methodist missionaries in 1887 in Shanghai.

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Another, a weekly this time, appeared on March 21, 1871 and was to publish 45 issues. The Courrier de Shanghai, another weekly, took over from the Nouvel liste de Shanghai but lasted only three weeks. In 1886, it was the turn of the Courrier d’Extrème Orient, a daily with a weekly edition, but it too disappeared, in 1887. Finally, on September 11, 1896, Messrs. J. Em. Lemière and A. Cunningham founded the Messager de Chine, a weekly, which became a daily on April 7, 1897 and was published until June 30 of that year. Next day, on July 1, Imprimerie Française, a limited company with stockholders led by a group of devoted compatriots with Mr. Marcel Tillot at its head, launched the Årst issue of L’Écho de Chine, with the editorship entrusted to Mr. J. Em. Lemière. 8 Since that time, the editor has defended French interests in the Far East with an alert and vigorous pen and the assistance of the volunteer collaborators he sagely gathered around the newspaper. The struggle is especially di‫ٻ‬cult in these troubled times. The newspaper’s enemies are many, powerful, and tenacious. Justice should be rendered to Shanghai’s French newspaper, which without relinquishing an iota of its strength, has earned the respect of even its enemies through the dignity and courtesy of its polemics. The company simultaneously manages the commercial press known as Presse Orientale, which employs 50 workers, including compositors, binders, etc., all of them Chinese, plus six Japanese workers for the artwork. 9 Admirably set up with Marinoni presses, the Presse Orientale is highly esteemed in the Far East. Its operation is managed by Mr. H. Smith, a typographer of great merit. But readers should see one of the columns of In the Land of Pagodas after the Årst correction to form a sense of what composition done by those brave Chinamen is like, not one of whom knows a single word of 18 Now President of the Municipa Counci of the French Concession and Director of the Imprimerie Française and Managing Director of L’Écho de Chine CRaquez]. 19 =nder the tit e Mesny’s Chinese Miscellany, Genera Mesny pub ishes a week y review in which he co ates a the information he managed to co ect during his ong sojourn in China CRaquez, from the Addenda to the origina imprint]. Genera Wi iam Mesny (1842 1919) was a Jersey-born adventurer who spent 59 years in China from 1860 onward. He became a Genera in the Imperia Army in 1873 and in 1890 was awarded the Pao Hsing (Star of China).

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French. A third correction is required, and even then! Some 15 newspapers published in Chinese complete the list of Shanghai’s broadsheets. The Shen Pao (Shanghai Newspaper) Årst appeared in 1872 and has the largest circulation of all, printing 10,000 copies and publishing daily and providing reliable news on China as well as foreign countries. Its political leanings are those of moderate reformists. The Hu Pao (City of Shanghai Newspaper), 1880, (daily circulation: 3,000), similar to the above. The Sing Wang Pao (The News Reporter), 1892, (circulation: 5,000), similar to the Shen Pao. The Sung Chiao Sing Pao, 1894 and the Tsih Je Pao (Chinese News), 1895, are published weekly and are the organs of Protestant societies. The Su Pao (Suzhou Newspaper), 1896, (circulation: 3,000), which sells mainly in the Suzhou area and which since the palace coup has energetically defended reformist ideas. The Au Shi Pao (Comical Newspaper), 1898, (circulation: 3,000), published daily, contains light news from Foochow Road, the theater and cabaret district. This newspaper publishes photographs of the most renowned ladies of the Chinese demimonde. The Chi Wen Pao (Rare News), 1897, daily. The Siao Hsien Pao (Passing the Time), 1897, daily. The Tsu Pao (Gaiety), 1898, daily. The Nu Hsio Pao (Life Choices), 1898, daily. The Tsai Feng Pao ( Journal of Women’s Education), 1898, (circulation: 1,000). Who would have thought it possible! Feminism has arrived in China. Every ten days, a committee of Chinese women publishes a series of articles energetically calling for advances in the education of the fair sex in the Middle Kingdom. Eat your heart out, Hubertine!20 Very recently, this feminist newspaper recounted the story of Joan of Arc to show the Chinese how a woman had saved the great Kingdom of France. The Chung Wai Je Pao (=niversal Gazette), 1898, (daily circulation: 5,000), organ of the reformist party at the head of which was the famous Kang Youwei. Written in excellent style, this newspaper was proclaimed the o‫ٻ‬cial organ of the Chinese Government. Finally, the Hui Pao or Twen Lu and the Revue ScientiÅque, a biweekly 20 Hubertine Auc ert (1848 1914) was a eading French su‫ٺ‬ragette.

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published by the Zikawei Jesuits and widely read in learned circles. To protect themselves from libel suits and exactions, the Chinese newspapers shelter under the Æag of the various powers. The Shen Pao seeks America’s protection, the Sin Wan Pao that of Great Britain, and the Su Pao and the Chung Wai Je that of Japan. Every morning, over 30,000 newspapers roll o‫ ٺ‬the Chinese presses. Their price varies between four and ten sapèques, (one-and-a-half to three-and-a-half French centimes). The Chinese read a great deal. As one passes through even the poorest neighborhoods, it is not unusual to come across a worker or a coolie perusing a newspaper. Along with the development of transportation routes, the press will surely play an increasingly important role in China.

Sunday, November 6 At the hotel, a well-known Shanghai family has arrived for lunch. The guests are surprised. I ask around and learn that as the mistress of the house was about to have the table laid in her home, she saw her entire sta‫ٺ‬ walk out as a result of a comment she had made to her boy number one, or corporal boy. Coachman, stable hand, cook, boys, grooms, and every last coolie: the entire complement had deserted and simply disappeared. This is a new manifestation of Chinese solidarity. Last year, the Hôtel des Colonies lent part of its sta‫ ٺ‬to a British hotel for a few days after its domestic sta‫ ٺ‬had walked out. Not everyone joins the corporation of hotel boys on demand. These gentlemen have a guild, an o‫ٻ‬ce, an entire organization devoted to assistance and protection. More so than anywhere else, the masters of the Far East are at the mercy of their domestics. Let us take this opportunity to have a look at the life of a typical European in the colonies. Clearly, life is not easy. The salaries of government employees and of the heads and sta‫ ٺ‬of trading houses may seem high, but if one wishes to live up to one’s rank and not break with tradition, it is virtually impossible to accumulate savings. The most modestly furnished room – and they are hard to Ånd – costs 40 dollars, or about 100 francs per month. The division of labor among those in employment being sacrosanct, you will never get a boy to stoop to lowly tasks such as cleaning, and this forces you, chamber orderly though you may have been during military service, to engage a – 223 –

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boy and a coolie for your humble bachelor establishment. You cannot a‫ٺ‬ord to lose face. During the day, walking is arduous, if not impossible. Young men purchase a rickshaw and hire a runner by the month (seven to eight dollars), while better-o‫ ٺ‬individuals own horses and carriages. When I say horses, I should explain that those Shanghai residents with even the best appointed stables never pair horses. Visiting foreigners who Æout this rule cause sensation. Carriages are driven by a major mafu with a minor mafu or a groom sharing his bench or sitting on a fold-up seat at the back. On the point of crossing a bridge, entering a tricky alley, or negotiating a dangerous corner, the minor mafu jumps o‫ ٺ‬his seat and guides the horse by the bridle. In Summer, when the carriage is stationary, he brushes away the Æies that pester the animal with a horsehair duster. Then there is the household sta‫ٺ‬: the cook, the kitchen hand, the amahs, the gardener, the punkah coolie,2 etc. As a result, the budgets of the mistresses of the well-kept houses reach considerable sums. In Indochina, the cook receives a certain sum per head each day with which to produce his meals. Although Shanghai does not follow the same procedure, the squeeze is felt no less: very much the opposite, in fact. No supplier can enter a European’s home unless he oils the wheels of the household. Recently, I witnessed an incident whose authenticity I absolutely vouchsafe and that seems typical enough to justify reporting. A friend of mine had bought some rattan chairs from a supplier of his choice. Back home, he suddenly heard a violent argument taking place on his doorstep. His boys were refusing to allow the merchant to enter the house unless he handed over a substantial tip. The chair merchant having refused to pay the rather large sum, the parties had come to blows and the domestics were categorically refusing to let him bring into the house the items bought by their master, who put an end to the quarrel, took possession of the chairs, paid the supplier, and after forbidding him from making the slightest payment to his domestics, sent everybody to the police station. 21 A punkah was a arge piece of materia hung from the cei ing on a bar and pu ed by means of a cord to circu ate the air and keep the room coo . The pu er usua y ay on his back with the cord ooped around his toe so that he cou d operate it by retracting his eg.

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The unfortunate merchant ended up with a black eye. Amazingly, though strictly true, he returned the next day to apologize to the boys and o‫ٺ‬ered them a tip for fear of seeing his establishment Æagged and blackballed by every household domestic. As for theft, or rather pilfering, it is less common here than in Indochina. All Europeans have bank accounts and keep only insigniÅcant sums on their persons. All transactions, even the most delicate debts, are settled with vouchers, or chits, which the creditor usually tenders during the Årst few days of the following month. A very convenient system has been adopted for the purpose of exchanging correspondence within the city. The letter is handed to a coolie and the address entered in a notebook, or chit book. The recipient initials the book to acknowledge receipt and often writes a few words in the book by way of reply. Many residents own a pleasure yacht or houseboat, which they use for Sunday outings. Add to this daily tennis after business hours in o‫ٻ‬ces and department stores, which all close at Åve, the rally papers, outings by carriage or bicycle along the leafy streets of Bubbling Well (which take the place of the inspection tours in Indochina), boating parties, daily concerts in the public parks, numerous society balls, musical performances, and theatrical displays by amateurs or passing troupes, and it is impossible to conclude that Shanghai’s society neglects its pleasures.

November 7 I visit the Zikawei Observatory, approximately eight kilometers from the Hôtel des Colonies. Two roads lead to it: one French, the other British, the latter being used mostly by horse-riders and too dusty for pedestrians or those traveling by carriage. I err when I speak of a single observatory as Zikawei is the center of intense intellectual life whose manifestations we shall examine as fully as possible. Thanks to a word of introduction, its portals are opened wide to me and I am able to visit the substantial section that surrounds the residence. First is a college where 164 Chinese boarders whose families meet the cost of their schooling study Chinese characters, and in the upper division, the French language. – 225 –

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In the Årst, the master begins by pronouncing the character and explains its meaning to the students. The Chinese language consists of signs that to the layman are like hieroglyphs. These signs have a pronunciation and a meaning. It is perfectly possible to read and articulate a sign without understanding it. In fact, students often begin by learning to read without trying to work out what the sound they are producing might mean. Chinese characters number 40 to 50,000. The Middle Kingdom’s telegraphic code contains 9,000 of the most commonly used ones. A person’s education level rises along with the number of characters he has managed to assimilate as a student. In the next classroom, the infernal din does not seem to trouble the teacher, who is in the process of hearing a little Chinese boy with an astute face he called upon to stand next to him as he recites his lesson. It is the use of the Chinese method that is causing all this noise. Contrary to what occurs back home, each student works on a di‫ٺ‬erent lesson from that of his neighbor. His intelligence and powers of memorization are assessed by the teacher, who sets each child learning tasks tailored to his abilities. Each schoolboy then studies aloud since he will have to recite each character that has been assigned to him with the correct tone. This gives a sense of the cacophony generated by these 30 or 40 high-pitched voices as the children chant or shout to their hearts’ content. The teacher corrects the tones that strike him as erroneous, welcomes the students who go up to him with requests for explanations, and hears lessons being recited by students one after the other, always adding a useful comment to facilitate comprehension by the students of what they are learning. I leave the college marveling at the powers of attention of these children. Not one allows himself to be distracted by his neighbor or the sight of a stranger. In fact, we were able to observe them without anyone noticing our presence. On the walls of the hallways are paintings not without merit executed by the orphans whom we shall visit presently in the vicinity of the college. The garden is Ålled with the scent of mignonette. But the Father – 226 –

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Soldiers at their post on the road to Zikawei

who shows me around corrects me. This sweet fragrance is not that of our French plant. This small tree we see before us is the guifo. It is an evergreen and looks a little like lilac. This is blooming season.22 22 Mignonette, or reseda luteola, is a Æowering p ant native to the Mediterranean region. By “guifo,” Raquez probab y means the Pekin i ac (Syringa reticulata subsp. Pekinensis),

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The library of the residence is admirably supplied and contains genuine treasures. The section on sinology would meet the needs of the most demanding of readers. But we must exit the house to reach the Observatory in a few short moments. Fronted by a small garden, this renowned home of science would have the appearance of a modest country house in the vicinity of Paris were it not for the gallery and the anemograph23 that swirls atop the roof. Father Froc,24 the Director, has just done the honors of his domain to the captain of the Natal and his friends. He is now acting as docent to a group of British visitors, whom I join. We review the instruments of the two services now fully operational at Zikawei: meteorology, and terrestrial magnetism. This is one of the earliest observatories set up for the study of the latter topic, ten years before even that in Paris. Thanks to continuous photographic recording, it contains everything necessary to sailors wishing to set their compasses. The astronomical service will be fully operational next year. An equatorial mount25 has been purchased in Paris. It is now on its way to Shanghai under the supervision of Father de Beaurepaire,26 former engineer of the Panama Canal Company. In the clock room is the electric button that every day at noon sharp lets a large black ball drop down a mast erected on the quay of the French Concession. Every day, the Zikawei Observatory receives by telegram daily observations from 42 meteorological stations, including Tomsk, Kolja,

which has ye ow Æowers simi ar to mignonette. 23 An instrument for recording wind speed that resemb es a horizonta pinwhee . 24 Louis Froc (1859 1932) became Director of the Observatory in 1896 and remained in that position unti his death. See Agustin =dias, Searching the Heavens and the Earth: The History of Jesuit Observatories (Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media: 2013), 163. 25 An equatoria mount a ows astronomica instruments to compensate for the rotation of the Earth by having one rotationa axis para e to the Earth’s axis of rotation, which a ows the instrument to remain Åxed on an object in the sky. 26 Robert de Beaurepaire-Louvagny (1859 1916), a Jesuit priest and graduate of the jco e Po ytechnique, went to Panama as a civi engineer in 1883. He pub ished a book about the Cana in 1913.

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Irkutsk, Japan, Formosa, Manila, Cap St. Jacques,27 etc. French and Austrian mailboats pass on all the observations made during sailings between Hong Kong and Yokohama and vice versa. The Fathers strike separate deals with the captains of vessels belonging to other shipping lines. To that end, they have handed out some 20 barometers with graphic capabilities whose tracings are sent to them after each voyage. The Head of Chinese Customs has just adopted the Zikawei code for all the semaphore posts along the coast, which will make it possible to unify all signals from Macao to Vladivostok. From the observatory, it will be possible to warn ships of approaching storms via every station along the coast. In Yantai and Shanghai, a daily service will make it possible to get a sense each day at noon of atmospheric conditions on the previous day as well as in the morning of that day. I myself have already consulted these displays with considerable interest and on multiple occasions, as they are very clear and easily accessible to laymen. All the clocks and telephones as well as a coolie who operates the Shanghai service were supplied by the city’s various municipalities. Although Danish and Chinese companies make telephone and telegraph services available for free, the observatory receives no subsidy, and the Jesuits assume all costs. Last year, a few donations were made toward the purchase of the equatorial mount I mentioned earlier, or a little under one third of the total cost. It will soon be set up in the astronomy section. Geodesic work was Årst started by one of the observatory’s priests, Father Chevalier, who undertook the task of drawing up a complete and detailed map of the Yangtze. The priest traveled as far as Yibin, the furthest point that can be reached along the river. He returned while taking soundings every three minutes. The map of the Yangtze is now complete, but its author is conÅned to his bed. I ask Father Froc for information about how monsoons are formed, these major currents that travel in opposite directions for almost half the year. The summer monsoon, this amiable scholar informs me, is due to 27 V͊ng Tou, in modern day Bo Rʎa-V͊ng Tou Province, Vietnam.

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the high pressures that settle over southern Japan while low pressures dominate over Mongolia and northern China. The overheated plains of Jinghong, which see the thermometer climb to 44 degrees, drive enormous masses of air upward. This causes a violent updraft that draws air currents inward and results in what we know as the southeastern monsoon. In winter, by contrast, high pressures dominate over Siberia while relatively low pressures settle over southern regions as far as the equator. The monsoon Årst heads northwest, but as it reaches the mouth of the Yangtze, it veers to the northeast. Whereupon the Director informs me of the following laws established by the learned Father Chevalier, which clarify our comprehension of monsoons, so often talked about without anyone truly understanding their nature. 1. The winter monsoon generally blows from the north at Cape Shandong, the northwest or northeast monsoon in Shanghai, the northeast monsoon at Middle Bay north of the Formosa Strait, the north-northeast monsoon in the Pescadores Islands in the middle of the Strait, the northeast monsoon in Lamock Island in the section of the Strait, and the east monsoon in Hong Kong. 2. As early as March and April, the monsoon begins to reverse over the northern coast, Shanghai, and Cape Shandong, as well as over the south coast in Hong Kong. However, the winter monsoon remains fully dominant over the Formosa Strait during those two months. 3. In May, it is the winter monsoon that predominates over the Strait, even though the summer monsoon begins to make itself felt and then continues to intensify over Hong Kong and no longer dominates in the north. 4. Finally in June, the summer monsoon settles over the entire coast even though it does not yet dominate over the Formosa Strait as Årmly as the winter monsoon in March. Formosa plays a major role in the matter of monsoons. In e‫ٺ‬ect, it is a kind of Kingdom of the Four Winds and therefore fully exposed to the horrifying struggles of celestial forces. Virtually all typhoons a‫ٺ‬ecting the island wreak their havoc over the Strait. Whereupon Father Froc walks over to a large blackboard on which the coasts of China and the meteorological stations are permanently marked. The worthy scholar – 230 –

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explains the origins of the typhoon we experienced in the Årst few days of this month as well as how the August typhoons develop. This is the perfect moment for observing the truthfulness of the saying: Travel broadens the mind of the young, . . . and of the nolonger-so-young, too.28 Let us walk across the observatory’s small garden to call on Father Heude,29 the learned naturalist whose work carries great authority in Germany and Great Britain, the two European countries where research in the vast Åeld of natural history is conducted with the greatest meticulousness and perseverance. Since 1875, the priest has been working on his Révision de la Zoologie de l’Asie Orientale. Its voluminous tomes pile up with their remarkably detailed drawings and colored plates, all of which are executed by the orphans of Tousewe, a Zikawei annex, who are true artists. Father Heude is an old man with a long gray beard, somewhat brusque of manner but open and cordial. At the moment, he informs me, he is working on his will as he has no wish to see the fruit of his 30 years of peregrinations throughout the Far East come to nothing. In glass-fronted display cabinets, on tables, and in the rooms of the museum, I explore a collection, quite unique in the world, of hides, and especially of skulls of deer, boars, bears, etc. Father Heude traveled to Cochinchina, the Dutch Indies, the Philippines, Japan, the Goto Archipelago (twelve specimens), Manchuria, and Central China to collect the various species of deer that come in inÅnite variety. He then grouped these species and labeled each head, whose antlers stick out straight or double back, the former threateningly, the latter seemingly begging for mercy. “But how did you manage to Ånd about 20 types in the Philippine Islands where one of my friends managed to send me just two in six 28 This year, Father Froc trave ed to Indochina at the request of the Governor Genera to advise on setting up a meteoro ogica station there CRaquez]. 29 Pierre Marie Heude (1836 1902), a Jesuit missionary and noted zoo ogist, Årst arrived in China in 1868. He used his own co ection of specimens to set up a natura history museum in Zikawei in 1868, where he remained unti his death. Whi e there is no trace of a book entit ed Révision de la Zoologie de l’Asie Orientale, Heude did pub ish, at the Zikawei press in Shanghai, a mu tivo ume work entit ed Mémoires concernant l’histoire naturelle de l’empire chinois par des pères de la Compagnie de Jésus, which appeared in 1882, 1885, and 1890 and inc udes i ustration p ates, which may be the book to which Raquez is referring.

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years,” asked Professor Milne-Edwards30 of Father Heude. Here is an herbarium of inestimable value. Glass-fronted display cabinets hold 500 species of land shells, 400 of which were unknown and which Father Heude brought back from his twelve years of exploration in the Yangtze Valley. They served as the basis for his Conchyologie Fluviatile de la Province de Nanking et de la Chine Centrale. Here are the skulls of rock-dwelling antelopes and Gobi gazelles, etc., and an accumulation of study instruments. But this scholar’s entire opus is summed up in a new synthesis of mammal teeth that was presented in his name to our Académie des Sciences by Mr. de Quatrefages3 on June 9, 1890. The priest is currently putting the Ånal touches to his work, which he will publish very shortly. Starting from adult mammals, he discovered rules he regards as Åxed for each group, invariable in this respect and di‫ٺ‬erentiating teeth, thanks to which it is impossible to get the groups mixed up. It is a teethbased demolition of Darwinian theory. In fact, a British naturalist named Woodward32 who devoted himself to the study of dental embryology in animals has just reached the same conclusions as Father Heude. Starting from opposite points, both scholars obtained similar results.

November 8

The weather is glorious. What joy it is to jump on a bicycle after such a long abstinence from the practice and pedal at full speed along the superb Bubbling Well Road to reach Zikawei by way of the British road. I bear left at the Yuyuan Garden. A square-shaped coping attracts my attention and deserves a stop. Resting on their elbows, a number of Chinamen are peering down a well. Naturally curious and true to my destiny as a tourist, I climb o‫ ٺ‬my machine. I have reached the well giving access to a spring of carbonat30 A phonse Mi ne-Edwards (1835 1900) was a French natura ist who became director of the Musée Nationa d’Histoire Nature e in 1891. 31 Jean Louis Armand de Quatrefages de Bréau (1810 1892) was a wide y-respected French bio ogist and pro iÅc author with a keen interest in zoo ogy. 32 Martin Fountain Woodward (1865 1901) was a ecturer at the Roya Co ege of Science and Secretary of the Ma aco ogica Society of London.

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ed water of great renown all around, I am informed. Everyone knows that the Chinese are obsessed with classiÅcations. They catalog everything. Inscriptions in Chinese characters indicate that we are in the presence of the sixth most important spring in all of China. The road veers left then right and takes us through small villages. Goodbye, shady bowers! The road has become decidedly dusty, but it is such bliss to loosen my joints that the heavy legwork goes almost unnoticed. On either side, new villas are being built. If this goes on, the vast Bubbling Well suburb will surely stretch far beyond its current limits. Then all is countryside, Åelds, verdant mounds around which the land is cultivated but that resemble islets covered in grass or reeds. These are graves. The Chinese bury their dead almost anywhere. Land that holds mortal remains becomes sacred within the perimeter of the sepulcher and no one would dare interfere with it. As a result, a great deal of farming land is lost. I heard somewhere that in China, the dead end up killing the living. Each day, they deprive them of cultivable land. In the vicinity of cities such as Shanghai, this is not without importance. Nearby are ancient tombs covered in earth, wild grasses, and reeds as well as co‫ٻ‬ns of all descriptions, some surrounded by masonry and protected by a two-sided slanted roof, others wrapped in matting, others still abandoned there just as they were. What a sinister sight! Once in Zikawei, ten kilometers from the hotel along this road, I meet the good Father Simon, still in pain following a fall from a rickshaw.33 He will not be able to accompany me, but entrusts me to a most amiable priest who will take me around the complex, 500 meters from the observatory. This is where the orphanage is located and where some 140 children have been welcomed and are learning a trade that will allow them to earn a most honorable living. The director of the orphanage, Father Chen Eulwei, is a Chinese Jesuit who speaks French admirably and who insists on taking me around his interesting domain himself.34 33 The hap ess man of God, whose consecration I attended when he was appointed to the Nanking See in Ju y 1899, died quite sudden y a few days ater on August 10 CRaquez]. 34 Father Chen Eu wei (1838 1913), who by 1902 had been director of the orphanage for ten years. Born in Kaokiao (Jiangsu), he joined the order in 1862, becoming a priest in 1877. He died in Shanghai. See Henri Havret, La Mission du Kiang nan, les trois dernières années (1899 1901) (Shanghai: Imprimerie de a Mission Catho ique de

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A large courtyard longer than it is wide is lined on both sides with two-story buildings. These are the classrooms and workshops. The children are at their studies, shouting to their hearts’ content the better to learn their lessons. =nfortunate tots, who will never know the inÅnite joy that comes from a mother’s kiss! In the carpentry workshop, the youngest children work with planes. This is where every career begins. Older children join segments together. Everyone is busy working. But what about these youngsters, these men: are they orphans also? Yes, but former boarders who left the orphanage only to return later to work there. The priest explains that young men are normally kept on until they are old enough to marry, or seventeen or eighteen. The orphanage for girls, which stands a short distance away, is a nursery for future mothers. However, if the orphan wishes to remain single, he is quite free to do so. He can even venture out under his own steam as far as it will power him or Ånd a house in the Christian village not far from the orphanage. Here are the metal workers, and in a shed, those working with cement. Each one chooses the line of work that seems best suited to his aptitudes. We enter the workshop of the cabinet makers and the wood carvers. They are repairing a half-destroyed altar. Last August in Nejie village, some three hours’ walk from Shanghai, a band of Chinamen enraged at seeing that the price of rice had almost doubled, set Åre to the church after horribly mutilating the statues we see being restored before us. A large number of young men detail the wood with the patience and skill of their race. They are a wonder to behold with their primitive instruments. Painters, varnishers, and gilders work on liturgical items that will be dispatched to all the missions in China, even as far as Korea. The orphanage has been in operation for 50 years. The good it does can be readily ascertained in a country where members of the clergy are generally venerated by the population. In the west wing of the building, we visit the workshops of tailors and cobblers. The priest tells me that Chinese shoes, with their thick soles made of felt, canvas, or cardboard, are really excellent for walking Zikawei, 1902), 85, and Jesuit Archives on ine at: jesuitarchives.orgwp-content up oads201405NumRange 11-91013-546.pdf, entry 913.

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once one has become accustomed to them and that they tire the feet far less than our European shoes. Then come the workshops of the watercolor artists and painters, who work on canvas or silk. About 30 years ago, there lived in Zikawei a Coadjutor Brother,35 a veritable artist who trained excellent students who now perpetuate the master’s traditions. The watercolorists are painting images. They hold two brushes simultaneously in their right hand, one between their thumb and index Ånger, the other between their middle Ånger and ring Ånger. They use them alternately without moving their wrist with astonishing dexterity. We conclude our tour with a visit to the printing works, where we are shown the proofs of a pocket French–Chinese  Chinese–French dictionary. This work will be of incalculable usefulness as up to now, comprehensive dictionaries rivaled in size those enormous Greek dictionaries we used to delve into as we sat on our school benches. How little of that do we remember today! These works also produce the Variétés Sinologiques, which are so valuable to the scholarly world, the scientiÅc work of Father Heude, and a Chinese review that numbers 3,000 subscribers, many of them mandarins and learned men. The Christian village consists of a collection of houses divided from each other by rattan hedges. A happy band of urchins and gamines comes hopping up to greet us. Here is the communal building. This is where for the Chinese, the principal events of life take place, where the dead are displayed and community members meet following the funeral rites, there too where – how shall I put it? – nuptial festivities reach their conclusion. Following a cheery banquet, according to tradition, the happy couple retires to one of the rooms at the back where large daybeds await them. The husband sees his bride for only the second time. It is well known that in China, a Åancé does not normally set eyes on the features of the lady destined to be his lifelong companion before the marriage ceremony. On this point, he must defer to the good taste of the mei po, the matchmaker, who is paid for her services. The Fathers have attempted to obviate the multiple disadvantages 35 A Jesuit Brother.

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of this kind of lottery. It should not be forgotten that the unfortunate a‫ٻ‬anced of Zikawei have no natural family around them to help and advise them. As a result, as they are about to make their choice, they are expected to gaze at the lady they will later come to love and to express their admiration freely. This is quite a revolution in mores!

November 9 Third and last visit to Zikawei. In one of the dependencies of the hamlet of Shengmouyuan, next to the enclosure of the French and Chinese Carmelite nuns, is the community of nuns known as Auxiliatrices.36 This large building is far from luxurious in its construction but cheerful with its courtyards and sun-drenched gardens, and it displays a degree of monastic cleanliness that is appreciated in China even more than anywhere else. This set-up pursues a number of di‫ٺ‬erent missions. One is the novitiate for French nuns, another for their Chinese sisters, though the latter cannot be admitted unless they know our language. Here is the large girls’ orphanage, with 165 children distributed across various workshops. The older girls produce remarkable works of embroidery in the Chinese and European styles, tracing their designs themselves. The sewing workshop also displays both methods. Chinese seamstresses do not hold the needle as our European dressmakers do, and consequently work more slowly. Here, cotton fabric is being manufactured. Regardless of her circumstances, a good Chinese housewife must know how to make all the cloth necessary for her family. Before my very eyes in the same workshop, cotton is being brought in from the Åelds and processed in a variety of ways. Crushed between two cylinders, it Årst gives up all its seed, then in the hands of the spinner becomes a brilliant skein that is wound around spools before being passed on to the old Chinese loom operated by an orphan with her foot as she pushes the shuttlecock with her hand. The manufacturing of the cloth completed, the girls in the next workshop 36 Auxi iatrices des Ìmes du Purgatoire, or the Society of He pers of Ho y Sou s, is a re igious order of women founded in Paris in 1856 with the objective of easing sou s in Purgatory through their work with the poor throughout the wor d.

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turn it into garments they swab with the same barely shelled cotton. Here are babies in their cradles, almost all of them girls. About ten of them cannot be more than two weeks old. They were left there by parents who, rather than depriving of life a girl they did not wish to encumber themselves with, brought them to the sisters. Many were retrieved by charitable friends or neighbors, but in no case do the nuns purchase these children. Their rule is strict on this point. The poor little wretch I am shown was brought in only yesterday, almost bereft of life and already half choking. Very young babies are entrusted to wet nurses as much as possible. It has not yet been possible to bring to the breast those I see being spoon fed and lying snugly in their cradle. There are no di‫ٺ‬erences in appearance between those little bundles of Chinese Æesh, whose features are entirely characterless, and our Western babies. This manifestation of our French charity is truly touching as an e‫ٺ‬ort to save these innocent little creatures from certain death. With the help of women from the village, other orphan girls launder, iron, and darn the bedclothes of the entire mission as well as those of the 420 European, Chinese, and Eurasian students of the school run by the Christian Brothers in the International Concession. Here the blind, one-eyed, and inÅrm sit busily attending to similar tasks. Congenital eye diseases are very common in China. Many children are born one-eyed or blind. Chinese Christians seek out young orphan girls from Zikawei as they make excellent housemaids, being clean, dexterous, and parsimonious. Often, male heads of households even take a fairly young girl into their home and adopt her so as to marry her later to one of their sons or a male relative. Only the inÅrm, the sick, and those destined to become supervisors or to join the order remain in the orphanage. Another group of buildings houses the old women given shelter as in the asylums of our Little Sisters of the Poor. The minimum age for admission is 60, but most are between 70 and 90. Last Sunday, the community was awakened at ten o’clock at night by a powerful ring of the doorbell. Boatmen had brought in a venerable octogenarian who had had herself rowed over. – 237 –

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Her bags were deposited in the hallway, and in the morning, imagine the astonishment of the good sisters when they found under the porch an enormous co‫ٻ‬n. The good woman had brought with her everything she needed for both the present and the future. These women number 43, all of them Christians. But in Dongtailu, one of Shanghai’s suburbs, only elderly pagans are accommodated. A boarding school houses 112 young women who study both profane and religious Chinese texts, learn how to run a school and even to care for the sick as they have at their disposal a well-supplied dispensary where last year 8,323 free consultations were provided. There is also a day school for village children, a crèche for babies, and a school where each of the fourteen deaf-mute students welcomes me with a polite formula in that lifeless voice they cannot themselves hear. This is the phonomimic method developed by Augustin Grosselin,37 which Zikawei employs with truly surprising results. Getting the dumb to speak! This must cause profound stupefaction among the Chinese! After three days dedicated to a rapid visit to so many good works gathered in Zikawei, I take my leave not without emotion of this home of the life of the intellect, science, and charity nurtured by French hearts in this faraway country, thus allowing all the generous qualities of our race to blossom in this land of China.

37 Augustin Grosse in (1800 1878) invented the simu taneous teaching method for deaf-mute students. In 1864, he pub ished in Paris a book entit ed Méthode phono mimique rendant facile et attrayante l’étude de la lecture et permettant d’instruire simultanément les sourds muets avec les entendants parlants, or the Phonomimic Method Made Easy and Attractive . . ., to which Raquez a udes.

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Chapter Eleven

Shanghai The Longhua Pagoda – The Kiangnan arsenal – Nuptials and banquets – A Buddhist monastic ceremony – Procession of the tutelary genie – Prince Henry of Prussia and the Iltis monument – A precious collection – Ball at the taotai’s

November 10 We go on an excursion by carriage to the Longhua Pagoda, an old Buddhist monastery famous throughout the region. We leave Shanghai via Rue de Palikao, where we see the gaping breeches made last July in the wall of the Ningbo cemetery. We then follow the French road to Zikawei, which we will soon have to leave to cross the creek and follow a pleasant shady path. A graceful small pagoda serves as gateway to the Pek Yuquan temple. The building cannot be seen from outside. A wide alleyway leads to a Årst sanctuary of little interest. When visiting a Chinese pagoda, if one has no guide or even if one’s guide is not familiar with the place, it is necessary to nose about in every corner and pass through every door. Each dark hole, each spot used for cooking, gives access to a broad esplanade and to vast temples whose existence one did not suspect. This is how in this case, after crossing two or three rooms cluttered with objects of all types, we enter a kind of garden in the middle of which stand two rather imposing pagodas. Of particular note is an old bell of unique shape used to call the faithful to prayer. Inside the temple at the rear, a few monks dressed in their gray robes are in place along the wall in various rooms. Contrary

1 Origina y bui t in 242, the monastery comp ex sti stands, though it underwent major reconstructions over the centuries. The current version was constructed to be c ose to the version bui t during the Song Dynasty in 1064. The copper be Raquez mentions was cast in 1382 and weighs Åve tons.

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to common usage, the priests of this pagoda have beards and do not shave their heads. The vista stretches to inÅnity on this rich and fertile plain. The Whangpoo River Æows from Shanghai to the sea. The angular mass of a rocky islet rises some 20 miles away on the horizon. Below us is a monastery, a complex tangle of buildings that still manage to line up in a regular pattern inside a vast quadrilateral compound encircled by a wall. Two elegant two-story pagodas frame the Årst temple, which serves as gate to the monastery. Along a straight axis from the gate are Åve other temples, their increasingly high roofs ending in fantastically festooned apexes. Many dragons are Åghting over the moon, which they attempt to devour. To one side are buildings constructed at right angles and connected by sealed paths and sometimes covered galleries. Everything is very clean and neat, with the look of having been recently restored and of excellent maintenance. On the esplanade that stretches out from the tower and the monastery is a square building that will be our Årst destination. A swarm of brighteyed urchins escapes from a classroom, their hands stretched out and shouting greetings in our direction at the top of their voices. These small boys, who follow us throughout our visit are very sweet. In the various rooms inside glass-fronted display cabinets are old statues painted red, gold, or multicolored. These, the monk informs us, are water buddhas as well as emperors and empresses of the former Ming Dynasty. A goddess is covered in a red cloak made of silk. The white beard of a venerable Ming stands out against these sparkling colors. Some of the windows are ornamented with thin mother-of-pearl sheets in lieu of glass panes. Let us enter the monastery. In Spring each year, visitors from all over the country make a pilgrimage to the temple, and Europeans come on Sundays for a picnic or an alfresco lunch. The temple is home to 400 monks. It is the prayer hour. In each of the temples, a squadron of monks prays each day from Åve in the morning and from three in the afternoon into the evening. On the Årst and Åfteenth lunar days, prayers are recited by all the monks. The front gate shelters a huge gilded buddha, pot-bellied and with – 240 –

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Monks at prayer

a lascivious look in his eyes, looking like one of the guards of the Abbaye de Thélème.2 Undoubtedly, he looks more dissipated than those monks clad in long gray cloaks whose turned-back collars leave the upper chest bare. But they are not as dirty as those we see in the streets of Chinese cities. They live well. Many sport ample bellies. Some wear around their neck a sort of black rosary that hangs over their chest. In the second temple, we see the four symbolic guards of colossal size we described earlier. At their center is a buddha under a glass bell. A curious, enormous old lantern hangs above his head. In the next temple, Guanyin, Queen of the Heavens, presides seated in a dazzlingly gilded throne placed on the head of a monster of the deep that looks like a hippopotamus. All around her are wooden sculptures painted blue and representing clouds or perhaps waves according to interpretation. Against this background are mid-sized gilded buddhas scattered all around, forming the deity’s court. Six monks sit inside the sanctuary. They wear a yellow – or once yellow – cloak over they gray robes and chant prayers while one of their 2 A Utopian monastery in Rabe ais’s 1534 nove Gargantua (see note 12, page 217) where the residents practice a form of free ove phi osophy.

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numbers strikes a silvery gong at very short intervals to sustain the deity’s attention. All around the temple are some 30 ancient life-sized statues polished by time. These are lohans, the Buddha’s holy disciples. Some, whose color di‫ٺ‬ers from that of the purely Chinese buddhas, must surely be of Hindu origin. Several have the multiple arms of Shiva-like deities. Behind the altar dedicated to Guanyin, three enormous deities look on forlornly as joss sticks burn. One is riding an elephant, another a tiger. Between Guanyin’s temple and the fourth central temple stands an old bronze stupa and ancient incense burners. But let us leave the central path and follow our clerical guide among the tangle of buildings that stand to our left. Our aim is another statue of the goddess standing under its glass protection. The good Guanyin sits within her prison, which is decorated with bunches of paper Æowers and embroidered items. All around behind wide glass-fronted display cabinets are tablets inscribed with the names of those for whom the monks must pray, many of whom are dead. Others, whose tablet is curved at the top, still wander this Vale of Tears. They have endowed the monastery so that the monks may beseech heaven to grant them a long life. And here are Canton’s Åve hundred genies. There are indeed 500 of these lohans, some 50 to 60 centimeters high, all seated and most warm-heartedly rendered in their various postures but much fresher than their colleagues in Guangdong’s capital. This source of competition must be recent. I search in vain for Marco Polo and a few other types that had struck me there. These are not the same lohans. Molds vary with the monks’ imagination. In the center, inside a pretty pavilion in red and gilded wood and artistically detailed are four important personages. At the rear of the room stands a Ågure decorated with a kind of hood made of red cloth. To satisfy my curiosity, the monks ask questions of each other as our group grows in size. This is the Ågure of Qianlong, an emperor of the Qing Dynasty and contemporary of Louis XIV.3 As for the other deities, the monks confess with a smile that they do not even know their names. 3 The Qian ong Emperor (1711 1799) was the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty and ru ed from 1735 to 1796. He was the near-contemporary of Louis XIV (1638 1715), the Sun King, who ru ed France from 1643 unti his death.

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A small pond surrounded by a railing contains Åsh protected from evil genies by a cement screen. In the buildings to our right are buddhas of no particular interest. Further on are workshops where horses are made of bamboo covered with paper as well as all kinds of Buddhist votive objects, though all of this is created by laymen. No monk works, not even in the vast kitchens we visit. At the rear is the refectory. On the narrow tables are bowls and chopsticks. The benches are made of wood. In the center of the hall stands a slightly raised chair. As in our European monastic institutions, spiritual readings accompany meals. Let us return to our study of the principal temples and enter the fourth large pagoda where gilded buddhas of gigantic size are venerated. Six priests kneeling at their prie dieux chant in cadence and in a very soft voice verses they take from old books spread out before them. One of them strikes with a small mallet at rapid intervals a hollow piece of wood painted red that resembles an enormous chime. The monks rise and slowly walk around the sanctuary in a single Åle. Now it is a small metal bell that is being jiggled by one of them. Rich gilded embroideries on a somber red background sway above the monks. The last of the sun’s rays play on this decor and give the scene a weird and fantastical character. Finally, we enter the last of the sanctuaries, which houses only a tiny gilded, pot-bellied buddha. But how admirable are those old red, blue, and gold embroideries spread out all around it! This must be the home of the monks as 24 of them are sitting at a table in groups of three. The hall is dark. Red wax candles placed inside lanterns made of equally red paper cast a gentle, fantastical glow upon these yellow-cloaked clerics. All are reading or rather chanting their lessons in their big books at extraordinary speed guided by the rhythm of the wooden bell. The young and the old are approximately equal in numbers. One of the monks nearest to us snores seraphically. Noticing that I am looking at the snorer, his neighbor starts laughing but respects his comrade’s beatitude. Sleep is sacred. A young novice sings frenetically. He does not look up or otherwise notice our presence during the long moments we spend observing this curious spectacle. – 243 –

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We take a quick peek at a sanctuary that opens to the left of this last temple close to the kitchens and dedicated to the cult of ancestors. A number of richly-dressed Chinese ladies sit and jabber to their hearts’ content, supposedly in honor of the ancestors whose merits they are celebrating. But I doubt this as they do not appear to be deep in profound melancholy. Rich, mostly modern embroideries are all around.

November 11 Arsenal4

The Kiangnan employs 3,000 workers and covers a considerable area. A French school is run by the government. Its principal, Mr. Yeou,5 who obtained his law degree in Paris, agrees to serve as guide to Mr. Ackermann and the author of these lines. Most courteously, he takes us on a tour of the steelworks, the riÆe manufacture, and the cannon manufacture. Two British engineers are attached to the arsenal. There is little to say about the steelworks. But what is striking is the absence of skilled management. No European supervision, not the slightest sign of a foreman. Everyone seems to issue orders. For a full quarter of an hour, we watch the attempts by a squadron of workers to push an incandescent cast iron sheet through a rolling mill. Held in the claws of a steam winch, it refuses to slide between the rolls that seek to grip it. Every one of the workers shouts to the mechanic to have him shift the enormous Åery mass forward, backward, now right, now left. But the block always manages to elude its destination without anyone seeming especially surprised at the fact. The iron sheet having cooled, it has to be taken back to the melting pot. Numerous workers are employed on riÆe manufacturing. The division of labor is taken to extremes. Here is the butt section, where each employee works in turn on his part of the wooden component. Next is the boring of the barrel, its riÆing, the moveable breeches, trig4 Now the Jiangnan Shipyard, the arsena , a spraw ing comp ex of meta works, shipyards, and factories, was estab ished as part of the Se f-Strengthening Movement. Construction began in 1865. 5 The Directory (1899) ists a Yeou Hsio Kae as working at the French Schoo associated with the Kiangnan Arsena .

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Cannon practice at the K iangnan Arsenal

ger guards, sight adjusters, hammers, magazines, bayonets, etc. The repeater guns seem solidly built but rather heavy. Here again, there is a total absence of supervision. One worker snores beatiÅcally on his bench, Åle in hand. As a result, the number of Ånished weapons produced each day by the Kiangnan Arsenal is minuscule. The cannon section is superb and the artillery pieces to which workers are putting the Ånishing touches seem to be of the Årst order. We see several enormous cannons, seven meters long and with stateof-the-art barrels and hydraulic brakes, attractive Åeld pieces, revolver cannons, protection plates, etc. Outside are magazines and the dry dock where gunboats come for repairs, while larger vessels have to head for Fuzhou instead. In the courtyard, braves in turbans commanded by a corpulent mandarin in a hat decorated with the usual coral button and peacock feather go through disassembly and transportation practice with Åeld pieces. The arsenal comes under the immediate direction of the Shanghai taotai, who receives a certain sum each year to ensure the operation of the various activities. A gunpowder and ammunition factory stands next to the Longhua – 245 –

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Pagoda, which we visited yesterday.

November 12 Tonight a banquet to be held in Foochow Road will bring together over 39 Chinamen and three Europeans, of whom I am fortunate to be one. Opposite the police station is the Yibengjiang restaurant. It is set up in the European manner, with kitchen and service on our model. There are large rooms for banquets, smaller ones for groups of about 20 diners, and private booths. All are fully occupied. In the hallways, there is the same bustle as at peak hours in our major restaurants on the boulevards. From every room comes the caterwauling of female singers, the grating of the huqin, and the pizzicati of the pipa. The guests look very smart, most sporting long Ångernails, their Ångers adorned with sparkling rings and their top buttonhole with a small rosary made of dao wood or fragrant cedar. Our host’s secretary is at his post with his guests around him. The idea is to invite a friend to drink a cup of baijiu and draw up the list of female singers, whom servants immediately go in search of. Printed cards are Ålled out by the secretary, rectangular in shape and bright red for friends and pink for the musical dolls. Here is their content: For friends We herewith invite H. E. (or) Mr. (name and address) to attend Yibengjiang, east side of Foochow Road, Room No. . . . to drink and converse with us. A thousand prayers that you do not refuse, and arrive as early as possible. (Date) (Signatures)

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For singers Mr. (name) invites (name and address) to come to Yibengjiang Room No. . . . , east side of Foochow Road, to keep him company at his table. Make haste and do not delay in the slightest.

Each guest makes his own selection from the singers, at least two but sometimes three. Ours are chosen for us. The menus are in Chinese. The food is good on the whole, though there are oddities. Lemonade circulates at the same time as the soup. Preserves and cigars are passed, and champagne is served with the Årst course, which is Åsh au gratin. Peking wine made from roses, very strong but pleasant to the taste, is served in metal pitchers. A few singers arrive accompanied by their amah, then others, then more still. Most secure their long Ångernails inside mother-of-pearl sheaths, wear bracelets in profusion, and display the coi‫ٺ‬ure I described previously. I count about 40 of them, each with her female attendant, and three of these pretty gamines come and sit behind me. The amah takes the powder compact with which we are already familiar out of a small bag and deposits it next to the singer’s temporary master. She then Ålls his pipe, lights with a single breath the paper lighter that serves as a match, and o‫ٺ‬ers it to the diner. I am in a delicate position. In front of me are warm liver paté, three powder compacts made of gold or silver, champagne and rose wine, three pretty ladies who look at me, smiling, and amahs who o‫ٺ‬er me two pipes on my left and a third to my right. Quite original! Meanwhile, in a dozen directions all around, the singing has started to the accompaniment of the pipa and the huqin. Each performer sings – 247 –

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at the top of her voice conscientiously and without taking the slightest notice of her neighbor. Most of the guests have started playing shiwu shiwu while shouting out their numbers as if demented. The game of shiwu shiwu is nothing other than our game of Morra.6 Both players launch their right hand forward simultaneously while extending the number of Ångers of their choice at the same time as they loudly call out a number. The player who called the exact number of Ångers extended by both partners is the winner. The loser must empty the glass that stands before him. As a result, the champagne glasses are drained at marvelous speed. Friend Dreyssé, who is among the guests, is the shiwu shiwu record holder. He is the equal of the most expert Chinese players and beats virtually every one of the guests in succession. Imagine the din and the appearance of the room. Unbelievable, but great fun! No toasts. The Chinese have their good points. Three more restaurants operate on Foochow Road, frequented exclusively by Celestials but organized along European lines. After dinner, we visit a typical singer’s home. They all look absolutely identical. A low gate opens onto a narrow alleyway. In the square courtyard, domestics, chair carriers, and amahs play dominoes all day long. A covered room opens onto the courtyard. This is where sta‫ ٺ‬members sleep at night and where they attend to household tasks during the day. In the rear is a staircase leading to the upper Æoor. On either side is a door, or rather a curtain, that gives access to the singers’ rooms. The hundreds of rooms of the singers of Shanghai’s famous street are identical. They are rectangular, with near the door a daybed covered with mats holding the opium smoker’s paraphernalia. On each side along the walls are chairs and tea tables. A large closet with four or Åve doors is Åtted with mirrors. This is the pretty child’s wardrobe. A pipa and huqin hang on one of the walls, as do streamers bearing the singer’s name as well as verses dedicated to her. At the rear of the room is a very beautiful bed in carved wood decorated with a brocaded red or blue silk cloth that stands out against the 6 As Raquez accurate y describes, this is both the European game of Morra and the Chinese game of shiwu shiwu, or “5-10-15” as the game is ca ed in Singapore and Hong Kong.

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wooden slats. The headboard consists of three marble panels. Above that are drawings in glass frames. Finally, a punkah, or lafon, is operated from outside by a coolie. This is the typical abode of the artiste, who o‫ٺ‬ers visitors roasted watermelon seeds, tea, and fruit with her own hands while the amah prepares the inevitable pipe. One of the girls we are here to meet was the winner of the 1898 beauty contest. Each year, the Chinese newspaper Yu Shi Pao organizes a competition. Legitimate votes can be cast for any singer in Shanghai. The winner seems much less pretty to me than her amah. Neither her heavy features nor her eyes show any expression. I seek in vain to discover the aesthetic ideal of the race. All I see in this doll’s face is banal insigniÅcance.

Sunday, November 13 Late Autumn is deliciously Åne this year. A picnic is organized at the Longhua Pagoda, which we already had occasion to visit at length but where today a buddhist ceremony is due to take place. A houseboat loaded with provisions sailed on the night tide along one of the many canals that branch o‫ ٺ‬the Whangpoo River. This one runs close by the pagoda. We depart, some on horseback, others in carriages. In the vicinity of the temple, we run into the King of Beggars, a considerable Ågure as he is the head of Shanghai’s guild of the ragged, who pay him tribute. He is said to be worth 20,000 dollars, but His Majesty shows no particular pride on that account. Encamped in the middle of the road, the King takes position in our direct line of vision. A bamboo scepter in his hand, he is covered in unimaginable rags consisting of small multicolored strips of cloth tied one on top of the other like scales on a Åsh. Little Lily de Nully7 frees herself from the hand of friend Paturel

7 The Directory (1899) ists R. de Nu y as First Assistant with the Imperia Maritime Customs. He Årst joined the service in 1879. Li y de Nu y is perhaps his young daughter. In the photo that accompanies this section, we see a itt e gir running toward the King of Beggars just as described in the text, which indicates that Raquez took this photo, with the ma e Ågure to her eft presumab y being Pature . On R. de Nu y, see J. K. Fairbank et a ., The I. G. in Peking: Letters of Robert Hart, Chinese Maritime Customs, 1868 1907, vo ume one (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975), 615.

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The Longhua Road The King of Beggars The creek

and rushes toward the beggar, highlighting the contrast between gracious youth and horrible decrepitude, the Spring and Winter of life. Monks silently enter the great hall of the monastery in single Åle. One of them holds horizontally and at chest level a prayer book wrapped in a piece of cloth. Two sets of parallel benches face each other, leaving a space in the middle of which a table and armchair stand, slightly raised on a platform. Once all the monks have taken their place, two of them, each wearing a red scarf across his chest, leave the room to fetch the abbot. Over his gray robe, this man of grave and Åne features wears a red cloak streaked with silvery ribbons. As he accompanies the abbot, one of his ushers jingles a small chime while the other sounds a wooden bell. Everyone in the room rises. The abbot kneels three times before a small gilded idol given pride of place on the central table. He takes up his seat as monks Åle past him in groups of four. Each one prostrates himself deeply three times, then kneels on a sort of scapulary made of pieces of cloth of four distinct colors that he folds di‫ٺ‬erently with each new prostration. The monks’ foreheads touch the ground. The abbot is impassive. Four elegant Chinese ladies with small feet, their wrists ornamented – 250 –

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with massive gold bracelets and their ears with superb diamonds and their Ångernails protected by mother-of-pearl sheaths, now enter the chapter hall. One after the other, they prostrate themselves, forehead on the ground, before the abbot, and the monks to their right and those to their left take their places at the rear of the hall on the bench furthest from the abbot’s chair. The abbot begins his sermon. Seated, glancing at a manuscript, he speaks gravely, with a few sober gestures imbued with that expressiveness, that suppleness, that grace, which characterize Chinese persons of good society. He is the successor of the high-ranking mandarin who was due to lose his head to the executioner’s blade in 1882 but who saved his own life by superbly restoring the Longhua monastery, which owes him its current prosperity. The mandarin became abbot and was thus able to continue enjoying the delights of life, more often in Shanghai than within the cloister’s walls. The sermon unfolds to sustained attention on the part of the monks and the sweet beauties, who miss not a single word uttered by the holy orator. Unfortunately, however Chinese his sermon may be, it is Hebrew to us. The excursion has sharpened appetites. We raid the pantry and cellar of the houseboat, which is as hospitable as it is cosy.

November 14 The procession of the Tutelary Genie of the City of Shanghai passes through the French Concession. For over an hour, 2,000 men Åle past in as orderly a manner as in most of our own processions in France. This is a bizarre collection of paupers and wealthy merchants, monks, and street performers. With every tiny detail explicitly speciÅed, this procession must have an emblematic signiÅcance. But I can Ånd no one among older residents, even the best informed about matters Chinese, in a position to fully enlighten me on the minutiae of the procession. Already last night, on my way home from a soirée, I passed numerous Chinese men and women in the streets riding in rickshaws, each one holding a small burning joss stick intended to chase away evil spirits. This morning, innumerable children are clad in bright scarlet, the – 251 –

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color of the Tutelary Genius. Luckily, Åghting bulls are few and far between in the streets of Shanghai! Today, virtually all the Celestials hold in their hand an equilateral triangle with each side approximately 60 centimeters in length. Its base is covered with a strip of white cloth inscribed with characters. For the record, I should mention the gongs that are sounded at regular intervals and the carriers of clubs, signs, Æags, bamboo sticks dragged on the ground, parasols adorned with pieces of red fabric, torturers in pointed hats, Æute players, etc., who make up the ordinary retinue of every mandarin. I now come to the unique aspect of the procession. It consists of four distinct groups whose central Ågure is a superb buddha of painted wood, with a long black beard and long Ångernails, seated in a chair garnished with rich silks brocaded in gold and wearing a robe of no less precious silk. No fewer than sixteen porters ferry it through the streets. Each of the four buddhas is slightly di‫ٺ‬erent from the others. All of them are preceded by learned men wearing a gold or crystal button and mandarins of various ranks, on foot, in sedan chairs, or mounted on unshod horses whose neck is encircled with chimes and small bells. Immediately preceding the buddhas are Åve personages in consecutive sedan chairs, all with the attributes speciÅc to each group. To the right of the Årst chair is a small silk Æag decorated with characters while the second chair carries a small wooden board covered in dark silk. On the front of his chair, a third Ågure exhibits a cylinder covered in fabric, looking rather like the glazed apples of our fairs. Toward the front of his chair, a fourth holds in his hands a voluminous parcel wrapped in a piece of fabric made of orange-colored silk. Finally, the Åfth and last holds in his cupped hands a small object he conceals from onlookers. As they walk, virtually all the participants in the cortege jingle little copper chains Åtted with a small plate at each end. Two Chinamen walk bare-chested. All around their chest, level with the lowest rib, is a series of small Åshing hooks that pierce their skin and to which hang pompoms made of multicolored bobbles. One of them swings a thurible while the other keeps his hands away from his body with a small wooden board he rests on his hips. Here are men carrying tiaras placed on cushions, men clad entirely – 252 –

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in black and wearing on their heads square hats that look exactly like those worn by our judges. Are these hats the emblem of judicial chinoiseries? Others wear a hat made of varnished black canvas with on the right, by way of plume, a large fan made of peacock feathers. Others hold stocks and other implements of justice. Around the necks of many of the men, even of children in the crowd, are small rectangular boards with two holes through which they can insert their wrists. Some participants, clad from head to foot in brand new red garments and their heads adorned with long pheasant feathers precede repulsive Ågures in rags caked with dust and mud. The mandarin who follows them on horseback in full costume wishes to let it be known that he is the father of all the people and takes care of wretches and the fortunate alike. What a Pharisee! Every now and then a long cry rings out and echoes along the entire length of the cortege. Here are the pagodas’ administrators holding joss sticks, bearded actors in full costume, and children aged three to ten dressed like little fair monkeys in blue, red, or green and held in their saddles as they sit astride ponies. A few urchins, proud as punch, their Åsts resting on their hips, are irresistibly comical. An exuberant young foal gambols behind a mare held by its bridle. Unfortunately, it is late and the light is too faint for me to take photographs. Here is the Société des Cent Kilos.8 It consists of eight enormous Chinamen wearing white trousers that look tight about the hips and a red jacket thrown over their shoulder that fully reveals their bare chest and an enormous belly that Æops with each step. On the navel of each one is a‫ٻ‬xed a piece of white paper. What could all this mean? Is this bung meant to keep out draughts? A group of porters drag long heavy chains with which they scrape the entire width of the street, to enchain evil spirits, apparently. One Chinaman clad from head to foot in red has another chain wrapped around his neck. At one end of the chain is Årmly attached a sandstone block he carries on his shoulder with great e‫ٺ‬ort. He represents former convicts sentenced to forced labor. 8 See note 62, page 199

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When the buddhas Åle past the Chinese populace, which looks on silently, all bring their hands together and o‫ٺ‬er salutations. Finally, a large group of sick children dressed in red brings up the rear, carried by their parents behind the buddhas in an e‫ٺ‬ort to seek cures for them. What unfortunate folks!

November 15 The Océanien is about to sail on her return voyage to France. On the quayside is almost the entire French colony, including the volunteers in uniform. The President of the Municipal Council, Mr. Bard, head of the Olivier & de Langenhagen & Cie. trading house, is on his way to enjoy a well-earned leave in France. Two dinner companions from the Hôtel des Colonies, Messrs. Brandenbourg of Maison Cusenier, known for many years in all the ports of the Far East where he leaves behind the memory of his cheerfulness, and Mereki, of Maison Dormeuil Frères,9 who does not exactly engender darkest melancholy either, are both sailing on the French mailboat. Bon voyage, comrades! May powerful typhoons give your wake a wide berth!

November 16 A friend arranges for me to receive an invitation to a ball at the residence of His Excellency Ts’ai, Taotai of Shanghai. By golly, what a coincidence! The ball is to be held on the 23rd of this month, which will give me an opportunity to attend festivities that will not want for originality. But His Excellency’s arrest has just been announced! Fortunately, this amounts to nothing. A commissioner specially appointed by the Court has conducted an inquiry into every move by the high-ranking mandarin, who is accused of certain speculations involving rice as well as negligence in the pursuit of Kang Youwei, the reformist. But the commissioner’s report is favorable, I am told. 9 Cusenier is a brand of spirits whose house was founded in 1868 by Eugène Cusenier (1832 1894). It is now part of the Pernod-Ricard cong omerate. The House of Dormeui , a retai er of Åne c oth, was opened in 1842 and remains in business. Neither Brandenbourg nor Mereki have been identiÅed.

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Gossip-mongers suggest that the document had its price. I thus glean information concerning the practices of Chinese justice and administration, to which I will have occasion to return. It is true that absolutely everything is for sale in this country. The trick is to judge the appropriate price.

November 1 7 It is impossible to get a sense of the intensity of Shanghai’s tra‫ٻ‬c unless one devotes a few hours to observation in the vicinity of the Suzhou Creek. The new public park o‫ٺ‬ers comfortable benches caressed by the Årst rays of the sun. Hundreds of light sampans congregate, bringing produce from market gardening to the vast vegetable markets whose stalls line the entire channel. Unlike their colleagues, these sampan boatmen stand at the rear of their craft. They work a short oar with their feet while they steer energetically with a scull they hold in both hands. The same method is used by the sampans of the Chinese Mail, which fan out along the canals throughout this entire region of China. Scheduled relays are set up at regular distances for the conveyance of dispatches. Here are the serene, pot-bellied yet attractive leisure houseboats belonging to Europeans who choose Suzhou Creek to shelter their sizable Æeet. At the Rowing Club, coolies launch the ski‫ٺ‬s and canoes of our amateurs into the water. But a powerful tide is coming in. Junks and sampans take advantage of it to hurry along, propelled by an enormous scull worked by three or even four vigorous boatmen. What an odd method, and how remote from what we are accustomed to seeing! Each of the four coolies moves di‫ٺ‬erently from the other three to balance this immense lever. Most notably, the head boatman throws his full weight backward, his shoulders almost touching the Æoor before rising again quickly and then falling back once more. Beyond question, marvelous Æexibility and extraordinary perseverance in e‫ٺ‬ort are qualities shown by all Chinese boatmen. Assisted by the current, all these junks Æy past like arrows, barely overtaken by steam launches headed for the large city of Suzhou and towing four, Åve, or even six crafts tied one behind the other and forming a veritable train. – 255 –

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November 18 I call on the barber. Chinese Figaros are not major customers of soap manufacturers, and the cleverest advertising by Princes du Congo 0 would have no e‫ٺ‬ect on them. The salon consists of a rectangular room, with one of the shorter sides open to the street. The walls are lined with mirrors. But as the Chinese never follow our Western customs, they sit with their back to the wall and admire themselves in the mirror opposite. In front of them is a square table on which they lean both arms on which they rest their head. The barber washes the portions to be shaved in very hot water, rubbing them at length to fully soften the towels and everything else that covers them. He then extracts from his case a short but very wide razor, almost square when new. Chinese razors are made of excellent steel. Those from Zhenjiang are renowned throughout this part of China. The operation is conducted rapidly and with a very light hand. Then it is the turn of the ears, into which this artist introduces an entire set of small instruments. Finally, sometimes, the eyes are cleaned with great sensitivity by the practitioner, who gives the lacrimal gland a short sharp tap to make a tear surge, thus verifying that secretion is normal. Before releasing his customer, he grabs his arms, stretches every joint in them, massages his muscles through his clothes, and administers vigorous slaps on his back and shoulders. One has to witness a Chinaman allowing himself so beatiÅcally to be rubbed, dug into, and kneaded to appreciate that for a Celestial, a visit to the barber is one of the most enjoyable moments of his earthly existence. In outer districts, itinerant barbers hawk their instruments door to door, seeking business in people’s own homes. Even in the teahouses of Nanking Road, it is not unusual to see a Figaro cleaning out the ears of a patron even as his indi‫ٺ‬erent neighbors drink their cups of tea, smoke their pipes, or eat heavy mincemeat pies. 10 Savon des Princes du Congo was a brand of uxury soap manufactured by the Victor Vaissier Company, origina y founded in 1880 in Paris. The brand name was recent y resurrected.

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A barber

Beneath the arcades of Hoopeh Road, on the corner of the major Nanking Road artery, Chinese barbers can be seen at their work at all hours of the day.

November 19 There is great animation in the city today. Prince Henry of Prussia is in Shanghai. He is here to inaugurate on Monday the monument erected to the memory of the o‫ٻ‬cers and seamen of the gunboat Iltis, which sank in the vicinity of Yantai during the typhoon of July 23, 1896. Erecting a monument in Yantai would have seemed more rational, but the Germans are too practical to miss an opportunity to advertise the power of their Shanghai colony. This is why the monument erected on one of the lawns along the Bund and which veils now conceal from our eyes is said to be remarkably handsome.

11 The monument was designed by German scu ptor August Friedrich Johann Kraus (1868 1934) and stood on the Shanghai Bund unti the end of Wor d War I, when it was partia y destroyed by A ied troops in December 1918. The remaining portions of it were set up in the nearby Kaiser-Wi he m-Schoo in 1929. See robertbickers.net/2014/11/08/monuments-shanghai-bund-i tismonument-1898.

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Sunday, November 20 The Kaiser, a cruiser Æying the Æag of the German Admiralty, ran aground on its way in from Wusong. Prince Henry’s squadron has been joined by warships from Austria, Russia, and America, ferrying in troops that will take part in the festivities. A platform reserved for the ladies has been built near the monument. I watch the rehearsal, which is not without interest. An estimated 400 guests will be accommodated on the platform. To verify that it is sturdy enough, as many Chinese coolies as can be persuaded to clamber aboard are being squeezed onto it, crammed like sardines in a can. The contractor counts 910 of them. The platform takes the weight. The Prince’s gracious lady guests will be able to sit on it without fear.

November 21 It is bitterly cold: ten degrees, with a northerly wind that barely manages to prevent large clouds laden with moisture from descending lower as they roll past over our heads. On the lawns of the Bund, detachments of sailors as well as Shanghai’s German and British volunteer companies are lined up, about 1,000 men in total. Only the French are staying away. But Mr. Claudel, the acting French Consul in Mr. de Bezaure’s absence, attends the ceremony along with the other members of the consular corps. The Chinese are kept well away in streets that have been blocked o‫ٺ‬. The Europeans, including myself, have been issued passes for the stands and enjoy Åne vantage points on the Bund’s sidewalks from which to watch the entire ceremony. Prince Henry seems determined to prove that if punctuality is the politeness of kings, the formula does not apply to princes, showing up at 11:35 when the inauguration was scheduled for 11 o’clock sharp and all these unfortunate ladies now shivering on the unprotected platform were summoned for 10:30. His carriage is escorted by Hindus, superb horsemen whose lances are decorated with Æuttering scarlet streamers. The Prince passes very close to where we stand. He appears to be about 35. Tall, svelte, with a pointed blond beard, he has in his eyes that vague, meditative note that is so attractive in the Tsar of Russia. – 258 –

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Inauguration of the Iltis monument

His gait is elegant but in no way martial or rehearsed, as might have been expected in Wilhelm’s brother. 2 He comes across as more socialite than soldier. I am told he is quite charming in society. Looking at him, I am reminded of the Emperor’s famous speech, on the occasion of the German Æeet’s departure, and its exhortation to his brother: “If someone impedes your progress, strike him with your right hand gloved in iron.” 3 Today, on the occasion of this review of international troops, his right hand is sheathed only in a white kid glove. Slowly, the Prince reviews the lined-up soldiers, observing each one attentively. On completion of a speech by Protestant minister Hackemann, the curtain drops, revealing the monument. Very artistic, as had been forecast. It consists of a broken mast with remnants of its rigging, pulleys, and mooring cleats and a Æag in tatters, all in verdigris-colored bronze. 12 Kaiser Wi he m II (1859 1941), ast Emperor of Prussia, who reigned from 1888 to 1918. 13 A phrase often erronesou y attributed to Machiave i or Napo eon. Its origin seems to be a rather free trans ation of the Latin fortiter in re, suaviter in modo, or “reso ute in execution, gent e in manner,” Årst expressed by the Jesuit author C audio Acquaviva (1543 1615) in his Industriae ad curandos animae morbos of 1600, a though numerous kings, emperors, and tyrants have used it since, which makes origina attribution di‫ٻ‬cu t.

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Involuntarily, the eye drifts toward the pathetic little granite column erected 30 meters away in the memory of the 48 British o‫ٻ‬cers who died on Chinese land, and the comparison does not Æatter British self-respect. But it is Prince Henry’s turn to step forward. In a powerful voice, he delivers a few words received with the mandatory Hoch! response of German sailors. The detachments are now massed at the end of the Bund’s lawn and the Prince stands alone in front of us, looking rather embarrassed. He walks toward the chains that conÅne the public to the surrounds of the lawn, comes over to stroke a child very close to me and, saying in English, “I beg your pardon,” apologizes for having no option but to force the crowd back. This creates space around him, but no one understands what he is trying to do, so without communicating his plans to anyone, he himself and with no assistance whatsoever takes charge of clearing the space where the troops are about to Åle past him. Then begins a spectacle that is as strange as it is rare. The German band, which consists of Æat drums and Åfes, plays a bizarre tune and takes up position before Prince Henry. Section by section, the German sailors Åle past, their riÆe on their shoulder. The steps defy all description. The military exercises I often witnessed on training grounds in Germany 4 give only a very vague idea of the epileptic parade conducted exclusively before the Emperor or Princes of the Imperial Family. Their feet raised very high and with all the vigor of which a German is capable, their knee ligaments as taut as steel wires, the German sailors Åle past like automatons. The e‫ٺ‬ort required is such that their entire body shakes, their head jerking with each step. It is grotesque in the extreme, and only the respect owed to Prince Henry’s presence prevents uncontrolled laughter from rippling through the assembled spectators. This is followed by the soldiers of the Austrian naval infantry in their 14 Raquez insinuates that he served in the mi itary, and wou d do so again in Pages Lao tiennes, where he c aims to have worn a shako hat, a ta sti‫ ٺ‬mi itary-sty e cap, whi e on guard duty (47). At the time, mi itary conscription was mandatory in France for a sing e and chi d ess men between the ages of 20 and 25, so it is high y ike y that Gervais served in the mi itary, but when and where are questions that sti ack answers.

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Prince Henry of Prussia and his orchestra

coats and shakos made of oilcloth, Italian sailors, American fusiliers holding their weapon diagonally across their chest as in the early days of our own bayonet fencing, British seamen followed by their infantry comrades in straw hats and gaiters made of tawny-colored canvas, Russian sailors, and Ånally the British volunteers of the Shanghai Concession. All the detachments burst out in a cry of “hooray!” as they come level with the Prince, while the drums and Åfes rage on but without managing to communicate through this mass of soldiery the spark set o‫ ٺ‬by warlike fanfares in the breasts of our humble foot soldiers during triumphal parades.

November 22 What joy it is for a collector of objets d’art to have a chance to admire for hours one of the Ånest collections that could be imagined! I refer to Mr. de Malherbe’s museum, the Secretary of the French Municipality in Shanghai. The collection sparkles with items made of copper, bronze, porcelain in white and blue tones for which the formula is forever lost, others in apple green hues, jades: all of them pieces of the Årst order, some without equal. A dedicated display cabinet showcases two marvelous vases, a – 261 –

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unique set that is perhaps the ultimate masterpiece of ceramic craftsmanship worldwide. Nothing could be more perfect than this porcelain from Jiangxi and the Ming Dynasty. Mr. de Malherbe has already turned down the 50,000 francs he was o‫ٺ‬ered for it. We will have further occasions to see this admirable manifestation of ancient Oriental art in the Chinese section of the 1900 Exposition 5 along with a Jiangxi vase whose companion piece is housed in the Louvre Museum. In his remarkable volume on Peking, Monsignor Favier, 6 Bishop of the Chinese capital and collector of the Årst order, rated the Louvre vase as being without rival. But Mr. de Malherbe’s is absolutely identical and almost certainly the counterpart of the exhibit now in our great national museum.

November 23 The taotai’s invitation comes in the form of gilded characters on a large, bright red card: In honour of the Birthday of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager of China TS’AI CHUN TAOTAI OF SHANGHAI requests the pleasure of the Company of M . . . . . . . . . . . . At a ball at the Bureau of Foreign A‫ٺ‬airs, 63 Bubbling Well Road, Shanghai, on Wednesday, the 10th day of the 10th moon of the 24th year of Guangxu (the 23rd of November 1898) at 9 p.m. In uniform. R.S.V.P.

But this morning, the British newspapers report that Taotai Ts’ai has just been deposed. My investigations conÅrm that the information is correct, but the ball will go ahead. What a singular country! 15 The Exposition Universe e was he d in Paris between Apri and November 1900. A showcase for techno ogica progress simi ar to other wor d fairs of the time, it attracted more than 50 mi ion visitors across mu tip e venues. 16 Pierre Marie A phonse Favier-Duperron (1837 1905) was an author and Catho ic missionary. He arrived in China in 1862 and eventua y rose to become Titu ar Bishop of Pentacomia in 1898. In the wake of the Boxer Uprising, Favier was accused of supporting mass ooting by European troops. His Peking, histoire et description was Årst pub ished in Peking (Imprimeries Lazaristes) in 1897.

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The ornamentation of the gardens is magical. Thousands of those strange Chinese lanterns give the shady trees that surround the large assembly hall a most picturesque aspect. The hall is decorated with large Æags in the colors of the various powers. I notice that the French and German standards have been given pride of place above the main door. The British Æag has been relegated to a faraway spot. The taotai has probably learned that the British decided not to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday. But a few ladies and misses ignored instructions, and the salons are packed. The uniforms of the o‫ٻ‬cers of all nations and of members of the diplomatic corps and the handsome red coats lined with small gilded buttons worn by the volunteers of the Foreign Concession confer a most original quality against the cold black evening costumes. The taotai, wearing a superb costume of silk lined with ermine, seems very cheerful. He speaks English as well as Spanish and has a friendly word for each of his guests. His secretary speaks perfect French. Around him are a dozen mandarins but not a single pretty Chinese female face. Our hostess does not allow us to see her small feet. Like our European ladies, this daughter of Eve perhaps watches from the gallery at the rear of those multicolored Æags the moves of the couples who dance to the rousing tunes of the concessions’ bands. It is bu‫ٺ‬et time. Tables are being set for supper. His Excellency Ts’ai has done a Åne job. My eyes fall upon a young mandarin who surely for the Årst time witnesses women with bare shoulders and arms gliding and leaping about. There he is, mouth gaping, utterly Æabbergasted, then suddenly walks way with a shrug of the shoulders. “Is it possible to be so fatuous!” he seems to be saying. When I turn my gaze upon those demented dancers with one arm around the waist of every plump Gretchen and leading them into the frenetic gallop of an American quadrille, I understand the Chinaman’s viewpoint. And yet, I too take a few waltz turns on the dance Æoor. I cannot resist the prelude to España! 7

17 The España wa tz, written in 1886 by French composer of dance music Émi e Wa dteufe (1837 1915) fo owing the more famous piece of the same name composed in 1883 by A exis Émmanue Chabrier (1841 1894), from which Wa dteufe ’s wa tz borrows the me ody.

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Chapter Twelve

Shanghai Associations and guilds – The Chinese Rothschilds – The genie of smallpox – Chinese politeness – Infanticide – A nuptial procession – Funerals and mourning – The animal hospital – The beggars’ hospital – The register of widows – Libraries – The bear dance and the army – Military examinations – Departure: Tomorrow!

November 24 There has been a great deal of talk of Chinese associations, which play such a major role in the social life of the Chinese people. It is even widely believed that all the employees, manual workers, and coolies in a trading house are the boss’s associates. Nothing could be further from the truth. At the end of the year, it is customary to grant the sta‫ ٺ‬of all trading houses a monetary gift whose value is proportional to the proÅts made that year. But it is not necessary to come to China to Ånd such a practice. Chinese associations take di‫ٺ‬erent forms, or rather a dual form: societies, or huiguan, which group individuals originating in the same major city, and guilds, or gongsuo, which are joined by those practicing the same trade regardless of their place of origin. We already saw the role played in Shanghai by the Ningbo huiguan during the riots of last July, and we also learned about the actions of the hotel boys’ gongsuo. One of the most powerful guilds, not in terms of its wealth but of the number of its members, is that of the wheelbarrow coolies. Last year, it organized a veritable riot when the Municipal Council tried to raise the cost of licenses. Some Åve or six thousand wheelbarrow coolies rose as one and gathered to lay siege to the Shanghai Club. Armed volunteers had to be called in to lend the police a helping hand, and the coolies representing the guild appeared before the taotai as well as the European authorities to defend the interests of their corporation. Shanghai has gongsuos for tea, silk, and worked cotton traders, rickshaw operators, barbers, etc. – 264 –

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If a merchant behaves disloyally toward one of the members of a guild such as the silk workers’ corporation, for example, his business will be blacklisted and he will Ånd it impossible to purchase a single bale. The statutes of one huiguan and one gongsuo have been translated specially for In the Land of Pagodas. The regulations applicable to similar associations di‫ٺ‬er very little from those we publish below.

Statutes of a Huiguan Or Association of Chinese Persons of a Common Origin The traders and merchants originating from Province X are all foreigners in the country of Shanghai, where they currently operate. Alone, they often feel weak; together, they become a force. But they must be united in strength if they are to face down competitors, show solidarity in the eyes of rivals, and o‫ٺ‬er each other mutual support. ART. I. Compatriots arriving by sea along with their merchandise are transported either in large vessels or in junks. Consequently, their lives and fortunes depend of the providential benevolence of the Sea Goddess, to whom we owe everlasting gratitude. The aim of this huiguan is Årst and foremost to dedicate all of its members to the cult of the Sea Goddess, which shall be performed in the building’s Great Hall. ART. II. Each year, on the occasion of festivities commemorating the Goddess’s birthday, a religious ceremony takes place along with a great feast and a theatrical performance. All our compatriots, government employees, travelers, and traders are invited to attend the event. They must be formally attired and carry candles and joss sticks. ART. III. The Great Hall is especially dedicated to this cult and to religious ceremonies. Outlying buildings are reserved for private gatherings of compatriots, who may hold festivities in them. However, using these buildings for gambling purposes or inviting women is prohibited. ART. IV. Our compatriots may use these buildings for regular meetings or to discuss occasional business a‫ٺ‬airs or any issue of relevance to the community. No rent is payable. However, if members take their meals on the society’s premises, they must meet these costs. – 265 –

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ART. V. Funds necessary to the construction of the huiguan having been raised by public subscription, maintenance expenses must be met by traders originating in the same province. They agree that a proportion of 5 per 1,000 of their turnover regardless of the nature of their trade shall go toward the maintenance of the huiguan. Every year, the Head of the association for Province X shall audit the books of each of trader and levy the 5 per 1,000 due, against which he shall issue a receipt. ART. VI. The Head of the association is appointed each year by the assembly of traders from the same province. He must be of good repute and possess rank and wealth commensurate with acting and speaking, if necessary, on behalf of all the members before local authorities. ART. VII. Each year, if the huiguan’s Ånances show a surplus, the Head may in agreement with compatriots purchase on the community’s behalf properties that may generate revenue. ART. VIII. The huiguan must own a plot or building outside of the city where the bodies of compatriots who died in this country may be provisionally interred. If the deceased has no family, all expenses shall be met by the huiguan. ART. IX. Distressed compatriots may approach the huiguan, which, following inquiries, shall make every e‫ٺ‬ort to come to their assistance, whether from its own resources or via a special levy on a case-bycase basis and if the distressed supplicant is of particular note. ART. X. Each year midway through the 7th moon, a religious ceremony shall take place consisting of Taoist or Buddhist prayers that the souls of compatriots who died and are buried in this country may rest in peace. This ceremony’s expenses shall be met by the huiguan.

Statutes of a Gongsuo Or Association of Chinese Persons With a Common Trade The aim of the gongsuo is to support the commercial activities of those sharing a trade, keep itself informed concerning the price of raw inputs and merchandise, take administrative steps on the guild’s behalf, and maintain solidarity and harmonious relations among colleagues. – 266 –

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ART. I. The building where meetings are to be held having been erected thanks to donations and subscriptions, it is important to maintain it in good repair and to rehabilitate it if necessary. All colleagues must therefore contribute to such expenses. ART. II. A levy of 5 per 1,000 of colleagues’ turnover shall be taken from their takings and paid to the guild. The guild’s Head shall audit colleagues’ books each year. ART. III. The guild’s treasury is in charge of acquiring properties on the gongsuo’s behalf whenever the Ånances are in surplus. However, it is prohibited from trading such properties. ART. IV. A secretary and two employees are selected by the Head. However, the Head himself is elected every other year by the General Assembly in order of date of Årst membership. ART. V. The guild’s Head is responsible for resolving disputes between colleagues in the same trade as mandated by a court, and if the disagreement is of a Ånancial nature, for verifying the disputed accounts and proposing an amicable settlement. ART. VI. The decision of the guild’s Head must be agreed by both parties. Should the parties fail to submit to that decision, the case reverts to the competent magistrate’s court. ART. VII. The guild’s Head is also responsible for adjudicating disputes without the case being referred to him by a court. ART. VIII. Should the dispute have complex causes, either in matters of accounting or requiring many witnesses, the guild’s Head is entitled to assistance from one or more members of the same guild selected from among the most honorable and respected. ART. IX. Each year, a major ceremony takes place in honor of the Tutelary Genie. All members of the gongsuo are expected to attend in formal attire. They should bring their own candles and incense. All expenses incurred for feasts and the theatrical performance are met by the guild, which also invites major o‫ٻ‬cials. ART. X. Members are entitled to stage private events at the guild’s headquarters at their own expense. ART. XI. The guild’s Head may summon members of the gongsuo in meeting to hear or discuss cases of interest to the guild. ART. XII. New traders from the same profession are urged to join the – 267 –

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gongsuo. They are free to abstain, but should they do so, they may not claim any of the privileges granted to members of the guild should they Ånd themselves in di‫ٻ‬culty. ART. XIII. Cases of bankruptcy are scrutinized with particular care by the guild. If the bankruptcy is deemed worthy of special attention, the gongsuo will do what is necessary to come to the bankrupt’s aid either from its own funds or by subscription and to weaken the creditors’ hand. But the guild is not mandated to act in such a manner and no one is entitled to force it to act at its own expense. ART. XIV. The guild distributes co‫ٻ‬ns and plots for the purpose of interment of destitute members. It even repatriates his family at the request of one of more members of the same guild. ART. XV. Acting in his o‫ٻ‬cial capacity, the guild’s Head represents the gongsuo before local authorities. He is entitled to speak on behalf of the guild or of one or more of its members upon request. ART. XV. The guild’s headquarters must be respected and no suspicious individuals may be brought in. The barbers’ gongsuo played an important role in 1880. On the occasion of the death of the Empress, funeral rites precluded Chinese men from shaving their head for 100 days. Whereupon much commotion ensued among the Figaros! Following a general assembly at the gongsuo’s headquarters, the following petition was presented to the Shanghai prefect: The undersigned, all of them natives of Nanking and Zhenjiang, the country of origin of most barbers, have for a long time been established as barbers in Shanghai Prefecture, where we own a meeting place dedicated to discussions of our guild’s statutes. On every occasion of Imperial mourning, when the population is prohibited from shaving their heads, it is customary that the owners of the barbers’ premises grant them a rent reduction. Thus in 1875, following a request by local barbers, your predecessor published a proclamation prohibiting the owners of such premises from demanding more than half the monthly rents from their tenants. In fact, we are currently within the 100 day period during which one may not shave one’s head. Consequently, we hereby tender the present plea that you may generously take similar measures on this occasion.

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And on this, the mandarin granted the barbers’ request. The owners thus mourned their rents and the Empress simultaneously.

November 25 It is remarkable that throughout history, the handling of money has almost always been monopolized by a caste, not a race. In the Middle Ages, Lombards were in almost exclusive control of anything to do with Ånance. Today, they have been succeeded by Jews of all origins. The same phenomenon can be observed in China. From time immemorial, Shanxi Province has provided the Far East with its bankers at the same time as it monopolized the highly lucrative trade in Mongolian furs. All the wealthy pelt merchants are also from Shanxi and belong to the Shanxi pang, or Shanxi Group, through which this entire trade passes. The group includes a core of four families – the Wei, the Wang, the Liu, and the Yang – who form an association with formidable Ånancial muscle that can be compared to the Rothschilds of the West. This association, or piaohao, is in exclusive charge of transporting the State funds entrusted to it by the provincial treasurers, and in a country such as China, where communications are none of the fastest or easiest, this issue is not without signiÅcance. Members of the piaohao enjoy unlimited credit. Their representatives, all of them members of the aforementioned four families, carry a small seal, upon sight of which they can raise the funds they need anywhere, even from public treasuries. Young men take wives from the descendants of one of these families. If they must be away from Jianxi, they leave behind their wife and children. All live a life of considerable ease at the association’s expense. If they head a bank, they are required to spend the night in the building that houses the premises. They may not accept any of the honors granted to mandarins, as the Chinese Government is entitled to conÅscate the property of mandarins. Their households are among the wealthiest, but when they leave the bank, its managers take with them only personal items of clothing, leaving even their jewelry to their successor. The piaohao is a veritable State within the State. – 269 –

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A high-ranking mandarin is passing through Shanghai. He is rumored to be Chinese Minister to Japan. His Excellency had just settled his family at the Hôtel des Colonies when word reached him that he was expected to take up residence in a pagoda reserved for high dignitaries. There are guardians of protocol here just as annoying and fearless as our own Crozier.2 But before leaving the hotel, the Minister is entertaining a few Chinese friends for dinner. Superb silk gowns are paraded. Everyone exchanges numerous salutations by bringing their joined hands to their chest and moving them up and down once or twice. As the upper body tilts forward and the head follows, smiles appear and polite formulas are exchanged. Ah, Chinese politeness! What vast quantities of ink have been poured on that subject! Clearly, the Chinese are polite, very polite. Their salutations have nothing in common with the dry “Good morning” or the curt “How do you do” of the British, sti‫ ٺ‬as Her Majesty’s bronze e‫ٻ‬gy, who will not only fail to incline their upper body but will even keep their head covered when addressing a lady. But we should be wary of legends. The other day, I read in a magazine published here in Shanghai an article penned by a resident of China of many years but whom I suspect of wearing badly focused glasses when it comes to examining the Chinese. He would need such spectacles to write that “the Chinese take the practice of politeness to a degree of perfection that is not only unknown in Western countries but that truly deÅes belief.” This author’s only excuse is that he is British. In his article, he recalls a practice dear to the Chinese, who apologize as they take leave of their host at the conclusion of a function, not for having disturbed him but for “having forced him to spend a large sum of money.” If this is politeness taken to perfection, I humbly confess that we have not yet attained it in my own Western country. 1 This is H. E. Yu Keng, who has since been appointed Chinese Minister to Paris (September 1899) [Raquez]. Yu Keng (? 1905) was the father of Princess Der Ling (1885 1944), the Årst ady-in-waiting to Empress Dowager Cixi. He served as Minster to Japan from 1895 to 1898 and ater as Minister to Paris from 1899 to 1902. He died in Shanghai in 1905. 2 Phi ippe Marie Crozier (1857 1944), a French dip omat and businessman ater active in French North Africa and Ambassador to Switzer and.

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I heard recently that the Chinese despise Europeans because of their lack of manners and the fact that Europeans do not greet each other without recourse to idealized poetic formulas such as: May the sun’s rays spare the azure of your eyes, etc. I have no doubt that too many Europeans justify this disparagement of their attitude to politeness, but let us not exaggerate, please! True, in formal receptions or even family reunions, the Chinese resort abundantly to poetic and traditional formulas. True, once he puts on his holiday garb, the most unsophisticated coolie will display countless unvarnished graces. But in any other circumstances, in daily life, Celestials exchange between clenched teeth brief politeness formulas corresponding to ours, often a bow, a smile, or a grimace, but they do not indulge in the torrents of eloquence we might be tempted to see as the norm in their interactions. Our traditional French politeness is the equal of the salutations of the Chinese. True, a cosmopolitan invasion has brought low the descendants of the well-born, superb in their bravado and panache in their white-plumed felt hats, all frilly lace as they march to the sound of ceremonial violins and shout to an astonished enemy: “Be the Årst to shoot, English gentlemen!”3 But an hour spent in one of our better salons in France, in a world where boredom reigns, if, even if it were possible that all we met there were Frenchmen, would force us to adjust those pre-conceived ideas we are often all-too-willing to disseminate.

Sunday, November 27 Once more we sally forth into the Chinese city, which we enter through Porte Montauban, the old breach created by the French to permit communication between city and concession. Stairs make it possible to climb the battlements to the right of the gate. A rampart walk runs the length of the crenellated walls. Every 50 meters, a cannon sits in its rotting carriage or lies on the ground amidst freely growing weeds. From this height, it is possible to get a sense of the Chinese city’s importance. But away from districts with their compact swarms of artisans, the greenery of numerous parks adds a bright note. The walk passes under the vault of a temple, whose most amiable 3 A quotation from Ba zac’s nove Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes (1838-1847).

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warden does the honors. We are in the pagoda dedicated to Guan Yu, the Taoist God of War.4 The upper Æoor a‫ٺ‬ords a Åne view of the city. But here is another example of the utter ignorance of the Chinese in matters of religion: we are in a Taoist temple, yet at the heart of the main shrine on the Æoor where we stand is the Buddhist Trinity. In a side cubicle, the Taoist Genie of the Smallpox, T’ou-shen, carries on his face and in the center of his forehead the unequivocal signs of the dreadful malady. T’ou-shen was a general who in days of yore wished to overthrow a Second Dynasty tyrant. His army was inferior in numbers to that of the despot. As he slept in a cave, a fairy gave him a large amount of smallpox cultures and ordered him to spread it around the enemy’s encampment. T’ou-shen obeyed and the tyrant’s soldiers were felled by the scourge.5 This should be brought to the attention of mass killers of men as an alternative to dum-dum bullets. Above the genie is an inscription in Chinese characters: His far-reaching good deeds are like a second creation. Let us climb back down and enter the city. As always, we see combinations of shop, house, and workshop, where the entire family works. In fact, just as in the concessions, no shop is occupied by a single merchant. Rather, a high number of occupants share a narrow space. The entire family – men, women, children – are at work every day, manufacturing jewelry, including earrings and bracelets we might take for jade if we did not see them being made with glass scraps of all kinds. Here is a shop producing prints in the Épinal style.6 A wooden board is engraved in relief for each color and workers produce each 4 Guan Yu (d. 220) was a genera of war ord Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms period. He is a so known as Guan Di, or Emperor Guan. 5 The origin of goddess T’ou-shen Niang Niang is usua y associated with an 11th century Buddhist nun who Årst brought vaccination to China, not a Second Dynasty genera . However, the goddess is said to have had four sons who spread the disease, so it is possib e that Raquez got his stories mixed up. See, for instance, Dona d R. Hopkins, The Greatest Killer: Smallpox in History (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002), 135 138. 6 An i ustration sty e noted for its near three-dimensiona a‫ٺ‬ect pioneered by i ustrator Jean-Char es Pe erin (1756 1836) who founded the Fabrique de Pe erin in 1796 in the eastern French town of Épina . The phrase “image d’Épina ” ater came to mean any vivid y co ored print or traditiona image promoting hea thy mora s, the atter because Pe erin’s origina prints were of re igious subjects.

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print by hand. This has to be seen to be believed. Near the main square are sellers of kakemono scrolls, fans, and paintbrushes, some of the latter costing several dollars apiece. Fans with impeccably hand-drawn characters fetch enormous sums. We see curious toilette cases incrusted with marble, attractive items in beaten copper, a whole series of bizarre, complex padlocks amounting to veritable Chinese brain teasers. On the wooden bridge of the large tea house, some Chinamen hold a kind of tit in a light cage over the water. They wish to distract their prisoner by giving it a glimpse of the river and its greenery, which is present here in the moss that covers the stagnant water. Close by, a doctor gives a consultation and applies suction cups by burning paper under a ceramic bowl whose rim he presses to the skin before moving on to acupuncture. Squeezing the patient’s skin between two Ångers of his left hand, he introduces a long needle he previously scorched. Such is Chinese-style antiseptics! Ah, microbes! What more virulent denials of their destructive power could be o‫ٺ‬ered than those Ålthy heaps of putrid matter and those cesspools Ålled with repulsive sludge we come across at every moment and close to which improbable clusters of young Celestials appear to Æourish! On the contrary, a medical luminary replies: this is a conclusive demonstration of microbic theory! All these people are immunized and vaccinated from infancy. All right! But shouldn’t Hindus also be immunized and laugh at the plague, given how long this villainous character has made India its sojourn of choice? But let us not dig too deep . . .

November 28 Along the French road to Zikawei, a short distance from the bridge that leads to the arsenal, a kind of low tower without openings almost escapes our attention, surrounded as it is by weeds. A marble plaque shows some Chinese characters. These inform us that the tower is a former repository for children’s corpses. Let us follow the stony path that runs along the creek. A few minutes’ walk brings us to a building of octagonal construction set within a perimeter about two meters in radius and three to four meters in height. – 273 –

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A Chinese inscription is visible from the path: “Tower where bones are gathered.” On one of the sides about 70 centimeters o‫ ٺ‬the ground is an iron hatch on which we read: “Cadavers of little girls.” On the opposite side is a similar hatch marked: “Cadavers of little boys.” Funeral rituals require that the sexes be kept apart even in death. I lift one of the hatches: a foul stench arises. Large green Æies take wing noisily. I do not have the pluck to look further inside. Apparently, the Chinese deposit here not only corpses but the newborn they want to dispose of. In such an atmosphere, death cannot take long to do its work. We should not forget that China has no population registry and that no control is exercised over deaths. I was skeptical over the question of infanticide. The Chinese are full of solicitude and attention toward their babies. In fact, they almost always turn them into spoiled brats. At every step along the streets, we meet a dad leading a neatly dressed boy by the hand. There seems to me to be a contradiction between accusations of infanticide levied at the Chinese and these displays of tenderness, which I witness every day. I questioned a great many Chinese and European residents living in the midst of these people, consulted a large number of documents issued by the authorities of the country, and obtained half-confessions, and I am convinced that in a number of families, girls are disposed of at birth. It is well known that the Chinese want boys at all costs in order to perpetuate their own cult and that of their ancestors. The law even stipulates that it is their duty to adopt a boy if they have no male descendant. The existence of this deplorable practice of infanticide is conÅrmed by quite recent o‫ٻ‬cial documents. I will select the proclamation of Mandarin Kiang, Prefect of Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province. It was issued in the closing months of 1896, and I Ånd it in the I Wen Lou newspaper published on January 9, 1897. As we assumed our functions, We, Prefect of Nanchang, informed ourselves concerning the customs of the local population and learned that they were virtuous except for the practice of drowning baby girls, which has not yet been eradicated . . .. We took great pain to discover its origins and concluded that it does

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not in fact reÆect a lack of tenderness on the part of parents toward their children but is the consequence of three factors, as follows: First, if a girl is born to a poor family, a great deal of money and e‫ٺ‬ort will have to be devoted to feeding and clothing her. Then, when she turns sixteen or seventeen, she will be married into another family of which she will become part and to which she will transfer all her a‫ٺ‬ections. What then is the point of working so hard to proÅt others? Second, girls are drowned because parents fervently wish for boys. No longer nursing, the mother will be able to conceive again sooner. Third, parents fear the expense of the dowry and wedding. “For all these reasons,” the prefect continues, “parents prefer to drown girls and avoid inconveniences.”

The mandarin then goes on to refute the arguments he just outlined. Some of this content deserves to pass into posterity. From time immemorial, those who had the most sons are those who led the most virtuous lives . . .. Is it conceivable that the pot bellied bodhisattvas would favor with their protection those who resorted to such methods in order to have boys? In any case, if after the drowning of a daughter, a boy is con ceived, it is the girl’s soul that will inhabit the child’s body in order to take her revenge, and as the boy grows up, in most cases, he will turn out for the worst. If a girl was conceived, it was none of her own doing. How can you harden your hearts thus and drown her? Out of pity toward small children, your mandarins address you tirelessly and exhort you at length in the hope that husband will caution wife and that those cruel practices will give way to tender bliss.

This is followed by the prefect’s recommendation that “a charitable association be set up at six sapèques per head” rather along the lines of our own Holy Childhood.7 But these Åne words are not echoed in practice. These are like examination questions or dissertations by learned men, as no sanctions are 7 The PontiÅca Association of the Ho y Chi dhood, founded in France in 1843, was an association that encouraged chi dren to donate to foreign missions for the beneÅt of poor chi dren in, as The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) puts it, “pagan countries ike China.”

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in place that might give substance to this excellent advice. Quid leges sine moribus? 8 All the more so since customs have little to fear from these mandarins, who seek above all to line their pockets at the people’s expense. His scribblings over, the prefect, who admits having exerted himself a great deal over this e‫ٺ‬ort, probably smoked a pleasant opium pipe before dozing o‫ٺ‬, his conscience at peace and dreaming of the praise he might receive from on high for having drawn such moving cadences from his heart. This beautiful masterpiece of calligraphy was posted everywhere, then solemnly Åled in the archives of the prefecture so that it may serve toward the ediÅcation of future generations. End of story. The Jiangxi prefect’s proclamation is no isolated case. I could cite a hundred others issued by the authorities of every single province. I will mention just one, selected because if was penned by H. E. Ts’ai, the current Taotai of Shanghai, who as sub-prefect of Hanyang, published in 1878 just such an exhortatory edict. “Since the practice of drowning baby girls,” he claimed, apparently in all seriousness, “has become customary everywhere, we would be glad to set up an all-purpose foundation for raising children as there are stupid, Æint-hearted men and women who Æout the laws of nature and o‫ٺ‬end virtue on earth as in heaven.” Moralists and learned men abound with advice and threats on this topic. As Liang Kikoei,9 one of the most highly regarded classical writers, wrote: “The practice of drowning baby girls is very widespread, but learned men are not ordinarily aware of it since everyone takes great care not to alert anyone so that ears may not hear and eyes may not see what is occurring. Who could say the number of those who perish thus each year?” It would be pointless to multiply quotations, instructive though these may be. 0 8 “Of what avai are aws without mora s?” Horace, Odes, Book III, 24. 9 Raquez is quoting from the book by Pa âtre discussed in note 10 be ow. The name “Liang Kikoei” is an incorrect trans iteration for the scho ar and mora ist Yu Zhi (1809 1874). The confusion stems from Pa âtre’s misreading of the Chinese characters for Zhi’s pen name on the tit e page of one of his books. See Miche e King, Between Birth and Death: Female Infanticide in Nineteenth Century China (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014), 104. 10 The important work by Pa âtre is “Infanticide in China,” pub ished in Shanghai in 1878, which contains a considerab e number of o‫ٻ‬cia documents [Raquez]. Gabrie Pa âtre’s book L’Infanticide et l’oeuvre de la Sainte Enfance en Chine was pub ished

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The evil has been noted. It runs deep in certain classes of Chinese society, and only a change in traditional customs will eradicate it. But before this happens, the Yangtze will long continue to pour its endlessly renewed torrents of chocolaty waters into the Yellow Sea.

November 29 The sound of tambourines and Æutes draws me to the window. It is a nuptial procession. A young bride-to-be is being led to the house of he who will become her husband. The size of the cortege is proportional to the family’s wealth. At the head are carriers of gongs, coats of arms, Æags, and red parasols, as well as small boys in long robes on which they trip and a number of individuals sporting grotesque hats that recall those worn by Maitre Purgon in Le Malade Imaginaire. Then, on horseback and clad in a superb silk robe with a square arrangement of ancient embroideries on his chest and back, a mandarin friend of the family makes grave, proud progress. Behind him in sedan chairs are Åve or six Chinese individuals, family relations no doubt, then some ten musicians carrying a small tambourine dangling on a ribbon, which they strike with two sticks held between their Ångertips like mechanical rabbits. Next to them are lapa and Æute players. A number of young men wear pearl necklaces and other toilette necessaries such as rings, bracelets, earrings, hairpins, all of which the Chinese call jia zhuang, a deposit or engagement or wedding gift. Finally, in a broad chair painted red and gold and entirely enclosed sits, I surmise, the young and innocent victim destined – another guess – for sacriÅce. I feel a true descendant of Eve, for I would gladly give a few sapèques to penetrate the tempting mystery of those red curtains and gaze at this child, whom her a‫ٻ‬anced himself has almost certainly never seen, and capture her state of mind. The procession has faded from view, but I remain rooted to the same spot as if in a dream. All of these people ran and ran like ÅreÅghtin Shanghai by the Catho ic Mission of the Tousewei orphanage in 1878. In the origina book, Raquez misspe s the name as “Pa abre,” and erroneous y cites 1889 as the pub ication date. Pa âtre (1830 1878), a passionate Åghter against fema e infanticide, was a Jesuit missionary who ived in Shanghai. 11 Purgon, doctor to Argan, is a character from Mo ière’s Le Malade Imaginaire (1682).

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A bridal procession

ers on their way to a blaze . . . . Ah, the Åre of love! An hour later, the procession returns, the chair empty, with coolies carrying at the end of bamboo poles heavy red chests containing the gifts from the bridegroom and his family to the parents of she who is at this very moment becoming his wife.

November 30 This is an inauspicious day, if I am to believe the signs. As I saunter along the Bund I come across three Chinese funerals in rapid succession. The Årst two are headed by four or Åve monks dressed in dirty-gray robes with wide sleeves and open at chest level. Behind them are a gong carrier and two lapa players who at intervals perform a few bars of a weird melody. The co‫ٻ‬n, varnished in black and red, is enormous. And as everything in China is the reverse of our own practices, the head of departed faces the front of the cortege. Six coolies carry the co‫ٻ‬n on bamboo poles, as if transporting a bale of cotton. Family members follow in rickshaw, uttering ear-splitting wails. All these lamentations are taken from the Liji, the Book of Rites. 2 Chil12 A core text of the traditiona Confucian canon that detai s rites, ru es, and correct ritua observance during the Zhou Dynasty a ong with exemp ary ta es about the ife of Confucius

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dren learn these at mother’s knee. “Why did you leave us? Weren’t you happy among us? Didn’t you have all the food you needed?,” etc. Often, wailers are hired, as in Roman funerals. They perform their duties most conscientiously. Over their garments, close family members wear a sort of mesh made of o‫ٺ‬-white and brown hemp rather similar in appearance to the cloth our own grape-harvesting sacks are made of. The rest wear clothes made of o‫ٺ‬-white serge and a simple unpretentious headband consisting of a hand-held strip that encircles the head and hangs down the back. A coolie throws down small objects made of silver-colored paper that look like cups. These represent sycees. His task is to entertain evil spirits and detract their attention from the deceased about to pass by. The third cortege is larger and shows how unaware the Chinese are of the religious practices they engage in out of habit and tradition but without thinking them through in the slightest. This cortege simultaneously includes Buddhist monks with shaved heads and Taoist priests with their hair pulled back into a bun at the back of their head and held with a long pin. They wear red dalmatic tunics ornamented with drawings and characters. This is the ancient costume and hairstyle of the Chinese. The robe with folded collars and the practice among Buddhist monks of shaving their head are of Hindu origin. Each monk holds in his hand as short streamer on which are inscribed the deceased’s titles and qualities. A few play lapas while others strike cymbals. An entire series of stretchers carried as in our own processions serve as support for altars. On the Årst of these is a tablet showing the deceased’s image, with joss sticks burning before it, while the others carry the various courses of a full meal, followed by a goat roasted whole, its belly slit open and its head held high on a stake, then a pig in the same condition. The deceased’s sedan chair, in which the tablet occupies the master’s place, is carried before the co‫ٻ‬n just as we guide a warrior’s battle horse. But the chair is not carried on shoulders as is the custom but by hand, almost at ground level. Finally, the enormous bier is propelled by 32 coolies. It is covered with a superb sheet of red silk embroidered in gold, while at its apex, the Taoists’ symbolic crane spreads its cardboard wings. Following the co‫ٻ‬n, the deceased’s eldest son, the funeral’s main participant, walks with bowed head as required by the funeral rites, leaning on a “wailing rod” as though, weighed down by grief, he does – 279 –

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not have the strength to stand upright. The stick is cylindrical, about three centimeters in diameter. Its size is proportional to that of the carrier, but it must reach up to his heart. It is often decorated with white paper, the color of mourning. Father Hoang 3 informs us that the stick carried in mourning for a father is of bamboo, or zhu, and that carried in mourning of a mother is of paulownia imperialis, or tong. Bamboo is an allegorical symbol of perpetual grief for a departed father as its foliage remains green throughout the seasons, while thanks to the pronunciation of the character for tong, the paulownia suggests that the grief felt on the occasion of a mother’s death is like that endured over a father’s passing as the sound for tong can also mean “similar.” The son we see before us will wear mourning garb for three years according to the funeral rites but for 27 months only in practice. Mourning raiment is required only for funeral ceremonies, especially the sacriÅce of an auspicious victim during the 13th month, the annual festival of ancestors, the Day of the Departed, and during the 7th month, the Day of Solace. Mourners often wear white collar, belt, shoes, bonnet, or buttonhole. Usually a thread of the same color is meshed into the wearer’s queue. Wearing silk items, gilded buttons, and bright colors is prohibited. During the 100 days that follow the passing, the son may not have his head shaved. There is an entire set of complex prescriptions for each of the eight categories of mourning that last from three months to three years. To marry during mourning for one’s parents would be tantamount to a major infraction against Ålial piety. The guilty man would receive 100 strokes of the cane and be separated from his wife. If the lady is his concubine, the penalty is 80 strokes, and enforced separation also ensues. Imperial edicts have tempered this law by allowing judges a degree of leeway. However, the prohibition is in no way dormant, far from it. Last year, in 1897 (or the 23rd year of Guangsu), one Shang Jin of Fan Yuxian Prefecture in Guangdong Province, undersecretary to the Min13 Le mariage chinois au point de vue légal. Variétés sino ogiques, Shanghai, 1898 [Raquez]. Pierre Hoang, born Houang Pe ou (1830 1909), pub ished “Chinese Marriage from a Lega Standpoint” as Variétés Sinologiques 14 (Shanghai: Imprimerie de a Mission catho ique de ’orphe inat de Tousewei, 1898).

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istry of Criminal Justice (1st Degree of the 6th Order), was charged with getting married during a period of mourning. The infraction having been proved, in July of the current year, Tan Zhonglin, Viceroy of Guangdong, published an edict sentencing the undersecretary to demotion. The edict has just been upheld by the Emperor. During the Tang Dynasty (620–906), there was even a law that made procreation illegal while mourning a father or mother. At the birth of a baby, after taking into account the months of pregnancy, if it was found that the child was conceived during the prohibited period, the father was punished with a one-year exile. The law was repealed during subsequent dynasties. This was going far beyond legal chinoiseries.

December 1 What an extraordinary country this China is! Attend carefully: I am not making this up. The sub-prefect of Shanghai has just ordered that in each village under his jurisdiction, local notables assisted by the rural constable (the bao shang) draw up a register of widows. A regulation in six articles speciÅes the procedures to be followed for compiling this document, and it would be remiss of me not to quote verbatim Article 5, which is a gem: In compiling the Register of Widows, four characters are to be used in their classiÅcation. These are: jing (who may be highly praised), bian (who must be separated), shou (generous), and te (Æawed). The character jing shall include all widows who lost their husband before their 30th year of age and resolved to preserve the chastity of their state and not to remarry. Under bian shall be listed widows whose poverty will make it di‫ٻ‬cult for them to observe the chastity required by their state until death without being forced to remarry. Under shou shall be listed all widows who lost their husband after their 30th year of age but are determined to remain continent without change in their resolution. Finally, under te (Æawed) shall be listed those who wish to contract a second marriage. In compiling this register, notables shall conduct painstaking research and exercise due diligence in classifying widows accurately under each of the four characters indicated. Should a widow prove indecisive or express the desire to remarry following the example of other widows and repent of her indecision or

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wishes and feel shame at being classiÅed under the characters bian or te, she shall be permitted to notify the notable, who shall accordingly record the change of resolution in the register. Should the district include either unmarried young women or women who following the death of their a‫ٻ‬anced were kept in the house of her parents in law so that her virginity may be preserved, she shall be listed in said register. 4

I did not make up a single word of this extraordinary proclamation, the translation of which can be read in the November 11, 1898 issue of the excellent Shanghai newspaper L’Écho de Chine. How the notables conduct their painstaking research in the matter of the widows’ chastity leaves me pensive. But I strongly approve of this operetta sub-prefect’s decision to classify under the negative character te those women who, not satisÅed with having witnessed the death of a Årst husband, wish to taste the joys of a second union. And what of those brave shou widows, those fresh Æowers, poor darlings of 30 springs, who shall forever remain continent? Are they not worthy of our unrestrained admiration? But not as much as those young jing widows, who surely deserve the highest public plaudits. What is clear is that beyond their 30th year of age, women derive little merit from treading the thorny path of Chinese duty. Presumably, the soles of their feet have lost all sensitivity. Before moving on from the topic of widows, that touching object of o‫ٻ‬cial solicitude, let us shed a tear for those wretched bian, whom an empty purse and a scarcity of the vile metal may well force to relinquish this continence so dear to the great mandarin’s heart.

December 2 Let us once again walk along the narrow path that branches o‫ ٺ‬the French road to Zikawei and near which we came across the tower containing children’s corpses. It could truly be called the Path of Death and of the Dying. 14 In Chinese cu ture of the period, widows were supposed to remain chaste, and remarriage, whi e permissib e under aw, was considered high y vu gar. See Wi iam T. Rowe, China’s Last Empire: The Great Qing (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2010), 107.

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A small wooden bridge crosses the creek. The huge inscription we can read from where we stand proclaims that this enclosure, which is guarded by a single family, is where the bodies of departed members of the Yunnan association, or huigan, are deposited. Here is another bridge. On the wall of the building we see before us is a poster informing the public that consultations are conducted here each morning by three categories of Chinese doctors: nei ke, doctors proper, or literally those skilled in internal medicine; wai ke, surgeons, or those skilled in external medicine; and zheng ke, acupuncturists, or those skilled with the needle. In the yard inside a shed are horses of all ages and types, all of them with an a‫ټ‬iction of some kind: cows, bulls, calves, some scraggy and apocalyptic-looking, some enormous to bursting, others barely able to stand on deformed legs. Here are a few goats and a fairly large gaggle of geese and ducks splashing about to their hearts’ content without being in the least afÆicted by the slightest inÅrmity. These are the beneÅciaries of the purely Buddhist practice of fang sheng, or “releasing of life.” Much merit is gained by assisting any being whatsoever in cheating death. Thus the devout often go to the market and purchase chickens, geese, ducks, not to run a skewer through them but to release their lives. They entrust them to a fang sheng suo, a fang sheng operation such as the one we are now visiting, and guarantee their protégés a peaceful and comfortable life. Last year, for purposes of sanctiÅcation, a Chinaman purchased a superb water turtle. He carried it to the Whangpoo and released its life. But another Celestial who was Åshing nearby caught the animal in his net. Cue fury on the devout Buddhist’s part and spirited protests on the Åsherman’s. Nothing doing except referring the matter to the mandarin, who unable to reconcile the parties, conÅscated the turtle and took charge of its future. It is L’Huître et les Plaideurs all over again. 5 A little further on, we recross the creek and follow a path that veers o‫ ٺ‬to the right. The Jesuits of Shanghai have opened a small hospital for beggars abandoned by all. This is in striking contrast with the 15 Jean de a Fontaine’s (1621 1695) fab e, which Årst appeared in 1678, often trans ated as “The Oyster and the Litigants.” In the story, the judge eats the disputed oyster and eaves each itigant with one ha f of the empty she .

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Buddhist charity whose Æowering we just saw demonstrated in the care lavished on animals. What a frightful sight these unfortunate beings o‫ٺ‬er, covered as they are in horriÅc gashes or reduced to skeletons, their eyes gleaming with gratitude for the good Brother who cares for them with heroic devotion. There are over 20 of them here, and their common room is meticulously clean. I run into a miserable cripple I saw earlier in an alleyway in Hongkou. His elbows and legs are folded as if stuck to his body, his knees reach up to his chest, his elbows rest on his knees while his hands rest on his shoulders. The wretch propels himself by rolling his body along like a log. He is now the most fortunate of unfortunates. In the hospital gardens, the missionaries of all religious orders who died in Shanghai since 1680 sleep their last. Nowhere does equality before death reveal itself better than in these long rows of graves of inexorable uniformity. Only the inscriptions di‫ٺ‬er, and recall those ancient theological debates inspired by the teachings of the Jesuit fathers in China. Graves dating back to the 17th century and the Årst half of the 18th century carry the family name and the title, “Priest of the Religion of Heaven,” or “of the Religion of the Study of Heaven.” These expressions were condemned as too vague by Pope Clement XIV, and ever since that time, gravestones have displayed “Priest of the Religion of the Master of Heaven” in Chinese characters.

December 3 A frightful din erupts in the street. On a table carried by coolies have been placed hollow pieces of wood, which musicians strike repeatedly and powerfully as they walk. Three pairs of cymbals, two gongs, and three lapas complete this melodious orchestra. Behind it comes a small altar carried on one shoulder by coolies. At the center of the altar is not a buddha but a small bag. Could this be the worshipping of the golden calf accompanied by a sack of coins? Not at all! A sick man requires the help of the Pot-bellied Ones. Family members visited a sanctuary in the city where they burned numerous joss sticks before the Genies. The ash was carefully collected and deposited in the bag. Placed near the sick man, it will restore him to health.

Sunday, December 4 While Shanghai is a city of considerable commercial intensity, intel– 284 –

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lectuals can Ånd plenty of food for thought. We already admired the beautiful library of the Shanghai Club and Zikawei’s 30,000 volumes. But the public can also patronize two other splendidly stocked libraries. That of the Royal Asiatic Society on Museum Road houses most of the volumes published in several languages on the Far East and particularly China. A well-organized catalog facilitates searches. The library includes many French books. Subscriptions to the entire range of journals covering the Far East and questions relating to the region provide scholars with information of the utmost interest. The Shanghai Library occupies vast and comfortable premises on Nanking Road. The catalog is not easy to use, but obliging ladies serve as librarians. While books, journals, and newspapers in English are here in abundance, I Ånd very few works in French on its shelves: Molière, Voltaire, Balzac, Mérimée, and one or two other authors. A group of devoted Frenchmen headed by Messrs. Dopfeld, Ackermann, and Tillot is setting up a purely French library that will be stocked and replenished thanks to the subscriptions that are beginning to come in. Finally, from time to time, Kelly & Walsh Publishers receive a thousand good French titles whose list it immediately disseminates and that quickly take o‫ ٺ‬like a Æight of sparrows. After browsing for books, I am in need of a walk. A substantial house is being built in the center of the city, and the construction method is worth pointing out. Shanghai is built on alluvial land, with numerous underground streams running through its foundations. To remedy this problem, architects use a system consisting of stilts between which they pour concrete. This involves considerable e‫ٺ‬ort. To drive in these enormous stakes, a squadron of nimble men is assembled. Up to 25 adults and young men, each holding a bamboo or hemp rope, lift in rhythm an enormous stone whose weight drives the stake into the ground. Everyone sings to help keep up the rhythm. A comedian in the band embroiders on an often comical theme – the bursts of laughter prove it – and the gang punctuates the rhythm with a common refrain. Children are put to work from a very young age and show admirable courage. We see them at every step in the street, carrying heavy burdens at each end of a bamboo pole. Side alleys serve as shelters for tailors and seamstresses. Nothing could be more intriguing than these young girls barely old enough to stand upright struggling with the handling of needles. – 285 –

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On the corner of Foochow Road and Hoopeh Road, we visit a wellkept Chinese bathhouse. A camp bed runs the entire length of each large room. Hot water and towels are placed before the bathers. A man is washing himself from head to foot after his bath, with no soap, of course. A chiropodist is available for clients, his collection of instruments as curious as it is extensive. Chinese practitioners show remarkable skill and dexterity, experto crede Roberto, and leave our own balneum or hammam artistes far behind. 6

December 5 It is pouring with rain. Rain makes me melancholy. But a deafening clatter of gongs draws me out of my reverie. A high-ranking military mandarin is being buried. As always, here are monks in procession, altars loaded with victuals, pigs and goats with slit bellies, and the departed’s tablet before which incense burns. Behind a mandarin on horseback, a company of braves provide funeral honors. About 60 soldiers follow, clad in quilted black tunics and trousers of the same fabric pushed into half-length boots with very thick soles Åtted with enormous hobnails, their head fully wrapped in a kind of turban of black cloth. On their belt are two cartridge holders and a small triangular bayonet shaped like a hunting knife. Across their back hangs an almost new but poorly maintained riÆe, its muzzle aiming at the ground. The men march in pairs and shelter under an enormous umbrella made of oil paper. A band consisting of a bass drum carried by two men on a bamboo pole, two drums, two cornets, two brass basses, and two double-basses: at the head, a brave holds the mace of a French drum major like a candle. The band strikes up. I follow the cortege. Dragging his heavy boots, the drum major marches along with the elegance of a Bernese bear. 7 Two cornets play alternately on a bouncy polka rhythm something that probably has no name in any musical idiom while the bass 16 “Be ieve Robert who has tried it” is a quote from Robert Burton’s (1577 1640) The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), though it appears to have originated as a medieva expression. Balneum ( atin for “bath”) is a type of medicina bath, whi e a hamman is a type of steam bath and massage common in Arab cu ture and known in the West more genera y as a “Turkish bath.” 17 A reference to the Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, in Bern, Switzer and, where b ack bears were he d for pub ic viewing.

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brass instruments emit a random note at each step and the bass drum is assaulted vigorously by a strapping fellow striking the donkey skin with the full force of his biceps muscles. All this is irresistibly amusing. A ten-year-old boy plays a bass instrument while stretching his short legs to their full length to keep in step with his partner. And all the while, these comical musicians manage the feat of holding a heavy umbrella as well as their instrument. Nothing could do justice to the appearance of this grotesque band whose melodious tones draw admiration from all the braves and Shanghai’s Chinese residents. The procession comes to a sudden halt. Below the porch of a house close to the French Consulate, an altar has been erected, on which candles are burning. There are no buddhas, only candelabras surrounding an incense burner, red drapes, and on the altar itself, eight bowls Ålled with Åsh, vegetables sliced or chopped, pork meat uncooked or roasted, duck, rice, etc. The dishes are as artistically arranged in each bowl as the most delicate Russian salads in Joseph porcelain. 8 A single cup of steaming tea sits next to the teapot. All of this is o‫ٺ‬ered to the departed. The Master of Ceremonies places on the altar a long narrow silk strip suspended between two small wooden boards painted blue, themselves resting on a lotus in full bloom. This is the departed’s tablet. His two sons, grown men of 25 and 30, emerge from the white canvas dais below which they followed the co‫ٻ‬n. They are dressed entirely in o‫ٺ‬-white and bend forward as they walk, holding the symbolic wailing rod, their eyes Åxed on the ground. A servant leads them by the arm to the sidewalk, on which a carpet is rolled out. Both sons will prostrate themselves, forehead touching the ground, and maintain this position for a few moments as a monk executes a series of genuÆections before the tablet. The ritual is repeated at the entrance of three more houses, where family members and friends wish to honor the departed. The procession then exits the concession to enter the Chinese city, and I go on my way.

December 6 The burial of this mandarin is for me an opportunity to study the 18 French porce ain painter Joseph Ju ien (1725 1774) was known for his de icate designs.

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highly instructive monograph by Father Zi on military examinations, 9 which consist of three stages, just like our own literary examinations: baccalaureate, bachelor’s degree, and doctorate. Candidates undergo three tests before the sub-prefect, the prefect, and the provincial examiner assisted by a military mandarin. These tests consist of the following: Archery on foot; Archery on horseback; Cutlass handling; Stone lifting. Everything is anticipated and regulated in the most minute detail: the length of the bow, its weight, its power, the length, shape, and weight of the arrows, etc. The blade is made of wrought iron a‫ٻ‬xed to the end of a kind of halberd 3.05 meters in length and with a handle measuring about 22 centimeters in diameter. They can weigh 40, 52, or 60 kilograms. The aim is to lift the cutlass with one hand and to swing it above one’s head a number of times.20 As for the stone, it consists of a rectangular polyhedron with two cavities in which the hands are placed. Its weight can be 100, 125, or 150 kilograms. The candidate must lift the stone to a minimum height determined by regulations. Finally, the candidates must transcribe from memory a passage from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. But this requirement is purely symbolic as most candidates cannot meet it. All this comes across as utterly ridiculous when we consider the use of archery in modern armies and remember that the strategic prescriptions of Sun Tzu date from the Zhou Dynasty, which ran from 1122 to 249 BC. These examinations show once gain how deeply China is attached to its past and its traditions. 19 Variétés Sinologiques, 1896 [Raquez]. Étienne Zi (born Siu) (1851 1932) pub ished “Pratique des examens mi itaires, en Chine” as Variétés Sinologiques 9 (Shanghai: Imprimerie de a Mission catho ique de ’orphe inat de Tousewei, 1896). The origina footnote misdates this pub ication as “1898.” 20 These engravings are taken from Variétés Sinologiques with the permission of the editors of this exce ent journa [Note in the Addenda to the origina text]. The images are taken from Zi’s “Pratique des examens mi itaires” discussed above.

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Military examinations The stone The cutlass Archery

The subjects are identical for all three examinations. Only the regulations concerning the weight of the objects and the length of the texts vary. The Årst graduates are appointed as bodyguards and enrolled under one of the three superior banners: the yellow banner with border, the plain yellow banner, and the plain white banner. But most military mandarins do not join the army. They only assume the title, the costume, and the button symbolizing their rank. It will be – 289 –

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Military examinations Archery on horseback

useful in this context to remember the descending order of the various buttons, which go from red precious stone to red coral, transparent blue, opaque blue, crystal, white stone, gold, gilded metal, and Ånally silver.2 In addition, these mandarins wear on their chest and back an embroidered emblem known as rational and often representing the same sequence in descending order of importance: unicorn, lion, Japanese leopard, tiger, Tibetan bear, macrocelis leopard, gray seal (as opposed to those seen in the Cirque d’Hiver),22 and rhinoceros. While most military mandarins play no role in the army, it should not be concluded that they live quiet lives surrounded by an aura of glory and take no interest in their fellow citizens. Father Zi reminds us that a few years ago, a censor in charge of keeping an eye on the six ministries, presented to the Emperor a report in which we read the following passage: Military graduates, who are usually well provided for in clothing and victuals, barely know their characters, for the most part fail to fulÅll their duties, interfere in public a‫ٺ‬airs, act in a domineering and 21 See note 40, page 155. 22 The Cirque d’Hiver is ocated in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. First opened in 1861, the bui ding sti stands and now a so functions as an auditorium.

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arrogant manner in their district, or take advantage of their title to bring lawsuits.

The young Emperor, currently conÅned to the doghouse by the Empress Dowager, wished to alter the program of these obsolete examinations. Yet this very day, L’Écho de Chine published a translation of a decree dated November 1, from which I glean the following sentence: “We hereby command that in examinations for military baccalaureates, bachelor’s degrees, and doctorates, candidates undergo as in the past tests of archery on horseback and on foot, handling the cutlass, arching the bow, and lifting the heavy stone.” The handling of Årearms will be mandatory only for bachelor’s degree and doctorate holders doing military service. Coming on the heels of the disastrous Sino-Japanese War, such an edict is the apotheosis of blindness! As always, the imperial document concludes with splendid sentences consisting of sonorous, well turned out phrases as vacuous as they are vague: The Viceroys and Governors of provinces shall endeavor to galvanize generalized ardor and make every e‫ٺ‬ort to attain positive results. They will thus ensure the implementation of the wishes of the Court, which are what motivates the issuance of these heartfelt instructions.

This proclamation is characteristic of the methods of the Chinese administration. For centuries, the people have been showered with advice and issued with exhortations whose form and fairness they admire but that they carefully avoid following, especially as their authors themselves are in no hurry to put them into practice.

December 7 I make Ånal preparations for my departure. Tomorrow and over the coming days: Hubei, sinister Hunan, Guizhou. In a word, the unknown, perhaps danger, in this time of disturbances and rebellion! May the Grace of God be with me!

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Chapter Thirteen

The Yangtze River On the ferry boat – Hankow – Two medal winners: Zhang and Sheng – Hanyang’s blast furnaces – The Han River – Our floating home – A swell 600 miles from the sea – Yueyang behavior

December 8 Three o’clock in the morning. The Poyang is edging away from the Shanghai quay, carrying Dr. Scaparone of Turin, our expedition’s doctor and editor of these notes. The larger pieces of luggage along with several employees preceded us to Hankow, where Mr. de Marteau is due to join us in a few days. The Poyang in an excellent river craft, a massive Æoating structure, varnished, polished, and very handsome. Its cabins are at least as comfortable as those of the Messageries. The very gentlemanly captain obligingly shares with us his maps of the Yangtze. Everything is of the best: Åne cuisine, with – a much-appreciated feature on a British ship – beer, wine, soda water, madeira, etc., all included in the cost of the passage.2 All right! We are due to reach Hankow on Sunday morning, December 11. Last night, we sailed down the Whangpoo River and began our journey up the Yangtze, passing the large Chongming Island. I awake to a Æat, monotonous landscape. The river’s silty waters churn as wavelets lap at the ship. The poet who oversaw the naming of 1 Most ike y Dr. Car o Gio Giaconi Scaparone, from the Roya University of Turin. He was granted a icense to practice medicine in San Francisco in 1890 and was an eyewitness to p ague epidemics in India. On December 12, 1899, rough y a year from the date of this entry, Scaparone wou d be in Hono u u for an emergency meeting about a p ague outbreak there. See Myron Echenberg, Plague Ports: The Global Urban Impact of Bubonic Plague, 1894 1901 (New York: New York University Press, 2010), 192. 2 A round trip ticket va id for six months current y costs 48 tae s (or 168 francs). It a ows for stopovers in Zhenjiang, Wuhu, and Jiujiang, sai ing on any of the ships be onging to three companies: ButterÅe d & Swire, Jardine & Matheson, and China Merchants [Raquez].

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Fishermen and their hut

What is blue about all of this is the Chinese people themselves: their trousers are blue, their tunics are blue, those broad aprons that resemble women’s skirts are blue. Indigo shares royalty status with rice in China. On the banks close to the water hang many large square nets, like those of our Åshermen. Their owners shelter inside huts made of reeds that recall those used by our marsh hunters or build a wharf resting on bamboo stilts. Barely do I begin to muse on such dangerous pleasures for rheumatism su‫ٺ‬erers that we hear bird cries. These rogues mock our impotence. We have no way of helping ourselves to game as we walk past quickly. And yet, here they are in serried ranks: big fat ducks frolicking on the river, playing piggyback, as one of our schoolboys might describe it. Over 300 web-footed creatures tease us as they surround the Poyang. We make nine knots as we sail upstream. From time to time, we pass large villages before which the ferry boat halts to pick up a few Chinese passengers conveyed aboard in large rowing boats or light junks. To our left is a well-built fort atop Xiangyun Hill. It is eight o’clock at night. We are at Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province, the river’s checkpoint, 150 geographical miles5 from its mouth. 5 Approximate y 240 ki ometers [Raquez].

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We can see nothing of the Chinese city. During an hour-long stopover, we walk up and down the quay of the European Concession, whose houses have an elegant appearance. This is the start of the famous Grand Canal, once used to provision Peking and all of Northern China. We see lines of junks heavily laden with rice. But the Chinese mandarins’ neglect has allowed this important artery to become obstructed. Zhenjiang is home to 150,000 Chinese residents, we learn, and in 1896, river tra‫ٻ‬c amounted to 23 million taels, or 80 million francs.

December 9 During the night we passed Nanking, where our tricolor currently Æies aboard the Descartes. Mr. de Bezaure, Consul General at Shanghai, is settling with the Viceroy what is known as the Ningbo Pagoda a‫ٺ‬air, which last July led to clashes between our sailors and volunteers and Chinese ri‫ٺ‬-ra‫ٺ‬. Eight in the morning. Wuhu, one of the ports open to European commerce by the terms of the Chefoo Convention of April 1, 1877.6 We are in Anhui Province, midway between Zhenjiang and Jiujiang. Each one of the various companies that ply the Hankow route has a pontoon moored to the shore 100 meters from midstream, where their steamers berth in order to embark and disembark passengers and cargo. We have too little time to visit the city, of which we see very little. The vast naves of a red-brick church soar not far from the shore. We see a great deal of timber in the form of tree trunks transported as rafts and the object of a lively trade. Wuhu is linked to the interior by a number of canals that crisscross “silk country” and “tea country.” The city is home to about 100,000 people and, in 1896, the river tra‫ٻ‬c exceeded 40 million francs. In June 1892, Catholic missionaries were massacred here. May 6 Raquez gets his dates mixed up here. The Chefoo Convention, a so known as the Yantai Convention, was a treaty signed by the British and Qing governments on August 21, 1876 in the city of Yantai, Shandong Province, which a owed for greater trade privi eges for the British. However, the British wou d not fu y ratify the convention unti 1885. Nonethe ess, it appears that the port of Wuhu was open to trade on Apri 1, 1877. On the Chefoo Convention, see James Z. Gao, Historical Dictionary of Modern China (1800 1949) (Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2009), 45. On Wuhu, see Donna Brunero, Britain’s Imperial Cornerstone in China: The Chinese Maritime Customs Service, 1854 1949 (New York: Rout edge, 2006), 11.

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a similar fate be spared the unfortunate Fathers who shelter beneath these vaults! On the edge of the city on the Yangtze’s south bank stands a vast pagoda with curving roofs. Hilly elevations occasionally appear on the horizon. Down in the valley are Åelds and gigantic reeds. Compared to the farmers we see standing nearby, they cannot be much less than six meters tall. Enormous Æocks of ducks and wild geese form dark streaks against the clear autumn sky. The depth probe is lowered at every moment. “Unlike our own rivers,” Commandant du Fournet informs us in his captivating volume,7 “the Yangtze River is low in Winter and high in Summer. As soon as the sun gathers strength, the snows of Tibet and the Central Asian mountain ranges merge, a colossal amount of water descends toward China, and the river’s low watermark rises rapidly. Then Autumn frosts put a stop to this process and the Yangtze Valley empties partially. In August, cruisers can sail upstream as far as Hankow, the major tea entrepôt 300 kilometers from Jiujiang.” Water levels are currently low. At night, we come to a halt before Anqing, an important Chinese city closed to Europeans. Thanks to that obscure clarity that falls from the stars, we just about make out the outline of the famous seven-story pagoda, the most beautiful, it is said, in the entire Yangtze Valley.

December 10 It is six-thirty in the morning. We have reached Jiujiang, 700 kilometers from the sea. During the night, we passed to our left the immense Poyang Lake, 7 Journal d’un Commandant de la Comète: China, Siam, Japon, 1892 1893, by Commander Dartige du Fournet, P on et Nourrit Pub ishers, one of the most interesting accounts of trave in the Far East [Raquez]. Louis Dartige du Fournet (1856 1940) pub ished this book in 1897. The Comète was one of the French gunships invo ved in the Paknam Incident in 1893, in which three ships sai ing up the Chao Phraya River were Åred upon by Siamese forces. The French eventua y broke the Siamese b ockade and sai ed upriver to Bangkok, bringing an end to the Franco-Siamese War. Raquez’s brother, Benjamin Gervais (1869 1937), served aboard the Comète as a midshipman during the Paknam Incident and is prominent y mentioned in du Fournet’s book. Benjamin wou d remain in the Navy and eventua y become a Rear-Admira as we as Meda of Honor recipient. He owned and in Rouiba, A geria, where he is buried.

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into which the rivers that traverse Jiangxi empty before swelling the Yangtze further. Here is a Chinese fort, then the city. At Årst glance, it consists of a superb terraced space with sturdy stone walls elegantly lined with trees that retain their leaves despite the late season. This is where the European Concession is located, with some 100 houses. Two broad, neatly maintained boulevards are lined with a species of wild willow that grows like weed and survives Æoods but that in Spring releases an especially Åne down that invades everything. We see a tall chimney: this is the Russian manufacture where packed tea is produced. The Chinese city gives the impression of having been abandoned. There is no one in the streets. Every shop is closed behind tall shutters. Yet it is broad daylight, and the Mission’s clock shows it is after seven. Our Chinese friends like to lie in. The streets are wider than those of Canton, well paved, and very clean. The houses consist of a single story and allow daylight to spread freely. The city is new. It was taken in 1853 by Taiping groups,8 who destroyed it utterly before abandoning it. In the distance beyond the western end of the concession are crenellated mountains, their darkish mass an impressionist backdrop that stands out against the gray skies of this Autumn morning. Below the city walls, a rather narrow but fast Æowing river empties into the Yangtze. A great many junks are anchored there. They carry the excellent tangerines that grow in the province. We are in Jiangxi, the well-known center of China’s porcelain manufacturing. It is in Jingdezhen that factories work for the Emperor. The small museum run by the missionaries displays some attractive specimens of the yellow tableware used by the Son of Heaven. The manufacturers then commercialize any items with slight defects. Father Fatiguet,9 who welcomes us most graciously, informs us that, 8 A reference to the Taiping Rebe ion, a civi war between the Qing Imperia forces and a mi enarian rebe army known as the “Taiping Heaven y Kingdom Movement,” which asted in varying degrees of intensity from 1850 to 1864. 9 Listed in The Directory (1899) without a Årst initia as a priest with the North Kiangsi (Jiangxi) Catho ic Mission, this is most ike y Louis É isée Fatiguet (1855 1931), who in 1911 wou d become Vicar Aposto ic of Northern Kiangsi and ater Vicar Aposto ic of Nanchang.

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contrary to what is generally believed, China conducts censuses of its population. Every seven or eight years, and especially when there is fear of disturbances, the mandarins order that the names of all families and the number of their members be ascertained. The last census shows a population of about 60,000 for Jiujiang. Near the city is a small lake about two kilometers in diameter on which Åshing takes place in the most curious fashion. The lake is linked to the river via a canal that can be closed o‫ ٺ‬by means of a lock. During low water season, exactly at the time of writing, the Chinese open the lock but prevent Åsh from being carried by the current with meshing. Once the lake has been drained, they reap an abundant catch. They then await the return of high waters during the pretty month of May to let the vast basin Åll up again with water and Åsh. This is South Gate Lake, thus named because it lies close to one of the city’s portals. 0 The tide is felt as far inland as this spot, not through a rise in water levels but as a noticeable countercurrent. The area is at peace at present, Father Fatiguet informs me. In fact, Jiujiang’s population is ordinarily peaceful. The Poyang’s whistle calls me back. I take my leave of the Father after passing through the concession’s beautiful cathedral, whose construction is nearing completion. Its columns are of a single block of granite extracted from Jiujiang’s mountains. Boats are leaving port headed downstream toward Lake Poyang. A man stands at the prow, calling to the river’s spirits by powerfully striking a drum while another throws burning paper in their direction and candles made of red wax are lit in oblation inside the boat. A fort is under construction on the Yangtze’s south bank. The mouths of some 20 cannons can be seen poking through the crenellations. The landscape is changing. Hills turn to mountains. I am reminded of the characteristic form of the Banne d’Ordenche in the mountains of our Auvergne. Wuxue is an important city with houses built of gray brick on the north bank of the river. Many junks are moored near the canal, which 10 Raquez is referring to Gantang and Nanmen Lakes, which were once one body of water before being divided by a dyke during the Tang Dynasty (618 907). The north ake is ca ed Gantang, whi e the southern ake is known as Nanmen, or South Gate Lake.

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was heavily damaged by Æooding from the Yangtze. Each junk’s sail is tightly held at the base of the mast inside a black holder varnished with wood oil. These could easily pass for torpedo launchers threatening the river. A little further along the same bank are ancient, crenellated walls overrun with moss. Further along on the opposite bank of the river is Huangshigang, a modern city o‫ٺ‬ering a pleasant view of its watchtowers with jauntily turned up roofs. Near one of these is a granite fountain, massive and square in shape, like some of France’s milestones and without doubt the recent work of a Europeanized Chinese artist. Of unimaginative, cold design, it seems out of place in this Oriental setting.

Sunday, December 11 At one o’clock in the morning, the Poyang comes to a halt before “Hankeou” (French style) or “Hankow” (English style). As I awake, I see a quay lined with Åne European houses. We go ashore via the ButterÅeld & Swire pontoon, which is connected to land by gangways. For Europeans, Hankow is the center of the immense urban area formed by the cities of Wuchang, Hankow, and Hanyang. 2 Wuchang is the seat of the Viceroy of the Two Hus (Hubei and Hunan) and spreads its crenellated walls over undulations on the south bank of the river, its yamen, its pagodas, and its ornamental masts. This is the domain of Zhang Zhidong, one of the most remarkable men China ever produced. The Viceroy has just published a work modestly entitled Quan Xue Pian (Exhortation to Study), severely criticized by the Chinese but seen by many Europeans as courageous as well as lofty in content on his country’s current situation and the remedies that might save it. “It is my duty,” he informs us, “to instruct educated men and reform the people, day and night, fearlessly and diligently.” Zhang Zhidong, this rare Ågure, this pearl lost on the dung heap of the mandarin system, took the responsibilities of his function to heart. Some maintain that in order to mark his strict observation of the duties that befell 11 Estab ished in 1866 in Shanghai by R. S. ButterÅe d and the John Swire & Sons Årm, the company sti exists as the diversiÅed cong omerate known as the Swire Group. 12 Combined, the three cities have been known since the 1920s by the name of Wuhan.

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him, he sleeps at night on a bench without undressing so as to be ready should one his subjects come by to solicit his ministry. Depicting the two factions that seek to capture China at the moment, he sees “the conservatives as those who refuse to take any nourishment for fear of Ånding their throat obstructed by a bone, and the progressives as resembling ewes facing several paths and inevitably going astray.” “I fear,” he adds, “that China’s misfortunes are not to be found beyond the Four Seas but within the country’s nine provinces. As I pondered current European a‫ٺ‬airs, I listed in methodical sequence 24 theses whose content can be summarized as knowledge of Åve ideas:” The Årst is that it is important to know how to blush, that is, blush at seeing the Empire become the inferior of Japan, Turkey, Siam, even Cuba. The second is that we should learn how to fear, that is, fear the sight of the Empire becoming similar to Annam, Burma, Korea, Egypt, or Poland. The third is that we must learn to change. If the Empire does not change its ancient customs, it will be unable to update its antiquated methods or its outdated tools, instruments, or machines. The fourth is to know the relative value of things. When studying Chinese science, researching antiquity contributes no value. It is the same thing in the West, he adds. The main factor in Europe is not European industry but its administration, without which the best industry would be fruitless. Finally, the Åfth is that we must remember our foundations. When beyond the Chinese Four Seas, that is, abroad, we must not forget our country. Having acquired a great deal of knowledge and many skills, we must not forget the Empire’s revered Ågures, who preferred virtue over knowledge and life’s advantages. 3 Clearly, Zhang Zhidong is a man of the just middle, a funambulist who seeks to advance along the tightrope of progress with the help of the balancing pole of ancient Chinese traditions. His aim is to extract from Europeans everything that can be useful to China while reserving the 13 Quan Xue Pian (Exhortations à l’Étude), trans ated from the Chinese by Jérôme Tobar, with a biographica note by J. Em. Lemière. Shanghai, Presse Orienta e, 1898 [Raquez]. Jérôme Tobar (1855 1917) was a Jesuit missionary and sino ogist active in Shanghai pub ishing circ es. See the Introduction for more information.

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right to dispense with their services later. He is a victim of the illusory belief that, over a short period of time, the Celestials will be able to assimilate European methods and be masters of their own a‫ٺ‬airs. The Viceroy shares this illusion with the Japanese, his erstwhile enemies, now his source of inspiration. But the canker of corruption among mandarins is too widespread for emollients such as the Exhortation to Study to put an end to its ravages. Before we leave Wuchang and the river’s south bank, we should note that the Viceroy of the Two Hus was once defeated by Admiral Courbet and that he retains ill feelings toward the French in his patriotic heart. As a result, he allowed himself to be seduced by the honeyed words of the British. But today, British inÆuence is counterbalanced by that of Germany and especially Japan. The Han River empties into the great Yangtze with massive force opposite Wuchang, and its banks are occupied on one side by Hanyang, the city of factories and blast furnaces, the other by Hankow, our temporary destination. There is, we are informed, a Hôtel Métropole in Hankow. It is full, but our disappointment is easy to bear as the hotel has a very poor reputation. 4 But our Hankow compatriots are so friendly that the question of shelter poses no di‫ٻ‬culty, far from it. In fact, it helps not to have digestion problems when landing on these hospitable shores for a few days. I call on the Consul, Mr. Dautremer, 5 who receives visitors in his o‫ٻ‬ce, a veritable museum of Chinese and Japanese objects. Next is the obligatory visit to the Cercle Gaulois, which residents of the Hankow French Concession just founded and where they meet every night and maintain the bonds of friendship. 6 Not far from the Cercle, the Quai de France is under construction, and this allows us to take in from the shore itself the expansion in European interests at this spot along the Yangtze. Starting from its conÆuence with the Han River, the Chinese city 14 Since then, this estab ishment has disappeared and a superb and exce ent hote , managed by Mr. Vernon, has opened on the quay of our concession [Raquez]. 15 Joseph Dautremer (1860 1946) became French Consu in Hankow in 1899 and was previous y with the French egation in Tokyo. He wou d ater serve in Burma. Dautremer authored severa books about Japan and Burma. 16 For more information on the Cerc e, see Nie d, China’s Foreign Places, 113.

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The Bund The Yangtze

spreads out with its docks, a few consulates, the pontoons of the navigation companies, especially that of ButterÅeld & Swire, and the quay of the British Concession, the only one built so far with its lawns, shady trees, and sealed sidewalk giving refuge to all the European trading houses. Then comes the Russian quay, which is being built, then the French and German ones, and even a Japanese quay as the Celestials’ victors miss no opportunity to proÅt from their triumph. Beyond the concessions, the Hankow–Peking Railway Company plans to build a maritime station with two kilometers of quays. Thanks to its splendid situation on the Yangtze and the Han River, Hankow sees all of China’s products converging on the city. Its link with Peking and later with Canton will in my view turn it into the main hub for the intense commercial tra‫ٻ‬c with Shanghai, that great rival city and perhaps one day the victor in that tussle. Everywhere, piles are being driven into the ground, concrete is being poured, houses are going up, and streets are being laid out. Nothing is more curious than this one-hour walk through so many di‫ٺ‬erent countries. We are now in Her Gracious Majesty’s kingdom, watched by grave, proper British policemen or Sikh Indians in red turbans. Suddenly, we see a Cossack in a long, gray greatcoat and Æat – 302 –

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cap, which reminds us that we now fall under the jurisdiction of our kind father the Tsar. But here is the tricolor, Æying brightly. Call me chauvinistic if you like, but I would be lying if I did not confess to a feeling of emotion, a je ne sais quoi that takes you by the throat and the eyes, when in the middle of this cosmopolitan setting, you come across the Æag, that symbol of the beautiful country of France. In our concession, Chinamen with long queues and wearing tunics of blue quilt, their trousers tucked into their boots, watch over public security. The tricolor buttonhole they wear on their chest indicates that they serve our national interests. We are bound to see our Annamese militiamen operating here one of these days when Germany introduces its own enforcers and Japan its “monkeys.” I understand why Great Britain cast such a keen eye on the Yangtze Valley when I see the marvelous commercial tra‫ٻ‬c and such wealth on the move, a sight I saw everywhere since I left Shanghai. What I understand much less and something I can only explain by referring to profound ignorance of all colonial matters among Frenchmen living in France is the willingness with which we credit the Åction that the Yangtze Valley falls within Great Britain’s sphere of inÆuence. Its newspapers, statesmen, and speechmakers ceaselessly give that inÆuence axiomatic value, and gradually, after reading the same formulation over and over again, even serious analysts come to accept what we might call Great Britain’s animus possidendi 7 as entirely natural. But if we examine the basis for such pretensions, or those supreme interests the Queen’s Government claims it is its duty to safeguard, the entire sca‫ٺ‬olding supporting this Åction comes crashing down like a house of cards. While I make use of the services of the steamboats of ButterÅeld or Jardine, which share the Shanghai route with Chinese and Japanese companies and soon with a German one, few British trading houses operate in Hankow. For the most part, the Queen’s subjects are employed by Russian or Swiss trading houses, dealing with the collection of customs duties alongside colleagues from other great powers. In fact, Russia occupies a substantial commercial position in Hankow. It is from this port that innumerable loads of packed tea are sent to 17 “Intention to possess.” The use of the Latin phrase reÆects Raquez’s ega training.

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give their fragrance to the samovars of our allies of today. From April to September, during the tea season, deals amounting to millions are concluded in this marketplace. Behind them are the Germans, then the French with their import and export houses, including Olivier de Langenhagen & Cie., represented by Mr. Bouchard; Racine, Ackermann, & Cie., represented by Messrs. Faga and Watelet; 8 and Adolphe Grosjean & Cie., as well as trading houses, including Virard, Sennet Frères, & Mondon, suppliers to the entire European colony, which in Mr. Rey has the most obliging agent imaginable. This is what we should say in reply to British pretensions. Its interests are inferior to those of Russia, Germany, or France. Let us not allow one more legend to be credited as fact.

December 12 I explore the Chinese city in a sedan chair, accompanied by friend Faga and his comprador who serves as his interpreter. The streets are a little wider than those of Canton and the shops less luxurious, but in general, everything is cleaner. In October, a huge Åre destroyed 10,000 houses and caused incalculable damage. A thousand Chinese people burned to death in closed o‫ٺ‬ streets or drowned in the Han River. And yet the ash has been removed from walls almost everywhere. I notice attractive caskets made of a rosewood-like material with copper clasps, an entire street occupied by sellers of metal pipes, quantities of furs, porcelain and tin items, etc. The only building of any interest, the Consul informs me, is the large temple that doubles as a meeting place for the Jiangxi traders. I was not misled. Tempted by the promise of yum cha (baksheesh) by the comprador, a coolie, the temple’s sole guardian, opens for us the various sanctuaries where the faithful come to venerate Confucius’ memory. We see a single tall Buddha, a few old monks, three or four handsome vases. But what is wonderful is the carved wood that decorates the temple’s various rooms, galleries, and porticos, the gracefulness of the arabesques and friezes, the roofs in varnished green and red ceramic whose curves intermingle, leaving the onlooker with an impression of strange harmony. 18 The Directory (1899) ists E. Bouchard as agent for O ivier de Langenhagen & Cie., and L. Faga as agent for Racine, Ackermann & Cie., both in Hankow.

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thus, and we return without mishap to the hospitable roofs of the concession.

December 13 A steamboat conveys us to the large factory in Hanyang, known o‫ٻ‬cially as the Hanyang Iron and Steel Works. 9 Founded by Viceroy Zhang Zhidong, the factory was sold to the Chinese government in 1896 in association with H. E. Taotai Sheng, whom the Chinese call Sheng Xuanhuai.20 As the craft progresses upstream, let us acquaint ourselves with this remarkable man, who plays such an important role in the destiny of contemporary China. With all the strength of his 48 years, H. E. Sheng presides over the a‫ٺ‬airs of the great China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, runs the entire network of China’s telegraphs, that of the railways in the south of the country, and the blast furnaces we are about to visit. All those whose functions bring them into contact with Sheng agree over seeing in him a Ånancier and businessman of the highest order. Snug in his armchair, his hands hidden by broad sleeves and his eyes protected by enormous spectacles, Sheng listens with the impassivity of a statue to the most complex and arduous technical reports. He occasionally holds audiences lasting an entire afternoon, at the end of which he summons the day’s visitor to another meeting the very next day. Without having made a single note or written down a single Ågure, the man astonishes those who do not yet know him by going over the previous day’s discussion point by point, arguing his case and challenging claims with a Ånesse and skill to which everyone pays tribute. The boat ties up at the ramp that runs from the factory down to the 19 Founded in 1888 by Zhang Zhidong, the iron works were supp ied with state-ofthe-art equipment by British and Be gian Årms. The works began producing iron in 1894. Adjacent to the iron works was an arsena and foundry for manufacturing sma arms, founded by Zhang in 1891. The two factories remained under the same management unti 1897, when Sheng Xuanhuai (see be ow) took over the iron works. 20 Sheng Xuanhuai (1844 1916), a so known as Sheng Gongbao, was Minister of Transportation and a key p ayer in the Se f-Strengthening Movement. An ardent supporter of adopting Western techno ogies, in 1895 he founded Beiyang University, the Årst institution of higher education in China to fo ow the Western mode . He wou d ater p ay important ro es in negotiating po itica treaties with European powers.

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river, thus enabling the enormous steam-powered crane to slide along its rails, its position changing according to the height of the waters. The Yangtze causes stupendous Æoods. I see watermarks varying by 51 feet, some 17 meters, within a single year. To guard against Æooding, it was necessary to raise the Æoor of the factory and to surround the 15 hectares it covers with a sturdy dyke 3.65 meters high. I run into someone who accompanied me in Laos, having parted with him in Hong Kong, Mr. Bougnet, engineer-manager of the steelworks and rolling mills, and make the acquaintance of the engineer-manager of the blast furnaces, Mr. Ruppert, as well as that of Dr. Cuypers, the factory’s physician.2 What good fortune it is to be able to visit this establishment in the company of such amiable and competent guides! Let us explore with them these immense workshops and let us learn. To manufacture iron, two components are required: ore, and the combustible matter that will make it possible to rid the ore of its gangue. I am talking about coke. The coke used in blast furnaces comes from two di‫ٺ‬erent sources. The Kaiping mines near Tianjin deliver some of it by boat. But because it is produced in local furnaces ill-suited to heating coal, it is highly friable and its transportation very expensive. The Pingshian mines on the boundary between Hunan and Jiangxi are owned by the Hanyang blast furnaces and supply coke produced using an equally primitive process. According to engineers, switching to a di‫ٺ‬erent process would result in fuel that would rival the best types of European coke. Ore containing magnetite, manganese, and limestone is shipped up the Yangtze from Daye District near Huangshigang, some 70 miles downstream of Hankow. The district also contains considerable coal deposits exploited in the local manner. But like almost all the Yangtze coal, while the proportion of volatile matter (18 to 25%) is satisfactory, the sulfur content is exces-

21 The Directory (1899) ists E. Bougnet as manager, E. Ruppert as manager of the b ast furnace section, and E. Cuypers, MD as the medica o‫ٻ‬cer of the Hanyang Iron Works.

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sive (4 to 5%) and likely to damage the furnaces.22 The ore and the coke are fed to one of the furnaces, each Åtted with three Cowper furnaces 17 by 6 meters in diameter. The air required by the combustion process is generated by three powerful vertical blowers capable of producing 250 cubic meters per minute. The temperature inside the furnace is then a balmy 2,500 degrees, under whose inÆuence the ore releases the reduced iron as well as the impurities known in the trade as scoria. One shudders at the thought that it is sometimes necessary to carry out repairs to parts of the furnace while it is operating and that after dunking himself in cold water and fastening a wet sponge over his mouth and under his nose, a worker lowers himself into the inferno down an iron cable. With his eyes barely open, thanks to the vaporization of the water, he can withstand the heat for a few seconds as he inserts a refractory brick and then ends the process only to restart it a few minutes later. The engineer, Mr. Ruppert, has often had to enter this frightening brazier himself to inspire conÅdence in those he employs to do this work. Only one of the blast furnaces is currently operating. It produces 80 to 90 tons of Bessemer cast iron every 24 hours. The Årst Åring goes back to June 28, 1894. A commemorative plaque recalling this event was cast by the engineers of the Cockerill Company,23 who were at the time completing the installation of the factory begun by British constructors. It is time for casting. Armed with a long iron rod, a worker attacks the layer of hematite clay that obstructs the opening at the base of the furnace. Soon, a sparkling jet comes spurting out followed by a dazzling stream of sparks similar to Åreworks. White as milk, it Æows into rivulets made ready to receive it, constrain it, and smother its intensity. The cast iron is then transported either to the Bessemer and Sie22 The greater the vo ati e content, the more bituminous the coa . For examp e, Japanese coa contains 30% of such matter whi e anthracite has on y 6 to 7%. As regards the su fur content in industria coa , the norm is 0.5 to 1%. A pecu iarity of Chinese coa is that coa that is free of su fur contains a substantia amount of phosphorus. This is especia y unp easant when venti ating Bessemer furnaces, as in Hanyang [Raquez]. 23 Founded by Wi iam Cockeri (1759 1832), a British-born Be gian industria ist and from 1825 to 1845 known as the John Cockeri & Cie., run by his son, John Cockeri (1790 1840), the company became the Société Anonyme pour ’Exp oitation des Étab issements John Cockeri , or John Cockeri SA, after 1842. After a ong history of mergers and acquisitions, it has been known since 2010 as Cockeri Maintenance & Ingénierie.

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mens-Martin furnaces or to one of the 20 puddling furnaces set up in groups of four and releasing their gases below a vertical boiler placed at the center of each group. Jackhammers are used to pound the lumps of cast iron, which are then run through a rolling mill. On either side of the long set of wheels of the machine, a team of workers armed with pincers stands ready to grasp the block, about 1.50 meters long by 40 centimeters wide and thick at Årst, as it is fed before our very eyes through those fearsome machines and becomes longer, longer still, longer again, and within Åve minutes by our watches is transformed into a superb rail 18 meters long which is then marked and stamped before being divided into two equal sections with a mechanical saw. Messrs. Ruppert and Bougnet, engineers from Luxembourg and Belgium, respectively, are assisted by ten foremen of the same nationalities. Only the technical aspect comes within their purview. Everything to do with administration or the Ånancial management of the enterprise is left entirely to the Chinese. On our way to draining the cup of friendship with the gracious engineers, we cross the factory’s outer walls, which are guarded by Chinese soldiers in sentry posts, and we walk along the high wall of the arsenal, whose management is entrusted to H. E. Sheng Xuanhuai, who, along with the Government, is the co-owner. Just as the Sino–Japanese War was declared,24 the arsenal was about to start operating when an intense blaze destroyed parts of it. The equipment was replaced and supplied by the Loewe Company of Berlin.25 Two Germans who remained behind now work there as foremen. The arsenal manufactures Mauser 1884 repeater riÆes and especially small mountain cannons. There are also sections devoted to cartridge manufacturing as well as gunpowder production, for which preparations are underway for manufacturing smokeless gunpowder. Some 3,000 workers are employed in these immense workshops. Like those whose work we came to admire in the blast furnaces, these 24 Now known as the First Sino-Japanese War (1894 1895), the conÆict saw the Japanese and Qing forces Åght over contro of Korea. Japan was u timate y victorious. 25 Ludwig Loewe & Company, founded in 1872 by Ludwig Loewe (1837 1886), was an arms manufacturer with connections to two of the most famous German sma arms ever produced: Mauser, and Luger. It is now part of MAN Ferrostaa Industriean agen GmbH.

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men are excellent workers – skilled, meticulous, and methodical – provided they are kept under close supervision by experienced managers. Unfortunately for the country, Chinese administration has a long way to go before it improves. The people compare the mandarins’ long Ångernails to the claws of birds of prey. Rumor has it that the Mauser riÆes fetch unimaginable prices, yet the cause cannot be the workforce, as salaries would seem derisory to European workers.

December 14 The Catholic missions are represented in Hankow by Italian priests placed under French protection. The procurator, Father Piccoli,26 is known throughout China. We meet Doctor Scaparone’s compatriot, a man with a splendid black beard, a distinguished and most urbane Ågure, who takes us on a visit of an institution under the care of Italian nuns of the Holy Childhood. A hospital served by two doctors can receive some 100 patients and is equipped with isolation units for those a‫ټ‬icted with contagious diseases. Several of the inmates are horribly scarred by leprosy. Next is the home for old women and especially the orphanage, which houses 1,000 children of the female sex. I already had occasion to expose the question of abandoned girls in China. As many as 15 of them are brought to the Hankow nuns every day. While we visit the hospital, we are shown three small creatures just abandoned by their parents. Under the maternal care of the good sisters, the children become excellent housewives and skilled workers, producing Åne lace in particular. Later, they will be placed by the nuns or receive o‫ٺ‬ers of marriage from Catholic Chinamen. Yet many very young children do not even survive the Summer despite the nurturing they receive as many arrive in a pitiful state neither devoted care nor science can do anything to remedy.

December 15 Mr. de Marteau, our expedition leader, has arrived. About a week ago, a Chinese employee was sent to Hankow to select the four houseboats needed for the trip as well as the steam launch that will tow them. 26 The Directory (1899) ists Rev. Father G. Picco i as Procurator of the Roman Catho ic Mission. He discovered a new species of Aster, a type of Æower, in Shaanxi, which grew in the Roya Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, in 1898 from seeds he provided. It was named Aster Piccolii after him.

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Orphan girls working cotton

The master’s eye turns down every combination suggested by the Celestial. The houseboats are inconvenient and too heavy, and the steam launch could not haul them through the river’s churning waters. Nothing else is available, says the Chinaman, supported in this view by the craft’s captain and its mechanic. We come across a junk. We are assured that a second one will be provided similar to the Årst. At the crucial moment, we are faced with a vessel even more enormous than those we turned down. Finally, the captain of the launch, who hoped to proÅt from the hiring of the junks despite their being so inappropriate, informs us that his launch will be able to tow only two of our boats and that no other steam launch can be had in the Hankow marketplace. It takes all Mr. de Marteau’s skill, his intimate knowledge of the Chinese modus operandi, and his familiarity with yum cha, the Far East’s baksheesh, to overcome all of these di‫ٻ‬culties and assemble our squadron. Dubernard and Bebelman complete our provisioning.27 We leave Hankow on Saturday at noon.

December 16 The morning sees us touring the Han River by sampan, an imprudent 27 These two men are most ike y Be gian engineers who accompanied de Marteau to the mines at Qingxi.

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move I would advise no one to emulate. There is a formidable current, and the swirling waters are frightening. Large, heavily laden junks sail downstream at full speed. It is a miracle that an accident does not occur every minute. But these Chinamen are marvelously skilled. The sight is truly picturesque! The river is 400 meters wide and Æows along a deeply entrenched bed as this is low water season. Along each shore, thousands upon thousands of junks are massed in thick clusters, leaving a space for navigation barely 50 meters wide in the middle of the river. On the Hankow side, immense stone stairways with over 60 steps, on each of which some 20 men could stand side by side, lead down to the shore where they are framed by elegant triumphal arches erected in the memory of a distinguished literary man, a chaste widow, or a son of exemplary Ålial piety. A crowd of coolies mill about, loading and unloading junks and uttering guttural cries that serve to keep everyone in step. A deafening uproar rises from this crowd. This is a unique spectacle. In Hanyang, it is as if one is looking at a multitude of dovecotes in the form of huts raised on tall stilts. One man works in the hut, another below. They plait four long bamboo strips by twisting them, thus manufacturing cables of extraordinary strength that will be used by the innumerable mariners working on the river and its tributaries. We return to Hanyang in the afternoon at the invitation of the engineers and the doctor. Near the ramp where we disembark, close to the river, stands an elegant Chinese pavilion. This is where in 1891, the Tsarevich, now Emperor of All Russia,28 tasted the delights of the Celestial Empire’s cuisine in the company of the Viceroy of the two Hus. A Åre breaks out not far from the factory. A crowd of Chinamen rushes in but is satisÅed with watching the progress of the destructive scourge without attempting in the slightest to Åght it. There is no police presence. The wind is blowing. Seen from the top of the factory’s freight elevator, the sight is terrifying. Prodigiously high Æames soar. In a few minutes, 300 houses fall prey to the blaze, and the rest owe their salvation only to the ponds that separate them from the core of the inferno. 28 Nicho as II (1868 1918), ast Emperor of Russia, assumed the throne in 1894. His epic Eastern journey of 1890 1891 took him around the Eurasian continent from Suez to Japan and major ports of ca in between.

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We are privileged to witness the magical spectacle of a nighttime pouring with its scintillating display of Åreworks. Those strange-looking Ågures, who move about in the dim light produced by molten cast iron as they deal with this milky lava and those blocks of Åre, seem like fantastical beings toiling at some mysterious and terrifying chore deep within the workshop of genies. Another piece of luck! Mrs. Cuypers, our hostess, is Dutch, and like me, a Java enthusiast.29 Ah, what pleasant memories this evokes of that pearl of the equatorial seas!

December 1 7 We lunch on board. Father Piccoli, Messrs. Petit, Sossou, and Hamaide, all three of them railway engineers, and Mr. Rey of the Mondon trading house were kind enough to come and shake hands with us at the moment of departure and drain a fraternal glass to the success of our expedition. It is three o’clock. Full speed ahead: we are on our way! Our Æotilla is o‫ٺ‬, proud and majestic. At its head is the steam launch Titan, Æying the imperial ensign by special permission of the Zongli Yamen, followed by our houseboats tied together in pairs, their masts displaying immense red standards proclaiming in Chinese characters that a second-ranking mandarin in charge of the exploitation of the Guizhou mines is aboard. Last is an armed Chinese junk, its soldiers clad in red tunics, with four short cannons at the prow and four large triangular Æags Æying from their poles at the aft. We are honored with a salvo. Handkerchiefs are waved on shore. Goodbye, friends! May we all meet again in good health in a few months’ time! 29 In an artic e entit ed “Java (à suivre),” pub ished in La Revue Indochinoise 180 (March 31, 1902): 287 290, Raquez re ates that he arrived in Batavia on May 1, 1898 aboard the Giang Seng from Singapore and stayed at the famed Hôte des Indes. He describes co onia Batavia (present-day Jakarta) in g owing terms, dwe ing on Dutch cuisine, oca attractions, and the di‫ٺ‬erences between the European and oca communities. Unfortunate y, this work seems to be a fragment of a arger piece. However, more detai s can be pieced together about Raquez’s time in Java from other sources. For examp e, on August 25, 1898, he gave a pub ic presentation in Saigon in which he c aims to have spent “about a month” in Java. In Entrée Gratuite, he describes a memorab e night at the Hôte Homann in Bandung and a visit to the botanica gardens of Buitenzorg (present-day Bogor), in the hi s above Batavia (86 87). In Pages Laotiennes, he says that he visited the famous Borobudur temp e in centra Java (522) and c aims to have spent severa evenings in the pa aces of the Su tans of Jogjakarta and So o (Surakarta) (535).

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These houseboats are appropriately named. I occupy one of them along with Mr. de Marteau. Each of us has his own cabin almost three meters wide with two berths along the length of the boat. One of them is used for toilette purposes. The lower section of each cabin is arranged for luggage. An equally wide three-meter-long room will serve as our o‫ٻ‬ce and sitting room. At the rear is a vast room housing the six boatmen and their families. The room is pleasantly clean and contains three women and two mewling babies. The entire boat as well as its furniture is made of local spruce coated with that wonderful varnish that makes the wood waterproof and gives it the appearance of pitch pine. At the fore is a platform where we can enjoy the breezes. On each side, a low, 60-centimeter-wide gangway runs the entire length of the boat and allows passengers and boatmen to pass from one end to the other. The walls of our sitting room are decorated with carved wood and attractive paintings on glass. Broad seats and a square table complete the arrangement. Equally comfortable means of locomotion would be hard to imagine in the interior of the country. The boat that is twinned to ours is home to Dr. Scaparone and Messrs. Dubernard and Bebelman, the two men in charge of works. The Åve of us take our meals together in the large room of that houseboat. His Excellency Taotai Chen Mingyuan,30 a second-ranking mandarin, with whom we will have occasion to make closer acquaintance, sits in majesty amidst his small court in a third junk coupled with the craft carrying Zang and Alphonse, our interpreters, as well as the expedition’s comprador and his cashier. Toward evening, the sound of drums rises from the taotai’s boat. Buddha is being honored: our mariners light up a dozen thin joss sticks, place them at the junk’s prow, and scatter burning paper in the water to appease the river’s genies. They go through this ritual every night. At six o’clock, we tie up at Dashazhen, a village not far from Hankow. This has been a laborious start. We had to work out the most practical way to tie the boats together to ensure the best possible progress for our four Æoating houses. Now, everything is shipshape. 30 On Chen Mingyuan (? 1920), see the Introduction.

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A houseboat

Sunday, December 18 All night, the hours and half hours are punctuated with drum rolls aboard a gunboat moored nearby. On the south bank is Jingkao, a large Åshing village at the mouth of a river. We see a quay made of meticulously assembled dressed stones that would be the envy of many of our own ports, a superb drive lined with willows and elms, a few yamen, and neatly maintained pagodas. The weather is magniÅcent. Fifteen degrees in the shade. Is it as Åne a day in Nice today? Very high in the sky, a dense Æight of birds darkens the azure. These are ducks or wild geese on their way to Tartary. A large steamboat of the China Merchants Company sails downstream from Yichang, the last open port on the Yangtze. She salutes us as we pass. Three Europeans are aboard. Toward evening, we meet an immense wooden raft from central regions of the country. The mariners have built real houses, raised masts, and hoisted sails on them. We tie up at Tengjiakao, about 150 li3 from Hankow. All night, watchmen walk up and down the shore to keep pirates 31 A li is a unit of measure rough y equa to 500 meters, or 547 yards.

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at bay. One man hollers wildly while another draws long, lugubrious sounds from a horn. It is as if we were hearing the howling of a dog. At one point, three gunshots burst out close to our boat, lengthened and multiplied by every echo around us. The Chinese army is watching over us, intent on making its attentions audible.

December 19 Paizhou’s houses are made of reeds, sometimes coated with clay and whitewashed with the hydraulic lime that is common in the area. The children are dressed in red, the color of criminals and slaves. Their parents wish to show that they are making their o‫ٺ‬spring slaves to Buddha and to the genies whose powerful protection they solicit. After all, are our own children dedicated to the Virgin not clad in blue?32 We see many Åshermen. Numerous black boats are used to transport salt. Women with small feet go down to the river to Åll their buckets. They must be funambulists of the Årst order not to slip on the damp clay of the sloping ground. Three armed junks are berthed at Paizhou. Suddenly, the Titan sails away from the village toward the other shore, where the current is less pronounced. The probe shows a depth of eight meters in midstream. The blackish color of the banks, which have collapsed in many places, reveals the proximity of a coal-bearing region. We pass another steamship Æying the Jardine & Matheson Æag, also sailing from the direction of Yichang. We tie up upstream of Jiayu. Distance traveled so far: about 110 li.

December 20 We leave Hubei province and enter Hunan. At the border village of Longkao, a sampan of the likin customs draws alongside. But the Zongli Yamen’s passport exempts our caravan of all such visitations. Being aware of this privilege, our boatmen took aboard a small cargo of silk in Hankow. But luck did not favor them as Mr. de Marteau, whose experience of the Chinese keeps him constantly on his toes, inspected the holds before departure and had the contraband removed, 32 See note 53, page 112.

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to the great discomÅture of the partners in crime. I mentioned the word likin. I should explain that each province in China forms an administrative unit that must be self-su‫ٻ‬cient as well as contribute to the needs of the imperial budget. To transport certain merchandise across province lines, an internal customs duty known as likin is payable and goes into the province’s co‫ٺ‬ers, minus a levy of so-much percent paid into the Emperor’s treasury. Silks and especially salt are the two commodities most frequently subject to likin. Needless to say, the collection of this duty involves squeeze on a vast scale. Egrets in vast numbers glide about above our heads, their white plumage brightening up the monotony of the clay shores that bound our vista. A strong nor’easter picks up. Our boat rolls as though on open seas, so tumultuous are the Yangtze’s waters. For part of the day, we are forced to undock from the two rear boats, which sail on separately, propelled by a tailwind. Here is Xingdi, a yamen, soldiers on shore, and further on a pagoda whose facade is artistically decorated with multicolored sculptures. According to the inscription on a triumphal arch, we are in the Forest of the Ten Thousand Buddhas. A waterfall disgorges torrents of foamy water that rushes into the great river. Toward evening, the vista to our left changes. Numerous mountains appear in the distance. Opposite Jinluoshan, on a hillock lapped by the water stands a lone pagoda that displays its seven stories lit by the last of the setting sun’s rays. At six o’clock, we tie up at Yongjixiang near Xianggugang, 113 miles from Hankow. Naturally, as in all of their maneuvers, the Chinese boatmen make an infernal racket. Everyone barks orders, shouts, hollers. To those unused to these habits, this could suggest either an accident or a rebellion.

December 21 What an eventful day! At six in the morning, I am awakened by the sound of maneuvering. We are leaving Yongjixiang. A wind powerful enough to dehorn oxen is blowing and I notice a major change in the barometer since last night. I leap out of bed and, after dressing hurriedly, run onto the platform. Our Æotilla must cross the Yangtze and head for Lake Dongting, – 317 –

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and the current is violent in the extreme. Huge swells and waves lift the miserable little launch that tows us. Tossed about like a nutshell, it might capsize at any moment. Tied in pairs but insu‫ٻ‬ciently weighed down by luggage and our dwindling supply of coal as ballast, our houseboats crash into each other. Everything in the cabins of our boat – lamps, helmets, photophores,33 inkpots – is knocked over by the shocks. One of the two mooring ropes that link the two head vessels snaps like thread. For a few moments, we are in real danger. But the scene is witnessed only by Mr. de Marteau and myself. Lulled by the swell, the other members of the expedition sleep on peacefully, utterly unaware of the peril. Fortunately, the launch manages to edge out of the worst of the current. As she nears the opposite shore, the other boats in the Æotilla su‫ٺ‬er less in calmer waters. I never imagined that more than 600 miles from the Chinese coast, this extraordinary river, still about 1,800 meters wide, could display all the violence of an angry sea. A bitter nor’easter blows. The thermometer shows four degrees centigrade. Ten o’clock. It would be dangerous to Ånd ourselves on the lake at night. We will tie up at Yueyang, a sub-prefecture located about a mile from the entrance to the lake. Along the shores of the Yuan River along which we now make progress is a large excrescence, a shady hillock that contrasts against the reddish bare soil, on which stands an elegant pagoda. The pagoda features a seven-story tower, crenellated walls, and beautiful shrines with varnished green and yellow roofs. Vast numbers of junks and Åve or six steam launches are in port. We could have taken one of the steamboats of ButterÅeld, Jardine, or China Merchants all the way to the river’s conÆuence and then chartered some of those comfortable junks we see moored. After lunch, we are o‫ ٺ‬to visit the city in the company of Taotai Chen Mingyuan, the two interpreters, the Chinese cashier, and the comprador, who su‫ٺ‬ered dreadfully from motion sickness during the recent storm. The city holds nothing of great interest except for fruit similar in shape 33 A type of amp with an enc osed ight source for shipboard or mining operations, the word was ater used to designate medica instruments with externa ights for interna probing.

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to unshelled beans but purplish red in color, which the Chinese use as soap. Everyone comes to the doorstep of their houses. We are followed. The rumor of our visit spreads. People come running out of every alleyway, little boys start shrieking, and soon a crowd a thousand strong squeezes into the narrow streets and surrounds us at excessively close quarters. Some 30 Chinese soldiers armed with bamboo canes come running, accompanied by the sub-prefect, a young, smartly dressed mandarin who orders that a volley of blows be administered to the noisier element and protects us from the thrusting crowd. “Foreigners! Foreigners!,” yell the boys. “Xiyang guizi! Foreign devils!” some even clamor. Is this crowd motivated by malevolent intentions? Not initially, as these people look at us with naive curiosity, even touching our clothes, astonished by fabrics they seem not to recognize. But as in all crowds, it would take only a spark to make these Chinese enfants terribles really hostile. We enter Hunan, the province said to be the most resistant to progress or contact with Europeans. Even the Chinese Government has been unable to install telegraphic poles there except on the border at Changsha in a region that forms a clear island on the map of the Chinese telegraphic network. By the terms of the treaty with Great Britain over the ceding of Weihawei, the town of Yueyang will be open to European commerce from January 1, 1899, or in just a few days.34 Creating this concession, or settlement as our good friends from across the Channel call it, will not go without di‫ٻ‬culties. While on a visit to our taotai on his junk, a sub-prefect informed him that a mob recently set Åre to the yamen of the Paoking-fu prefect, also in Hunan Province,35 simply because this mandarin had been visited by Europeans on a mission. 34 There is some confusion here. The city of Yochow (the former name of Yueyang) was opened to the British by Imperia Decree on Apri 5, 1898. However, the British Customs House was not opened unti November 1899. The Convention for the Lease of Weihaiwei, a city on the Shandong peninsu a, was signed in Peking on Ju y 1, 1898, and ratiÅed in London on October 5, 1898. The wording of the convention makes no reference to Yochow. See Nie d, China’s Foreign Places, 287. 35 Now ca ed Shaoyang, a town ocated on the Zi River in Hunan. Not to be confused with Baoding (or Paoting), in Hebei Province, which wou d be the site of an infamous massacre of missionaries in 1900 during the Boxer Uprising.

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Chapter Fourteen

Across Hunan on the Yuan River A singular pilot – In search of Lake Dongting – So many junks! So many junks! – Halt! Thou shalt not pass! – Sailing on sand – The rural population – The houseboat quadrille – Fishing cormorants

December 22 One hour after our departure from Yueyang, our steam launch runs aground at the entrance to Lake Dongting, but so clumsily that malicious intent is obvious. Our aquatic brigands do not seem especially perturbed. They have with them their wives and children. The boat is their home. They start eating, happy to wait for the rains to raise water levels in the river and the lake. As for the craft’s captain and mechanic, snug and warm in their quilted clothing, they use their wide sleeves as a mu‫ ٺ‬and watch us mockingly. There is no way of getting out of the mud, they inform us, and refuse to go any further. But they reckoned without Mr. de Marteau’s determination, who, revolver in hand, forces them to go into reverse. Two turns of the propeller later, and the launch is aÆoat, thus unmasking the dishonesty of its handlers. We return to Yueyang, where Chen Mingyuan goes ashore in search of a military pilot. Contrary to our men’s statements, the pilot declares that crossing the lake is perfectly possible without any mishap despite the lower water level. But there are numerous pirates in the vicinity. It is better not to spend the night on Lake Dongting. We will therefore depart only at Årst light tomorrow. Clearly, the pilot and the mechanic hatched a plot. Yesterday, Åve tons of excellent coal were taken on board. It came quite naturally to these bandits to have us believe that their services were in vain and be ordered to return to Hankow, there to await the return of the rains, then sail – 320 –

ACROSS HUNAN ON THE YUAN RIVER

downstream to their homeport, perhaps even towing junks, and sna‫ټ‬e our coal and add it to their stock. These are the minor perks of the profession. But they had reckoned without their customer. Our incompetent pilot will wait for us in Yueyang, where the launch, steered by the military helmsman, will pick him up after crossing Lake Dongting.

December 23 Each of us in turn will keep an eye on the morning’s casting o‫ ٺ‬operations. It is imperative that we keep these boatmen in hand at every moment, ready as they are to play tricks on all-too-trusting Europeans. Today is my turn to take the watch. I have to shout to make sure that the helmsman is at his post on each of the four crafts, especially the last two. The mooring ropes that keep the two houseboats in tandem are badly adjusted. Finally, after my Chinamen have spent half-an-hour yelling their lungs out, arguing among themselves as if possessed, we leave Yueyang with the strong yearning not to have to return to it again today. The new pilot is at his post in the launch. We try to locate the pass. Dubernard drops the probe continually. Lake Dongting is two hours away, Mr. de Marteau informs us, who did the same crossing last year during high water season. This immense lake is so dangerous at this spot that the Chinese Government, ordinarily so lacking in foresight, saw it Åt to install three lifeboat stations equipped with unsinkable junks. Mr. de Marteau himself once capsized in these waters and acknowledges the usefulness of these posts. He retains the memory of a pretty village perched on a verdant islet amidst the water. Two hours, three hours pass. We must have completed these tricky passages without mishap. The probe showed a minimum of 1.80 meters only once, and our launch reaches barely 1.20 meters below the waterline. Yet no lake is in sight. We meander endlessly along a river that snakes around like the Saigon River but is only about 150 meters wide. Mountains appear to port, then dull gray alluvial patches sloping up gently but revealing no other vista than that of the sails of junks gliding past, the sinuous river giving the impression that they sail on sand close to our own route. Twelve o’clock, and still no lake. Finally, we have an explanation for the mystery and the error perpetuated by most maps of the area. The few Europeans that crossed Lake Dongting, especially the French – 321 –

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gunboat Le Lion in August 1894, got there during high water season. At that time, the lake is indeed how the maps depict it. But come Winter, the mystery lake disappears. Only the Yuan River Æows on toward the Yangtze, freeing cultivable lands like those we now perceive beyond the alluvial deposits. Groups of oxen graze peacefully on thin grass. A few more months and this entire population will take shelter on sampans or up hills that now reveal their pagodas and stone houses. Luoge is the name of the smart village in which Mr. de Marteau recognizes his islet, now turned into a green mountain set amidst a gray continent. After questioning our boatmen, we Ånally learn that the passages where we now Ånd ourselves are called Gansanwei, whereas yesterday, the pilot who caused us to run aground took us to the Bingzei Pass, which he knew not to be navigable at this time of the year. Clearly, the boatmen themselves were in cahoots with this malefactor, hoping to proÅt from our wait for the coming rains in Yueyang to load up salt in now empty holds and transport it under cover of our passport without paying likin. The Luoge hills consist of red, iron-bearing clay. Swells have worn away promontories, dug caves, shaped needles, sometimes cut sheer cli‫ٺ‬s in some of the hillocks, which seem rent down the middle as if to exhibit their centuries-old stratiÅcation in this vertical cross-section. Our channel is used by many junks. I count 50 sails ahead of us. Many boats sailing downstream toward the Blue River carry coal. We are approaching mining country. On some of the sampans, one man rows while another Åshes by moving about a cord attached to a net under water. When he wishes to pull in his net, the Åsherman coils the rope lengthwise on a bamboo stick. But I cannot make sense of the continuous balancing movement the man applies Årst to the rope, then to the net. We see a sampan on which some ten or twelve cormorants perch in neat alignment. Roosting immobile on a long ga‫ ٺ‬installed across the prow of the vessel, they observe us gravely. These are the famous Åshing birds. Regrettably, they are not at work at the moment. Perhaps we will see others further on. The sails swell the masts of each of our junks. The Æotilla proceeds gaily. The large red Æags add a picturesque note thanks to the strange characters that decorate them. – 322 –

ACROSS HUNAN ON THE YUAN RIVER

A monk from Luoge draws alongside one of our sampans. He is here to collect for his pagoda. We refer him to Chen Mingyuan, and he takes his leave with many salutations. The weather is cold. The thermometer shows six degrees. We tie up at Zhenjiwei after 140 li in tow. This is where maps show a village on the shores of Lake Dongting during Æooding season. The pilot informs us that the launch cannot proceed further and that our Æat-bottomed boats will easily travel on under sail.

December 24 We leave the Æood zone behind. In Summer, the Yuan River covers only those 50 meters of grayish alluvial deposits that separate us from cultivated plains on either side of the water. Commercial tra‫ٻ‬c in this part of China is unimaginable. All day long, we are never without some 100 junks in sight, most of them heavily laden. Many towns show vast numbers of crafts of all sizes moored there, some of them recalling our former galleys with their upper railing six or even eight meters high. Here is a large village, Beihuiziha, with a stone tower seven stories high. I count 48 Åshing boats along 500 meters of river. Each boat contains two men, one rowing, the other casting a net. We take ti‫ٻ‬n opposite Luolingde after covering 90 li under sail. This village is the end point for the Xiang River, which leads to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, and is linked to the Zhujiang, Canton’s River, and to the sea by a canal and the Lian River. Here especially are monumentally large junks berthed as they await the return of high waters. We drop anchor at six o’clock after covering 120 li for the day, opposite Lingzeiku Sub-prefecture, a town of 4,000 inhabitants. A gunboat salutes our taotai’s Æag with three cannon shots. The local mandarin leaves his yamen and its handsome granite sculptures and pink walls to come aboard and salute H. E. Chen Mingyuan. At the entrance to the town and close to the shore, we note a very beautiful triumphal arch of carved stone. This is a tomb dating back to the Ming period, we are informed. A driveway lined with statues or rather with tall wooden blocks carved at the top but left plain at the base leads to the portico. Seen from the river, they recall the marble busts perched on their columns that decorate the vestibules of our great theaters. – 323 –

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Christmas Day 189 8 The wind abates. Four boatmen tie themselves to a rope as another, armed with an oar, pushes the boat away from the shore with the lao da at the helm. We take advantage of the occasion to stretch our legs on the towpath that runs along the very high embankment. The Yuan River Æows swiftly along a deep gully about 60 meters wide on average. The weather is exquisite: about ten degrees all morning. The sun makes a timid appearance. Larks play over our heads, seeming surprised to see white faces in this spot. Magpies Æy o‫ ٺ‬the backs of big, stupeÅed bu‫ٺ‬aloes to hop about the grassy path and trade many a teasing comment. Meanwhile, St. Anthony’s large companion raises its Ålthy snout and marks our passage with a grunt. O fortunatos nimium sua si bona norint! 2 O hog, happy Chinese hog! Many are your brothers who fell on this day in our European lands. Christmas black pudding! This midnight feast reawakens so many memories dear to our hearts. On this day, far away beyond the seas, Christian people sing of deliverance, and joyful children, their eyes still thick with sleep, utter triumphant cries as they discover under their soft cushion the golden Coquille de Noël placed there during the night by good Father Christmas, friend of well-behaved children!3 These childhood memories Åll our hearts as we walk along this Chinese path that in all likelihood no Frenchmen ever tread before us. 1 Lǻo dà 侩⣏: itera y “o d big,” this expression means “top boss” or “number one” in a hierarcha organization, and is traditiona y associated with commercia or crimina enterprises as opposed to mi itary or governmenta structures. 2 “The farmers wou d count themse ves ucky if they on y knew how good they had it.” Virgi , The Georgics, 458. 3 In a rather pithy compression, Raquez references the Christmas hymn Minuit, chré tiens, written in 1867 and traditiona y sung at Midnight mass. The ine “Christian peop e sing of de iverance” (Peuple chrétien, chante ta délivrance) appears in the Årst stanza. He a so invokes a northern French and Be gian tradition of “Petit Jésus” or “Papa Noë ,” simi ar to “Père Noë ,” the French version of Santa C aus, p acing a pastry known as Coquille de Noël in chi dren’s Christmas stockings or under their pi ows. The go den she ed pastry resemb es a chi d in swadd ing c othes. In referencing this distinct y northern French tradition, Raquez, who was raised in the north, a ows his Parisian persona to s ip.

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December 26 We tied up at Nanhuchuo last night after covering 120 li that day. We are in thick fog this morning, with a temperature of three degrees centigrade. It is not possible to make sure that the embankment on the south shore goes any further. Walking such a distance was a herculean task yesterday, along a levy Åve or six meters high with its sides smooth and sloping like those of a fortress. The top is lined with numerous houses, while beyond the rampart are rice Åelds. But nothing is maintained. That will come later, no doubt, when it is too late and the damage is irreparable. Nine in the morning. The Æotilla comes to a stop after 30 li before the village of Chihuku. We cannot go further, the boatmen inform us, because we face an extraordinary congestion of junks in a spot that was once the Mahuantuan rapids. Today, this once fast-Æowing waterway has become a sandbank that cannot be crossed during low water season, it seems. We survey the pass in a sampan. From the top of the very high embankment, we can see how short this obstacle really is. About 200 meters need to be negotiated. Beyond that is deep water along which junks glide, their sails Ålled with wind as if mocking us. There is a channel that would allow our Æat-bottomed boats to get through, but it is jammed with junks squeezed tightly together as they await the Årst rains to make their escape. There is no order, no police presence. Everything is unplanned: this is negligence at its worst. The local mandarin has not the slightest authority and, to add insult to injury, the commander of the gunboat stationed here just abandoned ship, leaving only directionless soldiers in place. No doubt he could have made some space for us. H. E. Chen Mingyuan is determined to wriggle through this unimaginable mess. Soldiers posted at the prow of his junk demand free passage, but what is to be done in the face of inertia? The boatmen claim to be stranded and unable to go forward or backward. This situation has been going on for a month. It could last several long weeks more if benevolent rains do not come to swell the waters. To his great shame, the mandarin’s stupid administration is on display here, especially when one considers that this river is a principal – 325 –

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waterway, enabling communication between Guizhou and Hunan, and is now jammed with this huge tra‫ٻ‬c unable to move, as the quantity of junks demonstrates, when relatively minimal expense would su‫ٻ‬ce to dredge the channel and keep it free. A very small toll levied on each junk would take care of all this. If the mandarin reads these lines, there is every chance that the boatmen will see this toll implemented, but their sapèques are unlikely to help deal with the sandbank itself and will most probably end up lining the functionary’s pockets instead. Getting him to disburse and put the money to good use would be quite another matter. We will almost certainly have to take small sampans tomorrow to transport both ourselves and our baggage as far as Changde. A crowd of some 150 to 200 idlers take up position on the shore and gaze at us. But little by little, small boys become animated. “Xiyang guizi! Xiyang guizi! ” (Foreign devils!), they shout as they shake their Åsts at us. A few of these little rascals throw stones. The men remain calm, laughing at our discomÅture, but their attitude is not hostile. From every craft, people arrive to look at us as if we had just landed from the moon. I notice the astonishment of these people clad in serge, velvet, or silk as they see our clothes made of linen, which they do not appear to be familiar with. H. E. Chen Mingyuan dispatches three soldiers whose presence aboard our craft is enough to restore order. The taotai continues with his attempts to get through. At six o’clock in the evening, his junk has gained ten meters.

December 27 What wonder of Chinese perseverance and energy! By the light of the silvery moon, our four boats got past the obstruction. Working in the icy water, half the crew lifted each boat, while with the help of the soldiers, members of another team braced themselves on long bamboo poles. Together, they managed to push aside the junks that obstructed the passage. From nine to eleven o’clock, the boatmen make superhuman efforts, roaring like big cats to sustain each other’s energy and seemingly not experiencing any fatigue. We are in little more than a foot of water and our junks are dragged on the sand, literally. All of us feel great admiration for the men’s courage. At six o’clock this morning, everyone is up, with the Æotilla now – 326 –

ACROSS HUNAN ON THE YUAN RIVER

hoisting its sails. The countryside is less bare. We see willows, a few oaks, and some elms, and we spot Æocks of black goats with short, narrow horns. The sou’easter is driving us along nicely. Toward noon, we pass Yuanjiang, a sub-prefecture along the south bank of the river lined with houses on stilts that look more like the habitations of the Siamese than the dwellings of the Celestials. With its ornamented facade, elegant three-story pavilion, and the entirely yellow roof of its pagoda, its yamen reveals a proclivity for the cult of the Imperial Family. Two o’clock. Some 90 li from the obstruction of last night, after negotiating the tortuous contours of the river, we Ånd ourselves in the middle of a substantial lake. Sails appear two or three miles in the distance to our right toward the west, but we cannot see the shore. Ahead of us in the far distance is a backdrop of bluish mountains that evince renewal on this Åne Winter day. To our left are houses sheltering under foliage atop banks of red clay carved vertically by the current and on which the white line deposited by the limestone in the river clearly indicates the reach of the last high water, some four meters above its current level. There are Åshermen everywhere. A great many seals play about us. The probe shows between 2.50 and Åve meters in waters of a beautifully limpid green we meet for the Årst time since our departure. But what is this lake? We ask and are informed that the famous Lake Dongting consists in reality of two basins, one of which is closer to the Yangtze and only Ålls up during high water season, while the other, on which we now sail, remains under Yangtze water year-round. Having sailed on the lake for over three hours, we drop anchor before the small village of Yanggelao, along the river’s shore. Today’s leg covered 130 li. A favorable wind enabled us to make up the time lost yesterday.

December 28 We spend a few more hours punting on the lake, while for the rest of the day, we are towed through an inextricable jumble of canals. We leave the perimeter of the major Æooding and immediately villages succeed each other. It is so enjoyable to stretch our legs by running – 327 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

along the towpath! All the houses are made of wood or bamboo covered with clay. Above the door is a character in black on red paper, which the handsome Zang explains for my beneÅt: Here is fú 䤷, (blessing), there cái 屉 (wealth), there still xʅn xʇ 㕘䥏 (happy new year). On one of the houses are large Épinal-style images, each one representing the same fantastical warrior brandishing a fearsome sword in each hand. He is here to drive o‫ ٺ‬malevolent genies. On another are white characters on blue background. This is the earthly home of a current resident of celestial portals whom death released from a life of misery down below, the inscription informs us as it vaunts his merits and wishes him every happiness up above. We halt at Liuxingdang, 35 li from our last mooring. The inhabitants gather, curious but not hostile. Everything we wear attracts their attention. They ask to see our gloves up close. The suppleness of the leather surprises them. With skill that would make a Bow Street pick pocket4 green with envy, one of our inquisitors relieves Mr. de Marteau of the silk handkerchief he had in his pocket. When questioned, some of these Chinamen insist that they have never met any Europeans, while others say that they saw only one French missionary dressed in the Chinese manner some seven months earlier. In such conditions, it goes without saying that we are seen as odd creatures. A few Egyptian cigarettes with gold-colored tips are accepted enthusiastically. No doubt they will long be treasured by the family. Further on, houses line the river almost without interruption. Inland are the farmed plains of our France. The backdrop of mountains we sighted yesterday has disappeared. We left it to our right. Rice, beans, chili pepper, wheat, and cotton are favorite crops on this Æatland. We are not in tea- or silk-producing areas. In spring-like temperatures we see in the Åelds small manure heaps here, systematically aligned as in our countryside, stones there, whitewashed with lime and scattered about to scare o‫ ٺ‬birds intent on pilfering seed. Turnips cut into segments dry before doorways on beautiful mats made of bamboo bark. Every house has its winnowing mill almost 4 A street in London’s Covent Garden district, we known as the site of a former magistrate’s court where pickpockets wou d be tried.

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identical to ours, and an ingenious grinding stone for crushing rice. Here is Daluohu, a Åshing village. Some 68 boats glide by us along 200 meters of river. Before our eyes, several Åshermen retrieve large mandarin Åsh from their casting nets. Here is a small, very old kiosk of gray stone. Three half-erased characters indicate that the temple was constructed in the interest of perpetual peace, y˝ng zhèn fǴng 㯠捖⛲. Along the road are hedges made of castor oil plant, ricinus vulgaris, the good doctor Scaparone informs us. Some 60 li further on is Jiejiang. We have another 120 li to go before we reach Changde, the prefecture where we will leave our junks.

December 29 We settle down. We need a rest! Last night, a storm raged. Fortunately, our boats were admirably sheltered. The wind blew from the land over the very high banks. Still, from our berths, we were treated to the experience of an unknown dance staged by our most fanatical party animals: The Houseboat Quadrille, to the accompaniment of squeaking, whistling, creaking, and many other noises rhyming with “howling.” Willy-nilly, we were part of this corps de ballet. This morning upon awakening, having been towed barely 200 meters, we see snow beginning to fall in gusts. We cannot go any further. It is still falling tonight and obstinately refuses to melt. Will we be forced to winter here? Chen Mingyuan begins to plead famine. We send him a hare, but a bushel of rice would be more to his taste.5 Games of whist Åll our leisure hours pleasantly. We search for drafts as the thermometer drops below zero, forced to glue paper over the many cracks in the walls through which the poet’s Boreas6 rushes in gleefully. 5 A reference to Jean de a Fontaine’s “La Ciga e et a Fourmi,” origina y one of Aesop’s fab es and better known to Ang ophone readers as the story of the Grasshopper and the Ants, with the cicada (or grasshopper) being viewed as a symbo of proÆigacy and shortsightedness. Raquez seems to be insinuating that the taotai’s character is ess than exemp ary. At the Laos Pavi ion at the 1906 Co onia Exposition in Marsei e, Raquez wou d have three Laotian gir s perform a version of this story as a simu acrum of traditiona Laotian dance. See Wi iam L. Gibson, “Sao Si and the Postcards from the 1906 Co onia Exposition in Marsei e,” Old Postcard Series Vol. 1, 293 298. 6 Greek god of the co d northern wind.

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In Yueyang, I bought strange fruit, brown in color and similar to large bean shells. This is the soap fruit (zao guo).7 The lao da’s wife prepares them for me. The shell contains large black beans that are crushed, the resulting paste being mixed with rice Æour, rolled into small balls, and then wrapped again in the beautifully cut shells. This is an excellent soap ( fei zao, or more politely, yi zi), used mostly for laundering linen. Yesterday, an old straw hat attached to the boat’s rigging drew our attention. Today, it has gone. The lao da explains that this is the agreed signal among boatmen that they wish to take on a crew member. A man having been found in the last village, the hat is removed. Bizarre!

December 30 What a wonderful sight is o‫ٺ‬ered by these pagodas, these junks, the graceful outlines of the curved up roofs under their layer of dazzling snow. Our boatmen adjust the rigging with great spirit. The gusting wind has abated, but there is a frost (the thermometer shows one degree below). The river still stretches 150 to 200 meters in width, with a current swift enough at times to give the illusion of a sea swell. We see a great many cormorant Åshermen. Looking rather like ducks, these precious creatures follow their master’s boat, dive in rather in the manner of the king of ponds, and then resurface often with a Åsh in their beak or their throat. The Åsherman holds out a bamboo pole on which the cormorant perches before rejoining the boat and delivering its loot. One sampan can have 15 or 20 of these intelligent fowls aboard. With a cry or a sign, the Åsherman soon has them in the water. We pass several removal sampans. A Chinese peasant’s modest furniture takes up very little space, but most boats carry a veritable farmyard. All have at least one rooster. On the death of the head of the family, the chanticleer will be placed in his co‫ٻ‬n so as to receive the departed’s soul which, should the family fail to take this pious precaution, would wander restlessly and without shelter. At nine-thirty in the morning, we pass Longyang Sub-prefecture, where we tie up for the night, having covered 70 li, just before the former Niubituan rapids. 7 Sapindus mukorossi, a so known as Chinese soapberry.

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Chapter Fifteen

On the Yuan River – Hunan: From Changde to the Border Changde – Hostility from mandarins – A Chinese feast – Boys in flight – Navigating the Rapids – Gold panners – The Dongdingxi rapids – A rope snaps! – Chenchow-Fu – Visiting Etiquette – The Chinese Alps – Freight chartering contracts – A mail! – Threats of strikes – Yuenchow-fu – Mandarins in procession – The strike is on – An agricultural festival – The Marseillaise

December 31 We cover the 50 or so li that separate us from Changde by punting. At three o’clock, we are before the large city, home to 200,000 souls. The river is very wide, about 300 meters. Black, dirty houses built on high banks are not inviting in the slightest. This is the ugliest sight we have seen since leaving Shanghai. The only picturesque building is a seven-story tower that rises downstream on the opposite shore. But a short distance from where we tied up at the very edge of the city, newly whitewashed walls seem to indicate a fortress. The prefect, to whom H. E. Chen Mingyuan had his visiting card handed, received orders from the Zongli Yamen to let us pass without hindrance. He requests that the Europeans in our expedition not set foot on land as the population is extremely hostile to white faces, he informs us. As for him, he regrets being unable to receive us, as he broke a leg. We are told that 10,000 rebels are present 320 li from Changde and that at Lizhou, they burned down the yamen of a mandarin guilty of having received Europeans in his house. Two of the former soldiers who accompanied our expedition leader during his previous exploration put themselves at his disposal the moment we arrive. A boatman who guided him in July 1896 comes running to prostrate himself and o‫ٺ‬er his services anew. This is fortunate for both parties. – 331 –

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A deal is struck for four boats that will take us to Qingxi within one month at most, barring cases of force majeure such as persistent snow, total obstruction of our route, etc. The sum of 118,000 sapèques agreed for chartering our junks includes Buddhist o‫ٺ‬erings, or those sticks mariners burn every evening to drive away evil genies and that every traveler must normally pay for separately. We will leave Changde toward evening. Goodbye, cold 1898, all wrapped up in your snowy cloak!

1899 Sunday, January 1 Happy New Year! Best wishes! Greetings! Accolades! Salutations! The morning is spent in mutual congratulations. His Excellency does not fail to come and greet Mr. de Marteau, even though the Chinese year does not begin until the next moon, or on February 10. The interpreters, the comprador, his cashier, etc. Åle past, with Shen Xieji, a mandarin in crystal buttons and the representative of the mines toward which we are headed, bringing up the rear. The good man has invitations to lunch tomorrow handed to us. A large red envelope, longer than it is wide, contains a single sheet of paper, also red and very thin, on which is written the following in characters traced with a paintbrush: “On the 21st (21st day of the moon) at noon, twelve o’clock, as we prepare clean tableware, we respectfully await your arrival. Shen Xieji awaits you and greets you.” Mr. de Marteau accepts the invitation in his own name, the doctor’s, and mine. We will enter the city after all. This Shen Xieji is an innovator. We are informed that we are the Årst Europeans to be invited to a Chinese dinner in Changde. But the sub-prefect also refuses to see us. He sends word that he is indisposed. This shows what little use these mandarins are, with their hostile attitude to all contact with Western Devils and therefore to all progress. If they behave in such a way toward travelers bearing an imperial edict and a special passport from the Zongli Yamen, what will be their attitude toward tourists or traders equipped with only regular passports? – 332 –

HUNAN : FROM CHANGDE TO THE BORDER

January 2 At noon, sedan chairs await us near the wide staircase that leads from the river to one of the city’s gates. We must cross the entire length of the Chinese city. Public curiosity is intense. Everyone runs to the doorsteps of shops, necks are stretched, eyes trained on us from every direction. We see no other emotions on faces, hear no shouting, detect no hostile signs. Tranquility is absolute. Do we owe this serenity to the presence of our four soldiers, dressed in superb gowns of red muslin with black lining, who precede our chairs? It is possible. For almost one hour, we follow the narrow, meandering streets of this Chinese city that looks like every other. We see nothing remarkable, neither in the buildings nor in the shops. Seated at a small table, many are busy chopping up with an articulated cleaver very Åne pieces of red chili that local food lovers eat as they are. We see ordinary furs and quantities of worthless tin objects. Here and there are sellers of tea or sauces and old earthenware items that attract our attention. One by one, the chairs enter the vestibule where the mandarin awaits us. He wears a beautiful short tunic of brocaded dark blue silk with a skirt of the same fabric but lighter in color. What I always admire in this country is the artistic way in which colors are combined. We enter deep into the dwelling where the mandarin bids us sit on a daybed and large seats, while he takes up his position near the door. Piping hot tea is served as we examine the paintings on glass, Åne paintbrush drawings, and poems that adorn the walls. In a pavilion facing the salon are the mandarin’s parents. His Åve sons are introduced to us one after the other. Grave and digniÅed, they withdraw in silence. At a sign from their father, they enter again to take his orders. On one side of the courtyard, a curtain is lifted in the women’s quarters. Curious little faces appear, and infants dressed up like circus monkeys, with bright tufts on their head, run up to their daddy and take his hand. The attire of several of the children who observe us gives the family the appearance of red devils. As he enters the visiting salon, each Chinese guest in turn walks up – 333 –

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to the master of the house, bows deeply as he lowers his joined hands, and moves them up and down again once or twice. The guest then hands over his invitation card, which will be returned to him later. Chen Mingyuan looks splendid in his cloak made entirely of fox’s ears. We pass into the dining room, a vast space entirely covered on one side of a courtyard. Along the walls are inscriptions and poems, while at the back stands an old altar in red lacquer a‫ٺ‬ecting the shape of a cabinet, on which are several small buddhas. We take our seats around the square table. Standing in the courtyard, some 30 family members observe us inquisitively. The table is amply provisioned, with a full spread of cold meats and fruit set in pretty dishes, minuscule bowls, or saucers made of colored porcelain. Like the arrangement of each dish, the order and symmetry of the display would be the envy of Joseph himself. Before each of us is set a small tin dish divided into two compartments, watermelon seeds and grilled almonds, a short wide spoon or spatula made of earthenware, a small elongated cup, and a Lilliputian little vessel into which the master of the house himself pours old jiu, or warm rice wine, which has a rather pleasant taste. The diagram on the following pages will give a sense of the sequencing of Chinese dishes. The cold duck is exquisite. The eggs in brine are not bad: deep green, several years old, hardly inviting in appearance at Årst but to which I do full justice once I have a go. Once we have made a start on the cold dishes with our ebony chopsticks with silver tips, a servant sets a tin stove with hot water in the center of the table, elegant of aspect and within which each dish waits beneath its lid to satisfy the guests’ appetite. Service is swift. After each course, servants wipe each guest’s plate, spoon, and chopsticks clean. The mandarin and Chen Mingyuan propose toasts to our health, following which the cup of jiu must be shown to be empty. Only the stove is taken away and replaced by another. Everything else, including the cold dishes, remain until the end. The interminable series of reÅned dishes of a Chinese feast succeed 1 Joseph Ju ien (1725 1774), the porce ain manufacturer: See note 17, page 287.

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each other before our eyes and in the stomach of inquisitive guests such as myself. No one touches the last four courses to show the master of the household that he has satisÅed the keenest appetites. Is it because I am beginning to acclimatize to this country that I Ånd this meal excellent? Chen Mingyuan’s secretary, a member of the Chinese gentry, belches as much as he can to honor his host. His Excellency whimpers and utters little cries of satisfaction as he wiggles on his seat. Facecloths dipped in boiling water circulate. Everyone uses one to wipe his face. Hot water facilitates the digestion and gives a sensation of restfulness that is not to be scorned. The meal over, the mandarin invites us to visit a large pagoda close to his residence. We leave the built-up area along the city’s crenellated ramparts from which we are separated by a very wide moat Ålled with water. On the banks of the ramparts is an uninterrupted series of verdant mounds, each one a grave. No more co‫ٻ‬ns deposited in the middle of Åelds as around Shanghai. Here is Wenyuan Chungling Temple2 set amidst a monastery where 80 monks, or he shang, reside. The abbot, or zhu chi, welcomes us in the company of a few monks, including young ones. Some wear gray robes, others dark-colored habits with a long hood. Their faces are shaven. They look so much like certain Western nuns that I am forced to ask Zang whether these are really men we see before us. A large buddha sits at the entrance, naked to below the navel, his ample, entirely wrinkled belly jutting forward. His mouth opens into a beatiÅc smile and his ribald eyes sparkle with pleasure. A young boy clings to the God’s left shoulder while another sits on his right arm. We are in the presence of Xiao Fo, the Great Buddha who has not yet

2 There does not appear to be a temp e and monastery comp ex with this name in modern Changde. Raquez is possib y referring to the Long Qi temp e 樹潁 ⮢, former y known as Shenxianju 䤆ẁ⯭ and origina y bui t during the Ming Dynasty in the Dingcheng district of Changde on the south bank of the Yuan. Destroyed during the Cu tura Revo ution, this temp e was rebui t in 2007. Another possibi ity is Qianming Temp e and Monastery comp ex on Deshan Mountain. Origina y bui t during the Tang Dynasty, the Chan Buddhist temp e sti stands in Gufeng Park on the south bank of the Yuan. However, this temp e is quite far from the o d city.

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A. Tin stove B. Fermented bean sauce C. Cup and saucer D. Spatu a E. Sma tin dish F. Jiu cup

Courses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

20.

Co d chicken on a canapé of preserved eggs Pig’s tongue on seaweed Duck on herbs Ham on cooked bamboo Water chestnuts set in a pyramid Tangerine segments set in a pyramid Bamboo s ices set in a pyramid Orange segments set in a pyramid Sugared me on segments Sugared green prunes Sugared grapes Sugared med ars* Shark Åns. Pig’s kidneys carved in the shape of a rooster’s crest. Wood ears (a type of ichen). Bird’s nests. Duck’s feet with bamboo. Giant mushrooms. Stem-cooked dump ings Å ed with mincemeat and green onions. A bow of soup accompanies this dish. Who e duck cooked in stock so perfect y that our chopsticks are

21. 22.

23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

enough to detach the morse s of our choice. Ho othuria, or sea cucumber. Deep-fried sheep’s tai s sprink ed with brown sugar. H. E. Chen Mingyuan dec ares that this is the Årst time he sees this dish, which a enjoy. Ham, bamboo, starÅsh swimming in stock. Ham, onions, and arge fresh mushrooms. Grapes cooked in a sweet ginger sauce and served hot. Cookies, croquignole sty e. Ham and mushrooms in stock. S ices of sheep’s breast cooked, preserved in oi and pressuresteamed with cinnamon. Chicken with water i y seeds. Stu‫ٺ‬ed pork. Large piece of roast pork. Fi ets of preserved Canton Åsh. Fina y, rice soup with sugar accompanied by s ices of carrots and raw onions.

* The winter fruit of the Mespilus germanica tree, often sweetened when eaten.

achieved perfect bliss.3 Six spirits must join within his body. Only three have turned up: that which animates him, and the two children who tickle him. For an incomplete immortal, this fat fellow does not seem too concerned! 3 Based on Raquez’s description, this statue is most ike y Xiao Fo, better known as the Laughing Buddha. The Ågure is based on a fo k character named Budai, who is associated with the Maitreya, or future Buddha, a bodhisattva who wi appear on Earth and, after achieving en ightenment, espouse pure dharma. He is the successor to the current Buddha, Sakyamuni.

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His statue has just been completed, and a few secondary idols stand on the altar awaiting completion. This allows us to witness the procedure employed in the manufacture of these gigantic Ågures. In the center is a bamboo stick to which are grafted two small lateral branches for the arms and legs. Each stick is then cased in straw coated with plaster or grayish hydraulic lime absolutely identical to our European cement. In a few days, gilders will give Xiao Fo the Ånal touches that will turn him into the most dazzling of gods. On each side of this central altar are four colossal statues of the temple’s tutelary genies. Each statue is at least seven or eight meters tall. All the altars face both ways. Behind Xiao Fo stands Guan Yu, the genie of war, armed with a lance whose point is aimed at the earth and looking eerily like the Archangel Michael. In the center of the next temple we enter, the three Sanxing, gods – 337 –

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of the Western Heaven,4 are enthroned surrounded meditatively by some twelve disciples. Buddhism came from that horizon, the monks inform us. This is why tradition has always placed the Buddhist Paradise to the West. On the back of the altar, Xuan Wu, the military genie, adorned with a sapper’s splendid beard, rolls ferocious-looking eyes.5 Finally, the zhu chi does us the honors of the reception hall, where tea is served. Most obligingly, he answers all the questions Zang translates for us. After giving us the explanations we just reviewed above on the pagoda’s gods, the zhu chi informs us that that he and his colleagues are monks to the end of their days. We learn that in Siam, clerics of the same Buddhist religion can leave the priesthood whenever they choose and that moreover, every Siamese man, the King included, must spend time as a monk, with at least a year in a monastery before being able to marry. Chastity as well as abstinence from meat and Åsh are required. The monastery lives on its income from donations. The young men who surround us are brought to the monks without age limit. On their shaved heads are hideous round scars symmetrically arranged in series of threes. This is the mark of the number of years as a novice, each year bringing three more burns. The four years of novitiate completed, twelve scars consecrate the status of Buddha’s ministers with their horriÅc seal. The burns are made with wax from xiang, or incense sticks. To prolong the interview would be most instructive, but we cannot impose on our host’s patience, and we must take our leave. Our sedan chairs await us. We cross the city once again in absolute serenity. 4 The Sanxing, or three stars, are Fu Xing, Lu Xing, and Shou Xing, which respective y embody Prosperity, Status, and Longevity. Since the Ming Dynasty, they have often been depicted as three e der y men standing c ose y together, with Shou having a bu bous, ba d head, which has ed to these three Ågures being erroneous y thought of in the West as the “Three Wise Men” of Chinese re igion. 5 Xuan Wu, or “Mysterious Warrior,” is a powerfu and popu ar Taoist god often associated with the martia arts. An ancient deity, there are severa stories for his origins. By “sapper’s beard,” Raquez is perhaps referring to Les Facéties du Sapeur Camember [sic], an ear y comic strip pub ished in Le Petit Français Illustré from 1890 to 1896. The main character, François Baptiste Éphraïm Camember, is a famous y dim-witted sapper (or mine ayer) with a marked y ong and tapered beard.

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We see a great many felt merchants, whose large leaves dry in the sun, the snow’s conqueror. Blind men, a thin stick under their arm, wander about the streets while playing a one-string violin they hold on their thigh as they walk. Beggars covered in animal skins, their long tangled hair dangling down their back and their face smeared with soot, take up position in front of shops, pleading for compassion: a horrible sight. Our evening game of whist is interrupted by a visit from two Protestant missionaries, sons of victorious America. Dressed in the Chinese manner, these two impeccable gentlemen have few occasions to meet passing Europeans. One of them, a longtime resident of Changde, has seen only two army o‫ٻ‬cers here: one British, the other American. They reside in a veritable fortress with their wives and children and enjoy every comfort available in this country. All in all, there are seven missionary households with their own doctor watching over the salvation of their proselytes who, they inform us, number eight in total. My reÆections lead me to a comparison between the lot of our own Catholic missionaries and the situation of British or American pastors, whom Biblical societies pay a monthly salary of 500 francs (or 100 gold dollars) plus 25 francs (or one pound) per child, who live surrounded by their family and often in groups. Meanwhile, our devoted compatriots, who said farewell to all the joys of the family home, often Ånd themselves alone among hostile populations and are forced by necessity to live from their own resources since they receive a monthly subsidy of only about 40 francs (or 15 Mexican piastres). There is no Catholic mission in Changde, but two American Protestant missions and one British.6 A school takes in Chinese students to help them appreciate the beauties of the language of our neighbors from across the Channel. As promised by the boatmen, we weigh anchor in order to spend the night outside of Changde.

6 The Christian and Missionary A iance opened in 1897, the American Presbyterian Mission opened in 1898, and the Cumber and Presbyterian Mission opened in 1899, perhaps after Raquez’s visit. A three were American. The China In and Mission, the British venture, opened in Changde in 1897. See R. G. Tiedermann, Reference Guide to Christian Missionary Societies in China: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century (Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 2008), for information on a these misisons.

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January 3 The captains of our junks had to wait for those of their personnel who had failed to return aboard. It takes until evening for us to have our full complement. Our captain has the honest face of a habitual boozer. We nicknamed him Hairy Paws, and he already responds when we call him by this name.7 The water is of such limpid green that we discern the riverbed more than two meters below the surface. We are nearing rock as pebbles are numerous. From time to time, the stretches left uncovered by the falling water levels consist of stones and no longer of sand or clay. The way out of Changde is superb. The Yuan River makes a turn at a right angle. The city spreads along each side of the angle. Seen from a few li upstream, it seems to be built on the shores of a lake. The weather is splendid: 22 degrees in the sun. What bizarre changes in temperature! The boatmen’s endurance is astonishing. While the air is almost hot, the water has been absolutely ice cold since the snowfall. Yet immediately after their meal, our men hitch up their trousers and enter the water up to their waist to reach the shore and tow the craft. Later, a light wind picks up. We hoist our sails. To call the genies of the winds, all the boatmen start whistling without laughing in the least, while the chuan lao ban (as captains of junks are called) utters cries that recall the clucking of waterfowls. The boat’s cook steps up to the prow of the craft. He lights a few xiang sticks, places three bowls of jiu in a line, and brings a large quarter of boiled pork. The man then bows three times – what a coincidence is this usage of the number three in all religions – and lights pieces of paper on which sapèques are quickly drawn. He throws these Årebrands into the river, pours in one of the cups of jiu in the hope of appeasing the evil genies by paying them tribute, and bows once again three times before taking back the meat and drink that will be consumed during the crew’s next meal. 7 “Poil aux Pattes,” or Hairy Paws, is a compression of the phrase “avoir un poil à la main,” or “to have a hair in one’s hand,” from avoiding work: a sign of aziness.

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Did the genies Ånd that the jiu had been adulterated and the pork infested with roundworms? In any case, the wind abates almost immediately and we are forced to have recourse to a third method to shift the boat. Two enormous oars are placed on either side of the railing and rest on a piece of wood that sticks outward like a gibbet. Two men on each oar punt sideways, reaching a speed I had not expected. We tie up at Dajige, 30 li from Changde.

January 4 Some 14 li from Dajige on the north shore of the river is the large, wealthy village of Hefu. We go ashore as this veritable spring day invites us to stretch our legs. The two soldiers are of the party along with Zang the interpreter. This will be the case for each of our daily walks, which I hope will provide us with interesting observations. We see a large, short wooden chimney above an oven dug in the ground. The older of our two soldiers explains that to make their nets stronger, Åshermen dip them in bu‫ٺ‬alo blood and place them thus soaked under the oven’s ashes. On the shores, numerous large holes have been dug. They are used to retain clear water once water levels drop. The village is very clean. Neat houses suggest material comfort. We see a substantial timber business and especially railway sleepers, readymade and stacked in elegant pyramids. Here is a church, or rather the four walls of a church whitewashed with lime. The roof is not yet in place. A cross rises above the facade. The two Spanish missionaries, Fathers Saturnino de la Torre and Francesco Bernardo,8 with around 100 parishioners in the village, run a great risk of being massacred, they inform us. The population is very placid here, but the Changde mandarins detest Europeans – as we well know – and they are capable of anything. Clearly, it would take nothing more than an energetic attitude on the part of France to put an end to these anxieties. But our unfortunate 8 Saturnino de La Torre Merino (1852 1916) was Pro-Vicar Aposto ic of Northern Hunan from 1884 to 1896, after which he became Vicar Aposto ic Emeritus of Northern Hunan, a Spanish Augustinian Mission founded in 1879. The Directory (1899) ists an F. Bernardo at this mission. His name is misspe ed in the origina book as “Bomardo.”

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country is beset by the ulcer of the Dreyfus A‫ٺ‬air, which leaves it anemic, paralyzes it, and deprives it of all its strengths. The Ministry has plenty of other a‫ٺ‬airs to worry about beside those of China. The Celestials miss no opportunity to comment on our retreat before Great Britain over the Fashoda question. In their own charming words, we “lost face.” For several long months, a Frenchman, Father Fleury, has been the prisoner of the bandit Yu Mantze, to whom the government has o‫ٺ‬ered the status of mandarin in exchange for his submission. Scornfully, the villain turned down the o‫ٺ‬er and holds on to his hostage, to whom he even gave a Chinese general as a companion in captivity while living in full view in the center of the Empire. Is it not saddening to consider that if Germany, Russia, or Great Britain were responsible for protecting the missions whose glory France claims, the position would be quite di‫ٺ‬erent? In fact, one or the other of these powers would in all probability draw signiÅcant advantages for its policies from the daily violation of treaties by the Chinese government and its functionaries. On a hill at the end of the village is a Åne stone staircase of some 100 clean and well-maintained steps. The newly restored pagoda is most handsome. The landscape changes. Everywhere are elevations, hills, limestone rocks, iron bearing and pinkish in color. In the afternoon, a gunboat salutes our Æag three times. We pass Taoyuan, a sub-prefecture that proudly showcases its yamen and an attractive small pagoda set on a magniÅcent breakwater made of cut stone as perfectly assembled as if by our best European builders. We tie up at Baimadu. Distance covered: 62 li.

January 5 Soon after our departure, we see on the north bank the superb Taoyuan caves. Chen Mingyuan informs us that in days of yore three thousand years ago, a number of genies descended from the heavens and inhabited these vast caves dug into the rock. Fine pagodas erected in honor of these genies, who unfortunately have since vanished, crown the summit of the rocks. – 342 –

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Down below, we follow Åelds of newly-planted beans. Their arrangement is neat, with each stem surrounded by a layer of wood ash as fertilizer. We reach rapids, which our boats navigate with the help of ropes. Part of the current is channeled between two hedges of tall bamboo trees Årmly held in place by stones and in the process of being repaired. Very far apart at Årst, these hedges meet to form a narrow angle leading to a huge, steep ramp that looks like one of those platforms built on the occasion of our public festivities. When high water returns, Åsh driven by the double bamboo hedge rush onto the ramp, become disoriented, and then swim up to the top, where Åshermen will be ready to o‫ٺ‬er the Åsh the hospitality of their boats. The bamboo trunks that form the Æoor of this dam are su‫ٻ‬ciently far apart to allow water to Æow through along with small fry. Only large Åsh will add to the Åshermen’s loot. In addition, these platforms will collect the many shipwrecked junks along with the pieces of timber abandoned to the current. The view is very beautiful. We see high mountains outlined against the horizon as a jumble of hills, peaks, and hillocks spreads out before our eyes from the top of the embankment we climbed. A rock clearly resembles the colossal image of a squatting sphinx. The rapids swirl, sounding much like sea waves or our Pyrenean streams. All the villages we pass through – Maobuchi, Linzetuan – where we had been warned of rebel activity, are in fact the most tranquil of the entire trip. At Xiaguobang, the locals manufacture bamboo ropes and ga‫ٺ‬s, with which our boatmen equip themselves. A huge rock some 100 meters high juts out toward the river, reminding me of a site in the Meuse Valley between Namur and Dinant.9 It is pierced right through. A long time ago, there was only one hole, forming a kind of cave in which local residents sheltered during a period of rebellion. But rising water followed them there, and only one of the wretches escaped by punching a hole through the rock. A superb pagoda sheltered by ancient trees rises attractively on this solid foundation. 9 The Meuse River rises in France and Æows through Be gium and the Nether ands before emptying into the North Sea. Dinant is a city in the Be gian province of Namur in Wa onia, renowned for its picturesque riverside bui dings and soaring c i‫ٺ‬s.

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For some time after lunch, we negotiate veritable dams of limestone that make navigation dangerous. Some rocks whose tops just manage to puncture the water are protected by a thick wad of plaited straw to save boats breaking up on them as they head downstream. The local boatmen carried out this work at their own expense. The foresight of the mandarins, those “fathers and mothers of the people,” does not extend this far. Xiaguobang. We see a swarm of sampans at anchor, back from Åshing, and thousands of placid cormorants perched on the pole of their respective vessel. They make no sound. There is no mixing between these useful servants of the Chinese. Each has one or two of its feathers sticking up vertically from its head, back, wings, or tail, all colored differently to allow their owners to identify their possessions. We drop anchor. Distance covered: 58 li.

January 6 As we awake, the boys are no longer with us. They decamped overnight without drumroll or fanfare, or rather without gong or tom-tom (to stay with our theme). Only Toto and his brother coolie were caught, their bags at the ready, as they were about to join the bulk of the deserters. A Åve piastre wage increase takes care of the fears of the notorious Toto, who already saw himself being beaten by his comrades on his return to Shanghai if he remained in our service. On the run are the cook, the kitchen hand, the doctor’s boy, and Messrs. Dubernard and Bebelman’s young boys. Already yesterday, Alphonse, the second interpreter, absconded. All of these characters had with them part of their wages paid in advance. All managed to borrow money on various pretexts from the boats’ captains and even Zang himself. But all they took from our luggage was a set of brushes. China is becoming almost clean. The cause of this exodus is twofold. First, the cook, furious at seeing that our expedition had been joined by a comprador in charge of purchases, thus depriving him of the kickbacks so treasured by chefs the world over and especially in the Far East, fomented dissent among the entire servant contingent. It took the entire night to debauch the youngest boy, a nice quiet lad who gave in only under threat. Second, our stay in Hankow spoiled our personnel. The arrival in this city of the Belgian engineers wishing to hire interpreters and – 344 –

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domestics with a little French drove wages up excessively. Lured by this bait, our band of men probably made a run for Hankow, not in the least sorry to escape a region some say is unsafe at the moment. Each time we tie up, we are warned of 10,000 rebels at our next port of call. Since our last mooring, the view has become increasingly grand. We are among high mountains. Dark, mossy rocks contrast with the tender green of neighbors less hostile to vegetation. On the peaks, isolated pagodas stand among bamboo trees. A mountain range parallels the south bank like an ancient rampart torn to shreds following a siege. A row of trees with thick foliage dominates the crest and stands out against the gray horizon as it follows every twist in the ridge, recalling those bucolic glades that delighted our younger years. Suddenly, an indentation appears. A village nestles in a bend in the river. In the background far, far away is a high mountain with snowy spots and powerful waterfalls, which my binoculars allow me to discern. We are at Ningguotuan rapids (“tuan” means “rapids”). This is a curious phenomenon. Here, the river may be about 350 meters in width. Two currents running perpendicular to each other have settled beneath the rocks. One swirls violently and drains away over a distance of more than one li at a speed of 3.50 meters per second, while the other starts close to one of the shores and spreads its groundwater over 200 to 300 meters perpendicular to the shore to a point a very short distance from the central current. Negotiating these currents upstream is extremely di‫ٻ‬cult. Our four boats are tied together with long mooring ropes. A 200-meter-long rope is attached to the base of the mast of our junk, which heads the convoy, and 22 boatmen selected from the di‫ٺ‬erent boats step ashore and tow the entire length of the rope. We are forced to meander and move in an S-shape to locate the passages. Three boatmen bracing themselves on their oar push our junk for over one hour. I think this is the Ånest example of human energy I have ever had a chance to witness. Purposely, the prow of the boat is raised. The men rest the butt of a long bamboo pole against their shoulder and thrust it into the riverbed, then, at the highest point on the prow and with their feet in the air, they lean back upside down, their hands gripping the lower railing as they push on the oar with all their weight. They spur each other on with wild cries. At times, all their e‫ٺ‬orts are barely su‫ٻ‬cient to prevent the boat from being swept away by the fearsome current. – 345 –

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During the Årst quarter of an hour of these superhuman e‫ٺ‬orts, we progress only Åve or six meters. These boatmen are decidedly wonderful and always cheerful, good-natured, and full of spirit, showing at every moment through their frank laughter teeth made so beautiful among the Chinese by the regular consumption of rice and daily care. What resourcefulness these people would contribute if they were not so poorly led! Near Gaishi, a pretty little pagoda is tucked away all alone in a crevice halfway up an enormous boulder. Here are gold panners. This section of the Yuan River contains some of the precious metal once held within clay layers. Teams of workers dig square wells ten to Åfteen meters deep through layers of stones to reach the gold-bearing clay. The soil is carried in bamboo baskets to the river’s edge where sluices are in place. These are ramps consisting of a series of small wooden boards placed side by side, externally looking much like the shutters of our houses. The prospectors shake their basket ceaselessly to gradually dissolve the clay that runs o‫ ٺ‬with the Æuid and deposits the gold nuggets it carries on the sharp edges of the sluice. The weather is delightful. We climb to the top of the embankment and follow the footpath along the cli‫ٺ‬. On the horizon, a multitude of mountains shaped like round caps recall the displays of tarboosh 0 vendors so numerous in the streets of Cairo. One night at this time last year, the soldier who serves as our guide informs us, pirates working the river murdered here a young mandarin who was on his way to the capital of the Celestial Empire to take the examinations of higher learning. His ten servants shared their master’s fate. Scary! These rapids are very long and very di‫ٻ‬cult. Additional coolies were taken on board as reinforcement in the village of Gaishi. There are twelve of them, tied to our junk, pulling with all their might, gripping rocks, even walking on all fours at times like dogs. Five of us, Mr. de Marteau, the doctor, Zang, the soldier, and the author of these lines set o‫ ٺ‬on a road carved halfway up the side of enormous boulders. On one side, the mountain is smooth and straight; on the 10 Sti‫ ٺ‬cy indrica hats usua y made of fe t with a tasse attached to the top; a so known as “fez.”

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other is a precipice. After a few minutes, the road becomes a veritable goat path. The boatmen who preceded us just disappeared around a bend along this path, which is no more than 20 centimeters wide in places. A very beautiful iron chain with enormous links provides support for almost one kilometer. We often make progress only step by step, and it is impossible for us to turn back. Nothing is Åxed to the porphyry rock. The stone was carved so as to leave free every three meters a small, thick column behind which the chain passes. We shudder at the thought that the boatmen follow the exact same path while dragging their enormous burden. Were their rope to be caught suddenly by some obstacle, a slab of rock, or the mast of another junk, the wretches would be torn from the path and hurled into the abyss. But darkness is falling; we cannot go any further. We go down to the shore, and the soldier, nimble as a monkey, runs to the village in search of a sampan that will take us to the Hongzedong mooring.

January 7 This is the Day of the Rapids, so to speak. We enter the Jinglang rapids, which cover some 40 li. At lunchtime, we pass the village of Dongdingxi, where at this period of low water, the pass is squeezed tight between the rocky sides and extremely di‫ٻ‬cult to negotiate. Happily, the latest snow has swollen the current a little. Tra‫ٻ‬c resumed only three days ago. As a result, junks, which can get through the upstream channel only one by one, clutter up the river. This is a fearsome 500 meters to have to travel. Accompanied by His Excellency, we climb up to the pagoda that dominates the rapids. On its porphyry base, a huge inscription in lime visible from the river informs boatmen of the following: xʅn pyng shuʇ pyng ⽫⸛㯜⸛, or “The wave turns clement (literally: Æat) for those who are pure in heart.” The pagoda doubles as police station and rescue post. The soldiers who accompany us carry across their back a canvas holder containing, side by side and in total harmony, their antique saber and a modern bamboo umbrella. We halt to admire the astonishing sight unfolding before our eyes. The backdrop consists of a triple mountain range. In the foreground – 347 –

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is an old, extremely original pagoda, perched atop a high boulder and in front of which o‫ٺ‬erings blaze all day in an old incense burner made of bronze. Water swirls and rushes down, sounding like thunder. Boats heading downstream glide past like arrows one after the other, protected by straw padding against perilous collisions or being overwhelmed by billowing water. The dreadful current harasses wrecked sampans and junks relentlessly and carries them o‫ ٺ‬in shreds. Working in step, the many coolies brought in as reinforcement barely manage to make upstream progress as they tow. Everything conspires to make Dongdingxi one of the most striking spots along the route. Inside the pagoda, clad in a superb robe of soft silk, the genie of the rapids gazes placidly at the burning xiang around him. We see beautiful old vases in bright blue and bells and incense burners made of bronze, iron, and copper and preserved here for centuries. Would that we could transport the Dongdingxi pagoda along with its monks and its venerable marvels to our 1900 Exposition! A cow made of bamboo catches my attention. H. E. Chen Mingyuan informs me that each year at the onset of Spring, the monks fashion a cow with bamboo they collected, cut up a multitude of papers of di‫ٺ‬erent colors, and fetch a blind man. The unfortunate man’s mission is to glue the fragments onto this animal, emblem of fecundity. Depending on the arrangement of colors, the monks predict whether the year will be favorable or adverse. I have just been introduced to the Springtime Cow. 2 The channel is almost free. We return to the boats as our reinforcements tie themselves to the mooring ropes. These haulers receive no money but are paid in kind. The rapids successfully negotiated, the wife of the chuan lao ban, more vulgarly known as the lao da, gives three bowls of rice to the men and one to the children who, from the age of twelve, try with all their might to become used to the profession. Once again, we have a chance to witness the sight of these men’s admirable energy as they brace themselves with hands and feet against the rocks. Some 20 haulers tow our boat, which is being helped along by a favorable wind. But the current is tremendous and the rocks dan11 The 1900 Universa Exposition in Paris. See note 15, page 262. 12 A reference to the Low Countries practice of ce ebrating the springtime re ease of cows into open pasture after a winter spent indoors.

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gerous. We scrape bottom three times. Boatmen enter the water up to the waist and raise our plump boat with powerful levers. It takes us two hours to cover these 500 meters before mooring at Jinglangtuan, where greenish rocks reveal the presence of copper sulfate. Distance covered today: 40 li. Our barometers make it possible for us to note a di‫ٺ‬erence in elevation of 28 meters over yesterday’s mooring.

Sunday, January 8 The improvident Chinese lay waste to these beautiful mountains once covered with trees. Very few are still forested. One of those we see today is being assaulted by these vandals. Half the side that leads down to the river is now entirely bare. Processed on-site into small bundles of Årewood, the timber rolls down the mountain toward the shore, where sampans collect it. We reach new rapids. At one point, four contrary currents collide in the basin we now have to cross. Further on, the Yuan River turns at a right angle amidst stony ground. A light wind favors our progress. The captain wants to use his sail and his haulers to navigate the pass. The maneuver is admirably precise. Hairy Paws, who knows his business, manages to alter second by second the parallelogram of forces that draws our boat thanks to a system of exquisitely combined mooring ropes that allow him to lengthen or shorten one of the sides of the lozenge at will while the haulers continue their work. Zang’s boat was delayed by the rapids. The elegant interpreter took to the towpath in order to rejoin us. He insists that at one point along the route, a veritable swarm of mosquitoes bothered him so much that he had to use a fan to get rid of them. This is odd in this Winter weather, with the thermometer showing only six degrees! We tie up at Biyong, 76 li further on.

January 9 More rapids! Always rapids! One stretch is so violent that the chuan lao ban invites us to go ashore during the maneuver. I take advantage of this hiatus to visit the small pagoda erected in honor of the rapids’ Buddha. – 349 –

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A stone column shows beautiful deeply carved characters. It is a proclamation by Taotai Zhong, who lived in the previous century, in the 30th year of Daoguang, 3 advising all boatmen not to travel in isolation on this section of the river because of the pirates that infest it. He counsels making progress jointly in order to provide mutual assistance in case of danger. At each stop, old men in rags appear, a horrible sight as they hold out their canvas begging pouch at the end of a pole. The boatmen are very charitable. Rarely do they let one of these wretches go without contributing alms in the form of a Åstful of rice. I even see one of our boatmen share with an indigent leper the bowl of rice he was in the process of devouring. We tie up at Juxidong. Distance covered today: 30 li.

January 10 We had a lucky escape this morning. Our towing rope snapped suddenly from being Åled down against the rocks as we negotiated some rapids. Luckily, our houseboat simply collided with another junk, stationary and at anchor, whose prow it destroyed. We managed to come to a halt against this obstacle. Had it not been there, the accident would have had serious consequences as the boatmen on board would have been unable to stop the boat with their ga‫ٺ‬s and it would have been swept away by the dreadful current. Here is an interesting example of Chinese passivity. The captain of the damaged junk sticks his head out of the kitchen, has a quick look at the towing rope, and goes back in to complete his meal. No shouting, no arguments, not even reproaches. The genies of the rapids willed it so. We are at Chenchow-fu, an important prefecture in Hunan. 4 At the approaches to the city, an innumerable number of old graves made of brick spread over hillocks, looking exactly like beehives. The city stretches out far along the river. From the boat, we see little of interest. Numerous timber trains bring the loot from inland forests. 13 Emperor Daoguang (1782 1850), eighth Qing Emperor, who reigned from 1820 1850. Raquez seems to be confused about the carving. 14 In modern terms, they crossed from Changde to Huaihua Prefecture. In 1899, there were on y three prefectures a ong the Yuan River. In ascending order: Changteh-fu, Chenchow-fu, and Yuenchow-fu.

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Several large chuan (or Æoating houses) the size of ours are under construction. Junks load the Åne woodwork. Rain is falling, but this does not prevent H. E. Chen Mingyuan from setting o‫ ٺ‬on a visit to the prefect, who is one of his friends. He will apologize to him on our behalf and will attempt to top up our domestic sta‫ ٺ‬in order to Åll the slots left vacant by our deserters. The prefect is most obliging. In the evening, he dispatches his own cook and three of his boys, who will accompany us on our expedition.

January 11 A tom-tom strikes up. The prefect pays us a visit on board along with his cortege of musicians, policemen carrying bamboo sticks, soldiers, and servants on horseback. H. E. Chen Mingyuan awaits his arrival with us in the salon of our chuan. The moment he steps in, the prefect falls to his knees, our taotai copies him as the two face each other, and our two fat excellencies bump their heads on the Æoor. Despite our wish to please this distinguished visitor, we cannot imitate the brave Chen Mingyuan and go on all fours. Prefect Ping Ru is a Manchu with drooping mustaches. Since the return to power of the Empress Dowager, a great many functionaries of that race have been sent out to the prefectures of the empire. The Chenchow-fu mandarin wears a gown of pale blue silk under a tunic of the same fabric but in garnet red and bordered with light gray squirrel fur. A splendid sable pelisse reaches down to his knees. He wears a light blue button. A beautiful long jade necklace, which has me riveted, also drops down to his knees. Atop the hat worn by H. E. Chen Mingyuan, who for the occasion has donned a no less splendid costume, sparkles the coral-colored button indicating a superior mandarin of second rank. Our taotai has tea brought in exquisite small cups of delicate porcelain resting on small feet made of engraved copper. It is imperative that we refrain from touching our cups as this would indicate to our visitor that we Ånd his presence tiresome. He himself will reveal his intention to take his leave by inviting us to enjoy with him the exquisitely scented beverage that for now retains its heat under a porcelain lid. Ping Ru is an enlightened functionary who understands the advan– 351 –

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tages contact with Europeans can bring to China. But he conÅrms for us the particular aversion felt toward them by Hunan’s population. He was forewarned of our arrival directly by the Zongli Yamen, and his colleagues received the same information. This detail shows the degree of care exercised by the Chinese administration, at least over questions of form. These actions explain the salvoes with which all the gunboats salute our Æotilla. We heard rumors of the Åre at the Paoking-fu yamen, one of Hunan’s prefectures. Ping Ru blames it on a misunderstanding that made the news all over the country. The prefect of Shansha informed his Paoking colleague that a British missionary was headed in his direction. The Shansha mandarin dispatched an escort on horseback to meet the pastor. But the crowd believed that this was a spy being arrested and invaded the prefect’s residence, demanding the handover of the missionary, whom the frightened mandarin hid in his own bedroom. Frustrated, the mob set Åre to the yamen. The pastor managed to Æee under cover of darkness. He now lives in Chenchow-fu. As our visitor is about to depart, the two mandarins salute each other anew but bow less deeply. They also massage each other’s shoulder. The cortege moves o‫ ٺ‬to the sound of tom-toms, but the crowd that gathered on the quay remains, anxious to get a glimpse of us but without manifesting the slightest hostility. We leave Chenchow-fu at noon. We tie up at Shaxi, a journey of 30 li.

January 12 The Åne weather has returned, with a spring-like temperature of 15 degrees in the shade. No more rapids. Oars, ropes, and ga‫ٺ‬s take the place of the wind, which is absent. Along the shore are rich villages with large white houses with Æat roofs and no windows, like Arab dwellings. We pass Lukaishei Sub-prefecture, with its ancient city walls and picturesque gates. This trip awakens a multitude of memories from our far-away homeland. Here, perched atop a mountain, is a very large gray pagoda that reminds me of the fort at the summit of the Ballon de Servance. 5 15 A summit in the Vosges Mountains of northeastern France, known for its dome- ike shape.

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And here are the Causses du Quercy, with their high cli‫ٺ‬s of volcanic limestone. 6 A cave is wide open. Mr. de Marteau recognizes it and remembers an echo pointed out to him by the boatmen during his trip in 1898. This is immediately put to the test, which is conclusive. A remarkable delayed echo occurs three seconds after words, songs, or cries, with absolute accuracy and a notable increase in volume. On the opposite shore, the land is farmed. Our haulers, whom the bright sunshine cheers up, chatter like budgerigars and trot along like ponies. We tie up at Juemazeixie. Distance covered: 75 li.

January 13 What a pity that light is fading. The pretty little town of Bushei would be so interesting to photograph as it displays its opulent houses, its pavilions with their unusual curves, and the gates of its yamen in carved granite all along the river. On the opposite shore of the Yuan River are the ruins of ancient walls with portals that attest to vanished wealth. Did the Taipings pass through, or the fearless Miao tribes during one of their destructive incursions? I fail to enlighten myself on this point. On a hill just outside Bushei is a substantial monastery with its seven-story pagoda entirely white on one side but totally blackened and patinated by the northerly and north-easterly winds on the other. Day after day, we see hundreds of these seven- or nine-story pagodas that initially had us staring. Here is a monk in a boat, collecting alms along the river. Hairy Paws’ digniÅed female companion tosses a bowl of rice into the monk’s basket as we pass. Still more gold panners. But since Chenchow-fu, the Åshermen have disappeared as if by magic. Curiously, at no time did I manage to spot a single Åsh in the river’s transparent waters even though nets and cormorants gathered around our Æotilla in large numbers. Chenxi, a sub-prefecture, is extremely attractive with its houses perched higgledy-piggledy on tormented shapes of volcanic limestone. 16 A region of imestone p ateaus in centra France near the town of Cahors, named after the medieva province of Quercy. The area is now a Regiona Natura Park.

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An enormous rock overhangs the Yuan River. At the very top, a graceful perforated palisade surrounds the terrace on which stands a handsome pagoda with its white walls and gate of black granite adorned with gilded sculptures. Also gilded is the inscription announcing to boatmen that this is the “Palace of the Dragons’ Union,” huì lóng gong 㚫漵⭖. Chenxi is where the Chenshui River merges its waters with those of the Yuan River. 7 The dragons symbolizing the courses of both rivers are implored in this pagoda. This is where we will spend the night after traveling 58 li.

January 14 Today’s high mountain landscape has the appearance of the Alps. The river has narrowed. All around us is tranquility and solitude. Even the small bells of the grazing bu‫ٺ‬aloes complete the illusion. Only our Æotilla disturbs the limpid waters. No more Åshermen, no more heavy junks. The tra‫ٻ‬c, which was huge as far as Changde, remained substantial from that city to Chenchow-fu, but once past the prefecture that is the seat of the obliging Ping Ru, the merchant tra‫ٻ‬c has almost stopped. Here and there are gold panners. A buyer is debating the price of the precious nuggets he weighs on delightfully small Roman scales with brass trays, silk threads, and ivory sticks. The panners earn barely more than about 100 sapèques (or about 30 centimes) per day. Close to the river is the opening of a locally operated coal mine. Further on, a gallery disappears underground some twelve to Åfteen meters, its supporting timber all perfectly set up. The sly Chinamen tell us that they are prospecting for gold, but the lie is evident. They must have located a seam of coal or ore and are worried that we might despoil them of it. The boats towed by our boatmen come closer, but we pass these neatly arranged works without further examination. We tie up at Nujuebing. Distance covered: 69 li.

17 The origina book has “Senki” for the town name and “Mayang” for the name of the river. The modern town of Chenxi is where the Chenshui River merges with the Yuan. The town of Mayang is rough y 40 km up the Chenshui from Chenxi.

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Sunday, January 15 The long and, in this season, extremely dangerous Cormorant Rapids (luci tuan) hold us up for two hours. But I believe that our Æat-bottomed boats could travel even along the Mandarin Roads thanks to their dual complement of ga‫ٺ‬s and ropes! Before struggling against the foamy current, each chuan lao ban lights paper sapèques, burns xiang, or sets o‫ ٺ‬Årecrackers for the beneÅt of the genie of the rapids, then bows deeply. The ceremony completed, everyone sets to work with ferocious energy. A short distance upstream of Jiange, on the north bank when seen from the river, two rather substantial galleries have the appearance of an antimony ore operation. I spend the afternoon with H. E. Chen Mingyuan. As I join his chuan, this excellent taotai, dressed in a gown of brocaded silk of a slategray hue and reclining nonchalantly on a daybed, savors the fragrance of a volume of Chinese poetry in between two cups of tea. An elegant telescope mounted in mother-of-pearl allows him to take a rest from his reading from time to time and admire the beauty of the picturesque locations along this section of the river. Near him, his secretary, a fourth-ranking mandarin, traces characters with a thin bamboo brush. With his long black robe held tightly at the waist by a thin cord and his head shaved at the front, he looks exactly like one of our Western monks. H. E. Chen Mingyuan speaks to me with great pride about his son, a graduate only 24 years of age and already a professor of Japanese language at the Chinese College in Nanking. The Government maintains in this ancient capital of the Middle Kingdom an institution whose renown spreads far and wide. One of our compatriots, Mr. Lan, teaches French, while an Englishman initiates the Celestials to the beauties of the language of Milton and young Chen teaches them the language of their victors. 8 The taotai carries with him a heavy chest Ålled with the works of his o‫ٺ‬spring in order to scatter them among the populations visited by our expedition. He never misses a chance to honor with this contribution 18 Since then, the party in power has managed to shut down this schoo , which it represented as a nursery for progressives and reformers. This is government by cand e snu‫ٺ‬er! (September 1899) [Raquez].

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every mandarin who calls on him, and he o‫ٺ‬ers me a Chinese method for learning Japanese. Hmm . . . This will not be easy. His Excellency’s majordomo, whose duties consist solely of handing out calling cards, also wears a crystal button. In one of the rooms of the chuan are stored two superb sedan chairs draped in Åne billiards baize. Only Årst- and second-ranking mandarins as well as taotais and prefects are honored with the green chair. Other functionaries have to make do with blue. Red is reserved for weddings. We spend the night in the large, attractive village of Wangjinggu. Distance covered: 48 li.

January 16 Let us have a look at our boatmen’s existence as well as their relations with us. In major cities, there is a society to which private individuals desirous of chartering a chuan apply. This society brings together boatman and client and guarantees to the latter the honorable character of the boatman and of his personnel. It is through the services of an agency of this kind that we came to an agreement with the famous Hairy Paws at Changde. The contract, which Mr. de Marteau holds and is written entirely in Chinese characters, consists of a printed form whose blanks were Ålled in by hand. All handwritten sections are marked in red ink with the society’s seal. Here is its content: Document of the O‫ٻ‬cially Authorized Chuan Company The undersigned Chen Guifa, subject of Chengyuan Sub prefecture and of the prefecture of the same name, declares that he has a chuan on the river at Changde. On the company’s orders, he shall load the chests containing the luggage of Mr. de Marteau (of the Guizhou Mining Administration), who is headed for Qingxi. A price of 119 sapèques has been agreed. As soon as the cargo is brought on board, it shall be deposited in the hold. The captain of the chuan shall acquaint himself with the number of chests and store them diligently to prevent them from being damaged by water. In case of loss or damage, he shall pay compensation based on the going rate for the merchandise in question.

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The contract is set, and the parties are in full agreement. The document is legally binding. Traveling time is set at 30 days. The captain shall earn a bonus of 1,000 sapèques for each day ahead of schedule and shall be liable to a Åne of the same amount for each day behind schedule. If heavy rain, snow, or tra‫ٻ‬c congestion on the rapids are the cause of any delay, the captain shall not be liable to any levy on his earnings. The cargo consists of chests containing clothing and diverse luggage. Cargo. Payment at Changde 83,000 sapèques “ at Chenchow 9,700 “ “ at Hongjiang 10,000 “ “ at Yuanzhou 4,000 “ “ at Qingxi 12,000 “ Ånal balance 9 Total 119,000 sapèques This includes o‫ٺ‬erings to Buddha. Customs duties . . .20 Bonuses: (three payments of 600 sapèques each). Company’s seal: Hu Jianfeng. Date: 20th d. of the 11th moon of the 24th year of Guangsu (January 1, 1899). Captain of the chuan: Chen Guifa Fair winds! Thirteen boatmen shall be taken on board at Changde at the start and one additional boatman at Huanshou.

As can be seen, the cost of the charter is 119,000 sapèques. Of this amount, Hairy Paws had to pay the company a 20,000-sapèque commission. He engaged 10 mariners 1 pilot 1 helmsman

at at at

4,000 each, or 40,000 sapèques 8,000 8,000 “ 6,000 6,000 “

or twelve men in total, with himself as the 13th mariner. Occasionally, he 19 For other chuan sma er than ours, cargo rates are 103,000, 101,000, and 87,000 sapèques for crews of e even, e even [sic], and ten men, respective y [Raquez]. 20 The specia passport granted to us by the Zong i Yamen frees us from a likin, or domestic customs duties [Raquez].

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does put shoulder to ga‫ٺ‬. As I write these lines, having no doubt honored the buddha of rice wine to excess, Hairy Paws is fully stretched out on the side gangway as he tries to work his ga‫ ٺ‬in a less than assured manner. He truly is the clown of the crew. He will also have to pay the boatmen taken on board at Huanshou. In addition, he is responsible for: 1. The boatmen’s food, or about 1,000 sapèques per day, or 30,000 for the month. 2. Straw sandals at eight sapèques per pair. Each boatman needs about three of these for work in the water and two more for work on deck, or Åve at 800 sapèques. 3. Reinforcement crew members paid in rice during the crossing of rapids, or about 1,000 sapèques. This adds up to a total of 106,000 sapèques at the minimum. If we take account of ropes to be replaced, broken oars, xiang burned, and Årecrackers set o‫ ٺ‬in honor of Buddha as well as basic maintenance of the boat, it is clear that the proÅt, if any, is absolutely derisory. Often, the upstream sailing is undertaken at a loss as it is necessary to travel as far as Yuanzhou to Ånd cargo for the return journey, which is far more lucrative. When sailing downstream, the onboard personnel need not be as numerous and the work is clearly less arduous. Boatmen who are not hired will remain with their family. Most live in Hongjiang, where we spend two days. I spoke of the boatmen’s food. Hairy Paws’ old female companion takes care of purchases at each port of call, but the meals are prepared by one of the crew members. The cooking is done with perfect care and meticulous cleanliness. Our French workmen rarely eat as well as these Chinese boatmen. There are four meals per day: at about eight in the morning, noon, four in the afternoon, and seven in the evening. Each meal includes pork or Åsh with rice and vegetables: turnips, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, etc. Chili pepper crushed in a mortar serves as condiment. For drink, the river’s water, and during major stopovers or on days of serious binges, jiu, or rice wine. All the men squat in a circle in the forward section of the boat around the pot kept hot on a stove. Each holds a bowl of rice in one hand and picks up with his chopsticks a piece of meat or a few vegeta– 358 –

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bles, which he blends in with the precious staple. While it is true that they work like demons, these coolies eat like ogres. After the meal, the bamboo pipe. In ten or Åfteen minutes, everything is over. Our men enter the water up to their belly to reach the shore and pick up the towing rope again.

January 1 7 It snowed a little. Like a coquette searching for a novel e‫ٺ‬ect by varying her raiment, the mountain reveals itself in a wintery garb this morning. Light snowÆakes cosset the somber foliage of the År trees. Peaks crowned with pagodas resemble tiered wedding cakes garnished with caster sugar. We pass several large villages cleaner than those of the Yangtze Valley, but we fail to catch the tiniest Åsh in any of them. We have not caught a single Åsh since we left Chenchow-fu. The mail carrier on horseback who picks up letters in Hankow each week sets o‫ ٺ‬in search of us to bring news from Europe, and manages to reach us as we pass through. If the country were truly dangerous, how easy it would be to plan an ambush and surprise us at anchor since the entire area is aware of our itinerary! We devour the newspapers from Shanghai and France with extraordinary avidity! Not a line is left unread in these news sheets from the capital, two months old, consumed with Fashoda and the A‫ٺ‬air a‫ټ‬icting our unfortunate country. But for interest, the prize goes to the North China Daily News of December 19. I cut out a short news item characteristic of this great city of Shanghai, so Europeanized, and more so than any other in permanent contact with modern progress. Yet it also contains a Chinese population bogged down in stupid customs. The local mandarins, the newspaper announces, issued a proclamation yesterday to notify the population that there will be an eclipse of the moon during the night of the 28th. He begs the Emperor’s loyal subjects to beat gongs and set o‫ ٺ‬Åreworks to frighten the monster that will attempt to devour the moon at that moment. No comment, do you agree? Fortunate mortal that I am, I did not spend the night of December – 359 –

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28 in the good old city. We tie up at Cizhizhang after traveling 73 li.

January 18 We negotiate four rapids in quick succession amidst a marvelous panorama of mountains. We are headed for Hongjiang, an important destination along the river. Just before we reach the city, an entire army of hillocks, hills, and peaks seems to assault the highest summit, on which nestles a hermitage, tranquil and still covered in virginal snow. Although Hongjiang does not have the rank of sub-prefecture, it is nevertheless a very large built-up area. This is where the Wu River empties the waters that have their source within the Miao Mountains. It is here that last Summer, an American pastor saw the boat on which he was housed set on Åre during the night despite the fact that it was moored next to a Chinese gunboat. The poor man just had time to Æee in minimal clothing. Cost of the caper to the Hongjiang locals: 3,500 taels in compensation (over 11,000 francs) paid to the pastor, who has since announced his intention to return to the country to build a temple there. Perhaps this is how, Åre after Åre, he will amass the large sum he will need. Almost all our boatmen have their family in Hongjiang. We have no alternative but to grant them a free afternoon, given the heavy fatigue of the last few days. Let us hope that we are not mistaken for preachers and that we are not meted the same fate as that of the disseminator of bibles. On various hills at the edge of the city are tiers of graves in large numbers, with their verdigris slabs decorated with gilded characters.

January 19 We traverse three rapids in gorges as the river narrows further. Above the Pagoda of the Great Cormorants (ta luci tuan), a perching blackbird whistles with tireless vigor. This is the Årst birdsong to reach our ears for a long time. After lunch, we manage to climb up to the path that dominates the cli‫ ٺ‬and skirts its edge. Superbly paved with large Æagstones of sandstone and limestone, – 360 –

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this road links Hongjiang to the sub-prefecture at Qianyang, where we will sleep tonight after traveling 60 li. There, we meet numerous travelers carrying at the ends of poles their mattress wrapped in matting and the chest or canvas bag that holds their possessions. Not a single one, however poor, ventures abroad without his colored bamboo umbrella. Here is a mandarin in a sedan chair with his escort. Wealthy Chinamen, their head hooded, trot by on mules Åtted with a little bell. A convoy of coolies transports opium under military escort. From time to time, we pass a house that forms a vault over the path and below which travelers Ånd shelter at night. These are the railway station bu‫ٺ‬ets of the road, with their piping hot tea and cold dishes awaiting customers: chopped carrots and turnips, bean curd cut into small cubes, boiled pork, cabbage cooked in fat, etc. Along the way are olive trees, tall camphor trees of the type that makes Formosa wealthy, even some palm trees and lemon trees. The locals are easy to approach and give us all the information of interest to us. The mountain ranges we follow hide tigers and numerous snakes whose bite is fatal. The torrents that cascade down are crossed on handsome stone bridges consisting of a single stone arch sometimes spanning ten to twelve meters. Near each of these bridges stands a large slab erected by wealthy individuals and on which deeply carved characters will pass on the names of the generous benefactors down the generations. This is often accompanied by a triumphal arch or a small pagoda dedicated to the genie of the torrent. On one of these enormous slabs, which dates back to the reign of Jiaqing (1796–1820),2 a small red cupboard with handwritten characters is attached to one of the corners. I ask Zang to translate for me. This was a fortuitous idea as it reveals an interesting aspect of local customs. The undersigned (literally translated) Wang Gangyun, subject of Luguoxi, Zenyang Sub prefecture, and his wife Liang, having just been blessed with a son named Zhenlang, are fearful that he may have to pass through dif Åcult circumstances in life. They beg the present stone inscription to take the child under its protection that he may lead a happy existence.

21 Emperor Jiaqing (1760 1820), the seventh Qing emperor, who reigned from 1796 to 1820.

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A bridge along the route Eleventh moon of the 24th year of Guangsu (December 1898). Salutations! (Signatures)

Will he be god, table, or basin, the carver must have wondered.22 Stone, table and god all at once, probably, something our good La Fontaine clearly had not foreseen. We reach Qianyang, the sub-prefecture where the Qingshui River empties into the Yuan River. We renew our acquaintance with the Åshing cormorants perched gravely on the poles of their respective sampans, as well-behaved and impassive as museum birds. In front of the town is a beautiful pebble beach. Innumerable small cabins that look like sentry boxes are set up at regular intervals. Upon inquiry, we are informed that . . . Oh, shocking! . . . Yes, you guessed: privies, designed for reÆection, with the local population strictly prohibited from reÆecting anywhere else. The needs of vegetable farming made this measure necessary. If some Qiangyang resident is caught in Æagrante being disloyal to the beach, he is brought back manu militari and ordered to make amends. Honi soit qui mal y pense! 23 22 A reference to the La Fontaine fab e “The Scu ptor and the Statue of Jupiter” (Le Statuaire et la Statue de Jupiter), in which the scu ptor stands before the stone, trying to decide what to turn it into. 23 An Ang o-Norman maxim that means “Shame be on him who thinks evi of it.” It is most famous y used as the motto of the British Order of the Garter.

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I am forced to think again of the needs of vegetable farming when I see our cook ransack the baskets of the vegetable vendors who lay siege to our chuan. Still, despite my keen appetite, I fear I may not be capable of doing justice to the content of the stew tonight. Hairy Paws leaps ashore before the boat is even moored. He holds in his hand the precious jiu pitcher and walks o‫ ٺ‬as he shoots his most amiable tanked-up boozer’s smile in our direction. Our boatmen have an altercation with the Åshermen, whose boats they require to be moved so they can go ashore more easily. Pebbles are thrown at them. The crew of the post’s gunboat intervenes and restores order. Night passes in absolute calmness.

January 20 Navigation is di‫ٻ‬cult today: 33 li only in tow. We meet large Æocks of ducks led to rich pastures by locals armed with long thin bamboo sticks similar to the poles of our goose herders. We cannot purchase a single one of these elegant web-footed creatures, which we would willingly skewer. These are almost all females destined for egg-laying until the conclusion of their sojourn in this Vale of Tears. The eggs are dispatched in considerable quantities to the albumen factories in Hankow, especially the one founded a short time ago in that city by our jolly comrade Adolphe Grosjean, former member of the Lyon mission.24 We tie up at Yangluntuan.

24 Ado phe Grosjean (1860 ?) was a co ector of Chinese art. He opened an export company in his name that had severa branches in China but went bankrupt in 1918. Grojean’s a bumen factory in Hankow is prominent y mentioned on page 171 of Entrée Gratuite, Raquez’s book about the 1902 Hanoi Co onia Exposition. Grosjean’s company curated an exhibit there about the French Concession in Hankow. The Lyon Mission for Commercia Exp oration in China took p ace between 1895 and 1897. Grosjean is isted as one of the commercia representatives on the mission. See La Mission Lyonnaise En Chine: Avec cartes, plans, et gravures d’après les documents rapportés par la Mission (Lyon: Rey & Cie., 1899), 4. A bumen manufacture invo ves separating the egg white from the yo k and compressing it into s abs. These are then exported for use in photographic prints (a bumen prints) that use the chemica properties of the a bumen to Åx the photo chemica s. It was a so used in manufacturing confectionaries. See G. C. A en, Western Enterprise in Far Eastern Economic Development (London: Rout edge, 2013), 76 78.

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January 21 Gaolidong. It would seem impossible to get through a channel Åve meters wide threatened with annihilation by two rocky masses. A tremendous current cascades down a 70-centimeter drop. Every chuan lao ban goes on strike and refuses to go any further unless we give them all a consideration. Our pilot threatens to leave the junk. Mr. de Marteau replies to all of them that once we get to Qingxi, he will judge whether gratuities are deserved, but he will not give one sapèque at the moment. The boatmen should fulÅll their contract, pure and simple. We still have 35 rapids to negotiate before we reach our Ånal destination. If this pantomime were to occur again before each one, we would be at the mercy of these men. Cutting the boatmen the slightest slack under pressure would have a deplorable e‫ٺ‬ect in the future on the Chinamen with whom the Société Minière will have to deal. After conferring for a long time, every chuan lao ban resolves to cross the rapids. All team members attach themselves to our chuan, which leads the way, with a double rope at the prow and the same arrangement below the stern so as to relieve the boat and help her progress upstream against the current. The maneuver begins with wild shouts. Boatmen, soldiers, captains: everyone is at work, with 31 men pulling one of the ropes, eighteen harnessed to the other rope, and three sturdy fellows pushing the ga‫ٺ‬. Mrs. Hairy Paws assists the helmsman at his post. Under the combined power of 54, the boat rattles, lurches backward, hesitates, and Ånally triumphs over the obstacle. Merrily, the entire gang repeats the maneuver for each of the other junks. The entire morning goes by. After lunch, we take a delightful walk in cold but dry weather. In a small village, nuptials and a feast are taking place. A violin (huqin) squeaks inside the house while in front of the door, enormous quarters of pork and bulging goatskins Ålled with jiu attest to the generosity of the guests. Firecrackers rage. A little further on, we cross a torrent on an exquisite wooden bridge covered with a double roof with curved edges and enclosed on both sides by an artistic trellis. On the bridge itself is an altar on which three – 364 –

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fat individuals preside armed with axes. A sign invites travelers to salute these genies, who protect the Longzheng bridge (Longzheng qiao).

Sunday, January 22 In the undergrowth, pheasants take Æight a few steps away from us. This path is delightful, shaded as it is by palm, olive, and bamboo trees. I emphasize the shade as the Spring-like sun shines today and helps us forget Winter. The numerous, well-maintained houses of the peasants attest to the fertility of the soil, whose slightest corner is carefully farmed. Next to each dwelling is a small altar erected in honor of the fat buddha of wealth and prosperity. In one of the refreshment rooms along the way, we have our very Årst taste of the red tea that is a specialty of the area. On the cli‫ٺ‬, excellent limestone is used to manufacture on the spot beautiful gray rooÅng tiles and hydraulic lime as good as the best cement. The Yuan River’s current is often banked by the locals, who channel it toward the wheel of their rice mills, solid structures of cut stone and looking every inch like our beautiful mills back home. A soldier rushes up to us, sent to meet us by the Qingxi sub-prefect. Everything is ready for our welcome. We tie up at Laixi. Distance covered: 34 li.

January 23 Pagodas abound along China’s roads, providing shelter for travelers but not, contrary to what I hitherto believed, the mendicants wandering the highways and byways. Yet no longer having anyone else to turn to on earth, they too need heaven’s protection. A handwritten poster a‫ٻ‬xed to the Luohang shrine, which dominates a picturesque site on the north bank, informs passersby that only traveling monks carrying their own bedding will be admitted to the neighboring pagoda and that two meals will be served to them. Other monks, the poster goes on to say, are considered vagabonds and suspicious. This clerical Buddhist fraternity is charming! On the same spot, Zang reads a second poster that reveals a novel aspect of the country’s customs. The inhabitants of the town next to the pagoda voluntarily join a corps of night watchmen. We know from experience the lugubrious sound of their horns, the roll of their drums, – 365 –

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and the call of their tom-toms. But the unfortunate Luohang watchmen carry no Æag. They must have a Æag! So a contribution of 80 sapèques per household is imposed on the residents of the area so that the volunteers may gather around a standard. Really! A Æag for night watchmen?? . . . But let it pass. We are in China. We tie up at Jielijue. Distance covered: 53 li.

January 24 Nine o’clock in the morning. We reach Yuenchow-fu Prefecture.25 We drop anchor opposite the town’s grand staircase and immediately, on the pebble beach, on railings, at windows, even on the roofs of houses, a crowd of several hundred curious faces observes us, mouth gaping. We had to remove the mast of each of our chuan in order to pass under the bridge that links the two sections of the town. This bridge is picturesque in the extreme: 760 meters in length, built of tree trunks supported by 14 massive pillars of great height made of Åne, hard stone cut so as to recede from the one below. The bridge, which is covered, is occupied from one end to the other by small shops. On the section of the pillars that juts out from each side of the deck is a wooden house, old, wobbly, and disjointed, and recalling the rickety old dwellings of Strasbourg, Rouen, or Frankfurt. An elegant, two-story clock tower rises in the center of the bridge, with the edges of its roofs curving up. I do not believe that it is possible to meet with such a sight anywhere else. Faces stick out of the implausible windows of the dovecotes that serve as houses: women, children, watching astonished our passing Æotilla and its enormous red Æags swollen by the wind. Visitors succeed each other until noon. The prefect, a friendly old man of cheerful disposition, awkwardly removes his rich fur hat to show his good manners. This concession to foreigners made, prostrations and every other ritual follow their course for the beneÅt of out taotai and the handsome Zang. The mandarin informs us that he once lived in Canton, where his 25 In modern terms, they are sti in Huaihua Prefecture.

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father held a high-ranking administrative position, and he had occasion to rub shoulders with Foreign Devils in that city. He likes them very much because they are fair. Fairness! This seems surprising to a Chinese mandarin. I learn that the old prefect just got married three days earlier to a young and graceful child, and this explains his radiant cheerfulness. Naughty prefect! Then comes the sub-prefect, a young man who does not speak lightly and is representative of the type of educated modern man who plans to make it, and will make it. Finally, four more mandarins, both military and civilian. Before being introduced, each visitor passes around his large calling card of red paper. Whereupon H. E. Chen Mingyuan falls to his knees, prostrates himself with his forehead on the ground, and massages the shoulders of each button wearer as they arrive or depart. Poor man! He must be exhausted! Yet he performs his role with admirable spirit. The mandarins send us a full Chinese meal on platters in the style of the one to which we did full justice in Changde. To pass the time during this enforced stop, we take walks freely throughout the entire town and on the bridge where trimming makers, bauble vendors, and fortune tellers ply their trades. The edges of the town on the south bank hold nothing of great interest apart from the beautiful Pagoda of the Great Buddha and numerous triumphal arches in sculpted stone erected to the memory of inconsolable widows and children of exemplary Ålial piety. Finally, close to the river stands a graceful temple dedicated to the Empress of Heaven, with a portal of blue granite and a parapet of pierced stone. No curios, but old porcelain, embroideries, and bronze items. Some carved silver jewelry, but that is all. Tonight, all our boys went o‫ ٺ‬on a bender. Toto is sure to have a headache tomorrow.

January 25 Rain did not stop falling all night. We cannot take walks along the towpath. Our boat comes to a halt at the entrance to the Mahuantuan rapids. It is almost ten o’clock, and we covered only 15 li. – 367 –

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The bridge over the Yuan River

An hour passes. We are stationary. What is going on? We ask and are informed that our gentlemen mariners are on strike. They refuse to go any further without a consideration. This is the scheme we saw coming the other day. Mahuantuan is the Årst of the 30 rapids that separate us from Qingxi. A consideration before each one, and the problem would be solved. More resourceful than most of his compatriots, H. E. Chen Mingyuan sends a message to the Yuenchow-fu prefect. Toward four in the afternoon, a delegate from the prefect arrives escorted by Åve soldiers. Lively exhortations from the delegate convince the mariners to make an e‫ٺ‬ort, and in a few minutes, the rapids are crossed without di‫ٻ‬culty. But daylight fades rapidly. For the Årst time, our men do not push on to the next village. We drop anchor in a deserted, wild spot, where the mountain, which dusk is beginning to envelop, spreads the shade of its mossy rocks. A violent argument arises between the crew of our boat and that of the doctor’s. Our boatmen berate the others for their stupid behavior that day. They had to act in concert with their comrades, as required by Chinese solidarity. But they did so against their better judgment. Poor Hairy Paws is especially sorry. Entering the water to go from one boat to the other, he lost his trousers to the current! The clamors become intolerable. We have to intervene, and most energetically at that, as our soldiers, just like those of Yuanzhou, listen placidly to this infernal racket and volley of insults. – 368 –

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All in all, the day is lost.

January 26 This time, Ånding all expedients useless, our boatmen seem to have reconciled themselves to their lot. February 10 brings with it Chinese New Year. By tradition, the entire month, or rather the entire moon, is devoted to festivities, and our people are determined not to miss out. Hairy Paws is due to return to Chenyuan, the place of his birth, a prefecture town located 90 li from our Ånal destination. The boatmen, who all live in the area, are anxious to be with their family. Besides, none of them is keen on incurring the 1,000-sapèque Åne speciÅed in the contract for each day beyond the 30 agreed. Obviously, the Åne would not be imposed on these wretches, but the threat is useful as it reminds them of their engagement. As a result, the rapids that succeed each other endlessly are crossed with impressive mastery, and the day ends at Pimatong after a run of 51 li. A good day’s boating.

January 27 The village of Yansen is very picturesque, nestling in a dip we would not have been able to see from the river. Flowing through a deep gorge, the Yuan River takes a sudden sharp turn. An old, multi-story tower, fully patinated and mossy in places, has the look of an observatory from which the horizon could once be scanned. A small tree, sown here by a capricious wind, grows atop the ediÅce, thus proclaiming the revenge of nature troubled by men’s works. Near the tower stands a pagoda dating back to the era of Emperor Kangxi,26 an inscription informs us. Further on, a thousand-year-old citadel standing on the bank, towering over the two sides of the gorge and designed to protect the village, shows the ruins of its walls of rocks and clay, its chipped crenellations, its staircase with massive steps, and its protruding stronghold superbly built of cut stone joined with cement and having withstood the ravages of men, weather, and time. Our lunch is interrupted by Hairy Paws, who invites us to go 26 The Kangxi Emperor (1654 1722) was the fourth Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

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ashore. The boat is too heavily laden and cannot get through the difÅcult Muantixing rapids, at the entrance to which we have come to a halt. We eat rapidly and step onto the bank. This is another example of the sad administration of the mandarins. Fishing on the river is contracted to them alone. The farmers cannot make use of the current as they see Åt. The Åshermen, whom we see again here, set up six parallel ramps toward which the Åsh are driven by the current, now contained between two high stone levees. They left only a very narrow channel open at the shallowest and stoniest spot. Then, being practical men, they come and o‫ٺ‬er their services as reinforcement, to ease the passage of the junks their own actions made di‫ٻ‬cult. This is extraordinary, but scrupulously true. In sampans a little further on, a group of beaters makes an infernal din by hitting sonorous bamboo cylinders. They are trying to scare the Åsh into escaping toward the ramps and the Åshermen’s nets. We have a delightful walk in balmy temperature. Next to a whistling blackbird is a nightingale trilling from the heights of År trees with somber foliage. Some wagtails go to the river to drink, with as neighbors pretty birds with multicolor plumage that recalls that of our bullÅnches, as a black and white magpie takes Æight to the sound of its strident and monotone cry. Suddenly, the sound of tom-toms, Æutes, and violins arises. This is an agricultural festival. A theater has been set up in the open air and in it sit four to Åve hundred spectators. Every one of them leaves his seat to see us up close, but no hostility is evident. But we learn that hardly had we turned back that two men wanted to set o‫ ٺ‬in armed pursuit, one with a saber and the other with a lance, but that they were stopped by their comrades. Most likely, they were simply two actors wishing to see us close but who had been prevented from going o‫ٺ‬-stage. After all, it is not customary to carry weapons while attending a theatrical performance. Only the actors must have had these sometimes dangerous toys at hand. Still, caution is called for. Once the crowd has reassembled and libations have been generous, the slightest incident can lead to the worst excesses, and here as in France, cause this dreadful malady Dr. – 370 –

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Desprès called “collective insanity.”27 We tie up at Mashangling. Distance covered: 39 li.

January 28 Still more superb bridges spanning torrents whose waters rush into the Yuan River. The Caojiao bridge merits special attention because of its arches of plain design and its bare deck with no railing but in the center of which rises a massive pagoda. The thermometer shows 20 degrees. Temperature shifts in this region are truly astonishing. We walk quickly along the towpath, but we have to wait for our chuan, which was left behind. Lunchtime rumbles in our stomachs. We stop near the ferry that gives access to a small village across the river. Its pagoda is decorated with Æags, and white veils are deployed. A well-o‫ ٺ‬farmer is being buried. Only the squeaky sound of the monk’s lapas and the vibrations of a grave tom-tom beaten at regular intervals disturb the calm that reigns around us. There is a rhythm, a real melody to the wild chant of this performer lost in the depths of the mountains, who seems to draw from his rustic instrument the high-pitched, plaintive wails of feminine misery. The melody, always in a minor key, surprises at Årst, but a little attention makes it possible to grasp and even admire it because it plucks at the heartstrings. This unadorned, artless primitive takes us back to the true source of art, the truthful expression of human passions and sentiments. A crowd of relations of the departed comes near us, wearing implausible chef ’s toques of white canvas, the color of mourning. Servants carry jiu, quarters of pork, xiang, and Årecrackers in baskets. All of this will be sacriÅced to the soul of the departed, and the victuals will be devoured in his honor after being deposited on the altar. The mourners will then board the ferry to reach the pagoda. Wengcouxian, the last sub-prefecture in Hunan, contains 2,000 residents in its built-up area. An ancient triumphal arch of sculpted stone informs the visitor that an imperial decree once granted this place the “reputation of most excellent city.” But I am unable to learn any more on this subject. As we enter Wengcou, three blasts of the cannon salute us, and two 27 La folie en commun, or “co ective insanity,” is a formu ation Årst found in Doctor Armand Desprès’s (1834 1896) book Les Soeurs hospitalières, lettres et discours sur la laïcisation des hôpitaux (Paris: 1886). The very idea of it caused an outcry in the press (which he ped to popu arize the phrase) since it cou d be used as an excuse for everything from mass protests to treason.

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mandarins drawn from those we met in Yuenchow-fu arrive to welcome us. A crowd gathers to inspect us, but everything is absolutely calm. Is it the e‫ٺ‬ect of the sun and the gaiety and sense of revival that accompanies it? Illusion or reality? It seems to me that the pretty faces of the young girls who observe us through a half-open door that conceals them only partially are friendlier than those we met hitherto. What is certain is that the natural pink of cheeks has replaced the makeup of Shanghai or Canton Chinese women. Eyes shaded by long eyelashes are more widely open, and the entire face is much closer to our own concept of beauty. The Wengkou sub-prefect invites us to tea in his yamen. He insists on keeping us there for dinner, but we must push on. We long to reach our destination. Our chuan comes to halt a little further on at Longzhike, a pretty town of some 2,000 souls. Distance covered today: 34 li.

Sunday, January 29 We su‫ٺ‬er a violent jolt during the crossing of some rapids. The rope of the comprador’s boat snapped, and carried by the current, the chuan struck the doctor’s boat as well as ours sideways as they followed parallel courses. But held together by wooden dowels, these junks are Æexible to the point of inspiring endless admiration. A few boards are removed, and within ten minutes, the entire Æotilla moves on as if nothing had happened, with no outbursts or complaints. For our afternoon walk, we must put on summer clothing as the sun beats down. We are on the south bank, walking along a rugged path running among År trees. A small stream has to be forded. This is the Hunan border. We leave the fearful province after 40 days of sailing that saw us traverse it from one end to the other. We enter Guizhou singing the Marseillaise. Our French industry is about to take root in this province, in which all the mines have been conceded to the Société Française d’Explorations Minières en Chine. Tonight, we will toast with champagne to mark this day. Vive la France! We tie up at Tangwatuan. Distance covered: 43 li.

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Chapter Sixteen

Guizhou - Qingxi The ballerina’s pirouettes – The wax tree – Water wheels everywhere – A solemn reception – The Spring Festival – A month’s vacation for the mandarins – Blast furnaces, steelworks, and rolling mills – A page from China’s industrial history – The doctor premieres – Chinese New Year – The shrimp man – Local furnaces – Over hill and over dale – A nasty spell – Seals are broken

January 30 We come across a local man, all smiles, who greets us like old acquaintances. He explains to the comprador, our English-Chinese interpreter today, that he once went to England with the founders of the Qingxi factory to take delivery of machines. This is why he knows Europeans. When we ask what struck him the most during his sojourn across the Channel, our man performs an entrechat and assumes the pose of a ballerina at the Alhambra or the Empire in the Ånal apotheosis of a fashionable ballet. This is hilarious! O quintessence of civilization! The ballerina’s pirouettes! We tie up at Hupingshei (35 li), the Årst sub-prefecture in Guizhou. The sub-prefect, who is very old, is in bed. His son, the head of the likin customs service, o‫ٺ‬ers us tea in his modest o‫ٻ‬ce near the river. The Æooding from the Yuan River is so severe that last year, the quay where we Ånd ourselves and which is over ten meters from the shore was Æooded. The town consists of 8,000 souls, the customs collector informs us. Seen from the river, it seems of little interest. The surrounding countryside is as densely populated as it is fertile. There is no particular industry, but the annual rice production exceeds the needs of the population by four Åfths. This is as fortunate for the neighboring provinces as for the area’s farmers. 1 The A hambra was a music ha in Leicester Square in London’s West End. It opened in 1856 and was demo ished in 1936. The Empire Theatre was opened in Leicester Square in 1884 and remains open today as the Empire Leicester Square, a popu ar cinema. An entrechat is a vertica jump in which the dancer repeated y crosses the feet and beats them together.

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The residue of the cakes produces a very good soap used by local washerwomen. In a house in the village of Yangling, where we await our boats and in front of which some 100 curious but peaceable people assemble to observe us, we witness the manufacture of those famous white cheeses rather similar to Neufchâtel cheeses and which I hitherto thought were made from goat’s milk.2 But I am in error. This cheese the Chinese are so fond of eating is in fact a light paste made of white beans Årst softened in water then crushed between two round stones, one Årmly fastened, the other pivoting on the axis of the Årst. This part of Guizhou is very well farmed. There are rice Åelds in the tiniest corners of land. But the highlight of the day is the vast number of water wheels used to bring water from the river to cultivated land on higher ground along the shores. Made of bamboo and of light and elegant design, the large wheels are eight to ten meters in diameter. But instead of being raised in cups or by small boards as in Indochina, the water is collected in cylinders made of bamboo. Their sloping angle is such that nothing is lost until the water reaches the guttering at the top. Thanks to the highly ingenious oblique angling of the wheel, the Æuid is released without the cylinder that delivered it having to pivot on an axis. We must have seen about 100 of these wheels in the course of today’s walk. We tie up at Jiangsuiti. Distance covered: 35 li.

February 1 Like the Hebrews beholding the splendors of the Promised Land on the horizon, we give our joy full expression when, on the last bend in the river, we spot the small town of Qingxi. It is noon. The sun smiles on us. On the south bank, between the Yuan River and the mountain, we see blast furnaces, square chimneys, and vast buildings of gray brick. This is Europe! The straight lines of these Western industrial buildings make for a 2 A soft, crumb y cheese from the Neufchâte -en-Bray region of Normandy. It ooks very much ike tofu, which is made from soya beans and which Raquez describes in the next paragraph.

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singular sight as they rise before our eyes, accustomed for so many days to the Æourishes on every pagoda and yamen. This reminds me of a similar scene I came across in Saint-Pierre d’Allevard in the Dauphiné region,3 where the Creusot factories once obtained their ore. Grouped around the factory are the workers’ houses, or rather the former workers’ houses as all work ceased over two years ago. On the opposite shore of the river, we see crenellated city walls, very picturesque, with bastions jutting out from every angle as they parallel the river before rising high up the mountain whose every capricious contour they follow. There are few houses inside the perimeter wall, but we see the handsome facade of a modern pagoda, an amphitheater, and the reddish walls of several vast buildings, barracks or perhaps a yamen. The sub-prefect is waiting for us in full uniform at the landing stage. He guides us to the factory amidst a veritable orgy of Årecrackers, those indispensable accessories of every Chinese festival. There follows tea and welcoming rituals. We then set to work on directing the army of workers who will make these vast buildings habitable after being deserted for so long. How good it will feel to sleep in a Åxed bed tonight without the perpetual rolling of the junk. Three cheers for terra ferma!

February 2 Carpenters and glaziers-cum-upholsterers of all types and styles set to work wholeheartedly. When I say glaziers, I add upholsterers intentionally, as glass window panes are unknown here. The wide openings that Åll one entire side of the rooms are works of perfect carpentry. A few old window panes dating back to the foundation of the factory are still in place, but all the empty space must be Ålled with Chinese paper made of bamboo paste that lets through su‫ٻ‬cient light and at the same time protects against the cold to an extent I would not have supposed possible. 3 Saint-Pierre d’A evard is a former municipa ity in the Isère department in southeastern France. The Schneider-Creusot, or Schneider et Cie. p ant, was a historic iron and stee mi founded by Ado phe Schneider (1802 1845). He seems to have been unre ated to the Tonkin pub isher François-Henri Schneider for whom Raquez wou d write a most exc usive y after re ocating to Hanoi in 1902.

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Manpower is extremely cheap. The head sedan chair carrier in Qingxi, a cunning Chinaman who traveled more than 30 li to the town to meet us, acts as supplier. He asks for 150 sapèques per day per carpenter, or about seven French sous. No doubt, this sum includes the supplier’s inevitable squeeze as well as the mandatory add-on for work carried out for Europeans. Upon inquiring from various sources, we learn that in this area, the Chinese live well on pork, rice, and vegetables on 50 sapèques, or about 12.5 centimes per day.

February 3 The Spring Festival is celebrated all over China today. It is not di‫ٻ‬cult to understand why as we enjoy a deliciously Spring-like temperature. But Peking must be in the grip of snow and Zhili Province covered with ice. Never mind! Welcome to Spring and to life renewed! In the morning, the sub-prefect conducts the Welcoming of Spring ceremony with great pomp and circumstance. He travels to the pagoda accompanied by his habitual entourage, o‫ٺ‬ers innumerable salutations to the fat buddhas, and has the bamboo cow and the papers we encountered earlier presented to him. After the mandarin returns to his yamen, a procession is organized, or rather a masquerade wanders the town’s streets, crosses the river, and enters the factory’s yard and Åles past us. At their head, behind musicians striking gongs, Æat drums, and cymbals absolutely identical to ours, comes a symbolic cow followed by a Æesh-and-blood heifer looking quite dumbstruck at being part of these festivities. Then, the organizers of the procession kneel in turn at the door of the room occupied by the taotai and recite to him what Zang calls “good words,” or wishes of health, happiness, promotion, etc. H. E. Chen Mingyuan has whole ligatures of sapèques handed out to them. The inquisitive onlookers who crowd into the room all wear a small wooden stick garnished with gilded paper at the center of their hair. The cortege resumes its progress. On platforms carried by coolies, children about twelve years of age wearing all manner of theatrical rags, their faces painted and horribly made up, some sporting the long beards of actors, take up poses they maintain with imperturbable seriousness. Here is a terrifying warrior, there a monk or a pilgrim. Further on – 377 –

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is a sweet little woman placidly smoking her pipe while a doll takes the place of the child she should be carrying on her back. Next is a young couple sitting side by side on a platform and clad in silk. The woman holds a child in her lap while the happy father makes eyes at his female life companion, or rather one of his life companions. Naughty Springtime!

February 4 We call on the sub-prefect, whose yamen stands within the city walls. The mandarin’s “music” plays in the reception yard. Six sheng players blow their lungs out with an energy that deserves better results. The music must be very beautiful judging from the admiration of the Chinese listeners, but I must confess that my education is insu‫ٻ‬cient to permit me to appreciate the charms of this ensemble. From a distance, it sounds like a gaggle of geese disporting themselves. The sub-prefect has been deprived of his o‫ٻ‬cial seal since January 31. I should make it clear that ten days before the Årst moon, which this year falls on February 10, each functionary’s seal is sequestered and all o‫ٻ‬cial work becomes impossible. The seal will not be used again until the 20th day of the moon, or March 1, the day on which the festivities and holidays come to an end.

Sunday, February 5 Mr. de Marteau obligingly puts the factory’s archives at my disposal, along with the reports he drafted during his Årst trip to this beautiful region. I believe that it will be of interest if I were to relate here the history of the Qingxi operation. This will form one of the pages of China’s strange industrial history, which will be written sooner or later. It is important to know that the Qingxi district, as large as a French department, has important iron ore deposits that for centuries have been exploited using the methods of Chinese blast furnaces, which I will describe later on. The population is very poor and the tax take almost nil. In 1886, Guiyang, the capital of the province, was governed by an intelligent and energetic man4 who conceived the idea of setting up a 4 Pan Wei (1815 1894), a career provincia bureaucrat from Jiangsu.

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vast enterprise using European processes. But while he considered it useful to tap the Foreign Devils’ scientiÅc knowledge, his intention was to bring to Qingxi only trueborn Chinamen without allowing a single foreigner access to the area. The aim was to produce large quantities of low-cost metal and pig iron and compete with European producers supplying the Middle Kingdom. The governor’s report was favorably received in Peking, and the Emperor authorized the creation of the Qingxi metallurgic enterprise under the patronage and protection of the imperial government.5 The mandarin was thus authorized to borrow part of the capital needed from the provincial Treasury. In 1887, a commission composed of two young, active, intelligent Chinamen was sent to England. One of them, Zei, was a graduate of the Shanghai ScientiÅc School.6 The other, Ky, was a graduate of a college in Massachusetts in the United States, where he spent eight years. The commission traveled to England to study the metallurgic industry and purchase machinery. On the recommendation of the Chinese Ambassador to London,7 the commission was received by the major British industrial leaders, following which it drafted a detailed report concerning the processes used in Europe for the treatment of ore and the manufacture of iron and steel. Since the report stressed the need to process the ore with mined coal, the governor sent the commission several samples of coal extracted from deposits around Qingxi. The engineering school concluded that one of the samples was suitable for the production of coke. Based on this opinion, Governor Pan telegraphed the commission, requiring it to purchase all the equipment necessary.

February 6 When traveling up the Yuan River as far as Qingxi, as we just did, one becomes aware of the extraordinary di‫ٻ‬culties involved in the transportation of equipment needed for blast furnaces, steel plants, and rolling mills such as those that interest us at the moment. 5 The Guizhou Ironworks and Mining Bureau. 6 Most ike y a reference to Zhijun, Pan Wei’s son. 7 Liu Ruifen (1827 1892).

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Having just returned from my Årst visit to the factory, I am Ålled with profound admiration for the patience and energy of the men who undertook this vast project. I wonder how they managed to bring these colossal sections made of a single piece all the way here, such as this power hammer whose arms weigh no less than 30,000 kilograms, these blowers, these cranes, and these steam powered hoists.8 All the equipment shipped to Shanghai in 1888 was transferred to barges and towed all the way to Hankow by steam launches, there to be transferred again to river boats that were hauled with ropes across Lake Dongting and up the Yuan River. Seven hundred boats – yes, you read this correctly – were used in this gigantic undertaking. Seventy of them were lost in the rapids we know so well, but the equipment was rescued from the water and used, except for two boilers that had to be rebuilt at the Kiangnan Arsenal near Shanghai. Meanwhile, the crucial question of the mined coal was not neglected. The sample selected by the British engineering school came from a seam lying some 40 li from Qingxi, it was believed. But when the time came to visit the mine, it was noticed that a zero had been omitted and the seam was in fact 400 li from the factory in a mountainous area presenting considerable transportation di‫ٻ‬culties. A 1,000-tael reward was promised to anyone who would discover an easily exploitable coal deposit in the vicinity of Qingxi. There was talk of halting the construction and installing only one blast furnace, but the governor, who had made a major commitment in his report to Peking, was concerned that he might be demoted and ordered that the installation of the machines go ahead. Although all the plans had arrived from London along with the machines, no European had accompanied the equipment. The Chinese then performed another miracle by assembling, adjusting, and somehow making ready for operation the parts brought all the way to the heart of the Middle Kingdom on 700 boats. During the course of 1890, the factory was ready. 8 The Teesside Engine Company in Midd esbrough, Eng and, supp ied most of the heavy equipment. See Fang Yibing, “The Beginning of the Transfer of Western Iron and Stee Techno ogy to East Asia: A Comparison between the Kamaishi Ironworks, Japan and Qingxi Ironworks, China,” The Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology 32 (2011): 453 471.

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February 7 We take a most melancholy walk around these superb empty boilers with gaping mouths, these cold, inert machines, these wagons eaten by rust and abandoned near useless freight lifts and chimneys without Åre. How did such a disaster occur? Let us go back to 1890. It was believed that coal suitable for the production of coke had been found at Lujiaguang, not far from the factory, and the blast furnace was stoked up after it had been expertly assembled according to the plans and completed in June 1890. The trial produced no results. This was the Årst and only coal ever loaded into the machine, whose installation had been the object of such care. The cause of this failure should be attributed in part to the inferior quality of the coke produced in mere holes dug in the ground and in part to the workers’ inexperience. It would have been better to entrust this task to Chinamen managed by European engineers or foremen familiar with this delicate operation. But Chinese vanity was against it. It was to be cruelly punished. Considerable expense had been committed as 500,000 taels had already been spent: 300,000 from the Guizhou Treasury, and 200,000 raised through a stock issue from the Chinese population of Guizhou and Hunan. With the aim of not totally abandoning the factory, Chinese furnaces were constructed, which still stand today on factory land and which we will examine at leisure. Using the most primitive methods, the furnaces produced pig iron that was then processed in the rolling mills. During the Winter of 1891–1892, 22 Chinese furnaces delivered their production to the factory. But eventually, the Chinese machinery ceased to function as a result of the high temperatures as the Chinese bellows were not powerful enough to send su‫ٻ‬cient quantities of oxygen into the furnaces. The Ånancial position became pressing. The workers were no longer paid regularly. The manager, the brother of the provincial governor,9 tried to negotiate a loan with European capitalists in Shanghai. But death on his way there cut short his e‫ٺ‬orts. 9 Pan Lu (1827 1890).

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In August 1894, Zeng Yanquan, his successor, undertook a trip with the same aim in mind. But the Sino–Japanese War intervened. Zeng disappeared and nothing more was ever heard of him. Following this, only a few Chinese furnaces continued to operate until the death of the governor in 1895, and his successor had seals applied at the beginning of 1896. The Qingxi prefect is due to break the seals in order to hand the factory and its equipment over to the Société Française d’Explorations Minières de Chine, which has become the owner of this metallurgical enterprise.

February 8 The small town of Qingxi lies at a latitude of 27£ 6’ 34” north and a longitude of 106£ 10’ 10” relative to the Paris meridian. We are about 2,500 kilometers from Shanghai, or more than twice the distance from Marseille to Dunkirk. The river that runs through Qingxi is 300 meters above sea level, which is hardly surprising given the numerous rapids we had to negotiate. A ferry links the factory complex to the town. These free ferry services, whose operators are remunerated by the public administration, are one of the few truly useful amenities available to the public all along the river. Today is market day. Let us seize our chance to look around the sub-prefecture. As in almost all Chinese cities, traders gather outside the city walls. We Ånd them in the long street that runs through the suburb that parallels the river. A huge crowd swarms. The street is already quite narrow, and traders set up their trestle tables in front of their shop. We see nothing of great interest in these displays: fabrics, ribbons, paper, jewelry made of copper or silver, and the thousand baubles dear to Chinese housewives. We see blocks of rock salt from Sichuan, looking very much like the sandstone curbs of our sidewalks. Numerous merchants o‫ٺ‬er tobacco, remedies, incense, and images of genies that in a few days will be attached to the doors of houses on the occasion of the New Year. But what goes far beyond the most horriÅc scene the imagination might conceive is the collection of beggars who wander from shop to shop as they solicit charity from the merchants and their clientele. Here is a woman whose entire clothing amounts to two pocket – 382 –

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handkerchiefs of blue canvas and whose body, entirely ravaged by ulcers, seems to form one continuous wound. Here is a wretch whose foot is the size of an elephant’s and opens into two halves, horrible and repulsive to the eye, while another is covered in pustules. In a word, here is an entire and quite frightening Cour des Miracles 0 but with not a single phony cripple or self-appointed invalid. The crowd allows us to circulate without uttering the slightest shout or even inconveniencing us with over-intense curiosity. On the walls, a proclamation by the sub-prefect invites locals to respect foreigners, and we notice once again that the mandarins’ attitude greatly inÆuences the reception accorded to Europeans in China.

February 9 H. E. Chen Mingyuan had a superb poster a‫ٻ‬xed to the factory’s gate announcing that an illustrious Western doctor has accompanied him to Qingxi. Wishing to relieve humanity’s su‫ٺ‬erings to the greatest extent possible, this learned practitioner will be most glad to place his talents at the disposal of the residents of the area. Dr. Scaparone can be consulted every day from two to three in the afternoon. I witness the entry of the Årst batch of patients. An old man is led in by his grandson. He walks steadily and is voice is strong, but light has deserted his eyes: he is totally blind. Alas! Poor doctor! Despite all his science and goodwill, he cannot be expected to make the blind sighted again. The second patient has entirely lost the use of one eye while the other one is the victim of cataract. He will not hear of surgery. A third cannot see very clearly and asks for a pair of spectacles. Is everyone blind or one-eyed in this country? I Æee, leaving the doctor amidst a clientele that proves di‫ٻ‬cult to satisfy. If they cannot enable the blind to see clearly, what is the use of these illustrious Western doctors?

February 10 Chinese New Year. The mandarins call on their superiors but are not 10 See note 23, page 173.

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received by them. The Årst day of the year must be spent in reÆection, as prescribed by the rules. But the population sees things di‫ٺ‬erently. An infernal din and incessant crackling assault our eardrums from sunrise to well past sunset. Entire collections of boys, soldiers, and coolies rushes up to prostrate themselves on both knees to o‫ٺ‬er their good wishes and fall upon the generosity of the bourgeois classes. In China, as under our French skies, the New Year brings with it the onerous tradition of cash gifts. But a unique custom should be noted. The mandarins’ friends, who are sometimes invited to dine at the o‫ٻ‬cial’s table, have the duty to hand out substantial considerations to his cooks and domestics during this festive period. Some of these functionaries’ servants receive no wages but live well on tips handed out willy-nilly by those seeking o‫ٻ‬cial favors, and also from the annual cash gifts they pocket with great care. It goes without saying that all commercial activity comes to an absolute halt. Shops close for several days. Even the coolies no longer roam up and down the streets. Life is temporarily suspended in this gigantic anthill that is the Chinese Empire.

February 11 Our comprador is gravely ill. The doctor fears that he may not live to see another day. The poor man was very useful in this strange country where each province, each town even has its own measures, values, and di‫ٺ‬erent ways of reckoning from those of the next province or even the neighboring town. It would be absolutely impossible for a European to make heads or tails of all this. The dollar is unknown here. Wishing to pay for a purchase in the market yesterday, I handed the merchant a Åne, brand-new Shanghai dollar. He gave it an inquisitive look as if beholding a medal and then handed it back to me with a shake of the head. The only currency in circulation consists of sapèques joined together in ligatures of 1,000, consisting of ten groups of 100. One ligature weighs about three kilos and is worth 2.50 francs. It is easy to see that transporting money is quite a challenge when organizing an expedition into China’s interior. As it is obviously impossible to carry several million sapèques – 384 –

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amounting to several tons of copper, the practice emerged of using cash made of blocks, or sycee. We said earlier that the sycee is a silver ingot shaped somewhat like certain Chinese shoes and worth ten, 15, or 20 taels more or less exactly. The comprador carries his scales with him and pays for his purchases in duly weighed sycee. For fractions, nothing could be simpler. The ingot is cut with a knife into slices handed out by weight.

Sunday, February 12 The weather is glorious again. Mountains rise all around the factory. Opposite is the city, with its crenellated walls climbing all the way to the mountain crest. Toward the Yuan Valley, the backdrop consists of Camel Mountain, with its hump like that of a son of the desert. Closer to us and dominating our rooms is a row of hills. On one of them stands a pagoda, on another an obelisk or rather a pyramid shaped like a sugar loaf of brilliant white. We set o‫ ٺ‬to climb the hills along goat paths. In every corner where the soil is not covered with rocks, Chinese people plow, burn, and sow. Not a scrap of land is wasted. If a rivulet, however thin, can be channeled toward a Æatter section, terraces are immediately constructed along with small dykes holding the precious Æuid that brings fecundity as it cascades down to the tier below. Finally, we reach a summit, which consists of a plateau. Further on is a sunny valley, then more mountains, and everywhere farmed land, streams, houses, and meandering roads. The country is truly picturesque. Tonight we dine at H. E. Chen Mingyuan’s. Our brave taotai, who is both a Åne gourmet and a man of taste, brought with him copious and delicate victuals along with exquisite tableware made of silver. How charming are these doll’s plates, these jiu cups, these small forks with two wide prongs for eating jellies and sugared fruit! How graceful are these ivory chopsticks mounted in festooned silver! Similarly served, one of these gourmet dinners would be a huge success at our Exposition of 1900.

February 13 We wander over hills and dales, causing much alarm here and there among plump pheasant hens and cocks that ponderously take Æight at our approach. On our return, I perceive the handsome Zang perambulating about – 385 –

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the factory’s large yard, like a peripatetic philosopher but without the grave mien. In fact, our young interpreter is in stitches, and the small Chinese book made of rice paper he holds in his hand must be the cause of this delightful mirth. Sni‫ٻ‬ng an anecdote, I inquire, and Zang translates for me a tale I report here faithfully. Once upon a time, there was a favorite of King Huangdi, about 2,700 years before the Christian era, who saw with profound despair his master precede him to the grave. Attaching no value to his life, he resolved to quit this existence and gathered his friends to choose with them the kind of death that would suit him best. Water, iron, Åre, poison, rope: all were dismissed in turn. An old monk suggested that our man surround himself with numerous representatives of the sex known as weak and not stray from this entourage. The favorite followed the monk’s advice. He gathered 15 women in his house, who never left him for an instant. Their gossip, their quarrels, even the care they lavished on him reduced him to such a state that within a few weeks, as the storyteller put it, he found himself shrunken like a shrimp and soon gave up the ghost. This is the story of the Shrimp Man according to a facetious compilation entitled “What Confucius Didn’t Say.” This epigraph as well as the tone of the tales it contains shows the satirical verve of our medieval fabliaux. 2 Today the sub-prefect receives us around his table. As our Chinamen enter the yamen, soldiers form a guard of honor armed with old lances, pikes in the shape of tridents, and needle riÆes. Large Årecrackers imitate the salvoes of artillery pieces. Bagpipe players outdo each other with their squeaks. The mandarin awaits us on the threshold of his apartments. He has an imposing air with his grayish beard and thick mustaches. In the salon are pretty embroideries in Peking point, the skins of tigers shot in the vicinity of Qingxi, and on the walls, numerous poems 11 Huangdi, The Ye ow Emperor. One of the egendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, he is credited with initiating Chinese (Han) civi ization. He is purported to have reigned from 2698 to 2598 BC. 12 “What Confucius Didn’t Say,” or Tzu pu yü, is a compi ation of jokes and stories by the 18th century poet and scho ar Yuan Mei (1716 1797). See Arthur Wa ey, Yuan Mei: Eighteenth Century Chinese Poet (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1956).

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given to the mandarin by his literary friends. A young graduate with long Ångernails is among the guests. The dinner is rather mediocre as resources are limited in Qingxi. But the company provides the local color. As in all Chinese apartments, the wide doors leading to the courtyard remain open. A crowd of soldiers and servants of all types congregates at the entrance to the hall to watch the Western Devils and listen to our taotai’s conversation, or that of the interpreter with the mandarin. And then . . how can I put this? Our noses are assaulted by a fragrance that wafts in from the yamen’s courtyard and has little in common with that of violets. Horresco referens! 3 This is the last time I accept a dinner invitation from the Qingxi sub-prefect.

February 14 Within the factory walls, I come across the ruins of the blast furnaces and of the Chinese puddling furnaces the former managers used for want of knowledge about the European equipment. This is a chance to study the local method. The Chinese carbonize the ore before loading it into the furnace. To do this, they simply dig holes in the ground. For fuel, they use low-quality charcoal that cannot be used in blast furnaces. They then lay down successive layers of wood and ore in the proportion of one part wood to four parts ore in weight. Now the blast furnace must be constructed. The hearth must Årst be excavated, then a slanting wooden frame must be built in the shape of a pyramid’s core that rises all around and consists of eight- to tenmeter-tall bamboos placed closely together. The inside of the pyramid is then Ålled with clay pressed down in layers, and this mass of earth is then dug, starting from the top. The excavation completed as shown in the Ågure presented here, the inside of the furnace is coated with clay mixed with salt, an ingredient that makes the earth refractory, it is said in these parts. The upper section of the furnace is then Åtted with bricks. Contraptions of this type, which have a capacity of nine cubic meters and cost about 100 taels or 350 francs, generally function 25 to 30 13 “I shudder as I te the ta e.” Virgi , Aeneid, Book 2.

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1. Chinese puddling furnace (full view) 2. Chinese puddling furnace (cross-section) 3. Chinese bellows 4. Chinese furnace (vertical cross-section) 5. Chinese furnace (horizontal cross-section) The horizontal cross-section of the Chinese blast furnace is taken at the base. The rectangle to the right of that section represents the Chinese bellows, whose nozzle is aimed toward the central receptacle [Raquez, from the Addenda to the original book].

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days without interruption. Repairs are then needed, requiring that the Åre be extinguished. The puddling furnaces are built by master workers who are paid a Åxed sum for each picul of puddled iron. 4 Built according to the sketches shown here, these furnaces have a capacity of about 150 kilos per loading and can accommodate some ten loads each day.

February 15 Temperature swings are very sudden in this region. Yesterday, the weather was beautiful and hot. But today, hail came crashing down before giving way to melting snow and then to torrents of rainwater that put our roofs at risk. Happily, these Chinese houses are well built. The walls are made of excellent local chalk and carefully assembled with top quality cement. But our windows, pounded by hail and gusty winds, are seriously damaged despite their protective awnings, and we are forced to call in the glazier in the shape of a coolie who deploys a few meters of fresh white paper.

February 16 The town’s shops are still closed. Last night, lanterns and joss sticks were lit before each house in memory of the departed. All those who mourned one of their dead of the previous year wore a white turban around their head. Lights shone on domestic altars. We take a pleasant walk to a handsome pagoda whose facade dominates the river at the mouth of the Qingxi rapids. This temple was founded by the factory. The managers erected it to invoke the genies blessings upon their works. But the genies turned a deaf ear to their plea. Inside, a young monk does the honors in a very clean pagoda, which holds little of interest. Today is another feast day, so after o‫ٺ‬ering us the tea of hospitality, the good lad insists on setting o‫ ٺ‬innumerable Årecrackers in our honor but especially for his own amusement much more than for ours. The Chinese are big children, and they love noise. The coolies are beginning to reappear along the roads. For six days, 14 A picul is a traditiona unit of weight used in Asia, itera y the “amount one cou d carry on one’s shou ders.” It appears to have originated in Java. In the co onia period, it was standardized (depending on the territory) to about 60 ki ograms.

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all commercial activity stopped. For long months, the Celestials save for these festivities. If they have no savings, they sell or pawn any possession of some value, even non-essential furniture. They must have money. The festivities will last until the kitty is empty. Everyone will partake of feasts with family or friends or will indulge in the delights of far niente. 5 Gambling will not be forgotten as all the Chinamen we see have cards in their hands or eyes riveted on dice or are shu‫ټ‬ing multicolored dominoes. The unfortunate coolies are the Årst to see the devil at the bottom of their purse, so they are the Årst for whom life returns to normal.

February 1 7 We ascend the mountain to whose Æanks the town of Qingxi clings. The two pagodas whose crimson walls we glimpse from the river are abandoned and closed. After an hour’s walk, we reach the summit of a hill. From the shore below, the crenelated walls consisting of a sturdy pile of stones scales the heights following every contour in the terrain. It crowns its summit and allows passage to the other side of the hill through a very beautiful and perfectly vaulted archway. From this spot, a wonderful view helps the traveler forget the fatigue of the climb along narrow and di‫ٻ‬cult paths. Another valley spreads out before the traveler’s eyes, richly farmed with rice Åelds, with the sun reÆected in the innumerable pools of the rice terraces up and down the slopes. Mountains are everywhere. On the horizon, the highest among these is shaped like a trapeze. From its summit, the view of the entire Qingxi area must be superb. The panorama reminds me of the foothills of the Piedmont Alps in the vicinity of Ivrea. 6 A path takes us down that side of the mountain and returns to the town, whose walls we will skirt as we pass the funeral mounds in which the valley’s workers sleep their last.

15 “Doing nothing.” An Ita ian expression suggesting p easurab e inactivity and sti common y used in French. 16 Ivrea is a city near Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Ita y. Given that Dr. Scaparone went to schoo in Turin, this comment may indicate that Raquez’s associative reco ection was in fact borrowed from his trave ing companion, whom he ear ier stated “edited” his notes.

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The sap-scented fragrance of young Års washed clean by the recent rains Åll the air, which we enjoy inhaling in by the lungful. Here is a neatly kept farm nestling among trees. Women scream. No doubt they have never seen a Western Devil, poor things, because like frightened nymphs, they Æee through the bamboo trees as fast as the sad stumps that serve as their feet will let them. But being daughters of Eve, as soon as they consider themselves safe, they open their slitty eyes as wide as possible. Good night, children!

February 18 Never does life taste so sweet than after surviving a great peril. This is what happened to me today. I set o‫ ٺ‬to climb the trapeze of summits we glimpsed on the horizon yesterday accompanied by Dr. Scaparone and a soldier from the sub-prefecture as guide. The route is most picturesque and once again shows the sheer energy of Chinese farmers who Ånd the tiniest plots of arable land up the highest summits. The sight of the rice Åelds is unique, with their stagnant water gleaming in the sunshine and climbing to six or seven hundred meters about the level of the Yuan River. The closer we get, the more the mountain’s silhouette reminds me of Java’s Tangkuban Perahu, 7 shaped like a shipwreck, keel in the air. Our guide is exhausted. He begs us to let him rest under a cluster of bamboos while we alone continue the climb to the summit, which seems close by. Sad Chinese army! There is no path. Steel-tipped walking stick in hand, I climb on, Ånding support on my left in order not to face the slope head-on and gripping the rare small trees and mountain grasses. Suddenly, I feel myself sliding down. The ground is shifting. Horror! As I look behind me, I see a very steep slope and an almost sheer drop of Åve or six hundred meters without stages. As I kept leaning to the left, I ended up going o‫ ٺ‬in the wrong direction and lost sight of the doctor, whom I can hear further up. The ground consists of highly friable limestone rocks that slide over each 17 Vo cano ocated just north of the centra Javanese city of Bandung, and sti a tourist destination.

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other. Fire consumed all the grasses. There is nothing for me to hold onto. I feel the ground shifting under my weight, threatening to drag me into the abyss. The doctor screams to me to go forward to my right. But I cannot move. It is impossible, he says, for him to come to me. I am eight or ten meters from the summit. By chance, my alpenstock, which I plant into the ground with all the energy generated by a sense of danger, meets more solid ground. I stay upright by resting on both feet and the stick, my savior. Then begins a task worthy of an ant. While one of my feet remains wedged, the other settles a little higher up in a cavity I excavated with my Ångernails. I then pull out the stick and glue my body to the mountainside and plant the alpenstock a few centimeters further up, fearing that my slightest movement might compromise all this work and send me tumbling down with no chance of stopping the fall. After an hour that seems a century, I Ånd myself two meters from the summit. Here, a rock juts forward. Should I give up trying to get out of trouble? My strength is beginning to desert me. My arms and legs are numbing. But my mental energy remains intact. Once more, I whip the beast into action. How did I Ånd myself in the doctor’s arms? I could not say, but nothing in the world will induce me to repeat the experience. It is a very strange sensation to wish but be unable to act, to order my limbs to perform and in a sense hear them reply that they cannot! A moment’s rest in this verdant rural spot is not to be scorned if calm is to be restored to the body. The magical spectacle unfolding before us would give comfort to a dying man. Summits of all shapes and heights seem to have agreed to gather around the apex of our strange mountain. In the background, snow-capped peaks sparkle in the sunshine as torrents leap along in the valleys below, white with foam. Meanwhile, our guide, nonchalantly stretched out under a bamboo tree, sleeps the sleep of the just.

Sunday, February 19 At long last, the sub-prefect puts an end to the New Year festivities and heads for the factory, where he will break the seals and conduct an inventory of the equipment that will last a whole day. What strikes me is the existence of this custom regarding seals, which H. E. Chen Mingyuan informs me, goes back to early antiquity among the Chinese. The mandarin himself traces characters on a wide strip of paper and – 392 –

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writes the date, which he stamps with his seal. The strip is a‫ٻ‬xed in his presence on each panel of the door that is meant to be considered shut. Chinese inventories are carefully drawn up on bundles of rice paper. The factory’s equipment is of the highest quality. Nothing was omitted when it was ordered. What a pity to see such powerful instruments in working condition unused until now! Happily, they will soon be put to productive use!

February 20 We yearn to leave for the mercury mines located two days from Qingxi by sedan chair. With this in mind, our old sub-prefect will conclude his census of the equipment today and regularize the documents that sanction the o‫ٻ‬cial transfer of the factory and its dependencies to the Société Française d’Explorations Minières de Chine in the name of the Chinese Government. This is an important date as it is probably the Årst time that such a transfer has taken place in China’s history.

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Chapter Seventeen

Guizhou – The Mercury Mines The gates of hell at Yuping – The Lantern Festival – Wanshanjiang – A phony bandits’ den – Miners – Ore – A living Buddha – Shrines to Mr. and Mrs. Buddha – A rooster and a puppet show – Arrows cannot be improved upon! – Exhortations to the army – Goodbye, Doctor!

February 21 We leave at daybreak. Our cortege of soldiers in red tunics and coolies carrying our luggage, or more than 60 Celestials in total, stretches out along the road from Qingxi to Hunan Province via Dayudan. This road is a veritable toboggan run whose width varies between one and two meters and is paved with stones or slabs of all shapes and sizes as it ascends, descends, ascends again, and descends once more. There are no carts, not even wheelbarrows. We see pedestrians, a few horse riders, and here and there a sedan chair that requires prodigious skill on the part of the carriers when we come face to face. Four men carry each of our chairs. It rained all night. The road is muddy and slippery. Occasionally, as we round a bend, the chair is suspended over a ravine. The lightest misstep by a coolie and this memoir will come to an abrupt end. This is a journey to be recommended to lovers of strong emotions but not to those of a sensitive nature. During long ascents, when stairs made of wide Æagstones climb up the slope, the carriers respond to the command tong guo lai by markedly swinging the chair, a motion to which one becomes accustomed only after several hours. This is how they relieve their shoulders, they tell us. But they could just as easily relieve their customers’ stomachs. The pace is rapid and regular. Despite the often very steep slopes, our men keep up their daily four kilometers per hour, and like our troops, take an hourly break. In fact, every four kilometers, the carriers Ånd groups of houses and inns where for four sapèques (less than one centime), they down a bowl of rice and pick up cabbage swimming in fatty boiling water with their chopsticks. – 394 –

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In the afternoon we pass through Yuping, the sub-prefecture we skirted as we journeyed up the river. But here as in Qingxi, the spacious crenellated old city walls contain only rare houses. Almost all the enclosed land consists of rice Åelds. Large bu‫ٺ‬aloes, knee-deep in farm mud, observe us with curious eyes. A very handsome gate made of carved wood rises two stories high in the center of the town. Close by is the pagoda known as Mian jian guang, literally the “vestibule of the sojourn of death,” something like the Gates of Hell. In quite large side chapels inside the pagoda, Ågures in sculpted wood represent various scenes from the Judgment of Souls. Ten judges, or yanwang, must interrogate the souls of the dead one by one in accordance with Chinese tradition. They are assisted by acolytes, torturers, and two auxiliaries each with the head of an ox or a horse on men’s bodies. Before the yanwang are the accessories of Chinese justice: paintbrushes, writing cases, and a box containing the legal texts and related sentences written in advance on small wooden boards. Entering or leaving the town takes one through a series of beautiful triumphal arches made of stone adorned with sculptures and inscriptions in relief and raised in memory of inconsolable widows. There must be about 20 of them, all solidly vaulted. Perfect, though rather Æattering, toward the vast majority of members of the honorable guild of Yuping widows. Still walking at the same regular pace, our carriers halt in the village of Yanyubu after covering over 40 kilometers without apparent fatigue. These men’s endurance is admirable. They are paid barely 250 sapèques (or 60 centimes) per day by the head carrier who hires them, and they must pay for their own food. The inn is full. There is no room for us. A notable accommodates us in his grain loft. In the middle of the kitchen where the faithful Toto watches over our simmering dinner, a corpse lies in an enormous co‫ٻ‬n. Disgusting! Chairs and luggage are lined up in the inner courtyard. Our boys 1 The Ten Courts of He , or shidian yanluo, are presided over by ten judges, the chief of whom is Yama, a so known as Yan uo or Yanwang. Whi e each judge has an individua name, they are a so known co ective y as the “Yama Judges,” hence the tit e used by Raquez. Each of the ten courts oversees di‫ٺ‬erent types of punishments for speciÅc sins, which are often depicted in gruesome detai in Chinese temp e art.

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unpack our bedding and set up a table inside a shed. This is like reaching cantonment during major army maneuvers! We are still within the period devoted to New Year’s merrymaking. Today is the day devoted to the Lantern Festival. As I write these lines on a rickety table by the light of a bad Chinese candle, a deafening racket engulfs the village. Through the cracks in the windows, I watch an entire procession of holders of paper lanterns of bizarre shapes Åling past. Fantastical animals, dragons, serpents, chimera light up the night. This is a vision of apocalypse. Even the blasts of the long Chinese tubas suggest the trumpet of the last judgment. Meanwhile, tom-tom rolls and the beating of gongs continue without end or mercy. This has been going on for over an hour. Today is a festive day, but not for everyone. I have my traveling companions as witnesses.

February 22 Good Lord, what a night! Every half hour, the watchmen insist on proving their vigilance with an orgy of gong strikes. Here we go again! Pata pata pan! 2 Under the circumstances, leaping out of bed requires little e‫ٺ‬ort. Let us be on our way! This time, the weather is glorious. Birds chirrup, and the sun peers over the horizon. It is delightful to walk, climb slopes, and leave behind the cage and its carriers. I set o‫ ٺ‬alone with a local man who knows the way as I plan to attend to our lunch. Along the road and through villages, we meet with intense curiosity but no discordant shouts. After Dayudan, a ferry allows the river to be crossed. Then the ascent starts all over again. From the rice Åelds to the small town where we are headed, the road climbs 500 meters over about 30 kilometers. But what marvelous vistas this volcanic region o‫ٺ‬ers, bringing to mind the central plateau of Auvergne.3 At nightfall, our cortege reaches Wanshanjiang, our Ånal destination. A military mandarin awaits along with his soldiers, Æags Æying. A salvo of muskets salutes us as we pass. Then it is the turn of the civilian 2 From the French Christmas caro Patapan, Årst pub ished in 1720, which shares many simi arities with the Eng ish caro The Little Drummer Boy, inc uding the onomatopoeic sound of the drumming. 3 Region of centra France that contains many dormant vo canoes.

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mandarin in full regalia to lead us into the town, which is surrounded by walls, and do the honors of his yamen, where we will spend a few days. The music restarts! The Lantern Festival is still going on. These Sons of Heaven have sturdy eardrums!

February 23 Wanshanjiang is a redoubtable town, if we are to believe the reports of the rare Europeans who visited. This is where highway robbers and dangerous revolutionaries come to seek asylum in the galleries of the mercury mines. This is why for several years, the town has been surrounded by stone walls, and Mandarin Chong, who saluted us yesterday, is nothing less than a general in the Chinese army. Yet we spent all day wandering along ravines and impossible mountain paths and penetrating underground galleries without experiencing the slightest hostile gesture overexcited spirits might have led us to fear at this festive time. What a wonderful country, whose population should be pitied! We Årst visit Datong, the principal gallery, very close to the city walls, along a goat path that at one point forms a sheer drop through a crevice in the rocks just wide enough to let a man through. Before us, separated from the precipice by a terrace barely a few meters long, is the gaping mouth of a wide smoky cave that seems to disappear into the depths of the mountain. A crowd of destitute individuals in rags surrounds us out of curiosity. They have the appearance of miners. Their faces are black with the smoke and the powder from the primitive lamp that provides light as they work. They are gaunt, scrawny, bare-footed, their bodies barely concealed under unspeakable rags. The cave is dark. Its side walls and vault are totally blackened. The sound of voices emerges from the shadows. We move forward. Everywhere are couples camping out on stone benches. Tree branches divide families. A little straw lies on the rocky ground. A squatting woman breastfeeds an innocent babe while the family dog gets up, looking ferocious, at the sight of these audacious strangers. This scene is worthy of the crayon of a Gustave Doré!4 4 Pau Gustave Louis Christophe Doré (1832 1883), the we -known French artist most famous for his drawings and woodcuts of dark and brooding scenes from iter-

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Datong has been known and exploited for centuries. Anyone is allowed to work there provided they pay the government a fee of 600 sapèques (or 1.50 francs) per month per hammer. Four men are working with identical tools while numerous children are used for debris collection and disposal. A hammer, a chisel, a small steel awl: these are the only instruments needed by a Chinese miner. Some instruments! With their help, the Wanshan workers dig a hole one Chinese foot (or about 30 centimeters) in depth into the rock in six hours. They then deposit 125 grams of a powder they manufacture on the spot and whose power should not be underestimated as a single blast before us produces 200 catties, or 125 kilograms, of debris.5 This work is not regulated in any way. Everyone works where he pleases. This is truly a miners’ mine. But the poverty we see testiÅes to the deÅciencies of the arrangement given the wealth contained in the ore itself. These unfortunate people have no capital at their disposal. They must earn their daily bread without the loss of their modest ideal of 200 sapèques (or 50 centimes) in daily proÅt, which they would incur in work unproductive today but fruitful tomorrow. At the end of the galleries into which we crawl, the precious ore displays the impressive richness of its layers. The large dark red spots formed by the mercury and the sparkling cinnabar crystals contrast with the glittering blocks of rock crystal. According to learned work by Schnabel,6 these deposits are the richest of all those known in the entire world. Their exploitation by European engineers will surely yield impressive results. Back in broad daylight, I notice many children and men marked by a large red spot in the center of their forehead. This is the work of Chinese suction cups. To relieve the frequent headaches caused by mercury emanations, the Celestials burn paper in a small cup and apply this simple device to their forehead. This creates a vacuum, which pulls up the skin in a bell shape and leaves a reddish spot that persists for several days. ary works with simi ar ambience, such as Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedy. 5 A catty is a traditiona unit of weight measure that originated in China and is sti used by Chinese diaspora communities in Southeast Asia. 6 Car Schnabe (dates unknown) pub ished The Handbook of Metallurgy Vol. 2: Zinc, cadmi um, mercury, bismuth, tin, antimony, arsenic, nickel, cobalt, platinum, and aluminium in German in 1894. It was trans ated into Eng ish and pub ished by Macmi an & Co in 1898.

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February 24 We visit other mines: Xiaotong (small gallery); Dashuitong (high water gallery); Xiaogaodutong (tall gallery); Laoshanjiao (base of the old mountain); Goulaang (the dog’s stone); Aigutongxia (lower ravine gallery); Malaogao (horse gallery); Pinggengtong (Æat mouth gallery); etc. This time, General Chong accompanies us, perched like a monkey on a small dappled horse. He is followed by H. E. Chen Mingyuan, splendid in his chaise covered in green baize and preceded by the red umbrella that is the mark of power. Numerous soldiers in scarlet tunics escort the two mandarins. This is a singularly picturesque procession as it makes its way along these mountain paths. Here and there, the landscape is marvelous in its wild grandeur. The narrow ravine that divides the mines into two quite distinct groups plunges between two rocky walls 400 feet high. Had we met with the ferocious welcome we had been led to fear from these miners, how easy it would have been for them to rid themselves of our presence. A few rocks accidentally dropped from the top of these summits where the somber silhouettes of the workers stand out against the gray sky would send us sliding into the precipice. Everything is in order on the miners’ front. The Ånal steps have been determined by Mr. de Marteau. The takeover of the Guizhou mercury mines by the Société Française d’Explorations Minières de Chine is now complete. A Chinese representative wearing a blue button will remain here until the arrival of the engineers from France.

February 25 Yesterday was the Åfteenth day of the Årst moon, or half moon, if I may put it that way. The Chinese spend a major part of the day sitting around the family table. But in the evening and all night, the din is astounding. Firecrackers, Åreworks, variations on cymbals, gongs, and tom-toms: we are spared nothing. We set o‫ ٺ‬along an impossible path. In places, only a slight recess in the rock makes it possible to put down one foot while leaning against the vertical rock face. The precipice awaits us. We reach the end of the canyon without mishap, some 260 meters (or 800 feet) below the higher path. But here, another peril awaits. The – 399 –

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miners have started work again and dump the waste from their ore into the ravine. One of our guides is struck in the face by a volley of rocks. We must guard against stoning. Finally, we come across a more manageable path at the end of the canyon, and we return to Wanshanjiang soaked to the skin from bathing in unpleasant fog.

Sunday, February 26 Water! More water! It rained all night. It is still raining this morning. We cannot set o‫ ٺ‬in the sedan chairs. I take advantage of this enforced pause to admire in detail the charms of the yamen. But the term “admire” is perhaps a little excessive as the ugliest farmhouse of our own countryside would seem a palace compared to the collection of repulsive boxes that serve as our rooms. All day long, fully dressed and wrapped up warm, we have to leave the doors open to let some light into these windowless hovels. The hours tick by, long and dreary. And still the rain comes down! On each side of the staircase in the yamen’s courtyard are execution cages made of enormous pieces of wood shaped like conical pillars. At the top is an opening where the victim’s neck will be placed. A little lower are two openings for his wrists. This is where the criminal’s body will be suspended only by the head and swing in the void below until death ensues. Above the door, a gilded inscription on red lacquer elevates to the rank of gods the mandarin known as the Living Buddha of Wanshanjiang. The poor man is very ugly. His only eye suggests a family connection with Vulcan.7 Another panel displays four characters: “selÆessness, fairness, scruples, understanding.” These are the principal qualities of the resident mandarin. I believe the panel. And everywhere, on door frames, on struts, on walls are inscriptions in black on red paper: Advice from a mandarin to his people: “To be skilled in business, do not speak too much.” What do you make of that, Lady Gossip? “Keep peace in your heart and do not get angry.” 7 Vu can was the Roman god of Åre and meta working. The giant, one-eyed Cyc opes worked in Vu can’s meta shops under Mount Etna.

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Good wishes to a mandarin: “May you be promoted!” “Good luck on the occasion of the application of seals!” Evidence of his power: “With three feet of bamboo (the length of the chastisement rod), idiots will become clever.”

The Living Buddha is no fool! Anyone entering the guardhouse passes below a display of Åve paper rectangles cut out to represent the character fu (good luck). They show all Åve mandatory colors: green, yellow, red, white, and black, and were a‫ٻ‬xed there on New Year’s Day. The miners come to show us samples of mercury, cinnabar, and rock crystal, some of which are very interesting. Work resumed in the mines today. Despite our best e‫ٺ‬orts, we cannot escape the squeeze of the soldiers on guard duty. Only those who promise to hand over part of their profits are allowed inside the yamen. The same system applies up and down the scale. One gardener working for a provincial governor who had the ear of his master asked for 500 taels, or more than 1,700 francs, to push along a request. The petitioner having refused to pay up, the governor turned down the plea. The mandarins pay their employees little or nothing, so they must live at the expense of the multitude of petitioners. In fact, mandarins often fall under the inÆuence of their domestics, who live in close quarters with them, attend all audiences, and listen to all conversations, even taking part in them, as I observed on many occasions. Members of the Zongli Yamen conduct all audiences in the presence of their servants, their ears Æapping, as intended by nature. Incredible, but true.

February 27 A thunderstorm growls all night. Heavenly cataracts dump formidable torrents on the wretched village of Wanshanjiang. A small waterfall selects my forehead as its target and causes me to leap out of bed. By ten o’clock in the morning, the weather clears. Not wishing to take roots in this swampy yamen, we decide after all to head for the open spaces. The two mandarins accompany us far beyond the village walls and then supply us with an escort of honor until our next destination. Six – 401 –

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large red Æags carried before H. E. Chen Mingyuan’s chair add a picturesque note to our cortege. It is market day in Wanshan, which we now leave behind. A multitude of peasants and coolies travels along the slippery road, carrying at each end of their bamboo pole the produce they will sell in the village. Celestials normally carry one picul, or 62 kilos, divided between the two baskets as they trot along enormous distances. The narrow path we follow often runs along the river. The unfortunate peasants have to step into deep mud to let our chairs through. As in our own country, innumerable shrines are erected along Chinese roads. Here, small stone ediÅces resemble doghouses. They house the statue of the Buddha of the land, or rather those of Mr. and Mrs. Buddha, as to the right of the old man with a white beard stands his wife, a young, kindly lady in whose honor the farmers never fail to light daily joss sticks as well as to her august master. The head carrier dispatches a man ahead of the convoy to cover the slippery slopes with leaves and even entire branches torn from young Års that grow in abundance in these parts. We will cover only 40 li today. In the village of Dianxianping, the inn is clean and relatively comfortable and the population causes us little inconvenience. With the natural curiosity of their age, only a few children remain to observe us. Two enormous lanterns light up the character for “Sing” in red. This is the innkeeper’s name. Everywhere in China, children wear headbands around their forehead consisting of a crown of small buddhas in repoussé copper. The ornaments that sparkle on one of our young visitors are of remarkable manufacture.

February 28 We run into three hunchbacks in a single village. This will bring triple good luck upon us! But the spell is broken by a funeral. At its head is a monk holding a small wand to which bunches of white paper streamers are attached. Every now and then, a second monk strikes an enormous gong that emits deep, grave notes. Then comes a male relative carrying the banner on which the names and titles of the departed are written. Finally, the dead man’s son, dressed entirely in white and leaning on the wailing stick, pre– 402 –

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cedes the heavy co‫ٻ‬n, a veritable monument carried by sixteen coolies. A beautiful rooster, into which the Celestial’s soul took refuge, is tied alive and kicking by his feet to the bier, which is covered with a red sheet. The unfortunate fowl Æaps his wings and seems unaware of the honor that befell him. The ceremony over, his freedom of movement will be restored to him, and from then on, he will while away his days in bliss, well fed, pampered, and fussed over by every member of the family. After crossing the Yuan River, we pass through the village of Dayudan again, where a very handsome puppet show draws a crowd. How all peoples rediscover their childhood! I saw the puppetry of the Champs Élysées in Naples, and in Java, and here it is again in the heart of China. The costumes vary, but Punch is always there beating the stu‫ٻ‬ng out of a policeman, to the spectators’ great delight. We must stop in Yuping after a journey of 70 li along slippery paths (30 li to the river and 40 more past the crossing).

March 1 The sun is back. Bravo! This morning, the fog lifts its muslin streaks and blue sky appears. Dubernard and I set o‫ ٺ‬gaily ahead of the cortege to cover on foot the 50 li that separate Yuping from Qingxi. Poor Chinese army! Four soldiers follow us, but we take mischievous pleasure in speeding up our pace. After a while, a Årst warrior falls behind, then a second, then a third; two hours after our departure, all four sword and umbrella carriers are out of sight on the Mandarin Road. In the villages, we are observed with less curiosity than on the way out. Small boys still shout “Wai xiang! Wai xiang! ” (Strangers!) at our approach. But onlookers are no longer as dumbstruck as they were. In Qingxi, lunch awaits, better than one of Cubat’s8 best to our avid stomachs somewhat tired of corned beef, rice, and tea.

March 2 We bought two roebucks for 200 and 300 sapèques each. Curious animals! Their front legs are half the length of their rear 8 Jean Pierre Cubat (1844 1922) was a French chef. In 1860, he worked at the famed Café Ang ais in Paris before sojourning to St. Petersburg, where he worked as a chef for Tsars A exander II and III. In the ater 1890s, he opened his own restaurant in Paris before resuming work once again for the Russian imperia fami y.

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A covered bridge

legs. The head, ears, and eyes are those of kangaroos, but the coat, short tail, and posture are truly those of deer. Seriously wounded by the savage hunters who tied its legs so tight that they broke, one of these handsome creatures died during the course of the evening.

March 3 Today, the local authorities are in receipt of a decree dated the 29th day of the 11th moon January 10, 1899) that is quite something. Liu Kunyi, Viceroy of Nanking,9 argued in a report to the Emperor that military sciences such as tactics, the construction of fortiÅcations, etc., required a particular kind of intellectual baggage. He therefore proposed selecting military graduates to be sent back to school so as to equip them with a smattering of literature and develop their intelligence. But the Empress Dowager was not interested. “Bravery,” she declared, “is what is expected of military graduates. What is the use of turning every single one of them into a genius and a reÅned being!” “This is for civilians, damn it!” “In a supplement to his report, Viceroy Liu requests that We put an end to archery practice on foot and horseback in provincial army corps as well as shield exercises and replace them with Årearm practice.” 9 Liu Kunyi (1830 1902), a native of Hunan, was a career dip omat and served as Viceroy of Liangjiang (under whose jurisdiction the city of Nanking fe ) on four occasions between 1874 and 1902.

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“Who landed me with this f . . .fatuous blockhead!” “It is not timely to put a complete end to older military tactics using time-honored weapons among provincial army corps. This is why We command that there be no debate concerning this request.” Arrows cannot be improved upon! The old dowager cannot be accused of rushing China headlong into reforms. She would rather see the country perish!

March 4 As ducks shake themselves dry in the rice Åelds or preen their feathers in the rain, I have fun reading through the edicts from this absurd and ferocious old woman, who took China’s destinies out of Guangsu’s young but already capable hands. Reading such balderdash is so amusing! Yesterday, we saw the ultra-conservative decree concerning the army, signed on January 10, 1899. But this decree will seem even more senseless after we examine two more documents concerning Chinese troops issued from the same paintbrush. “Eheu! Eheu! Alas! Alas!,” old Cixi exclaims as she laments as gravely as the venerable Jeremiah of rain-related memory. 0 Within Our palace, we constantly and with great anxiety search for ways to govern the Empire wisely. Not a day passes without Our atten tion turning to means of making it powerful. But alas! Most o‫ٻ‬cials both at court and in the provinces are work shy and will not rouse themselves to come to our aid. On whom therefore should We lean to attend to current di‫ٻ‬culties and restore the a‫ٺ‬airs of the State? . . . In future, all high ranking mandarins at court and in the provinces shall present Us with truthful reports on everything they regard as useful to the Empire and to private individuals.

And how does the Empress see this famous Chinese army whose 10 O d Testament, Book of Jeremiah, 14.4: “Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the p owmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.” In this context, Raquez probab y has in mind 14.22, which wou d be an ironic reference to the earth y powers of the Empress Dowager: “Are there any among the vanities of the Genti es that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art not thou he, O Lord our God? Therefore we wi wait upon thee: for thou hast made a these things.” Eheu is a Latin expression prefacing terrib e information, akin to “A as.” It appears in the Latin Vu gate Bib e in Jeremiah 32:17.

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training is currently “the government’s greatest concern”? Let us heed her august words: The various army o‫ٻ‬cers, whether in their relations with their su periors or among themselves, have only Æattery and ambition as the drivers of their judgments and conversations. But as regards matters directly related to military questions, they have not the slightest idea. Various abuses stem from this state of a‫ٺ‬airs, including not having a full complement of soldiers required and appropriating the pay of the missing troops.

Lucky o‫ٻ‬cers! Matters having reached this pass, how can we hope that the army might improve from day to day?

Mr. de la Palisse could not have put it better. And the solution? Hark, good people! Field o‫ٻ‬cers should develop in themselves their positive “natural” qualities and make strenuous e‫ٺ‬orts to drive out all excessive Æattery and ambition as stated above. Let all lift up their thoughts toward mil itary merit and dignity and strive to attain these.

The e‫ٺ‬ect is likely to be the same as placing fresh Rigollot paper on the walking stick of a gout su‫ٺ‬erer. 2 Whereupon the old Dowager sends Viceroy Liu back to his farm for being naive enough to footnote his letter with the advice of counselors asking the government to select o‫ٻ‬cers other than those equipped with bows and arrows and shields. The poor man does not know China yet, Viceroy though he may be. 11 Jacques de a Pa ice (or de a Pa isse) (1470 1525), French nob eman and mi itary o‫ٻ‬cer. His name is the root for a “lapalissade,” a derisive term for a tauto ogy or obvious truth. The egend is that epitaph read: “Here ies the Lord of La Pa ice: If he were not dead, he wou d sti be envied.” However, it was misread as “sti be a ive” because of the visua simi arity between the etter “f ” in “ferait . . . envie” (wou d be . . .envied) and “s” in “serait . . .en vie” (wou d be . . . a ive). 12 Rigo ot paper, invented in 1866 by a Parisian pharmacist of that name, was impregnated with mustard for making a pou tice to aid in respiratory cases. In other words, as Raquez imp ies, app ying it to the wa king stick of a gout su‫ٺ‬erer is tota y the wrong remedy.

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Sunday, March 5 Opposite the factory stands a vast, neatly kept house I Årst mistook for a temple. A genial man often stands on its wide threshold. A few days ago, I had occasion to treat the eye of one of his children with a little boric water. Today, he invites me to enter his house. Two of his friends are within. I am forced to fall back on all the Chinese I know. My resources are thin, but with the aid of the dictionary, we manage to understand each other. It is the hour of the Åve o’clock tea. While I chat laboriously, the fragrant liquid is served and the table is covered in confectionaries: pastries looking rather like our Savoie gateaux, 3 sweet and very pleasant to the taste; nougats made from peanuts; small cubes of layered nougat with green pistachio nuts. Following custom and with the exquisite urbanity of his race, the good man showers me with o‫ٺ‬erings, invites me to drink, and even o‫ٺ‬ers me his metal pipe. He is very proud of his two sons, whom he calls over to introduce and who, very neatly dressed, come forward sweetly and o‫ٺ‬er salutations.

March 6 First disruption. The doctor and his patient, Zi the comprador, who is barely recovered, 4 return to Shanghai with Dubernard. They board a little gem of a houseboat, brand new and shiny, with windows on which fantastical animals in bright colors frolic. Anchor aweigh! The light boat shoots downstream like an arrow, carried by the Årst rapids, which rage just below the town walls.

13 Savoie gateau, a crispy-crusted French sponge cake made with vani a and sugar. 14 The unfortunate man was to breathe his ast on y a few weeks ater [Raquez].

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Chapter Eighteen

Across Guizhou Departure by sedan chair – Zhenyuan-fu – An obligatory escort – The staircase of giants – A horrible trophy – Mandarin inns – The flying waterfall – A suspension bridge – Where the Reverend Fleming was murdered – Admirable sites – The tobacco village – A horrible night – The Angelus

March 7 We leave tomorrow for Guiyang: Mr. de Marteau, the author of these lines, and the handsome Zang. H. E. Chen Mingyuan left ahead of us. He will attend to having our accommodation ready in Guizhou’s capital city. His absence may last as much as one month. This is why it takes all day to prepare for the journey.

March 8 As soon as the rooster crows, an infernal din arouses the entire household. Our 40 carriers are in the large inner courtyard. Nothing can be organized in China without interminable palaver, and the assignment of carriers in the dim light is no exception. We have no option but to leave early in the morning. The day’s journey is a long one: 90 li, or more then 45 kilometers along muddy roads. Our caravan must cover this distance as it will be impossible to Ånd acceptable accommodation before Zhenyuan-fu, the Årst prefecture in Guizhou in an upstream direction. The long cortege crosses the Yuan River by ferry, then stretches out along the only street of the Chinese town of Qingxi. At its head are two soldiers who joined us at Changde, superb in their red tunics with a white disc in the center of their back and their muslin trousers with wide trimmings of black velvet. Then come our three chairs – Toto’s 1 Now Zhenyuan, a county and city in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture.

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and the cook’s, if I may confer this title upon the work-shy gâte sauce2 entrusted with the sensitive mission of satisfying our stomachs – then our bedding wrapped in waterproof bags, the chests containing our provisions, and gifts destined for major mandarins, not forgetting our treasury as in this blasted country we must carry ligatures of sapèques and heavy sycee stamped by well-known Chinese trading houses. The road parallels the river, sometimes rising high above the sheer drop of the banks. I shudder at the thought of the peril that would befall us were the carriers to make the slightest misstep. The views are charming, especially the village of Jimingguang, eight li from Qingxi, where the eye can survey the picturesque Yuan Valley. We descend again in that direction in order to cross the river. After a lunch lasting just ten minutes, the pedometers show 55 li covered since this morning. Everything is going well, and the sun has joined the party. It shines, broils, sizzles with extraordinary intensity. The thermometer showed 26 degrees centigrade when we left Qingxi this morning at four. Sun, sun, you are overdoing it, especially now that we have to alight from our chairs and climb such steep slopes. We are now deep in gorges, where this abnormal heat inconveniences us a great deal. Fields of sesame in full bloom and bright yellow inject a lively, fresh note into the somewhat somber landscape that frames it. Night is falling. A long series of ancient triumphal arches made of massive stone blocks ornament the road over several li. Here is Zhenyuan-fu. The suburbs are clean and pleasant. A wooden footbridge takes us to the north bank of the river, where the commercial district teems with people. One of our men had our lodgings readied for us at the town’s select inn. The camp beds covered in straw recall the disciplining quarters of the army. But in this season, the garrison sleeps in these rooms, where it teems in Summer. Shush! Let us not wake it up!3 The prefect sends someone to salute us. A friend of Zang’s, secretary to the military mandarin and answering to the euphonious name of Zang Yuting, arrives to spend a moment in our company. Highly intelligent and of Åne bearing, he obligingly provides us with all the information we ask of him. 2 Litera y “sauce spoi er,” a term designating an incompetent cook. 3 A reference to pest infestation in the straw bedding of the discip ine quarters.

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Zhenyuan-fu is a prefecture of some 25,000 souls but without much interest or commercial activity. The unfortunate Margary4 was once somewhat maltreated here. This is the Ånal destination for the large Chinese junks such as the one from which we disembarked at Qingxi. In fact, Hairy Paws is a citizen of Zhenyuan, and as we crossed the footbridge a moment ago, one of our former boatmen greeted us, very happy to see us again. But it is not prudent, Zang Yuting informs us, to venture further without escort. We will have to pass through Qingping, where a Protestant pastor, the Reverend Fleming, was murdered last November.5 Our mandarin will furnish us with a small company of eight soldiers. We cannot refuse. We will take the squadron. At 50 sapèques, or just one franc, for food for the entire troop per day, such an escort will not be ruinous, though knowing what these rascals are worth . . .

March 9 Seven o’clock in the morning. We wander along Zhenyuan’s long street. The town is coming to life. We are observed with great curiosity but without hostility or the slightest sound. A few shops are opening: hardware stores where iron cooking pots and gardening tools seem of good quality, and shops selling medication, rice, and common earthenware items, and especially bazaars where rejects from all the factories over the Rhine accumulate. Each stall displays typical German pendulum clocks, with their front shaped like an elongated trapeze. The entire facade of a house is artistically decorated with complex porticoes and fantastical arabesques in green and white paper. This mix of colors represents mourning, whereas green and red express joy. A rich merchant is being buried. On his grave, e‫ٻ‬gies made of 4 See note 29, page 142. 5 Scottish-born Wi iam S. F eming (b. 1867), who ived for a number of years in Ade aide (some sources c aim him as Austra ian), was a member of the China Inand Mission (CIM). Sympathetic to the p ight of the ethnic Miao peop e, he was ki ed in the vi age of Chonganjiang in Qingping District during ethnic tensions in November 1898. He was the Årst CIM missionary to be ki ed in China. See Edmund S. Wehr e, Britain, China, and the Anti missionary Riots 1891 1900 (Minneapo is: University of Minnesota Press, 1966), 110.

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The brush A bunker

bamboo will be burned in a moment, clad in colored paper and representing in half real-life size the great man’s cortege with its musicians, its red parasol, its servants, and the master himself mounted on his Ånest steed. Beyond the town walls, the road squeezes through two high mountain ranges over which light white clouds glide timidly like cotton Æakes, the last of the dawn’s mist still brushing the land with its Ånal caresses. Then comes a steep climb on foot: 120 meters in a single ascent as we leave a marvelous panorama behind. I remember once at the – 411 –

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Châtelet seeing a tableau representing the Staircase of the Giants in Around the World, Jules Verne’s masterpiece.6 Here is the same backdrop, the same staircase with its high steps and wide landing. Chinese ponies climb up and down these ramps. At the top, the road was cut through solid rock and has been traveled for centuries. This is the work of Cyclopes, attesting to the former power of this great empire. But it is not only Jules Verne’s savages for whom I Ånd myself scanning the heights as I peer through the darkness that envelops the road. All around us on the summits of peaks and hillocks, we perceive crenellated towers built at the time of the invasions of the fearless Miao tribes that almost succeeded in turning the entire region upside down earlier this winter. Along the way, I decide to glean information about these interesting tribes, which I will be able to verify easily when I reach Guiyang. We pass through a narrow gorge ornamented with a handsome archway and crenellated walls. We climb all morning, and suddenly, the panorama changes. Fertile farms yielding wealth and ease have gone. Here, all is arid soil, sharp wild peaks covered in brush, and here and there a few rare Års, all stunted. Close to the road, one of them, isolated and sinister-looking and with a single tuft of leaves at its apex, causes us to open our eyes wide. A‫ٻ‬xed to the trunk are small, horribly soiled wooden boards with shreds of Æesh. At the end of a queue of black hair hangs a skull. Two more heads lie in the grass, gnawed at by vultures, which scorned only the hair and the bones. One of our soldiers tells us how a few months ago, three Chinamen murdered a trader on this very spot. After the criminals were executed, the horrible trophy we see before us was exhibited at the scene of the crime. Here is another example of the decline of this great Chinese Empire. A bridge, very handsome judging by the ruins of its arches, used to link the town of Shibing to the opposite bank of the Yuan River. The

6 The Théâtre du Châte et is ocated in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. In Apri 1876, a stage version of Ju es Verne’s nove Around the World in Eighty Days began a run that wou d ast 64 years, ending on y with the German occupation in 1940.

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Mandarin Road continues on that side after crossing the town.7 Pedestrians, horse riders, coolies, sedan chairs, convoys of horses, luggage: all must now cross the river by ferry. The current is extremely powerful, and accidents are frequent, we are told. No one can say how long ago the bridge collapsed. Older residents of the town have always known it as it is today, and the vegetation that invaded its crumpled pillars testiÅes to the accident’s antiquity. A few years ago, a subscription was launched, but . . . so much money is needed, says the good man who gives us this information. In Shibing, we are met by a Chinese colonel who once served as Mr. de Marteau’s guide. He leads our little cortege toward the mandarin inn. The sub-prefect sends us an excellent ham, oranges, grapefruit, and Chinese cakes. The colonel’s three young daughters with adorably impish fresh faces run up to greet us by prostrating themselves on both knees. Chinese children are good enough to eat! Why must they get older?

March 10 Storm and deluge raged all night and continue this morning. We cannot go out. In addition, it is bitterly cold and snow threatens. What a curious country! We are forced to remain at the bin guan, the mandarin inn, where we enjoy comfortable shelter. I should make it clear that all along main roads, such as the one we now follow, typical stages covering between 60 and 90 li make it possible for convoys to stop in quite substantial towns. At each stop, a yamen or bin guan is reserved for traveling high-ranking functionaries. Our special passport from the Zongli Yamen, which was sent ahead to the local mandarin by messenger, opens the doors of the bin guan to us, with a squadron of soldiers forming a guard of honor. All of these mandarin inns are built to the same design. All have a guardhouse under the main porch, an inner courtyard with lodgings for menials, and an enormous gate decorated with ferocious genies or no 7 See note 21, page 94. The road Raquez is referring to is now Provincia Highway S306, which crosses the Yuan River at Shibing and continues to Guiyang as Nationa Road G210/321.

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less hideous dragons that opens onto a long covered gallery at the end of which are apartments. A large red veil is lifted to allow us to enter the ge ting, or reception salon, where we Ånd daybeds, tables where tea is served, and wide armchairs. Philosophical maxims and poems adorn the walls. On either side of the salon are one or two clean and adequately furnished rooms. Unheard-of luxury comes in the form of glass window panes and large American oil lamps. Hot tea awaits us and braziers are lit. During the day, the weather recovered its indi‫ٺ‬erent aspect but remains short of its smiles of two days ago. There would be no point in setting o‫ ٺ‬again. We would not be able to reach the next obligatory inn. We wander through the streets of Shibing. A street scene takes us back to the days of patriarchs. Judging by their lengthy explanations, two coolies animatedly debate a very complicated sapèque account. A crowd forms a circle around them. Each coolie argues his case, to which the gallery listens in profound silence. Then two men Ånd voice in turn to express their opinion, and a woman delivers a very, very long speech that no doubt conciliates the two parties as the account is settled there and then, coram populo, that is, in public. Isn’t this court hearing deliciously candid, taking us back as it does to the dawn of civilization? But were women invited to express their views back then?

March 11 We see collapsed archways: triumphal arches knocked down by the Miao and left in that condition. Enormous sculpted stones lie disconsolately in Åelds. They will remain there for centuries to come. Hundreds of bunkers stand on the summits of this wild country. Halfway through the day, close to the road, a waterfall drops over 30 meters, somewhat thin today but carrying enormous volumes during the rainy season judging by its deposits and the holes it carves into the mountain. We alight from our chairs to climb the wide stone staircase that leads to a gem: the pagoda known as fei ying tong, or the “Cave of the Flying Waterfall.” The backdrop consists of a huge cave of white limestone that Ålls the back of a paved terrace where the faithful gather on pilgrimage – 414 –

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Bunkers

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days. At the center of this gigantic shell that dominates the entire terrace, an altar made of sculpted wood in red and gold houses a statue of the goddess Guanyin in Shiva posture inside a tabernacle. The idol, which is entirely gilded, is not much less than Åve meters tall. The face has the gentleness and aloof serenity of a Hindu deity. Six arms protrude from the shoulders, two of which point downward, two more are raised, and the two in the middle join hands. These gestures are so graceful that the result is in no way as grotesque as we might be inclined to believe. But Guanyin’s back grows 30 more arms that stretch out in a regular pattern, 15 on either side of the goddess, and that would resemble the wings of a cherub were it not for the 30 bizarre hands whose palms contains a half-open eye in the center. Another 65 li brings us to Huangpingzhou. Last Autumn, this sub-prefecture was the scene of a confrontation between Chinese and Miao, who came down their mountains with the intention of establishing a market in the town. The Chinese refused. Battle was joined, but victory favored the incomparably more numerous Sons of the Celestial Empire. Fearing a massacre, the population has started Æeeing, and we even heard yesterday in Shibing that the town has been deserted by its inhabitants.

Sunday, March 12 There is a Chinese proverb that portrays Guizhou by saying that along its roads, Not a single li is level; No three consecutive li go in the same direction; No house contains a single tael.

This sums it up neatly. It is true that poverty is everywhere in this mountainous region of the province. We no longer see pretty villages, vast comfortable habitations, or the fertile farms we admired in Hunan and around Qingxi. The roads consist of an uninterrupted series of slopes, each one steeper than the last, without the slightest Æat section, all inclines and twists. A river cuts across the Mandarin Road. It is more than 30 meters wide. The bridge we glimpse from afar seems to consist of a small – 416 –

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board suspended over the abyss and describing a curve accentuated by the weight of the convoy that is crossing it. On either bank are two tall sturdy pillars of cut stone. An iron chain made of thick wide oval links is embedded deep inside one of the pillars. Extended to the other bank where it was similarly secured, it was then strung eight or ten times back and forth from one pillar to the other, thus forming the deck of the bridge. Light boards cover the chain. Pedestrians, horses, and chair carriers all cross this elastic gangway. This is precisely the spot where, on November 5, 1898, the Reverend Fleming was murdered. Having lived in the country for many years, the pastor had taken a wife from among the Miao. But the Chinese accused him of favoring the enemies of their race and, on the occasion of the e‫ٺ‬ervescence between Miao and Chinese that manifested itself during the Winter, this hatred of Europeans, the enemy’s protectors, was whipped up by a number of inÆuential patriots. Several men were posted near the bridge. Approaching on horseback, the pastor was struck with a saber that severed his Ångers. Thrown o‫ ٺ‬his horse and pierced repeatedly with a lance, he was killed before he was able to rise to his feet. A Chinese Christian perished along with him.8 The murderers, or at least those deemed guilty, were executed. But the instigators of the ambush have not yet been apprehended. A reward of 2,000 taels (or about 77,000 francs) has been promised by the provincial treasury, and a mandarin was demoted for having failed to maintain order on the roads of his district. As a result, the prefects and sub-prefects of the towns we pass through insist on having us escorted by soldiers armed with umbrella and pipe, the two weapons of every Chinese warrior. The afternoon sees us cross an area of white limestone. One of the heights is shaped like a gigantic citadel. In fact, binoculars allow us to discern the ruins of a defensive structure at its summit. On one side is a vast cave partly Æooded and emptying into a small lake. Local people recount how during invasions, families sought shelter in the colossal fortress and entered it via the cave. A staircase has been carved into the mountain. A guard ensures that boats are ready to ferry the population to the cave’s entrance at the Årst alarm. 8 Raquez’s version of the story is corroborated by period accounts. The Miao convert was named Pan Xiushan. See the o‫ٻ‬cia annua report of the China In and Mission: “The Particu ars of Mr. F eming’s Death,” China’s Millions 7 (1899), 22.

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Qingping, 75 li further on, is a small sub-prefecture where a delightful mandarin inn awaits us. With its wide armchairs upholstered with pink Pompadour cloth,9 its daybeds, and its admirably maintained tables on which tea is served, it has the hugely cheering air of a small old coquette.

March 13 Horror! In a narrow gorge, a man lies on his back alongside the road. The pool of blood that bathes his head indicates that murder was committed. The corpse has been here for several days. The color of the face is horrible. The soldiers, carriers, and coolies in our cortege walk past laughing and exchanging pleasantries. What a singular people! We lunch at Huangluo, a small town into which we descend rapidly along an exquisitely picturesque road. At the entrance to the town, a very old bridge remains in place despite the ravages of water and nature. We see more bunkers, some of which are occupied by soldiers, then reach Mazhangbing, our destination for tonight.

March 14 We cross a wild gorge wih rocky formations that recall the striking scenery of Rocamadour. 0 At the bottom runs a serene river of limpid emerald green. The road descends steeply toward a wide stone bridge before climbing again as it follows the watercourse. A monk has set up a statue of a genie on a table and solicits donations from travelers by striking a gong of extraordinary resonance. A few beggars sing laments in unknown but quite harmonious modes. No birds chirrup, no stream emits the slightest sound. Only the laments Åll this wild gorge, giving a profound impression of abnormality. 9 A Æora patterned c oth, printed or woven, usua y of si k, named after Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (1721 1764), o‫ٻ‬cia principa mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751. The Pompadour hairsty e is a so named after her. Raquez probab y has in mind a sty e of c oth popu ar in the 1880s known as “Pompadour shantung.” See Va erie Cumming et a . The Dictionary of Fashion History (Oxford: Berg, 2010), 264. 10 Rocamadour is a medieva hi side town in the Dordogne Va ey in southwestern France. The town is the home of a famous statute of a B ack Madonna.

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Crossing a bridge

Some 50 meters above the ground in a crevice in the rock in which stands a small idol painted blue. It must be famous throughout the area because our carriers salute it as we pass before it. We reach an elevation of 1,060 meters. A mountain pass is guarded by a crenellated wall Åtted with an archway. We cross the ridge that marks the watershed. On one Æank, the streams, torrents, and rivers we crossed earlier Æow toward the Yuan River or other tributaries toward the Superior Yangtze basin. But all the watercourses we have yet to cross or whose sinuosities we now discern Æow toward Sichuan before emptying into the Superior Yangtze via rivers such as the Wujiang. Four o’clock in the afternoon. Am I awake or are dreams already invading my head? No, I am standing next to my chair during a halt in the mountain. And yet the annoying sound of the electrical warning mechanism of our railway stations assaults my ears. But seeing me intrigued, the soldiers point to a bird the size of a pigeon perched in a tree far above us and making this singular racket for a few seconds before having another go almost immediately. Unfortunately, it is a little too far to supply information about its identity. At Guiding, a sub-prefecture that is our next destination after covering 70 li, we are in the heart of the tobacco trade. Every house in the town is a shop selling the weed dear to Nicot, beautiful golden 11 Jean Nicot (1530 1600), French ambassador to Portuga , who introduced tobacco p ants from Brazi to France in 1560. The word “nicotine” stems from the Latin name for tobacco p ants, Nicotiana tabacum, named after Nicot.

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tobacco packed rather in the manner of our chocolate. Thousands and thousands of these packs are arranged symmetrically on the stalls of these shops, which succeed each other and all look alike. The bin guan is occupied by the provincial treasurer’s son, who happens to be passing through. But at the sight of our passport from the Zongli Yamen, which was sent ahead of us, the sub-prefect invites the young mandarin to relinquish his accommodation for our beneÅt. He moves out, accompanied by a veritable harem of women with small feet and a substantial assortment of multicolored Æags. All will be housed in the ordinary inn. Unable to refuse the local functionary’s gracious o‫ٺ‬er, we express our gratitude toward him as well as the young mandarin by sending the usual gifts: corned beef, sardines, preserves, and chocolate, to which both functionaries respond with excellent hams, purgative tea, grapefruit, and Chinese cakes.

March 15 But the expelled mandarin exacts a horrible revenge. He left behind every rat in the inn as well as the horses of his escort, some 40 beasts reserved for the soldiers and the transportation of luggage. The horses are stabled near our room with their mangers attached to our wall. Each animal is Åtted with a bell. I fancy I am sleeping below the belfry of some old Flemish city, which every quarter of an hour plays variations upon the Carillonneur de Bruges 2 adapted to local taste. The horses kick and bite. The Chinese shout. A truly pleasurable experience until morning! We pass through another gorge in the manner of Salvator Rosa, greener in color than that of yesterday and recalling some aspects of the domain of the Grande Chartreuse, that wonder of nature. 3

12 Most ike y a reference to a comic opera of that name by the Be gian composer A bert Grisar (1808 1869). It premiered in Paris in 1852 with a ibretto by French yricist Henri Saint-Georges (1799 1875). 13 The Grande Chartreuse is the head monastery of the Carthusian order of monks, ocated in a remote A pine va ey in southeastern France. The monastery ends its name to a speciÅc shade of green, which itse f is derived from the famed iqueur of the same name, which is made by the monks. Sa vator Rosa (1615 1673) was an Ita ian painter and poet known for extravagant and grandiose compositions and use of co or, especia y in his andscape paintings.

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And as always in picturesque spots, there is a pagoda, which can be reached by a staircase cut into the rock. After crossing yet another river over a long covered bridge that sags under the weight of its years, we climb to 1,100 meters before descending into a wider, more welcoming valley. There lies the town of Longlixian, its crenellated walls Åtted with a semi-circular projection and within them a small but beautiful multi-storied pagoda standing on a wooded mount. As we dine at the mandarin inn, O wonders of wonders!, we are startled by a bell tolling the Angelus very near us. 4 Upon inquiring, we learn that Longlixian was evangelized by a French missionary, but he left for Guangxi Province a few days ago. What a pity! It is three months since we last saw a European face. Until tomorrow, Guiyang!

14 Traditiona y rung three times a day as a ca to devotions, the name derives from Angelus Domini, or Ange of the Lord, in reference to Gabrie .

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Chapter Nineteen

Guiyang-fu The land of inconsolable widows – The brave general’s pagoda – Hello, Lolottes! – The streets of Guiyang – The Bishop’s residents and the mission – A gala dinner – Protocol – Drunken shrimps – The fathers’ tunnel – Futai, Nietai, Pantai, and Taotai – The Belgian fleet – Chinese schools – Whistling birds

March 16 What a colossal task the creators of this marvelous road undertook in the past: four or Åve meters wide in parts and entirely paved with broad stone slabs, making no attempt to circumvent di‫ٻ‬culties presented by the mountains but rather scaling them vigorously instead before plunging into deep valleys and facing head-on the next obstacle that tries in vain to block its advance. The old mossy bridges are very artistic. Often lacking railings, with their wide stone deck, the pure semicircle or the perfectly ribbed contour of their arches choked by brambles and small wild trees, they look like the ruined nave of some ancient cathedral invaded by water. One more mountain pass and we glimpse Guiyang-fu nestling in the distance. The immense collection of its houses spreads out over a vast plateau dominated by our road. Halfway there is a verdant hillock. Encircled by a sturdy wall, its summit supports a series of pagodas against which a multitude of humble dwellings nestle, squeezed tight like chicks under a hen’s wing. All of this is grayish white, fresh, and very clean. We pass an incalculable number of inconsolable widows represented by the triumphal arches that adorn the road. We enter the city. The prefect, who sends two representatives carrying his card to welcome us a few li from the city, has reserved for our beneÅt an almost new pagoda, where we settle to our upmost satisfaction. In fact, it is more like an ancestral temple than a pagoda. Erected in memory of General Chao, who was killed during the suppression of – 422 –

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The Mandarin Road Triumphal arches

the Miao insurrection, this temple was built half by his family and half by the o‫ٻ‬cers who served under his command. No fat buddhas, but a series of halls. The main hall contains the general’s tablet, long and rounded at the top like a headstone. Entirely lacquered with black with gold characters, it rests on an immense altar made of carved wood, also in black and gold. Around the altar are – 423 –

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tablets recording the names of the temple’s founders along with those of dead high-ranking provincial mandarins. We are housed in a kind of pantheon. In other halls are more tablets, then four enormous co‫ٻ‬ns made of black wood occupied by their legitimate owners and arranged on low trestles. Absolute calm reigns. This district is where those with a private income live. Mandarins who retired from public service are especially fond of this part of the city because it is so tranquil. It is very dark inside the pagoda. A monk glides by silently. He came to place joss sticks before the tablets of illustrious Ågures. As I daydream before these red dots that alone glow in the darkness of this necropolis, I am jerked back to the realities of life by Toto.

March 1 7 We wander up and down the streets of Guiyang. The capital of Guizhou is immense but in fact consists of two parts, the ancient city, and the new city, separated from each other by tall thick walls. Some 100,000 people live in the two sections combined. The population is peaceful, with little hostility toward Europeans, who are observed with deep curiosity as they pass by. No shouts, no loud laughter on the part of urchins, a behavior that often precedes commotions. The streets are a little wider than those of the Chinese cities of Canton, Shanghai, even Hankow. But the Chinese phenotype is no longer the same. The eyes are less slanting, the nose often narrower. In fact, there is a mix of all races in this region, which was invaded on numerous occasions in the past. We pass a group of pretty women wearing skirts and jackets made of blue serge with a wide indent pointing downward over their chest. On their head they wear a bonnet of the same material, which recalls the headdress of our Cauchois women. I am told these women are from the land of the Lolos, a tribe liv-

1 A region of Normandy, with Rouen as its major city. The ta and e aborate headdress worn by oca women was much remarked on by 19th century trave ers.

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ing within Guizhou Province but retaining its independence.2 These lolottes3 are very sweet, I must admit. Most of the shop owners keep a chicken al fresco, tied by its leg on the threshold of the house and pecking at the scraps thrown within its reach. We see an entire series of tanners, or rather hide workers. Four pieces of wood connected together form a wide frame on which cow hides stripped of shreds of Æesh and fat are stretched like a tarpaulin held by a rope that winds around. There are hundreds of them, drying in the glorious March sun. Here is the street of the blacksmiths, who use a vast wooden cylinder with two valves, with the bellows worked by an apprentice. Clearly, there is no shortage of iron ore in these parts as anvils resonate as if in Vulcan’s domain. Many work tin, for the most part with quite good results. Silk embroiderers work before the crowd next to engravers or carpenters, who carve with great skill or make their adjustments with astonishing precision. Then come scribes specializing in maxims, fully aware of the religious importance of their work as they wield their paintbrushes gravely while their cartoonist neighbor handles his lightly. One of them bursts out laughing at the sight of the kindly face he just drew on a pot-bellied, half-asleep buddha whose ears are being tickled by a gaggle of facetious small boys, to their great amusement. This age is merciless everywhere! Here are the thousand articles we see in every Chinese town but sold here in shops that are less dark and, unlike those of Canton, are not Åtted with those enormous signs that keep out almost all light. A Celestial wanders about as he clangs two brass cymbals held between two Ångers. He is a veterinary doctor roaming the streets in search of clientele. Two hideous beggars stand almost naked on the threshold of a shop. Black with soot and grime, they sing to a polka rhythm while accompanying themselves on a kind of pair of castanets. It is as if we were hearing the minstrels of London’s music halls. 2 A so known as the Yi peop e, they are the seventh argest by popu ation of the 55 ethnic groups o‫ٻ‬cia y recognized by the Peop e’s Repub ic of China. The Lo o anguage, a fami y of between some 50 to 100 varieties, is c ose y re ated to Burmese. 3 A p ay on words. “Lolotte” was a Parisian s ang term for a prostitute.

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At every step, we pass convoys of horses walking in a line and carrying coke or limestone rock in the baskets of their packsaddles. At intervals against the city walls are niches built on stilts: long, low, and painted red. These are the huts of the night watchmen, who sleep in them on every street. On our return, we Ånd an invitation to dinner at the house of the provincial director of the telegraph service, a most genial man who, we learn, expects us at his table this coming Monday, March 20. He is said to be a real gourmet. All right! Zang provides a literal translation of the invitation: I decided to prepare on the 9th (of the moon, or March 20) at the hour of shen (9th Chinese hour, that is, from 3 to 5 in the afternoon) a real feast, and await your response. Pan Guangzhao issues an invitation and o‫ٺ‬ers greetings. This plain sheet of paper begs you to come to Zuiwuige, where the table is ready.

A plain sheet of red paper is attached to another sheet folded ten times on itself and marked with a single character signifying “full.” Apparently, etiquette requires that the envelope contain a great deal of paper. As long as this pleases the good Mr. Pan, it does not inconvenience us in the slightest.

March 18 How can it be that in a city as large as Guiyang, and a provincial capital to boot, it is almost impossible to Ånd beef, and we continually eat nothing but eggs, chicken, duck, and canned food? Luckily, pheasants are common in the countryside, a superb golden species with a long and wonderfully colored tail. Milk is not commonly used but not impossible to Ånd, just as in Annam. One bottle costs about one dollar, or approximately 2.50 francs. And while I am on the subject of money, let us note once more the di‫ٻ‬culties created by the exchange rate while traveling. In Qingxi, the local currency, the Guizhou tael, was worth exactly 1,500 sapèques and the dollar bought exactly 1,000 pieces of this copper currency. But in Guiyang, the same tael is traded at 1,060 sapèques and the dollar at 750. As a result, traveling Europeans Ånd themselves at the complete mercy of their comprador or paying o‫ٻ‬cer. – 426 –

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While H. E. Chen Mingyuan pays his o‫ٻ‬cial visits, we continue our excursions about the city amidst calm, even respect, on the part of the crowd. There is a very noticeable di‫ٺ‬erence between the general attitude of the population of Guizhou compared to that of Hunan. We come across a photographer. The only dark room the good man has at his disposal is his shop, where he works at night after carefully covering up all the cracks. For serious work, this artist slides under a table he covered with a carpet and develops his work in a squatting position. But his prints are of fairly good quality despite all this.

Sunday, March 19 Dinner at the bishop’s residence! Guiyang is the seat of the Vicariate Apostolic of Guizhou. Monsignor Guichard, who receives us most a‫ٺ‬ectionately, is from the Vendée region and arrived in China over 30 years ago.4 Like the Canton monsignor I spoke of earlier, he has not once clapped eyes on France since that time. There are three other Fathers at Beitang (the Temple of the North), who speak in measured tones of their 35 years of continuous residence in this country, including Father Gréa, the kindly Procurator,5 who promises us excellent bread and creamy milk. Yet deep in their heart, these brave missionaries retain a strong love of the French homeland. “It does us so much good to meet compatriots and talk about France,” says the digniÅed bishop, father to 18,000 Christians scattered over some 30 missions. In the capital itself, there are two temples: Beitang (the northern temple), and Nantang (the southern temple), under whose vaults 3,000 of the faithful gather. Beitang is superb. We will attend a mass that will be celebrated at 11 o’clock, but Monsignor Guichard Årst takes us on a tour of his domain, dressed in the Chinese manner like all the Fathers in the province. The entire mission is built on a slight elevation. The property is 4 François Mathurin Guichard (1893 1913), who Årst arrived in Guiyang in 1864, he ped inaugurate St. Joseph’s Cathedra (the “North Church,” as described by Raquez), when it was rebui t fo owing Åre in 1876. The cathedra sti stands. He was made Bishop of Guizhou in 1893 and wou d die there. Vendée is a region on the At antic coast of France. 5 Fé ix Séraphin Gréa (1840 1908) was born in the Jura region and arrived in Guizhou in 1865. He was named Procurator of the mission in 1873 and remained in that position unti his death in Guiyang.

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entirely enclosed by tall thick walls. Under the main porch leading inside from the street, instead of the traditional guards with their long mustaches and ferocious eyes, a naive artiste painted a cuirassier and a dragoon, both French and armed from head to toe. We see beautiful palm trees, tall camellias rising from Æower beds in full bloom, catalpas, and a multitude of exotic species. Towering over the missionaries’ building is the church, with its large Chinese facade entirely decorated with strange moldings and its pretty little four-story pagoda surmounted by a cross. I confess that this handsome building seems more artistic to me than the superb Gothic cathedral of Canton, whose tall spires soar above the grimacing roofs and fantastical arabesques of the Chinese city. But mass is starting. The church is full. Vast and with three naves, it is divided into two by a partition: on one side, the men; on the other, the weaker sex. The faithful recite prayers rhythmically and without interruption in a psalmodic tone. A deafening clamor arises from the congregation. During the Elevation, every one of the priest’s assistants prostrates himself, his forehead touching the Æoor, and emits heartrending wails until a little bell announces the end of the Presentation.6 The result is a concert of 1,000 to 1,200 sighers of which nothing we are accustomed to hearing in Europe could give any notion. A school welcomes several hundred children in the shadow of the cathedral. Outside the city walls, a college accommodates about the same number of students, to whom the French language is taught. They are called to perform substantial duties in this province to which its midway position between the Yangtze Valley and our Indochinese colony gives great importance and which the railway from Lao Cai to Kunming will bring closer to us.

March 20 Jiaxiu Pavilion, where we are due to meet with Pan, the mandarin with a blue button and director of the telegraph service, is a ravishing pagoda located on an islet formed by the Nanming River.7 6 The raising of the consecrated bread and wine during Mass. 7 Raquez seems to be describing Jiaxiu Pavi ion, which sits on an is et in the Nanming River (he mistaken y ca s it the Guiyang River) and the nearby Cuiwei Pavi ion.

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An old stone bridge takes us there. In addition to our host and one of his friends, the company consists of H. E. Chen Mingyuan our taotai, the handsome Zang, the city’s sub-prefect, and Taotai Yen, who performs the functions of city prefect as well as Årst provincial prefect. He is the governor’s right-hand man, not to say the de facto governor. Taotai Yen invites us to visit the pagoda, which contains venerable incense burners, quite unique as collectors’ items, and a smaller pagoda made entirely of gilded bronze and Åve meters tall. Ten thousand small buddhas in repoussé bronze – if I am to believe the number on the inscription – decorate the exterior of the building and stretch out in immense but bizarre arrangements all around its partitions. Inside stands an attractive statue of an Indian buddha. Taotai Yen informs us that the idol was brought here from Yunnan two centuries ago. In the reception salon, we are given pride of place on daybeds while our host stands by the door. Tea is served, then small hot onion pies and cookies made with brown sugar accompanied by a bowl of thick, sweet rice soup. Pan himself takes ivory chopsticks, a small plate, and a bowl from the hands of a domestic and o‫ٺ‬ers them to each of us with a bow of the head. Meanwhile, the table has been set. We take our places in accordance with full Chinese protocol, which is often ignored by Celestials consorting with Europeans. But Pan is in the presence of high-ranking mandarins, his immediate superiors, and he cannot brush aside the rigorous etiquette regulating o‫ٻ‬cial relations in this singular country. The master of the house reserves the place of honor for his special guest, Mr. de Marteau. With both hands and bowing deeply, he o‫ٺ‬ers him the two ivory chopsticks, places them on the table facing his guest’s armchair, and takes from the hands of a servant a small porcelain cup Ålled with warm rice wine he o‫ٺ‬ers in oblation and bows once more. He then places the cup inside the opening of another receptacle Ålled with hot water so that it is half-immersed. Finally, our mandarin plumps up the seat cushions and rearranges the chair’s draping and bows deeply before our traveling companion. The ceremony is then repeated for my beneÅt. I am seated at a Bui t during the Ming Dynasty, Cuiwei was origina y a temp e to the goddess Guanyin. It was turned into a pub ic garden in 1993.

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round table immediately opposite Mr. de Marteau. The scene is replicated for each of the guests. According to protocol, the guest for whom the master did the honors of the table should conclude the process by himself arranging the master’s seat to perfection. H. E. Chen Mingyuan takes up this function. After a general greeting, everyone takes his seat. On the table are the cold dishes we saw earlier: fruit, orange segments, tangerines and pears arranged in pyramids, cold chicken, eggs turned green from preservation in lime and brine over long years, ham, duck thinly sliced, etc. A servant approaches and removes the saucer that covers the small porcelain compote dish placed in front of me. At Årst, I only notice a brownish liquid, bean sauce, no doubt. But the sauce is moving! Suddenly, something leaps out and lands in my cup of jiu. These are live shrimp, drunken shrimp, frolicking in my rice wine. Naughty shrimp! Taotai Yen, my neighbor, o‫ٺ‬ers me some with his chopsticks. But I cannot bring myself to undergo this trial. “But it is very good,” he tells me as he gulps down a quantity of these gray little leapers in rapid succession just as they are, quite alive and still wriggling. But what I decide to taste again and again is raw Åsh, salted and grated into a kind of powder rather like cocoa and very pleasant to the taste. Then comes a succession of hot dishes: mushrooms garnished with a kind of rather Åne stu‫ٻ‬ng, white Ållets of chicken in ginger, sautéed chicken liver, shark’s Åns, bamboo in gravy, turtle swimming in an excellent stock, shrimp and ham stew, boiled Åsh served whole in its juice, poached pigeon’s eggs, vermicelli and ham stew, roast duck, rice with sugared fruit, quarters of pears in juice, suckling pig whole and marvelously dressed. Every part is intact: snout, ears, legs folded back on themselves, everything, even the tiny tail. The superbly roasted golden skin is quickly carved into sections without anyone noticing. Chopsticks are all we need to detach morsels. But the guests devour only the skin. The Æesh, which appears delicious, is the lot of the domestics. With the suckling pig come small onions placed in a saucer in front of each guest, then pieces of wheat dough, heavy in the extreme and steamed plain, which only the Chinese and ostriches can digest. Finally comes rice with a large dish of boiled pork. Pan’s reputation is not overdone, I must confess. His fare is truly excellent. A certain experience allows me to state that while all mediocre – 430 –

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meals resemble each other and send shudders of horror through European entrails, it is quite a di‫ٺ‬erent matter with true Chinese gourmet dishes not prepared by those hybrid cooks who have only a vague idea of the Western culinary arts. Tonight’s dinner as well as the two we enjoyed earlier in H. E. Chen Mingyuan’s house and on the Æower boat in Canton would Ånd real success in our fashionable restaurants. Taotai Yen, who comes across as an old rascal, is riotously merry. He is an inveterate chatterbox; between mouthfuls, he draws a few pu‫ٺ‬s from the metal pipe he places in his mouth again and again. When he addresses Pan’s friend, the little old man sitting opposite him, the latter straightens up as if on a spring, takes up a military bearing, and replies: Shi, da ren (“Yes, Great Man”)8 with all the sti‫ٺ‬ness of a military o‫ٻ‬cer answering his colonel. Various toasts are proposed, after each one of which the toaster shows that he emptied his cup of jiu and invites us to do likewise. Towels dipped in boiling water circulate. Each diner takes one and cools his face. Every now and then, Yen pulls out a pretty little jade bottle Ålled with a powder he inhales. But the feast comes to an end. The master rises, and suddenly, everyone takes his leave. Servants rush in to pull back our seats. The hall is invaded by lantern carriers as the night is pitch black. Our host is already in the courtyard in his hat of peacock feathers to salute his guests as they climb into their sedan chairs. One two three: go! Everyone is o‫ ٺ‬in less time than it takes to write these words. No one lingers in the smoking room after Guiyang dinners, and householders do not have to spend much on entertaining their guests during the initial phase of digestion. In fact, costs are of an entirely di‫ٺ‬erent nature. Here, the person who gives the dinner hands out large quantities of sapèques to his guests’ servants. Our domestics, our soldiers, even our chair carriers depart with well-Ålled pockets. The pagoda’s courtyard is taken over by several hundred urchins 8 Da ren ⣏Ṣ, or “great man,” was as an honoriÅc for government administrators of rank above that of prefect, or more genera y as an acknow edgement of high status.

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following the mandarins and carrying enormous lanterns made of oil paper. This illumination is highly picturesque. Then, our cortege and its lanterns Åle through the streets to the great amusement of the population, unaccustomed as it is to such an extravagant display of lights and red tunics.

March 21 Starting yesterday, we have been celebrating the Spring Confucius holiday. Twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, o‫ٻ‬cials head for the Temple of Literature very early in the morning, prostrate themselves before the great philosopher’s tablet, and burn many kilograms of paper in his honor. The ceremony is limited to this visit to the temple in solemn procession. All day long we go on visits of our own. Our aim is to salute not Confucius’s tablet but the persons of the sub-prefect and prefect, our dinner companions of yesterday, then that of the nietai, a Manchu with an intelligent face who seems desirous to see China proÅt from European industry. Tea, cakes, more tea.

March 22 We take a walk through the suburbs as far as Jiyoudang, the senior seminary where Fathers Chanticlair and Poux train young Chinese men for the priesthood.9 The good Fathers welcome us warmly and show us around their vast garden. Some time ago, workers removed stones from part of the garden. The rumor spread among the population that the missionaries were digging a tunnel to enable them to communicate with Tonkin. French soldiers, it was said, were making preparations to use the tunnel to 9 There is now on y a junior seminary in Guiyang, which is part of the Cathedra of St. Joseph. Louis-Marie Poux (1859 1922) and Jean Baptiste Ernest Chantic air (1852 1921) both spent their adu t ives in China in the service of the church, and both died there. According to the MEP archives on ine, Chantic air requested in 1896 that the existing junior and senior seminaries be sp it, with the senior institution, to be known as St. Pierre Seminary, transferred to the former prepatory schoo in the parish of Saint-Étienne-hors- es-Murs. It is this seminary bui ding that Raquez visits, the former name being trans iterated in mu tip e period sources (inc uding this one) as Ky yeou tang, or a hospice for ado escents. The Fathers’s names are misprinted in the origina text as “Chantuc air” and “Pouxon.”

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inÅltrate the capital of Guizhou. One day, the Fathers saw mandarins arrive to inspect the site and allay the population’s fears. In the afternoon, we pay a visit to the provincial treasurer, another high-ranking functionary. In fact, each province has three mandarins whose authority extends to the entire territory: the governor, or futai, the top judge, or nietai, and the treasurer, or fantai. Then comes the taotai, a kind of steward whose authority covers several prefectures. There are three of them in Guizhou. Last come the prefects, or chih fu, and the sub-prefects, or tung chih. 0

March 23 We visit the futai, or provincial governor. This high-ranking mandarin positioned some 40 soldiers in the courtyard of his yamen to form a guard of honor, more neatly dressed than is the norm for these tunic wearers. No doubt they donned their Ånery. His Excellency is on the terrace as our sedan chairs arrive. He is 50 to 60 years old, a Åne Ågure of a man, with intelligent eyes. We are served tea, cakes, and fruit, among which are superb pears from Yunnan. The futai has little contact with Europeans. He inquires about the distance between London and Paris. London is the city where one works, he informs us, Paris where one has fun. As for Belgium, it is an industrial nation. Its construction of the Hankow–Peking railway testiÅes to this. But it does not have a large Æeet, whereas Great Britain has the largest one in the world. You are quite correct as regards Great Britain, Your Excellency, but as for the Belgian Æeet, well . . . Will the European powers go to war against China? This is one of the mandarins’ major preoccupations, the governor stresses. But although they love the poor and wealthy equally, he adds, they are often deceived by those around them. As for him, he is happy to see Europeans bring prosperity and work 10 Raquez simp iÅes the situation somewhat as there were severa c asses and types of prefect and sub-prefect depending on the type of administration in any given prefecture, inc uding independent prefectures known as ting. For a fu ist of prefect and sub-prefect tit es, see Wi iam F. Mayers, The Chinese Government: A manual of Chi nese titles, categorically arranged and explained, with an appendix (Shanghai: Ke y & Wa sh, 1897), 37 38.

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to the province. But he is quite speciÅc in requesting that only those of serious character and peaceful demeanor be sent there.

March 24 Today we dine at the yamen of the prefect, H. E. Taotai Yen. A most genial man, the old fox invites us to join him following the ritual I already described. He points to the Årst seat at the circular table and then to the second one immediately opposite, himself taking the last one at the end of the shorter arm of the cross thus formed closest to the door. At this point, a master of ceremonies calls each guest by name. The Chinese do not pronounce the sound r, changing it instead to l, so that when the Æunky tries to say “Raquez, distinguished gentleman,” he calls out “la caisse, da ren.” I will remember this expression for my future calling cards. Our host o‫ٺ‬ers each of us chopsticks, wine, and a well-appointed seat. The Chinese guests call for a copper basin that will be Ålled with water along with their personal towel for their ablutions. Each one also has a large serviette that is his personal property, a decorated silk square he attaches to the top button of his tunic. Who would have thought that mouth-rinsers would be used in the interior of China? And yet nothing could be truer or more Chinese. The contraption consists of a rather handsome vase made of yellow or red copper and divided into two interlocking sections. The upper part is for hot water while the lower part serves as outlet. There is nothing new under the sun, it seems. Ghost of Monselet, did you not feel a thrill? 2 Oh, the delicious little sucking pig we are served, roasted to golden perfection, crunchy, with a rich taste! This is enough to tempt a holy hermit into committing the grave sin of gluttony. The prefect’s dinner is especially Åne. Of special note is a kind of 11 The joke here is that whi e trying to ca out “Raquez,” the speaker mispronounces his name as “La caisse,” the French word for “cash ti .” As exp ained in note 8, page 431, da ren was the honoriÅc app ied to high-ranking o‫ٻ‬cia s. 12 Char es Monse et (1825 1888), a pro iÅc French author and founder and editor of the week y newspaper Le Gourmet in 1858, was known as the “king of gastronomes” for his ove of good food.

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omelet of rice and green lentils, absolutely exquisite and almost enough to make us forget Saint Anthony’s companion.

March 25 The sounds of Guiyang are varied! From the pagoda, we hear the cries of the street that, in the half-awake state of morning, recall those of Paris. They di‫ٺ‬er little in intonation and are no more comprehensible than our own. Here are sellers of victuals, toiletry items, baskets, and trinkets, itinerant barbers, doctors in search of clients, etc. But the coolies and chair carriers do not bark like their colleagues of Canton or Shanghai. The people of Guiyang work hard but noiselessly. Water carriers trot up from the river and back down again silently. Only the bells of the horses transporting salt, coal, or cement stone inject a noisy note. But in the distance, a medley of children’s voices reaches our ears. I walk up to a low door. It is a school. In the manner of the country, each student says aloud the characters he tries to engrave on his memory without taking the slightest notice of his neighbors, who all behave in exactly the same manner. Seated in his pulpit, the teacher listens and corrects in passing defective intonations. Imagine the cacophony! In Guiyang, there are about 20 students in each class. In general, the Chinese can read and write. They understand that this dual form of knowledge is one of life’s necessities and an essential requirement of wealth. As a result, they have no hesitations about sending their children to a school, all of which are private. Tonight, the little ones slip away from the classroom like birds out of a cage. Their books made of rice paper form a voluminous bundle carefully wrapped in a piece of cloth. And speaking of birds, they too make an odd racket. I am not talking about the innumerable, insu‫ٺ‬erable crows, but about the pigeons, each of which has a small bamboo whistle attached to its tail. When a dovecot releases its inmates, it is as if one hears the continuous whistling of a factory calling its workers to their labors.

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Chapter One

From Hong Kong to Canton On Board the Hankow – Keep an eye on the lifeboats! – A singular country – The Pearl River – Bocca Tigris – Sampans in Canton – A page of history – Shamian Island

Thursday, September 1 Eight o’clock in the morning. The Hankow, which is taking me from Hong Kong to Canton, is one of those superb river vessels, the famous ferry boats, those enormous structures that ply the Pearl River and the Yangtze. Massive davits overhang the lifeboats by some ten meters, on either side of which enormous drums house the motors. Toward the bow of the ship is the promenade deck, with its deckchairs and armchairs close to the captain’s cabin and the Europeans’ lounge, luxuriously decorated, home to some 50 guests. On either side of the lounge are vast, comfortable cabins. Toward the aft is the large hall reserved for the Chinese, who are always segregated from the Europeans. Regardless of their social position, Chinese passengers are strictly prohibited from crossing the divide. Suspects are closely monitored. Even recently, pirates masquerading as traders took passage on liners, massacred the crew, and abandoned the wreck after making o‫ ٺ‬with its cargo. In 1891, the Namoa was ransacked in this manner after the captain and all o‫ٻ‬cers were murdered. Local residents clearly remember the execution of the culprits at Kowloon after they were apprehended. 1 The British steamer Namoa was attacked on December 11, 1890. The Captain, Thomas Guy Pocock, and severa European passengers were shot dead by the pirates. The execution of the pirates took p ace in Kow oon on Apri 17 and May 11, 1891. This incident was covered extensive y in the internationa press, often using the same gris y “before and after” photographs featured in this book, which are be ieved to be from the Apri event. The photographs were a so issued as postcards.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Execution of the Namoa pirates at Kowloon (before)

Here are riÆes hanging in the gun rack of our lounge, with the cartridges neatly arranged on the shelves of our library. All of this cries out: Keep an eye on the lifeboats! Still, here I am, in a singular country! Naturally curious, I continue my tour of the ship. Close to the engine room, I read the ship’s clearance certiÅcate. According to Her Majesty’s government, she can carry 2,436 passengers. Enough lifeboats are present on board to accommodate these numbers, the inspecting o‫ٻ‬cial assures us. But state-sanctioned stretching of the truth is not uncommon, especially among inspectors. Strain as I might, mere mortal that I am, I can only spot two mid-sized boats. As for lifebuoys, they are invisible to the naked eye! In the vast hall reserved for the Chinese passengers, the spectacle is not without interest. There they are, about one hundred of them, encamped among a mountain of parcels, bags, and trunks. In the center, an old Chinaman sits on a chair improvised from boxes and baskets. Eyes closed, thin-lipped, his gaping mouth uncovering and covering in turn long teeth that protrude from the gums, the Celestial One is fanning himself slowly and with metronomic regularity. When he speaks, his Chinese –6–

FROM HONG KONG TO CANTON

Execution of the Namoa pirates at Kowloon (after)

sentences pour out elegantly and Æuently. This goes on for a full hour, and in all likelihood will not end until it is time to empty a few bowls of rice, whereupon he will resume his sermon with a perseverance worthy of a higher destiny. He is one of the agents of the Biblical societies who regularly sail to Canton on British ships and pour forth the Good Word on the way there and back with a view to Åshing for souls in the waters of the Pearl River. Judging by the general indi‫ٺ‬erence and inattention, souls are not taking the bait today. But I am in error. Opposite his pulpit, two sailors from the American man-of-war Olympia are comfortably stretched out on deckchairs. Hands crossed on chests, they listen with a beatiÅc air to the speaker’s chinoiseries and seem quite bewildered by this strange preacher intent on keeping his eyes shut but whose eloquence does not Æag for a second. I run into my friend A-Cam, a substantial merchant from Saigon, whom I already introduced to my readers in a previous account2 and who 2 Since the Årst known instance of Raquez’s writings is the seria edition of this book that appeared in L’Écho de Chine, it is di‫ٻ‬cu t to understand what he means by this phrase. Litt e is known about “A-Cam.” This Ågure may be the same person who

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

speaks French almost like a Parisian. He is on his way to visit his family in Canton and suggests we meet tomorrow and visit the big Chinese city. In him, I am sure to have a guide as valuable as he is friendly. The weather remains Åne and hot. On the forward promenade deck, two of my fellow-travelers in Laos,3 the young Fathers Lasportes and Douspis are reading the account of the death of their colleague, Father Bertholet, who was murdered quite recently in Guangxi Province.4 Having barely made a start in life, they are already learning to die. The Pearl River, or Zhujiang, which we will follow upstream all the way to Canton, empties into the sea between Hong Kong and Macao. It is formed through the conÆuence of three major waterways: the Xi River (Western River), whose 800-kilometer course is for practical purposes the only trading route between Canton and the three provinces of Guizhou, Guangxi, and Yunnan, the Bei River (Northern River), which links this large city to the Yangtze basin, and the Dong River (Eastern River), which like the Bei River is about 300 kilometers long. The water system formed by all the branches and channels of these rivers forms a vast delta covering over 300 square kilometers. is given trans ation credit for an artic e Raquez wrote whi e editor of the Revue Indochi noise: “Mémoires de Deo-van-tri: Souvenirs dictés de mémoire et recuei is” 2:4 (August 31, 1904): 257 275. Deo Van Tri (1849 1908) was an Annamese guerri a Åghter and ater po itician who a ied with the French in 1890. This Cam was his nephew. See Phi ippe Le Fai er, “The Ȣèo Fami y of Lai Châu: Traditiona Power and Unconventiona Practices,” Journal of Vietnamese Studies 6:2 (Summer 2011): 42 67, 56. 3 On page 531 of Pages Laotiennes, Raquez c aims to have been in Laos in 1898. This is presumab y the trip on which he met Lasportes and Douspis. Jean Joseph Lasportes (1874 1953), misspe ed “Lasport” in the origina text, arrived in Canton on Ju y 27, 1898, eventua y becoming part of the mission at Swatow (modern day Shantou in Guangdong), where he wou d die after returning from service in the First Wor d War. Antoine Adrien Douspis (1871 1917) arrived in Canton on the same day as Lasportes, and he a so wou d eventua y become part of the mission at Swatow. He died in Hong Kong. 4 Mathieu Bertho et (1865 1898), misspe ed as “Bertho et” in the origina , was born in Charbonnier in the Auvergne region of France. He died near the vi age of Yunngan on Apri 21, 1898, when his caravan was attacked by a group of anti-French nationa ists. The Chinese government was forced to pay compensation, which was used to found the now defunct Bertho et Schoo in Nanning, Chongzuo, which opened June 1, 1903. Raquez attended the inauguration and reported on it for La Revue Indochinoise. See “L’Inauguration de ’ éco e franco-chinoise de Nanning-fou” 245 (June 29, 1903): 571 575. The French were a so ab e to wrang e a concession for a rai way from Beihai to Xijiang out of the incident. See Lee, France and the Exploitation of China, 166 167.

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FROM HONG KONG TO CANTON

The estuary along which we enter the delta is dotted with islets. About noon, the river narrows before widening again to about two nautical miles. We have reached the Bocca Tigris strait, made famous by the annals of opium smuggling.5 On both shores, the heights commanding the strait are topped by constructions, both ancient and modern. Some major works seem quite recent. The mountainsides are lined with bunkers, while small concrete structures erected at the water’s edge reveal the cannons they house in deadly openings. Here, the river might be one kilometer wide. The shores are now Æat and covered with paddy Åelds. In the background to the right, a dry-looking mountain range rises. The ship’s steward is very busy. He gives an assortment of canaries and blackbirds their daily rations in the form of live grasshoppers whose wings he Årst breaks. A small wooden cage with serried bars contains perhaps 100 of these pitiful insects, which he just bought for 15 cents. The price varies, he tells me, between 10 and 70 cents depending on the season. Young Chinese boys spend their days scouring the countryside for a harvest that can make quite a di‫ٺ‬erence to their family. This is a sport that would appeal to many of our French boys! Ding, dong! The gong announces ti‫ٻ‬n. I am wary of the cooking, but I am mistaken as it is in fact excellent.6 The Hankow chugs along at a steady twelve knots, but around her, the river tra‫ٻ‬c is becoming denser: steam launches, junks festooned with improbable sails and loaded to sinking point, sampans of all shapes and sizes. The captain, Mr. Sloyd, an amiable man who speaks perfect French, draws my attention to a village consisting of straw huts, a favorite meeting place for Canton’s idle rich, who gather here to watch cricket Åghts and bet large sums. I am coming to the conclusion that this world of ours is a vast battleÅeld. We now have animals hurling themselves at each other just like men, and cockÅghts are becoming familiar in Parisian circles, while in

5 Now known as the Humen Strait, it marks the spot where the Pear River empties into the South China Sea near the town of Humen in Guangdong Province. 6 Passage costs 8.50 piastres and inc udes free trave for one persona attendant. Ti‫ٻ‬n is $1.50 [Raquez].

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Indochina, Åsh can be seen Åghting each other to the death, and even insects can destroy one another in close combat. Here are pagodas, nine-story-high towers. We really are in China! No doubt, this time. And here is the large village of Whampoa, and in the distance, the superb gothic spires of Canton Cathedral. They seem out of place here, their elegant, proud lines soaring above the curiously convoluted roofs at whose apex can be seen grimacing fantastical monsters. But is this contrast not deliberate, intentional even? Don’t the towers of this temple proclaim to all corners that France is here, with her power, her civilization, her charm, all so di‫ٺ‬erent from the power, the civilization, the charm of this people among whom I am about to spend several months while attempting to pierce their impenetrable mask? Two o’clock: We drop anchor opposite Customs House, about 100 meters from shore. I spoke earlier about grasshoppers. It is now a similar plague that surrounds our vessel in the form of hundreds and hundreds of sampans, whose assembled masses cover the river as far as the eye can see. Suddenly – I have no idea how – their entire female complement climbs over our railings on all sides. In the blink of an eye, our ship is Ålled with them. This gives a vivid sense of what it must be like to be attacked by pirates and of the mental e‫ٺ‬ect such a multitude must have on a small band of men, however resolute. Not really dangerous though noisy, this sampan invasion brings aboard an amiable, lively crowd of ladies dressed entirely in black, with wide trousers down to their ankles. They are the Ånest ornament of the waterborne population of Canton. All lay siege to the passengers. I have eight around me, horrible old women as well as young girls with pretty faces, prattling like budgerigars and clamoring in an impenetrable Chinese-English jargon for the honor of conducting me ashore. I am seized with a Åt of the giggles, of which my sharpies take advantage to divide my bags among themselves and load them onto a sampan under the watchful eye of the faithful Ngyuen7 and young Aki.8 7 Annamese persona attendant from Tourane [Raquez]. Tourane is the o d French name for present-day Da Nang, Vietnam. 8 Chinese persona attendant from Saigon [Raquez].

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FROM HONG KONG TO CANTON

This passenger grab by the sampan ladies is nothing new. As o‫ٻ‬cial reports drafted following the capture of Canton by allied French and British troops in 1857 show, The boat population was indeed the Årst to regain conÅdence, and each arriving gunboat was surrounded by a swarm of importunate sampan owners, whose love of Ålthy lucre soon overcame any patriotic scruples they might have had.9

Yet here I am, aboard a spotlessly clean sampan adorned with paintings and photographs. A di‫ٻ‬culty arises. How are we to get through this dense thicket of boats? But the problem is quickly solved thanks to the remarkable skills of our lady sailors, who with the help of an oar and a hooked pole manage to sneak through this noisy throng as if by miracle. Here we are, sailing along a canal lined with embankments. Soon the sampan comes to a halt opposite the Hotel Victoria, the only such accommodation in the European concession. There was once a French hotel here, but it closed its doors. The manager of the Hotel Victoria is a Portuguese, rather a‫ٺ‬able but who does not speak our language. The rooms are acceptable, and the cooking . . . well . . . I think I will change the subject. Some history. On December 28, 1857, following a bombardment lasting 27 hours, Anglo-French troops captured this large city, which was defended by Chinese and Tartar troops. 0 The French crews of Le Primauguet and L’Audacieuse under the command of Baron Gros were the Årst to go ashore along with a small artillery piece and gave assault to Fort Lin, over which a French sailor raised our Æag. 9 Report on Lord Elgin’s mission in the year 1857, 1858, 1859, by Laurence O iphant, Mission Secretary [Raquez]. Fu tit e: Narrative of the Earl of Elgin’s Mission to China and Japan, in the Years 1857, ‘58, ‘59 (London: B ackwood and Sons, 1860). Pub ished in French as La Chine et le Japon, Mission de comte d’Elgin, Pendant les années 1857, 1858 et 1859, trans ated with an introduction by François Guizot (Paris: Miche Lévy Frères, 1860), in two vo umes. This quote appears on page 144, vo ume one of that edition and in the Eng ish origina on page 118. On O iphant, see note 13, page 12 be ow. 10 The Batt e of Canton. The capture of the city eventua y ed the Chinese to sign the Treaty of Tientsin (now Tianjin) on June 26, 1858, thus ending the Second Opium War and marking a turning point in European co onization in main and China. 11 Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gros (1793 1870), ater a senator, was Minister-in-Command of French troops during the Ang o-French expedition to China (1856 1860).

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Shamian The British bridge The guardhouse The canal The Chinese city

Lord Elgin’s 2 secretary, Mr. Laurence Oliphant, subject as follows:

3

writes on this

It was an operation entirely devoid of risk for either party, but to our allies is due the credit of their superior quickness of perception. Indeed, so little of this quality had some of our own men, that they rushed at the fort with loud shouts, apparently mistaking the tricolor that waved from its walls for a Chinese banner.

12 James Bruce, 8th Ear of E gin and 11th Ear of Kincardine (1811 1863). A son of the Lord E gin of “E gin Marb es” fame, James Bruce was the British High Commissioner in China during the Second Opium War. In addition to ordering the bombing of Canton, he notorious y ordered the tota destruction of the O d Summer Pa ace in 1860. From 1862 onward, he was Viceroy of India, where he died in 1863. 13 Laurence O iphant (1829 1888). British-born author of severa works of Åction, a Member of Par iament and esoteric Christian mystic, O iphant was E gin’s private secretary from 1853 to 1861. He trave ed extensive y in both his professiona capacities as we as in the service of his faith, eventua y dying in Twickenham near London. He was present at the bombing of Canton in 1857. Raquez quotes from the French trans ation of his Report on Lord Elgin’s Mission, vo ume one, page 108. The quote origina y appears on page 93 of the Eng ish edition, which we use here (see note 9, page 11 above).

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FROM HONG KONG TO CANTON

Our forces occupied Honan Island and the Whampoa Islet, both facing Canton on the opposite shore. Having captured the city, our troops were cantoned there until October 1867. Instead of taking advantage of events and turning this beautiful and important island into the residence of Europeans, our attention was diverted by the decision to create an artiÅcial islet, to which the name Shamian was given and which it retains to this day. The island is shaped roughly like a convex lens, with the Chinese city at its center. In 1859, the islet was divided into two unequal parts: one, the smaller of the two, became French territory, while the other came under the Queen’s jurisdiction. Two bridges connect it to the Chinese city: one British, the other French. Both are barred day and night by an iron gate guarded by Chinese soldiers. The population of Canton is restless and di‫ٻ‬cult to manage. In 1883, sixteen houses and the theater were set ablaze by a mob. As a consequence, the gate only opens to let through residents of the concession. As for the Chinese, they are only allowed to cross the bridge if they can provide a plausible motive. The policing of the concession is conducted by local men under the command of British and Portuguese o‫ٻ‬cers. Two major trading houses from Lyon, Chauvin, Chevalier, & Cie. and Pasquet & Tamet, see to French commerce. 4 Their respective managers, Mr. Dufêtre and Mr. Pasquet, are the most charming comrades one could wish to meet. With the help of the excellent consul Mr. Flayelle, 5 they gather around themselves a small, admirably united French colony. A rare achievement indeed!

14 The Directory (1899) ists A. G. Dufêtre as manager of Chauvin, Cheva ier, & Cie. Both Chauvin, Cheva ier and Pasquet & Tamet were si k trading companies. They appear to have been the on y French-owned companies with o‫ٻ‬ces in Canton at that time, as most French business interests were c ustered not surprising y in the French concession at Shanghai. 15 Léonce F aye e (dates unknown) was French Consu to Canton from 1897 to 1900.

– 13 –

Chapter Twenty

Across Guizhou A flowery Easter – A surgical operation – Culinary resources – Pipes and more pipes – Zunyi silk – The Miao – A Perrault tale – The horse and the treasure – Rebellions and conquests – The Miao, Lolo, Kia, Tongjen, and Bahouang – Organizing a caravan – The Shibing Gorge – Our junk’s about-face – Goodbye, Qingxi!

Sunday, March 26 Goodbye, Guiyang! The landscape that was swathed in fog on our arrival is Æooded with light today. It is Palm Sunday: a Æowery Easter. The small violets that grow all along the road seem to be trying to rise on their stems to say to passersby, like their French sisters to the sub-prefect: “See how nice we smell!” And they are indeed highly fragrant. Delicate Æowers picked on Chinese mountains, you will send a perfumed memory back to Europe. Flowery Easter! What a curious region! I have never seen anything comparable either in the Alps or the Pyrenees, or even, come to think of it, in the Massif Central. From the heights along the route in every direction on the horizon, the eye meets peaks of all shapes and sizes. All of Guizhou is thus, and Guizhou is half as large as France. Every slope is arid, stony, and desolate, with thin brush growing with di‫ٻ‬culty as it peeps out of the cracks in the limestone shale, which like myriad warts speckle these infertile inclines. Arable portions are rare. In the valleys, in Æat sections occasionally reached by a torrent or a stream, the Chinese plant rice, the foundation of oriental life, cabbages, chili pepper, and turnips, the coolie’s culinary treats, and sesame for lighting. 1 Raquez refers here to Le Sous Préfet aux Champs (“The Sub-Prefect in Arcadia”), a short ba ad in prose written by famed French nove ist A phonse Daudet (1840 1897), Årst pub ished in 1887 and reprinted in 1895. The piece was written for performance, and severa historica recordings of it are avai ab e on ine.

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The Chinese tax system is very simple. Only rice Åelds are taxed, at a rate determined by the mandarins. It is therefore not surprising that the Guizhou Treasury is hardly overÆowing considering how few rice Åelds there are here. For several years now, on Peking’s orders, the three provinces of Sichuan, Hunan, and Hubei have had to pay a sum of 300,000 taels, or over one million francs, into the distressed Treasury of Guizhou Province. This is why local functionaries see with a very favorable eye the arrival of the European engineers who obtained the concession of the mines for the entire province and will extract from the entrails of the earth the wealth the surface denies the population that inhabits it. This time at Longli, our regular stop, we run into a compatriot, the worthy Father Lucas, whom we had not managed to meet the other day. He is a good man, and immensely happy at being able to o‫ٺ‬er us a glass of communion wine and drink to France after eighteen years of exile in the heart of China.

March 27 One of our soldiers is dragging his feet and su‫ٺ‬ers from a head wound. At our next halt, while we administer a few granules,2 one of his comrades prepares to treat him. The man takes a porcelain cup, old and cracked. With his saber, he detaches small pieces, selecting one whose pointy edge seems to him the sharpest. This will be his lancet. In another cup, he places water, which he pours on the patient’s forearm while he massages the arm from shoulder to wrist, then the hand and each of the Ångers to draw the blood toward the extremities. With one strike of his improvised lancet, he pricks each Ånger one after the other on the outside very close to the root of the Ångernail, where the skin is very thin. Blood spurts. Our practitioner then repeats the procedure with the other hand. The patient is in a very peculiar condition as he dangles his ten Ångers with their now bloodied extremities. The sun continues to be our traveling companion. This time, we are able to alight from our chairs in the superb gorge with the howling waterfall we admired the other day in the rain. The Mazhudong pagoda, which dominates the falls, contains very handsome idols and a curious altar in carved wood. By squeezing along 2 Most ike y morphine, which came in granu ar form for disso ution prior to injection.

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a narrow passage behind the altar, I discover the real sanctuary, a superb natural cave with an enormous stalactite in the middle. Innumerable inscriptions attest to the piety of the faithful who come from afar to this cave, where they have burned joss sticks for centuries. The town of Guiding no longer has a mandarin staying at its o‫ٻ‬cial inn, but it is celebrating. A wealthy trader is marrying his son and o‫ٺ‬ers the population a comedy he is especially fond of. It is being performed in one of the small pagodas that span the street and where the stage is set. The public lines the way there and we have di‫ٻ‬culty getting through as we must pass below the theater. But there is no shouting, no commotion. The population of Guizhou is well-intentioned!

March 28 Mined coal is abundant in this region. Cooking stoves burn it everywhere, but the coal is not washed. Very smoky, it often releases an odor that grips the throat. Coke is manufactured at the mines themselves. In Guiyang, we came across innumerable convoys of horses loaded with this poorly produced coke. For our cook, one of the principal resources along the road is the abundance of eggs. In the capital, we drank delicious goat and even cow milk, but outside of Guiyang, milk cannot be found. Only the eggs remain, and we are glad to have them. But we cannot see the Chinese hens of our own farmyards, with their feet covered with strong and wonderfully thick feathers. The local type resembles the Gold Campine. Some have the plumage of the ringneck hen. The roosters are magniÅcent, genuine gold pheasants minus the tail but plus the crest. But I cannot conclude this section on the stomach without mentioning the exquisite oranges and tangerines from Sichuan. The tangerines are very small but delicious, with a minty fragrance. In contrast, the oranges taste stronger than the famous Valencia oranges. Their skin is thin and the Æesh juicy and very sweet. In the sun, which continues to warm us up, we fully appreciate the delights of the golden apple. We halt for the night at the bin guan at Mazhangbing, in the same rooms we occupied the other night.

March 29 Smoking is one of the principal occupations of the Chinese living in the center of the country. Every one of our coolies has his pipe, which – 438 –

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consists of a section of bamboo root 40 to 50 centimeters long, with a bowl carved out of the same wood. As he walks, the coolie carries his pipe in his belt at the back, like the Malays with their kris knives, unless he Ånds a way to attach it to one of the sides of the chair. Not one of the Chinamen we meet along the road, whether soldier, farmer, or coolie, travels or simply goes about without his faithful companion. In the villages, pipes made of reed or thin thorn bush can reach enormous lengths. A moment ago, I measured one at 1.20 meters. The bowl, not much larger than a thimble, is made of glass or stone resembling jade and a‫ٺ‬ecting the shape of a cigar holder. Nor do women concede to their lords and masters the monopoly of the pipe. From the inn table on which I write as I nurse my asbestos pipe,3 I notice a young woman conscientiously drawing pu‫ٺ‬s from a tube as long as she is tall. This is a very, very long pipe! In the better-o‫ ٺ‬homes, I see the metal pipes with a water bowl I saw in Shanghai or Canton. I even admired one of this type made entirely of bamboo without the slightest sign of metal. Every pipe is Ålled with blond Guizhou tobacco, chopped up very Åne and not at all unpleasant to the taste. In Guiyang, we found cigars, or rather half-cigars three or four centimeters long, shaped like our Manila cigars and smoked by placing the thick end in one of the long pipes I just described. How could I forget to mention opium! In each town, each village, each hamlet along our route, next to blankets neatly hung or folded in front of the coolies’ inn, we see a whole series of pipes hanging on a string for use with the dreadful narcotic. Inside the inn are camp beds, straw, a mat, and a tray on which stands a lamp, needles, and a small pot Ålled with the syrupy poison. As our carriers took their Årst break around seven thirty this morning, I found myself standing in front of one of these sordid dens. Despite the early hour, two coolies were intoxicating themselves, fully dressed and stretched out on mats. Although smoking is a Chinaman’s great passion, he uses tobacco 3 As odd as it may seem today, prior to the discovery of its toxicity at the turn of the 20th century, asbestos was a common materia for use in smoking pipes as it is ightweight and does not burn easi y.

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exclusively in this manner. Our sailors’ chewing tobacco is unknown. If a mandarin occasionally extracts an elegant tobacco box from one of the small embroidered pouches that hang from his belt, it is to extract with a small spatula attached to the inner stopper an exquisitely fragrant vegetable powder he will inhale voluptuously. No less intense is the Chinese passion for gambling. Every evening until long into the night, like the boatmen of our past travels, our carriers, cards in hand, extract from each other the sapèques they so painfully earned during the day. As I walked with Monsignor Guichard along a rugged path near the Beitang mission in Guiyang, I came across a young man who had just been in a Åght and whom his gambling partners had thrown in the river after shooting him in the head. The scene took place in broad daylight.

March 30 Yesterday, we struggled with the 25 degree heat and we walked unencumbered by our jackets. But last night, a dreadful hurricane almost blew away our inn at Qingping and, as we departed this morning, our Ångers tingled with cold as we sat in our sedan chairs. The temperature remained below six degrees all day. At night, we are thrilled to Ånd once again the braziers we have not seen since Guiyang. The climate is very strange, and hard on unfortunate travelers. Today we met peddlers loaded with a special kind of silk cloth called Zunyi, after the name of the city where it is manufactured. The people of that region breed their silkworms not with mulberry leaves but with those of an oak speciÅc to the area. They place each worm under one of the tree’s leaves and let the cocoon mature in the open air. Day and night, they guard the trees and make a racket to prevent birds from making o‫ ٺ‬with the precious insects. The silk is very beautiful, very strong, and sold for half the price of the regular kind.4 4 Raquez describes a type of si k manufacture that produced Tussah si k, a coarse materia that was woven into fabrics such as Shantung, among others. Shandong (the modern name for the province) ed the way in creating this “ye ow si k” for both domestic, and ater, internationa markets, a though it was a so manufactured in other areas, inc uding Sichuan, which is c ose to Zunyi in modern Guizhou. See Li ian M. Li, China’s Silk Trade: Traditional Industry in the Modern World, 1842 1937 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981), 79.

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ACROSS GUIZHOU

Curious convoys of small horses pass in single Åle, carrying chests Ålled with opium, barrels of oil, cotton articles, etc. The leading horse is Åtted with a red Æag that allows drivers to spot it from a distance. In addition, like the rearguard horse, it is equipped with a small but noisy bell. The sight of these hard-working little animals climbing or descending gigantic stone staircases is wonderful. Then come convoys of coolies, one behind the other in groups of about 50, with their bamboo poles heavy with chests Ålled with sapèques or sycee, opium, tea, or porcelain. These convoys are escorted by Chinese soldiers armed with Åne repeater carbines they carry on their shoulder, held by the muzzle, butt in the air. There are many Miao people in these parts. The men are dressed entirely in black, with a smock tied at the waist and a silver ring in one ear or around the neck. Their face, which is rounder and fuller than that of the Chinese, is very close to the Indo-Caucasian type. They wear a turban that conceals their hair, which is gathered into a bun. With their black leggings, their bodice and heavy skirt of the same color, pleated and reaching only down to their knees, and their headdress consisting also of a black strip of cloth that entirely surrounds their head, the women recall some of our Normandy Åsherwomen. The young girls are very beautiful, with gorgeous eyes. Their feet are not mutilated. Many of the women wear heavy earrings and wide rings made of silver on their Ångers. Often a large circle made of the same metal surrounds their neck. And while I am on the subject of the Miao, let us take the opportunity to summarize the various details I was able to glean, the intention being to publish at some later stage a more in-depth study of these interesting tribes. Miaotze (or Miao) is a generic term for the various local races that even today constitute half the population of Guizhou, according to the missionaries. In the larger cities and along the roads, the invading Chinese dominate. But far from built-up areas, in the thousand isolated spots these innumerable mountains conceal and even in certain regions such as Bazhai, these ancestral populations have retained their traditions, their customs, and most often their language. Local legend has it that in days of yore, during the reign of Emper– 441 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Group of Miao women Snapshot taken from the sedan chair. The shaft of the chair is visible on the left of the photograph.

or Di Ku, unable to defeat General Wu, Prince Gaoxing promised his only daughter, a young and pretty princess, in marriage to the man who would bring him the head of his redoubtable adversary. Some time later, an enormous dog, the prince’s favorite animal, – 442 –

ACROSS GUIZHOU

which answered to the name of Panhu, ran up to his master dragging the enemy general’s bloodied head. “Excellent, Panhu!” Gaoxing replied, according to the naive chronicler. “Excellent! But you are only an animal. I cannot let you have my daughter. But from now on, you will be given as much food as you wish, and I will build you a superb doghouse.” Furious, Panhu refused all nourishment and howled ceaselessly day and night. Despite it all, the prince’s family insisted that he keep his word. Giving in to their advice, Kaosing entrusted the young princess to the brave Panhu, who made o‫ ٺ‬with her into the mountains. Of this union, the Årst Miao were born.5 To this day, the women of a Miao tribe that migrated to the vicinity of Fuzhou continue to wear a ceramic dog’s head, hidden in their hair inside a bamboo tube wrapped in a piece of red cloth. This is so much like one of those Perrault tales that so enchanted our younger years!6 Until the end of the 16th century, the Miao were the largely uncontested masters of Guizhou. But under the Qing dynasty, Marshall Ha, a Tartar, was despatched to subdue the province. He drove the Miao into mountainous regions in neighboring Guangxi, Hunan, and Sichuan.7 One Hunan soldier named Liu, who had taken part in the Guizhou

5 The Panhu fo k story is preva ent in China and Indochina, with variations depending on region. Not on y the Miao but other ethnic tribes consider it their genesis narrative. The most common version has the dog be onging to Emperor Di Ku, one of the egendary Five Emperors, said to have reigned from 2436 to 2366 BC. This story is reproduced as a study in La Revue Indochinoise 2:10 (November 15, 1904): 665 670, with a brief introductory note by Raquez. The artic e is entit ed “La Légende du Chien,” or “The Legend of the Dog,” and the author is given as Ernest Joseph Marie Quennec, at the time Administrator of Bac-giang Province, who co ected stories from the hi tribes of Luc-nam. The fu tit e of the story is “Décret de ’empereur Bynh-Hoang, Légende du Chien Bàn-Hõ.” 6 Char es Perrau t (1628 1703), French author and one of the key progenitors of the modern fairy ta e. His stories inc ude Litt e Red Riding Hood, Cindere a, and S eeping Beauty. 7 Possib y either Ha Yuan Sheng (1680 1738) or his son Ha Sheng-te (d.1773). See Arthur Humme , Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing period, 1644 1912, vo ume one (Washington: U.S. Govt. Print O‫ٻ‬ce, 1943 1944), 272 273.

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campaign with Marshall Ha, remained among the Miao tribes in Oujiangzai near Bazhai and took a wife. King Ma, who until a short time ago still presided over the Miao’s destinies and by whom Mr. de Marteau was cordially received at Zhusajiang Palace8 (no less!) in 1896, was a descendaent of this Liu, living in Wujiang.9 Ma’s grandfather, a parsimonious farmer and owner of about ten meou, 0 was working in his Åeld one day when he perceived a strikingly white horse. After Åxing his eyes on the farmer in a curious way, the horse vanished in the undergrowth. The peasant dug the ground at that spot and discovered pitchers Ålled with silver ingots. He became the richest landowner in Miao country. Feeling grateful toward his equine benefactor, the good man purchased a horse of the same coat. He and his descendants deeply venerated this horse, which lived for 70 years, according to legend. The newly enriched peasant also changed his name from Liu to Ma, which means “horse.” Ma’s son, the Årst of that name, judged that Wujiang was too far from the Miao’s commercial heart and, in order to sell the produce of his land, he moved to Yangbai near Bahzai with his family. In 1854, a Muslim brigand calling himself Prince Bao terrorized the countryside and even conferred royal status on himself by adopting the title of Tian Ming, or All-Knowing Heaven. He marched on Bahzai, which he occupied, selected his son Luo Laojian as governor of the area, and took as Lieutenant General the head of the Ma family, then Ma Yingzong. 8 30 li from Bahzai [Raquez]. Bahzai is ocated direct y south of Guiyang, in the southwest of modern Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. 9 This Ågure remains unidentiÅed. The “Miao king,” or “Miao wang,” was a messianic Ågure, often a rebe eader. Throughout history, various individua s have c aimed tit e to being “Miao king” based on semi-divine reve ation, as here with the story of the horse and treasure. See Robert Darrah Jenks, Insurgency and Social Disorder in Guizhou: The “Miao” Rebellion, 1854 1873 (Hono u u: University of Hawaii Press, 1994), 95. On divine reve ation in Miao eadership ro es, see Christian Cu as, “Innovations and Tradition in Ritua s and Cosmo ogy: Hmong Messianism and Shamanism in Southeast Asia,” in Hmong/Miao in Asia, edited by Nicho as Tapp (Chiang Mai: Si kworm Books, 2004): 104 105. 10 Arpents [Raquez]. Rough y equiva ent to an acre. 11 This man is unidentiÅed, though a number of Mus im rebe ions and uprisings took p ace during this period.

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ACROSS GUIZHOU

On his father’s death, Luo Laojian indulged in debauchery and oppressed the Miao people. In 1860, a secret conference gathered the principal notables of the various tribes in the very house that would later be occupied by Mr. de Marteau, to whose courtesy I owe this information. The conspirators put the tyrant to death and proclaimed Lieutenant General Ma his successor with the title of Tianzi, or God Given, a position he still occupied until a few months ago. Much loved by his subjects, his authority extended to the territory lying between Duyun-fu and Guijianli. His aim was to enlarge his kingdom, and for nine years he devoted all his energies to this end, but in vain. Finally in 1869, Ma was forced to submit to General Zuo, whose troops attacked and captured Duyun-fu. 2 A highly political Ågure who wished to encourage the Miao to submit, the victorious general had Ma appointed Åfth-ranking o‫ٻ‬cer. This act of clemency had the most favorable e‫ٺ‬ect as all the rebels laid down their arms. Guizhou was paciÅed, and the Miao became Chinese citizens while retaining their customs. For two years, absolute calm reigned. But in 1871, the Bazhai prefect detected symptoms of discontent and deemed his authority too feeble. Being highly skilled, he raised King Ma to the rank of tusi, or High Chief, Captain of the Miao and personally responsible for their loyalty to the Chinese Empire. 3 The Miao, who revered their chief, have remained calm ever since. Many of them, at least among the men, even adopted the costume and hairstyle of the Chinese. Old King Ma died very recently at the age of 79. A keen opium smoker, he grew and processed the poppy Æower himself. Living like the patriarchs of ancient times, he went to his Åelds like an ordinary man despite the fact that his fortune brought him an annual income of 10,000 piculs of rice. A widower and childless, he adopted one of his nephews, who 12 Possib y Zuo Zongtang (1812 1885), a high y regarded Chinese genera and dip omat. 13 On the tusi and the Qing administration of triba popu ations in Guizhou, see Jenks, Insurgency and Social Disorder in Guizhou, 39 41, and Laura Hostet er, Qing Colonial Enterprise: Ethnography and Cartography in Early Modern China (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005), 117.

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just inherited both his assets and his title of Captain and imperial Commissary. The aboriginal tribes living in Guizhou can be categorized into Åve groups: the Miao proper, the Lolo, 4 the Kia, 5 the Tongjen, 6 and the Bahuang. 7

The Miao The Miao are subdivided into an inÅnity of tribes. 8 The Hua Miao, or Flowery Miao, are scattered over Xingui and Guansong Districts. Their seamless clothes resemble our knitted sweaters and are woven as a single piece. By odd coincidence, their fabrics are manufactured in their homes like the sarongs of the Malays. A layer of wax is spread over the part of the cloth the worker does not wish to color. The entire item is then dipped in dye, which pervades the parts not covered with wax. The operation is then repeated for each color. Most of the designs represent Æowers, hence the name “Flowery Miao” given to members of this tribe.

14 A so known as the Yi peop e. 15 The Buyei peop e, one of the ethnic groups o‫ٻ‬cia y recognized by the Peop e’s Repub ic of China. See James B. Minahan, Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2014), 35. 16 The Dong peop e, one of the ethnic groups o‫ٻ‬cia y recognized by the Peop e’s Repub ic. See Minahan, Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia, 67. 17 Most ike y the Zhuang peop e, one of the ethnic groups o‫ٻ‬cia y recognized by the Peop e’s Repub ic, who make up a sma portion of the ethnic popu ation of Guizhou. See Minahan, Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia, 330. 18 Raquez seems to be extracting and condensing his information about these triba groups from a printed source. The categories he uses for the various Miao subtribes, such as the “F owery Miao,” are taken from o‫ٻ‬cia Qing designations co ected in so-ca ed “Miao a bums.” The term “Miao” itse f was high y Æexib e and designated many non-Han triba groups in Guizhou. From the o‫ٻ‬cia viewpoint, the Miao were subdivided into two main groups: those who conformed to Han Chinese ru e by adopting Han dress and earning Mandarin (the “cooked”), and those who did not (the “raw”). The so-ca ed “raw” groups were often c assiÅed by externa appearances or attire as we as geographic ocation, and Raquez fo ows this taxonomy. See Jodi L. Weinstein, Empire and Identity in Guizhou: Local Resistance to Qing Expansion (Seatt e: University of Washington Press, 2013), 31 and 121 122, and Hostet er, Qing Colonial Enterprise, Chapter Six, “Miao A bums,” especia y page 195 on the use of Miao a bums by foreign scho ars in the 19th century.

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Young men wear a piece of paper on their forehead, which they will not remove until they marry. Women blend horsehair into their own. In Spring, a spot is selected for a Dance to the Moon. The young people dance, the boys playing reed Æutes and the girls providing an accompaniment with little bells. In the evening, a young woman who wishes to marry returns to the paternal home with the husband of her choice. The dead are buried with arms and legs tied, without co‫ٻ‬n. To choose the exact location for the grave, family members throw raw eggs on the ground. The spots where the eggs fall without breaking are deemed propitious. The Flowery Miao are very superstitious and engage in all kinds of witchcraft. Dong-Miao (Eastern Miao) and Xi-Miao (Western Miao), Guzheili, Xingguai District. The men wear a short light blue coat, the women a kind of sleeveless bodice. Gemengkuyang Miao, Jingzhuze, Guangsong District. These do not use beds and shelter in caves or crevices in rock. The next four tribes are the poorest and most docile. Hei Miao (Black Miao), Zhenming. Their clothes are black. They are highly warlike. The women wear pleated skirts, the men a hat made of bamboo and shoes made of canvas and carry a knife on their belt. Bai Miao (White Miao), Longli. By contrast, these wear white clothes. They go about bare-headed and barefoot. Gushuo Miao, Tingshuan District. These Miao are highly skilled at javelin throwing. Their neighbors live in terror of them. Binghuose Miao, Guiding District. The men wear short skirts, the women long ones. They bury their dead in a wooden box without a lid. Jiuhuli Miao (Nine-tailed Miao), near Xinlong. Highly restless and cruel, they use javelins that can only be thrown by two men. They wear a kind of body armor. Zejiang Miao, Duyun Prefecture. Cruel, cunning, and gluttonous. Shuanzhong Miao, Xizhou. These wear a short strip of cloth around the waist as their only clothing. Yiao Miao, Zhenmin. Their clothes are made of leaves. They tie up their dead and hang them from trees. Seng Miao (Raw Miao), Xiping, and Hong Miao (Red Miao), Tongjen. They wear clothes of red silk made by their wives. They strangle all the animals they use for food. They are quarrelsome and thievish. – 447 –

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Yangtongluohan Miao, Lipin. These Miao practice silkworm breeding. They wear an embroidered ornament and a silver medal on their chest. They are very warlike.

The Lolo The Hie Lolo are scattered over Dating, Bingyuan, Jianxi, and Duining territories. During the Han Dynasty, having rendered major services to the Chinese government, one of the principal chiefs of the tribe was appointed prince of these regions, which he divided into 48 districts, each administered by a functionary of his choice. The men are tall, their faces almost black. Their hair is gathered in a kind of horn. They carry a piece of cloth over their left shoulder and a goat skin on their right. Their writing is unique and uses ancient qiu yin (earthworm) characters. 9 They drink rice wine by sucking it up through a tube made of straw as though they were tasting a sherry cobbler. They have no morals. They burn the bodies of their dead. In wars, the Hie Lolo wear iron armor and use knives, lances, and poisoned arrows. The Bai Lolo (White Lolo), who live in Yangning District, wrap their dead in the hide of a horse or ox before burning them. They are very fond of eating rats. The Daya Lolo (Lolo who break two teeth) live in Bingyuan District. They are very cruel. On their wedding day, they remove two of their wife’s teeth. They bury their dead in barrels. The Jiantou Lolo (Lolo who cut hair) live in Xingdian and Jinpin. Women as well as men wear their hair short. 19 The Yi script uses characters that have been dated back to the Tang Dynasty (618 907) and are known as cuàn wén 䇐㔯. However, this is not the Chinese word for “earthworm.” Since Raquez’s source materia fo ows Qing designations and it is known that these wou d often describe triba groups as anima s, it is possib e that his source uses the word “earthworm” as a derogatory description of Yi writing, which, compared to rigid Chinese characters, cou d be said to resemb e the wrigg y shape of worms. See Peter T. Danie s, The World’s Writing Systems (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 239 243, “The Yi Script.”

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The Mu Lolo live in Xingdian, Duyun, and Jianxi. These make sacriÅces to the spirits and are very fond of festivals.

The Kia or Yi Kia The Zhong Kia live in Guiyang, Duyun, Jingning, and Poan. They wear black clothing. The women are pretty and hard working and wear skirts with multiple pleats. During the Spring dance, girls throw a small ball made of colored cloth to the man they wish to marry. Being very violent, they were di‫ٻ‬cult to subjugate. The Gouerduo Long Kia (Long Kia with dog’s ears) live in Ganzao and Tuizou. Almost all work at quarrying stone from the mountains. The women arrange their hair in a bun resembling a dog’s ear. They wear red clothes and a necklace made of pearls or multicolored beads. They bury their dead in a spot hidden from everyone and o‫ٺ‬er a sacriÅce to their ancestors on the seventh day of the seventh moon each year. The Madenglong Kia live in Ninggu, Lipo, and Dingyin. The curious bun of the women of this tribe is shaped like a stirrup. The men also wear a bun and mix horsehair with their own. Their headgear consists of a tall pointed hat. Their clothes are white. The Long Kia are the descendants of Chinese tribes once exiled to these regions just as some today are exiled to Mongolia. The Zai Kia, also of ancient Chinese origin, are found in Tuijing and Bingyuan Districts. The women wear a 40-centimeter-tall bun shaped like an ox’s horn.

The Tong jen The Tongjen (cavemen) are found in Yongzhuan. Very dirty, they never wash. Husband and wife always go out together, carrying arrows and lances.

The Bahuang The Bahuang, or white savages, live in Dinghuan District. The women work while the men rest. – 449 –

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The women weave and even plow. On market days, all dance to the beat of a long, Æat drum. Burials take place at night.

March 31 When traveling in China’s interior, two means of transportation are used: horses and sedan chairs. Some explorers use horses, even in Guizhou’s mountainous regions and along its forbidding roads. But their misadventures have been recounted to us. We Ånd that chairs are the most convenient mode of transportation, more practical, and the only way to enjoy the views and take notes without having to keep an eye on the horse’s or the mule’s hooves at every moment on those terrifying slopes. But how should the traveler go about organizing a caravan using chairs starting from any point in the interior? Some practical information may be of service to Europeans, who will travel in increasing numbers to the heart of China. This will also allow us to become better acquainted with the unique race of traveling coolies. If the traveler plans to be on the road for an extended period of time, it is important to have a suitable chair made. Alternatively, the head carrier will supply one. Preferably, select a chair with the sides Åtted not with glass panes but with bamboo trellis, as windows can cause serious accidents in cases of falls. Four carriers are needed, but also su‫ٻ‬cient, for each chair. Chinese travelers sitting in very light palanquins often take only two or three coolies, but four is the usual number: two in front, two at the back. All follow the same track and carry the chair by means of a stick attached to the shafts by ropes. If the front team carries the stick on the right shoulder, the rear team carries it on the left. The teams take alternate steps, the men at the rear putting their left foot on the ground and the front men putting down the right. This allows the four men to move very fast, hopping slightly and trotting along in a kind of amble that gives the chair such perfect balance that I am able to write the present observations on the go. Every 80 or 100 steps, the head man calls out tong guo! The rear men respond, and the teams halt to switch the stick from one shoulder to the other. During the switch, the stick rests on a wooden pitchfork that serves as a walking stick while marching. At the signal that everyone is ready, progress resumes without delay. – 450 –

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If the traveler wishes to relieve the carriers in order to go faster, reinforcements can be obtained in the form of two additional coolies, which is what we did for the return journey from Guiyang. The starting signal: Chu fa! Chu fa! is given by the traveler himself, who must keep his personnel in hand at all times. We left our encampment at daybreak, or Åve-thirty in the morning at this time of the year. The coolies do not eat before departure but smoke their pipe conscientiously. They take their breakfast at the Årst halt after one or one-and-a-half hour’s walk. But before that, each one goes through his

A halt before an inn

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morning ablutions. Boiling water is available at all hours at all inns, and his toilette is over in a few seconds. No soap, naturally. This is unknown in the interior. Concerning the morning toilette, I should add that almost all Chinamen su‫ٺ‬er from a skin disease. In hot weather, the coolies walk seminaked and sometimes without protective headscarf. Their bodies are covered in spots and pustules, though few wounds or pimples are visible on their faces. Could this immunity be due to the habit of washing every morning with water so hot that it is impossible to keep one’s hand in it? Next we take our seats at the table. The inn’s mistress, whether a young chattering girl or a serious-minded woman carrying a baby in a sack on her back, positions herself at the end of the table with a basin of rice. Sometimes, a small bowl is used as a measure, while at other times, bowls of rice are weighed in the Roman manner and handed full to the guests. A piece of pork is also weighed and added to the rice. In porcelain bowls on the table are chili peppers and vegetables, chopped or dried. Cabbage cooks in its juice on a camping stove. The coolies gulp it all down, working their chopsticks and jaws at astonishing speed. Each coolie spends eight to ten sapèques on this meal, or in this part of the country, three to six centimes. Chu fa! Chu fa! The caravan is on the move again. At each hourly halt, our carriers purchase a few treats: bean paste, grilled rice cake, sesame nougats, wheat Æour fritters, etc. At about one o’clock, a substantial meal is eaten, the last before the day’s destination. Each man eats what he pleases at his own expense. We pay 350 sapèques, or about one franc, per day for each man to the head carrier, who no doubt passes only part of that sum on to the coolie. Finally, there is the question of the luggage. The traveler should have a very light chest made of bamboo bark covered with black waterproof oil paper. The chest looks like a co‫ٻ‬n, but it gives genuine service. Set on bamboo shafts, it will be carried by two or three men as required. All valises and bags will be entrusted to it. Each co‫ٻ‬n is Åtted with its own padlock, and the oil paper protects it admirably from assaults from the elements. As for our other chests, braziers, and other impedimenta, coolies carry these on their bamboo balancing lever at the rate of 75 Chinese pounds (about 35 kilos) per man, and follow the caravan closely over – 452 –

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the daily leg of 35 to 45 kilometers. The bedding needed in Winter is best carried in the form of a mattress of the Cambodian type. The mattress, sheets, and pillows are placed in a bag made of rough serge, oiled and waterproof. One coolie can carry two complete sets. All the men are remunerated at the same rate, or 350 sapèques, paid to the head carrier, who should be watched closely to prevent him from hiring new men each day simply to have them carry the luggage from one nightly halt to the next. These dispensable carriers are paid much less and introduce endless changes in the caravan, which can cause trouble. Wages are paid partly in advance and partly along the way, with the balance due on arrival. The head carrier is responsible for any losses or damage. He accompanies the column and receives the same pay as a coolie. No bonus is due when the carrier returns to his family.

April 1 I am still stunned by the astonishing spectacle I just witnessed, namely the crossing by sampan of the Shibing Gorge on the Yuan River, which is surely one of the most extraordinary journeys that can be made anywhere in the world. As we saw earlier, when sailing upstream, the large houseboat junks have Zhenyuan Prefecture as their terminus. But the Yuan River is navigable by smaller crafts all the way to Shibing, one of our destinations during our journey by chair and a small town 65 li from Zhenyuan by the Mandarin Road and 80 li by river. Very narrow and deeply set along almost the entire distance, the river Æows between gigantic limestone walls through which rushes a formidable current. But where the spectacle truly grips and makes the onlooker shudder is when the junk reaches the Saping rapids, Åve kilometers long and negotiated in just a few minutes. At this spot, the river is not much more than 25 meters wide. On either side, large hills rise three to four hundred feet high: wide, dark, and sheer. Scattered everywhere in the midst of the current are large rocks on which the swell breaks. Some reefs are concealed, others just visible. Eddies swirl, the di‫ٺ‬erences in water level are huge, and real waves foam, crash onto our vessel, and leave us drenched. The sampan advances along the gorge, which seems to be a dead – 453 –

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end closed o‫ ٺ‬by the gigantic wall. We veer right at a sharp angle, and the river bounces on, Åve, ten, Åfteen times, over and over again. Quick as lightening, the junk rushes straight toward the stone wall, and just as the traveler fears it is about to shatter on the obstacle, the violent e‫ٺ‬orts of Åve oarsmen force it to pivot on the spot and sail on, bobbing like a cork, in a new direction. But where are the rocky obstructions? What should we aim for in this narrow channel Ålled with foaming water? Yet our little craft navigates it with extraordinary precision, with only a few centimeters on either side between the rock and the boat’s edges. I saw spectacles that enchanted me in other parts of the world, but I do not believe that it is possible to witness such an astonishing feat of skill and visual acuity. The slightest false move, a second’s hesitation, the merest miscalculation in the e‫ٺ‬ort to be applied, and we would be doomed. It is six o’clock in the morning. The sun, which a while ago lit the valley, is too low on the horizon to light up the gorge. We sail through an uncertain light, which adds character to the wild grandeur of the scene. What a sight! Here are caves with superb stalactites, including a needle 300 feet tall that recalls the Roche à Bayard. Here are the medieval keeps of the banks of the Rhine, the Drachenfels, the towers of Heidelberg. Up above, an extensively holed wall suggests the outline of a bridge, next to the Trou du Diable. Further on is the gigantic lifelike image of a pope wearing his tiara and seated on the sedia.20 There are waterfalls everywhere, one hundred of them to be sure, tumbling down as they a‫ٺ‬ect the most bizarre forms, and sometimes leaping o‫ ٺ‬the summit like silvery dust that sprinkles the water. Very calm and not shaken up in the least, our Åve men, who just accomplished a veritable feat of bravery, once out of the gorge, start eating their grilled rice cake as the junk, now restful, sails downstream through less wild country, with only one oarsman in attendance at the aft end. 20 The Rocher Bayard, in Namur Province in Be gium, and the Drachenfe s (Dragon’s Rock) in the North-Rhine Westpha ia region of Germany, are dramatic geo ogica formations. Drachenfe s a so has a ruined cast e on its crown. Heide berg is the famous medieva city south of Frankfurt known for its ruined cast e perched on a steep c i‫ٺ‬. There are many ocations known as Trou du Diab e, or Devi ’s Ho e, throughout France and Be gium. The sedia gestatoria, or gestatoria chair, was the ceremonia throne used by Popes unti 1978. It was rep aced by the Popemobi e.

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I do not believe that this enchanted gorge has ever been described or is known in the slightest in Europe or even Shanghai. As I said earlier, normal navigation ends in Zhenyuan. The rare Europeans who come this way and who were not put o‫ ٺ‬by the upstream voyage must follow the Mandarin Road from this place onward as the houseboats do not travel further. Those who travel from the interior to board a vessel in order to continue downstream are forced to make their way along that road to the vessel’s home port. We had to take sampans for our excursion. Two years ago, my traveling companion, Mr. de Marteau, discovered this section of the waterway quite accidentally, and I thank heaven for this good fortune, which helps forget all past fatigue and makes traveling to Guizhou worthwhile all by itself. No Thomas Cook agency. No Mena House Hotel or rack-and-pinion railway.2 No Englishmen with long teeth or English women with long feet. It is very beautiful! We reach Zhenyuan at Åve. Corpses are being pulled out of the river. A boat just capsized in the very fast current, sending about ten Chinamen to their death.

Easter 189 9 While in beautiful France long-silenced bells cast gaiety in every direction with their silvery notes22 and the great Christian festival brings renewal with its sparkling solemnities, we travel through China, which a‫ٺ‬ords only three occasions for rejoicing and idleness: New Year, the Dragon Festival, and the Moon Festival.23 Gone is the wooden footbridge over which we entered good old Zhenyuan in our chairs and that gave access to the heart of the town. It is 21 Thomas Cook is the we -known British trave agency. The Mena Hote , founded in 1886, is ocated in Cairo and o‫ٺ‬ers a sweeping view of the Giza pyramids. It was bui t in 1869 as a private residence for King Isma’i Pasha and ater opened as a uxury hote . In 1890 it was Åtted with Egypt’s Årst swimming poo . A rack-andpinion rai way uses a geared track to c imb very steep ascents. 22 In the traditiona Catho ic iturgy, church be s are si ent from Maundy Thursday and especia y throughout Good Friday in recognition of Christ’s cruciÅxion and su‫ٺ‬erings unti Easter morning and the commemoration of his resurrection. 23 Known for co orfu dragon boat races, the Duanwu Festiva occurs near the summer so stice, whi e the Mid-Autumn, or Moon Festiva , takes p ace during the eight month of the unar ca endar around the Autumn equinox.

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raised only during low water season each year. We are only at the start of the river’s high water season, and the current’s violence is already frightening. Communication between the two sides of the river is over a superb stone bridge with seven arches built at the other end of the town and below which our junk glides fast and lightly. On the south bank, the graceful buildings of an ancient but well-maintained pagoda soar above the river. On the same bank, opposite the town, are three hills of equal height and covered in vegetation and each have a handsome tiered little pagoda at the summit. On the heights above the town, three bunkers o‫ٺ‬er a counterpoint to the small pagodas, their blurred mass outlined against the gray dawn sky. These Chinese boats are bizarre. The captain’s main cabin that rose above the rudder has been dismantled, the rudder removed, and we are astonished to Ånd ourselves sailing aft Årst. The rear of the boat plunges deeper and presents greater resistance, which makes the craft’s progress through rapids less easy but, we are informed, makes possible maneuvers the junk’s normal position would not permit. The captain is at the head, perched high on one of the steps of the stern, bamboo ga‫ ٺ‬in hand. Two immense oars ten to twelve meters long extend on either side facing the direction of travel, like two menacing spurs. Now tied and lifted out of the water, they will be used as we near rapids to maneuver the boat, which is also equipped with four lateral oars and two more at the rear. All of this constitutes our power source and steering equipment. We reach Qingxi at noon after traveling 100 li e‫ٺ‬ortlessly. Our luggage is ready. We pay a rapid visit to a store to top up the reserves. I say a last goodbye to the little room that was worth every cabin aboard a junk and every room at an inn. I shake hands with the good local people who come to greet us, and at four o’clock, we take our departure downriver, impatient to see the Yangtze and its ferry boats again, which are due to take us toward Shanghai. Bebelman is the only European staying behind in Qingxi as representative of the Société Française. On one bank are leafy trees large and small, while on the other, our horizons change with the elevation of the towpath. We are no longer wedged between two walls.

– 456 –

Chapter Twenty-one

The Yuan River – The Canals High water – The exchange rate – The festival of the dead – Toto and the pheasant – Chinese energy – Poor darling student! – A week in the swamps – Fu-you – Porpoises 1,150 miles from the sea

April 3 The river is no longer recognizable. The landscape along the banks has changed a great deal too: no more pebbles on the dried-up banks, no more towpath on the edge of the water. On every side, waterfalls, streams, torrents, and rivers rush to swell the Yuan. In the rapids, currents are of a terrifying violence with eddies and swirling waters. Almost all the boulders that lined the channel are now submerged, making maneuvers much more dangerous. The days are now longer. At Åve-thirty in the morning, the crew is at their oars, and almost without pausing for meals, row until seven at night. As a result, we make rapid progress, and we even skip several of the nightly halts we made on our upstream journey. But although we make good progress, it is not getting any warmer. It rains incessantly. Brr! . . . The cold is that of a French November.

April 4 This time, we will not cross Lake Dongting again. To vary the route and arrive a few days earlier, we will leave the Yuan River at Changde and travel along the canal connecting it to the Yangtze near Shashi, an open port. Once in that city, we will Ånd steamboats coming from Yichang that will take us to Hankow. Contracts no longer specify hires in sapèques but in taels, following Zhenyuan practice. Our two junks are chartered for 74 and 88 taels each, or about 100,000 and 120,000 sapèques. But this estimate is no doubt inaccurate. I had occasion earlier to mention that in China, all measures of capacity, weight, and distance vary from place to place. – 457 –

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And what is especially variable in this country is the tael, the monetary standard, as its value di‫ٺ‬ers in every city. Part of the cost is payable on departure, part at Hongjiang, then at Changde, and the balance at Shashi. At each payment, Zang, who now performs the role of comprador, will weigh his silver ingots and calculate their value at the rate in force at the various places we pass. It is easy to see that calculating the rate of exchange in China presents intractable di‫ٻ‬culties and puts Europeans entirely in the hands of this auxiliary, the comprador, with no form of control possible. Our boats are crewed by eleven and twelve men, respectively. They should arrive in Shashi within eighteen days at the maximum or incur a Åne of 25,000 sapèques per day behind schedule. But a 5,000-sapèque consideration will be paid for each day gained over the speciÅed period.

April 5 I may have mentioned that our junks had their mast removed and therefore carry no sails or cabin for the lao da, who each night constructs a roof with mats for himself. The junks have been reduced to their simplest expression. But here, the water becomes deeper, and our junk is restored to its normal conÅguration, stern to the fore. The rudder and the helm are back in place. In a few minutes, the cabin, with its windows of paper, its doors, and its roof is rebuilt as if by magic. Today is Chinese Qingming, a kind of Day of the Dead. Everyone heads for the family graves, decorates them with streamers of white paper that Æutter in the wind, then burns paper sapèques, lights joss sticks, and especially sets o‫ ٺ‬Årecrackers. Many graves form terraces on hillocks close to the river. As a result, all day long we pass paper streamers to the accompaniment of crackling loud enough to wake the dead. What an odd way to honor the departed! We are propelled by ga‫ ٺ‬at the rate of 20 li (about 10 kilometers) per hour. Tonight we will tie up at Hongjiang, 516 li from Qingxi.

1 The Spring Bright Festiva , better known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in Eng ish, fa s on the Åfteenth day after the Spring equinox. It is a time to visit and c ean the tombs of re atives, ight joss sticks, and burn paper o‫ٺ‬erings to the dead.

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THE CANALS

April 6 All night a concert of tubas and tom-toms takes place aboard the gunboat near which we are directed to tie up. Already at nine o’clock last night, no doubt to mark what should be lights out, the tom-toms imitated drum rolls for a quarter-of-an-hour while stretched trumpets emitted their long, lugubrious blasts. This band has the appearance of Roman fanfares according to reconstitutions of that ancient music. Suddenly, the boom of a cannon echoing all around the mountain puts a temporary end to the musical gunners’ ardor. Same ritual at daybreak at Åve o’clock this morning, a reveille I could well have done without. We caught our boy Toto red-handed. As we left Qingxi, we took with us a golden pheasant destined to delight our modest dinner table. The pheasant having failed to make its appearance at lunch today, Mr. de Marteau inquires as to its fate. Highly embarrassed, Toto stammers, gets increasingly confused, and Ånally says: “Pheasant smell very bad. Me throw away.” “But what about the feathers? Let’s have them.” Toto looks around but cannot Ånd them. But what do we discover under his bunk as we help him in his search? The pheasant, of course, stu‫ٺ‬ed and admirably perched on a small wooden board and proudly displaying the bright plumage of its tail. Toto himself was the taxidermist. He took all the cotton out of his duvet and stu‫ٺ‬ed it inside the pheasant, which he fully expected would bring him a substantial proÅt, either along the route or in Shanghai. Alas! He reckoned without his master’s eagle eye. Poor Toto!

April 7 All day we pass hard limestone quarries exploited for the manufacture of paving stones and whitewash on site. Thousands of workers are employed to work the rock face with hammer and chisel. Immense earthenware ovens resembling gasometers are encircled with bamboo. Alternate layers of coal and limestone are laid inside before the mixture is set on Åre. The mountain recedes little by little, reduced to – 459 –

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ashes or carted far away in chunks. There are no galleries. Instead, the mountain is worked from all sides until complete annihilation. To speed up the junks’ progress, it occurs to us to make a promise to the crew of a direct 100 sapèques per man if we spend the night in Chenxi. This seems impossible to the lao da. But by Åve o’clock in the evening, we reach our destination, and the mariners pocket their well-earned bonus directly and with intense delight.

April 8 Almost all the boatmen on the Yuan River come from Mayan, a city situated inland near Zhenyuan, where they leave their family behind. They form a kind of tribe, with its own patois other Chinese inhabitants of the region cannot understand. Even the large Æoating houses on which we sail are commonly called Ma yan. These big children are permanently full of energy and good cheer. A new bonus has been promised if we reach Chenzhou-fu tonight. The promise is in vain, a local Chenxi pharmacist assures us. But this morning, we were on our way by Åve o’clock as the day was about to break, and at Åve this evening we Ånd ourselves passing, but without stopping, the Chenzhou Prefecture building, a most picturesque sight when seen from this side of the river. Apart from two pauses of ten minutes each, our boatmen did not stop rowing for a moment for these twelve hours by the clock. Since the craft was restored to its normal position, three men standing on the platform at the stern end work an oar they propel forward by leaning their body away from the ga‫ٺ‬. They stamp the deck with bare feet to mark the rhythm. Each of the two long side oars is worked by three men, one of whom stands outside the boat on a plank attached by a bracket. A dirge-like refrain is intoned by one of the rowers, with the rest responding in rhythm with a guttural cry. Only a moment ago, despite having put in this extraordinary e‫ٺ‬ort, at about four o’clock, our two crews challenge each other and engage in a race without apparently su‫ٺ‬ering the slightest fatigue. We continue some 20 li past Chenzhou-fu, having covered 175 li or about 90 kilometers with no rapids, a fairly weak current, and a light head wind. Tonight’s bonus will be richly deserved! – 460 –

THE YUAN RIVER

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THE CANALS

Sunday, April 9 The mighty sapèque has an extraordinary e‫ٺ‬ect on Chinese energy levels. We sail at four-thirty, before daybreak. Our aim is to reach a destination 200 li, or more than 100 kilometers away, with only two rapids to assist our oarsmen. During the morning, our men slow our progress to stock up on Årewood. We are passing through a region where every village has stacks of wood piled along the shore. Swarms of sampans loaded with bundles of wood sail up and down the river in search of customers on passing junks. One of the boatmen purchases his share and in no time we have wood everywhere: in the hold, at the fore, at the aft, even on the roof of our cabins. It is not easy to police this invasion. This is the boatmen’s little proÅt. Seven o’clock, and we are still on the move. Our men do not call it a day until eight o’clock, having gone beyond even the designated halt and toiled for sixteen hours without interruption. They are a long way from agitating for three eight-hour shifts!2

April 10 We drop anchor at four o’clock near Changde’s great staircase, having covered in exactly eight hours the distance that took us 30 days when traveling upstream. Part of the crew disembarks, carrying with them bundles of wood, ropes, supplies of rice: in short, an unbelievable cargo they extract from who knows where. A young student friend of Zang’s pays us a visit and enlightens us on the subject of the cultural practices of those literary men who conÅne themselves to “good words,” or maxims and proverbs, but who would not stoop to attending to the details of practical life. How far is Shashi? What is the condition of the canal that goes there? How long does it take junks to reach this town? These are very simple questions, and yet our disciple of Confucius admits that he can2 A reference to the traditiona French abor union demand for the working day to consist of three shifts imited to eight hours each (trois huit).

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not answer them. “There is so much to study,” says he to Zang with an adorable little movement of the head while his nonchalantly spread hand reveals Ångernails of extraordinary length. There is so much to study!

April 11 Goodbye, mountains, torrents, and waterfalls. We are in Æat, monotonous, but fertile country. The canal is only about 50 meters wide. There is no current. Out boatmen harnessed themselves to the rope and will have to tow us until we reach the Yangtze. In the afternoon, to our great astonishment and regret, we realize the extent of our boatmen’s utter ignorance as regards distances. When will we be in Shashi? No one knows. The boatmen we meet give Zang the most diverse and fanciful estimates. I should add that this being high water season, the canal subdivides into a series of branches, small lakes, or swamps and that of our two captains, one came this way only once long ago while the other has not taken his boat this way for four years but knows the route well, he insists. Good Lord, let us hope so!

April 12 It is rainy and foggy, for a change. On the canal, swarms of boats carrying loads of fresh green grass remind me of those dahabeah I admired last year as they conveyed the verdant produce of the fertile valley to Cairo.3 But while I am reminded of the green Nile, how di‫ٺ‬erent are the sky and the climate! Instead of enjoying the freedom of white clothes and parasols of green hues, we are ensconced in quilted clothing and need the protection of our oilskins and capes if we wish to poke our noses outside. Poor us! Pretty month of May, when will you return? These Chinese boatmen are very practical. They wear a kind of skirt made of brown strips that upon inquiry turn out to be nothing other than coconut Åber from Hainan Island. A cape of the same type is fastened tightly around their neck, extending over their shoulders and 3 Dahabeah are narrow, sha ow-draft, barge- ike sai ing vesse s sti found on the Ni e today. Raquez wou d have trave ed through the Suez Cana on his way to the Far East. A date of mid-Apri 1898 broad y Åts with his known movements (see Introduction).

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THE CANALS

stretching over their arms, thus protecting them without hampering their movements. Standing at the rear of the boat, they row with two crossed oars but by pushing them away from their body instead of toward it, as do our mariners.

April 13 A dreadful storm raged all night. This morning, the wind still gusts furiously and rain is falling in torrents. We cannot go forward. Curiously, the captains of our junks forewarned us of the arrival of this storm on a speciÅc date in Changde the other day, when the sun was shining brightly in a clear sky. We had no idea what to make of hearing them say in all seriousness: “In three days, there will be a storm.” Apparently, the third day of the third moon, April 13 this year according to the Chinese calendar, is invariably accompanied by atmospheric perturbation. Travel is a good teacher; that is very true. But what is no fun at all is to Ånd oneself stuck an entire long day on a canal without horizon and unable to glean any clear information about our situation or the distance that separates us from Shashi. Finally, around four o’clock, the rain having stopped, our boatmen harnessed themselves to the rope and walked until night, but covered barely 20 li or so.

April 14 The learned man with whom I had occasion to converse today reinforced once again my conviction that when dealing with China, a double-edged policy should be followed: one the exercise of force backed by law, the other recognizing fait accompli. Most Chinese people are unaware that the French and the British entered Peking in 1860. In Guizhou, I saw educated, intelligent Chinamen laugh when the course of the conversation happened to take us back to the events of those years. But all of them knew that Germany captured Kiautschou.4 The 4 Kiautschou Bay (now Jiaozhou), a German- eased concession on the Shandong Peninsu a. See note 45, page 186.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

impact of this action on China was considerable, and conÅdence in the country’s future has vanished from the hearts of the Celestials since Emperor Wilhelm’s strike. I remembered these events when I learned of the recent incidents in Sichuan. Near Yichang, an open port and a city that is the seat of high-ranking mandarins, an unfortunate missionary, Father Victorin, was pursued, arrested, and tortured, and the criminals who perpetrated this murder in broad daylight, then tore out their victim’s heart, brain, and part of one thigh, and devoured these like cannibals.5 Such massacres have been taking place for over a year, and we still await just retaliation. The Germans used a very di‫ٺ‬erent system. An entire province as well as access to Peking served as atonement for the murder of a missionary. I say a province because Kiautschou is in reality Shandong and the link with Peking via the railway built by German syndicates. Alas! If a nation has lost face in this country, to use an expression dear to the Chinese, it is our unfortunate France. In fact, just a few months ago, our Minister of War replied as follows to one of our parliamentarians who complained of not seeing him in committee hearings: “What do you expect, my friend? I have been a minister for 30 years, and 29 of those were occupied by the A‫ٺ‬air!” Sad country! It is blighted by a canker, to the great delight of our mocking enemies. While Dr. Much-Worse and Dr. Much-Better argue, no surgeon has the courage to wield the salutary scalpel.6

April 15 I Årst took something for Æying Åsh. I was in error. These beasties that played around our junk all day long and form streaks on the surface of the water are in fact insects, but very odd insects! Their body, the size and shape of an average caterpillar, is black and ringed with golden yellow circles. Two cream-colored wings, long and pointed and attached very close to the head, Æap rapidly like the panels of an electrical punkah. 5 Victorin De brouck (1876 1898) was a Be gian Franciscan missionary. He was ki ed in Enshi, in Hubei on December 11, 1898 by secret society members known as the Ge aohui. See Hongyan Xiang, “Catho icism and the Ge aohui in ate Qing China,” New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 15:1 (2013): 93 113. 6 A reference to La Fontaine’s fab e Les Médecins (The Doctors), which features Doctors Tant-Pis and Tant-Mieux. Whi e they argue over the correct diagnosis, the patient dies.

– 464 –

THE YUAN RIVER

–

THE CANALS

Father Victorin’s corpse

These are fu you, the boatmen inform us.7 But I cannot convince them to grab even one specimen, which would be easy for them when they jump into the water to tow the rope. They seem to harbor a superstitious fear of these creatures. The body of this singular insect ends in a fork that is longer than the entire body itself and is made up of two Ålaments, also yellow and angled away from each other. 7 MayÆys, or fú yóu 嚱國. Raquez’s trans iteration of the name is “foui mon,” which may indicate a vernacu ar or regiona name.

– 465 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

This fork serves as both rudder and counterweight as the fu you travels like an arrow with its head and the forward portion of its body out of the water so as to avoid wetting its wings. The rest of the body is dunked into the river. The water is streaked with myriad other insets, but none leaps out and takes to the air like a Æying Åsh. All leap forward in a sudden move as they raise their little head equipped with two slender mandibles that protrude at the front.

Sunday, April 16 The canal’s embankments have been breached in many places. Severe Æooding must have taken place recently, as uprooted trees with their foliage intact lie here and there, their sorry-looking branches sticking up as if to beg for succor. We travel all day not along a canal but across veritable lakes, on which we make progress using oars. Only yesterday, large villages succeeded one another along the shores. Before one of them, protected by a handsome stone dyke, a Æotilla of six gunboats salutes our Æag. Today, all is desolation. Only a few reed huts shelter Åshermen. Here are eight sampans advancing one behind the other in two parallel convoys of four each. A man stands at the prow of each one, Åshing net in hand, while a woman, also standing, rows with two oars at the rear. Suddenly, each sampan changes tack neatly and rapidly and then halts. With the Åshermen now facing each other, they cast their weighted nets into the water. The entire rectangle demarcated by the junks is dredged by these Åshing implements. The rain will not go away. But it gives us a chance to witness the original spectacle of our coolies towing the junk while sheltering under bamboo umbrellas.

April 1 7 The day begins with a thunderstorm followed by sunshine, even though a gusty head wind rages on. With inÅnite precautions, we make progress little by little. Toward noon, we reach the Yangtze. We cannot enter the river, our two lao da inform us, and we do not doubt them when we see the swell that churns up the river, which is a mile wide at least. This looks like the high seas. Our junks take shelter in a small creek. A pod of porpoises executes a mad sarabande before our very eyes – 466 –

THE YUAN RIVER

–

THE CANALS

as if to mock our distress. Who would expect to Ånd porpoises 1,150 miles from the sea!8 Shashi, the object of our desires, is only some 60 li away on the opposite shore. Perhaps a packet boat is moored there at the moment. But here we are, stuck and utterly impotent. Fortunately, toward evening, the wind abates and our boatmen decide to row down the Yangtze, with our progress eased by a current of three knots. As a result, we Æy by like arrows. Two packet boats sail close to us half-an-hour apart on their way to Yichang. We reach Shashi at nine o’clock at night. I race to Customs to inquire. No packet boat until Thursday or Friday. What rotten luck!

8 The baiji, a so known as the Yangtze River Do phin, is now considered functiona y extinct, with the ast o‫ٻ‬cia sighting dating back to 2006. It is the Årst do phin species driven to extinction by human actions.

– 467 –

Chapter Twenty-two

The Yangtze Shashi – Superstitions – Rescuing the Esk – Hankow – Jiujiang – A French-speaking reverend – Nanking – Zhenjiang – Shanghai

April 18 This time, our luck turns, and we meet two German commissaries in the imperial Customs, Messrs. Neumann and Wilzer, some of the most charming comrades one may wish to meet. We are under strict orders not to take our meals anywhere but beneath their hospitable roof until the arrival of the packet boat. Mr. Neumann was attacked and wounded on January 1, 1897 as he explored the vicinity of Shashi in the company of Mr. Riault and Mr. Waeles of the Lyon mission.2 All three were in real danger. There is now a regular service between Shanghai and Hankow. A steamer departs each city every day. Four companies ply the route: two British (ButterÅeld & Swire; Jardine, Matheson, & Co.), one Chinese (China Merchants), and one Japanese. The same companies sail upstream using di‫ٺ‬erent steamboats from Hankow to Yichang, but service is not regular on that stretch of the river. European passengers are very rare, and each sailing is dependent on the loading of cargo. At the moment, for example, as large quantities of cargo clutter up the port of Hankow, vessels hurry to carry it away and return from Yichang almost empty. From that port all the way to Yichang, the bottom is rocky and strewn with reefs that do not allow steamers to enter the magniÅcent gorges the Yangtze displays along its entire length. Instead, passengers board large junks. Many of these now lie at anchor in the port of 1 The Directory (1899) ists a J. Neumann as Acting Commissioner of Maritime Customs at Shashi and A. H. Wi zer as Assistant, Maritime Customs, China. 2 In the pub ished mission report, Wae es is isted as commercia de egate from Roubaix and Riau t as commercia de egate from Roanne. See La Mission Lyonnaise en Chine, 22.

– 468 –

THE YANGTZE

A gunboat Soldiers The encampment

Shashi. But they are di‫ٺ‬erent from ours, with only half dedicated to cabins as the forecastle is occupied with fourteen oarsmen who set this heavy Æoating house in motion. The port of Shashi has been open to foreigners since October 1, 1896 as per the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which followed the Sino–Japanese War.3 The Europeans who have concession land at their disposal seem in no hurry to come and occupy it. Granted, the local population is hardly sympathetic to them, but is this not true everywhere in China and especially in the Yangtze Valley? The entire European colony consists of the two customs concessionaires. Great Britain had a consul in Shashi until recently, but recalled him not long ago. The Japanese retain theirs, Mr. Futakuchi,4 on whom we call and who speaks very competent English. But the city does include three missions. The Catholic one is entrusted to Belgian Franciscans, while the other two, which are Protestant, belong to the Swedes and the Americans. 3 Signed on Apri 17, 1895 in Shimonoseki, Japan, the treaty ended the Årst Sino Japanese War and humi iated the Qing ru ers, who not on y seceded Korea and Formosa (Taiwan) to Japan but a so were forced to pay a cripp ing war indemnity and open treaty ports in Shashi, Chongqqing, and Hangzhou, among others, to foreign trade. 4 The Directory (1899) ists an H. Eitaki as Japanese Consu at Shashi. He was a so head of the Japanese Post O‫ٻ‬ce in that city. Ear ier Directories, for examp e 1892, ist a Y. Futakuchi as a consu ar o‫ٻ‬cia in China, and it most ike y this person to whom Raquez is referring.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

In May last year, when a riot broke out in Shashi, the Chinese set Åre to all the buildings in the concession. The Customs, the Japanese Consulate, and the buildings and docks of the China Merchants were destroyed in broad daylight. Mr. Neumann managed to escape the Æames but only just and was able to salvage only his clothes. The torched buildings still reveal their blackened walls. The Customs building is currently being rebuilt. Since 1898, troops have been camped in a curious crenellated enclosure constructed of beaten earth on which a lawn grows close to the settlement. Two gunboats deploy their rectangular standards before the great staircase that leads down to the Yangtze. The Chinese city is quite substantial. Including the crowd that mills about on the junks, the population is not far short of 100,000. We set out to visit it in the company of Mr. Neumann. The main street is wide, superbly paved, and, a novelty in China, almost clean. As so often, the houses have no upper Æoors. Shashi is a major center for the exportation of cotton goods to other provinces of the Middle Kingdom, with Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan being supplied almost exclusively from this source. But the city has no large manufactures. This is cottage industry at its most basic. In the farms of the countryside, wives weave while husbands tend their Åelds or Åsh. In the city, the sound of hand-operated looms often reaches our ears. The weaver then brings its production to one of the many brokers, whose shops are wide open. Standing at the counter of one of these are more than 20 Chinamen carrying on one shoulder a piece of o‫ٺ‬-white cotton about 50 centimeters wide that was woven in their home. The brokers group the pieces by strength, manufacture, or length, and dispatch them to wholesalers in bales. Oak apple, vegetable wax, yellow silk, and varnish are also traded in large quantities. We visit a silk-weaving operation employing some 30 workers. Very beautiful and strong, Shashi silk is extremely cheap. A curio shop sells some attractive specimens, but this is not silk of the highest quality. We will have to purchase chinoiseries in Paris after all. We see vast numbers of well-stocked Åsh merchants. In some of the stalls, monsters resembling sturgeons in shape weigh up to 30 or 40 kilos. Five miles from Shashi is Kingchow Prefecture, the residence of – 470 –

THE YANGTZE

A bridge in the vicinity of Shashi

high-ranking mandarins and a Tartar marshall. The building also houses a Catholic mission led by an Austrian priest. A pu‫ ٺ‬of smoke over the river stirs our emotions. Could this be the hoped-for packet boat? Alas, no. It is a British gunboat, the Esk, arrived from Yichang, where the river gunboat the Woodcock went to take its place. The Esk passes Shashi without stopping and continues downstream toward Shanghai. For three years, not a single French ship has sailed this way to display the tricolor, not even when missionaries were arrested and detained for six months, like Father Fleury, and others were massacred, like Father Victorin only a few weeks ago. How many Christians who put their trust in our protection were wiped out, chased from their villages, or put to death? And yet it is only the British who display their steel muzzles in these parts. People say that the arrival of the Esk prevented dreadful massacres in the city and its environs, where missions Æourish. Perhaps they are right. Shame on France!

April 19 Thirteen guilds oversee the workings of Shashi’s commercial activities. One of them, the Shashi huiguan, or guild of bankers, currency changers, and other money handlers, own a remarkable pagoda known as the Pagoda of the Golden Dragon. Two ancient masts of wrought iron of an unusual design and veri– 471 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

table works of art stand opposite the temple, which is used for festivals and all guild meetings. We call on Father Timmers, a Belgian Franciscan and the only resident of the quay amidst a population of junks.5 On the way, we are constantly forced to dodge coolies loading onto boats the bales of cotton goods we saw yesterday in the brokers’ shops, long, narrow sacks of rice and wheat, bales of palm leaves compressed into cubes, coconut Åber from Hainan Island, earthenware items from local potteries, etc. I am intrigued by a shoe hanging from the impost of a doorway. I am informed that it marks a recent delivery of a baby by the mistress of the house and bars everyone from crossing the threshold. Sometimes, a green leaf is substituted for the old shoe. For the Chinese, pregnancy and childbirth, these mysteries of life, are occasions for numerous superstitious practices. One of these is followed in most of China, and closely so in Shashi. No one would grant a lease on a house a pregnant woman might enter unless every beam in the house is replaced. If the pregnancy is discovered during the Årst few months of occupation, it is essential that the joists be substituted if the greatest misfortunes are not to befall mother and child, their family, the owner, and the house. Last year at the time of the Shashi riots, the daughter of the China Merchants manager visited her father and planned to spend some time with him, accompanied by her husband. But she discovered she was pregnant and was forced to leave the paternal home and take up residence in a nearby godown, which was consumed by Åre a few days later. Superstitious minds did not fail to attribute last May’s disasters to the presence of this inÆuential person. A telegram announces that a packet boat will sail from Yichang today at noon. She will arrive at six. All right! During the riots, the Æoating dock that serviced the steamers was set on Åre, and China Merchants, whose property it was, did not deem it worthwhile to rebuild it. As a result, packet boats now stop in midstream. Rain is falling in torrents. The storm has returned with its earlier fury. The swell is very powerful. About seven o’clock, the packet boat 5 The Directory (1899) notes a sma Roman Catho ic Mission at Shashi and ists Fathers Ange us Timmers and Mauritius Robert. Timmers is misspe ed as “Timos” in the origina .

– 472 –

THE YANGTZE

whistles and drops anchor. She will not sail again until daybreak, the captain informs us, as the weather is too inclement and the Yangtze’s sandbanks too dangerous at night given the powerful currents of this high water period.

April 20 The Chinese Customs have just instituted a regulation that strikes me as hardly likely to favor the development of commerce. Vessels are prohibited from landing any freight between six at night and six in the morning without paying a Æat fee of ten taels (about 35 francs). Our packet boat took on two chests destined for Shashi that cost 90 taels in freight charges. Like us, every one of the numerous Chinese passengers was on board before Åve in the morning. But we had to wait until six to unload the two chests, as the captain refused to pay ten taels for cargo of such minimal value. The Chang Wo is a handsome little ferry boat belonging to the British company Jardine & Matheson & Co., also known as the Indo-China Steam Navigation Co., and built entirely in the Shanghai shipyards.6 She features comfortable cabins and Åne British dining. The gracious captain is a dab hand at card tricks. At nine in the morning, a gunboat is sighted. Our lorgnettes are trained on a white vessel that seems stationary in midstream. This is Her Gracious Majesty’s Esk, whose Æags announce: BDG – “I ran aground.” Poor blue jackets! The Chang Wo, which is registered in London, is required to put herself at the warship’s disposal. We drop anchor to our great despair, as we cannot a‫ٺ‬ord to miss the packet boat from Hankow. Rotten luck is with us again. A huge mooring rope is thrown to the Esk. Our packet boat tugs right, then left, then forward, but in vain. The gunboat is as inert as a rock. Finally, at twelve thirty, a jolt is felt. Is this deliverance? For us, yes, but not for the stranded vessel: the rope snapped. The Chang Wo did her duty: she is free to go. The British sailors will have to await a further rise in water levels, which the rains will no doubt send their way before too long. 6 Estab ished in 1873 as a subsidiary of British-owned Jardine & Matheson, the ICSNC, as it was then known, came to be a dominant p ayer in the Yangtze shipping trade. The company traded unti 1974.

– 473 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Truth obliges me to relate that the stranded sailors do not seem too disconcerted by the adventure despite the fact that they have been stuck for 36 hours. On either side are two comfortable houseboats that allow the o‫ٻ‬cers on board to roam the river among Æocks of geese and wild ducks. There is little danger that the gunboat might turn into a new Raft of the Medusa.7 If need be, the neighboring villages will supply her with victuals. Every other day, she will give another packet boat a chance to test the strength of her mooring ropes. Goodbye and good luck!

April 21 We reach Hankow at three, having covered at low speed the 278 miles that separate that city from Shashi. First sighted are the tall chimney stacks of the cotton manufactures at Wuchang on the south bank, followed by the sacred mountain on the north bank, crowned by its pagoda, which dominates the massive chimney stacks of the blast furnaces and rolling mills at Hanyang. Then comes the Han River with the masts of its innumerable junks, and Ånally Hankow-the-Beautiful and the lawns of its Bund. The probe, which showed only four feet of depth in December, now indicates sixteen. It is feared that the Æoods of two years ago may return, once again turning the shores of the Yangtze into swamps and the streets into Venetian canals. The French and Russian quays can now be discerned. A vast hotel with over 40 rooms has risen as if by magic in the shadow of the tricolor. The hotel meets genuine demand. As soon as we near the city, swarms of sampans sail out to meet us. The men who crew them board the Chang Wo while she is still on the move, climbing the railings like monkeys. This looks exactly like a sudden attack by pirates. These men are touting on behalf of Chinese hotels and are here to sing these establishments’ praises to their compatriots traveling steerage class. 7 A reference to the famous oi painting of the same name comp eted in 1819 by Théodore Géricau t (1791 1824) which depicts the dire condition of survivors of the shipwreck of the French frigate Méduse, who drifted for 13 days on a sma raft before being rescued.

– 474 –

THE YANGTZE

In Hankow, just as in our fashionable resorts, the procedure is the same. Tavern owners the world over are adept at trawling for customers. Rickshaws are very useful when it comes to touring the Hankow concessions to shake hands with good friends, astonished at seeing me again but sporting the beard of a savage. This could be the theme of this late afternoon. But the ButterÅeld packet boat weighs anchor at nine o’clock tonight. The celebrations are intimate. We drain a few cups to French friends, and away we go. At precisely nine o’clock, the Poyang, which brought me to Shanghai, leaves the landing stage.

April 22 We pass Jiujiang (“Kieou-kiang,” French style, or “Kiu-kiang,” English style), but in full daylight this time, between ten and eleven in the morning. There is considerable animation in the streets, which look quite clean. Earthenware and porcelain are brought right up to the ship, o‫ٺ‬ering the attractive specialties of the region. The shops of the Chinese city are well stocked, but in general we Ånd that their prices are at least as high as in our Parisian bazaars. Apparently, the heights above Guling are beginning to Åll with visitors in avid search of fresh air and cool temperatures. Hotel boys with their trademark ribbon in their boater come to recruit European travelers. This is tempting as the heat has been oppressive for the last two days. On board are two families of reverends consisting of Sir, Madam, and Baby. One of the infants plays with a grotesque rubber Ågure wearing the cap, coat, and red trousers of our French soldiers. Our good friends the British! Can such bitterness enter the heart . . ., O gentle minister of the Bible?8

Sunday, April 23 We see a boulder marooned in midstream, superb and most picturesque with its pagodas clinging to its Æanks. This is the Little Orphan.9 8 Tant de Åel entre t il dans l’âme des dévots? (“Can such bitterness enter the heart of the devout?”), Nico as Boi eau-Despréaux (1636 1711), from his mock-epic poem Le Lutrin (The Lectern) of 1638. 9 Now known as Xiaogu Mountain, the Litt e Orphan Rock, near the mouth of Lake Poyang, is a dramatic outcrop rising 300 feet from the river with a monastery

– 475 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Eleven in the morning. We are at Nanking, or rather its port as the city is some twelve kilometers further inland. No doubt, our European shipping companies will not be long in setting up pontoons here as Nanking has just been declared a free port and the Imperial Customs are already in place. A fort apparently built in the European manner dominates a hill close to the Yangtze. Two Chinese cruisers and three gunboats Æying the same Æag lie at anchor. German Æags Æutter along the quays, where a brightly colored tent has been erected. HRH Prince Henry of Prussia is expected on a visit to the Viceroy of Nanking. Six o’clock at night. We pass Zhenjiang, a marvelous sight. On one side of the city is a mountain dotted with the many handsome buildings of a pagoda; on the other, a hill climbed by the villas of the European concession. The backdrop consists of mountains whose soft hues fade in the close of this Åne Spring day. Near the city is the entrance to a large canal crammed with junks.

April 24 Eleven in the morning. The Poyang docks at the Shanghai quays. But bitter disappointment awaits us, and our patriots’ hearts bleed today. Even as its representative was taking possession of the Qingxi factory and the Wanshanjiang mines at the cost of a long and arduous journey, the Société Française d’Explorations Minières ceded its full rights to an Anglo-German-French company. 0 The Anglo-French Quicksilver Concession and Mining Company, Ltd. has its seat in London. Its legal identity is British, and its president, Mr. Jacob Arnhold, a German, is assisted on the Board by two Englishmen, one German, and three Frenchmen: Messrs. Dubois, Orosdi, and de Klapka. In China, the company is represented by the trading house of Arnand sma pagoda on top. It was a convenient navigation andmark and a frequent subject for photographs and postcards. It has now been connected to the shore by andÅ . 10 See pp. xx xxii for information about the Ang o-French Quicksi ver Concession and Mining Company Limited.

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THE YANGTZE

The pagoda

hold, Karberg, & Co., the principal German commercial enterprise in the Far East. As a result, an entire province abutting our Tonkin colony passes out of our immediate sphere of inÆuence as the rights of the Société Française extend to every single mine in Guizhou Province, which is as large as half of France, and the deposits are little more than a series of mineralized layers. This is a unique concession, the like of which will never again be granted in this country! As far as I know, the blame should not be laid at the door of the Société Française, which had a legitimate right to recover the already considerable sums it had laid out to secure the agreement of the Chinese authorities. Rather, the responsibility falls heavily on the syndicates that constitute French high Ånance, to which the exploitation of the Guizhou mines had been o‫ٺ‬ered but which after apparent consideration, rejected it scornfully, no doubt in the hope of securing more favorable terms and picking up a devalued business for a triÆe. It is deplorable that the public authorities did not see it Åt to inter11 The company sti exists and trades in Hong Kong under the name Arnho d Ho dings, Ltd. Founded by the German-Jewish Jacob Arnho d (1838 1903) and Danish businessman Peter Karberg in Canton in 1866, Arnho d, Karberg & Co asted unti 1914, when it underwent a series of name changes.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

vene in this a‫ٺ‬air, especially as some of the Ånancial syndicates to which I alluded were very close to the Government and even more because the concession had been secured thanks to the combined e‫ٺ‬orts of Mr. de Marteau and French diplomatic o‫ٻ‬cials in China. At stake was capital amounting to 2,500,000 francs for the exploitation of the Årst mines at Wanshanjiang. The o‫ٺ‬er, which was Æoated on the Paris market and scorned, found takers in London within a few days. This is incredible! French capital showed no interest in a French o‫ٺ‬er but rushed into Anglo-French Quicksilver up to the three-quarters limit and Ålled London’s co‫ٺ‬ers. What extraordinary display of French stupidity! There are currently three series of major projects in China. But are the Manchuria railway and the operations of our Russian ally all over northern China not sustained by gold from our dear France? The Hankow–Peking line, a colossal enterprise that should turn the Yangtze Valley’s economy upside down, is managed almost exclusively by our friends the Belgians. Yet at the time of the subscription, 36,000 shares were purchased in Belgium compared to 186,000 in France. Until recently, French trading houses owned considerable tracts of land in Hankow, covering an area larger than our Shanghai concession. This land was for sale. At the same time, a concession the Belgian government had requested was turned down by Peking. Its Consul General in Hankow purchased all the available land on behalf of an unknown person some say is a Ånancial company, others identify as His Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and the Congo. 2 And yet it is in this Belgian concession Ånally secured despite everything that the terminus of the Hankow–Peking line will be built with French gold. Finally, the mines of Guizhou, which are exploited with the same capital, have become part of the assets of a British company managed by Germans who will have sole choice over what personnel to send to regions 12 Leopo d II (1835 1909), second King of Be gium. He created the Congo Free State as a private venture that great y enriched him whi e horriÅca y exp oiting oca peop e, as is famous y memoria ized in Joseph Conrad’s 1899 nove a Heart of Darkness. Leopo d did not purchase the and in China.

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THE YANGTZE

neighboring both our Indochinese colony and the rich Yangtze Valley. Yes, the heart bleeds when one powerlessly witnesses such folly and considers that China was bathed in the blood of our compatriots who opened up the country to those who now proudly display their Æag where the tricolor should have Æuttered uncontested. Often in the course of these long months spent in China, I have had to bow my head and blush. As I conclude this faithful relation of a traveler’s impressions, I cannot hold back the cry that comes to my lips: Poor France!

Shanghai, November 1899 THE END

– 479 –

Chapter Two

Canton and its Trades Appearance of the streets – Sedan chairs – Voyez terrasse!1 – Embroiderers – Goldsmiths – Monkeys and stomach complaints – Nocturnal ceremonies – A hospital visit – Lacquered duck – Buddha offerings – Pipe smoking – Education and progress in China – A venerable water clock – Examination halls

September 2 Walsh2

Hong Kong publishers Kelly & have brought out an excellent map of Canton that gives a good idea of the location of the major sights to be visited. A-Cam collects me. We set o‫ ٺ‬in sedan chairs, the only means of locomotion used in the country. But I have the cover of mine pulled back so I can see better, or at least see something, as opposed to being ensconced in its depths. What a curious city! The moment we cross the bridge near the hotel, we Ånd ourselves in streets a meter-Åfty to two meters wide, without sidewalks, naturally. On either side are shops opening directly onto the street, almost all of them built to the same model. The shop is narrow but its interior is deep. The shopfront is enclosed by a masonry structure raised up to elbow height, which serves as the shopkeeper’s counter. Within this low partition or in the pillar dividing two adjacent shophouses is a small recess. This is where, every day, joss 1 In contemporary Parisian argot, this phrase, which itera y means “see terrace,” was ca ed out by the cashier of a café to request that waiters attend to customers seated outside. See John Raphae , Pictures of Paris and Some Parisians (London: Adam & Char es B ack, 1908), 79. 2 Formed in Shanghai in 1876 by the combination of two Eng ish- anguage pubishing houses, Ke y & Co. and F. & C. Wa sh, and incorporated in 1885, Ke y & Wa sh remains in business to this day, owned by Swindon Book Co. Ltd., as a chain of boutique bookstores in Hong Kong. In its heyday, the company was the premier pub isher of Eng ish- anguage books in the Far East. The company moved to Hong Kong when the Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1937.

– 14 –

CANTON AND ITS TRADES

sticks are burned to propitiate the resident spirits and drive away their malevolent colleagues. Houses consist of several Æoors. As a result, the street is little more than a kind of gut. But what gives Canton’s lanes their special cachet is the multitude of deep, narrow boards suspended vertically above the heads of passersby. These boards display the shopkeeper’s or craftsman’s name and what he sells or makes. Some are gilded and contain lacquered characters, while others consist of gilded characters on a lacquered background. They are white, red, or green and are often bunched together in twos, threes, or fours, blocking natural light. The ground is paved with long, thick, narrow Æagstones. When it is not raining and except near doorways, the streets are clean, convenient for pedestrians, and generally better than their reputation suggests. At night, almost all the shops are secured with thick wooden shutters, with guards assigned to each one. Each street has its little shrine and sometimes a small pagoda. Craftsmen and shopkeepers have their own corporations, their guilds, each with its often richly-endowed guildhall. But what cannot be expressed is the extraordinary bustle of Canton’s streets. The only Åt comparison is with a swarm of ants ceaselessly shu‫ټ‬ing to and fro. From dawn to dusk, these narrow alleyways are crisscrossed by enormous crowds – the city is home to two million inhabitants – sauntering along or hurrying to their business or pleasures, most often on foot, occasionally by sedan chair. These are the only two possible means of locomotion. Every now and then, a mandarin passes by preceded by a cortege consisting of two or three knights. But there are no horses, no carriages, no rickshaws, no carts, not even wheelbarrows in Canton’s streets. All loads are carried on shoulders by means of bamboo poles. Every coolie trots along while uttering a guttural cry, often a ho (with a hard h sound), with a metronomic frequency that gives him energy, keeps his rhythm going, and clears the crowd from his path. When the burden is shared by several coolies, each carrier’s cries are uttered with a di‫ٺ‬erent intonation and in mutual response, as ho a ho a, for example, but always in rhythm with their steps. Sedan chair carriers constantly utter such full-throated cries. They work in threes: one at each end of the shafts, the third between the chair itself and the head carrier. – 15 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

They walk very fast as if charging, and show remarkable dexterity as the front two carriers can swap places without even slowing. Very often, two chairs come face to face in these narrow lanes. In some places, for example where streets cross at right angles, inÅnite precautions must be exercised to avoid colliding with water carriers or

Street scene Shop signs Paving stones

– 16 –

CANTON AND ITS TRADES

coolies carrying large chunks of wood, enormous co‫ٻ‬ns, or unwieldy items of furniture. Yet they all manage to sneak through without harm, though not without cries. The Chinese city is surrounded by a Årst set of massive defenses, while the Tartar city is protected by an outer wall. But trade has spilled out far beyond these enclosures, and their immediate suburbs, where we begin our exploration, are almost as considerable as the city proper. Let us take a look at the local hospital, called Ai Yu Tang, which is little more than a dispensary where Chinese doctors give free consultations. A-Cam knows one of the administrators, who invites me to attend a consultation tomorrow. I gratefully accept. The table on which we are served tea, as always at the start of every visit in China, consists of just about every type of marble found in the country. It is especially interesting as an amalgamation and in the color e‫ٺ‬ects this produces. We call at a Chinese restaurant consisting of four Æoors and looking at Årst much like our smoke-Ålled taverns. The unwashed gather on the ground Æoor, the better o‫ ٺ‬on the second and third Æoors. The plutocrats, as A-Cam calls them, have to climb to the fourth Æoor. Gout su‫ٺ‬erers must be few and far between in this country if those blessed with riches are not spared this ascent. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with pieces of wood carved like Åne lace. On the tables, which are as massive as the seats, a well turned out waiter is symmetrically lining up cakes baked from heavy, undercooked Æour, candied fruit spiked on metal skewers that recall Boissier’s confections,3 fruit jellies, dumplings, nougats, compotes, and of course the traditional cup of tea, whose quality rises in tandem with the clients’ own ascent. Each guest is given a charming little silver Åligree fork with which to spear the delicacies spread out before him. Apart from the cakes, everything we taste is delicious. From the top of the stairs, the waiter calls out in a stentorian voice the amount we owe for what we consumed as we must pay the cashier at the door – just like at Duval’s.4 Everything takes place so methodically that I have to wonder whether I am not in fact in an imaginary 3 The wor d-famous Boissier confectionary store was estab ished in 1827 in Paris by Bé issaire Boissier (dates unknown) and remains in business to this day. 4 Most ike y Pierre-Louis Duva (1811 1870), who in 1855 opened what is now recognized as an ear y form of working man’s restaurant known as a bouillon after the type of food o‫ٺ‬ered, often meat and soup. Designed to serve arge numbers of

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

café in Montmartre. But A-Cam brings me back to reality by drawing my attention to the extremely low price of Cantonese sweetmeats and confectionaries. All we have to disburse is 25 French centimes. Yet my curiosity led me to commit the deadly sin of gluttony! Our dining room commands a view of the roofs of neighboring houses, and my attention is drawn to a large number of brown earthenware urns I see neatly aligned on almost all of them. These contain boiled beans mixed with wheat Æour and salt. Fermentation is then left to take its course. After a while, the urn is full of a brownish liquid the Chinese use as a condiment called jiang you (or shoyu in Japan).5 A-Cam introduces me to some of his friends, all of them wealthy merchants of the city. Following the obligatory cup of tea, these good people insist on accompanying us, and we set out on a continuation of our rambles through the streets of Canton. Each one of my new friends is holding in one hand a magniÅcent fan made of eagle’s feathers or embroidered silk. All wear long robes made of gray silk. We are now in the embroiderers’ district, where we visit the workshop of Mu Nong, the head of one of the oldest and most renowned embroidering houses in the area. Several embroiderers are working on a large inscription in golden thread on a background of red silk. This is destined for the Viceroy, whose virtues it celebrates.6 Other workers are putting the Ånishing touches to a splendid robe of embroidered silk intended for an actor. Chong Yunfeng’s workshop, which we next visit, is in the street occupied by goldsmiths. Heavy hammers are raining down on thin slivers that will soon be made thinner still. Clearly proud, the owner shows us the long row of ingots stored in his safe. peop e quick y, paying on exit as opposed to at one’s tab e was a ha mark of the bouillons. 5 This is known as “soy sauce” in the West. 6 Appointed by imperia decree, the Viceroy of Liangguang administered the two provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi joint y. The position was akin to that of Governor Genera during the Qing Dynasty, when there were nine such regiona positions. The Viceroy of Liangguang’s fu tit e may be trans ated as “Governor Genera , Commander and Quartermaster, Supervisor of Waterways, and Inspector Genera of the Two Expanses and Surrounding Areas.” Raquez may be referring here to either Tan Zhong in (1822 1905), who occupied the position from 1895 to 1899, or Li Hongzhang (1823 1901), who he d the position from the atter ha f of 1899 unti 1900.

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CANTON AND ITS TRADES

We walk on to the Chinese pharmacists. Like all of the arts and trades of this land of absolute liberty, their profession is entirely unregulated. One of them is known to our companions. I ask him to describe the most unusual cure he was ever called upon to administer. Gravely, he mentions dragon saliva, but confesses that he has none in his jars at the moment. I beg our questionable medical man to show us his most precious cure, whereupon he fetches a kind of stone carefully wrapped in cotton and soft paper about the size and shape of a pigeon’s egg but polished like marble and painted black with dark green veins. He explains that in some parts of China and Malaya, types of grass grow to which monkeys are especially partial. But these four-legged quasi-humans end up committing suicide even as they satisfy their yearning because these plants gradually hasten their demise. On examination, dead monkeys are found to have in their neck glands as hard as stone. Such a gland is exactly what we are looking at. The price is 300 francs. Mashed and dissolved in water, this results, we are told, in a panacea for the cruelest of stomach complaints. Happily, I have no need to ingest monkey glands as my appetite is excellent and my digestion trouble-free. Like those of Hanoi, the streets of Canton gather craftsmen and shopkeepers working in the same trade. We inspect the shop windows of shoemakers, in which are displayed all kinds of Chinese footwear, from the tiny doll’s shoes that will encase the stumps of fashionable women to the tall, heavy boots of soldiers, not forgetting those shoes with thick soles made of felt or compressed serge nor the almost elegant stilettos whose bizarre, impractical wooden soles recall the shape of a ship’s keel. Here are craftsmen carving enormous elephant tusks with primitive tools while others work agate and onyx. Further on are fan makers, who stretch Åne fabrics on frames made of lacquered bamboo, then with a paintbrush or a stylus trace landscapes or scenes whose outlines and naivety recall our own primitives. Others engrave wood, Årst outlining each character with a sharp tool, then scooping away the wood around it, resulting in an embossed character or Ågure. Here are makers of luxury sedan chairs with their silk curtains and their shafts decorated with philosophers’ pronouncements. Here are portrait painters, who without the slightest recourse to perspective or shadows – 19 –

CANTON AND ITS TRADES

reproduce each nuance in these ladies’ dresses with total accuracy. Others gravely wind brightly-colored silk with primitive contraptions while trading banter with passersby. Here and there, fruit vendors o‫ٺ‬er bananas, starfruit, lychees, and persimmons as shiny as ripe tomatoes. Fishmongers let large Åsh called liyu, looking much like our carp, swim around in large tubs, chopping their heads o‫ ٺ‬with one stroke of their cleaver the moment a customer shows up. Fresh water Ålls a barrel placed above the tubs and a thin bamboo pipe with one end raised dispenses a thin jet that sprinkles the Åsh, generously granting them a sense of freshness they will not enjoy much longer, poor things! Having taken a look at a shop in which hundreds of pipes made of white metal are lined up, some enameled, others decorated with silk threads, we return to Shamian. Night is falling. The river sparkles with innumerable Åres. This is the time of the year when for several weeks, the Chinese make sacriÅces to the departed souls of the drowned. As the evil spirits and the dragon that hide in these waters can only be appeased by Åre or prayer, all those who make a living from the river – sampan crews, Åshermen, boatmen of all types and ranks – join the families of victims of the treacherous waterway in order to propitiate the spirits. With this in mind, at nightfall, all of these people scatter on the river innumerable pieces of paper, some shapeless, others covered in characters or representations of animals of all kinds or made to look like gold ingots. BonÅres, which start at the bow of sampans and junks and in whose light semi-naked men joggle as they steer the craft before their content is given up to the current, give the Pearl River a fantastical appearance. Wealthy families hire one of those Æower boats that have made Canton famous and that we will enjoy one day. But for now we can only watch the long, broad shells gliding along the river. They are decorated with thousands of curiously arranged pieces of colored glass. On their bows, paper lanterns held up on masts suggest the shape of dragons. Aboard one of these vessels, sailing close to the Bund – as Shamian’s quayside is called – sit a number of monks. Before one of them, an old cleric, his face like parchment and clad in a gold-embroidered robe, presides a pot-bellied Buddha that sparkles in the light. Fragrant sticks burn around the statue, while fruit destined to be the monks’ – 21 –

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sustenance is left in bowls and saucers of all kinds. Two young monks assist the bespectacled old man. All chant prayers to their own accompaniment of gongs and tambourines. Now and then, a kind of oboe, called a lapa, breaks into a tune that is odd but not without charm while the singers relax over delicious cups of tea. Meanwhile, family members eat their dinner, smoke, drink, chatter, or nap without giving the impression of caring in the slightest about the monks’ doings. Semi-naked coolies continue to propel the craft upriver with their long poles before returning a few hours later to the same accompaniment of gongs, lapa, tambourines, and the sleepers’ snores. If the water spirits cannot hear their devotees’ supplications, they must be singularly hard of hearing!

September 3 At eight o’clock precisely, I show up for my appointment at the Chinese Hospital. A crowd of men, women, and children wait their turn in the vicinity of the hospital or in its hallway. Each patient goes up to one of the Åve doctors seated under a vast wooden canopy at one of those massive square tables found in all Chinese houses. The doctor spends a very long time taking the patient’s pulse: no auscultation, few or no questions. This is all the doctors limit their investigations to during the hour I spend observing them. Having completed this task, the man of science writes with a brush on a piece of paper the prescription the patient will then have stamped by the secretary and with which he will be able to obtain free medication. Like their Annamese colleagues, Chinese doctors develop extraordinarily sensitive Ångers with which to take pulses. Old China residents, none of them easily dismissed, assure me that Åve or six di‫ٺ‬erent pulses course through the human wrist and that as a result of his studies, the doctor can discover with almost absolute certainty the seat of the malady: lungs, heart, stomach, brain, or any other part of the body. This is what – among others – the Bishop of Canton7 told me when 7 Augustin Chausse (1838 1900) was titu ar Bishop of the Aposto ic Vicariate of Guangdong from 1886 unti his death in 1900. The Aposto ic Vicariate of Guangdong was formed in 1875 from the Aposto ic Vicariate of Guangdong-Guangxi, estab ished in 1848.

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CANTON AND ITS TRADES

I met him in Shamian. I plan one of these days to better acquaint myself with him, but in the heart of the Chinese city. The venerable prelate has full conÅdence in Chinese medical men and confesses that on several occasions, they saved his life after he had been condemned by European doctors. But before I leave the hospital, I must praise the superlative organization of this service. Everything takes place in perfect order. Each supplicant receives the ministrations he needs, and to my astonishment, the crowd Åles past in silence. We enter the perimeter of the old Chinese city. Poor neighborhoods are less pristine and more teeming than those we passed through up until now. Since this is morning, the stalls of butchers, Åshmongers, poultry merchants, and meat roasters are especially busy. One vendor grabs enormous frogs one by one and chops o‫ ٺ‬their heads and legs with powerful strokes of his cleaver and advertises his famous roast duck, which many travelers call lacquered duck. There has never been any such thing as lacquered duck or pork. These fowls and St. Anthony’s porcine companions8 are simply dipped in a type of oil called tea oil, in which they acquire a brownish hue. Following this operation, they keep for a very long time. Many bird sellers operate near the city gates. Among the most vocal warblers are canaries, along with a type of tit much appreciated by the Chinese. Hat makers display superbly-crafted mandarin headgear under globes. Zinc beaters redouble their e‫ٺ‬orts. More placid cardboard makers and bookbinders and vendors occupy an entire neighborhood. Next are the makers of Buddha o‫ٺ‬erings, or the thousands of paper and bamboo objects popular superstition burns every day next to joss sticks. Consider that in Canton, thousands and thousands make a living exclusively from this trade. Here are the makers of those immense eyeglasses with their big tortoiseshell frames, which hold enormous round lenses that remind me of my great-grandma’s spectacles, which I came across as a boy one day while snooping around old family furniture. Printers, who manufacture large posters entirely without machin8 Prior to undergoing his ce ebrated temptation in the desert, St. Anthony was a swineherd.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

ery, pass a hand-held roller over plates that will be engraved in relief and on which they apply, one after another, each sheet of red paper, the usual color of posters. Manpower is so cheap! Cotton and wool carders use a highly unusual method. In their left hand, they hold a kind of arc supported by – among other things – a Æexible bamboo stick attached to their back. From a distance, they look like Åshermen casting their line in snowy weather. In his right hand, the carder vibrates his arc by striking with a mallet the tight cord he passes over the cotton, causing the cord to Æutter about and cleaning the cotton to perfection. We pause in front of the workshop of one of the makers of those large lanterns that at night glow before every house and in every interior. These craftsmen are not deÅcient in originality. In two moves of the hands, the lantern maker produces a Åne web of bamboo with wide mesh. He coats this frame with a layer of gel made from white seaweed, then applies a thin layer of cotton wool followed by another coating of gel. Oil is applied, and the lantern is ready for drying. All that remains is to adorn it by painting on it with broad brushstrokes those large red or black characters that, seen in the light, make these Chinese lanterns so decorative. A-Cam introduces me to a major silk and tobacco dealer – a bizarre combination – who answers to the name of Dou Housan, and to a young student, Sam Bazsai, who is preparing to become a mandarin. Their common house is entirely decorated with paintings on silk and paper and by large inscriptions in China ink that recall aphorisms or praise the master of the house. As always, massive seats line the walls, divided by small tables on which to lean while accepting the obligatory cup of tea and the smoker’s paraphernalia. As expected, scented tea makes its immediate appearance, and a servant brings me the pipe to which welcome strangers are entitled. It is one of those instruments made of enameled white metal. The lower section is Ålled with water. The bowl proper, which is tiny, accommodates barely one-third of a thimbleful. The smoker Ålls it with local tobacco and accepts from a servant a lighter, which is nothing more than a long piece of yellowish tightly rolled-up paper. The Årebrand remains incandescent for quite a while. To make it shoot out a Æame, the smoker must breathe in a very special manner, rather like playing – 24 –

CANTON AND ITS TRADES

the concert Æute. Long practice is necessary before success is achieved. Every move made by a European novice is tracked by mocking Chinese eyes. It is important not to inhale too energetically the smoke emanating from the celebrated pipe as this would Åll the smoker’s mouth with the water stored in the bowl, which is invariably what happens to the uninitiated, to the great merriment of the gallery. One pu‫ٺ‬, and it is all over. A fresh pipe is Ålled. This is child’s play. Not surprisingly, young Chinese women adore the pipe, which they nurse almost all day. My new friend the student explains that the Emperor is fully in favor of reforms and has just amended examinations on the model of our European procedures.9 Together, we set out to visit two examination halls. But the description is inaccurate as these places consist in fact of immense structures. On either side of the central aisle that leads to the examiners’ quarters rise vast sheds Ålled with desks and benches. This is where candidates were put through the Level One examination over the past few days. We are in the domain of the Director of Education for Canton and its province. While we take a quick look at this primitive arrangement, a neatly dressed Chinaman approaches our group. The volume of the conversation rises. We leave, and our friends explain that this functionary berated them for acting as unpaid guides to a European and for inducting him into what should remain the patrimony of the Chinese. Obviously, much remains to be done if such people are to become civilized. Traders who come into daily contact with foreigners travel and learn our Western languages and understand the advantages of our ways and customs. But it is when we deal with the educated and the functionaries that we run into the greatest obstacles. These individuals sense that all civilizing progress is an attack on that vast web of conÆict, exploitation, and injustice in which they trap the Chinese people. 9 The Guangxu Emperor (1871 1908) was the e eventh emperor of the Qing dynasty. In theory, his reign asted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice, he ru ed on y from 1889 to 1898. Empress Dowager Cixi, his aunt, initiated a pa ace coup in 1898 and, p acing him under house arrest, ru ed as Regent. This amendment to the examination ru es was part of Guangxu’s so-ca ed Hundred Days’ Reform, which Cixi e‫ٺ‬ective y dismant ed when she assumed contro , a though portions were enacted gradua y. The Imperia Examination was Åna y abo ished in 1905.

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A few steps away from this most unwelcoming of barns, we ascend a massive tower from whose deck we enjoy a rather pleasing sight: grayish roofs with water urns on them, mist on the horizon, and here and there, pagodas and their lace-like tiers. In one of the rooms in the tower is found the famous water clock that has been in operation for over Åve centuries. 0 It consists of four copper vessels arranged at di‫ٺ‬erent levels. The topmost vessel is Ålled with water every day at noon and midnight. The Æow of water is controlled in such a manner that a Æoat placed in the lowest vessel indicates on a graded ruler each hour of the day. The room is small, dark, Ålled with smoke, and grubby, but it induces pensiveness when we consider that for years, centuries even, curious visitors like us have come here to admire this marvel of Chinese ingenuity. All are but dust today. Alone, dependable, and immutable, day after day, the Canton clock lives on to mark a new date in the life of humanity. On the way, we pass decorated sedan chairs preceded by a gong beater. These are the successful candidates from the most recent examinations on their way to visit their friends and accept their congratulations. In several houses, o‫ٺ‬erings of red and gold paper burn in gratitude to the gods. Finally, we reach the vast enclosure reserved for the Level Two examinations. These are o‫ٺ‬ered only once every three years. Twelve thousand cells are built on either side of a wide aisle that contains the basins used for ablutions. Each cell consists simply of three walls and a roof. It is nothing more than a stone hut. Stonework sills provide support for two narrow boards that will serve as bench and desk. Nothing could be more primitive. The examination involves three sessions lasting three days each. It begins on the eighth day of the eighth moon. Only one in every 100 candidates is successful. Level Three examinations take place in Peking. On the way in, candidates pass through the Gates of Equity and of the Dragon. At one end of the aisle is the clock tower, in which a small statue of 10 The Canton C epsydra c ock, known as a tónghú dʅlu 撄⢞㺜㺷, or “copper jar water dropper.” It was part y destroyed in the British bombardment in 1857. It can now be seen in the Guangzhou Museum.

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the god of literature is placed in plain sight. The end of the hall houses the various rooms occupied by the examiners during the sessions. On our way back to the hotel, we pass through the cabinet makers’ district, where that beautiful furniture encrusted with marble, one of the specialties of Canton, is created. Further on are rows of co‫ٻ‬n makers. These Ånal cots of the Chinese are enormous beyond expression. But where does all this wood come from? It is used in colossal quantities at relatively low prices. There must be immense forestry riches deep inside China. What also deÅes belief are the resources of the river and the sea. The amount of fresh Åsh sold in the streets of Canton cannot be imagined. Virtually all Chinese people eat Åsh two or three times a day, and the Åshmongers are always amply provisioned. Nature is an inexhaustible wet nurse! Once again we pass under the vaulted city walls, whose heavy gates reinforced with iron and adorned with large nails will be shut at nine o’clock tonight when the guards beat their tambourines and the night watchmen sound their melancholy horns. We come across a cortege of mandarins: gongs, Æags, policemen armed with bamboo sticks or whips. In a sedan chair, a fat man in spectacles seems worried. This is the Tartar high o‫ٻ‬cial who resides within the city, or rather in the compound reserved for those of his race. One day, we will explore that part of the city.

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Chapter Three

Here and There in Canton

The Bishop’s residence and the cathedral – A hearing in Nanhai Court – The charge – On the uses of cartoons – Exonerating tax collectors – The jailhouse – Flower boats – Female singers and their orchestra – An exquisite dinner

Sunday, September 4 I visit Monsignor Chausse, Bishop of Canton and one of the oldest missionaries in China. The Bishop’s residence nestles in the shadow of the cathedral, whose spires we admired as we neared the city. To reach it, it is necessary to pass through an entire section of the Chinese city, through whose meandering lanes a sedan chair swiftly conveys us. As always, the ant colony is in full swing, to the deafening sound of the chair carriers and coolies who trot along to the rhythm of their full-throated cries. Any European Ånding himself abruptly transported to the streets of Canton would be Æabbergasted. He would conclude that he has landed in the midst of a riot whose uproar and agitation Ålls the principal arteries. We come across a group of nuns making their purchases in a market. They wear the gray robes of Buddhist monks, with the cu‫ٺ‬s of their ample sleeves turned back. Like those of their male colleagues, their heads are fully shaved. Some are young, but these shorn uncovered heads make an odd spectacle in a sex supposed to be gentle. Further on are blind men. They walk in groups of Åve, one behind the other in single Åle. The headman guides his steps by means of a wooden stick he holds in his right hand, while those following his lead rest their left hand on the shoulder of the blind man in front of them. We pass through the city walls and enter the perimeter of the Bishop’s residence. This is a haven of peace and quiet at the heart of the Chinese district. A modest house huddles under the trees. This might – 28 –

HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

Monsignor Chausse and the Shamian French colony The French consulate

be a country vicarage in France if it was not for the Chinaman who welcomes me at the door. This Chinaman is in fact a Frenchman working for the Missions Étrangères but sporting the costume, the long queue, and the skullcap of the yellow races. I am introduced to the Bishop. Dressed in Chinese garb, his gray beard down to his chest, Monsignor Chausse carries his 36 years in China lightly. The venerable prelate arrived in this country in 1862 and has not left the Far East since. He is in rude health despite having been pronounced terminally ill two or three times by European doctors. He has high praise for Chinese practitioners, who thanks to their skillful diagnostics on the basis of a pulse reading and their knowledge of simple remedies, sometimes achieve marvelous results. Monsignor Chausse sees China as Årmly on the path to progress. The young Emperor is motivated by the best of intentions, even if 1 The Société des Missions Étrangères de Paris (MEP) is a secu ar organization comprised of both priests and aypersons dedicated to missionary work in foreign ands. Estab ished from 1658 to 1663, it remains active in Asia to this day.

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he can sometimes be over-hasty. Edict succeeds edict. This is a forced march toward progress. Yet we should not lose sight of the fact that progress requires order and that for the mandarin class, both obstruct their exploitation of the people. Naturally, they will try by all means possible to retain their privileges, which are the source of all their proÅts.2 From time to time, a mob whipped up by agitators mounts an assault on the Bishop’s residence and its surrounding buildings. But the perimeter wall is sturdy, and the mandarins in charge of military operations know that they would expose themselves to grave danger if they failed to keep order near the mission. So far, the guardhouse near the cathedral has always served its purpose. The Bishop estimates the population of Canton at two million and the number of those living on the river or canals with no other abode than their boat at 400,000. What is surprising is that this enormous conurbation is not ravaged by epidemics more often. The Chinese keep their dead inside their houses or their narrow courtyards for long periods as they await a propitious occasion for transporting the co‫ٻ‬n to the deceased’s place of origin, there to be consigned to the family vault. On several occasions, walking through the city streets, the Bishop witnessed a corpse left in a corner for two or three days without anyone thinking of removing it. The Chinese respect the dead, but the spectacle of death at work a‫ٺ‬ects them profoundly. For that reason, many streets include a house where the dying are carried so that they can breathe their last out of sight of family members. As I absorb this information, my venerable docent and one of the priests show me around the cathedral, a splendid gothic monument featuring three naves that propel their elegant granite vaults skyward.3 No chairs, only benches. At the end of each bench are enormous basins that at home would adorn our mantelpieces but here serve as . . . spittoons. 2 Not a sing e word was changed to this trave ogue. Later deve opments eventua y proved the perspicacity of the Bishop’s remarks [Raquez]. 3 The Cathedra of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ocated on the North Bank of the Pear River, was constructed between 1861 and 1888. The facade is mode ed on the Basi ica of St. C oti de in Paris. The cathedra is made of granite and was bui t entire y by hand, earning it the oca moniker of “Stone House.”

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HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

The bright stained glass windows must be highly distracting for Chinese worshipers during services. Men gather on one side of the church, women on the other. Each sex even enters the church through di‫ٺ‬erent doors. Recently, after repairs forced the closure of one of the doors, the faithful intervened to have the work speeded up. This is not what happens during certain masses in our major cities! Near the church stands an orphanage run by female catechism instructors from France, who follow a monastic rule but wear ordinary clothing. Close by are the junior and senior seminaries operated and maintained by Åve priests from the Missions Étrangères. I take my leave of the Bishop and his devoted assistants Ålled with admiration for these men who left everything: home, parents, homeland, to spend their entire existence in such perilous places and bring to those poor Chinese people the beneÅts of Christian civilization. Whatever he may think about religion, a Frenchman always pays homage to devotion and sacriÅce. Tonight, the excellent Mr. Dufêtre gathers all the French residents of Shamian around his dinner table. This little colony is quite a nursery for artists. Our host plays the piano expertly, Mr. Pasquier is a talented violinist, Mr. Trévoux sings exquisitely, and Mr. Rousse Lacordaire, a great-nephew of the celebrated Dominican friar, retains the seductiveness of the famous orator’s voice.4 After dinner, we once again witness the terrace boats gliding along the river to the sound of gongs and tambourines and the acid tones of the lapa, their thousand lights burning in honor of the river spirits and the dragon of the deep as monks clad in heavy silk robes o‫ٻ‬ciate before idols. Little by little, calm descends. Myriad stars twinkle in the sky. In the distance, all is repose. What delightful evenings we spent in this little corner of Shamian! Friend Pasquier grabs a hunting horn and with powerful lungs

4 Henri-Dominique Lacordaire (1802 1861). As Raquez was born in 1863, he wou d on y have known the orator’s voice by reputation. The Directory (1899) ists Trévoux as an assistant at Chauvin, Cheva ier, & Cie., whi e Pasquier was an assistant at Pasquet & Tamet, which Raquez mentions, a ong with Dufêtre, in Chapter One.

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blasts forth every one of the St. Hubert5 Æourishes, which an eerie echo from Honan Island slowly bounces back to us.

September 5 From a judicial viewpoint, Canton is divided into two jurisdictions: Panyu and Nanhai. Each one has its own judge, associate judge, courtroom, and jail. Accompanied by A-Cam and two of his friends, I head for Nanhai Court. One of them is on familiar terms with the court clerk, who will smooth our admission to the courthouse. He lives in the courthouse itself, at the heart of a teeming Chinese district. The wooden facade has two huge red doors that display fantastical blue and white warriors. In a courtyard, domino and chess players meet and await the start of the hearing. On either side are miserable shacks that recall those of the cobblers of our own suburbs. One of these hovels is the residence of the court clerk we are about to call upon. At the back of the courtyard is a spacious room with whitewashed walls adorned with painted Buddhist markings: this is the courtroom. From the ceiling hang three lacquered panels bearing inscriptions in gilded characters. A-Cam tells me that these were donated by the salted Åsh merchants’ guild to the magistrate who found in their favor in a case. A mandarin’s virtues and sharp intelligence are often praised. In justice, we should seek the views of those who ended up on the losing side. Enter the judge, a corpulent fellow in a blue coat. On the table are paintbrushes and red ink, red being emblematic of criminal justice, just as in our own country. Next to those are long narrow wooden boards. These are the arrest warrants. The court clerk takes his seat next to the judge, the court interpreter stands before the bench, and the hearing begins after we exchange bows with the magistrate. A policeman hauls in the accused, who is secured at the neck with a heavy chain. The wretch kneels before the judge and gives a low bow. He responds almost inaudibly to the interpreter’s questions. 5 St. Hubertus (circa 656 727) became Bishop of Liège in modern-day Be gium in 708 and is today the patron saint of hunters.

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HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

A-Cam translates the interrogation for me as it unfolds. The accused allegedly ran an unlicensed gambling den, and the judge wants to know about his assets and his confederates. The prisoner mentions a derisory sum. The judge’s reply has the courthouse in stitches. “Don’t you recognize me? I gamble myself, including in your establishment, so I know you had money, lots of it. I lost a lot at your dirty game.” On the matter of his associates, the accused is silent. The judge gives a command, and on his own initiative, the accused takes o‫ ٺ‬his serge coat. He knows what is coming. A police o‫ٻ‬cer makes him stretch out his right arm, which he grips Årmly after slightly twisting the muscles. A second assistant repeats the procedure for the left arm, while a third grabs the Chinaman’s queue, wraps it around his own hand, and holds his head tightly against his thigh while digging into his chest with his knee. The torturer, a sturdy fellow, inÆicts 25 lashes of a supple rattan rod on the accused’s shoulder blades. The man screams in pain, tries to wriggle free, but refuses to talk. This time, a second torturer applies 50 lashes. The skin is turning purple, the Æesh heavily bruised, but the man remains silent despite the judge’s injunctions. The result is 50 more lashes on the same spot, slightly exposing Æesh but with no blood visible. The man remains tight-lipped. Now the real ordeal is about to begin as the man gets up, drops his trousers of blue serge before the assembled populace, and stretches out face down on the Æoor. An aid now ties his ankles together with his trousers while another wraps one of his arms, then the other, behind his head and joins his hands at the nape of the neck. He applies pressure on the Ångers to tighten the muscles, then grabs the accused’s queue and holds his head tightly. The torturer now lashes the Æeshy part of the accused’s thighs with a bamboo lath about Åve centimeters wide. The victim screams but still will not talk even after the Årst dose of 50 caresses. I now witness 200 more lashes being administered on the same spot, which tightens, turns purple and abraded, and exposes bruised Æesh. But contrary to the reports I have often read, far from spurting, no blood even Æows. Each stroke must be tightening the vessels to prevent e‫ٺ‬usion. After each series of 50, the torturer hands over to a well-rested colleague. The accused writhes as much as he can, hollers, foams at the mouth, then falls quiet as the blows keep raining down. For all I know, he must have died or – 33 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

fainted. Imagine my amazement when I see him rise with no assistance whatever after his ankles have been untied and his hands freed. Once again without help, he adjusts his clothing and returns to his bench near the door while the judge promises to convince him to change his mind thanks to the accounts of the witness he plans to call. The hearing is adjourned. My companions were, I trust, deeply a‫ٺ‬ected by the spectacle they just witnessed. They ask permission to leave in order to visit one of their friends nearby. I urge them to do so while I remain in the courtroom, not wanting to miss any detail of this bizarre display of local practices, horrifying though they may be. I ponder the extraordinary resilience of this man, who despite knowing what was coming to him, never opened his mouth to complain or rat on his accomplices. Just as I was informed, the Cantonese are an energetic race and inured to su‫ٺ‬ering. But while I reÆect thus, an inquisitive crowd gathers around me, pushing against me in mocking tones. Here I am, alone with only my cane. I have an idea. I must play for time. I take out my notebook and, seeing before me a young boy, I draw a cartoon of him in pencil. The moment they see me scribbling, the Celestial Ones climb over each other to get a better look, though they leave space for my elbows to work freely. Having completed the drawing, I tear o‫ ٺ‬the page and hand it to one of my importune companions. All rush closer to admire my masterpiece, and great gu‫ٺ‬aws ensue. These people are children. Children misbehave sometimes. Having satisÅed their curiosity, I am once again the center of attention. But I have already drawn on the wall a hideous fellow whose proÅle I made no less repulsive. Still playing for time, I add freely to my rendition. As I walk away from the wall, the crowd rushes forward again to look at the result. The adjournment is extended. I will not be in a position to set up shop as a professional cartoonist in Canton, but I see that I won these rascals over. An urchin gets it into his head to lay his hands on the binocular holder I carry over a shoulder, earning a vigorous smack from a fearsome Chinaman who berates him and then asks me for a drawing of himself, too. Happily, the hearing resumes and A-Cam and his friends soon rejoin me. This time, a deputy takes the place of the titular judge. – 34 –

HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

An orange thief is brought before him. One month in the stocks, and the instrument itself is brought in. It consists of a square, thick wooden slab about 60 centimeters long, with in the middle a hole for the head. A divide allows the stocks to be split into two sections. Once the Chinaman’s head is secured, the judge writes in red ink the guilty man’s name, his crime, and the term of his sentence on long strips of white paper. He stamps each one, and the strips are glued to the divide, thus serving as seals. On completion of his term, the guilty man will have to appear before the judge and show that the seals are intact. Next on their knees are two individuals, the nature of whose transgressions we never understood. Both are similarly sentenced to one month in the stocks. A policeman steps forward and informs the judge that the guilty men are part of the household of a Canton mandarin, requests that they be conÅned to his own house throughout the term of their sentence, and promises to bring them before the judge on the appointed day. The magistrate assents. These are the perks of the Canton constabulary. Next are 50 lashes of a bamboo rod to the thighs of a thief specializing in tiny sapèque coins.6 He Æees screaming, his sentence served. But who are these twelve rather well-dressed individuals who now prostrate themselves before the judge? A-Cam satisÅes my curiosity. They are tax collectors who were unable, they claim, to net the entire sum they were tasked with collecting. The judge seems to me to be paying only desultory attention to their explanations, and when he pronounces them not guilty and dismisses them with a smile, I ask myself whether his understanding of the matter was not enlightened ahead of the hearing. These are the perks of magistrates. Not far from the courthouse is the jailhouse. I am on my way to visit these premises, which, according to the accounts of globetrotters, will send a shiver down the spine of the most intrepid: on the gate hang the heads of the beheaded, while inside, all kinds of tortures are dispensed with a reÅnement worthy of savages. 6 Known in Chinese as qián, these sma copper or bronze coins were used in both China and Indochina unti the ear y 20th century. The coins were of very ow va ue and were known for the square ho e in the midd e, which a owed them to be threaded onto cords to create greater units of va ue. The French term sapèque is derived from the Ma ay word sapek, which was used to denote a unit of currency.

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I explored every nook and cranny of Nanhai jail but saw nothing of the sort. It is true that following an execution, the severed head is exhibited, but only for a short time as the trophy must be sent to be displayed at the scene of the crime. The jail is well maintained, and I saw no excessive forms of corporal punishment. Inmates of the old jail of Hanoi, which I visited only the other day, are treated much more harshly than the Chinese inmates of Canton. By the entrance, in a room that is assuredly dirty but in fact cleaner than many Chinese dwellings, three or four women chained at the ankle mend their clothes. Inmates are joined at the ankle by means of iron rings linked to a long chain they raise in the middle up to belt height to avoid dragging it along the ground. Some work in the passage formed by a double enclosure. Sitting on wooden seats, they mend shoes or carry out repairs to the ground itself or to the jail’s walls. We step into a spacious courtyard a warden allows us to enter, and we are immediately surrounded by a gang of inmates also chained at the ankle. The clanging of iron is truly sinister. As a European, I attract particular attention. I am solicited from every direction, moved by these ignoble wretches, who ask for money while the warden would not dream of intervening. In fact, I have lost sight of him. I must act decisively and clear a passage for myself with strokes of my cane until I reach the gate, which mercifully remained open and which I can lock again from outside. Further on in another room, I come across a number of men squatting on an army cot, wearing around their neck the stocks we saw being Åtted this morning. I ask that the gates of courtyard after courtyard be opened only ajar, making sure not to step inside this time. Some are secured by substantial iron railings. Inmates in rags and enchained recall a band of demons out of hell. Holding out their hand, they yell for yam cha.7 I toss them a few cents over which they Åght to a horriÅc clang of iron, and I Æee this jail, where neither wardens nor inmates inspire much conÅdence. Tonight, a much more enjoyable excursion takes place. The wealthy 7 A tip [Raquez].

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HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

Chinese man from Macao whom I met on board the Hankow dropped by to invite me to spend the evening with him on the Æower boats. A-Cam and his friends, who are of the party, collect me in a sampan as early as four in the afternoon, being keen to satisfy my curiosity regarding these pleasure crafts, which have been the subject of so many descriptions . . . most of them inaccurate. The boats occupy an entire section of the Pearl River, toward which at night converges an enormous and hugely diverse crowd. A string of Æoating houses one or two stories high is moored parallel to the shore. These are home to merchants and female singers. Lined up at right angles to this row of homes are series of wide, Æat-bottomed boats closely and neatly moored one next to the other and forming veritable streets. A vast covered space occupies almost the entire length of each boat. At the bow end is a wide platform sheltered by an awning under which guests take the air stretched out in one of those wide comfortable wooden armchairs seen in Canton, with their articulated backs adjusting to the shape of the body and providing greater restfulness than our rattan chairs. Each boat’s platform is linked to neighboring platforms by a wide plank, allowing for easy passage. For everyday purposes, China is the land of liberty par excellence. Everyone wanders about the platforms or stands around to observe the goings-on without any other occupant of the boat thinking twice about it. We too saunter about this bizarre neighborhood for over an hour without causing much more than amused curiosity at the sight of my European features. Here and there are Æoating stores o‫ٺ‬ering vegetables, liqueurs, fruit, or sundry knick-knacks. Here is a boat given over entirely to female singers. They are having their hair done by their mama. This takes place in public, coram populo, so to speak. Make-up is applied, lips reddened, cheeks whitened, eyebrows blackened, hair adorned with fragrant Æowers. These dolls are being transformed under our very gaze. I enter one of their dwellings. Their housing conditions are grim, poor dears! Their cots remind me of the beds of Breton women,8 and I can see why they prefer the plat8 Brittany was one of the most impoverished regions of France, and Bretons were be ieved to be backward and acking in hygiene. Their devout Catho icism and

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A Æower boat

form as a hair salon. On the upper deck is a room with a balcony, where we are served tea. Here is a theater, where lanterns are being lit and the puppets of a kind of Punch and Judy show delight some hundred idlers, as wideeyed as their slitted peepers will permit. We return to our host’s residence. In perfect English, he explains that these Æower boats are simply hotel-cum-restaurant combinations that can be hired for the evening or any predetermined period of time. They come in three sizes. Ours is sumptuously furnished. The price varies with the chef ’s reputation. Ours, it would seem, is a disciple of Vatel.9 The fee for hiring the boat includes the kitchen sta‫ ٺ‬and crew. Armed with long poles, coolies steer the junk to a spot chosen by the customer. He can be propelled up- or downriver or tie up on the opposite shore on Honan Island, just as he wishes. staunch monarchism were a so causes of persecution and stereotyping. See, for examp e, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction: Containing Original Essays, vo ume four (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1824), 243. 9 François Vate (1631 1671) was the ce ebrated majordomo of Nico as Fouquet and Prince Louis II de Bourbon-Condé, who is incorrect y credited with inventing crème Chantilly.

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HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

Our Macao friend has hired the boat that will serve as his hotel for the duration of his weeklong stay in Canton. Sampans continuously glide back and forth along the narrow channels kept open between the parallel rows of boats, whose platforms face each other. We enjoy watching the young boys on the sampans, who, no higher than a man’s boot, cling to poles and try to help their mother or sister steer the craft. On their back is a large piece of light wood that will prevent them from drowning if they fall into the water. A multitude of women and children alight from several sampans and board a boat moored close to ours. Everyone exchanges interminable salutations, then the craft edges out of the line of boats and sails away. A family picnic is underway. Darkness is falling. Everywhere, lights shine and feasts are being prepared. We descend to the boat’s large hall. Mats cover the Æoor. On each wall near the door are mirrors and inscriptions in paintbrush set in glass-fronted frames: tales, aphorisms, drawings, mementoes of sweet moments spent under the awning. The walls are lined with wide seats made of Canton wood and covered with thick cushions. The fabrics are predominantly red. Low tables stand between the seats. Further on are daybeds, also made of wood and equipped with large tables made of marble, onyx, or alabaster accommodating the tobacco or opium smoker’s paraphernalia. Here too are tables designed for four guests, with mirrors and multicolored fabrics. At the back near the kitchen, which occupies the rear of the boat, waiters are setting a large circular table. Oil lamps di‫ٺ‬using a bright light hang from the high ceiling.These illuminations are linked to each other and to the walls by garlands of Æowers that form all kinds of arabesques. Next to us are tiny but gorgeous baskets made of countless jasmine blossoms, tuberose, ylangylang, and some 20 other Æowers whose powerful fragrance bothers us but that at night, brilliantly lit up, newly arranged, and bedewed with artiÅcial moisture, enchant our eyes. We truly are on a Æower boat! The Cantonese are veritable artists when it comes to Æower arrangements. I have never seen anything comparable at Lion’s, Desbrosses’, or – 39 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

any other of the major Æorists along our boulevards. Their structure is absolutely marvelous and their color nuances exquisite. By way of apéritif, waiters serve eggs boiled in sweetened tea. After a few minutes, the egg is retrieved and shelled so that it becomes impregnated with the scented Æuid. Delicious! Our host calls one of the nearby mamas over. Assisted by his companions, who seem to know the resources of the Æoating city intimately, he draws up a list of 25 singers he assures me are the most renowned. The mama goes o‫ ٺ‬in search of the ladies in question in their respective dwellings, and some of our performers begin to arrive along with their orchestra. The orchestra consists of a kind of long guitar with a small round sound box covered with a snake skin, a small violin whose bow is held permanently between the two strings and which the musician plays by resting the instrument on his left knee, and a sonorous piece of wood shaped like an orange sliced down the middle and placed between three bamboo rods that serve as a tripod. The singer accompanies herself by striking this bizarre instrument with two small sticks, emitting di‫ٺ‬erent sounds according to whether the instrument is struck in the middle or on the edges. The singers are dressed in wide-sleeved silk gowns in blue, pink, black, or red hues, festooned from top to bottom with multicolored scallops. All wear broad silk trousers that drop straight down and are decorated at the bottom with varied parallel embroidery patterns. A few have mutilated feet, but many wear odd-shaped shoes made to look like canoes. It takes a great deal of practice to learn to walk on the blades of this skate-like footwear. Their black hair has been artistically twisted into a bun held by beautiful gilded pins, worked or graced with (more or less) precious stones or pearls. But what gives these ladies’ hair its unique appearance is the string of barely open blooms arranged in the shape of a crown that surrounds the bun, while others, even more powerfully fragrant, create a coi‫ٺ‬ure as elegant as it is elaborate. Their faces, some of them pretty, are coated with rice powder and carmine. Their eyebrows have been traced with a black brush. On their wrists are heavy gold bracelets while some wear a gold ring around their neck. A Canton singer is an odd-looking doll. – 40 –

HERE AND THERE IN CANTON

But the concert is about to begin. The music rises: odd-sounding, high-pitched tones as the violin squeaks, the guitar emits low notes, and the drumsticks strike, sometimes fast, sometimes slowly, but always in cadence. The listener is surprised at Årst by the strange nature of these songs, so di‫ٺ‬erent from those we habitually hear. But once that initial impression has passed, what comes across is a melody not without charm, with well-ordered delivery, grave and slow at the start but faster and embellished with vocalizations later, always in a minor key, ending on an ample, once again slow phrase, this time in a striking major key. Four or Åve singers are on the boat simultaneously, and while one of them performs, the others smoke metal pipes, munch watermelon seeds, or Æirt with our Chinese companions. But this familiarity is nothing like the kinds of conversations heard in our Latin Quarter brasseries. Almost feral toward Europeans, these gamines exchange gleeful comments at my expense. But I must concede that they behave with absolute propriety toward their compatriots, exhibiting no forwardness, not even conversing with them, coyly pretending to ignore them. How di‫ٺ‬erent from our European singers! I do not refer solely to what took place on our host’s boat but also to what I could see everywhere as I wandered about the platforms. I was absolutely astonished at the reserve of the Chinese. To believe that these Æower boats are orgiastic dens is a profound error. I do not suggest, of course, that meetings occurring in such conditions never lead to the occasional lapse; far from it. I only wish to register a protest against certain writings by armchair travelers, who are more numerous than we think among present-day authors. A prima donna calls for a kind of Æat lute whose triple strings are arranged like those of our pianos and tuned with a metal key. She vibrates the instrument with the help of two light bamboo sticks as she accompanies herself. The music is deliciously soft. Gentlemen, dinner is served! At least this is what I understand when the caporal-boy, as he is called in French concessions, invites our host to sit down to the feast. We take out seats as singers speciÅcally assigned to this function sit down behind us, smoking, munching, and prattling as they drink tea. The sight of the minuscule eating implements is truly charming: – 41 –

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small bowls, even smaller tumblers the size of a sewing thimble for drinking rice wine, a dozen diminutive saucers mounted on feet and containing all kinds of condiments: mustard, nam nuoc bean sauce, 0 seeds, and so on. The dishes in which the Årst courses of the feast are brought to us are not much larger. First duck, then boiled chicken, which each guest grasps with ivory chopsticks mounted in silver. Then custard éclairs, shark Åns, and a dish Brillat-Savarin might have described as something of a gastronomic experiment. I am describing a kind of partridge salmis garnished with ultra-thin vermicelli. I still quiver at the thought! A medley of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and ham. Fresh lotus seeds. Sea cucumber and ham (not recommended!). Liyu Åsh au gratin. White mushrooms and equally white duck’s feet. Pieces of chicken shaped like gambling dice and sautéed with hazelnuts. Macaroni and onions. Finally, lightly baked cakes in which peanuts substitute for the almonds of our European desserts. These dishes, all of which I sample without exception, vary in merit. Chinese cuisine is very bland. It needs a serious dose of condiments. The Chinese dip the morsels they retrieved from the dish with their chopsticks directly into sauce bowls and swallow them immediately. Their chefs prepare three stocks: one of Åsh, one of chicken, and one of duck, which go into every dish. No bread whatsoever. This is what we miss the most. As for the chopsticks, learning to wield them does not take very long. Drink consists of jiu, or rice wine, which would be better termed “rice liquor” and closely resembles our calvados in Æavor, served in ravishing little teapots of ornamented porcelain. Our tumblers are Ålled. Our host invites us to drink by proposing a toast to our good health. With his right hand, he raises his small bowl to mouth level and presses a Ånger of his left hand to the base of the bowl as he extends his hands toward the person he wishes to honor. Good wishes are exchanged. Each time, the cup must be drained. Luckily, it is shallow. Meanwhile, servants keep us cool continuously by waving large feather fans. Singers move about the craft’s platform, led from boat to boat each 10 Nam nuoc cham, a spicy Vietnamese dip made from Åsh extract and rice vinegar. 11 Jean Anthe me Bri at-Savarin (1755 1826), considered one of the founding fathers of French cuisine. His famous book, Physiologie du Goût (The Physiology of Taste), was pub ished in 1825 just before his death. It remains in print and continues to exert signiÅcant inÆuence on French cuisine.

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morning by a female servant as a coolie lights their path with one of the large oil lanterns we saw being made the other day. Chinese people of all ranks and types go to and fro ceaselessly. Some pause. A shrieking beggar deafens us for a quarter of an hour. He stands in the doorway. No one considers chasing him away. The guests rise from the table, smoke, chat. A few more songs, and I prepare to take my leave when my host invites me to sit down again. This was only an intermission. More duck and chicken swimming in stock, but this time the o‫ٺ‬erings are covered in herbs. Sweetened lotus seeds. Duck’s liver with radish. Pineapple peel, boiled and deep-fried. Our Chinese friend informs us that nothing tastes better than after eating too much. Finally, curd takes the place of cheese. Bean paste, olives, ginger, fruit jellies: nothing is missing. And still the jiu Æows, toasts to long lives and prosperity are exchanged in all their Oriental ornateness when o‫ٺ‬ered by Chinese guests, requiring me to strain my imagination if I am to follow them on this Æower-strewn path. It is one o’clock in the morning as we rise from the table. Overall, I must pay homage to the chef. Allowing for Chinese preferences, his renown is well deserved. It would be unfair for me to pretend that my stomach is as content as during my last visit to Peter’s, 2 but if I had to take a seat again at a comparable feast, I would have a most enjoyable meal provided I made judicious choices from among the many o‫ٺ‬erings on so lavish a bill of fare. Home in a sampan. All is tranquil. Boats seem to be dozing on the river. To the aft of each vessel, roosters hanging in cages awake at the sound of our oars. The light of our lantern plays a trick on them. Cock a-doodle doo! The fanfare rings out and is soon echoed by every rooster on every other boat.

12 A reference to the chic restaurant Noë Peter’s, opened in 1854 and ocated in the 2nd arrondissement in Paris. Some c aimed it was owned by an American named Peters and others by chef Pierre Fraysse, who created the dish homard à l’américaine, or “ obster American sty e,” at the restaurant after working in America. It was ater bought by Octave Vaudab e, who in 1932 wou d a so buy the famous restaurant Maxim’s. See Prosper Montagné and C. S. Turgeon, The New Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine, and Cookery (New York: Crown Pub ishers, 1977), 769.

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Chapter Four

Canton’s Pagodas

Pak Tai: God of the north – The five hundred genies – Miraculous water – The temple of longevity – A sleeping buddha – In the Tartar city – The flower pagoda – Yamen ruins – The Tartar marshall – Buddhist nuns – The holy hill – A Taoist ceremony – I don’t know what I am! – The fivestory pagoda – The temple of horrors – The potter’s field

September 6 This time, early in the morning and not wishing to impose on my volunteer guides, I have with me Ah-cum, a plump, cunning-looking Chinaman attached to the hotel who speaks good English. I let him outline his own plan, then specify the route I wish to follow and the sights I would like to visit. Today will be devoted to temples and monasteries, starting with the Temple of Pak Tai, God of the North, one of China’s principal deities. On the way there, we pass through a series of narrow streets that might be said to form the confectionary district. In each doorway sits a young woman sorting almonds, extracting them from their shell then running them through sugar. Others prepare watermelon seeds or slice up young bamboo shoots into long strips. Here is the temple, before which is an esplanade where, Dr. Kerr’s brief Canton Guide informs us, theatrical performances are given on the third day of the third month, the anniversary of the god’s birth.

1 John G asgow Kerr (1824 1901) was an American Presbyterian medica missionary in China who was in charge of the Ophtha mic Hospita in Canton for 44 years. He a so pub ished severa brief tour books and inguistic guides to speaking Cantonese. See Gera d H. Anderson, Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Pub ishing, 1999), 359. Raquez is referring to Kerr’s Canton Guide (second edition, 1880), which was pub ished by Ke y & Wa sh.

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The granite facade is beautifully decorated with highly creative gildings. Once past curious doors made of black wood, there is nothing of much interest except for the large sacred tortoises kept by the monks. We climb back into our sedan chairs as we chose this means of locomotion for a tour we expect to be protracted. We are carrying provisions for lunch on the go. Here is the district inhabited by musical instrument makers, workers of Formosa camphor wood, goldsmiths, and metal engravers. We make a stop. Craftsmen mount tiny amounts of kingÅsher feathers on silver jewelry, which they glue to the metal itself with Åne tweezers. Once every element is in place, a thin layer of varnish gives the feathers the appearance of genuine enamel. The result is highly pleasing to the eye and a masterpiece of patience. Next is the renowned Temple of the Five Hundred Genies.2 At the entrance, on either side of the portal, are the sanctuary’s fantastical guards. We will come across them again in the doorway of every major pagoda. Their pose is the same everywhere. Only their size varies. Those now casting terrifying glances in our direction might be seven or eight meters in height. They are in a sitting position. Next comes a series of esplanades divided by pavilions of unequal importance. The Årst one houses three gilded buddhas whose history we cannot fathom. Inside the second hall is a seven-story tower donated to the pagoda by the emperor at the end of the last century. Constructed entirely of white marble, yellowed by the passage of time, this hexagonal ediÅce is about one meter Åfty in diameter at the base. It rises some ten meters, with a statue placed in an opening in each tier. One of these porcelain Ågures could easily be mistaken for our Virgin. She is Tian Hou Sheng Mu, also known as Mazu, the Heavenly Queen. Further on, two deities in gilded wood three meters high stand on 2 The origina temp e was constructed around 420 581 then ater expanded and named Hua in in 1654. The King Asoka Pagoda, which Raquez mentions, rises from the center of the main ha . The temp e sti exists, and the statues of Marco Po o and the Indian monks remain in p ace, though there is some dispute as to whether the statue is meant to represent Po o or is just a Chinese man with unusua y European appearance and attire.

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The Temple of the Five Hundred Genies By the exit door

marble pedestals. We are in the august shrine of the Five Hundred Genies, disciples of Buddha and none other than India’s lohans adapted to Chinese taste. What an odd-looking collection of idols in gilded plaster and burnished by hand rather than by time! Placed in graded rows, these – 46 –

CANTON ’ S PAGODAS

holy Buddhist personages are a little shorter than in real life and are all seated in di‫ٺ‬erent positions. One preaches the Good Word, another holds in his hand a rabbit (what a sad emblem for a man of serious purpose!), another a toad (what a repulsive creature!), another Æames that serve as a brazier. One laughs heartily while his neighbor prays fervently and a third pats his stomach. Here is a man with three heads. Next to him, a fanatic has prized open his own chest in which a standing buddha can be seen sheltering as if in a niche. Keen riders mount various specimens from Noah’s Ark: lions, tigers, deer, dragons, and other fantastical creatures. Cheerful, sad, mocking, contemplative, skeptical: with their inÅnitely varied expressions, these genies form a museum quite out of the ordinary. Amidst this holy gathering is a small, very old bronze pagoda. At the rear of the main hall stands the statue of Emperor Qianlong, one of the temple’s benefactors, who reigned for 60 years during the 18th century.3 Behind him stands an altar over which is a veil that fails to conceal three mysterious buddhas. Near the altar is the Venetian Marco Polo, who spent long years in China at the end of the 13th century and who acquired considerable inÆuence with the Emperor. He is not forgotten by the Chinese, who revere him as one of their own great men. The explorer is represented draped in a Venetian coat, on his head one of the large hats of his time. Both his collar and mustache are turned up. Before each genie, the monks have placed a vast incense burner in ornate stoneware. Joss sticks smolder in each. Near the door, two plump buddhas with curious expressions on their faces are assailed by half-a-dozen small boys who climb on their shoulders. One scratches the belly button of the venerable personage on whom he has perched himself while another tickles his ear. None of these annoyances appear to cause the good man any displeasure. Unusual, though, for a temple! The newly-restored pagoda contains sacred water that cures all 3 The Qian ong Emperor (1711 1799) was the 6th Qing emperor, who ru ed from 1735 to 1799.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

ailments. It would do wonders for the rheumy-eyed monks we meet in the doorway! In the streets are sellers of second-hand silk items. Further on are two markets where jade, agate, and stones of all kinds are sold. And now the Temple of Longevity.4 The four ferocious-looking guards are at their post. This ancient pagoda is largely devoid of interest, but near the entrance, a garden is refuge to pretty potted Æowers as gardeners work before us on those tortured tiny trees to which the Chinese are so partial. Some of these miniature trees have had their branches Åtted with a head and arms made of porcelain. Curious species of red Åsh swim in large shallow stoneware bowls and iron basins. Everything is clean and well looked after. How restful after a jaunt through the Canton anthill amidst the sweat of the masses, however respectable it may appear to certain sociologists! We pass through the coral workers’ district, then that of the silk weavers. Their looms are primitive in the extreme. The chain is white, the thread colored. The weaver operates the machine with a pedal and launches the shuttle by hand while a child perched on top of the loom lifts the threads through which the shuttle will pass. We come to the Temple of Guangxiao, perhaps the most ancient Buddhist shrine in China, founded in the year 250 of our era.5 Two small pagodas of solid granite rise in the shady courtyard. Under ancient banyan trees and other greenery, all is calm and solitude. A buddha rests in a room that sees many Chinese visitors and in which monks sell o‫ٺ‬erings. The Buddha is asleep on a bed framed by colorful curtains. The eyes of this old idol, in gilded wood and of lifelike height, are closed. His right arm is folded back and supports the head while the left arm is stretched out along the body. The sleeping Ågure has been carefully covered, lest he should catch a cold, no doubt. My guide bows to the Ågure reverently. We now enter the Tartar city, where everything changes in appearance. The streets are wider and cleaner and the houses lower. There 4 Known as the Temp e of the Six Banyan Trees since the Song Dynasty, in Raquez’s time, guidebooks sti ca ed it by the o d name of Changshou (Longevity) Temp e. Origina y bui t in 537, the temp e sti stands. 5 One of the o dest temp es in Guangzhou, Guangxiao was founded in 233 and sti stands.

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CANTON ’ S PAGODAS

is little or no commerce and thus little animation. This is the rentiers’ district and that of soldiers and their families. The Tartar population of Canton was originally from Jilin. It was sent here almost two centuries ago to keep order and intimidate the natives, which have long Æirted with disturbances and sedition. Many women with small feet roam the streets of the Tartar city. White walls are stained with large red dots. These disturb and chase away evil spirits. We glimpse the Flower Pagoda, a huge octagonal nine-story tower about 60 meters tall. We can only walk around it as climbing it is prohibited. In any case, its doors are locked.6 Close by is the yamen, the o‫ٻ‬cial residence and audience hall of the British consul. During the occupation of Canton by French and British troops, the commanding o‫ٻ‬cer of each nation’s forces had his palace in the Tartar city. When Shamian was created, by way of a souvenir, the consuls retained their yamen in the Tartar city whereas all the diplomatic agents now live in the concession, a place of residence inÅnitely more salubrious and pleasant. Yet this corner of Canton is not without charm, with its vast shady trees, mossy stones, innumerable birds, and a delightful view of the Flower Pagoda. Even ruined buildings taken over by vegetation manage to add a sense of sweet melancholy to the place. On the terrace, surrounded by an enclosure of carved stone, once stood the principal building of the British yamen until a conÆagration consumed it almost entirely. The current residence is a neat single-story building entered the Chinese way through a wide circular opening in the wall. The same garden gives access to the yamen of the Tartar Marshall, the highest-ranking military o‫ٻ‬cial in Canton, with authority over all functionaries, even the viceroy. Yet the building’s facade is hardly sumptuous. Stone lions guard the entrance to the yamen in the company of a few shabbily clad soldiers. 6 A so known as the Whampoa Pagoda, the Pazhou (or F ower), Pagoda was constructed in 1597. Nine stories ta and ocated on the bank of the Pear River, it served as a navigation andmark. It sti stands today, though it was rebui t severa times, starting in 1899.

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

The yamen’s ruins

We come to a Buddhist convent. The old nuns let us in without any di‫ٻ‬culty, even as far as their cells. Several of them smile, even. To me, they look like kindly grannies feeding babies. Each one keeps the door of her cell open, and they all gather in larger rooms. The ediÅce contains several passageways. Overall, this nunnery reminds me of the ancient béguinages of Bruges and Ghent.7 There are no priests in the pagoda. The nuns conduct the services themselves. I give a few cents to one of these sweet old dears, who is delighted. Strange, though, this corner of Canton. Anyone can walk into this maze of lanes sheltered from onlookers and reach unlocked cells that are home to defenseless women. Yet no one thinks of importuning these nuns any more that the nuns think of forestalling an attack. In which of our European cities would we witness such behavior? We are now on Kun Yam Hill, a sacred spot that is home to many temples and dominates the northern reaches of the city.8 7 These were the communa structures that housed ay re igious orders of women known as Béguines in the Low Countries. 8 Yuexiu Hi , sometimes ca ed Kun Yam after the name of the temp e dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy that was ocated at the top of the rise. It was torn down in the ate 1920s to make way for the Sun Yat-sen Memoria Ha , which sti stands.

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CANTON ’ S PAGODAS

A wide staircase consisting of 100 steps leads to a shrine of no great interest. Another staircase of 367 steps, which slope up so gently that they can be ascended in a sedan chair almost all the way to the top, leads to a Taoist temple, where we have a chance to witness a religious ceremony. Taoism, which has been deÅned – wrongly in my view – as “Buddhism with Chinese characteristics,” was founded in the year 34 of our era by Zhang Daoling. We will have occasion to return to his study. In the portal of the temple are two genies, threatening and fully armed. Priests with shaved necks and pates wear, on each side of their head, a tuft of hair that gives them a singular appearance. Five o‫ٻ‬ciating priests wear blue gowns and long red tunics with black stripes, somewhat reminiscent in their shape of the chasubles of our own Dominicans. Another wears a blue and yellow costume, a quilted arrangement of small square patches that give him the appearance of a comedy Harlequin. All chant to the accompaniment of Æute, clarinet, drumsticks, and cymbals. Before them is fruit. Numerous candles of red wax burn as the

Genies guarding a temple (1)

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IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Genies guarding a temple (2)

oldest monk reads aloud the large characters freshly traced on a roll of red paper he slowly unfurls. He is reading the eulogy of a wealthy lady whose portrait is displayed in the temple. Behind the monks, family members hold up paper banners bearing the dead woman’s name and titles. The ceremony over, the monks retire to a neighboring temple that houses three bearded buddhas and six grouchy genies, judging by their ferocious look. The walls are decorated with beautiful kakemono scrolls.9 Ancient embroideries hang from the ceiling, fruit is neatly displayed, and at the center of the ediÅce, a woman devoutly recites her prayers. My guide bows again before the genies while bestowing numerous o‫ٺ‬erings, concluding by prostrating himself. But hold on a moment! The rascal repeats the procedure with the same conviction and fervor in every single temple, regardless of denomination! As I ask him what persuasion he follows, he answers in English with a smile: “I don’t know what I am! ” This sums up the religion of the Chinese. Above all, they venerate ancestors. For the rest, they get hold of 9 Raquez uses the Japanese word kakemono, a so known as kakejiku, to refer to hanging scro s. In Chinese, the term wou d be lìzhóu 䩳弜.

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CANTON ’ S PAGODAS

an image, any old statue, even one of Napoleon or even of Father Ricci, a Jesuit clad in Chinese garb, once a celebrity at the court of the Emperor and later the patron saint of watchmakers. 0 They place the image inside their house and never fail to light fragrant joss sticks before it. On the same terrace is a vast gallery with several side shrines. One of them holds a female idol with eight arms, each of which grips a weapon: sword, lance, arrow, dagger, and so on. This is a one-woman arsenal, on the model of the one-man band. Another thirty-four steps and we reach the topmost temple, where an enormously fat, pot-bellied buddha seems to doze o‫ ٺ‬as he tells his beads. Attractive wooden candelabra represent lotus Æowers. A smiling buddha adorns each of the Åfty branches and seems to emerge from each Æower. From the platform, we enjoy a splendid view of the entire city and its surroundings, the Flower Pagoda, the Mahomedan mosque whose neglected minaret suggests a chimney stack taken over by vegetation, the cathedral, and the sacred hilltops that dominate this immense collection of mossy roofs. Mountains mark the horizon. Halfway down, we leave the granite staircase and follow a path to the left that encircles the top of the hill. We are still within Canton proper. Yet we might be far away, deep in a rural setting. Here is the northern wall and the Five-Story Pagoda. 2 In China, the lowest level counts as a Æoor. Is this not more logical? The tower contains Åve series of dwellings, the lowest of which is at ground level. This is not so much a pagoda as a massive fortress, with three-meterthick walls pierced with embrasures looking out onto the countryside. Facing the city, the ediÅce is wide open. According to Lord Elgin’s secretary, the French troops “principally occupied the Åve-storied pagoda, a commodious and substantial building situated upon the wall, as 10 Matteo Ricci (1552 1610), one of the founders of the Jesuit mission system in China. 11 Huaisheng Mosque was most ike y bui t during the Tang Dynasty and is be ieved to be more than 1,300 years o d. It is one of the o dest mosques in the wor d outside of the Midd e East. Because of its minaret, it was known as Lighthouse Mosque, a navigation andmark for ships on the Pear River. It sti stands. 12 Zhenhai Tower, ocated atop Yuexiu Hi , was bui t in 1380 and now houses the Guangzhou Museum.

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a Chinese military position. It had su‫ٺ‬ered a good deal from our shot but was nevertheless convertible into a most roomy and comfortable barrack.” 3 At the base are some twenty abandoned cannons among which a horse wanders in a vain search for suitable grazing. A staircase with very high steps takes us to the top Æoor, where we Ånd a refreshment room. This is a spot in a million in which to have lunch, especially as it o‫ٺ‬ers beer, soda water, tea, and every conceivable delight. From our vantage point, we enjoy the sight of the sinuous Pearl River, the nine-story tower at Whampoa, and the old city walls in whose crenels lie cannons of terrifying aspect, especially for the gunners themselves! In a hilly, more rural direction, countless rows of tombs Åll the slopes. To assist digestion, we continue our tour with a visit to the Temple of Horrors. 4 All around the ediÅce, we see crowds of charlatans, tooth pullers, and soothsayers: in brief, the Ånest specimens of Canton scum. Dr. Kerr informs us that the city’s prefect collects some 12,000 francs every three years by renting out space in these courtyards for con artists of every stripe to pitch their stalls. As for the temple itself, it contains a series of groups of torture victims. I mention this only to register my disappointment. The most mediocre wax museum in a gingerbread fair is inÅnitely more interesting. Only one or two of these groups present any originality, and everything is so dirty and so di‫ٻ‬cult to reach through the ragged, annoying crowd that the visitor quickly moves on without the slightest regret. Back in the street, we pause as a cortege goes by. Gongs and hautboys make quite a racket. A woman veiled in white, her hair worn 13 The French quotation appears on page 117 of La Chine et Le Japon and the Eng ish origina on page 99 of Narrative of the Earl of Elgin’s Mission to China and Japan. On the sources, see note 3, page 8 above. 14 The Chenghuang (City God) Temp e was bui t in 1370 to honor the gods who protected the city. The main ha and the worship pavi ion sti stand today. The name “Temp e of Horrors” supposed y originates with an American sai or named Jay F oyd Co e, who visited in 1883 and found the images depicting the tortures that await sinners in Taoist he to be horrifying. These images are no onger there.

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CANTON ’ S PAGODAS

loose down her back, is led by the hand by other women. Behind her, a pagoda of white paper is being carried atop a bamboo pole, and behind it, a co‫ٻ‬n. Su‫ٺ‬ering and death strike at all latitudes. The Temple of the Emperor is not very interesting. 5 What would be worth attending are the ceremonies that take place here on the occasion of the anniversary of the Monarch’s birth and o‫ٺ‬er a chance to meet all the civilian and military mandarins of the area. As we near the river, we come to the spot where executions are carried out, a space we might call “Potters’ Field.” This is a narrow strip of land about 30 meters long and barely ten meters wide. Ordinarily, potters come here to display their wares, but at execution time, the space is cleared and the crowd is easily kept out of the enclosure thanks to its very narrow gates. Thousands of criminals have been put to death here. Only last week, 25 heads rolled in a single day. This is our Ånal stop. We follow the streets that run parallel to the river and return to base for a well-earned rest after touring the entirety of this vast city. Indefatigable as ever, our sedan carriers trot along just as fast as in the morning!

15 Known as the “Pavi ion of Ten Thousand Years,” the structure housed the Emperor’s Tab et. Such bui dings existed in every major city throughout China. The one in Canton was bui t in the ear y 18th century and stood in a park outside the o d city wa s. It appears to have been destroyed at some point in the 20th century.

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Chapter Five

Canton – The Port and the River Boats without number – China’s imperial customs service – Compradores – Pidgin English – The temple of the swine – Human trafficking – Man overboard – That confounded Aki! – On the river – Duck boats – The Chinese and the verascope camera – Ivory carvers – Cantonese virtue in ruins

September 7 Strolling along the Bund is a delight: beautiful trees, green lawns, Æowers, and a sealed sidewalk along which no boats are moored. Two staircases, one for the French concession, the other for the British settlement allow Europeans to go ashore. Fifty meters from the quayside, the residents’ steam launches and longboats, and a veritable swarm of sampans are at anchor. The moment the stroller stops to observe the river, an aggressive female sampan operator in a silk dress and trousers as black as her hair comes rushing out from under the boat’s cover, shouting “Ahoy! Sampan!” at the top of her voice. At the slightest move on the stroller’s part, a dozen crafts converge on the staircases at full speed. But the Chinese policemen in French uniforms see to it that order prevails. Nothing is more fascinating than the prodigious tra‫ٻ‬c in the port of Canton. Sampans are Æat-bottomed crafts made of white timber painted black. On the fore and aft decks is a woman or girl armed with an oar or a ga‫ ٺ‬they use to push obstacles aside or steer closer to moored boats. Small wooden boards can be removed to accommodate one of the operator’s legs and reassure her over the consequences of a faulty stroke of her oar. Without this precaution, she could easily fall into the swift-Æowing current. Usually, a mama stands at the aft end and works a scull Åve or six meters long made of two pieces of wood placed one on top of the other – 56 –

CANTON

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THE PORT AND THE RIVER

and fastened together by vines. These gutsy women are a wonder to behold as they negotiate the river’s thousand obstacles, and it takes a few days’ familiarization to board these frail crafts without apprehension. The inside of the boat consists of two sections. The forward section can accommodate six or seven passengers in a very clean cabin decorated with photographs, images, and always a pendulum clock. In the rear section, a throng of infants is sleeping. Other crafts are known as slipper boats, thus named because their shape truly suggests this type of footwear. Narrow at the bow and with a roof initially very low but rising gradually, these boats are operated by three or four bare-chested Chinese men who row standing up by pushing two oars with all their strength. These Æat-bottomed vessels also carry passengers and their luggage. They move as fast as arrows. The French sailors call them “torpedo boats.” I will not discuss those large junks with their legendary decorated sails as they are well known. Judging by the canvas sieves that adorn most masts, many of their captains must be in favor of the new European theory concerning pierced sails. These are the precursors of the European version. But what is truly unique is the wheel boat, so named on account of being propelled by a large wheel situated at the rear. Three lines of coolies, often numbering 18 in total, set the wheel in motion by working primitive pedals. These consist of a piece of wood connected to the wheel’s axis by an iron rod and are so narrow that the coolie can rest only one foot on them. He is thus forced to walk continuously if he is to keep his balance, reminding me of those dogs in the Flanders countryside employed in the making of butter that trot ceaselessly inside a vast wheel that spins under their paws. Steering a wheel boat is truly perilous. If the operator loses his footing or slips, he could be crushed. But these human machines can hold onto a railing at hand level that allows them to secure themselves in case of accidents. Nothing could be stranger than these 18 semi-naked wretches Æailing about like demons condemned to perpetual motion. They are the wandering Jews of the wheel! These wheel boats sail upriver deep into the interior, and any coolie who consents to operate the machinery is rewarded with a free passage. – 57 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

Not a bad idea! Large British, German, and Chinese steamers are anchored in midstream. Innumerable steam launches go back and forth between the two shores. With a little imagination, it is possible to form a mental picture of the phenomenal activity of this port. And now a ski‫ ٺ‬party. Wonderful! Shamian has its very own Rowing Club, which is expertly managed and equipped with a respectable number of racing boats. My friends reawaken my instincts as a Marne River boatman, and we take our seats on board. I breathe again when, having wended our way across the river, we enter the Fati creeks. Here are numerous gardens dedicated to torturing small trees into the shapes of those fantastical animals that so delight the Chinese. The natural channels and creeks wind around endlessly. We pass through villages whose inhabitants eye us inquisitively, then Ånd ourselves in open countryside or beneath weeping willows. China is no longer visible. It would take a seasoned botanist’s eye, a talent I do not possess, to tell this foliage from our European varieties. There are no signs of tropical vegetation, yet we are on the twenty-second parallel, the same latitude as Calcutta, right on the Tropic of Cancer, which passes through the Red Sea and the Sahara and on to the Antilles. All is tranquil. Daylight fades. We head home to the light of lanterns, deliciously fatigued by our aquatic excursion. Today, it is the turn of Luong Lin Soon, a wealthy Cantonese, to take me to dinner on his Æower boat. There I run into my companions of the last few days: Poon Tang Hee and Sam Bazsai, lace and cotton cloth exporters, Do Hansan, Cheong Singchin, and Chang Lungsin, tobacco and silk products exporters, and Lam Dookay, son of a wealthy rice importer who is devoted to the study of literature and has already passed his baccalaureate. I will not go over the description I provided yesterday. The setting 1 The area now known as Fangcun was famous for Æower cu tivation for centuries. The Fati F ower Gardens and cana s are mentioned in severa period guidebooks as being a favorite sightseeing spot. See, for instance, Nicho as Be Åe d Dennys, The Treaty Ports of China and Japan: A Complete Guide to the Open Ports of Those Countries, Together with Peking, Yedo, Hongkong, and Macao (1867; reprint, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 147.

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THE PORT AND THE RIVER

is the same and every detail is identical. True, the singers are new, but just as doll-like. Only the menu di‫ٺ‬ers. Yesterday, we were not served crawÅsh in a private dining room.

September 8 This morning, I pay a visit to Customs House. A modest-looking building facing the river with a facade totally lacking in character, the Canton Customs House is nonetheless one of the most important such ediÅces in all of China. The continuous to and fro, the swarms of busy coolies, and the crates and bundles of all types give the Customs House a unique character. I meet representatives of numerous European nations. This is an ideal opportunity to study the operations of the Chinese Customs service, of which almost nothing is known in France. Origins of the current system: By the terms of the treaties of Whampoa, Macao, and Tianjin for France and Nanjing and Hong Kong for Great Britain as well as other accords passed with various powers, China became liable to pay substantial compensation. With no Chinese bank having the capacities required to o‫ٺ‬er guarantees that the debt would be honored, it was decided that these amounts would be mortgaged against the yield generated by customs under the control of European powers signatory to the treaties. This led to the creation of the Imperial Maritime Customs. Administration: Currently, the Director General of the Customs Service, who carries the English title of Inspector General, is one of Her Gracious Majesty’s subjects. Sir Robert Hart,2 the incumbent, has succeeded in acquiring substantial authority over the Zongli Yamen as well as the Emperor.3 Everyone remembers the role he played during the Tonkin War and in the cessation of hostilities.4 2 Irish-born Sir Robert Hart (1835 1911) became Customs Inspector at Canton in 1859, and ater served as the second Inspector Genera of China’s Imperia Maritime Customs Service from 1863 to 1911. High y respected by Imperia Prince Gong, Hart he ped negotiate the treaty that ended the Boxer Rebe ion and a owed Western powers greater access to China. 3 Estab ished in 1861, the Zong i Yamen was the government body that oversaw foreign po icy. It was disso ved in 1901 and rep aced by the Foreign O‫ٻ‬ce. 4 A so known as the Sino-French War, fought from August 1884 through Apri 1885. It ended with the Treaty of Tientsin, which granted the French access to the Red

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As a result, it is not surprising to see English being used as the o‫ٻ‬cial language of the Customs Service. The service is organized into two major divisions: Indoor and Outdoor. Indoor, or Sedentary Service: A customs service was established in each of the ports opened to European commerce by the treaties and which the French call “open ports” while the British refer to them as treaty ports. At the head of the service is a Director, or Commissioner, and if the port is substantial enough, a Deputy Director, or Deputy Commissioner. A team of Assistant Commissioners completes what is called the Indoor sta‫ٺ‬. These employees are all recruited in Europe and deal with administration, accounting, controls, and so on. Employees join the Indoor sta‫ ٺ‬as Fourth-class Assistants following examinations, to which I will return. Only members of the Indoor sta‫ ٺ‬can be promoted to higher echelons in the service or become commissioners. Under them are Chinese o‫ٻ‬ce sta‫ ٺ‬known as clerks. These employees have their own promotion regime determined by class and can rise to principal clerk. Outdoor, or Active Service: O‫ٻ‬cials going aboard arriving ocean liners and inspectors on the quayside and in customs halls are also Europeans recruited in China. They are assisted in their various duties by Chinese employees and make up the Outdoor sta‫ٺ‬. With very few exceptions, members of the Outdoor sta‫ ٺ‬cannot switch to the Indoor sta‫ٺ‬. The highest ranks are those of chief inspectors, harbor masters, and so on. For the record, I should mention a small number of European employees, or clerks, working as o‫ٻ‬ce sta‫ ٺ‬without being o‫ٻ‬cially part of the Indoor or Outdoor services. Likin. Next to China’s Imperial Maritime Customs, there exists in each port a tax institution that bears some resemblance to our excise duties, known as likin. However, the Imperial Customs commissioners have nothing to do with likin, even if its upper-level management is entrusted to the Inspector General. River and eventua y ed to the formation of French Indochina (Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina, and Cambodia) in October 1887 (Laos wou d be added in 1893).

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THE PORT AND THE RIVER

All members of the Indoor sta‫ ٺ‬must know English and Mandarin Chinese. Although the latter is not required for the admission examination, after a certain period of time, customs employees must demonstrate su‫ٻ‬cient knowledge of the language, and knowing Chinese is a prerequisite for promotion. Examinations: These take place in London. Anyone wishing to join the Customs Service applies to the Inspector General through his intermediary in London. If the application is approved, the candidate is summoned to an oral and written examination covering English, mathematics, history, and geography. Obviously, knowledge of another language and possession of additional diplomas will do the candidate no harm. The worthy young man is politely invited to join his courteous examiner at his dinner table on two or three occasions. Little does he know that his behavior is being tested and that he is very much in the limelight, pleasant though this may be for a gourmet. The result of the examination is promptly announced. If it is favorable, the happy new functionary immediately receives a Årst-class ticket to Shanghai along with a check for 2,500 francs drawn on the Bank of Hong Kong & Shanghai to cover the cost of the purchases necessary to his relocation. As he passes through Hong Kong, he is informed of his ultimate posting. A seven-year contract ties him to the Customs Service, which must be served consecutively and at the termination of which a two-year leave on half pay is the norm. Return travel costs are met by the service. Subsequent contracts cover Åve-year periods and are invariably followed by a two-year leave. If the employee is married, he receives half the travel costs incurred by his wife and servants. I said earlier that knowledge of the Chinese language is not required at the start. However, after three years in position, the employee takes an examination in that language. If he fails, he receives a ticket back to Europe. Remuneration and sta‫ ٺ‬composition: As of the Winter of 1898, the composition of the Customs Service was as follows: – 61 –

IN THE L AND OF PAGODAS

1. Europeans:

2. Chinese:

A. Indoor service B. Doctors C. Outdoor service

220 26 476

722

A. Indoor service B. Outdoor service

588 2,242

2,830 3,552

British members of the Indoor sta‫ ٺ‬number 103, of whom fourteen are commissioners. As for our fellow countrymen, there are 25 of them, four of whom are commissioners: Mr. Rocher in Shanghai, the most important posting in all of China, Piry in Macao, Novion in Wenzhou, and de Bernières in Longzhou.5 The other commissioners are German, American, Russian, Austrian, and Belgian, and the service also includes Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians. By the terms of an intergovernmental agreement, the British are in the majority in southern and western ports. There, the commissioners are American or French, and our compatriots are normally posted there as deputies. Regrettably, quality applicants are few and far between. Yearly salaries for Indoor sta‫ ٺ‬members vary between 6,700 francs (Fourth-class Assistant B) and 70,000 francs (First-class Commissioner).6 These Ågures reÆect the current regime. Not long ago, employees of the Customs Service, whose salaries were computed on the basis of the former value of the tael, suddenly saw their salaries double as a result of the sharp fall in the value of this monetary standard. This will come as a surprise to our cheese-paring French budget o‫ٻ‬cials. Doubling salaries! By golly! They don’t do things by half in China! I have said nothing of the emoluments paid to the Inspector Gen5 The Directory (1899) ists L. Rocher in Shanghai, T. Piry in Macao, A. Novion in Wenzhou, and A. M. de Bernières in Longzhou. 6 Commissioners are divided into three c asses, with month y sa aries of 800, 1,200, and 2,500 Customs Service tae s [Raquez]. The tae was a currency based on units of weight used throughout the Far East. The word is derived from Ma ay and is sti used today in parts of Southeast Asia. Chinese currency of the Qing era were si ver sycee based on tae weight. However, this varied from region to region. In Canton, a tae was equa to 37.5 grams.

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THE PORT AND THE RIVER

eral. This is because these are not Åxed. As a result, I was unable to ascertain the exact amount. Customs employees enjoy no pension rights, but every seven years, they receive one year’s salary in gold under the name of retiring allowance. The Customs Service has at its disposal a veritable Æeet consisting of Åve cruisers whose commanding o‫ٻ‬cers are British, German, and Norwegian, with no Frenchmen among them. Some 100 elegant launches sail back and forth along the Pearl River and nearby waterways or patrol the coasts. I will now conclude my account of this absorbing administrative arrangement by mentioning that the Inspectorate General enjoys full jurisdiction over two important other services: 1. The Imperial Mail, whose employees currently number 145, including seventeen Europeans recruited from among the Outdoor sta‫ٺ‬. 2. The Lighthouse Service, with 92 Årst- and second-rank structures dotted along the coasts. Interestingly, while huge orders are placed in Great Britain to meet the needs of the Chinese Imperial Customs Service, it is our French industry that supplies the lenses for these lighthouses as no other country has hitherto reached the same degree of perfection in their manufacture. Yet not a single Frenchman Ågures among the management of these lighthouses. May this brief account inspire in a few of our young men in search of a career the desire to come to China and swell the ranks of those excellent but all-too-rare Frenchmen who work at disseminating the charms of our race.

September 9 I feel obliged to accept the hospitality of one of my new Shamian friends, who came to rescue me from the dreadful cooking at the Hotel Victoria. I believe that if cordiality were to be banished from the rest of the world, it would Ånd refuge on this islet, of whose existence I was utterly unaware only a few weeks ago. But “Beware of Pickpockets” could be written all over Shamian, just like anywhere else in the Far East, in fact. Only today, a young newly-arrived Frenchman fell victim to his boy, who made o‫ ٺ‬with 60 dollars. – 63 –

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Some would reproach our helpless compatriot for not having had a comprador attest to his servant’s credentials. These men are important Ågures in China despite their Portuguese title. They are found in every European trading house in the Far East. A comprador is something like a house steward. He conducts all sales and purchases with his compatriots, recruits boys for whom he is personally responsible, keeps accounts, and settles all bills. Many Europeans never carry the slightest amount of money on their person. They pay for their purchases with vouchers redeemable with the comprador, and in cities where travel is by rickshaw, they use printed tickets the coolie then converts into cash with a go-between who recovers the cost directly from the various trading houses. This shows the usefulness of this individual, who receives a certain percentage of every transaction made by the trading house and who often collects from both parties. As a result, the compradores of the large trading houses are major tycoons and the holders of substantial bonds. Many accumulate a large fortune in just a few years. We hail a sampan to pay a visit to the Buddhist Temple of Honan on the opposite shore of the river.7 A diminutive, charming sampan girl promptly steers her boat away from its moorings and meets me at the bottom of the French staircase. The old mama wielding her ga‫ ٺ‬at the rear of the boat is singularly ugly. Nature loves a contrast. This loathsome shrew asks me if I am French, and a conversation ensues. She o‫ٺ‬ers to perform all kinds of services for my beneÅt, and it is not long before I have all the information I could possibly need. The language used on this coast of China is an English-based jargon known as pidgin, not pigeon, as I read a few days ago in the journal of a globetrotter. It is a medley of all kinds of languages, with English the dominant component.

7 Located in what is now known as the Haizhu District, what is shown as “Honan Temp e” on period maps is the Hai Chuang Temp e and Ocean Banner Monastery, now known as the Hoi Tong Monastery. Origina y bui t in 1662, e ements of this structure sti stand, though in a diminished form after demo itions carried out during the 20th century.

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My Annamese says to me: “Me know,” which the boat lady translates as “No savvy.” “You know?” becomes “You savvy?” and “It can’t be done” is simply “No can,” all of which is frequently heard in these parts. We go ashore, and the old woman leads the way into the Temple of Honan, which dates back to the 17th century and is popularly known as the Temple of the Swine. This is where at the end of rows of banyan trees beyond several esplanades and buildings St. Anthony’s porcine companions turned sacred pigs are kept, though as a result of what concatenation of circumstances, I could not tell.8 The temple itself is nothing special. As always, we see four ferocious-looking guards, gilded buddhas, and monks clad in dirty gray robes. One of them gets into an altercation with my female guide. He wants to throw her out. She Æees. The monk trips on his robe and ends up Æat on his face, shouting with all his might. A crowd gathers, looking menacing. Luckily, the sampan is nearby as this mob looks very far from friendly and I am the only European visible on the quayside. My gondolier recovers from her ordeal, but she is concerned about the passing of time as she must part before nightfall with the sweet child rowing at the prow of the craft. Intrigued, I extract from her a confession. The child is not her daughter. She bought her from her mother, who lives in Saigon, when she was very young and trained her to perform a multitude of tasks. She is due to sell her for 200 dollars today to a European who lives in one of the coastal ports and who promises to release her within a year. For now, the girl is this woman’s possession. Soon, she will be someone else’s. But she is happy to trade masters, not because she detests her 8 A period guidebook exp ains: “These anima s are sacred to Buddha to whom, as eucharistica o‫ٺ‬erings, they, by certain votaries, have been presented. On a wooden board which, by a nai , is fastened to a pi ar, supporting the roof of the piggery, there is a notice requesting visitors not, on any account, either to beat, or disturb the pigs. Visitors are, further, reminded that shou d they, contrary to these instructions, either beat, or disturb the pigs, an a -seeing eye wi take cognizance of their crue ty, and, on the day of retribution, most assured y resent it.” John Henry Gray, Walks in the City of Canton (Hong Kong: De Souza & Company, 1875), 61. Here, Raquez introduces a pun, using the French phrase cochon sacré, but before adding “sacred pigs” in Eng ish, he inserts a parenthetica remark that reads: “(carefu , typesetters, no inversion),” as “sacré cochon” is the (sti current) s ang equiva ent of “Å thy pig,” a considerab e insu t.

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mama but because she will gain her freedom in a year’s time and will be able to do as she pleases. I can hardly believe my ears, and I ask to witness the transaction. The moment we go ashore in Shamian, the buyer’s agent makes his appearance. I vow I saw with my own eyes 200 dollars in Hong Kong Bank bills change hands and the agent reading out the agreement promising to give the child her freedom at the expiration of a year. At the old woman’s request, he promises to let her see the girl whenever she wishes. Both women shed a few tears. The mama carefully stores the bank bills in a chest. The girl picks up her bundle and boards a boat about to sail for Hong Kong. What a sorry tale! A mother selling the joy of her heart into prostitution, exactly like the tra‫ٻ‬cking in human Æesh familiar to Europeans. She was so sweet, the poor little swallow, without a care in the world, now Æown to another nest! Tonight, it is the turn of a Chinese man of letters to lead me to the Æower boats. Three Shamian friends also receive an invitation. They have lived in Canton for some time but have not been blessed with the good fortune my lucky star has bestowed on me. On the way home, it is not a woman but an old man who rows at the head of the boat. But the hapless oarsman neglects to secure one of his legs to the bottom of the boat. His oar snaps. He spins around and falls into the water, and would have been swept away by the swift current had we not extended a ga‫ ٺ‬that happened to be at hand. What a lucky escape! One second later, and he was done for.

September 10 I visit Tai San, the large gold store at the entrance to the Chinese city. The place is packed with marvels. I shall have to keep a tight grip on my wallet! But purchasers must be careful when sending objects back to France as, if the silver lacks proper documentation denominated in French currency, they are seized by the Marseille customs and sent to be melted down. Tai San clearly labels all artifacts that satisfy this requirement and o‫ٺ‬ers to manufacture any object a customer might order. Prince Henry of Prussia has just made major purchases. Prices are very reasonable. On to the Ningbo Guildhall, the meeting place of the city’s wealthy – 66 –

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merchants.9 This is a venue for prayer, feasts, and performances on festive occasions. Near the door, a man is stu‫ٻ‬ng papers covered in characters into a stove. As is well known, the Chinese consider characters sacred. It would be sacrilegious to profane them, and they may only be destroyed by Åre. After a long ramble, we return to Shamian, where we are due to receive our Chinese friends for a European-style supper. The man of letters makes me a gift of a fan on which he inscribes in paintbrush a long and gracious compliment to myself. Clearly, our fellow diners do not lack skill and handle their forks admirably. European cuisine is to their taste and French wines add to our gaiety. Yet another enjoyable evening!

Sunday, September 11 I have a nasty surprise as I awake. I Ånd my small trunk open, a tough cabin trunk made of steel and Åtted with a safety lock. I make a beeline for my wallet, which contained quite a substantial sum. It is empty. Damnation! I confront Nguyen, my faithful Annamese, who shows sincere astonishment and tells me that the thief must be young Aki, the gentle, shy Chinese lad, who did not sleep under our roof last night. He left behind his mat and his blue serge suit but took with him his three sets of white clothes presumably by wearing them one over the other. It is nine in the morning. Aki has been gone since four o’clock yesterday. How did he do it? There are no signs of a break-in. The only thing that is clear is that I was robbed. Still, the incident will give me an opportunity to study the methods of the local police. Travelers must be philosophical. I Årst call on the French consul, the most amiable Mr. Flayelle, but this visit yields no results as my room is within the British concession, and I Ånd myself forced to call on Her Gracious Majesty’s Chief of Police. The plump fellow is sorry for what happened to me but can do nothing. 9 The Gui d of the Ningbo merchants was composed of traders from the city of Ningbo in Eastern China, one of the treaty ports opened to foreigners by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking.

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I ask him to be kind enough at least to telegraph the Hong Kong police and request that its men watch ships about to sail for Hainan. I am convinced that my thief must have made o‫ ٺ‬for Hong Kong yesterday evening, where he arrived during the night and will do all he can to continue to Hainan Island, his native land. With disconcertingly British phlegm, the policeman replies that it would be best if I were to telegraph myself, taking this condescending attitude even further by giving me the telegraphic address of the police: “Central Hong Kong will su‫ٻ‬ce,” he says as he leads me to the door, saying once again in English, “I am very sorry.” What a country! I pay another visit to the French consul, who, incidentally, is due to convene all the French residents of Shamian around his dinner table tonight. Most obligingly, Mr. Flayelle telegraphs his Hong Kong counterpart and requests that he hunt for the disloyal boy. What will be the outcome? Mr. Dufêtre has organized a river party. We will go aboard L’Espoir, his very own handsome wheel boat after calling at Whampoa, a major suburb of Canton, then dine aboard before heading home later in the evening. But man proposes and God disposes. Torrential rain disrupts our plans and prevents us from going aboard before Åve o’clock, too late to call at Whampoa. No matter: we will moor a few nautical miles from the port and its brouhaha. The entire French colony boards L’Espoir. The coolies, leaping up and down like puppets on a string, set in motion the large wheel that churns up foaming water at the rear of the vessel. We move at a good rate of speed and pass heavy junks Ålled to the brim with goods or Chinese passengers. One of them, which is headed upriver, has three impressive cannons on each of the port and starboard sides. Pirates are not at all rare, and rebel forces roam the countryside a few days away from Canton. Though mild, these fears have motivated a meeting of all Europeans on Shamian next Wednesday, where a plan is to be formulated for the defense of the island should it be attacked, with everyone assigned a speciÅc role. There is no shortage of riÆes or cartridges, but a few revolver cannons 0 would come in handy in commanding the channel and defend10 An ear y form of machine gun. Un ike a Gat ing gun, which has mu tip e barre s that rotate rapid y, a revo ving cannon has a sing e Åxed barre and a rotating am-

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THE PORT AND THE RIVER

ing the bridges since any attack would be expected to come from the city itself. It is surprising that European governments cannot agree to send gunboats to the Pearl River in turn. The British are not short of them in Hong Kong, but they are not all in perfect working condition, an Englishman informs me. We come across a wreck. What is this? How horrible! A Chinaman, rather well dressed, on his back, legs apart. He must have been Æoating for several days. There are signs of blood and wounds: no doubt a victim of pirates or rebels. We sail between the two Macao forts, as they are called, built on the European model, one on the right bank, the other on an islet in midstream. Further on are duck boats. What a curious trade! Old junks have been converted into barnyards. They hold hundreds, sometimes thousands of ducks. At low or ebbing tide, the junk is steered toward one of the muddy Æats exposed by the receding water, and the fowls are let loose and are free to splash about to their hearts’ content and feed at no cost to their owner. When the tide comes in, they return to their coops by way of trapdoors and gangplanks designed for that purpose. The river is powerfully tidal in Canton and beyond. We reach our destination as the tide is about to reverse direction. It is time to drop anchor, and after one of those delicious cocktails of Vougeot white brandy, expertly mixed the Shamian way, fork in hand, we embark on lengthy discussions of the use of consuls, the future of railways in China, the French and British navies, Wagner’s music, and more. Not a word is exchanged about “the A‫ٺ‬air.” The wheel boat is on the move again. The boatman’s daring sends shivers down my spine. At full speed and with extraordinary skill, he steers a course through steam launches, sampans, and junks, most of which are not lit. I cannot imagine how he manages to negotiate the tangle of vessels that clutter up the port where we Ånd ourselves on this pitch black night. Our boat, which is almost as wide at each end as in the middle, must be a good munition box, simi ar to a handhe d revo ver pisto . 11 The Dreyfus A‫ٺ‬air, which was dominating French media and conversations at the time.

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four meters in breadth. Yet, we reach the French colony’s jetty at full speed and without mishap.

September 12 A gong rings thirteen times on the Bund. This must be a high-ranking mandarin as the number of consecutive poundings is determined by the social standing of the personage in question. Large wooden tablets in red and gold carried at one end of a pole by his attendants inform us that we are dealing with the towkay in charge of superintending customs. He is paying a visit to the French consul and is now with his British counterpart close to my room. I hurry downstairs with my Vérascope camera. 2 The attendants all have the same appearance: gong beaters in long serge smocks worn tight at the waist, for a hat a sort of lampshade from the top of which hangs a Åstful of bright red horsehair; coolies with an extraordinary trellis of bamboo sticks painted red on their heads and a‫ٺ‬ecting the shape of a sugarloaf; four or Åve policemen on horseback; a large parasol made of red canvas; the mandarin’s own horse, led riderless and fully caparisoned. A chest covered with green serge that must contain seals and parchments is carried religiously by two coolies on their shoulders with a bamboo pole. But the most picturesque sight is that of a dozen small boys clad in long scarlet coats reminiscent of those worn by the musketeers of yesteryear, with on their heads a kind of miter of red cardboard adorned at the front with bizarre gilded shapes. Ensconced in his chair, the mandarin cuts an unimpressive Ågure. Everyone is very clean and seems newly clothed. My plan is to take advantage of a pause in the cortege’s progress to photograph the boys. But they run away and hide behind the trees that line the avenue, and once the cortege is on the move again, they cover their faces with their coats. A policeman on horseback signals to me to cross the bridge into the Chinese city, or he will shoot in my direction. The Chinese generally believe that photography brings bad luck. Although this preconceived notion is on the wane, today’s experience shows that it must still be taken into account. One of our companions comes across an ivory carver who is working on those famous concentric balls whose manufacture intrigues 12 On the Vérascope Richard camera, see the Introduction.

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THE PORT AND THE RIVER

even longtime residents of China who have been unable to study this Canton specialty. We call on the artist Luan Shing in Yuan Xi Long Street. 3 Most courteously, he explains the craftsmen’s working methods for our beneÅt. A faultless ivory ball having been selected, the craftsman Årst traces the equator in pencil, then two more circles (the meridians) that run through each pole perpendicularly to the equator ninety degrees apart. This results in eight sectors. The carver then pierces the ivory ball, Årst at the center of each of the eight sectors, then at each pole, and Ånally on the equator at each of the points crossed by the meridians, or fourteen piercings in total. He then carves these somewhat wide on the periphery but gradually narrowing toward the center of the ball. This step completed, the ivory ball is attached to a wooden lathe operated with a pedal. A steel awl carefully sharpened and curling back at the end is then inserted into one of the piercings as far as the precise spot where the craftsman wishes to detach the smallest of his future prisoners. A few turns of the pedal and a circular groove appears. Repeating the procedure for each of the fourteen openings frees the Årst ball, which will immediately be carved with tiny tools and its solid portions turned into lace. Hooks with bent extremities and of increasing length are used to detach the next ball. The operation is then repeated in identical fashion until each orb is free to move inside another one. What a marvel of human patience! What a masterpiece of precision and extraordinary manual skill as it is vital that all the grooves match geometrically when an unfortunate slip of the awl can at the last moment render worthless the product of so much patient e‫ٺ‬ort! We are shown a ball that encloses no fewer than 17 others, all carved and pierced like lace. On to the Temple of the Five Genies, 4 Canton’s protectors. Legend 13 This artist remains unidentiÅed, though this street, “First Tin A ey,” and the famous ivory puzz e ba s are described in other period guidebooks. 14 Wu Xian Guan Temp e, a so known as the Temp e of the Five Immorta s. Origina y bui t around 1377, the temp e’s structure underwent major changes over the years, though some architectura e ements of the origina remain. The be mentioned by Raquez remains in p ace.

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has it that in days of yore, Åve genies mounted on deer Æew over the city holding in their hands grains of wheat, symbols of abundance. As they glided over the market, they exclaimed: “May no famine ever a‫ټ‬ict this city!” then faded into space after letting their mounts fall to the ground, where they were changed into stone Ågures, no doubt as a result of the speed of the descent. We climb the steps of the temple, which we enter followed by some 100 urchins who deafen us with their cries. A square tower houses an enormous bell that only sounds when the city faces a threat. The last occasion on which it boomed was during the siege of 1857 when it was struck by a cannonball that knocked o‫ٺ‬ a chunk of metal. The superstitious Cantonese read this as a sinister omen and were not in the least surprised when the city fell. The bell had rung. The temple dates back to the 13th century. After climbing a succession of platforms, we are introduced to the Åve resident genies by an old monk. These bearded, brightly-colored Ågures stare Åxedly at the Åve granite blocks that were once their mounts and now rest on wooden pedestals. A staircase leads to the pagoda’s loft. Here presides an Emperor of the Yuan dynasty, an attractive museum piece, all lacquer and gold. The unfortunate fellow seems bored to death, conÅned here among cobwebs and irreverent bats. His dull eye seems to implore us to show pity. Alas! There is nothing we can do, poor man! But windows are opened, and the city reveals itself. What a superb view of the Flower Pagoda and the old Mahomedan mosque, with its minaret overtaken by moss and from whose summit the muezzin no longer calls the faithful to prayer! Close by, an ancient structure draws our attention. It is the Gate of Virtue. 5 It is falling into ruin, and our attempt to climb it is not without danger. Is this emblematic, and is Cantonese virtue in no better shape?

15 The southern-most gate of the sixteen gates that ed through the city wa s into the O d City of Canton, north of the river. Whi e a sma section of the city wa s remains near the Zhenhai Tower, this gate seems to have been demo ished in the 1920s.

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Chapter Six

Macao Tra-Los-montes – Fan-tan gambling – The basket trick – Camões and his panegyrists – Murder of a governor – Away with corpses! – Macao’s industries: silk, mats, opium, tea, tobacco – Return to Hong Kong – A room, if you please

September 13 Reveille time! My Shamian friends insist on getting me aboard. A boat is waiting to take me to the White Cloud. Not without emotion and for the last time, I shake hands with those Åne people who far from France retain the qualities of intelligence, energy, generosity, and liveliness that are the charms of our race. My latest steamer carries only 354 guests, its passenger certiÅcate informs us, but it is handsome, shiny, and very comfortable. Three hours later, we are in Macao. The small town sparkles in strong sunshine, with its lighthouse perched atop a cli‫ٺ‬, its ancient forts, its monumental Boa Vista Hotel, and its palaces and churches, as its houses daubed in yellow, blue, and pink with spinach-green shutters tumble downhill toward the shady coolness of the quayside. We pass Praia Grande but move on as it is necessary to round the headland to reach the commercial port on the far side of the town. We see a large pink building reminiscent of Arab architecture. This is home to the Indian troops the Portuguese bring in from their Goa colony. The Macao peninsula has been a Portuguese possession since 1557. At the jetty, well turned out policemen screen out importune visitors. The Chinese Hotel Hing Kee has been recommended to me. A rickshaw takes me there. No problem with luggage. For Europeans, this is a free port. 1 The bui ding, current y the Residence of the Portuguese Consu Genera , was bui t as a private residence in 1870 and became the Boa Vista Hote in 1890. It was renamed the “Be a Vista” in 1936 and remained under that designation unti 1999.

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Macao: The marina and Praia Grande

On the quayside, arcaded houses remind me of parts of Singapore. The town is hilly. No carriages, no sedan chairs. Rickshaws are the only means of locomotion, at least for ordinary people. What is striking at Årst is the spotlessly clean condition of the town, which we cross in its entirety to reach the hotel. Here, the houses are painted as tastelessly as they are built: without character. The stillness and tranquility are almost absolute, except in the Chinese districts. It must be enjoyable to come here and unwind away from the hubbub of Canton and Hong Kong. As a bonus, the climate is highly salubrious. The hotel is comfortable. My spacious room has a veranda that o‫ٺ‬ers a view of the bay. An army band is practicing in the barracks I discern in the distance. As the French Consul and Commissioner of Customs are not in residence, I am in the hands of the hotel guide, Senhor Jayme dos Santos, who speaks very good English. Full speed ahead, rickshaws! The sight of these Chinese coolies pulling their vehicles up very steep inclines is astonishing. Rua dos Cavalos, dos Santos Anjos, do Rosnrio. What a strange Pyrenean Æavor to be experiencing across oceans! Still climbing, we reach a vast stone staircase that once brought up – 74 –

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crowds to the Church of St. Paul, which was built by the Jesuits. In 1836, a fanatical Chinese mob set it on Åre. The arsonists were seen Æeeing as the gunpowder stored inside was heard going o‫ٺ‬, but the scoundrels were never caught. The blaze destroyed the convent and several nearby buildings but left the facade of the building almost intact. It now dominates the town, complete with the beautiful bronze statues the Æames left untouched in their niches. But nothing remains of the interior of the basilica. Close to the ruins, Rua do Jogo2 houses a number of gambling parlors, all run by the Chinese. Their facades are painted green and adorned with enormous lanterns on which inscriptions in red letters read: “First-class fan tan gambling house.” This is the game the Annamese know as bau cua and the Portuguese as fan tan. The principle is always the same. The croupier pushes a set of chips toward the center of the table and conceals them under a cover. The punters’ names go up on boards numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. Les jeux sont faits. The croupier lifts the cover, retrieves four chips from the pile, then another until only one, two, three, or four are left. This determines the winning board. Several of these gambling houses have galleries. Punters who choose to perch up there lower their bets in small baskets tied to the end of a string. A fan tan parlor in full swing is a sight to behold! The cashier has scales on which he checks the authenticity of the chips. The Chinese love fan tan. Nothing conÅrms this view better than the 154,000 dollars (or 385,000 francs) the government collected last year in tax revenue from the sixteen gambling houses in Macao. The town is home to 74,000 Celestial Ones and 4,500 Portuguese residents. Of the latter, most are Macanese, or the descendants of old Portuguese families that settled here at the start of colonization and who have deep roots in the country. With swarthy skin and black eyes and hair, their appearance recalls Spanish or Portuguese types but is coarser overall. Onward and upward! Climbing higher still, we now Ånd ourselves in Camões Garden. Sentinels guard the gate. A large building, which displays the Royal coat of arms, houses the War O‫ٻ‬ce (no less!) and the public works services. The small garden that leads to the park proper 2 “Gamb ing Street” in Portuguese. This appears to be a nickname for the street and not an o‫ٻ‬cia civic designation.

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The bust of Camões

is delightfully fresh, bright, and neat. Further on is the deep shelter provided by shrubbery, mossy paths, and superb banyan trees. One of these, rising fully ten meters above ground and growing atop a rock, has roots that reach all the way down to the ground and wrap themselves around the rock, while the trunk of another is wedged between enormous boulders that keep it prisoner without depriving it of life. At the top of a terrace from where the sea appears radiant, the bust of Camões is protected by a natural rocky vault. The great poet who in 1560 composed on this very spot The Lusiads, a poem whose charm time has not managed to extinguish, gazes at the waves breaking on the shore. The nations of Europe seem to surround him in homage to his genius. Large marble plaques proclaim in Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, and English verse the glory of the Master whose bust is eerily reminiscent of that of Henri le Béarnais: same proÅle, same beard, same laurel crown as on that classic statue.3 3 The gardens as we as the bust of Luys de Camões (1524 or 1525 1580) are sti

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MACAO

The compatriot of ours guilty of penning verses dated March 30, 1827 that strike the modern reader as decidedly old hat introduces himself to posterity as Louis de Rienzi, a Frenchman of Romanian origin, pilgrim, soldier, and expatriate poet.4 He reminds us that: Here, to the sound of a resounding sea, Camões blended the plaintive chords of his wailing lute.

If we are to believe this panegyrist, the worthy poet was not always as neglected as he is today, languishing beneath this mystery-Ålled canopy, since: To assuage his pain, moreover, he had The amorous kisses and songs of the Nine Muses.

Lucky fellow! We now descend to ground level and follow the substantial Rua de Coelho do Amaral. A nearby hillock has old, odd-looking Chinese tombs. The street itself is lined with splendid trees. Here is a fort perched atop a rocky formation, then a Chinese pagoda, and close by a large stone slab on which is carved the Portuguese Crown. This is where Governor do Amaral was assassinated on August 22, 1849.5 He had refused to continue paying China an annual rent of 500 taels hitherto discharged in order to cultivate cordial relations but which the Middle Kingdom regarded as a tribute marking Macao’s vassalage. The governor was passing by on horseback accompanied by his aide-de-camp. He had lost his right arm in battle. a prominent tourist destination in Macao. Os Lusíadas, or Soul of Portugal, his epic poem ce ebrating Portuguese co onia expansion, was Årst printed in 1572. Henri e Béarnais, of the House of Bourbon, was Henri IV (1553 1610), King of France from 1589 unti his death. 4 An obscure Ågure, Grégoire Louis Domeny de Rienzi (1789 1843 or 1850) was an adventurer who ived an improbab e ife, supposed y Åghting at Water oo, in batt es for Greek independence, and with Simon Bo yvar and Mehemet A i. He was resident in Macao between 1827 and 1829 and ater became a professor of geography in Paris. The ines Raquez quotes are engraved in stone in the gardens near the bust of Camões. 5 Joro Maria Ferreira do Amara (1803 1849) was Governor of Macao from 1846 to 1849. He ost an arm at the Batt e of Itaparica during the Brazi ian War of Independence. His assassination ed to the Baisha ing Incident, which he ped Portuga conso idate its power in Macao.

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Suddenly, six Chinamen armed with knives and sharpened bamboo sticks ambushed the two men at a turn in the road, threw the governor o‫ ٺ‬his horse, and stabbed him repeatedly, and after laying him Æat on a stone, chopped o‫ ٺ‬his head, which they carried o‫ ٺ‬to Canton. The aide-de-camp, who carried no weapon, had made himself scarce. A few hundred meters further on, a massive Triumphal Arch rises next to modest barracks. This marks the boundary of the Portuguese colony.6 On one facade is a framed text recalling the governor’s assassination on August 22, 1849, while another records August 25. On that day, the Chinese having returned the head of their victim to Macao, the Portuguese chased every single Celestial out of the peninsula and destroyed every building standing on Chinese territory in the vicinity of their possession. Since then, Celestials have once again invaded the colony, no longer weapons in hand but armed with their courage, patience, and zeal for hard work. The future will reveal the outcome of their e‫ٺ‬orts. Meanwhile, wishing to show the Chinese that they must always treat Macao as foreign land where they are merely tolerated, since the governor’s murder, the Portuguese have prohibited them from erecting tombs on the colony’s territory. Five doctors pay regular visits to the Chinese district. The moment they come across a sick person, they have him carried to the hospital, and families are instructed to remove their dead within 24 hours. If no one is in a position to deal with a departed Celestial, the Portuguese Government has him placed in a co‫ٻ‬n and buried on the far side of the Triumphal Arch that marks the boundary between the two territories. As a result, the countryside that stretches all around as mere undulations is dotted with a multitude of headstones. This suburb of Macao is a veritable necropolis. Our return ramble takes us along an attractive shady road that descends along the side of a cli‫ ٺ‬down to the area preta, a beach of Åne sand and a popular bathing spot. But there is no casino, not even beach chalets, only simple thatched huts similar to those of our stonecutters under which to don the obligatory bathing costume. The police are on the lookout, and woe betide anyone laboring under the illusion that 6 Bui t in 1849, the Portas do Cerco sti stands, though now incorporated into a park set in the spraw ing immigration center at the Gongbei border crossing.

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modesty has been banished. Bela vista! 7 It is here, on these benches, that Macao’s ladies of the night and their customers8 converge after dark to inhale the cool breezes. Tonight, the company consists of a few swarthy men of melancholy mien and a dozen young persons whose beauty I am prevented from appreciating by falling darkness. Quick, quick, runners gallop past. As we pass by, we take a look at the Flora, the governor’s modest summer palace, the engaging Military Hospital, and the O‫ٻ‬cers’ Club, and we return via the public park.9 Tonight is profoundly still, and no entertainment is on o‫ٺ‬er. But I am in error. Reliving my day as I write my travel journal under a delightfully starry sky and facing the bay that sparkles under the windows of the Hotel Hing Kee is entertainment enough. That’s it! I’m done.

September 14

Macao’s industries:

I. Silk. Yo-Chang & Co., a major Chinese silk weaving Årm, employs 800 female workers. The low-ceilinged, dark workshops are Ålled with looms arranged in neat rows. Before each weaver is a basin Ålled with hot water into which she dips the cocoons after gathering and running directly through a narrow slit the threads of four or Åve of them, which she merges into a single one. The thread is then wound around a reel placed behind and above the weaver. At a speed with which it is barely possible to keep up, the worker retrieves the empty cocoons with two sticks and substitutes a fresh supply, and in a single move, she links the new thread to the end of its moving predecessor. The cocoons bob up and down in the water like puppets, but their weight 7 The Praia Grande was an esp anade running a ong the shore to Penha Hi and Rua do Chunambeira near the Boa ( ater Be a) Vista Hote . 8 Raquez uses the Parisian s ang term persil, or “pars ey,” to refer to the pastime of promenading to view and se ect prostitutes. 9 Bui t in 1846 and known as Pa acete de Santa Sancha, the bui ding was the o‫ٻ‬cia residence of the co onia governor after Tomns de Sousa Rosa (who he d the post from 1883 to 1886), re ocated it there. Now ca ed Macao Government House, it is ocated on Penha Hi . The C ube Mi itar is sti ocated nearby. For period comments, see J. Dyer Ba , Macao: The Holy City; The Gem of the Orient Earth (Canton: China Baptist Pub ication Society, 1905), 15.

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holds them back and keeps them submerged until their silk is exhausted. Time for the weavers to go to their morning meal. At the door, I Ånd myself standing next to a Macanese, the only European woman in the place. She is quite a sight. Cigarette between her lips, hands behind her back, her eye hard and questioning, this surly enforcer monitors the workers and inspects the handkerchiefs some of them have in their hands. A tricky supervisor if ever there was one! All 800 women and girls weave away. Many of the pretty ones betray mixed Chinese and Macanese blood. Several have mutilated feet. 0 They cannot have very far to walk to work, poor dears! Others carry their newborn in a bag on their back, in which the infant spends ten hours of every day as the weavers’ working day earns them twelve cents, or about 30 centimes of our money. II. Mats. Reeds are being softened in large urns and then dyed, some red, others green or blue. Produced on primitive looms, these mats are less attractive than those of Chanthabun, but this is an interesting occupation all the same. III. Opium. This notorious secretion of the poppy Æower originates in Bombay and reaches the workshops in the form of balls. The block is broken up, the pieces softened and then gathered into a Æat cake that is then heated on a grille over a brazier. The cakes are placed in large copper basins and mixed with water, then heated up again to boiling point. When the mix becomes syrupy as a result of continuous stirring, it is cooled before being placed inside tin boxes. Macao opium sells primarily in California and Australia, where it is highly prized. Chinese opium making employs 300 workers and contributes 173,000 dollars (or 430,000 francs) in annual taxes to the Portuguese state. 10 A reference to the Chinese practice of foot binding. 11 Raquez most ike y is referring to Chanthaburi, in present-day Thai and, southeast of Bangkok on the Gu f of Siam near the border with Cambodia. It is we known for reed mat production. Whi e it is known that Raquez trave ed up the Mekong from the de ta to Laos in 1898, it is not c ear if he crossed into Siam. More probab y, he was fami iar with the Chanthabun mats from encountering them for sa e in Indochina.

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IV. Tea. Chinese tea is placed in broad wicker baskets and dried over a low Åre, and then shipped to Australia and Russia in handsome crates lined with tin sheets. Its preparation is uninteresting. V. Tobacco. Girls work individual leaves of Æaxen-colored Chinese tobacco by hand. They remove the ribs and workers then take away the leaves to be pressed. These presses are decidedly primitive with their two wooden sections on hinges, which are brought closer by means of a hand-operated winch. The tobacco remains between their jaws for 24 hours and emerges admirably compressed. It is then sliced up into brick-shaped blocks and planed down by a worker to create the long thin strips the Chinese smoke in their water pipes. Finally, the product is packed in attractive olive-colored boxes that are then varnished to ensure that they are fully waterproof. Two hundred workers, all of them Chinese, work for this Chinese Årm. This completes our review of all the country’s industries. THE PORTUGUESE HAVE OCCUPIED MACAO without interruption since 1557. They have had to Åght o‫ ٺ‬the Chinese. Today, of 80,000 inhabitants, nineteen out of twenty are Chinese. Macao’s industries are entirely in Chinese hands. This is undoubtedly signiÅcant. Should we not see in this a demonstration of the power, Æexibility, and skill of this race, which spills out and engulfs everything a little more each day? One o’clock in the afternoon. In bright sunshine, I bid adieu to the pleasant little town of Macao, borne away by the Kwai Lun, a tiny steamer, this time with a certiÅcate that allows only 175 passengers on board. Four could be Åtted on the spar deck and six around the dinner table provided they were squashed together tight. But the voyage lasts only four hours. In the port, we leave behind a throng of sampans and junks, the latter armed with rusty cannons. Some carry as many as ten. If they had to be used, it seems to me that the operation would be more dangerous for the gunners than for the enemy, even assuming that there is gunpowder aboard. But this pleases the Chinese, who like to see themselves – 81 –

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as powerful, and the cannons frighten o‫ ٺ‬pirates, apparently. By an odd coincidence, I am reading entirely by accident a review that carries an old but interesting article by Mr. George Bastard on the subject of the much-lamented Admiral Courbet. 2 I see that in about 1852, the future hero of the China Seas was present exactly at the spot where I now Ånd myself sailing, having been taken aboard as a midshipman by the sailing corvette La Capricieuse, then conducting a hydrographic study of Macao Bay. His commanding o‫ٻ‬cer was the future Admiral Mouchez, the father of my gracious hosts on the Vauban in Ha Long Bay. 3 Interesting crossing among the islands that dot the Zhujiang estuary, past Åshing villages and waterfalls that tumble down from the hilltops. And here is Hong Kong, with its vast mansions that give assault to the Peak. The Powerful and the Olympia are no longer in port, but it is now the turn of the Baltimore, an American cruiser, to drop anchor. We will once again witness the drunkenness of the victors. 4 Scene One: Hong Kong hotel. “I am very sorry . . .” There are no rooms, not even the most miserable hutch; the hotel is full up. I turn around, followed by my boy and coolies carrying my bags. Scene Two: In Queen’s Road, a large sign proclaims: “New Victoria Hotel.” “I would like a room – A room? But here, Sir, we only have a refreshment room with billiards tables and a dining room. – So why do you advertise this place as a hotel? – You’re right, but that’s the way it is.” Blast, this is getting serious! Will I be forced to set up camp with my boy, my coolies, my valises, and my boxes, or charter a sampan on which to spend night and day? Scene the Last: Finally, the Windsor Hotel. “I would like a room. – 12 Anato e Amédée Prosper Courbet (1827 1885) fought in both the Tonkin campaign (1883 1886) and the Sino French War (August 1884 Apri 1885). The artic e by George Bastard (dates unknown) entit ed “L’amira Courbet” can be found in Revue politique et littéraire, or Revue bleue 9 (August 29, 1885), 275 281. 13 Amédée Ernest Barthé emy Mouchez (1821 1892), rear-admira and ater director of the Paris Observatory. Hǔ Long Bay, ocated in Tonkin in what is now northern Vietnam, is sti a popu ar tourist attraction near the industria port of Haiphong. Raquez wou d have sai ed past and most probab y visited Tonkin on his way to Hong Kong from Saigon. 14 Raquez is presumab y referring to the Spanish American War of 1898, which p aced the Phi ippines under American contro .

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All right. – O joy!” I could have kissed the manager, German though he may be, but I held back lest he took me for a madman and packed me o‫ ٺ‬to look for accommodation in the hospital. He leads me upstairs to an attic room that will be most useful to me as a dark room for developing my photographs. But the room promises a most dispiriting stay. Still, nothing else is available. In my exploration of the room, I notice that the two windows that are supposed to provide daylight and (supposedly) fresh air open onto an alleyway no wider than two meters. The windows are not barred. The house opposite is undergoing repairs. Its windows open at the same level as mine. This is hardly reassuring. Tonight, I face a dilemma: su‫ٺ‬ocate, or be robbed. Oh well . . . We shall see.

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Chapter Seven

Hong Kong How to find building land in Hong Kong Harbor – Pok Fu Lam – An interview about Tibet – Kowloon and its docks – Victoria Cathedral – The fields of death – At the market – A unique fishing trip – Sunrise – The Maria Lopez – Around the island – Public museum, private museum – Aboard the Sydney

September 15 I tried to sleep behind shut windows, but the heat was so intense, the house opposite so still, that I ended up opening everything in order to get some sleep. Profound sleep, the great healer, Ånally came. I take a look at the quays before calling on the consul. Women working in gangs of 50 or 60 harnessed to massive iron rollers level out the terracing opposite the Hong Kong Hotel in the heart of Victoria. Over the past three years, the shoreline has been extended some 150 meters into the sea over a wide front. Space was needed for those large trading houses and important public services that could not be accommodated on the Peak’s slopes. Not one inch of available land remains along the quays. They will dump the mountain into the sea and push the quays forward without a moment’s hesitation. These British colonizers are as practical as they are audacious. The work is partially completed: immense buildings are up, while others are still under construction. Further on, a stone wall rises parallel to the quays but 100 meters into the sea. I visit the vast telegraph exchange, expertly designed in terms of service delivery but not comparable in importance to the Hong Kong Club, its quayside neighbor.2 Everyone knows London’s club 1 The Hong Kong Hote was Årst opened in 1868 then expanded into Victoria City in 1893. An iconic bui ding, it was c osed in 1952 and demo ished in 1958 to make way for the Centra Bui ding retai and o‫ٻ‬ce comp ex. 2 Founded in 1846, the Hong Kong C ub is sti in operation. In 1899, Raquez wou d have seen the new c ub bui ding, comp eted in 1897, on Jackson Road. This is sti the ocation of the c ub, though that bui ding was demo ished in 1981 to make

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Hong Kong: view from the harbor

life, and this is an exact replication of it. For an annual contribution of seven dollars (or about 17 francs), club members can enjoy all of life’s comforts. A number of rooms are available to members, and the restaurant’s large dining room and private lounges are open to them. Newspapers are available in all languages (Le Figaro and Le Temps for France; L’Indépendance for Belgium, plus the illustrated magazines). Here is a 12,000-volume library (but not even ten French books on its shelves!), rooms reserved for gambling, fencing, bathing, bars with numerous billiards tables, and a large hall where members can take the air as in our salles des pas perdus.3 This handsome club is so vast that an elevator service had to be put in place to spare the members any fatigue. Further on is a British shipping company next to a house that attracts my attention. This 60-square-meter colossus rises six stories high, with sculptors’ chisels still applying the Ånal touches. This is where, among vast numway for the c ub’s modern high-rise bui ding. The United Te egraph Companies’ bui ding was comp eted in 1898 and demo ished in 1948. 3 Litera y “ha of wasted steps,” these vestibu e- ike ha ways connect rooms in arge civic bui dings such as town ha s, courthouses, or rai way stations.

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bers of other tenants, our Messageries Maritimes and the Banque de l’Indochine4 can be found. The building was fully rented out before ground was even broken for archeological excavations. It nets its owner 52,000 dollars annually, or about 130,000 francs. I almost omitted to mention Her Gracious Majesty, whose bronze form presides under a horrible stone dome that seems to squash her person amidst these massive buildings sitting on stilts. But why on earth did the artist put within the venerable monarch’s reach a small roll that looks singularly like a certain implement of travel?5 It is in fact a gas pipe; but what an odd place to put it! How irreverent! Mr. Leroux, the a‫ٺ‬able French consul,6 has his headquarters on the third Æoor of a vast building that once faced directly onto the harbor and o‫ٺ‬ered a commanding view of the sea. From the terrace, the view was superb. But it is now partially blocked by new construction. There I meet a young Frenchman who answers to a well-known name among our country’s captains of industry: Mr. Louis Sculfort, a member of the Lyon mission that just toured China.7 Our recently married compatriot has just set up a trading house in Hong Kong. May his example be emulated! I am astonished at the large number of Frenchmen I meet in this country. Yet too few of our compatriots have settled here permanently, 4 The Bank of Indochina was founded in 1875 to operate in French co onia possessions in Asia and the PaciÅc and ater in Africa. Through a ong chain of mergers and acquisitions, it was absorbed into what is now Crédit Agrico e. 5 Another pun. Raquez uses the word “rouleau,” which means both “ro ” and more rare y “scro .” French citizens at the time were not issued passports but oose- eaf trave documents known as laissez passer (“ et pass”). If ro ed for trave , they wou d resemb e a pipe or tube. The statue was designed by Mario Raggi in London and unvei ed in Hong Kong in May 1896. It was removed and damaged by the Japanese during Hong Kong’s occupation during Wor d War II but returned after the war and repaired and erected in Victoria Park, where it sti stands. 6 Ernest Gui aume Marie Léon Leroux (1837 1912), former French Consu to Manchester and from 1894 to Hong Kong. 7 Louis Scu fort (1873 1939) was the French Externa Trade Commissioner. In 1898, he married Marguerite Laur, whose father was po itica y connected. See Courrier de Tlemcen (A geria) of Ju y 1, 1898, page two. The Mission Lyonnaise toured China from 1895 to 1897 to survey and promote French business interests, especia y those of Lyon’s si k merchants. See Lee, France and the Exploitation of China, 174 179.

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even though many traveling salesmen or even company bosses come here to study the country and are now in the Far East. Most of them come from northern France.

September 16 A gently-sloping lane called Battery Path begins near the Chartered Bank and leads to the Peak Tramway.8 From a high terrace along the way, I glimpse British soldiers in army-green uniforms and white helmets being drilled on the Parade Ground. The display is impeccably executed. I note the sideways moves away from the front-facing formation. These moves seem quicker and more practical than those favored by our own arrangements. On the same terrace is the Anglican Cathedral. A plaque a‫ٻ‬xed to the exterior marks the 1869 visit by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.9 Close to the church stands a granite column topped by a sphere. According to an inscription, this is the monument erected by public subscription to the memory of Captain William Thornton, killed in 1857 beneath the Canton walls. The epigraph praises the unfortunate man’s military valor as well as his qualities of a‫ٺ‬ability and piety. 0 Everything has been said about the Victoria Peak Tram. From the upper station, I leave the Peak Hotel to my left and start out on a path that leads down the other side of the mountain. The aim of my walk today is to visit the printing works and the sanatorium run by the Missions Étrangères in the hamlet of Pok Fu Lam, where I hope to meet Father Desgodins, a venerable and learned man whose writings on Tibet are well known among scholars and which I once had occasion to applaud at the Société de Géographie. 8 The Peak Tramway funicu ar rai way opened in 1888 and sti operates today. 9 The Cathedra Church of St. John the Evange ist was comp eted in 1849 and sti stands. The Duke of Edinburgh at the time was A fred Ernest A bert (1844 1900), second son of Queen Victoria and Prince A bert. 10 Wi iam Thornton Bate (1820 1857). The Bate Memoria was demo ished in 1954 and the marb e p aque was set into a wa on the cathedra grounds. 11 The Missions Étrangères de Paris sanatorium at Pok Fu Lam, the Årst to be bui t in Hong Kong, was ca ed Béthanie and was opened in 1875. It is current y used as the home of the Hong Kong Society for the Performing Arts. Auguste Desgodins (1826 1913) spent a arge portion of his ife in Tibet. He Årst came to Hong Kong in 1860 and returned in 1894 and pub ished the Dictionnaire Thibétain Latin

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There are sedan chairs at the upper station. But it is morning, the air is pure, the road is wide . . . I shall enjoy walking. In fact, nestling deep in a hollow half-an-hour’s walk from where I stand, I can already see grayish buildings that must house Pok Fu Lam’s public services. There are no dwellings on this side of the mountain. The British administration prohibits all construction to ensure that the water that cascades down the mountain in multiple rivulets remains untainted. Once harnessed, these streams feed a vast reservoir whose seductively clear waters spread out upstream of Pok Fu Lam. The water service is one of Hong Kong’s curiosities. The reservoir I am admiring serves the low-lying districts of the city. Machinery powered only by pressure from this enormous volume of water pushes it back up the Peak and lets it drop down the other side into Ålters known as Ålter beds, which can be seen from the tram. There are even larger reservoirs in Tai Tam to the east of the city. 2 A sign informs the public that by the terms of 1890 ordinance, swimming or bathing horses, dogs, or pigs in the crystal clear waters of Pok Fu Lam is prohibited and punishable by a Åne. Imagine what elegant bathing partners St. Anthony’s companions would make! Something like the Bain de la Parisienne, probably. 3 The Missions’ printing works are housed in the former Douglas Castle, a massive fortress of medieval appearance, complete with crenellated towers. 4 I am most cordially received. A word from Father Martinet, the Missions’ procurator in Hong Kong, gave advance notice of my visit. 5 Français: par les missionnaires catholiques du Thibet (Imprimerie de a Société des Missions Étrangères) in 1899. Founded in 1821, the Société de Géographie ays c aim to be the wor d’s o dest geographica society. It is ocated in Paris. 12 The reservoirs at Tai Tam were the main source of fresh water for ate 19th and ear y 20th century Hong Kong, with mu tip e expansions projects carried out throughout this period, the argest being comp eted in 1918. 13 Raquez is most ike y referencing a three-ree si ent Å m of the same name shot in 1896, which features naked women bathing. The Åna ree shows a St. Anthony- ike hermit being tempted by spectra damse s. 14 Bui t in 1861 by a successfu Scottish watchmaker and steamship company owner named Doug as Lapraik (1818 1869), the bui ding is now University Ha , the ma e students’ residence of the University of Hong Kong. 15 Litt e is known about J. B. Martinet. He was apparent y born in Lorraine, eft France in 1870, and was Deputy Procurator for MEP in Hong Kong unti 1872, then Deputy Procurator and ater Procurator in Singapore unti 1876 before trave ing to Shanghai, returning to Hong Kong as Procurator in 1891. See Char es Burton Buck ey, An

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HONG KONG

Father Desgodins is an elÅn, white-bearded old man of 73, his features sharpened and furrowed by fatigue but with alert and energetic steps. His soft, deep-set eyes sparkle. The venerable missionary most graciously consents to satisfy my curiosity and submit himself to the interrogation I propose to inÆict upon him. He has been in the Far East since July 15, 1855, or over 34 years. As soon as he arrived, he was sent to remote corners of India tasked with penetrating Tibet over the Himalayas. For three years, Father Desgodins searched the mountain, roaming precipices, forests, and glaciers but without his enterprise meeting with any success. After two missionaries were murdered in Tibet, Father Desgodins was ordered to abandon his project and to penetrate the country from the Chinese side along the road that passes through Dajianlu, an important town of 20 to 25 thousand souls, half of them Tibetan, the other half Chinese, and serving as entrepôt for the area. He was to remain in Tibet for over 20 years, was jailed on many occasions by the authorities, and saw his work destroyed Åve or six times but was glad to emerge from these tribulations unharmed. Yet the Tibet nascent explorations introduced to the public remains mysterious and replete with charms. Eastern Tibet, now annexed by China, is open to Europeans, but the rest of this immense territory, which stretches 25 degrees in longitude and 8 to 9 in latitude, is entirely closed to them. The former of these territories stretches all the way to Batang and includes that locality, while the latter, which includes the capital Lhasa, is only a vassal of the Celestial Empire. Father Desgodins never managed to reach the capital as his progress was checked along the route, just like the Prince of Orléans, who was similarly kept away from Lhasa after roaming the vast Tibetan steppe in the course of his most interesting crossing of Asia via the Gobi Desert. 6 The Tibetans are a pastoral people. The yak, or Bos grunniens to natuAnecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore, from the Foundation of the Settlement Under the Honourable the East India Company, on Feb. 6th, 1819, to the Transfer to the Colonial O‫ٻ‬ce as Part of the Colonial Possessions of the Crown on April 1st, 1867, vo ume one (Singapore: Fraser & Neave, 1902), 256. Martinet is a so isted as Procurator in The Directory (1896). 16 Prince Henri of Or éans (1867 1901) trave ed in Centra Asia in 1889 with the exp orer Pierre Gabrie Édouard Bonva ot (1853 1933). The expedition was one of

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ralists, a sheep with almost horizontal horns shaped like corkscrews and a short tail and yielding a very Åne wool, is the foundation of the country’s prosperity. But Father Desgodins never came across the thick-tailed ovine creature mentioned by certain authors. 7 Although Europeans never managed to penetrate the holy city, the British set up a link that makes exchanges possible thanks to Hindus or half-castes, who are allowed to enter Tibetan territory without any di‫ٻ‬culty. Much has been written about the country, but this has propagated mostly inaccurate information. It is impossible to talk about Tibet without lamas immediately coming to mind. Contrary to received opinion, lamas enjoy no o‫ٻ‬cial authority. Their power Æows from varied factors, primary among which is the absolute control they exercise over families, which allows the priests to select according to their wishes any child they wish to train as a lama. No family would dare to oppose them for fear of the curses that would surely rain down on them. Usury is practiced on a vast scale. The lamas are the Jews or Chettys 8 of Tibet and the greatest usurers in the world, Father Desgodins informs me. The “right of prayer” is a powerful tool in their hands. Each district contains only one monastery, and only those lamas resident there enjoy this right. Each family is obligated to invite them into the family home during the course of the year, with the number of visits determined by the hosts’ Ånancial status. Naturally, no ceremony is performed without payment. It begins with readings from Buddhist texts, which are recited from morning to evening. The more books are read, the more merit accumulates. As a result, the reading method is not without originality. The texts consist of verse. Each line contains the same number of the Årst European journeys through the region and experienced numerous di‫ٻ‬cu ties. 17 Raquez is perhaps thinking of the takin, a so known as the gnu, which resemb es sheep. 18 The Chettiars are a mercanti e caste from South India, especia y in present-day Tami Nadu, who migrated main y to British co onies in Southeast Asia and made a name for themse ves as money enders to expatriates who were wary of the Chinese. “Chetty” is a somewhat derogatory term for them.

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syllables, and each stanza consists of the same number of lines and ends on identical exclamations. Each lama reads a di‫ٺ‬erent book and recites in a uniform manner poems that share the same cadence. Codas common to the various texts serve to control the rhythm. Some Buddhist poems consist of over 100 volumes. The Kangyur has 108! 9 Reading ends at dusk, whereupon the lamas conduct an o‫ٺ‬ering known as torma, which consists of burning all sorts of small o‫ٺ‬erings. The torma itself concludes with the oblation of buddhas made of varnished clay that are paraded in procession on platters before being cast into the Åre. During the procession, the crowd utters screams and Åres guns (Chinese crackers are unknown), whereupon the head lama burns the buddhas in a Åeld adjoining the house. The richer the household, the more substantial the buddhas, and the sight of this shabby-looking rabble jumping into the bonÅre to share the products of this highly original form of baking is truly extraordinary. Lamas adhere to the Buddhist religion, at least to the extent Buddhism can be called a religion as there are as many variants of it as there are monasteries. Some Tibetan sects allow lamas to marry while others prohibit the practice. It is therefore incorrect to say that a lama’s functions are hereditary. This is only true of married lamas, and even then, not of all lamas living with a consort. Even the notion of “community” is inaccurate. A lama monastery cannot be compared to our European convents, nor to those of Siam, Indochina, or China. The Tibetan version is a village where lamas live. Each lama has his own house, where he lives alone at his own expense. Occasionally, two or three lamas share a house. The lamas gather in the pagoda whenever their superior calls them to the recitation of prayers, which they chant in the synchronized manner I described earlier. Unlike our own monks or some of their Buddhist colleagues, they 19 The Kangyur (“The Trans ation of the Word”) is a core text of the Tibetan Buddhist canon.

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are not required to attend the shrine or pagoda on speciÅc days at set times. Nor is there a common room for them. Monks are not obligated to reside in the monastery except on three occasions during the course of the year: for Åfteen days from the Årst to the Åfteenth day of the Årst moon, for Åve days following the Åfth moon, and for eight days after the ninth moon. Outside of these periods, lamas live where and how they please, begging along the highways or in villages, seeking out those who owe them money or to whom they might lend some, even setting up as tax collectors or going to live with their family. Father Desgodins witnessed monasteries in which only a quarter or even a sixth of the personnel remained, all of them old lamas or novices. Yet esprit de corps is highly developed among Tibetan priests. They support and assist each other tirelessly. To attack one is to attack the entire monastery. For the most part, these ministers of Tibetan worship are profoundly ignorant, though a few devote themselves to study. The gracious victim of my interview next recounts a conversation he once had with an old lama on the subject of the creation of the world. In the beginning, there were only spirits, or lhas, and ethereal matter more Æuid than water. After thousands of years, one of the principal lhas picked up Åve stones and deposited them on the Æuid matter. He breathed on the stones, began to pray, and following the lengthy casting of spells, turned them into the Åve continents of the world we know today. But where did he Ånd these Åve stones, asked Father Desgodins, if as you say there were only lhas and Æuid matter? The old lama fell into a reverie, and said to the priest: “I have recited the creation story over 200 times, but this has never crossed my mind.” As the priest took his leave, he heard the old lama burst out laughing and exclaim: “That’s true! Where did those stones come from?” The missionary had turned him into a skeptic. But, say the holy books, this Æuid matter was tasty, and the lhas started drinking from it and committed the sin of gluttony. They drank so much of it that they became increasingly corporeal, and after some 20 consecutive transformations, they became man as we know him. Then came the di‫ٺ‬erentiation of the sexes and marriage. Chief among the lhas was Shakyamuni and his family. – 92 –

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I have read a great deal, said Father Desgodins, I had long and frequent conversations with old lamas, but I never discovered in them the notion of a divine creator. The only feature common to the inÅnite number of variants of Buddhism is the acknowledgment of Shakyamuni as the founder of their religion. Each country, each sect pays homage to whatever version of Buddha appeals to it regardless of whether it preceded or followed Shakyamuni. However, the life of this holy personage is recounted very di‫ٺ‬erently in the Pali books of Ceylon translated by Monsignor Bigandet as well as in those of Tibet, which Mr. Foucaux, professor at the Paris School of Oriental Languages, has made known to us.20 This learned man also gave us a third version taken from Sanskrit, hence sharing its source with the Pali version. Father Desgodins had conversations with learned colleagues from Siam, China, and Japan, but he never identiÅed any connections between the religious beliefs of each Buddhist sect in each of these countries. Those of Tibet number about ten, each with its own religious leader, who is totally independent from every other sect leader. The Supreme Lama, or Dalai Lama, who is erroneously regarded in Europe as the Pope of Buddhism, is only the leader of his own sect, that of the Gelug-pa. He resides in the capital Lhasa and is considered a reincarnation not of Shakyamuni but of Chenrezig, the most revered of all Tibetan Buddhas. The major monastery to the west, located at Tashilhunpo, is led by another head lama, who is regarded as almost the equal of the previously mentioned Ågure and in the past considered a reincarnation of another Buddha. Not so long ago, these two sects vied for acknowledgement that their respective Buddha was supreme. As the faithful were about to resort to ÅstÅghts, the Emperor of China, of whom Tibet is a vassal, intervened in his capacity as Son of Heaven and came to a highly innovative solution: he determined that both lamas were incarnations of 20 Bishop Pau Ambroise Bigandet (1813 1894) was Vicar Aposto ic of Southern Burma. He pub ished Vie ou légende de Gaudama, le Boudha des Birmans, et notice sur les Phongyis ou moines birmans (Paris: E. Leroux) in 1878. Phi ippe Édouard Foucaux (1811 1894) pub ished his Grammaire de la langue tibétaine (Paris: Imprimerie Impéria e) in 1858. The Nationa Institute for Orienta Languages and Civi izations was founded in 1795 in Paris and sti exists.

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the same Buddha, the Lhasa chief representing the mind, and the other the heart of the same deity. The Lhasa sect, which is headed by the Dalai Lama, is the only one o‫ٻ‬cially recognized by the Chinese Emperor. It is in this sense that the spiritual power of the supreme lama can be considered superior, though once again, this quasi-pontiÅcal Ågure should in no way be seen as the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. A clear sense of this arrangement can be derived from a comparison with that applying to Anglican bishops. The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury has no jurisdiction over Presbyterians, Wesleyans, Anabaptists, or members of any other Protestant sect that are not inclined to recognize it. Although he is seen as the Crown’s pastor and pontifex maximus, it does not follow that he is the Pope of cross-Channel Protestantism. In Tibet, legal power is exercised by local civilian mandarins. All along the Mandarin Road, which stretches as far as the Nepalese border, are Chinese military mandarins, each backed by 4,000 soldiers.2 In Lhasa itself, the Chinese have posted three ambassadors and several military Ågures alongside the Tibetan authorities. We discussed earlier the nature of the Dalai Lama’s religious authority. We now turn to his civilian authority. The Årst Chinese Emperors of the Manchu Dynasty gave Tibet to the Dalai Lama as his own private property. The Supreme Lama therefore becomes King of Tibet when coming of age. Until then, the Chinese Emperor assigns him an elderly colleague as tutor. We saw that the Dalai Lama is the incarnation of a particular Buddha. When he dies, tradition has it that he immediately passes into the body of a child. But how is the blessed recipient to be identiÅed? The search ends with the presentation of three candidates, to whom the lamas administer an examination of a very special nature. For these prophetic children, the challenge is to recognize among various objects those that belonged to the last Dalai Lama, that is, to themselves in a previous existence. 21 The Mandarin Road was a we -known feature of Indochina. It was the route taken by mandarins, or court o‫ٻ‬cia s, when trave ing from one end of the country to the other (now Vietnam’s Nationa Highway One). The French deve oped it as a tourism route in the 1930s. Raquez means something simi ar here, a road taken by mandarins when trave ing on o‫ٻ‬cia business.

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Tibetans are under no illusion that the successful candidate will be any other than the child of the family that best “enlightens” the examiners. Physically, Tibetans are radically di‫ٺ‬erent from the Chinese. They do not have the latter’s raised eyes and are not really yellow-skinned. Theirs is a sort of midway type between Chinese and Hindu. In fact, mixed types are numerous. Father Desgodins met Tibetan families with the frizzy hair of negroes next to Mongols with faces that were lozenge-shaped in some and formed an elongated oval in others, with a broad forehead and a Æattish nose. It is even not unusual to come across perfect European types, with straight nose, rosy complexion, and white skin. Tibet has no industries, though rich iron, silver, and gold seams could be exploited. In Hong Kong, it is time to visit the Mission’s printing works. On the way, the worthy priest introduces me to work on the Tibetan language that preceded the dictionary on which he is engaged. In the 18th century, a compilation made in Rome by Father Georges collated information from a number of missionaries working in Tibet. This document teems with inaccuracies.22 An Englishman by the name of Schroeter discovered a manuscript written by a Catholic missionary and had it printed.23 But this is without interest. The Årst serious work is that of Alexander Csoma de K˟rs,24 a Hungarian who, on the basis of Genghis Khan’s and Tamerlane’s invasions, believed he had located the source of his native tongue among the dialects spoken on the plateaus of Central Asia. He settled on the banks of the Sutlej River and remained there two or three years working with a learned lama. 22 Possib y a reference to the Jesuit missionary Ippo ito Desideri (1684 1733), whose books about Tibet were ost in archives unti being rediscovered in the ate nineteenth century. 23 “ . . .the Tibetan Ita ian Dictionary executed by some Roman missionary and co ected and arranged by F. C. G. Schroeter of the (Protestant) Church Missionary Society and edited by J. Marshman of the Baptist Missionary Society at Serampore (India) in 1826, consisting of near y 500 quarto pages.” See The Catholic Encyclopedia, vo ume 26 (New York: The Encyc opedia Press, 1914), 78. 24 Snndor Csoma de K˟rs (1784 or 1788 1842), born in Transy vania, was the author of the Årst Tibetan Eng ish dictionary and grammar book. For his e‫ٺ‬orts, he was made a saint, or bodhisattva, in Japan in 1933.

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Although he failed to discover the source of the Hungarian language, he compiled an excellent Tibetan–English dictionary, which was bought by Her Majesty’s Government and printed in Calcutta in 1884. Father Desgodins shows me a copy. In 1852, a missionary who had studied in a monastery was about to publish a Tibetan dictionary when he received a copy of Csoma’s work. Struck by its high level of accuracy, he abandoned his own project. In 1882, a Moravian brother named Jäschke, who had also spent several years on the banks of the Sutlej River, produced his own lithograph of a very good Tibetan–German dictionary.25 Later in the century, Mr. Foucaux published a Tibetan grammar in French. But all of these works cover literary Tibetan, which di‫ٺ‬ers markedly from the vernacular. Nothing has been published on that language yet. This is why Father Desgodins undertook the immense task of compiling a Tibetan–Latin–French dictionary to make it possible not only for our compatriots but also for scholars worldwide to acquaint themselves with the language of the country where he resided for so long. The work retains all the Tibetan letters. Abbreviations indicate whether the word is in everyday use or restricted to literary writings. Tibetan writing is alphabetic, not logographic like Chinese. It has a limited number of declensions as well as verb tenses for present, past, future, and imperative. But in everyday use, speakers select one tense and use it much like some of our own peasants when they say: “I been gone to the market.” The priest shows me sheets from his splendid work, which is three-quarters complete. The French–Tibetan grammar is ready and will appear after the dictionary. My most obliging docent then leads me into the multilingual Nazareth printing works, where some 60 Chinese employees are busy turning out beautiful volumes in all languages. Here is a French–Chinese dictionary for speakers of southern dialects. Here are Annamese characters. Over there is a compositor working on a volume in quˣc ngπ, an adaptation of the Annamese 25 Heinrich August Jäschke (1817 1883), born in Germany, was a Moravian missionary in northern India. His Tibetan English Dictionary was pub ished in 1881 (New York: Rout edge & Kegan).

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language that uses our own script, another in Latin, and another in French. Young Chinese workers bind books in both the European and the Chinese manner, the latter involving gathering every sheet in a volume with a single thread. The process has the advantage of speed, but the result is not convenient for readers used to our type of binding. Here is the photography workshop, another specialized in galvanoplastia,26 and Ånally the foundry, from which are emerging at this very moment the Tibetan letters for which the priest himself creates the molds in copper. Everything is admirably ordered. I leave the building enchanted by what I saw and full of admiration for these men who, after devoting all the energy of their youth and mature years to proselytism, contribute what is left of their strength to the progress of science and civilization. The good priest now leads me to the sanatorium, which welcomes missionaries whom dreadful climates force to seek more clement air. It is a delight to Ånd oneself in shady Pok Fu Lam, or Pak Fu Lam, the two alternative spellings for the “Forest of a Hundred Steps,” the etymology of the name. From the terrace, we glimpse the small bay, whose depth is home to the endpoints of the Continental telegraphic wires,27 while on the horizon is Lamma Island, which commands the approach from Europe, and the more important Lantau Island, which commands access from Macao. In the past few weeks, the British obtained from China inestimable advantages for their Hong Kong colony.28 Up to that point, all they controlled opposite Victoria was a small headland that housed their arsenal and the British village known as Kowloon. This left their possession exposed to seizure as enemy troops having entered China and in a position to capture the high ground would control the harbor as well as all of Victoria. 26 A form of e ectrop ating. 27 Te egraph Bay was the endpoint for the te egraph cab es operated by the European-owned Eastern Extension, Austra asia, & China Te egraph Company. The and has since been rec aimed and is now the ocation of Cyberport Hong Kong. 28 The New Territories were eased to Great Britain in 1898 for 99 years and du y reverted to China in 1997.

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Now the British own a deep and wide area that gives them absolute security. In addition, they control the vast Mirs Bay, where their Æeet can conduct shooting practice within British waters as well as Deep Bay, which is key to access to the river west of Kowloon, as well as those islands I mentioned earlier. From a strategic as well as customs-related viewpoint, the advantages are considerable. After all, it is access to Canton that our good friends from over the Channel have their eager sights on; let us not forget that.

September 1 7 Last night, a coolie from next door tried to pass through my room, but the windowsill gave way and man and plank tumbled two stories below. Miraculously, only the plank snapped, and the man made o‫ ٺ‬with only a limp. Security is oddly understood in this hotel. And the manager keeps pretending that no other room is available! The town of Kowloon lies across the harbor and includes two quite distinct areas. One, the tip of the headland, juts out toward Hong Kong and consists of British Kowloon, with its trading port, its docks and shipyard, and its arsenal. The other, Chinese Kowloon, lies a little further inland. The Celestial Empire kept it for itself when it recently ceded surrounding territory to Great Britain. Let us therefore visit Kowloon. Steam launches shuttle continuously between the two sides. A great deal of activity animates the quays of this suburb of Hong Kong, which teems with tireless Chinese coolies. The streets are well laid out and admirably maintained. Here is a splendid European hotel. Regrettably, it is rather far from the center of Victoria! Large numbers of Chinese people are established in neat little shops with perfectly aligned arcades. Here are barracks of pink brickwork next to which stands a mosque. This area is where Mahomedan Indian soldiers are quartered. Next is the gate to the docks and the shipyard of the Kowloon and Whampoa Dock Company, Limited, naturally. I am on my way to visit an attractive vessel Messrs. Marty, major French shipowners of the Far East, just purchased in order to reinforce the Æeet of the Compagnie – 98 –

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Tonkinoise de Navigation.29 The Hating made 15-and-a-half knots during trials. The British engineers think this is too much and that it would be preferable to modify the machinery. How transparent are our good friends’ intentions! The chief engineer, Mr. Thébaut, does the honors on the Hating, which in a month will be ready to serve the Tonkin ports and perhaps Marseille. The superb 6,000-ton liner Empress of Japan of the Canadian PaciÅc Rail way Company is being hauled into dry dock. The three Empresses, of China, India, and Japan, ply between Hong Kong and Vancouver, the railhead for lines that crisscross North America before reaching New York. The ports of Shanghai, Nagasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama are served by these huge liners, which normally cross the vast PaciÅc in a mere twelve days. All around us, the uproar is deafening as 5,000 workers jostle for space in the shipyard. Their craftsmanship is impeccable, those who do business with them inform me. Most of the launches in Indochina are built in Hong Kong. The stockholders of the docks and the shipyard cannot be penurious since the company’s production fetches higher prices than in Great Britain despite the fact that manpower is extremely cheap here. Mr. Thébaut shows me mechanics who earn ten to twelve dollars (or 25 to 30 francs) per month. Here is a foreman who earns an extraordinary 22 dollars (or 55 francs)! A breeze has picked up, and the weather is superb. A sailing sampan will take us back to Hong Kong by steering right through the British Æotilla. Here is the BarÆeur, a Årst-rank cruiser of 10,000 tons and armed with fourteen cannons. Next is the Immortalité, a Årst-class armored cruiser built in 1895 and armed with twelve cannons. Then comes the Iphigenia, a second-class cruiser with 8 cannons, built by the Portsmouth Dockyard in 1897. And Ånally the Blenheim, an armored cruiser of 9,000 tons armed with twelve cannons that took on provisions after docking in Hong Kong’s harbor for the Årst time two weeks ago. 29 Auguste Raphae Marty (1844 1915) owned a shipping company based in Haiphong that operated steamships throughout the wider Gu f of Tonkin. See Bert Becker, “France and the Gu f of Tonkin Region: Shipping Markets and Po itica Interventions in South China in the 1890s,” Cross Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 16 (2015): 13 51.

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What is most striking about these vessels is the absence of superstructure. Royal Navy masts have tiny maintops. They are as slender as can be managed. O‫ٺ‬ering projectiles only the smallest possible target must be the overriding aim of British engineers. We walk along an enormous receiving ship, the Tamar, which serves as training school for non-commissioned o‫ٻ‬cers, then the Firebrand, the Swift, and the Tweed, three second- or third-class gunboats, and Ånally the 1,640-ton store ship the Humber and the armored coastguard the Wivern, the mouth of its four massive cannons pointing directly at us. We take a look at a Chinese gunboat that is well maintained but armed with artillery pieces that consist only of Åeld cannons mounted on carriages. The heat is oppressive. A whisky and soda suggests itself. The bar of the Hong Kong Hotel opens its doors to us. Not far from us, a discussion starts. A Royal Navy quartermaster asks a British captain who has been sailing in these waters for 20 years how much he was paid to lead Admiral Dewey’s squadron.30 In response, all the o‫ٻ‬cer can say is: “I’m surprised that you, a British seaman, would ask such a question.” Revealing, don’t you think?

Sunday, September 18 Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong! Toll away, O joyous chimes! Every Wesleyan chapel, every church of the Presbyterian, Anglican, or any other denomination launches into a veritable debauchery of silvery calls. This is the obvious moment for visiting the Roman Catholic Cathedral, as my street map calls it.3 Visitors will need strong calf muscles if they choose not to be carried up in a sedan chair, a means of locomotion I avoid as much as possible. The church stands on the slope that rises straight up to the Peak. Having clambered up Western Street, the visitor Ånds himself looking at a building of respectable size, answering to no particular style but 30 American Admira George Dewey (1837 1917) was the victor at the Batt e of Mani a Bay, which took p ace on May 1, 1898, during the Spanish American War. 31 The Cathedra of the Immacu ate Conception, ocated in Hong Kong’s Mid-Leve s (hence the c imb), opened in 1888 and was consecrated in 1938.

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with a brilliantly white interior. Italian priests are in charge of the Catholic Mission in Hong Kong. It is odd to see o‫ٻ‬ciating at the altar a priest with the front of his head shaved, his queue hanging down his chasuble, and wearing shoes with thick felt soles and blue trousers tied around his ankles, with the thin muslin of the sacerdotal vestments doing little to conceal the priest’s silhouette. Odd, too, to see this young altar boy with his queue hanging down his back, diminutive Black Sisters with their sweet Chinese or Filipino faces, and these Sons of Heaven who devoutly fall to their knees and make the sign of the cross. The church is packed. Small birds chirp away and Æy to and fro between the chapters at the top of pillars, in which their nests snuggle. Are they not after all in the house of He who provides pasture for little birds?32 Heading out through the porch of the cathedral, shady paths lead to a public park whose only failing is to be too perfect. All of these baskets, Æowerbeds, borders, are simply too neat: but how fresh they are! We are in Regent’s Park. Below the park is the Governor’s Palace, a severe-looking building half-hidden under shady trees.33 But allow me to digress. Buildings devoted to public services are few and far between. Only the strict minimum is to be seen. One senses here the presence of only a tiny number of government functionaries. Everywhere are trading houses and the luxurious premises of major corporations and powerful Årms that attest to the intensity of commercial life. In our own country, alas! . . . What a delightful evening! I take a sampan so as to enjoy being lulled by the breeze in the middle of the harbor. Myriad stars sparkle in a cloudless sky. The dark, crenellated mass of the mountain stain-

32 B ack Sisters refers to the Soeurs Noires, an order of nuns active in the Low Countries. The Åna ine echoes Racine’s 1691 p ay Athalie, II:7: Aux petits des oiseaux il donne leur pâture, Et sa bonté s’étend sur toute la nature. 33 Comp eted in 1855, it served as the governor’s residence unti 1997. It is now ca ed Government House and is used for o‫ٻ‬cia receptions and is the occasiona residence of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong.

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ing the silver-spangled azure brings to mind the Marche à l’Étoile or Le Sphinx.34 The backdrop is the same, as is the light. What exquisite repose after the tumult of the teeming city!

September 19 Today a steamer is due to leave port bound for Manila. I would have loved to strike out in that direction and visit a city on which all the world’s chancelleries are focusing their attention, as the Philippines is a tempting morsel and appetites are ferocious. A direct sailing takes only 60 hours. But the shipping lines have either raised their fares by a colossal amount or o‫ٺ‬er no Åxed rates but instead calculate a price for each sailing. Moreover, it is impossible to set a date for the return voyage. American Customs are based in Manila. They put all kinds of obstacles in the path of commerce and modify their tari‫ٺ‬s in a highly original manner. Petroleum, for example, used to be taxed two dollars and will now be taxed two dollars and 20 cents. But petroleum is exempt of all duty if it is of American origin. Ever practical, these good Yankees. But now it is Russia’s turn to be unhappy.35 Where shall I go for my evening walk tonight once the ardor of the sun’s rays has abated? Among cheery destinations, how about a visit to the cemeteries? My map shows that this vast built-up area admits every single religious variant found in this oriental bazaar not only for burying their dead but also for cherishing their memory on ground no impious contact shall profane. As a bonus, the way there is magniÅcent. At the end of Queen’s Road, the imposing central artery of Victoria, stands an obelisk to the

34 Raquez is referring to shadow puppet shows known as ombres chinoises performed at the famed Chat Noir cabaret in Paris. The designer Henri Rivière (1864 1951) created La Marche à l’Étoile in 1893. The designs for Le Sphinx were created by Joseph Amédée Antoine Vigno a (? 1939?) in 1896. Both shows featured music and yrics by Auguste Georges Prosper Fragero e (1855 1920). 35 A reference to the Russian sa e of the A askan territory to the United States, which was comp eted in 1898.

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memory of the sailors from the Rowattan and the Rattler who were killed on April 4, 1855 in a clash with some Kowloon pirates.36 To the left atop a forested hillock stands the Naval Hospital.37 For a while, the road follows a deep cutting that runs between the two concrete retaining walls that shore up the mountain slopes and ends at the racetrack. The view is superb. A hilly semicircle opens out onto the city, with a green lawn as a backdrop, the racetrack’s white barriers, and the immense stands that recall those of Longchamp or Auteuil. Behind the stands and dividing them from the road is a long wall. This is the Wall of the Dead, in relation to which perpendicular partitions form a series of compartments.38 First, the Mahomedans, whose resting place is on the mountain itself. Even though the mosque’s doors are easily accessible from the road, the visitor must climb a broad, long broad staircase carved out of the rock to pay homage to disciples of the Prophet. Catholics rest amidst Æowers. What a meeting place of nations! Nothing could be more emblematically Catholic than this medley of British, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Chinese dead. Most easily recognizable are the Spanish graves with their marble arrangements in which are carved long poems extravagantly praising the virtues of the departed. A broad stone column already worn down by bitter typhoon winds attracts our attention. It bears a French name, that of a sailor, Louis Bénard, a ship’s ensign, who was born in Brest and died in Hong Kong’s harbor aboard the Catinat on June 30, 1857. Instinctively, my two walking companions and I stumbled upon the grave of the unfortunate child who rests here far from his nearest and dearest, snatched from all of life’s hopes. Our lips mumble a prayer, 36 This monument was moved to Hong Kong Cemetery in Happy Va ey in the ate 1960s, where it remains. 37 Located on Mount Shadwe in Wan Chai, the bui ding origina y housed the Seaman’s Hospita unti the Roya Navy bought it in 1873. It was bad y damaged in the Second Wor d War and the site is now home to the Ruttonjee Hospita , opened in 1949. 38 Hong Kong Cemetery is a Protestant co onia cemetery that dates back to 1845 and is across from the racecourse in Happy Va ey next to the denominationa cemeteries described by Raquez.

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and one of us, tearing o‫ ٺ‬a fragrant frangipani twig, makes a pious gift of it to the exile’s resting place. After a quick look at the Protestant cemetery, with its attractive shady trees and neatly maintained funeral vaults, we enter the Parsee cemetery. But is this really a cemetery? It is more like a splendid garden, with enormous bowls Ålled with brilliant Æowers. Section by section we climb the steps that stretch upward before us. There is a water jet, but no sign of any graves. A stone structure stands at the end of the garden. It has two rooms. In the Årst is a table carved out of a single block of granite, as are the two long seats whose backs stretch along the entire length of the wall. Next door is a room containing identical and similarly arranged long seats, but the table has been replaced by a kind of wide stone bed, rather like the daybeds of the Chinese. Nothing else: no furniture, no instrument, no emblem. This is where the dead will be incinerated. Finally, in a corner of the garden, we notice some 20 absolutely identical stone monuments laid out in two rows. Each one is shaped like a vast co‫ٻ‬n, with straight sides and an overhanging lid. It is getting late. We skip the Jewish cemetery and the huge number of Chinese graves. Our return journey takes us along the bay. The moon’s Årst quarter makes a timid appearance. The innumerable boats that throng this section of the harbor are all lit up. What a captivating sight!

September 20 I set out on my morning walk. At the market, the entire female population of the sampans and every male cook stock up on provisions. Located halfway along Queen’s Road, with another entrance on the quayside, the covered market is of sound construction and well maintained. The visitor should not miss the small stalls, arranged rather like boxes. The wares are so artistically displayed to catch the buyer’s eye that we might as well be in one of our Parisian markets. But the appearance of the vendors brings us back to the Far East. All are men, chests and lower legs bare. Their yellow hue is in sharp contrast with the red of the blood-soaked raw meat or the green of the fresh bananas that surround them. A characteristic of these stalls is that each butcher is required to – 104 –

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place before it and in full view a sign displaying in large English words his name, his photograph, and the types of meat he sells: beef, mutton, or veal. Most of them sell only one kind. Free trade is not for them. Opposite the market, a street consisting of a staircase of wide stone steps climbs and climbs again. This is Aberdeen Street, with the Alice Hospital and the Queen’s College.39 Turning right into Hollywood Road, we are now at the heart of a Chinese district and therefore amidst a tremendous racket. A great many women go about with a child slung to their back, poor little mite! Some doze o‫ٺ‬, their inert head thrown back and bobbing up and down with each step in the carrier’s progress. A lantern maker follows the exact same process I described when I saw it used as I toured the streets of Canton. Numerous Buddhist o‫ٺ‬erings are available from trinket sellers. A great many paper lanterns too, shaped like Åsh, alongside spheres consisting of concentric bamboo rings, with the burner deep within the globe. The reason is that September 30 will be the Åfteenth day of the eighth moon, China’s National Day, which is known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Regrettably, I will be at sea on my way to Shanghai. Here is a public square, which serves as a viewing platform from which to enjoy the pleasing vista over the bay. Across the square stands a pagoda, or rather several pagodas, Åve in total, contiguous but distinct. The largest one houses incense burners and deer Ågures made of copper, while friezes show attractive scenes with characters made of multicolored plaster. A woman is burning vast quantities of colored paper, watched by a buddha before whom she performs multiple rapid bows. In the last of the smaller pagodas is a series of male Ågures in painted wood representing the various torments of hell. At least that is how it looks to me. 39 The A ice Memoria Hospita (now the A ice Ho Miu Ling Netherso e Hospita ) was founded by the London Missionary Society in 1887 as the Årst teaching hospita in Hong Kong to train oca peop es in Western medica techniques. Queen’s Co ege was initia y the Government Centra Schoo , opened in 1862 and renamed Queen’s Co ege in 1894. It was the Årst pub ic secondary schoo founded in Hong Kong by the British co onia government and sti functions as a preparatory institution for boys, with a secondary schoo attached.

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Their torturers stand by them, implements in hand. Two Ågures, one with a pig’s head, the other with that of a cow, watch over a wretch, his head and part of his torso hidden under an enormous bell. Are the sticks they wave about used to strike the bell and torment the victim’s ears? This is a mystery, but a highly original one, undoubtedly. One of the torturers’ victims carries his head in his hands, like St. Denis.40 But enough of torments and pagodas. Let us head home along the quays, solicited at every step by brazen, richly-tanned sampan ladies who insist on ferrying us across the bay. The harbor’s steam launches and the small tenders that service the large vessels at anchor in the bay crisscross the harbor in their hundreds in all directions. At nightfall, armed with a long pole from which dangled a hook on a string, a coolie in a neighboring house made commendable e‫ٺ‬orts to relieve me of a small parcel I had left on the table in my room. Faithful as ever, Ngyuen, who happened to be in the room at the time, committed the error of making himself heard too soon, so the coolie was able to withdraw his contraption and take to his heels. “You want to do . . . pig . . . dirty thief!” exclaimed my brave Annamese in his idiosyncratic patois. Honestly, line Åshing in a hotel room! What next? Once again, I lodge an indignant protest with the phlegmatic German who manages the establishment, but with no more success than on previous occasions. I run to the Hong Kong Hotel. Still no vacancies. I have no alternative but to hunker down, even during the day.

September 21 Three-thirty in the morning. It is not easy to leap out of bed when one Ånds oneself unceremoniously chased out of dreamland. But I have no choice: an early morning excursion to the Peak has been agreed upon. All right! Forward! I’m becoming British! The faithful Ngyuen packs plaids and a cold breakfast in a rattan mat, and cane in hand, we set o‫ ٺ‬on our way up the mountain along Battery Path. 40 St. Denis, the patron saint of Paris, was martyred in 250. Immediate y after his decapitation, he supposed y carried his own head whi e preaching a sermon on repentance.

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Bells toll four. Accompanied by a coolie, his burden on his shoulder, and a grave-looking Indian with his riÆe slung across his back, we climb on, sometimes up very steep gradients. The glow of electric lights follows us halfway to the top to the point where the path is lined with sumptuous villas built higher and higher still. Now all we have to guide our steps is that obscure clarity that falls from the stars.4 How delightful it is to be up and about at this hour! The entire width of the road is sealed. In the steepest sections, ridges have been cut across it to assist climbers. On either side are cemented gullies that accommodate water runo‫ٺ‬s. The climb takes us up 600 meters, or 1,825 feet. At Åve in the morning, we are at the tram station, and some 20 minutes later at the signal station, the highest spot on the island, so the climb lasts about one-and-a-half hours. What a wonderful sight! To our right beyond the mountaintops the east comes to light little by little, while the sky’s deep blue, so intense just a short while ago, fades and brightens a little. One by one, the stars seem to Æee into the depths of space, chased away by the Sovereign of the Day, intent on ruling alone and uncontested. And there he is, the Lord and Master himself, rising from below the horizon like a theatrical fairy gradually emerging from below the stage with the help of machinery. And what scenery this is! Hundreds of peaks and hillocks, their Åery hues betraying their volcanic origins, countless islands swimming about in the blue sea, numerous bays wrapping their graceful curves around the boats of poor coastal Åshermen as a hen gathers her chicks. Before us is Victoria’s massive bulk, still asleep, guarded by those enormous cruisers that viewed from the mountaintop seem almost pitiful against the immensity of it all. All over the harbor are steamboats and sailing boats, each one at its preordained post like pieces on a checkerboard, sampans looking like almost imperceptible dots,42 then Kowloon and 41 Cette obscure clarté qui tombe des étoiles. A direct quotation from Le Cid, IV, by Pierre Cornei e (1606 1684). 42 The Hong Kong Directory gives the Æoating popu ation iving on sampans as 37,752 [Raquez].

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its awakening docks, and further still, in the distance, the mountains of China, behind which millions of yellow ants will soon resume the labors of patience at which they toiled yesterday and will again today. Death reigned supreme only a few seconds ago, and now resurrection is underway. Everything stirs and is born again. People: take charge, toil on by the sweat of your brow, for you must struggle if you are to live!43 A keen wind is blowing. We are grateful for our plaids despite the warm sunshine. The climb has sharpened appetites, and we do full justice to our breakfast, already spread out near one of the signal station’s benches. The wardens o‫ٺ‬er us bananas, cookies, apples, and soda water. Eat your heart out, Lucullus!44 You never had occasion to feast so heartily. We sign the station’s register: not a single French name. Instead, a gaggle of American sailors celebrating their victory. Patriotism moved an Englishman to a cry from the heart, God Save the Queen!, to which an American retorted, God Save McKinley! 45 Lots of Germans. One of them is of the view that a bottle of sarsaparilla is much preferable to climbing the Peak. Another would rather be cuddling his wife than shivering at these heights. O sweet Gretchen! An Englishman misses his whisky and soda. A number of ministers of religion quote the Bible and the Prophets. But the incomparable vista helps us forget these inanities. We cannot tire of admiring the view. We return along a di‫ٺ‬erent route that takes us past the Peak Hotel in the direction of Aberdeen before leading us down the other side of the mountain along Magazine Gap and Ånally toward the public park. We come across a delightful spot that shelters Aberdeen’s villas and docks at the end of a vale worthy of Switzerland. Hong Kong is truly wonderful, and those who conÅne themselves to touring the principal arteries in rickshaws or to taking the Peak tram have no conception of this small country’s charms. 43 Genesis 3:19; King James: “In the sweat of thy face sha t thou eat bread, ti thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast [sic] thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust sha t thou return.” 44 Lucius Licinius Lucu us (118 57 or 56 BC), Roman statesman famous for his ove of food and drink. 45 Wi iam McKin ey (1843 1901), 25th President of the United States.

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The mind reels at the feats of energy and daring that must have gone into transforming these rocks where nothing grew and everything had to be shipped in, even soil capable of supporting vegetation. Greenery now invades every spot except for the admirable roads that crisscross Hong Kong in every direction. Everywhere, kilometer after kilometer, massive concrete retaining walls shore up vast, comfortable bungalows, and all very neat, free of dust, and spotlessly clean to a point that deÅes belief. Where two roads cross, a British soldier gives us directions and walks along with us for a few moments. He informs us that he is convalescing from a fever that lasted several months. The narrow red strips on his sleeves indicate that he has been in the colonial service for two years, which earns him a pay increase of one shilling a week. In mid-December, he will leave Hong Kong for Singapore, and a year later, he will be sent on to India. Our little soldier would love to see Paris. “Is it really as beautiful as they say,” he asks innocently? Certainly, yes . . . you are beautiful, my Paris . . .yet so far! It rains and rains again. Time to go shopping under the arcades of Queen’s Road. Brewer’s and Kelly & Walsh’s bookshops are well stocked, with many French books, even this month’s new titles.46 I thumb through the 1898 Navy Annual, an odd publication that provides British readers with a full list of warships and armed vessels, in service or under construction, with the size of their complement, number of cannons, and transverse diagrams and Æoor plans. Comparative tables by naval category show the respective strengths of the various Æeets. We will need to spend millions more before we come close to rivaling British naval power. The curio shops are also well stocked. With patience and good judgment, it is still possible to Ånd bargains, apparently. After dinner, the weather reverts to fair. The sky is spangled with stars. In the company of a few comrades from the hotel, we take a sampan and head for the harbor, to dream. All is tranquil on the water. The city sparkles. The Peak itself is lit up as if by glowworms. Here and there, electric spheres emit a pallid glow. 46 W. W. Brewer & Co. was a newsagent and book and stationary retai er with stores in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

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We enjoy being rocked to the unvarying sound of the oarswomen’s strokes. The mama is at the main scull, two intrepid women at the oars, and a small boy at the sail. Under the long seats are three or four infants, blissfully asleep.

September 23 Commandant Marc de Bourbonnet, who is in search of steamers for the shipping line he proposes to set up in Saigon, invites a few friends to witness the trials of a small vessel whose pleasing appearance tempts him. It is true that the Maria Lopez cuts a Åne Ågure in the harbor. She is a Spanish steamer of a few hundred tons, practically new but unused for almost a year, condemned to inactivity by the Spanish–American war. The attractive launch of the Marty Æotilla ferries the Commandant’s guests to the vessel. Our departure is fraught with incidents. First, the anchor will not rise from the seabed, where it seems to feel quite snug. Then a somewhat rusty winch takes a while to work. Finally, it is full speed ahead toward the Macao Pass, where we go through maneuver after maneuver: full turns, 15-degree tacks, sail-only operations, etc. We inspect the engine room, check the rudder, and especially take a close look at the galley. Concerned that the steamer might break down in the course of these trials far from all human habitation, Mr. Marty, a man as practical as he is amiable, had a respectable quantity of well-garnished baskets brought aboard. The gracious Mrs. Sculfort is unanimously put in charge of the provisions, a role that earns her universal congratulations for her sound management when, the trials over, the Maria Lopez returns to port.

September 24 The French mailboat the Indus, a superb liner operated by the Messageries Maritimes, will soon sail from Hong Kong on her way to Europe. This regular sailing takes place every two weeks. She will weigh anchor on Saturday at noon. This ship of ours is magniÅcent, and it is not without some pride that we compare her to the large British and American liners, especially those of the renowned Empress class, one of which is moored a short distance away from the French mailboat. – 110 –

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Even the British cast their votes in favor of the Indus. We welcome aboard Commandant de Bourdonnet, an old friend of the excellent Commandant Vaquier now at the helm of the Indus.47 Brand new, having made her maiden voyage only last March, this liner is of the same class as the Laos, whose decorative trimmings somehow seem more ornate and attractive. Serving passengers on board these new vessels is very hard on the crews. Although they gain in speed, they are less steady at sea than the great China mailboats of old, which took on the waves so boldly. Others claim that this is simply not the case. Et adhuc sub judice lis est.48 In a few days’ time, we will have a chance to enjoy one of the representatives of the older type of vessel, the Sydney, which will sail up the coast toward Shanghai. What a pleasant surprise! If this is not friend Trévoux from Shamian! There is no barber in the Cantonese concession, so its resident exiles are now in the habit of taking it in turn to come to Hong Kong for a haircut. Without further ado, a party is organized for this very afternoon. A steam launch will take us around the island in the company of a few Frenchmen in residence in Victoria.49 On that Saturday, once the mailboat has sailed as per schedule, all the trading houses that contributed their weekly correspondence to her cargo close their o‫ٻ‬ces even ahead of London time. It has been raining. The sea shows a hint of bad temper, but the sun soon reappears and restores order. We head for the Green Island Strait, opposite the Lazaret.50 Here is Pok Fu Lam. On the hilltop stand Douglas Castle and the Missions’ sanatorium.

47 Fréderic Auguste Vaquier (1845 1929) was a member of the Société de Géographie and in 1895 a captain for Messageries Maritimes. He became Cheva ier de a Légion d’Honneur in 1871. 48 Grammatici certant, et adhuc sub iudice lis est. “Grammarians argue, and the contest is not over yet.” Horace, Ars Poetica, . 78. 49 Good, expert y-crewed Chinese steam aunches can be hired for three do ars for the Årst hour, then two do ars for each subsequent hour [Raquez]. 50 Raquez is referring to the Su phur Channe . By “Lazaret” he probab y means the Government Civi Hospita , where sma pox and p ague victims were quarantined. A azaret is a quarantine station, named after the parab e of Lazarus in Luke 16: 19 31.

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To starboard are two islets, including a particularly low-lying one on which the British keep their stores of dynamite. We are almost permanently surrounded by islands, large and small. The sun warms the damp hillsides, which a thin mist blurs, bringing to mind the impressionist tints of some of the landscapes at the Salon du Champ de Mars.5 And suddenly, an association of ideas transports me beneath the dome neighboring the Ei‫ٺ‬el Tower. Sudden lurches in the craft’s progress bring me back to reality. A waterfall cascades down a rocky formation a few breaststrokes away from our watery path. Here is Aberdeen and its docks. We enter an enclosed creek. This is a mistake. A narrow gap opens up and takes us past a large Chinese Åshing village. Here are huge basalt rocks, with at the water’s edge myriad dark caves, some of which seem quite spacious. Pretty bay succeeds pretty bay. In the one called Sham Shui,52 two steam launches have brought Europeans to bathe on a beach of Åne sand. Now solitude is absolute. To starboard is open sea, mountains galore, and almost everywhere up to this point, comfortable cottages. At the small village of Stanley, a superbly positioned and almost invisible battery commands the waters. Now translucent, the sky has turned the limpid blue worn by children being dedicated to the Virgin.53 A few small, very white clouds Æoat over the horizon and recall skies by Pelouse.54 Still more gorgeous-looking small bays. The mountains lower their massive rumps before dropping them 51 Since 1890, the annua exhibition of the Société Nationa e des Beaux Arts, which is named for the Pa ais des Beaux-Arts, bui t on the Champ de Mars for the 1889 Universa Exposition. The sa on continues to this day. By the dome adjacent to the Ei‫ٺ‬e Tower in the next sentence, Raquez must mean the Éco e Mi itaire on the far side of the Champ de Mars. 52 Sham Shui Wan, or “Deep Water Bay” in Eng ish. 53 A reference to L’Association des Enfants de Marie Immacu ée, founded in 1837. Members wear b ue uniforms. The Association was renamed Jeunesse Maria e in 1966 and remains active today. 54 Léon Germain Pe ouse (1838 1891) was a painter of the Barbizon schoo . Many of his works are he d at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

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into the water. One of them reveals black masts topped by buoys and evenly spaced. These are reference points for the cannons set up on the heights. Every moment tears us away from the contemplation of nature and brings us back to the sad reality of human existence, which consists of brute force! On a rocky outcrop stands a lighthouse. Here are two massive boulders looking as if rent asunder by a blow from some Titan’s axe. Dusk is descending. Steamers and junks become more numerous. Lights appear. This is the Shanghai Pass, followed by the harbor and sparkling Victoria. The outing lasted three-and-a-half hours without layovers.

Sunday, September 25 Back to the Peak, but this time by sedan chair. At the door of the hotel, coolies Åght over the mountain-bound travelers. And yet, how hard they will have to work, the unfortunate wretches! As they climb, sweat streaming down their bodies but Årm and with taut knee ligaments, they display enormous calf muscles and abnormally swollen veins. Poor devils! Almost all of them end up with varicose veins and thrombosis. On the Albany Road heights, Mr. Pierre Marty’s55 cottage is a veritable museum presided over with a vigilant and unfailing eye by the amiable lady of the house, who, so far from our boulevards, brings us back to all the good taste, charm, and sparkle of the true Parisienne. Good old French songs soar toward the summit of the Peak, to the great scandal of the austere puritans of the neighborhood who, anguished to their very souls, must put up with these confounded Frenchmen thus profaning the Day of the Lord. But this is not the view of old Father Vigano, who as Captain of an Engineering Unit, once earned our Grand Cross of the Légion d’Honneur at Palestro and is now the oldest resident missionary in Hong 55 The brother of August Raphae Marty (see note 29, page 99 above). According to his obituary in the Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (February 2, 1909), Auguste Pierre Marty (1854 1909) Årst arrived in Hong Kong in 1871, and with the exception of brief sojourns in Tonkin and the Phi ippines, remained there his entire ife. From at east 1901, he was Spanish Consu in Hong Kong and Canton.

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Kong.56 The good man applauds with all his heart, and before going o‫ ٺ‬to say Vespers, declares that it is in fact good music. Thankful for his unreserved approbation, we get through two of Delmet’s songbooks, tout sim . . . ple . . . ment, as the well-known ditty goes.57

September 26 This morning’s walk takes us toward the western quays amidst a crush of Chinese sailors. This is where native traders operate. Further on are the docks and warehouses of the powerful trading companies. Especially noteworthy are those of the Standard Oil Company, with its huge buildings where swarms of coolies toil away. At the far end of the quays is the Lazaret, a vast whitewashed hospital that gleams on the mountainside. A little lower on the shore itself, stilts support a series of cagnas, or thatched huts, to which only a few months ago the city’s plague su‫ٺ‬erers were carried.58 There were a great many victims. Opposite is the verdant islet the British call Green Island. Further out, another group of islands form a delightful backdrop. It is now friend Barmont’s turn to come from Shamian for a haircut.59 Tonight, we are back in Kowloon. A rickshaw takes us inland along splendid roads laid out quite straight and superbly maintained. On the terrace in front of the barracks, Indian soldiers wearing nothing more than bathing trunks practice wrestling. O‫ٻ‬cers in civvies invite us to sit with them. The bouts follow the rulebook to the letter. These big 56 Bernardo Vigan (1837 1901). Born in Montice o, Ita y, he arrived in Hong Kong in 1865. He was instrumenta in overseeing the bui ding of St. Joseph’s Cathedra . Later in ife, he was a so a director of the West Point Reformatory for Home ess Boys, opened in 1864 by the oca Catho ic community as a she ter for juveni e de inquents. 57 Pau Ju ien De met (1862 1904) was a we -known composer and singer. The song “Tout simp ement” was pub ished in 1898 in Chansons de Montmartre, with words by Maurice Boukay, the pseudonym of Char es-Maurice Couyba (1866 1931). 58 There are records of wooden huts for sma pox victims being constructed near the Government Civi Hospita . See Hong Kong Museum of Medica Sciences Society, Plague, SARS, and the Story of Medicine in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2006), 25. The expression cagna for a sma she ter originates from the Vietnamese phrase cai nha. 59 The Directory (1899) ists one L. Barmont as an agent for Pasquet & Tamet & Cie.

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naked savages are impressive as they dance around each other, grasp one another, and roll around on the track to applause or laughter from their comrades who stand in a circle, watching. The British are so practical, even in the importance they give to this form of entertainment, which doubles as exercise with strong health-inducing value. Close by, adorable Indian urchins wreathed in showy red fabrics watch us with wide, gentle doe eyes.

September 27 The Sydney docked at six this morning. She will sail from Victoria at Åve tonight. We visit the Museum, which is not short of interesting exhibits, including a superb collection of pagoda weapons from Tonkin donated by Mr. Raphael Marty, curious but shocking idols from New Guinea, strange specimens of marine fauna and Æora, and so on. I bid adieu to Father Martinet, the procurator of the Missions Étrangères. I Ånd this brave man of the cloth in a Æood of tears. He has just received news of the death of a young colleague, the son of a French notary, whom apostolic zeal drove to the Far East and who just died there in the Spring of his life. This China is such a devourer of men! I have my passage conÅrmed by Mr. de Champeaux, the Messageries agent60 and one of the oldest and best-loved residents of Hong Kong, followed by farewell calls and one Ånal argument with the disagreeable fellow at the Windsor Hotel, who, although I settled my account the day before, Ånds a way to demand half a day’s accommodation on the pretext that I did not take my luggage with me when I left the hotel at seven o’clock this morning. The day passes quickly. After Ånal farewells, the bell sounds and the ship’s massive bulk stirs. One last look at the pretty villas on the Peak and Albany Road Arcades, and the Sydney heads for the high seas. I feel lonely among the passengers. Two insipid Frenchmen, three Sisters of Charity, a few British, German, and Japanese individuals: 60 Gui aume de Champeaux (1843 1926) started as the genera agent for Messageries Maritimes in Hong Kong in 1874.

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about 20 of us in total. A vessel of a very di‫ٺ‬erent type from the Armand Béhic and the Indus, the Sydney is not as luxurious as those superb ships. But a much-appreciated feature is that her deck consists of a single section, with no footbridge or any other divide between the classes beyond a simple sign showing the boundaries to be observed. This allows for health-inducing walks.

September 28 Loneliness hangs heavy after the daily comradeship of this delightful September month. Though not quite splenetic, I feel melancholy. Nuns tell their beads as they walk the length of the deck. Watching them pass by, I am reminded of those years, long ago, when the same white cornettes guided my Årst steps. Those dear Sisters! How we loved them and were loved by them! Ah, youth, youth, what aftertaste you leave behind! It is as if we could recapture the past by allowing ourselves to glide down the slope of memories as though in a corner of the angels’ paradise. The deep green sea is superb. The heat is less oppressive than over the past few days, with the thermometer barely reaching the 30-degree mark. We are never out of sight of the Chinese coast, whose mountains blur the horizon. About noon, a throng of Åshing boats signals that Formosa is not far away.6 Painted white, these junks are Åtted with rectangular sails as well as a type of rigging I have never seen before. Six o’clock. A large dual-funneled British steamer passes us at two nautical miles’ distance. Seven o’clock. Half a nautical mile to port are the Oxen Rocks lit by a sun-valve lighthouse. I dream I am in the countryside, my cockerels piercing the air with their victorious calls. But hold on! This is not a dream at all! An entire onboard farmyard salutes the dawn with a prodigious racket. I have to look at my berth to be sure I am really at sea and not beneath shady bowers. 61 The o d Portuguese name for the is and of Taiwan, which was used unti 1945.

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An Arab engine stoker stands in front of the chicken coop. He explains that the lower compartment has “all the misters” and the upper one “all the madams.” “Not put together, because then meat no good,” he adds. Whereupon the Child of the Sands is all white teeth as he breaks into a beatiÅc smile. The voyage is tedious. We are too far from land to make anything out in the half light. The ship has been rolling heavily since morning. At dinnertime, violins make an appearance. We shall need them!

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Chapter Eight

Shanghai Hunting for news – Around the concessions – The Knights of the pump – Bubbling well – Parks, graves, tombs, and schools – Shanghai by night – The villa of the certifiable – The mixed court, the jail, and the police

September 30 I fell asleep reading an account of a journey through China, something that is bound to happen to my own readers. As I wake up, the Sydney’s progress has become cautious in the extreme. The probe is lowered every second. We have reached the sandbar of the Yangtze, or Blue River. The low, sandy coast is two nautical miles to starboard. A lightship signals to us. “Proceed as slowly as possible,” shouts the good Commander Aubert and, looking up, I see standing on the gangway a Ågure I had up to that point taken to be a passenger but who is in fact issuing orders. I ask around and learn that he is a pilot. The Messageries shipping line employs three of these pilots to assist their vessels in negotiating these perilous waters. They join the ship in Hong Kong and remain aboard all the way to Nagasaki before returning to Hong Kong on the next sailing while another pilot sees to the tricky crossing of the Inland Sea between Shimonoseki and Kobe. We scrape the sea Æoor. This is low tide. Stop! Drop anchor! It is seven-Åfteen in the morning, and we will have to wait for more propitious conditions. The sea is decidedly dirty, silty, and yellow. The temperature has dropped noticeably. Will we be forced to abandon our ever-so-practical white outÅts? 1 The name B ue River is common in period sources and seems to stem from an Eng ish mistrans ation or misunderstanding of the Chinese term Chang Jiang, or Long River, which is the name of the ower portion of the waterway. However, as B ue River is not re ated to the actua Chinese names of the river, it was eventua y dropped.

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Finally at eight-thirty, the Sydney is on the move again. Here is the shore, with its retaining walls and embankments. This is the railhead for the Shanghai to Wusong line, which has just been inaugurated.2 We see a Chinese fort with concrete walls, smooth, slanted, painted black, and pierced with embrasures housing cannons. Rain is pouring down. The Laos lies at anchor, newly returned from Japan. A steam launch pulls away and heads for our own liner, which, like the Laos, has dropped anchor. The Messageries launch will take us to Shanghai, which lies on the banks of the Whangpoo River,3 eleven nautical miles from the mouth of the Yangtze. Junks Åtted with large, dark sails let the current carry them and glide past at speed. An hour-and-a-half later, we reach the Shanghai quays but without having had a chance to take a look at the surroundings of the great city as the rain is coming down in torrents. A ferocious wind has picked up and we are forced to hunker down inside the launch’s lower lounge. There is a French hotel, I am informed. One of its managers is here, standing on the quayside. I entrust my luggage to his coolies and there, ahead of me just beyond the Messageries building, is the hotel where I take shelter, shivering with cold. I feel sorry for myself. The thermometer shows 20 degrees, poor me, when for seven months, I never saw it fall below 30. The transition is too sudden. To onlookers, I seem a strange beast in my white togs. But I need my luggage before I can don Winter raiment. Yes, Winter, for I am twitching with cold! Finally, I am settled in! What joy it is to meet compatriots, men as obliging as Messrs. Seisson, Briol, and Wencker,4 the three managers 2 The origina Wusong ine was bui t in 1876 1877 in contravention of the 1868 Buringame Treaty and ran for one year before being dismant ed by imperia decree. Raquez refers here to the Songhu Rai way, which opened in September 1898 and ran from the O d North Rai way Station to Wusong, more or ess a ong the same route. Its pathway now forms part of Shanghai’s Metro Line 3. 3 Now known as the Huangpu River, the owest tributary of the Yangtze, the waterway was excavated and banked during the 3rd century BC. 4 The Directory (1899) ists an A. Seisson as the “managing proprietor” of the Hôte des Co onies, which was owned by “Seisson and Co.” P. Brio and A. Wencker are isted as sta‫ٺ‬. The 1907 guidebook Seaports of the Far East Illustrated (London: A ister MacMi an) rates the hote as the best in the French Concession and notes

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of the Hôtel des Colonies, enjoy good food just like home, and hear around the dinner tables our French tongue, which rings out clearly among the German and English jargons. Unfortunately, the weather is turning more and more threatening. A typhoon is bearing down on us. Having started in Luzon, it is currently pounding the Formosa Strait, which we passed through the day before yesterday. For the next few days, it will spell trouble for coastal populations. My plan is to spend about two weeks in Shanghai. This will give me ample time to study the city and its surrounding areas, which are said to be not without interest. But Årst, I set out on a hunt for news from France via Kobe and Yokohama, through which my travel itinerary took me only last month. The Post O‫ٻ‬ce is next door to the hotel. This will be my Årst call. The manager, Mr. Dopfeld,5 that most amiable and obliging of postal o‫ٻ‬cials, hands me a letter from Kobe, but informs me that Shanghai has several post o‫ٻ‬ces that are entirely independent of each other. His domain, where I now stand, is the French Post O‫ٻ‬ce, which handles correspondence brought in by mailboats Æying our Æag. But he promises to point me in the direction of its British and Japanese counterparts. The British Post O‫ٻ‬ce has another letter from Kobe, but nothing from Yokohama despite the fact that to my certain knowledge, some ten or twelve letters were mailed there. On to the Japanese Post O‫ٻ‬ce. I roll along in a rickshaw. These vehicles are pitiful, their pullers Ålthy as they become bogged down in mud. The rain runs down their bodies, poor wretches, and chills their human consignment despite the limited protection provided by a small oilcloth apron and an umbrella. Dreadful! I am exhausted, frozen to the bones, and grouchy. A good night under warm blankets will put me to right.

October 1 Nguyen! Sir! Rain continue? that the cuisine is especia y Åne. It conc udes by stating that the hote “is the o dest estab ished in Shanghai” (124). 5 The Directory (1899) ists a Henri Dopfe d as postmaster of the French Post O‫ٻ‬ce in Shanghai.

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Continue, Sir, and many wind. Blast! No, Sir. No blast. No, that’s not what I mean. Me say »blast’ but no mean »blast!’ »!!’

The faithful Ngyuen is all at sea. It is obvious that my explanations have been as clear as the conversation of one of Her Majesty’s subjects after 50 whiskies and soda, so I decide to hold my peace. I understand myself. That’s good enough for me. I spend the morning in bed. There is, it seems, a Chinese Post OfÅce, so I head out again despite the rain. The postmaster, an Englishman, cannot satisfy my needs but instead scares me horribly. “It is probable,” says he, “that not knowing your address in Shanghai, they returned your letters to their place of origin.” But then, what is the point of marking them Poste Restante? It would be too vexing if they were sent back to Paris. “But go and ask the German, Russian, and American post o‫ٻ‬ces. Perhaps a liner from one of those countries brought a mailbag and they kept your letters.” Is this April Fools’ Day? Perhaps the change of latitude transferred to October 1 in the Far East the springtime bu‫ٺ‬oonery of our European countries? So here I am again, back on the streets of Shanghai with a rickshaw coolie who barely understands me and takes me to all four corners of the city. I search through all the Shanghai post o‫ٻ‬ces I was told about and return from visits to no fewer than seven with nothing more to show for it than a severe head cold. I make myself feel better by recalling that the Japanese postal service is dreadful and that the Yokohama postmaster most likely sent me nothing at all. The typhoon rages on, but Shanghai is experiencing only its side e‫ٺ‬ects. Still, several liners have delayed their departure. Under a shelter set up on the Quai de France, announcements from the famous Zikawei Observatory provide daily information for the beneÅt of seafarers.6 Superb maps, fully comprehensible even by laymen such as myself, 6 The Zikawei Observatory, now known as Xujiahui, was founded by Jesuit brothers in 1872 and remains a key internationa observatory to this day.

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The club The customs house The Bund The Whangpoo River The French semaphore

show in broad red curves and large blue arrows the condition of air currents yesterday and the forecast for today. A signal mast towering over the embankment broadcasts the various phases of each weather system with a combination of Æags and buoys. This device is also controlled by the Observatory, with whom the signal wardens are in telephonic communication. I call on the French Consul General, to whom I am accredited. I am most graciously received by Count de Bezaure, once Admiral Courbet’s interpreter and author of a highly regarded volume on the Yangtze.7 But I cannot induce this diplomat – and I fully understand his reserve – to part with detailed information about the disturbances that took place last July and had such an impact all over the Far East and even in France. But I shall keep looking – and I shall Ånd – the information I seek on these now historic events.8 7 Le Æeuve Bleu, by Mr. Gaston de Bezaure, 1879. P on & Nourrit, Pub ishers, Paris [Raquez]. Georges Gaston d’Astoaud de Servan de Bezaure (1852 1917) was a ong-standing dip omat in China. He was French Consu in Shanghai from 1896 to 1898. See Pau C aude , Correspondance consulaire de Chine (1896 1909) (Besançon: Presses Universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2005), 57, n. 68. 8 In Ju y of 1898, remnants of the Chinese renegade B ack F ag Army reported y seized the Chinese Magistrate of Guangxi Province, soaked him in kerosene, and

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In contrast, the Consulate General grants me every facility for studying how Shanghai, such an original city – unique even – is organized.

Sunday, October 2 The rain is still coming down. This is a veritable deluge! At eight o’clock in the morning, the timid bell of the church next door to the hotel calls the faithful to a Chinese mass. Men and boys on one side, women and girls on the other. Each choir alternates in reciting the verses of a prayer in gentle psalmody. Being a tonal language, Chinese sounds nothing like our European idioms. The recto tono singing style is unknown. Every conversation, every speech, every prayer is a kind of chant. These prayers, which I Ånd so seductive, consist, I am told, of the most exquisite poetry composed several centuries ago by the best literary Ågures in all of China. At the altar, the o‫ٻ‬ciating priest wears a tall square headpiece, black and ornamented with gold embroidery. It is precisely to conform to Chinese customs that the Jesuits in charge of the missions in this part of the country adopted this type of headgear as early as 1625, which was then worn by the foremost literary men. We all know that Chinese habits are diametrically opposed to those of Europeans in virtually all respects. Far from uncovering their head before entering the presence of a prominent personage, they don the most voluminous headgear they can Ånd. They cannot understand how it is possible to appear bareheaded before the deity. To conform to the customs of the country, our missionaries requested, and obtained, from the Supreme Ponti‫ ٺ‬permission to wear this form of headgear and to keep it on even during the Consecration part of the Mass. Mass over, we notice many Chinese women with small feet. Several of them wear magniÅcent silk dresses. They head home by sedan chair or rickshaw. burned him a ive. They then murdered his fami y. The incident was wide y reported in the internationa press. The B ack F ags were a renegade army of Chinese bandits that fought the French in Tonkin and Laos in the 1880s. After they were disbanded, e ements wou d occasiona y regroup in the restive regions of northern Tonkin and southern China, as they did in 1898, to attack both European and occasiona y Chinese imperia interests.

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Back at the hotel, I spend a good part of the day watching the street tra‫ٻ‬c from my window. This leads to interesting observations. The Hôtel des Colonies is located at the junction of Rue du Consulat and Rue de Montauban, where the tra‫ٻ‬c is at its most intense. A Chinese employee of the French Police stands in the middle of the intersection. His uniform consists of trousers of heavy blue serge tucked into short boots, a jacket of similar fabric held tight by a white leather belt, and on his head an equally white oilcloth lampshade ornamented by a red plume. Although he is not kitted out with the familiar baton of the Brigade des Voitures, our policeman directs the Æow of innumerable vehicles with the authority of the best sergeant in charge of the Carrefour des Écrasés.9 This throng of vehicles is quite a sight! I see coupés, very convenient, low-slung but very wide and deep. The rear consists of louvered slats that can be open or shut according to preference. One or two valets stand on the rear seat, just like those we used to ride on in our grandmas’ carriages. Often, a footman sits next to the driver. Each one wears a sailor’s oilskin, complete with vast yellow cloak and sou’wester hat. Nothing could be more picturesque. Most of the rickshaw coolies also wear our sailors’ oilskins, covered in mud as they are, the poor wretches! The sedan chairs are hermetically sealed. They are not used much in Shanghai except by be-plumed mandarins, and by female singers on their nocturnal forays. But the specialty of the place is the wheelbarrow. Made entirely of wood like its close Tonkin relative, the Shanghai barrow is Åtted with a much larger wheel placed in the center, which splits it into two parallel seats of equal length on which goods, crates, and baskets of all shapes and sizes are accommodated. This is also where Chinese men and women sit. One of these vehicles is passing below my windows at this very moment carrying eight women, two of whom hold a child. I have never seen one man burdened with so many women.

9 The Brigade des Voitures was an ear y form of tra‫ٻ‬c po ice. Carrefour des Écrasés, itera y “Run-over Junction,” was a Parisian s ang term for the Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, in the 9th arrondissement, famous at the turn of the century for its prodigious amounts of tra‫ٻ‬c.

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A wheelbarrow

October 3 The Treaty of Nanking of August 29, 1842 expressly conÅrmed by Article 1 of the Treaty of Tientsin of June 26, 1858, removed the obstacles that had denied European commerce access to the Åve ports of Canton, Amoy, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai. A few months later, the Guizot government 0 dispatched to the Celestial Empire a deputation the great statesman himself described in the following terms: In 1843, my sole purpose was to achieve for France what England and the United States of America had achieved in China, that is, to settle through a formal treaty our commercial relations with the Chinese, lend assistance to our Christian missions, and thus give emerging and still contested facts the nature of fully recognized and sanctioned rights. The de Lagrené mission led to the Treaty of Whampoa, which was signed aboard the Archimède on August 24, 1844, and later to the Chi nese Edict of December 28, 1844 on free Christian worship in the Åve ports open to foreigners and to tolerance being promised to Chinese 10 François Pierre Gui aume Guizot (1787 1874) was Prime Minister from 1847 to 1848.

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Christians living in the Empire’s interior.

The Treaty of Whampoa was the birth certiÅcate of the French concession in Shanghai, as it recognized our compatriots’ right to settle in the Åve above-mentioned ports, open trading posts, build houses, and take possession of land in perpetuity. These rights were clariÅed by a proclamation of April 6, 1849, in which Taotai Lin declared having settled by agreement with Mr. de Montigny, the French Consul, the boundaries of a site reserved for France. “These boundaries, which remain those of the present Concession, were clearly recorded in land registers.” “Moreover,” the taotai continues, . . . we agreed that should the above mentioned site prove insu‫ٻ‬cient, following due joint deliberation, an additional site would be designated . . . As regards plots contained within the site agreed upon today, the Consul shall be entitled at a time of his choosing to lease them out to local people at the then going rate . . . As for individuals from other nations who may wish to lease plots within the Concession, they should approach the French Consul and deal directly with him with a view to concluding such a transaction.

This last paragraph clearly confers full French status to buildings and all matters thereto related. The French Concession had been well and truly founded. On July 11, 1866, Consul General Viscount Brenier de Montmorand 2 promulgated a Code of Municipal Organization despite a number of objections by representatives of other European powers to recognizing France’s exclusive rights within the territory thus conceded. Finally, on April 12, 1868, the same Consul General issued a new “Municipal Organization Ordinance for the French Concession, revised following an agreement signed by the Consuls of the powers 11 Louis Char es de Montigny (1805 1868), a ong-serving dip omat, was active throughout China and Indochina. He was the Årst French consu in Shanghai from 1848 to 1853, when he negotiated the treaty that estab ished the French Concession in 1849. He obtained a proc amation from Lin Kouei, the Imperia Circuit Intendant, or Taotai of Shanghai, which conceded territory intended for a French sett ement. 12 Viscount Antoine Brenier de Montmorand (1813 1894) was Consu Genera to Shanghai from 1864 to 1869.

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represented at Peking.” On September 24, 1869, ministers from Great Britain, America, Russia, and the North German Confederation expressly ratiÅed this document. As a result, the French Concession is fully autonomous. Let us briefly examine its administrative structures. The Municipal Council consists of the French Consul General and eight councilors, four of them French, the other four foreigners, all appointed for two years by ballot. All male voters aged 25 and above are eligible. Voters include all French nationals and foreigners who meet one of the three conditions below: 1. Hold o‫ٻ‬cial title to land situated within the boundaries of the Concession; 2. Occupy as tenant all or part of a building situated within the Concession and paying a yearly rent of 1,000 francs or higher; 3. Have resided within the Concession for a minimum of three months and being in a position to demonstrate an annual income of 4,000 francs. If the Consul deems it appropriate, one or more Chinese notables or heads of professional guilds appointed jointly by the Consul General and the taotai may be permitted to attend deliberations in a consultative capacity. The document I am perusing also informs me that the Consul General is to chair all Municipal Council meetings ex o‫ٻ‬cio. In fact, the 1868 ordinance was revised on this very point when the Consul General delegated his powers to a Council member elected by his peers, who became both de jure and de facto President of the Council. However, the outcomes of deliberations must be submitted to the Consul General for his approval. Moreover, each year, the Municipal Council selects from among its members a Vice President, who is invariably a foreigner. Article 16 of the Municipal Code is noteworthy in that it appears to be in direct opposition to judicial practice as well as to the principles of international civil law in force in our European countries. Following an accord signed on the basis of strict reciprocity by the French Consul and the representatives of other powers, arrest warrants,

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court verdicts, foreclosure notices, etc. issued by a foreign magistrate or court and destined to be executed within the boundaries of the French Concession shall except in cases of major emergencies be put to the French Consul or at the very least the Chief of Municipal Police, who may decide to have the bearer of such verdicts or notices accompanied by one or several police o‫ٻ‬cers under his command and charged with lending him assistance whenever required.

We know that in Europe, a judicial decision can only be executed within the borders of the country in whose name it was issued. For example, a decision by a Belgian, British, or German court can only be executed in France after the exequatur of a French court has been obtained, which cannot take place until the case has been heard anew. The position is entirely di‫ٺ‬erent in the Shanghai concessions. A judicial decision issuing from a foreign magistrate or court can be executed in the French or Foreign Concession without being submitted to any scrutiny as to its portent. This principle is both novel and far reaching. It could be the object of a fascinating dissertation in international civil law. The Council sets a budget for municipal revenue and expenditure. The sums in question are far from insigniÅcant: this year’s budget makes provisions for 188,000 taels in expenditure, or 660,000 francs. On the income side, revenues include the yield from the property tax (0.4% of the value allotted to the property), the European rental tax (4% of the value of rents), the Chinese rental tax (8% of the value of rents), licenses granted to individuals renting out wheelbarrows (600 sapèques per barrow per month), rickshaws (1 tael per rickshaw per month), handcarts, horse-drawn vehicles, and beverage stalls and other establishments open to the public. The French Concession is bounded to the north by a stream known as the Yangjingbang. 3 On the opposite shore of this creek, to use the local term, lies the Foreign Concession, or Foreign Settlement, which many here erroneously call the “British Concession,” just as they incorrectly call the Hongkou suburb the “American Concession.” It is true that in 1845, the British Consul in Shanghai obtained from 13 Now ca ed Yanan Road, the Yangjingbang Creek was drained in 1915, paved, and named Avenue Edward VII unti the Japanese occupation during the Second Wor d War.

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the taotai permission for his nationals to settle north of the Yangjingbang up to the Suzhou River, while in 1848, American missionaries gathered on the opposite bank of this body of water. But the American Government never intervened to have its own nationals granted speciÅc rights over any particular territory. Moreover, as Shanghai residents sensed that they were at the mercy of rebels, feeling that he lacked the strength to defend his territory single-handedly, the British Consul o‫ٻ‬cially renounced on behalf of his Government the right to an exclusively British concession. On January 6, 1855, with the sole assistance of our seamen, Admiral Laguerre took from the rebels the Chinese City, which the Imperial Army had allowed to fall. 4 Finally, on September 24, 1869, the above-mentioned solemn declaration promulgated the Land Regulations, or the bylaws governing the Foreign Concession, specifying that these were to apply exclusively to the Foreign Settlement north of the Yangjingbang, with French regulations alone governing the sections of the territory south of the creek. When it is time to give residents a chance to elect members of the Municipal Council, every nation’s consul signs ballot papers. Being the largest group, the British are in the majority on the Council, even though the President is currently an American. Meanwhile, the Germans are agitating for greater representation. The Æag that Æies above the Municipal Council building encompasses the ensign of every nation maintaining a consulate in Shanghai. In the Foreign Settlement just as in the French Concession, foreigners do not enjoy true property rights in the legal and absolute sense of the term but rather the right to use the property in perpetuity for a fee Åxed from the very start and ad perpetuum of 1,500 sapèques per mau. 5 This is another right of a very particular nature that could form the object of an interesting legal investigation. It is superior in scope to the rights of usufruct and emphyteusis. Given that it covers both usus and abusus, it is so close to a property right that it is practically indistinguishable from it. In brief, there are two distinct concessions in Shanghai: one ex14 Rear-Admira Ado phe Laguerre (1792 1862). 15 In Shanghai, the unit of area known as the mau is equiva ent to 675.45 square meters [Raquez].

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clusively French, the other international. In the latter, our compatriots enjoy exactly the same rights as the nationals of any other power. Although this fundamental distinction is often forgotten, it should be made unambiguous.

October 4 In the past, the Whangpoo and Yangtze rivers merged before emptying into the sea, turning a substantial area into a swamp. Two races inhabited this region: the Yue and the Wu. 6 Ancient Chinese books represent the Wu living in the vicinity of Nanking as savages resorting to tattoos so as to impersonate crocodiles and thus avoid being devoured by these creatures. The Yue, a gentler people, have settlements stretching as far as Fukien, whose population displays very di‫ٺ‬erent characteristics from China’s other races to this day. As the delta’s population grew in density, substantial works were undertaken to the point where it became possible to keep the two rivers apart by means of dykes. In fact, the countryside surrounding Shanghai lies below sea level. The dykes, which begin in Wusong and end in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, are double or even triple in some sections. If they were to be breached, the province would be under water for Åve months each year. Although Shanghai, the “City upon the Sea” as its name indicates, was already a major urban center as early as the 12th century, its dominant position dates back to the treaties that opened up its territories to foreign powers and allowed the Chinese to enter the city and give free rein to their commercial instincts in full security. Soon, beside the crenellated and mossy walls that surround the old Chinese city, a new city arose: superb, wealthy, and full of attractions. Running along the Whangpoo River is a broad, tree-lined boulevard. This is known as the Quai de France to the south of the Yangjingbang and as the Bund to the north of this arroyo. Facing the pontoon of the Messageries Maritimes is the splendid mansion that houses the French Consulate General, above which the tricolor Æutters and whose facade displays a brilliantly gilded “RF” logo surrounded by fasces lictoriae. 16 The Yue and Wu are ancient kingdoms that Æourished during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 256 BC).

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Further on is the semaphore station, which is connected by telephone to the Zikawei Observatory, with its play of signals showing every detail of the gusting winds so feared by sailors plying these Chinese seas. When it is twelve noon precisely in Shanghai but not at Zikawei since approximately thirteen seconds separate the two, an electrical impulse activated from the Observatory itself causes the big black ball we now see atop the mast to drop. It is easy to set one’s watch in this country. Here are the Shanghai Club, the Customs House, its monumental crenellated square tower looming over it, the mansions of consulates and major shipping companies with their enormous Æag masts, the vast headquarters of banks and trading houses, the never-ending to and fro of swarms of rickshaws, wheelbarrows, and carts drawn by those Chinese ponies as fast as arrows and driven by mafus 7 in bizarre costumes, French, British, Indian, and Chinese policemen keeping it all in order, groups of people sauntering about on the splendid lawns that line the river or along the walks of the pretty public park reserved for Europeans, and the ceaseless bustle of the Chinese coolies who unload heavy bales brought in by launches and then carry them to the stores or godowns in the heart of the city, uttering guttural cries all the while: all combine to give this Shanghai quayside an appearance that is not only picturesque but perhaps unique in all the world. The concessions form a large and almost perfect rectangle, for which the quay where I now stand serves as the base. Parallel to the river is a series of streets stretching across both territories. The Municipal Council gave them the names of China’s provinces. Leaving the Whangpoo River, we Ånd Szechuan, Kiangse, Honan, Shantung, Shanse, Fokien, Chekiang, Hopei, Kwangse, Kweichow, and Yunnan Roads. In contrast, the streets laid out perpendicular to the river are named after China’s major cities. Walking away from the Yangjingbang, we have Canton, Foochow, Hankow, Kiukiang, Nanking, Tien Tsin, Ningpo, Peking, Hong Kong, and Soochow Roads. Such is the simplicity of the urban planning method. All the foreigner has to do to successfully navigate the Foreign Settlement is to remember these few names in the order given above. 17 “Ma” means horse and “fu” means “master” in Chinese; the phrase was somewhat derogatory, akin to “coo ie.”

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The concessions present two very distinct faces. The entire section abutting the quays is elegantly turned out. It is occupied by the major trading houses and the homes of Europeans. But a little further on, the Chinese overrun everything. Walking along one of these broad and splendid streets, Rue du Consulat or Nanking Road, for example, which both start at the quays and run the entire length of the concessions, o‫ٺ‬ers a chance to witness two totally di‫ٺ‬erent lifestyles. The streets are aligned to perfection. The fronts of the Chinese shops open directly onto the street, with a counter taking up almost their entire width. Customers stand on the sidewalk or the step at the base of the shopfront and examine cotton goods, silks, cloths, and a thousand objects whose qualities the merchants extol. In every shop, leaning on their elbows, bare-chested despite the chill, groups of Åve, ten, or even 15 Chinese customers patiently wait their turn. What an odd battalion for the rickshaw passenger to review! Enormous glass lanterns adorned with thin pendants are bunched together above the counter across the entire shopfront, giving the whole a novel appearance. Here and there, large buildings painted gray allow access through a narrow door. On their walls is advertising in gigantic characters traced in black. These shops are so dark that gas lighting is necessary all day long. This is where will be found wholesalers and especially merchants storing those sauces and condiments I discussed in an earlier journal entry and which are kept in enormous varnished and hermetically sealed urns. If the wall shows only one character, the passer-by is sure to be looking at a moneylender’s (䔞 1st class, 岒 2nd class, ㉤ 3rd class). Repayment terms are as follows: 1st class: 18 months maximum; 2nd class: 16 months; 3rd class: 6 months. Interest rate: 2% per month for the Årst two classes, 4% for the third. Rue du Consulat and Foochow Road have Chinese restaurants for every purse. Some o‫ٺ‬er the public those small dishes we became familiar with in Hong Kong or Canton and Ånd again here neatly and artistically presented in bowls or on porcelain plates. Several of these restaurants have a tea room on the upper Æoor like the co‫ٺ‬ee rooms of our own establishments, with a balcony from which idle Chinese crowds can watch the ceaseless bustle in the street below. Special mention should be made of Honan Road, the street where – 133 –

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Chinese pharmacists and even the Pharmacie Française are gathered. Superb facades of carved timber, Æamboyant gildings, and multicolored lacquerware give this neighborhood a unique and rich appearance.

October 5 Six o’clock in the morning: an alarm bell rings out. A Åre broke out 200 meters from the hotel in the Chinese section of Rue du Consulat. Thankfully, the huge Æames are being driven away from the side of the street where European homes stand. The weather is gray and misty, and the typhoon left behind a disagreeable aftermath. FireÅghters are already at work. It is now clear that the entire block will be consumed by the Æames. Measures are being taken to protect the houses in neighboring streets. In fact, it is surprising that Åres are not more frequent here. On the pretext of honoring Buddha, the Chinese are obsessed with burning vast quantities of votive paper without taking the slightest precaution. Only last night I saw some of them doing exactly that. But a Åre department o‫ٻ‬cer informs me that the cause of this conÆagration is quite di‫ٺ‬erent. Traces of petroleum have been found in various places, and all the burning buildings are insured. This may well be why the residents of the burning houses seem so indi‫ٺ‬erent. In fact, the ÅreÅghters work for the insurance companies. Their coolies attend to safeguarding property: cotton goods, fabrics, umbrellas, bazaar articles, etc., which Åll several houses. But there is one Åre victim who cannot be suspected of such practices since he left in his house a safe Ålled with dollars and other denominations the ÅreÅghters just about manage to pull out of the Æames. After a struggle lasting two hours, it is all over. About 20 houses have been reduced to cinders. But this gave me a chance to witness the excellent organization of the Shanghai Fire Department. All the ÅreÅghters are Europeans grouped into Åve companies known as Déluge, Mi He Long, Victoria, Hongkou, and Torrent, a French company. Their equipment consists of four steam pumps and a tall vehicle-mounted ladder. The two municipalities and the insurance companies support this volunteer e‫ٺ‬ort with a subsidy. The city is divided into a number of districts. Although each company is under the command of a captain, an engineer acting in his – 134 –

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capacity of District Chief is the sole judge of the measures to be taken to safeguard buildings, determining which houses are to be demolished and which are to be preserved. In this respect, he is absolute master of his territory, and his colleagues are required to seek his views when they arrive on the scene with their company. The International Settlement has its own watch post. Its bell, as well as that of the Jesuit Church, indicate by a speciÅc number of rings in which district a Åre started. 8 Whether having dinner at a friend’s house, his club, or a hotel or attending a concert or a play, the Shanghai ÅreÅghter is on his way. He jumps into a rickshaw and heads home in order to don his uniform. On the way, he is virtually certain to run into his boy, who through extraordinary instinct and without his master having revealed his intentions in the slightest, always knows where to Ånd his employer. Shanghai residents recount astonishing incidents in this respect. There follows the odd spectacle of a gentleman undressing in the middle of the street before putting on uniform and helmet, thereby transforming himself into a “man of Åre.” A few months ago, the ÅreÅghters were giving their annual dance. The festivities were in full swing when a Åre broke out. But their waltzing partners had to be left standing. As Pitou would say, duty comes Årst. 9 A few minutes later, a company of ÅreÅghters could be seen at their hose and going through their moves in tailcoats, white tie, and polished shoes. The Åre incident over, the waltzing resumed with greater verve than ever, the sense of duty accomplished endowing even the least eager dancer with a fresh pair of legs. Each company has its premises, its horses ever at the ready, and its Chinese sta‫ ٺ‬in a state of permanent alert. Shanghai residents view the pump service as akin to a sport and feel that benevolent competition motivates each company to distinguish itself by the speed of its preparations. As the premises of the Déluge and Mi He Long companies are next door to each other, both sets of ÅreÅghters take 18 Raquez is probab y referring to St. Ignatius Cathedra , erected in 1847 in Zikawei near the Observatory. 19 Ange Pitou is the titu ar character of an 1851 nove by A exandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet.

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The French ÅreÅghting company

pride in being Årst on the scene of a Åre. The key to success is taking part in a veritable race. This year, a competition took place at the racecourse pitting teams picked from each company. Our compatriots were the winners of the third tournament, which took place in 1897, thus giving the lie to those who claim that the French are inferior to our good friends from across the Channel in matters of sport, and they would have won again last year had it not been for a heavy fall on the part of one team member.20 The commanding o‫ٻ‬cer of the Åve Shanghai companies is a rotund fellow with a rubicund face who does not seem to let anything worry him. Tightly encased in a tunic he Ålls with ease, his superb helmet on his head and a cigar between his lips, he paces up and down the battleÅeld. He bestows a pat on the back here, a handshake there, a friendly word everywhere. What a Åne leader, my friends! His title of Chief Engineer is displayed in gilded letters on his belt 20 Since these ines were written, the ga ant French company was victorious again in 1899. This makes it two wins out of Åve. Honor is due to the winners themse ves: Messrs. Gi son, Gui abert, H. Martin, L. Martin, and Rondon a ong with Captain Duva , Lieutenant Berthet, and District Chief Gai ard, their devoted commanding o‫ٻ‬cers [Raquez].

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just above his rump. But why does he keep a magniÅcent nickel-plated trumpet under his arm? Is this a commander’s insignia? An especially noteworthy detail is the canteen that follows the ÅreÅghters during each alert, with the canteen master heating the co‫ٺ‬ee and mixing the whiskies and soda. Evidently, the hose wielders occasionally feel the need to hose themselves, too.

October 6 sun!2

Manon, here comes the Despite Manon’s absence, poorly made up for by the faithful Ngyuen as he lies on his mat at the foot of my bed, it is with Delmet’s joyful expostulation that I extend a cordial welcome to the rays that awaken me. No, I am not dreaming. This is the calm after the storm, daylight in all its splendor hot on the heels of gloom and mist. It feels good to be outside, but it is really cold! At the far end of Nanking Road, the Åne street that runs the length of the International Concession, is the racecourse. Vast and equipped with elegant stands, it is fully exposed to wind and sun as well as to onlookers. There are no trees. We are on a plain. But greenery can be found, speciÅcally along Bubbling Well Road, the aristocratic outlying district where many Europeans and a few wealthy Chinese families live. This is why maintaining law and order is entrusted to Indian Sikhs even though the area lies beyond the boundaries of the International Concession. Reaching the Bubbling Well area is an occasion for a wonderful walk covering several miles along a thoroughfare lined with trees and luxurious villas. The taotai chooses this moment to emerge from his mansion, which is surrounded by a magniÅcent garden. This high-ranking mandarin’s headgear consists of a straw lampshade Åtted with a red strap. His carriage is both preceded and followed by guards on horseback. The area has a number of farms doubling as hotels run by British people, where butter and milk can be obtained. 21 The opening ine of the song Stances à Manon, which was performed by Pau De met (see note 57, page 114).

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Here is the vast arcade known as Yuyuan Garden.22 Its interior is a veritable maze featuring small wooden bridges, while around the enclosed space is a series of rooms where visitors can sit and take tea, smoke opium, or fondle the pretty girls. All of this is arranged without any apparent plan. Some of the rooms are higher up, others lower down, and the path along which my guide leads me now climbs, now descends, then doubles back and climbs again before taking us back to our starting point. In the center are large puddles where ample lotus Æowers spread out, streams Æowing between embankments formed by artiÅcial rocks of a gray hue, polished but tortured and riddled with holes like large petriÅed sponges. Here and there are kiosks with upturned roof corners arranged around a central building that is home to the playhouse. A performance is underway. About 100 Chinese people are sitting around small tables, munching seeds or sucking on candied fruit while tea is kept piping hot by boys. Someone hands me a facecloth soaked in very hot water, which will allow me to freshen up. Contrary to normal practice, only representatives of the fair sex are on stage, all of them moving about on tiny feet that are little more than stumps. The play is a kind of vaudeville. The storyline is related at a high pitch, caterwauling almost, as is the norm in Chinese theater. From time to time, the performers break into song accompanied by a Æute, a kind of violin, a gong, cymbals, and wooden drumsticks. Spectators need robust eardrums if they wish to avoid a visit to an ear specialist the moment the performance is over. Enter two superbly-clad female warriors, each displaying four small Æags stuck to her back perpendicularly to her body. In her coi‫ٺ‬ure are two enormous pheasant feathers that curve downward in a graceful arc. These ladies need a great deal of space in which to operate. They Åght most skillfully with lances. Poor darlings! One of them is very sweet. I pray for her victory. Alas, she succumbs! Her head is about to be chopped o‫ٺ‬. But the victor shows mercy. Homicide has been averted. 22 Yuyuan Garden has a ong history. It was Årst constructed in 1559 by Pan Yunduan, a Shanghai native and governor of Sichuan. His granddaughter’s husband inherited it after his death and expanded the grounds. Portions of the origina garden have been open to the pub ic since the 18th century. The current version was opened in 1961. Today it covers near y Åve acres and is a major tourist attraction in Shanghai.

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Another scene has us witnessing a sort of dance of the scarves. Then it is the turn of the Emperor, who like Joseph II of yesteryear, goes on walkabouts incognito.23 Enamored of an innkeeper’s maid, he sees his ardor doused by the pretty wench. “I am the Emperor,” he exclaims!” “You? Come o‫ ٺ‬it! Let me see the proof.” “Look!” And throwing back his cloak, he lets the lady see his yellow gown, on which a purple dragon curls tortuously. Our latter-day Doubting Thomas has a close look. She takes hold of the gown and inspects the imperial dragon’s Åve claws. Now convinced, she falls to her knees and prostrates herself with her forehead in the dust. Merciful, the Emperor helps her to her feet, and both protagonists vanish. The Æute, the violin, the gong, the cymbals, and the drumsticks rage on. We too Æee to avoid going deaf. In a neighboring room, I come across the two warriors of a moment ago, still clashing but this time with dominoes. I congratulate the child on whom I was bestowing my good wishes. She is truly charming and far from empty-headed, this little Cam Miu, the name under which my interpreter introduces her to me. Increasingly Æattered by the praise I shower upon her, she ends up giving me her portrait, which will in no way disparage my collection. Across a narrow lane at the other end of the compound, we Ånd ourselves inside a walled garden that forms part of the same complex. Here are dwarf trees: potted plants in tortured, strange shapes. These people take pleasure in contradicting nature. In a large hall is a bowling alley. The set-up for this game is handsomely, correctly, and conveniently arranged. Old Chinamen in spectacles launch heavy projectiles with considerable skill. We might as well be in Flanders, as long as we do not look at the pins. 23 Joseph II (1741 1790), Ho y Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ru er of the Habsburg Lands from 1780 unti his death, is reported to have “gone s umming” (in modern par ance) incognito in search of prostitutes. See Derek Edward Dawson Bea es, Joseph II: Volume 1, In the Shadow of Maria Theresa, 1741 1780 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 335 336. To judge by Raquez’s description, the Peking opera is The Touring Dragon Teases Phoenix, a so known as Meilong Town, written in the 18th century by Tang Ying (1682 1756). The emperor is the Ming Emperor Zhengde; Mei ong is a town near Shanghai. On Tang Ying, see Kang-i Sun Chang and S. Owen, The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: From 1375 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 314 316.

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Turning back toward Shanghai, we pass Zhang Gardens,24 a large park with shrubberies and handsome lawns. The park features a number of elegant vast buildings constructed in the European style. In a bar room of respectable size with a gallery on the upper Æoor, which looks much like one of our brasseries, a number of Chinamen smoke and drink beer or tea. Here and there are female abstainers, heavily made up, almost enameled in fact, their hair adorned with Æowers, who modestly await a “master” next to their silent female servant, or amah. From time to time, one of them rises and walks over to a neighboring closet to take a long look at herself in the mirror and adjust her dress, attend to her coi‫ٺ‬ure, and ensure perfection in her enamel. They are of a piece, these daughters of Eve in Zhang Gardens and our own Faucheurs!25 These ladies’ wrists are laden with an accumulation of golden bangles. Several of them sport large shiny jewels in their ears. The indispensable accessory owned by every one of them consists of a rectangular box that recalls our old tobacco boxes and displays on its lid the Chinese characters for “wealth” and “prosperity.” Some are made of gold, others of silver. The content of each box is identical. First, a set of thin rice powder sheets these pretty girls rub on their faces to keep their complexion white; then a mirror; and Ånally two compartments with a lid housing red and black make-up sticks: in brief, the entire paraphernalia of the coquette. These ladies’ servants carry their mistresses’ pipe in a small bag made of serge or silk. The Zhang Gardens also contain a bowling alley and substantial scaffoldings Åtted with pulleys used for Årework displays during the Summer season. Apparently, large crowds gather in this park on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. But even on a weekday, the city’s idle are here in numbers. 24 Owned by businessman Zhang Shuhe (1850 1919), Zhang Garden opened to the pub ic in 1885. A portion of the property was a private housing estate (which Raquez describes) named Arcadia Ha and sti stands, though it is now ca ed Zhang Yuan (Zhang Garden). 25 The term was Parisian s ang for the prostitutes who p ied their trade around the Vi a Faucheur, a shopping and residentia arcade in Be evi e (20th arrondissement) with a reputation for attracting artists and bohemians.

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We return via Bubbling Well and Nanking Road. This is ladies-ofthe-night time. We might as well be in the Avenue du Bois. Here are splendid European equipages. Landaus, victorias, dog carts in which handsome daughters of victorious America preside side by side with Albion’s vaporous Misses. We see a great many bicycles, bustle, life, luxury. Shanghai is a vast and beautiful city. On my return, I Ånd an invitation to lunch on Sunday. Destination: The Villa of the CertiÅable in Wusong. Blast! Am I ready to be committed?

October 7 The weather is delightful following the storm as I walk in the pretty park that occupies the far end of the Bund. Since only Europeans may use it, children are making the most of it. If it were not for the amahs26 in their broad blue trousers, we might as well be in the alleys of the Luxembourg.27 Almost every day, music is heard in the concessions’ parks. Yet next to this most lively of corners is an accumulation of memorials to the dead. Here is a modest column erected in the memory of British o‫ٻ‬cers killed during the Taiping rebellion in Jiangsu, which lasted from 1862 to 1864. Many of these wretches fell in this inhospitable spot. I count 48 names, including one general and three colonels.28 A little further on is a monument to the memory of the sailors on the German gunboat Iltis, which was lost in a typhoon in 1896. Prince Henry of Prussia is expected to arrive in a few days to inaugurate the monument. Near the bridge is an elegant obelisk that recalls the tragic death of poor Margary, a brave young British attaché to the Embassy, who explored the road from Shanghai to the Burmese border in 1874 and was

26 Nannies [Raquez]. 27 Jardin du Luxembourg, ocated in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. As Raquez suggests, the gardens have a reputation for being a peacefu , sa ubrious venue for fami y stro ing. 28 Raquez refers here to the Taiping Rebe ion, which asted from 1850 to 1864.

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murdered by Chinese men from Yunnan a short distance from Bhamo, where his compatriots were awaiting him.29 In the immense park that surrounds the severe-looking British Consulate stands a monumental stone cross. None of this is particularly cheery. Luckily, a second park as prettily maintained as the older one just opened along the Suzhou Creek, where Chinese people may be admitted. My next visit is to the Shanghai Club. Located on the Bund within the International Concession, it is less recent and therefore less luxurious than its Hong Kong counterpart but admirably situated. It features a spacious and elegant reading groom where can be found Le Figaro, Le Temps, Belgium’s L’Indépendent, L’Illustration, Le Monde Illustré, La Vie Parisienne, Le Figaro Illustré, La Revue des Deux Mondes, and La Revue de Paris, as well as newspapers and periodicals from all over the world. This superb library stocks huge numbers of the very best among French books. It o‫ٺ‬ers a number of private rooms, a large billiards room, and Åne cuisine, much appreciated by the British. Our compatriots are represented on the Club Committee by Mr. Paturel, one of the most esteemed members of the French colony.30 At lunchtime, the Shanghai Club is packed. Members are here to take the air, pick up gossip, and launch fresh whispers. This is the stock exchange for tittle-tattle, not business. During the Åne season, the terrace, which overlooks the Bund, must be a wonderful spot as the sun’s rays become less oppressive. The Germans have their own club in Canton Road. It is reputed to be well appointed and to o‫ٺ‬er excellent dining. The French ÅreÅghters and volunteers, whom we will have occasion to mention again, are currently setting up a French club, where our compatriots will feel entirely at home. 29 Augustus Raymond Margary (1846 1875), noted British exp orer whose murder at Bhamo in Kachin State in what is now northern Myanmar sparked a dip omatic row between Britain and China. 30 C. Pature is isted in The Directory (1896) as working for U ysse Pi a & Cie. In 1902, he apparent y started his own export company in Shanghai, and his name appears in the Shanghai Municipal Gazette as ate as 1919.

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My next visit is to the school of the Municipal Council of the French Concession, which operates from its own funds. But it is too small to accommodate the vast numbers of students who wish to learn our language. Some 150 Chinese students of all ages sit on the benches of the school, whose stewardship is entrusted to the learned sinologist Father Le Gall.3 All students must demonstrate a command of all four Confucian canonical texts before they can attend classes. They improve their knowledge of their national tongue while simultaneously learning French. The course of study covers three years. Three Marist brothers and an equal number of Chinese laymen teach the students who, their studies over, fan out as interpreters along Tonkin’s border and in other Indochinese colonies where they are of great service to our o‫ٻ‬cials and o‫ٻ‬cers. Growth in French commerce in China and the arrival of engineers from Belgium or France to work on the Hankow–Peking railway has led to a severe shortage of interpreters for our language.32

October 8 To get to know a people well, it is essential to study their outward life in all of its manifestations. This is why I wish to devote an evening to the study of the Chinese in search of their pleasures. The fortunate Celestial goes to bed very late, plays for part of the night, and does not rise at dawn. In the company of an experienced guide who speaks French and Chinese equally well, I head for Foochow Road. Once past the colossal Central Police Station, we enter the exclusively Chinese section of the street. Lights Æood everything. A huge Chinese crowd saunters about 31 Father Stanis as Le Ga (1858 1916) was a respected author and sino ogist. The Di rectory (1899) ists him as a Father at Saint Joseph’s Church in the French Concession. The church was consecrated in 1862 and sti stands. 32 Now known as the Beijing Hankou or Jinghan Rai way, surveying work on the ine was begun in 1896 after an imperia edict ordered the rai way to be bui t. Construction started in 1898 and was comp eted in 1905. The ine and some of the origina French-bui t stations are sti used today. See Robert Nie d, China’s Foreign Places: The Foreign Presence in China in the Treaty Port Era, 1840 1943 (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2015), 108.

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or stands facing shopfronts. Innumerable sedan chairs convey from concert to concert diminutive female singers huddled in their depths. Guitar in hand, coolies carry pretty opera singers on their shoulders. On the upper Æoors of every house, wide-open bay windows reveal Celestials eating, drinking, smoking, or fanning themselves. From every direction comes the sounds of songs or squeaky stringed instruments or the shrill notes of lapas. Such is Foochow Road on this Åne evening. Night restaurants as well as cabarets are situated on the upper Æoors. The wide hallway leading to the staircase is lined with chairs concealed behind thick green curtains, one for each of the singers currently on stage. The room we enter is full of Chinese people seated around massive square tables. Very few women are among the spectators. We squeeze in not far from the stage. A boy brings us boiling hot tea in large bowls covered with a saucer while another pours in boiling water and soon transfers part of the tea thus brewed into smaller cups while what is left remains hot. Facecloths soaked in boiling water are handed out continuously. Virtually everyone is smoking a metal pipe, though a few wealthy Celestials have a cigar between their lips. At the back of the stage hangs a bright red drape with large gilded characters. At center stage is a large table covered with a cloth. On either side of the stage, female singers, most of them pretty, are seated behind the table and facing the public. These are Soochow girls. Their wide trousers and tunic recall those worn by Cantonese ladies, but their hair is more artistically arranged. Held back on both sides of the head and cut in beveled fashion, it is gathered at the back into a bun and adorned with metal ornaments and pearls. Each girl wears splendid rings on her Ångers and innumerable bangles on her wrists. All have small feet, and their faces are made up in white and red. ArtiÅcial eyebrows are traced in black pencil. Each singer takes it in turn to burst into song while accompanying herself on a guitar known as a pipa. They pay no attention whatsoever to the spectators who surround them. They sing among themselves, smoke, drink tea, and soon disappear to make room for their successors. Behind these ladies, one or two musicians accompany them on a crude Åddle (huqin) and drum sticks guhui).33 The melody is rather gentle 33 Hú qín 傉䏜 is the name given to the fami y of bowed, two-string instruments with a skin-covered sound box, and not an individua type of instrument. The best known

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Feminine types

on the whole. But not a single member of the audience understands a word of it, my companion informs me, even though the head waiter comments that virtually every Chinese person present knows the theme of each song and therefore Ånds the performance quite interesting. At every moment, a coolie comes up the stairs holding a large lantern made of oil paper carried at the end of a short stick, followed by a young girl with minuscule feet. Holding her amah by the hand, she takes tiny steps toward the stage. Behind them is a second coolie carrying her guitar. Neighboring ladies begin prattling. Dressed in spotlessly clean costumes and most seductively decked out, these girls frequent the cabarets not so much for the earnings they can expect from attendance but in order to be seen, showcase themselves, and build up a personal clientele. Let me explain. At a cabaret, each singer earns the modest sum of 60 sapèques. Her three sedan carriers receive one hundred pieces of the same currency, which they share among themselves. The girl’s amah wanders about the auditorium with her mistress’s pipe. If she comes across a friendly face, she o‫ٺ‬ers its Chinese owner the metal pipe in order to induce him of these instruments in the West is probab y the erhu.

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to request a song for the singer to perform. His selection accepted, the title of the song is written in paintbrush, and the admirer contributes one dollar per song to the establishment’s kitty. Of this, the singer receives 30 cents and the sedan carriers ten cents, to be shared among themselves. The amah is not included in the distribution. I mentioned the singers’ indirect earnings and personal clientele. Often, mandarins or wealthy merchants stop over in Shanghai for a few days, where they receive their friends. This is an occasion for festivities and feasts that cannot take place without the accompaniment of a pipa or songs. At night, the Celestials head for the cabarets to see, hear, and choose. In the course of the carousing, they review the singers whose voice or impish mien they Ånd seductive. Every guest at a Chinese banquet assists in drawing up the list shortly before the start of the meal. The host often appeals to his friends’ good taste and writes in paintbrush on a thin sheet of paper the names of the artistes, whom a servant immediately invites to join the revelers. In such a case, the pretty singer receives a handsome dollar, which is hers to keep. This is the most obvious of their rewards. Night after night, renowned singers can net sizable takings since their presence at such a meeting is rarely required for more than 15 minutes. The Foochow repertoire includes diverse genres. While some of the songs are racy or recall heroic feats from Chinese history, most are imbued with that Oriental sentimentality that is so charming and melancholy. General Chen Jitong, an old acquaintance of Parisians, whom I met again in Shanghai,34 kindly agreed to translate a traditional song still in vogue for In the Land of Pagodas. This is a bonus, as this exquisite poetry has never been published in our language. Ardent ReÆections During the Four Seasons35 In Spring, my thoughts turn to the Åne weather, When sprouting grass covers the ground with a beguiling green carpet; 34 Chen Jitong (1851 1907), the author of the Foreword. See the Introduction for more information. 35 These yrics seem to be a variation of the o d Suzhou fo k song ater popu arized in the 1937 movie Street Angels with the tit e Si Ji Ge (“Song of Four Seasons”).

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Mist shrouds the willows; But this amorous husband of mine is still on his travels far away. I am lazy and neglect my hair, And the looking glass on my toilette often remains shut. Why bother to make up when my husband is not here to admire me? Perhaps he has with him another soul he adores, Forgetting the one he once loved to distraction?

Chorus Heaven! You are still very young, husband, You may not give in thus to a change of heart. In Summer, my thoughts turn to the lotus Æowers that spread out on water, Their color is fresher than that of my face. Where is my beloved husband at this instant, In this season of insupportable heat? My tears are as abundant as the waters of the Siang River, Often drenching my gauze garments. I sit alone under the pavilion’s tent, my thoughts solely with the object of my love. I have no strength for embroidering a pair of doting birds. When will you return and let me impart all of my melancholy thoughts?

Chorus Heaven! You show no mercy! Why keep us apart thus? In Autumn, my thoughts turn to the full moon. The crickets’ trills redouble my dejection. My heart constricts As it beholds the conjunction of two stars: the Weaver and the Shepherd. Who is playing the Æute in the distance, Its melody carried by a chill wind that makes me shiver?

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At dusk, silently, a cold rain begins to fall. The calls of sparrows are enough to startle me. I would like to write a letter to my husband, But how will it be delivered?

Chorus Heaven! Tell me if he knows All that my heart holds. In Winter, my thoughts turn to plum tree Æowers the color of wax. Snow swirls in the air like goose down. In such icy conditions, why does my husband not return? He must be cold over there, A thought that deepens my melancholy. Who takes care of covering him up at night? Do you ever think of that crazed and sad little woman? Alas! Methinks you forgot the love of yesteryear.

Chorus Heaven! Examine your conscience, my husband, And the heavens above will reward you. Having passed all four seasons in deep sadness, I seem to recognize my returning husband’s voice. My heart Ålls with joy, I rush to the door and open it for him. With one hand I tug on his sleeve, while with the other I lean on his shoulder. How happy I am to behold him again today! Together we enter our lodging, And burn incense in gratitude to heaven.

Chorus Heaven, we thank you! Being reunited gives me a new lease on life and ends my sadness.

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Is it possible to imagine anything more graceful, more delicate, more dainty even than this old song by an unknown poet, passed down the centuries thanks to the memory of the Suzhou singers! Near the cabarets are innumerable vast multi-story restaurants through which we meander. Next to the tables along the walls are daybeds on which numerous Chinamen smoke opium. In the hallways below, peddlers and vendors o‫ٺ‬er fruit, tobacco, and baubles of all kinds. Shantung Road, a cross street, is just as noisy and as brilliantly lit up. Slightly set back on the left is a Chinese theater. An unpleasant smell arises from the vicinity of this establishment. The urinals are decidedly primitive in the International Concession. The square auditorium is vast, with a broad promenade running all around the tiered seats beneath the gallery. About 2,000 spectators can be accommodated. Once again, we sit down at a table to which is brought the inevitable tea. Among the public and especially in the gallery are many smartly dressed ladies as well as Buddhist monks in gray robes. There is plenty of smoking, shouting, and drinking. On stage, which is invaded on either side by the crowd, a kind of comedy is being performed in modern costumes. The racy drolleries have the public in stitches. From time to time, all we hear is relatively soft music. The male actors who take the parts of women are astonishing for the verisimilitude of their demeanor. It is almost as though they too have tiny feet. The entire troupe performs perilous leaps, which the men-women execute with feet tightly wrapped in narrow bandages. These bouts are highly original. But what is most astonishing about them is the speed at which the combatants spin around like tops, Årst in one direction and then in the other, as they bring their sabers or lances into contact with prodigious skill. I have one more call to make on my tour. I mentioned earlier that the concessions are laid out with some streets perpendicular to the Whangpoo while others are parallel to it. The result is a series of squares and rectangles, each crisscrossed with innumerable alleyways. Every step reveals a doorway made of sandstone and surmounted by a roof turned up at the edges in imitation of – 149 –

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Actors

a ridge beam and displaying a large number of original subjects carved in gray stone. This is the entrance to the alleyway. Inside, lanterns shine a faint beam onto the pathway. All along are welcoming houses in which Chinese men and women chitchat, munch roasted seeds, suck on candied fruit, or smoke opium. On the doorsteps are engaging gossips or women rendered mute by the white make-up on their faces. Here and there, a sedan chair awaits its master or mistress. We enter one or two of these interiors to the considerable surprise of the Sons of Heavens, who however make no attempt to pick a quarrel with us. Their good humor is not noisy. There is little agitation in these countless alleyways, which take us meandering back to the French Concession. We reach the hotel exhausted. When I am in the mood for nighttime diversion, I will not come and spend the season in Shanghai. But the locals seem to have tremendous fun. Many sit down at a cabaret table every night and devote their full attention to the exact same girls singing songs that have been crooned for centuries and which the spectators themselves have known since childhood. In fact, when I think of the imbecilities of our Parisian music halls, I wonder why we should Ånd fault with these Foochow regulars. – 150 –

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Sunday, October 9 I am to be at Shanghai’s railway station at ten o’clock. A rickshaw takes me there through the Foreign Concession and the Hongkou district. We pass a superb pagoda, new but closed. This is where the Viceroy of Nanking resides when he is in town as high-ranking mandarins have the use of a pagoda as a pied-à-terre. The Railway Station is a handsome building located at the end of a boulevard, both sides of which are farmed. Even in second class, the very comfortable cars o‫ٺ‬er private compartments for those who favor relative solitude. Especially noteworthy are the seats with adjustable backs, like those of ocean liners. This allows passengers to choose whether to face the locomotive or the brake van. Along the way are rice paddies, cotton Åelds, and especially tumuli. Everywhere one looks are mounds, cement tombs, even vast numbers of wooden co‫ٻ‬ns simply deposited in the middle of Åelds. Like those of ancient Rome, farmers respect this spot devoted to death and plow around it. The appearance of such a tormented rural area is very odd. The Wusong train stops at three intermediate stations. The train still cannot achieve the speed of the Imperial Indian Mail. But let us quote the words of an anonymous brochure devoted to the Villa of the CertiÅable, which has just been published in Shanghai. “The railway,” the Petit Baedeker des Familles informs us,36 passes through an area extraordinarily rich in game. Quail, pheasant, hare, and wild sparrows swirl around the wheels of the locomotive, but as the convoy does not exceed a quarter of the speed of the most plodding of European trains, a favorite sport is to have coolies run along the train and collect the game the travelers shoot through the windows of the cars. The pay is 20 cents per 150 kilometer run plus meals, which consist of rice but no wine.

Fortunately, my fellow inmates, the CertiÅable themselves, Åll our car, 36 Baedeker is the we -known brand of trave books Årst pub ished in Germany in 1897. There were no Baedeker trave guides pub ished for China in 1898 or 1899 (the Årst to inc ude China was the guide to Russia, Tehran, Port Arthur, and Peking, pub ished in 1914). Raquez is using this tit e ironica y to refer to the “anonymous brochure” pub ished in Shanghai.

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Tombs in a Åeld along a creek

intent on proving that they deserve their conÅnement. These good folks are delighted at this opportunity to amuse themselves following a week of stubborn labor in what is in every respect the overheated atmosphere of Shanghai, where international commerce rages from Monday to Saturday, week in and week out. In days gone by, depression reigned among bachelors on Sundays. Only yesterday, I heard one of them, whom Fortune had hardly scorned, conÅde that he often felt down, really down. The acquisition of the Wusong villa has made it possible to bring together the diverse elements of French gaiety. Meeting more often makes it possible to know and appreciate each other better. Once a week, it is as though we were in France, with its songs and frank laughter untrammeled by whisky. Before we reach Wusong, our attention is drawn to a small plot in pitiful condition. This is a small cemetery where a naval cadet and a non-commissioned o‫ٻ‬cer from our country as well as two or three of our compatriots are buried. Frankly, a little maintenance would do no harm to the good reputation of our own reverence for the dead in a country that honors the departed so loyally. Wusong Station is small and very spruce. We come to a dyke and – 152 –

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then to the river, which we must cross by ferry. Innumerable furies espy our arrival, ready to leap on their prey like leopards. One must see and especially hear these sampan boat-women to appreciate the energy packed inside these yellow frames. Eventually, we all manage to squeeze into the various sampans, and we are given the opportunity to once again admire the skill of these navigators, who cut across a powerful current and deliver us safely to the Chinese village. Half-an-hour’s walk along the river, and we reach Princess Pier, or the Princess’s Pear,37 where, the previously-quoted author informs us, “the visitor can admire two severe-looking but artistically built monumental gates that demonstrate beyond doubt that long before Adam and Eve’s capers, the Chinese had invented frescoes.”38 A most generously appointed canteen awaits us, and while the table is being provisioned, over-eager hunters – who answer to the names of Foy, the scourge of hares, Appay and Brand, the French volunteer company’s champions, Rey, the Bu‫ٺ‬alo Bill of Shanghai, and countless other fanatics – organize a competition with Flaubert pistols in the villa’s gardens.39 Lunch is delicious. The Åring goes on but the projectiles have changed. What we have now is a barrage of witticisms and an avalanche of bananas, which come to an end only when the light songs and monologues that accompany dessert begin. It is now time for mad piggyback races all over the meadows. Once I have mentioned that the villa serves as an important destination for hunting and Åshing expeditions, that the sight of the turbulent and chocolate-colored waters of the Yangtze is one of indescribable beauty, and that among other curiosities, the immediate vicinity features a lighthouse and a Chinese fort, I will, I trust, have provided my readers with su‫ٻ‬cient information to entice them to visit this place of delights, amours, and organ music. Only the organ music is missing. That is promised for Sunday. To37 This pun re ies on the orthographic resemb ance between pier and pear and, given what fo ows, appears to suggest Eve’s app e and its notorious consequences. 38 This untrans atab e pun re ies on the simi arity between frasques (mischief) and fresques (frescoes). 39 A sing e shot, breech- oading, hammer-operated sporting pisto designed to Åre either 5.5 or 6mm cartridges.

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ward evening, the steamer Normand welcomes us aboard and takes us upstream back to Shanghai. On the way, we glimpse the Geion, a German cruiser with three funnels built on a somewhat old-fashioned model, and the Hué, the new liner of the Marty trading house Æying our tricolor next to the dragons of the Chinese gunboats. On either shore, docks, factories, and massive constructions become increasingly frequent. And Ånally Shanghai, with its Bund and its electric globes that begin to Æicker in the evening penumbra.

October 10 It is well known that consuls in post abroad are invested with multiple functions and broad powers. They represent France and simultaneously fulÅll the functions of Registry O‫ٻ‬ce, public o‫ٻ‬cials, and both civil and criminal magistrates. It is before them that French citizens residing in the concessions are brought. The Court of Appeal is that of Saigon, which has jurisdiction over all of the Far East. As regards the Chinese, we most wisely concluded that it was necessary to leave to magistrates of their own race the task of imposing traditional punishments, which are the only measures that can keep the Sons of Heaven on the straight and narrow. Every three weeks, a mandarin visits each concession to administer justice. He is assisted by a European, who must be consulted before each sentence is passed, an arrangement that guarantees impartiality. This is how what is called the Mixed Court operates. Last week, the Court of the Foreign Concession reached a decision that demonstrates a singular form of impartiality on the part of the British magistrate, the instigator of this sentence. Here are the facts. On his master’s orders, a Chinese boy had thrown boiling water over some rats caught in a trap. But apparently, there is a law protecting animals from crimes of this type, and it is on that basis that the wretch was sentenced to a 20-dollar Åne and 200 strokes of the bamboo cane. This is absolutely true. The poor servant’s master was a Mr. Curtis. One wonders how far this aberration will be taken when it is used to protect such pests. May this rat-loving magistrate see his house turned into a shelter for every rodent in Shanghai! Apparently, the protagonist himself matters little when he happens – 154 –

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to be Chinese. The cane is his lot. But animals are God’s creatures. We owe them succor and protection. Long live the rats! This morning, we attend a session of the Mixed Court, which sits in the French Consulate General. On the rostrum is a fat Chinaman, all gold-framed spectacles and blue buttons.40 His costume is of black and yellow silk and most attractive. Near him are the French assessor, Mr. Hauchecorne, the consulate’s interpreter, the Chief of Police, and the court clerk.4 An enormous Celestial with an alert face acts as go-between during the magistrate’s questioning of the accused and the witnesses. A table is reserved for members of the press. Four Chinamen armed with paintbrushes miss not a single word and take meticulous notes. All of the accused are brought in, not with a chain around their neck as in Canton but free and unimpeded by the handcu‫ٺ‬s we saw on their wrists as they were being dragged from jail. They consist of Åve men in rags and one neatly turned out female. The case concerns the rape of a young woman. Explanations are lengthy but not particularly clear. The judge calls for new witnesses and sends the accused back to prison. As for the woman, she is released on bail after two neat piles of dollar bills have been deposited on the judge’s desk by one of her parents. But half-an-hour after this interrogation, who should appear halfway through the session but the young victim herself. About 20 and rather sweet, she does not appear to have o‫ٺ‬ered much resistance to her ravishers. This view of the matter seems to be also that of the judge as he releases the accused and sends the parental plainti‫ٺ‬s to the devil. Next is a procession of vagrants, followed by bracelet, clothing, and vegetable thieves, who Ånd themselves sentenced to the stocks or the cane. But these are only carried out inside the jail. But yesterday, I came across in the streets of the Concession a Chi40 According to a 19th century observer, “It is we known that the mi itary and civi ofÅcers of the Chinese government wear upon their caps, as distinctive marks, buttons of di‫ٺ‬erent co ours, according to the rank which they ho d. A red or cora button is appropriated to a genera ; a transparent b ue one, to a co one , &c.” See Peter Auber, China: An Outline of its Government, Laws, and Policy (London: Parbury A en, 1834), 67. 41 The Directory (1899) ists Hauchecorne as interpreter with the French Consu ate in Shanghai as we as interpreter and assessor with the Mixed Court. According to the Journal of the Shanghai Literary and ScientiÅc Society (1900), his initia was “A.”

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naman with his neck in the stocks on which his misdemeanor was inscribed in ink. Accompanied by a local policeman, he was walking slowly. This recalls the pillory of our Ancien Régime, which was used to punish similar wrongdoings and was without doubt eminently exemplary. The Mixed Court has jurisdiction not only over misdemeanors and crimes committed by the Chinese but also over civil or commercial disputes arising between Chinese and French residents of the Shanghai District or even any European or Chinese residents of the French Concession. Article 35 of the Treaty of Tientsin stipulates that, Whenever a French citizen has any type of grievance whatsoever against a Chinese person, he shall Årst take the case to the Consul, who, after reviewing it, shall make every attempt to resolve it amicably. Likewise, whenever a Chinese citizen has a grievance against a French subject, the Consul shall give the case full consideration and make every e‫ٺ‬ort to bring the dispute to a negotiated conclusion. But if in either case conciliation proves impossible, the Consul shall request the assistance of a competent Chinese mandarin, and once the case has received full consideration, they shall reach a joint and equitable decision.

It is in execution of this article that the Mixed Court was instituted in the French Concession, on which a Chinese mandarin and a representative of the Consulate General regularly sit. It is not di‫ٻ‬cult to see how the French magistrate in the Mixed Court plays a predominant role in commercial cases involving Europeans. This can lead to bizarre consequences. If two French subjects are in dispute, the Consular Court is called upon to arbitrate. The Court President is the Consul General himself, the highest-ranking o‫ٻ‬cial in the colony and a man of considerable experience, even if he feels compelled to seek the assistance of two notable French citizens with intimate knowledge of the business practices and customs of the country. If instead of facing one of his compatriots, one of the parties Ånds that his adversary is a Chinese subject, he is called before the Mixed Court, that is, before a single judge, usually the Consulate’s interpreter. But in such a major commercial city as Shanghai, where Chinese merchants have daily dealings with Europeans, disputes between them are bound to arise. The di‫ٺ‬erence in how these are handled is striking. Perhaps the operations of the Mixed Court in commercial cases should be reviewed while staying within the terms of the Treaty of Tientsin. – 156 –

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French policeman Prisoners paraded in the street Chinese member of the French police force

The Court of Appeal is the High Court, which is composed of the Consul General and the Taotai of Shanghai.

October 11 It is time to visit the French Concession’s Chinese jail. Located at the far end of Rue du Consulat, well shaded and with an attractive appearance, the remand center resembles a villa designed for leisure rather than anguish and repentance. Inside, everything is spotlessly clean. It features a large rectangular hall, six to seven meters high and lit from above. I recall seeing something similar in London’s Zoological Gardens, but with big cats taking the place of the humans I see here in cages. Thick iron bars rise from the Æoor all the way to the roof. Camp beds line the walls. And here are the cages. In the one on the right, some ten or twelve unchained Chinese jailbirds wander about, sit, or lie down as they please. These are the remand prisoners. Six of them have just been locked up for gouging with their Ångers the eyes of one of their compatriots whose good fortune they envied. The cage on the left contains previously sentenced prisoners, all of them with the stocks around their neck, which look more cumbersome – 157 –

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than heavy. There are about 30 of them. They form a strange company as they cast fearful or mean looks in our direction. The silence is absolute. These wretches in rags, their hands limp or vicious looking, as motionless as statues, their heads isolated from their bodies by the stocks, suggest a fantastical display from the Museum of Horrors.42 In a semi-circular cage along one of the short sides of the hall, about ten men are in jail for debts. A few women, already sentenced or on remand, occupy vast cells hidden from prying eyes. Enter the mandarin we already met at the Courthouse. He has come to carry out the sentences. This large, beatiÅcally-faced man adjusts his gold-framed spectacles and settles himself in the jail’s Grand Chamber. Next to him is the Head Warden, like all the other wardens a Frenchman, then the Consulate General’s Chinese interpreter. Servants extract from a small chest the magistrate’s ledgers, paintbrushes, and seals while a copper bowl is Ålled with boiling water into which are dipped the facecloths used during ablutions. Each prisoner is brought to the bar one by one so that his identity can be conÅrmed and is then led to the doorway, where he drops his trousers and lies Æat on his belly on a doormat. A Chinese assistant places a knee on his shoulders while another grips his ankles. Armed with a thin Æexible bamboo rod, the torturer then administers a series of rapid strokes on the Æeshy part of the man’s thighs. He strikes the same spot again and again but stops after 40 strokes instead of 50 and hands over to a colleague if the sentence exceeds that amount. We therefore witness sentences consisting of 50 to 200 strokes but granting the prisoner a 20% discount. The Æesh turns blue and can become severely bruised when the execution of the sentence is drawn out, but it would be inexact to say that blood spurts or Æows freely. The recipient often screams even before the bamboo rod has made contact. He begs for mercy but manages to get back on his feet unaided, readjust his clothing, and is immediately set free. One of them, who has just been at the receiving end of 60 ju42 Raquez may be referring to the famous Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors, which Årst opened in London in 1802 and was made a permanent exhibit in 1836.

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diciously applied strokes of the rattan cane, chats and laughs with a group of Chinamen standing by the door. Women are not subjected to the same treatment. In their case, the strokes of the cane are administered to their shoulders, which are covered with a serge shirt. As for children, they are struck on their cheeks or the palms of their hands with a sort of slipper formed by three superimposed leather strips. The jailer brings forward a man in prison for debts. I learn that this punishment can be imposed through the Consulate General upon application backed by documentary evidence. Upon favorable consideration by the Principal Interpreter, the mandarin signs an arrest warrant and the debtor is locked up at the French Administration’s expense. This Celestial seems rather well o‫ٺ‬. His creditors, who are Chinese bankers, claim 10,000 taels (or 35,000 francs) from him, but they lack title and he denies the debt. Furious, the magistrate orders a policeman to slap the dishonest man’s cheeks with the slipper. The torturer grabs the man’s queue and raises the slipper. There is no need to go further. The debt is acknowledged and a guarantor proposed. Under escort, the parties depart in order to locate the guarantor and reach an agreement. What new horizons this use of the slipper opens up! This punishment is also applied to mandarins, who are not struck with the cane but hit on the hands when guilty of a misdemeanor. The judge has all of the remand prisoners brought before him, tries to extract confessions from them, and proceeds with the cases at hand. The man leaves me greatly impressed with the care and attention he devotes to the exercise of his functions. He could be held up as a role model before many purveyors of justice residing outside of China.

October 12 The Chinese population of the concessions is considerable. The 1895 census, the most recent such exercise to be conducted, shows a total of 293,000 Chinese subjects distributed over all of the territories under European jurisdiction, and in particular 45,758 yellow-faced individuals and their domestic gods located within the French Concession. The same source also provides information on the population of the various European communities, showing 2,002 British subjects, 399 – 159 –

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Germans, and 281 French citizens. For their part, Russians, Portuguese, and American nationals as well as representatives of other blue-eyed, non-slitty eyed, and usually white-skinned races reach the respectable total of 1,645, while the Japanese, Filipinos, Eurasians, and Hindus number 779, or a total of 4,707 foreign individuals.43 Undoubtedly, these Ågures have changed appreciably since 1895. In particular, German and Japanese residents are now in much greater numbers than in the past. In an urban area of 300,000 souls with considerable tra‫ٻ‬c, perfect order reigns on both sides of the Yangjingbang, thanks to the admirably organized police force. In our Concession, 46 Frenchmen and 71 Chinese o‫ٻ‬cers come under the command of Mr. Kremer, the Chief of Police, and are distributed across eastern and western stations as well as at the Central Station.44 The police force reports not to the Municipality but to the French Consulate General. In contrast, in the International Concession, since no single consul has overall authority, the police force is at the service of the Municipal Council and comes under that body’s authority. This veritable regiment comprises 690 men, who, in addition to the European personnel, include 454 Chinese policemen or detectives and 130 Sikhs, the latter be-turbaned and cutting a Åne Ågure as they patrol Bubbling Well and its vicinity on horseback. Over a short period of years, the Chinese o‫ٻ‬cers have been well trained and provide genuine service. Those wearing the tricolor insignia did their duty bravely on the occasion of the riots that took place last July.

43 Raquez makes an error in his ca cu ation by dropping the 399 Germans from the tota , which shou d be 5,106. 44 The Directory (1899) ists J. B. Kremer as Commander of the Po ice, French Municipa ity, Shanghai.

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Chapter Nine

Shanghai Dead or alive? – Terror in China – The Chinese city – The museum – Commerce – The port – Railways and mines – Cotton and silk spinning – The godowns – Poor little birds! – The Ningbo Pagoda riot

October 13 I spoke the other day about the suppression of Chinese newspapers ordered by the Empress Dowager. This is due to the fact that a palace coup took place last month in Peking. The young Guangxu Emperor, who had resolutely embarked on reforms along the path of progress, gave way – willingly or reluctantly – to his aunt the old Cixi, who was totally dominated by the conservative faction, in other words utterly tradition-bound. Is it really credible that at the end of the 19th century, in a city where the representatives of the major powers are located, it has been impossible for over 20 days to learn whether the Emperor to whom these representatives are accredited is alive or dead? In fact, the Cantonese Kang Youwei, the leader of the Reformist Party, who was charged on September 23 with killing the Emperor and on whose head a 2,000-tael reward was placed by the Shanghai Taotai, managed to escape and shelter from all legal proceedings. But since that moment, daily executions add to the list of victims, and numerous heads have fallen to the executioner’s cutlass. Top-ranking imperial Ågures are being relieved of their status and their property conÅscated, and they Ånd themselves exiled to Manchuria or Chinese Turkestan. In Guangxi and Guangdong, rebels gain territory and partisans 1 Kang Youwei (1858 1927) was one of the eaders of the Hundred Days Reform Movement, which supported the modernization of China and favored the Guangxu Emperor.

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every day. Perhaps their numbers will swell further with the ranks of innumerable malcontents. What will be the lot of European interests, those Western Devils so reviled by the tradition-bound faction? These serious questions greatly concern the colonials of the Far East. Today, the Calédonien is expected to dock with a group of seventeen engineers of the Hankow–Peking railway. Accordingly, the Quai de France is thick with onlookers when the launch of the Messageries brings the mailboat’s passengers ashore. Ten of the engineers are Belgian, Åve French, and two more Italian and Swiss. At their head is Mr. Petit, a Panama Canal engineer and former student of our École Centrale. This afternoon at the door of the hotel, I ran into a small group of Chinamen surrounding a young Belgian returning from a drive in a rickshaw. I learned that the engineer had just given the coolie one dollar but the latter was demanding a second. The run had lasted 40 minutes. In fact, the maximum price is 20 cents for the Årst hour. Imagine the man’s audacity! When I tried to take down the rickshaw’s number, its operator had vanished. As a general rule, the more you give a Chinese coolie, the more he will demand from you. If you are generous, he will conclude that you are ignorant of local customs, new to the country, and unfamiliar with the currency and assume that there will be no limits to your ignorance. Most of the time, he succeeds. Obviously, the day of the mailboat’s arrival is a propitious one for Shanghai’s Æea-ridden rabble. In the evening, accompanied by a few friends, I wander among the Foochow Road cabarets as well as the theater, where we once again admire the acrobats’ skill and their life-like mimicry. In fact, we enjoy the expedition twice over because one of our companions is Marshall Su’s highly-esteemed auxiliary, a Frenchman named Mr. Bertrand, who has the Chinese rank of General, complete with its coral button and who speaks most of the Middle Kingdom’s dialects admirably.2 2 Marsha Su Yuanchuan (1844 1908) was the commander of the Chinese Army in Guangxi, on the border with Tonkin. Su had assisted the French in demarcating the

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It is quite a spectacle to witness the astonishment of the sta‫ ٺ‬or our neighbors when they hear a European address them in such a manner. At one point, a well-o‫ ٺ‬Chinaman at a nearby table asks Mr. Bertrand who he is, and hearing the reply, contorts himself in praise.3 All those around us are as goggle-eyed as their slitty eyes will allow them. Last night, there was a Åre in the Chinese district of the British Concession, and tonight, it is the Portuguese district that falls prey to the Æames. The position of ÅreÅghter is no sinecure in Shanghai.

October 14 Today, a young German who was part of both the Volunteer Corps and the FireÅghting Corps is being buried. Uniforms can be seen all over the Foreign Concession. The German volunteers gather on the Bund. There are about 20 of them in white helmets topped with a gilded spike, dark blue coats held tight by a broad white belt, trousers of the same dark color as the coat, and on their sleeves the profusion of buttons that habitually adorns the uniforms of soldiers from beyond the Rhine. A little-known fact is that this singular ornamentation dates back to Frederick the Great, disconcerted as he was at the sight of some of his soldiers fouling their uniforms by using their sleeves as handkerchiefs. To cure his troopers of this bad habit, the Monarch had metal buttons attached to the sleeves, which from that point on have remained unsullied. The o‫ٻ‬cer in command of the Volunteer Corps, a slender man of distinguished mien, his belt tightly fastened around a coat that curves outward over his chest, wanders up and down on Årm legs, dragging his saber along behind him. One by one, his volunteers stand to attention before him in a most military manner. borders of Guangzhou in 1898. He was we respected by the French and often interacted with them. He was sentenced to death by imperia decree in 1903, essentia y for cooperating too c ose y with foreigners, but happi y, was re eased in 1904 thanks to French government pressure. Raquez wou d mention Su speciÅca y in an artic e in La Revue Indochinoise entit ed “Choses de Chine,” 259 (October 5, 1903): 924 925. 3 Georges-Pierre Bertrand (dates unknown). In 1906, he pub ished a book about his experiences entit ed Dix Ans sur les frontières du Sud de la Chine et du Tonkin, de 1896 à 1906 (Mayenne: Imprimerie C. Co in). See Lee, France and the Exploitation of China, 160 and 172.

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Once the entire complement has assembled, the o‫ٻ‬cer has his men execute some weapon handling. His orders are briefer and louder than ours, the moves faster but less regular. After standing at ease leaning on his weapon, the butt by the toes of his right foot, the soldier raises his weapon to his left shoulder in a single move. Each man is handed three blank cartridges with which to Åre a triple salvo over their comrade’s grave. I accompany the German volunteers as far as the mortuary. Their march is steady and perfectly in step. The funeral cortege assembles and sets o‫ٺ‬. At its head are two British policemen on horseback. The concession’s bands consist exclusively of Filipinos. They are almost all ugly but their execution is not without merit. Unlike in most cities, these musicians are not amateur performers who gather for speciÅc occasions. Here, they form a permanent corps of professionals conducted by a resident of Shanghai, Commander Véla,4 and in Summer give daily concerts either in the public park or at the racecourse. In fact, music accompanies ceremonies of all kinds: soirées given by a consul, races, regattas, demonstrations by visiting musicians, theatrical performances, etc. The company of German volunteers precedes the co‫ٻ‬n, which is placed on a long rescue ladder carried horizontally and drawn by the dead man’s comrades. Perched on the highest section of the vehicle, a ÅreÅghter directs operations by means of a wheel he uses as rudder. Top hats, which had been absent from my horizons for over a year, are brought out for the occasion by those following the cortege. They form an extraordinary collection. Here is the entire history of hat making! Following family members is a delegation of ÅreÅghters in helmets, boots, and bright red coats. The o‫ٻ‬cer of the corps of Åremen brings up the rear. The fat commanding o‫ٻ‬cer did not forget his nickel-plated trumpet.

October 15 What a piece of luck! I am introduced to Mr. de Marteau,5 the distinguished engineer and former interim General Manager of works on 4 The Directory (1899) ists a Commander M. Vé a, professor of music, at 6 Soochow Road. 5 See the Introduction for more information on Émi e de Marteau (dates unknown) and the Société Généra e d’Études Industrie es et de Travaux Pub ics.

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the Panama Canal and now the representative in China of two French companies: the Société Générale d’Études Industrielles et de Travaux Publics, and the Société Française d’Explorations Minières. The latter holds the concession for all mines in Guizhou Province. Its representative expects to leave shortly on a visit to that part of China to take possession of some of the mines as well as of a steel mill acquired by the company. A veritable expedition is being organized. I obtain from its obliging leader permission to join it in my capacity as tourist, and I thank heaven for this unique opportunity to further my study of the Chinese people, whom I Ånd so interesting in every respect.

Sunday, October 16 Sunday brings us back to the Villa of the CertiÅable. But this time, I cannot resist the urge to try the famous wheelbarrows, which the Wusong coolies make available to us at the pier. With Mr. Ackermann as counterweight, we settle on thin cushions, one leg folded back with a knee up in the air, the other stretched in the direction the wheelbarrow is heading.6 Clearly, the vehicle lacks springs, and we feel every bump in the ground. But what is admirable is the strength of these coolies as they canter or even run in order to pass one another without appearing to be bothered in the slightest by the substantial weight they bear. The villa has acquired an excellent piano. We inaugurate it with great dignity. Mr. Vinay, the stockbroker, is a performer and composer of the Årst order. Young Mr. Rousseau interprets Fragson’s repertoire with rare perfection. Mr. Harris showcases the (supposed) charms of British melodies. Mr. Chosseler drops a Ånancier’s grave air to make us laugh with his monologues. Good Mr. Van der Stegen, the representative of the Cockerill trading house, is the Årst to propose a toast to Shanghai, just as Mr. Forest is the city’s foremost hunter. Along with Mr. Brand and that excellent companion who answers to the name of Binder, they managed to bag fairly mild prey on the way to Wusong.

6 The Directory (1899) ists G. Ackermann as a si k trader with Racine, Ackermann, and Co.

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Our Nimrods have been beating the bushes since daybreak, and they almost murdered one quail.7 Here is Nigg, the French Messageries pilot and billiards champion at Nagasaki, who just guided the arriving Natal into Wusong. 8 Dessert is served, and the ghosts of Bruant’s cabaret must twitch with delight as the Villa of the CertiÅable resounds with greetings they will surely recognize.9 In the process, brave Nigg loses his appetite, to the utter despair of Mr. Racine, the Ånest regimental Master of Ceremonies one could wish for. Apparently, we can be heard two miles away. Legions of Chinamen gather. But are we not at the Villa of the CertiÅable?

October 1 7 We still cannot ascertain whether the Emperor is dead or alive. This situation has endured for nearly a month, to the great detriment of European interests invested in China. As these projects were about to be executed, everything was called into question by the coming to power of the Empress Dowager. The origins of this coup are now known: what appears to be behind it is a power struggle between Great Britain and Russia. Russia seeks no industrial concessions in China. She is not trying to develop a country that does not belong to her. She wishes to feel at home. As a result, Manchuria, while it remains nominally Chinese, has become a Russian province pure and simple. Cossacks occupy it militarily in order to provide protection for railway builders. They are there, and there they will remain. Russia seeks annexation, pow-

7 The Directory (1899) ists the fo owing: Henri Vinay, broker, Ta ay Bui dings; E. Rousseau, a c erk at Van der Stegen & Company; Thomas H. Harris, accountant at China Merchant’s S. N. Company’s bonded warehouse; L. Van der Stegen, merchant, Van der Stegen Company; M. Forest, si k inspector, Car owitz and Company; D. Brand, merchant, Brand Brothers and Company; E. Binder, c erk at O iver de Langenhagen and Company. Harry Fragson (1869 1913), born Léon Phi ippe Pot, was a British music ha singer and showman who a so performed successfu y in Paris. Nimrod, a “mighty hunter,” was the great-grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:9). 8 The Directory (1899) ists M. L. Nigg as a icensed ship pi ot and G. Racine as a si k trader with Racine, Ackermann, and Co. 9 On Aristide Bruant (1851 1925), see the Introduction.

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erfully aided by old Li Hongzhang, 0 a staunch supporter of Russian inÆuence. But our Russian ally Årst found in its path Great Britain, an enemy all the more redoubtable now that through judicious nurturing, she had acquired enormous inÆuence with the young Emperor. The Monarch was surrounded by advisers as intelligent as they were daring. He felt at ease among familiars of his own age educated in the British schools of Shanghai. We shall soon be introduced to some of them. The entire British e‫ٺ‬ort was aimed at containing Russian expansion. It was therefore essential that Li Hongzhang be removed. The plan was successful, though not without some di‫ٻ‬culty. But the old Viceroy managed to circumscribe the Empress Dowager, whose life he had once saved. This, according to Kang Youwei, is when with the assistance of the false eunuch Li Lianying, an ally of Li Hongzhang and the most intimate of all advisers to the old Cixi, what was purely a struggle between two sources of inÆuence, of necessity given the position of both adversaries and their auxiliaries, became a merciless clash pitting a younger generation of the Reformist Party and the tradition-bound faction backed by literary men and the old mandarins. With Li Hongzhang’s disgrace, Great Britain had won the Årst round. But Russia has just won the second as a result of the fall of the Emperor and his favorites. Who will win the clincher? This is the question the great powers are asking, being hesitant to hasten a solution acceptable to their Peking representatives, a somewhat odd situation in the eyes of laymen since for a whole month now, the representatives of the great powers have been unable to ascertain whether the Sovereign to whom they are accredited is dead or alive. Everyone senses that the critical moment has arrived and is aware that a generalized conÆict could arise from contact between the great powers called upon to dismember alive this severely sick patient we call the Chinese Empire. 10 Li Hongzhang (1823 1901) was a powerfu po itician recognized for his ro e in he ping to modernize Chinese industry. 11 Li Lianying (1848 1911) was a dominant Ågure in the Forbidden City, where he he d the tit e of Grand Supervisor.

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Meanwhile, terror reigns without end, and the continuing executions put humanity to shame. I now propose to discuss some of the victims. Young Lin Xu was the son-in-law of Taotai Shen, former defense supremo for Southern China and Secretary to Zhang Zhidong, Viceroy of the two Hus. 2 Taotai Shen is the head of the most important family in Fuzhou. We are in large part indebted to his father for Navy Lieutenant Giquel 3 being dispatched to that city and consequently for the presence of the Frenchmen who succeeded each other in its famous arsenal. In 1897, on his return from the festivities marking Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, to which he had been sent as Special Delegate, Chang Yinhuan, 4 Minister of Finance and President of the Railways and Mines Commission, noticed young Lin Xu, who had just spent two years in a British school in Shanghai. He brought him into his service, took him to Peking, and had him appointed Secretary to the Emperor. His Majesty Guangxu took the young man into his a‫ٺ‬ection. One day, he even had him dressed in the European style to judge the e‫ٺ‬ect of the costume. Satisfying this caprice was the only crime committed by the unfortunate Lin Xu, whose head the bloodthirsty Dowager has just had cut o‫ٺ‬. He was 22. His family hastened to Shanghai in search of his young wife, who also speaks English. There were concerns that she too would su‫ٺ‬er her husband’s fate. In fact, I just learned that rather than follow her husband to the grave, she poisoned herself by swallowing an opium

12 Lin Xu (1875 1898) was executed by Empress Dowager Cixi as one of the so-ca ed “Six Gent emen Martyrs” when she put an end to Emperor Guanxu’s Hundred Days Reform movement. Shen Yuqing (1858 1918) was a friend of Chen Jitong, the author of the Preface to this book. Zhang Zhidong (1837 1909) was Viceroy of Huguang (Hubei and Hunan provinces combined) on three separate occasions: 1889 1894, 1896 1902, and 1904 1907. 13 Prosper Marie Gique (1835 1886) p ayed a key ro e in the modernization of China by working c ose y with the Chinese authorities to bring Western engineering know edge and educationa methods to China as part of the Se f-Strengthening Movement (1861 1895). 14 Chang Yinhuan (1837 1900), a career bureaucrat and dip omat who spent considerab e time overseas, inc uding in the United States. As Raquez indicates, he trave ed to London for the Diamond Jubi ee of Queen Victoria in 1897.

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ball while on her way. Meanwhile, the Government just had the unfortunate Lin’s co‫ٻ‬n seized in Mawei near Fuzhou. 5 Three more of the Emperor’s young secretaries su‫ٺ‬ered the same fate as Taotai Shen’s son-in-law. History will record the names of Yang Rui, Liu Guangdi, and Tan Sitong, whose only crime was their youth and their Monarch’s a‫ٺ‬ection. Tan Sitong, 6 who was almost the same age as the unfortunate Lin, was originally from Hunan, and his father was Governor of Hubei Province in Wuchang, near Hankow. 7 Like Lin, he had been singled out by Chang Yinhuan and Kang Youwei, 8 the leader of the Reformist Party. Tan was a hero whose name should pass into posterity. The Empress Dowager and her henchmen were reluctant to take his life because his family was one of the most powerful in the Kingdom. The prisoner was therefore o‫ٺ‬ered exile. But this 33-year-old young man was heroic enough to reply that he wished to share his comrades’ fate. “I hope,” he declared to the Dowager’s representatives, “that the blood now being spilled will be for the good of China. It will make it possible for my compatriots to realize that now is the time for them to emerge from barbarity.” Tan’s head was duly chopped o‫ٺ‬. His father was removed from his post of Governor and formally 15 Recent y and on severa occasions, I had a chance to meet with Taotai Shen, whom I found taciturn, somber, and a pitifu sight. His friends te me that he has not been himse f since these unhappy events, even though they a ready go back a year (Ju y 1899) [Raquez]. The Åna artic e pub ished seria y in L’Écho de Chine is dated Apri 24, 1899, Shanghai, so the Ju y date of this footnote suggests that Raquez remained in China whi e the book was being co ated. The pub ished book a so inc udes an Appendix in which are reprinted etters to the editor that appeared in L’Écho de Chine comp aining about Raquez’s description of the Mixed Court in Chapter 8. Raquez’s response, which he signs “Docteur en Droit,” is dated August 8, Shanghai (417). Later footnotes in this book are dated September 1899. His next known ocation, recorded at the start of Pages Laotiennes, is Yokohama, on October 15, 1899. He reports that he departed Japan on December 1 that year. However, the Åna page of this book is dated November 1899, Shanghai. It wou d appear that Raquez spent the Summer and Autumn of 1899 most y in Shanghai. 16 Tan Sitong (1865 1898), another of the Six Gent emen Martyrs, executed by Cixi. 17 As Viceroy, Zhang Zhidong has jurisdiction over two provinces, Hunan and Hubei, each with its own governor [Raquez]. 18 Kang Youwei (1858 1927). When Cixi began to dismant e the Reform Movement, Youwei Æed to Japan, where he founded the Protect the Emperor Society.

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barred from all public functions for life. He now lives in retirement in Hunan, where his family enjoys the esteem it deserves. Perhaps young Tan’s prediction will come to pass sooner than we think. The same day saw the beheading of Kang Guangren, 9 a young man of 28 guilty of being the brother of Kang Youwei. Finally, Yang Shenxiu,20 a man of great age and merit and the Empire’s censor was the sixth victim to fall, executed on the 13th day of the 8th moon, or September 28, 1898. He had criticized the Empress Dowager’s plans and indicated in a petition his fears over a possible breakup of China. Highly special circumstances enabled me to glean from an eyewitness entirely reliable information about this historic day. The Empress had convened the Court, consisting of the Empire’s major dignitaries, in order for it to hear the case of the six reformists who found themselves under arrest. A few hours before the time appointed for the hearing, it was learned that having decided to dispense with even a simulacrum of justice, the Dowager had ordered the immediate execution of the unfortunate sextet without legal process. Troops therefore made for the market square, where at four-thirty in the afternoon, the executioners sent six heads tumbling in the presence of a huge crowd. The corpses were to remain on display for Åve days, but they had been covered with matting. A devoted hand had thrown a red sheet over poor Lin Xu, whose rigid arm seemed to suggest a Ånal protest against the cruelty of his murderers. Negotiations with the executioners then followed. Everything can be had in China if one has money. In return for sums varying between 500 and 800 taels (or 1,750 to 2,800 francs), the friends or families of the victims were permitted to remove the corpses during the night. To add horror to the scene, the executioners had reattached the head to the body of each victim by means of a triple seam. But not enough blood had been spilled. The Åve eunuchs guilty of having introduced Kang Youwei, the leader of the Reformist Party, into the Palace were brought before the Empress. In the old woman’s 19 Kang Guangren (1867 1898), another of the Six Gent emen Martyrs. 20 Yang Shenxiu (1849 1898), another of the Six Gent emen Martyrs.

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presence, they were thrashed with bamboo canes until they breathed their last. Their bodies, it is said, were reduced to mincemeat. Finally, an unfortunate stonemason’s apprentice su‫ٺ‬ered the same fate. The Empress was in conference with a Tartar general in one of the Palace’s rooms. The mason, who was making repairs to a nearby wall, stopped work in order to look at Her Majesty, an unforgivable crime. The Dowager had the man brought before her and put to death without further ado by means of the bamboo cane. Chang Yinhuan himself, now an old man of 63 and former Envoy Extraordinary to the Queen’s Jubilee and Commissary Delegate to the Paris Exposition in 1889, was on the point of undergoing the fate that had befallen the young imperial secretaries. Arrested as one of Kang Youwei’s accomplices, he was about to be led to his death. But in the middle of the night, the British Minister Sir Claude MacDonald2 dispatched an urgent message to old Li Hongzhang. The former Viceroy admitted the powerless position in which he had found himself since the sidelining of the Zongli Yamen. In the morning, Sir Claude presented himself before this assembly and declared that it was impossible to put to death a man as distinguished as Li Hongzhang, who enjoyed the personal friendship of Queen Victoria and had been decorated by Her Majesty herself. The Zongli Yamen ruled that the old ambassador was not in fact one of Kang Youwei’s confederates. This saved Chang Yinhuan’s life, but the Empress still ordered his internment in a fortiÅed compound in Mongolia. As the exile’s entourage was leaving the capital, an industrial delegation consisting of six Europeans was also on its way to that region. This almost looked like a conspiracy designed to free the prisoner. But surveillance was at its most rigorous, and a cable was dispatched at each telegraph post to reassure the Empress that her cruel sentence was being carried out. The unfortunate old man is being treated most harshly. 21 Sir C aude Maxwe MacDona d (1852 1915) was British Minister to China from 1896 to 1900. He was a key Ågure in securing Hong Kong’s New Territories for the British.

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The number of rebels grows by the day. A sizable contingent left Canton with weapons and ammunition to join the Guangdong insurgents, who have taken over the Laizhou Prefecture. A French missionary remains the prisoner of Chief Yu Mantze near Chongqing in Sichuan. His life is in grave peril.22 The great powers have sent detachments to Peking: 70 from Russia, 35 from Germany, 32 from Great Britain, and 30 from Italy, and the Japanese themselves have 32 seamen there. Both Russia and Great Britain even had their detachments accompanied by artillery pieces. And what of France? Alas! The Lion, which is due to put 30 men ashore, is calling at Shanghai today. Our soldiers will arrive two weeks later than the others. Poor France! This is quite a decline when we recall that our army took Peking and that through the protection we a‫ٺ‬orded our missions, we had a predominant position in the Far East. While Russia, Great Britain, and Germany maintain in these waters Æeets capable of facing any eventuality, we cannot land 30 men as promptly as Japan or Italy! Worse, the Bruix, the most splendid and useful vessel in our Æeet, has been recalled to France! How can those poor Frenchmen of the Far East hold their heads high among those mocking foreigners with whom they have daily contact?

October 18 I visit the Chinese city. The North Gate allows for communication between the territory of the concessions and a city surrounded by ancient crenellated walls. Above the gate is a cannon aimed menacingly at the French Concession. We wander about on foot, the only method for studying a Chinese city. The streets of Shanghai resemble those of Canton. They consist of an uninterrupted series of shops, each displaying large signs that hang over the heads of pedestrians. We see the same long, thick Æagstones paving the street. But there is none of the multitude of the Southern capital, no 22 The Catholic Encyclopedia, vo ume 14, page 420 (1913), notes: “In 1898, Father F eury was captured by Yu Mantze and kept prisoner for severa months.” The bandit eader Yu Mantze is identiÅed as a “coa miner,” and his name appears in newspaper accounts of the period as eading a sma -sca e rebe ion in the Sichuan area during 1898 and 1899. See a so Robert Davidson and I. Mason, Life in West China, Described by Two Residents in the Province of Szechwan (London: Head ey Brothers, 1905), 184.

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A tea house in the Chinese city

deafening cries, few sedan chairs, and few busy coolies. The streets are a little wider, with here and there an opening, a gap that lets in air and light. Also lacking are wealthy merchants and displays of porcelain or silk because the luxury trade has decamped to the concessions to escape the mandarins’ exactions. As a result, we see little more in the Chinese city than the country’s minor industries. Close by the gate is the guild of ivory carvers, whose specialty appears to be domino games. In general, their work is less artistic than that of the Cantonese. Here are bird sellers, whose fascinating victims Åll the air with their warbling. On tables, small cubic cages hold green grasshoppers destined for insect Åghts or kept by the Chinese for the perceived charm of their songs. And here makers of drums, lapas, and other instruments with which we are already familiar. The area’s main square is Ålled with jugglers, street performers, comic actors, men displaying monkeys and porcupines, tooth-pullers, and potion vendors and sorcerers of every description. In all, a most picturesque Cour des Miracles.23 23 Litera y the “Courtyard of Mirac es,” the phrase was Parisian argot for s ums where the new y arrived rura poor wou d congregate. The name refers to the fact

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A kind of diorama shows obscene images. We enter the outer enclosure of the Chenghuang Temple, a vast compound in which stagnant water is covered in moss.24 We see tortuous alleyways, wooden bridges, and on an islet in the center, a most attractive restaurant. Ancient and venerable, its Æoors divided by roofs turned up at the corners, the building is a marvel of local color. After negotiating a maze only an experienced guide could Ånd his way through, we reach the temple itself. Two old wooden boats sit under the porch. These are Buddha’s sampans, I am informed by a Chinaman attached to the temple, who can speak French. And this tall bearded Ågure before whom a Celestial prostrates himself ? This is the Morning Buddha, so called because every day, a crowd of Shanghai residents come to salute him before turning to their activities. We see interesting porticos and enter the Chinese city by way of a district Ålled with wood turners, sellers of baubles made of sandalwood and cedar, all extraordinarily inexpensive, locksmiths, zinc beaters, and all types of craftsmen working iron. Here and there, a man sits at a table piled with paper rolls. He is a magician, a soothsayer awaiting customers. The Chinese must be singularly curious about their future and even more gullible for so many of these sorcerers to earn their daily bread in this manner. Chestnut vendors roast their wares in a type of container the color of co‫ٺ‬ee dregs. The people we meet are gentle and inquisitive but in no way ill intentioned. Children are probably promised to be taken to see Europeans in the concessions if they behave, just as we take ours to the fair. We reach the Western Gate.

October 19 At long last! After a 27-day wait, we learn that the Emperor is alive. L’Écho de Chine is Årst to broadcast the happy tidings in a sensational dispatch. that many of the beggars who faked i ness or incapacitation whi e so iciting wou d be miracu ous y “cured” once they returned home. 24 The City God Temp e, or Chenghuang Miao, was Årst constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368 1644) and sti stands.

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The same telegram announces a dual French victory: one for science, the other for diplomacy. Apparently, the Son of Heaven is unwell. Various Court doctors as well as several Europeans were called to his sickbed. But now it is Dr. Dethève,25 of the French legation, who attends to the Monarch, and his Årst call takes place in the presence of the Empress Dowager. Mr. Vissière,26 the principal interpreter at the Legation and a most distinguished sinologist accompanies the eminent practitioner. Let us hope that we shall soon see the young Emperor once again retake the reins of power and bring this reign of terror to an end. Next is a visit to the Shanghai Museum, near the British Post OfÅce.27 Two insigniÅcant rooms display pitiful collections of seashells and animal hides. This is shameful for a city such as Shanghai in a region where so many wonders can be assembled. What is the point of giving the name of “Museum Road” to a street that leads only to the back door of a taxidermist? Of sole interest is a collection of snakes placed in straight narrow tubes, which allow visitors to contemplate these dreadful creatures in their actual dimensions. Tonight, a performance is announced at the Jin Lu Theater on Canton Road by the “famous troupe of acrobats of the Peking Imperial Theater.”28 Seats will be reserved for foreigners. A major historical drama is being performed as we enter the vast hall. The actors wear superb costumes of brocaded silk richly adorned with sparkling embroidery. They are horribly made up and sport false beards whose lengths vary according to their social standing. What is even more horrible is the orchestra. The gong and drum beat ceaselessly. Just as we conclude that the mu25 C aude Dethève (1867 1936) served in Peking from 1898 to 1906 and was a so a photographer. 26 Arno d Vissière (1858 1930) pub ished numerous books about the Chinese anguage and was made Cheva ier de a Légion d’Honneur. 27 According to Char es Ewart Darwent’s (1858 1924) 1904 guide to the city, the Museum was operated by the China Branch of the Roya Asiatic Society, with the disp ays ocated on the Æoor above their o‫ٻ‬ces. See Shanghai: A Handbook for Travellers and Residents (Shanghai: Ke y & Wa sh), 171 172. 28 In Shanghai: A Handbook, Darwent mentions a Chinese theater he ca s “Tsung Si,” or Zong Xi, on Canton Road (19).

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A theater orchestra

sicians have reached a paroxysm of fury, they redouble the rage and the din. This is enough to drive away all the pariah dogs in Constantinople!29 Only the desire to witness the famous acrobats keeps us in the auditorium. Trapezes and climbing ropes are installed above the audience. And here come the artistes, bare-chested and clad in only breeches that were once black but now of indeterminate color. On their feet are heavy shoes. The Imperial Theater acrobats perform a few tricks quite inferior to those of the artistes who swarm in the circuses and music halls of Europe. Of note only is a Chinaman who hangs perpendicular to an iron bar, his feet secured through rings as he balances three of his comrades by holding them by their hair. If these wretches do not su‫ٺ‬er headaches, they are luckier than we are. Migraine has the better of our patience and drives us out of the Jin Lu Theater before the completion of the displays.

October 20 Last night, we witnessed a Åre engulÅng a godown, one of those immense warehouses or entrepôts, this one belonging to the National Bank. 29 The street dogs of Constantinop e were we known at the time. See “Pariah Dogs of Constantinop e Turkey,” origina y pub ished in Wide World Magazine (November 1898).

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This will be an opportunity to study commerce in Shanghai, this vast emporium for products from China and Europe. Import and Export, as the British call it, is the visible purpose of most of the large trading houses of the place. Let us therefore take a look at what they take from China to send to Europe on the one hand and at what our countries bring to the Middle Kingdom on the other. EXPORTS: Not surprisingly, silk takes pride of place among exported articles. Last year, exports representing over 60 million francs left the country. Tea, both green and black (32 million). It should be noted that the British source their supplies from China less and less as they turn to their Indian colony. Is this due to patriotism? Or only because India is abandoning ancient methods and now uses modern machinery to process the tea? I have no view on this. I only note this point while hoping that our compatriots will put in their teapots the excellent tea produced by our Annam colony, where Mr. Lombard of Tourane30 showed me with legitimate pride his plantation of three million trees. It is now to Russia that Chinese teas are exported. Cotton, second only to silk but very white, clean, and strong. Rice (21 million), though I quote this Ågure strictly for the record as this trade only takes place between the various Chinese ports. It is strictly prohibited to export this product, and the Shanghai Taotai almost lost not only face but also his head last year following various shipments he made to Japan. Rice straw matting (14 million). It probably never occurred to you, dear reader, that the light hats you wear in Summer come from Shanghai as raw material. In fact, alongside Yantai and Tianjin, Shanghai is the main source of this product for export to Europe and America. Furs (8 million), consisting mostly of raw goat skins for tanning and rugs made of goat or sheep skins. Leather, both cow and bu‫ٺ‬alo, and bu‫ٺ‬alo horns (5 million). Vegetable oil (4.5 million), extracted from a particular type of wood and used in lacquer manufacturing.

30 The Directory (1899) ists J. Lombard, p anter at Tourane.

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Ramie, which the Societé de la Ramie Française (Favier & Cie., Paris) recently made fashionable through its fabrics.3 Sheep’s wool, tallow, both vegetable and animal, white wax, pig’s hair, musk, rhubarb, oak gall, tea oil, sesame and poppy seed, feathers, etc. These are the principal articles exported from Shanghai last year, to an approximate value of 260 million francs. IMPORTS: The principal article imported into this country consists of cotton goods. Last year, this trade was worth over 135 million. Unfortunately, most of it came from Manchester. But British imports are being soundly beaten by Japanese and American competition. Great Britain remains competitive only in Åne cotton. From Great Britain, India, and especially Japan come spun cotton goods (60 million). From the British West Indies, opium (18 million). Scrap metal (22 million). This import item is truly bizarre. Shanghai receives entire shiploads of old metal: plates and wheels from broken-up locomotives, corrugated sheet metal of all descriptions, and large quantities of discarded horseshoes, whose metal is more malleable, as is well known. For the most part, the Chinese use all of this in the manufacture of plowing instruments. The shoes of those big Flemish horses, which are of enormous dimensions, are particularly favored by the Chinese, who always pay extra for what are called here “Antwerp shoes.” Plate glass is sent from Belgium, though only that of inferior quality. Articles from Paris, petroleum, aniline colors, lamps, ironmongery, etc. Also Japanese matches and American white sugar and Æour. Birds’ nests (1,725,000) from the Cu Lao Cham Islands (Annam) or Sumatra. All in all, these imports totaled 390 million francs last year. TRADING HOUSES: Through what intermediaries are these considerable exchanges of merchandise e‫ٺ‬ected, reaching as they do the respectable Ågure of 650 million francs (combined import and export)? 31 Ramie is a type of Åbrous p ant grown for use in texti es. The Société des Usines de a Ramie Française was founded in 1881 by the P. A. Favier Company and remained in business in various forms unti 1954.

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British. In general, British houses conÅne themselves to one or two commercial activities. The principal residents from that country are, for example, exporters of tea or importers of cotton goods but also insurance agents or representatives of shipping lines. The Germans, by contrast, deal with all articles. Being highly audacious, some start out without su‫ٻ‬cient capital, and commercial catastrophes are frequent in the colony. French. Most French houses deal only in silk goods, though a few import and export all kinds of goods. The following trading houses are established in Shanghai: Messrs. P. Brunat; Chauvin, Chevalier & Cie. (with a house in Canton); Girault & Cie. (with houses in Hong Kong and Manila); Olivier de Langenhagen & Cie. (with houses in Zhenjiang, Hankow, Tianjin, and Yokohama); Ulysse Pila & Cie. (with a house in Yokohama); Racine, Ackermann & Cie. (with houses in Hankow, Hong Kong, Ningbo, Tianjin, and Yokohama); and M. Tillot & Cie. The Société Française d’Explorations Minières en Chine, the Société Générale d’Études Industrielles et de Travaux Publics (Manager: Mr. de Marteau), and the Syndicat Lyonnais de Constructions Industrielles (Manager: Mr. Moninot).32 Two substantial trading houses deal in bulk, semi-bulk, and retail and make it possible for Europeans to purchase all the foods that are essential to them or that they simply Ånd enjoyable. One is managed by Mr. Gaillard (with houses in Nagasaki, Chemulpo, Port Arthur, Fuzhou, and Hankow), the other by Mr. E. L. Mondon,33 one of the most cheerful and obliging comrades one could possibly meet (with houses in Tianjin, Hankow, Port Arthur, Yantai, Tsingtao, Weihaiwei, Wuchang, and Peking). Finally, Messrs. Sennet Frères (with houses in Hankow, Hong Kong, and Manila) operate major businesses specializing in jewelry and objets d’art. I should not of course omit from this enumeration of French houses 32 The Directory (1899) ists L. Moninot, civi engineer, with Syndicat Lyonnais in Shanghai. On de Marteau, see the Introduction. 33 The Directory (1899) ists J. J. Gai ard as a storekeeper in Chemu po, Korea, and an E. L. Mondon as a storekeeper, wine and spirit merchant, Navy contractor, tobacconist, and forwarding and commission agent in Shanghai.

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the Banque de l’Indochine, the agency of our Messageries Maritimes, the Presse Orientale, whose artistic output is much appreciated all over the Far East, the French pharmacy Grenard & Cie., the Hôtel des Colonies, the Sweetmeat Castle, where Old Bruine, pâtissier, chocolatier, and confectioner also provides numerous patrons with their daily nourishment, and Ånally that most talented of Figaros, Mr. Magnan, who deploys his tonsuring skills at the Salon Parisien.34 The tricolor provides protection for major Swiss trading houses, among which are three silk traders of the Årst order: de Bavier & Cie., Bovet & Cie., and Nabholz & Cie., as well as two jewelry traders: Ullmann & Cie., and Vrard & Cie. This humdrum basic enumeration shows how considerable the commercial interests entrusted to the enlightened vigilance of France’s representatives are in this great industrial and commercial city that is Shanghai.

October 21 Shanghai’s harbor is the Whangpoo River, here about 500 meters wide. Sitting on one of the Bund’s benches, I notice to my right beyond the boundary of the French Concession an innumerable number of junks, some of which are gigantic. This is the Chinese port. We see several warships Æying the Dragon Æag, then the French and British mailboats taking a well-deserved rest after the long voyage they just accomplished as they prepare to face the same wearying journey all over again. Close to shore are four hideous pontoons that spoil this pretty view of the harbor and currently house opium retailers. An old American wheel boat of the Aviso class, the Monocacy, two British cruisers, an Italian vessel, a German cruiser, and a Japanese gunboat, but not a single French ship. Sampans glide to and fro in their hundreds, but give the harbor a less impressive aspect than that of Hong Kong as their operations

34 To this ist of French commercia Årms in Shanghai shou d be added Mr. R. Da vy’s bicyc e shop in Foochow Road [Raquez’s comment, inc uded in the Addenda to the origina book]. The Directory (1899) ists R. Da vy, proprietor, The Shanghai Cyc ery, and J. Bruine, proprietor, Sweetmeat Cast e. “Figaro” is the Barber of Sevi e in the various narratives of that tit e.

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are less concentrated. This is because the Shanghai quays stretch over several miles all the way to the far end of Hongkou. Shanghai’s commercial tra‫ٻ‬c is considerable. To give an idea of its intensity, it will su‫ٻ‬ce to quote statistics from 1897, which show Customs dues worth 86,076,339 taels, or about 270 million francs, for imports and 130,098,304 taels, or over 400 million francs, for exports. The list of steamers that make this colossal tra‫ٻ‬c possible is not without interest. It will be instructive to let French eyes peruse it regardless of the damage this might do to national self-esteem. Perhaps it will Ånally become clear that we are fast becoming a bottom-ranked nation in terms of our merchant navy. Statistics for numbers of ships docking and sailing show the following:

British Chinese German Japanese Swedish & Norwegian French American Russian Danish & Dutch Austrian

1897

1898

3,157

2,989

1,470

1,580

376

373

268

598

259

133

112

117

52

46

32

42

44

34

20

16

What I Ånd most striking in this part of the Far East is the considerable growth in German commerce. Consider those 376 steamers Æying the Prussian Empire’s colors in Shanghai’s harbor when our own tricolor was displayed by only the 112 vessels of the Messageries Maritimes making the regular crossings required by the postal service!

October 22 A great many engineers come ashore in Shanghai to work on building the railways under concessions granted by the Chinese Government. Everywhere is talk of consortiums and concessions. China is the object of international greed, and industries from all over the world are – 181 –

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transÅxed by the Celestial Empire. Let us therefore examine what has been achieved in the country and what is being proposed in terms of transportation. It is here in Shanghai that the very Årst railway was built in 1870. It covered 16 miles but within a year had fallen to popular superstition. It was dismantled and its equipment purchased by the Government and shipped to Northern Formosa, where it still operates. The exploitation of the coalmines in Kaiping gave rise to the Imperial Railways of Northern China. Located to the north of the mouth of the Hai River, they have been exploited by a Chinese company since 1885 but remain under British management.35 To transport the coal, the company Årst built a short railway as far as Xugezhuang. The British managers then proposed to the Chinese that the coal should be transported from that point to Tianjin by canal so as not to frighten the local population. Trans-shipment was therefore necessary, which substantially slowed the Æow of freight. These delays were prejudicial to commerce. Moreover, as some wished to provision the steamers from Shanghai at Dagu, the idea of connecting Xugezhuang to Dagu was suggested. This was only a short distance from Tianjin, and the decision was taken to build such a link, a measure that was put into e‫ٺ‬ect by the same exclusively Chinese mining company created by Zhili notables. When new mines were discovered at Guye a little further to the north, the line was extended up to that point. By 1892, the railway was running from Guye to Tianjin under the management of the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company led by Tang Tingshu, a progress-minded Chinese manager of great worth. Needless to say, Li Hongzhang, Viceroy of Zhili, was greatly interested in the venture. In 1892, noting that local populations did not take such a jaundiced view of the iron horse, he decided to extend the line as far as Shanhaiguan on the coast. He commissioned a study for a possible branch line 35 The Årst standard gauge rai way to be bui t and put to continuous use was initiated by a wea thy Cantonese merchant from Hong Kong named Tang Tingshu (1832 1892). Using his connections, he was ab e, in Åts and starts, to construct this rai way to transport coa from Kaiping to the port of Beitang on the Hai River (which Raquez refers to by the o d name of Pei-ho). The ine was bad y damaged during the Boxer Rebe ion and rebui t arge y with European funds and expertise. It ater became part of the Jingha Rai way that ran between Peking and Harbin.

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toward the holy city of Mukden, the cradle of the Empire, and then Kirin, one of Manchuria’s principal cities at the heart of a prosperous region.36 Meanwhile, following the Sino–Japanese War,37 the Chinese Government repurchased the now completed railway from the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company. At present, British engineers picked by the Chinese Government are extending the line from Shanhaiguan to Wuchang on behalf of the Government. At the same time as it was repurchasing the railway from the Chinese Engineering and Mining Company, urged by the Progressive Party, the Government decided to extend the line from Tianjin to Peking. The idea had been Æoated on three occasions, but just as success was within reach, the old conservative party managed to sink the project. Then one day, everything fell into place. The Emperor held Årm and work was about to begin when the Temple of Heaven in the Imperial City was set ablaze and learned men persuaded the Monarch that the Åre was an unequivocal sign of heavenly wrath.38 After the war, the same British engineers I mentioned earlier built a dual-track railway. The line was to follow the north bank of the Hai River, end at the river port of Tongzhou to the east of Peking and then loop back to the capital. But, alarmed by the project, innkeepers, carters, and especially boatmen circulated a petition that gathered over 20,000 signatures in just a few days. The engineer-in-chief, Mr. Kinder,39 decided to follow the course of the Hai River only as far as Huangzhuang before veering northwest, thus bypassing both the Hai River and the old mail route. 36 Mukden, the o d Manchu name, is now ca ed Shenyang, in Liaoning Province. Kirin is now known as Ji in, in Ji in Province. 37 The First Sino Japanese War was fought between the Qing and Japanese imperia forces between August 1, 1894 and Apri 17, 1895. The Japanese routed the Chinese, which resu ted in the oss of Korea as a Chinese vassa state. 38 A arge temp e comp ex constructed from 1406 to 1420 a ong with the Forbidden City in Peking. It was expanded in the 1500s and renamed “Temp e of Heaven” by the 11th Ming Emperor, Zhu Houcong (1507 1567). It is now a UNESCO Wor d Heritage Site. 39 British-born C aude Wi iam Kinder (1852 1936) was engineer-in-chief of the rai way for more than 30 years.

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That section of the line passes through a desperately poor area with very few villages and frequent Æoods. This was pointed out to the Zongli Yamen and the Viceroy, but to avert a popular uprising, the modiÅed project went ahead. The line ended at Majiapu, three kilometers from Peking’s South Gate. Thanks to its design and given that the capital’s trade is intense, the line is bound to prove the most productive in all of China. Currently, it yields monthly proÅts of 3,000 taels per kilometer. But how much of that will Æow into the Treasury’s co‫ٺ‬ers? A rather original process was put into use to exploit the line. The moment the rails were laid without any ballast and often with only half the sleepers in place, passenger cars were attached to the freight trains so that little by little, trains came into existence. Sometimes, carrying Chinese passengers covered a major portion of the payroll costs during construction. This is how the Tianjin–Peking railway was completed and became operational without ever having been o‫ٻ‬cially inaugurated. From Majiapu to the gates of Peking, the journey will soon be possible by an electric railway of the same gauge built under the direction of the previously mentioned engineer, Mr. Kinder, by the major Berlin company Siemens & Halske.40 To demonstrate to the Chinese the utility of railways and to ensure that they understand how this means of transportation can bring them large proÅts, the engineers proposed extending the line as far as Tongzhou with a detour that would make it possible to take advantage of the intense transportation of hides and wool from the North to Tianjin along the Hai River. Today, the Peking railway stretches 480 kilometers to a location known as Zhonghesuo, a short distance downstream of Shanhaiguan in the direction of Tongzhou. However, only the Peking to Tianjin–Dagu–Tangshan line turns a proÅt. Tangshan is where the important car and locomotive manufacturing workshops can be found near Kaiping. These belong to the Government. The new Shanghai–Wusong line, which was inaugurated in 1898, 40 Now known as the internationa brand Siemens, the company was founded in 1847 in Ber in as a manufacturer of te egraph components.

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was built by German engineers on behalf of a Chinese company headed by Taotai Sheng, Director of Imperial Posts and Telegraphs and one of the managers of the important China Merchant shipping company. But apparently, this line is due to be repurchased by the trading and shipping company Jardine & Matheson, which secured the Shanghai–Suzhou–Zhenjiang–Nanking concession, a project it is currently studying.4 Let us now take a look at the lines under construction: I. The Zhonghesuo–Talien line is being built by British engineers on behalf of the Chinese Government. An extension to Wuchang is under study. II. The Peking–Baoting line has been entrusted to the same British engineers who built the Northern railway. Although Baoting is the capital of Zhili, only the High Judge lives there. The Viceroy resides in Tianjin. III. That section is part of the Peking–Hankow mainline, which was entrusted to the imperial Chinese Railway Company, with Taotai Sheng at its head. The company’s capital is mostly French and the remainder Belgian. Once the line is built, its operation will revert to the Franco-Belgian company. Half the equipment will be supplied by Belgian factories, the other half by a French consortium (Fives-Lille, Batignolles, le Creusot, etc.). Below Baoting, Belgian engineers are employed by the line’s concession holders. Studies are underway between Hankow and the Yellow River on the one hand and Baoting and that river on the other. IV. The Russians are conducting studies of railways for Manchuria (a Mukden extension and a Mukden–Port Arthur line). In early July 1898, they had Cossack military forces occupy the routes so as to preclude any impediments to the construction of the line. The Fives-Lille Company has received an order for 80 locomotives 41 The Jardine & Matheson Company was founded in Canton in 1832 and is one of the o dest European companies to operate in the Far East. The company started in the import and export trade (opium was one of the key products), then moved into other industries. The cong omerate sti exists and does brisk business in China.

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and will supply all the other machinery necessary to the operation of the railway.42 A total of 32,000 tons of rails has been ordered from an American Årm. Finally, an order for 50 steamers and 40 boats have just been placed in Great Britain for the delivery of equipment along the Amur and Songhua rivers. V. The Russo-Chinese Bank43 is studying the line from Taiyuan (the capital of Shanxi Province) to Jingting near Baoding, which will Ånd itself on the Hankow–Peking mainline. The French consortium consisting of Fives-Lille, le Creusot, Batignolles, and Forges et Chantiers will be in charge of construction. The consortium is represented by the Sino-Russo-Chinese Bank. VI. An Anglo-British consortium backed by the Deutsche-Asiatische Bank and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank44 will build the Tianjin–Jingting line. The Germans selected Kiautschou Bay mostly in order to divert the Peking trade toward their new port.45 VII. American engineers are studying a projected railway from Hankow to Canton. If they fail, the preferential right to the project will pass to the Hankow-Peking Franco-Belgian company. 42 The Fives-Li es Company has a ong history. Based in the town of Fives, a manufacturing suburb of Li e, it sprang from a Be gian company ca ed Parent & Schaken, based in Lyon, in 1854. By 1865, it had become the Compagnie de Fives-Li e, which specia ized in the manufacture of rai road components and ro ing stock. After a ong series of acquisitions and mergers, the company sti exists, now named simp y “Fives.” 43 Founded in 1895 to serve Russian co onia interests in China, the bank was shut down in 1926 after huge osses due to currency specu ation. 44 The Deutsche-Asiatische Bank was founded in Shanghai in 1889 and set up branches throughout the East, inc uding India, Singapore, and Japan as we as China to serve European co onia interests. Through a history of mergers, it is now part of Deutsche Bank. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was founded in Hong Kong in 1865 and sti operates internationa y. Today it is better known as “HSBC.” 45 The German government eased the Kiautschou Bay Concession from 1898 to 1914. The capita was the coasta city of Tsingtao (Qingdao). German emigrés soon arrived, and one happy resu t was the founding of the Germania Brewery in 1903, which eventua y became the Tsingtao Brewery Company, today the second- argest beer producer in China.

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VIII. Two projects are currently underway: one with a British consortium for a line from Ningbo to Suzhou, the other with a Belgian consortium from Hangzhou to Shanghai. IX. Two inland-bound lines have been conceded to France: one through Guangxi, the other through Yunnan. The Årst will link Lang Son and Longzhou. We saw in Tonkin embankments already built between Lang Son and Nam Quan on the border with China. However, work has not yet commenced on the other side of the border. The Fives-Lille Company has obtained the concession for this work from the Chinese Government, but major di‫ٻ‬culties arose between the two partners. It is to be hoped that during his trip to France, where he should be at present, Mr. Doumer46 will be able to remove these obstacles. It is crucial that this important question be resolved as early as possible in the interest of our overall policy in this part of China and of the good name of French industry in the Far East. The second inland-bound line, that through Yunnan, which was conceded to us in 1896, will originate in Lao Cai and terminate in Yunnansen after covering a distance of approximately 350 kilometers. This line will be built by the French Government. Discussions are said to be currently taking place in Paris between the Ministry and the Governor General of Indochina. X. A third line between Nanning-fu and Beihai, an open port on the Gulf of Tonkin, was conceded to France following the murder of Father Bertholet. It will be built when our leaders deem it useful.47 XI. I should mention the mainline that will originate in Hankow and terminate in Longzhou via Hunan, Guilin, Nanning-fu, and Taiping after crossing Hunan Province in its entirety.

46 Pau Doumer (1857 1932) was high y active in French po itica circ es and a strong advocate of expanding co onia power in Indochina, where he was Governor Genera from 1897 to 1902. In Pages Laotiennes (33 34), Raquez c aims to have met Doumer in Tonkin at Christmas 1899, when the atter not on y recognized him but invited him for dinner. Raquez returns the favor by writing a g owing appraisa of his host. 47 On Bertho et, see Chapter One. The ine Raquez mentions was never constructed.

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French engineers under the direction of Mr. Viart of the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées48 recently traveled all over this province under military escort given to him by Marshall Su, commander of the Chinese troops stationed at the Tonkin border and friend of France. The inhabitants of Hunan are so ill-tempered that they do not allow anyone from another Chinese province to settle in their own. Until recently, not a single telegraph pole had been erected in the province. Only very recently was a telegraph o‫ٻ‬ce opened in Changsha, where the governor has his residence. To conclude this short review, it should be remembered that the Chinese Government has decided not to grant any further railway concessions until the bidding consortiums have demonstrated the existence of the necessary capital and construction work on the line in question has begun in earnest. Except for the Manchuria lines and that linking Hankow to Peking, no work by the concessionary consortiums has begun on a single one of the above-mentioned lines.

Sunday, October 23 I practically have a subscription to the Sunday outing to Wusong, the one spot in all of China where French gaiety rules and appears to have established itself unchallenged. On this occasion, we Ånd in Mr. Magnin a worthy disciple of maestro Vina; in Mr. Lemière – who would have thought it possible in the brilliant editor of L’Écho de Chine – a Doctor in Omelet Making, so juicy that they would Åll Mère Poulard Ainée with envy; in Mr. Baudrand a skeptic whom the most conclusive experiments with thought associations and hypnotism can never quite convince; in the excellent Chapeaux a gymnast who performs without springboard the most perilous leaps with the ease of a consummate clown, and in all of us the urge to run around the meadows like newly released foals. 49

48 The prestigious Éco e Nationa e des Ponts et Chaussées, now ca ed Éco e des Ponts Paris Tech, is an engineering and techno ogy institution of higher earning origina y founded in 1747 in Paris. 49 The Directory (1899) ists E. Magnin, merchant with Bavier & Company, Tianjin, and M. Chapeaux, c erk at U ysse Pi a & Cie. Mère Pou ard is a restaurant famous for its ome ets at Mont Saint-Miche in Normandy, opened by Anne “Annette” Boutiaut

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Friend Chaumont,50 who could teach the most expert photographers a thing or two, takes advantage of the occasion to enrich his collection with several intriguing prints. The grave Mr. Gayet nurses his new pipe as he impassively umpires a weightlifting contest between Messrs. Tillot, Warocqué, and Dreyssé.5 Time to move on. One more song for the road! A visit is proposed to the Chinese fort located near the Villa of the CertiÅable.52 I wonder whether it is really possible to penetrate fortiÅed buildings as substantial as those defending access to the river, but here we are, passing without the slightest di‫ٻ‬culty under the vaulted portal whose doors have disappeared, scaling the ramparts, looking around the bunkers, and climbing the turrets housing enormous Armstrong cannons.53 There is no one around except for a few idle coolies warming themselves in the sun. On the side of the fort facing the river lie large numbers of abandoned shells and some 20 cannons removed from their carriages. The fort is deserted, and no one takes any interest in what it contains. This gives us an insight into how the Chinese administration operates. On our way back to Shanghai, we pile into a house on Canton Road that exhibits two rarities that recall the famous Siamese brothers of yesteryear. Inseparable, of strong constitution and very gentle, they are about ten years old, their own Barnum54 assures us. (1851 1931) and her husband Victor Pou ard in 1873, and which sti operates. On Lemière, see the Introduction. 50 The Directory (1899) ists M. Chaumont, c erk in the Engineer’s O‫ٻ‬ce, Maritime Customs. 51 The Directory (1899) ists M. Ti ot, merchant with M. Ti ot & Company and R. Dreyssé, assistant at Bavier and Company. Georges Abe Louis Warocqué (1860 1899) was a Be gian industria ist and brother of Raou (1870 1917). On Marce Ti ot, see the Introduction. 52 Wusong Fort, which saw a pitched batt e between British and Chinese forces in 1842 during the First Opium War. The British prevai ed and opened the way for European sett ement in Shanghai. 53 A type of heavy, riÆed breech- oading arti ery piece manufactured by the E swick Ordnance Company in Newcast e. From the 1880s, the company was a major supp ier to the British army. 54 Phineas Tay or “P. T.” Barnum (1810 1891), who founded the Barnum & Bai ey Circus in 1882. He got his start as a carniva sideshow huckster featuring “mermaids” and other natura wonders. The famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng

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These two little Chinese children rest one arm on each other’s shoulders in turn. They seem intelligent and live in excellent accord. The membrane that connects them is about the thickness of a man’s wrist. At its lower end is the children’s single navel. When one is ill, the other is equally unwell. But when I pinch one, the other does not feel the pain. Moments after our visit, a dreadful Åre breaks out in the same Canton Road. In an instant, 240 houses are engulfed in Æames. Driven from their homes, thousands of unfortunate victims wander about in the middle of the night. Yet they show the same resignation and indifference we observed just the other day: no recriminations, no screams, no tears. The ÅreÅghters worked their wonders. Had they not been present, the entire Chinese section of the International Concession could have been razed to the ground. The French company Le Torrent was Årst on the scene. It was an extraordinary sight to witness the blaze at the intersection of Canton Road and Hoopeh Road. Houses on all four corners went up in Æames almost simultaneously. The dreadful Åre’s destructive power created a vast crater that only a while ago was noisy and crowded.

Sunday, October 24 From a mining viewpoint, China currently o‫ٺ‬ers incalculable resources that consortiums of all nationalities Åght over. Some genuinely aspire to realizing the true value of these seams, while others, the Pirates of the Stock Exchange,55 only look for an opportunity to make money and line their pockets, caring not in the slightest about exploiting these mines. Meanwhile, a third category of businessmen send their engineers to China. We could call them the “forecasters of the future.” For them, the aim is to determine which concessions are fundamentally sound but obtained by incompetent bidders and likely to experience especially turbulent beginnings. Having already discounted the discomBunker (1811 1874) were born in Siam (now Thai and) and appeared at Barnum’s Museum in 1860. It is because of their fame that conjoined twins are now known as “Siamese.” 55 Since part of Joseph Gervais’s Ånancia scheme in Li e invo ved nitrate mining operations, this comment wou d seem to a ude to A fred Raquez’s rea -wor d probems. See the head ine artic e “Les Dessous de L’A‫ٺ‬aire Gervais” in L’Égalité (March 24, 1898), by “Cognosco.”

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Åture of these concessionary owners, the forecasters bet on taking over eventually, and at a proÅt. A brief look at the various regions will allow us to glean not an encyclopedic knowledge of the mineral wealth of China but at least a general sense of it. First of all, a word about the mining regime. In China, the rights of a landowner do not extend below ground. These depths remain within the realm of the State, which can grant concessions to them to Chinese subjects. If they deem it useful, the concession holders can request European capital and engineers. However, the loan is not mortgaged against the mine itself but against its output. Since borrowers exploit the mine in their own name, the guarantee is not illusionary. However, it is also true that the Central Mining Authority has just issued a code that now awaits imperial approval and that if accepted and rigorously implemented, would create a number of di‫ٻ‬culties for the formation of European companies. By the terms of this projected regulation, the Chinese Government will require that in newly-formed companies, at least three-tenths of the capital belong to Chinese subjects seeking the cooperation of Europeans. Upon application to the Central Authority, this administration will verify the truthfulness of statements and grant – or withhold – permission to introduce foreign capital. The management and administration of mining or railway companies should remain entirely in Chinese hands “so that they be truly in charge. However, the company will be required to demonstrate its love of justice by granting foreign partners and lenders full access to its books.” These singular borrowers are so obliging, aren’t they?56 Leaving Shanghai, we head for the Yangtze Valley. South Bank I. Between Nanking and Shenjiang are bituminous coal mines under 56 Since this regu ation was issued, the Peking Centra Authority has received imperia approva . It thus became the Decree of November 19, 1898 and was approved by the powers under express condition that it not app y to dea s a ready in force prior to the date of promu gation [Raquez].

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concession to the Société Française d’Explorations Minières. II. Near Wuhu are anthracite and semi-bituminous mines as well as unexploited iron ore mines belonging to Li Hongzhang’s son. III. In the vicinity of Jiujiang and Poyang Lake, bituminous coal is found everywhere. IV. Near Hanyeping, a village located 60 miles south of Hankow, are iron ore mines that provide the raw material for the imperial factory at Hanyang. They belong to Zhang Zidong,57 the General Director of the Hankow–Peking railway. This is also where the limestone used in blast furnaces is found. North Bank I. In Hanyang, a city neighboring Hankow, is an important steel-making plant managed by Zhang Zidong assisted by Belgian engineers. The plant has two blast furnaces and is fully equipped for the manufacturing of steel of various types. II. In the same location is an armament factory belonging to the Chinese Government. The plant was equipped by the Loew Company of Berlin, which retains a director there. III. Magashan, near Jiayu, 100 miles upstream of Hankow, has important coking coal mines. Shafts reach depths of 800 feet. In the past, the management of the mines was in the hands of German engineers. Believing that they could dispense with their services, the Chinese allowed the mines to be consumed by Åre, and all is now lost. The Hanyang plant now has to source its coking coal at great expense from Shanhaiguan near Tianjin.

Hunan

Guizhou

Sichuan

Let us now leave the Yangtze River and travel past Lake Dongting and along the Yuan River. I. Zigui and its surrounding area in Hunan lies on the South bank of the river about 300 miles from Changde and has large copper mines. 57 Zhang Zidong (1837 1909) was a prominent po itica Ågure and proponent of modernization in China. He is known as one of the “Four Famous O‫ٻ‬cia s of the Late Qing.”

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II. Wanshan (Guizhou), approximately 20 kilometers from Longjianghe, has important mercury mines exploited by the Chinese. The concession was recently granted by imperial decree to the Société Française d’Explorations Minières, which is entitled to exploit all mines in the province. III. Jinxie (Guizhou) has metal works operated by the Chinese Government. The blast furnaces, steel plants, and rolling mills are all in place. The concession is similar to the one above. The surrounding area has iron ore and coal mines as well as limestone production. IV. Further south, also in Guizhou Province but among the autonomous Miao hill tribes near Bazhai on the Guangdong border58 are more mercury mines known about for centuries and consisting of immense galleries, now abandoned. V. Similar seams are found in Bingyuan and Beimadong. VI. Over the entire territory lying between Guiyang and Luzhou are coal seams exploited by peasants. VII. In the vicinity of Guiyang are unexploited sulfur and saltpeter mines. VIII. Near Duyun lies refractory soil ideally suited to the manufacture of melting pots and bricks and covering a very large area. IX. In Shidongzhen (Sichuan) north of Luzhou are saltworks and oil wells, which are extensively exploited. Saltwater lies at depths varying between 1,200 and 3,500 feet. A total of 5,000 wells are active. The saltwater layer is approximately 80 feet deep, from which approximately 70,000 tons of salt are extracted each year. In parallel to these salt works are oil wells. A curious phenomenon is that once the precious Æuid is exhausted, the saltwater layer appears. Just as curious is the fact that while the wells can yield 2,000 liters every 24 hours during the Årst year of exploitation, their output always declines toward the third year. The oil is of good quality.

58 The Miao peop e are recognized as an o‫ٻ‬cia ethnic group by the Chinese Government. They traditiona y ive in the hi s of Southern China, but some groups have migrated into northern Indochina. The Hmong peop e of Laos, Cambodia, and Thai and are subgroups of the Miao. The Miao are renowned for their intricate meta working ski s.

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X. Among the Lolo people59 between the Yalong and Kinsha Rivers (or Golden River in the local language) are appreciable gold deposits. At the entrance to some gorges, sedan chair carriers buy sandals for eight sapèques and resell them for 20 sapèques on the way out. By stamping their feet, those involved in this trade apparently end up with gold up to their ankles. XI. Between Chongqing and Leshan are unexploited oil deposits. XII. Between Chongqing and Yichang are also coal Åelds. XIII. At Anzixi near Yichang are pure anthracite mines exploited by the Société Française d’Explorations Minières. Throughout this region are also coal, copper, zinc, and antimony mines.

Zhejiang I. In Yongjia district are coal, copper, and silver mines. An Anglo-Italian consortium represented by Mr. Luzzatti60 is trying to secure the concession. The Government has issued a favorable report. These mines have never been exploited. II. Near Ningbo are silver mines for which a similar application has been made.

Guangdong This has unexploited coal and iron ore mines.

Guangxi This region has not been su‫ٻ‬ciently explored.

59 A so known as the Yi peop e, they are recognized as an o‫ٻ‬cia ethnic group by the Government of China. They traditiona y ive in Southern China around Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces as we as in Cao Bang and Lao Cai in northern Vietnam. 60 Ange o Luzzatti (b. 1858) came to China in 1896 as part of the so-ca ed “Peking Syndicate of Investors” ed by the Rothschi d fami y, who were interested in ore mining operations, with the backing of C aude MacDona d (see note 21, page 171), Britain’s Minister to China. Something of a huckster, Luzzatti’s Chinese venture ended in disaster.

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Fujian Near the coast, silver-bearing lead and coal deposits have been found approximately 50 kilometers from Fukien. Exploration trials have been conducted but with insu‫ٻ‬cient capital.

Jiangxi Little is known about this region from a mining standpoint. This is a rice-growing province that feeds all of Northern China.

Hunan This region is very rich in antimony, zinc, silver-bearing lead and sulfur, copper, and especially platinum. These minerals are exploited by Chinese operators who process them in blast furnaces. When such deposits are found close to a river, the raw minerals are shipped to Hankow, from where they are transported on to Europe by the Swiss trading house Vrard & Cie. Small plants could be set up in this province, which has the greatest potential for mining. However, the local population is said to be hostile to Europeans.

Yunnan This province has Åne copper mines. However, transportation of their output is so costly that nothing can be done until the railways that will one day link this province to our Indochinese colony are built. The province is very rich in copper and also contains gold.

Shandong This province is de facto German. It contains bituminous and semi-bituminous coal in Qingdao, which is exploited by Chinese operators. Deutsche Bank and the Commercial Bank of Berlin are studying means of exploiting these deposits industrially. The province also contains silver-bearing lead deposits and, it is said, diamond mines. – 195 –

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Zhili Seven hours from Peking’s West Gate, there are important bituminous and semi-bituminous coal mines exploited by local operators for the beneÅt of the capital’s population. Their output is 60,000 tons per year. It is from these mines that came the famous “coal hill” that once rose inside the Imperial City and served as a reserve in case of siege. Near Shanhaiguan are the Kaiping mines, which we discussed in connection with the railways.

Shanxi To the east is an anthracite seam running north to south. To the west are bituminous and semi-bituminous coal deposits and excellent iron ore mines. Although the Peking Consortium, an Anglo-Italian company represented by Mr. Luzatti, obtained the concession on May 14, 1898, exploitation along European lines has not yet begun.

Mongolia Chinese Mongolia has rich gold mines exploited along European lines and belonging to Li Hongzhang. Sir Pritchard Morgan,6 a member of the British Parliament, has assisted the Viceroy in setting up their exploitation and continues to show interest in the project.

Manchuria Near Jilin and Tianbaosan are silver-bearing lead and copper mines. European machinery was put in the hands of Chinese operators who did not know how to use it. Work has now stopped. Sands suitable for gold-panning are exploited by local people.

Korea Concessions over gold and coal mines have been granted for 25 years to a Russian, a German, and several Americans, who now exploit them. 61 Wi iam Pritchard Morgan (1844 1924) was a We sh businessman with mining interests in Sichuan. He was known as the “We sh Go d King” for his high y successfu Gwynfynydd Go d Mine in Wa es.

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Formosa In the north, where the old Wusong railway has been reassembled, are coal mines exploited by the Japanese. However, the region’s coal contains lignite and produces a great deal of dust. Very rich gold mines are exploited by the local population. Traces of iron ore have been found but remain unexploited. Formosa’s principal asset is camphor wood, which is supplied by its immense forests.

October 25 Mr. Appay, Inspector of Silks, agrees to introduce me to two large manufacturing concerns in Shanghai: one specializing in spinning cotton, the other in spinning silk. Both belong to companies set up with Shanghai-based European capital and operate under the British regime. Both are registered in Hong Kong. The International Cotton Manufacturing Co. Ltd. is located in Pudong opposite Customs House across the Whangpoo River. Its vast buildings and tall chimney are visible from the Bund. The plant is admirably set up and includes all modern improvements. Its health and accident prevention provisions are observed as in the best of our French factories. Its workshops are spacious, with high ceilings, Ålled with natural light, and spotlessly clean. In one of them, I count 90 rows of looms, each of which is about 20 meters long. This gives an idea of the overall size of these workshops. The spinning plant employs 3,000 workers. Work takes place night and day. However, Shanghai is going through a crisis, and work is currently limited to four days a week. Female workers earn between ten cents (for young children) and 35 cents per day. Women earn on average 25 to 30 cents, or 65 to 80 centimes of our money. The plant spins mixed cotton from Bombay, America, and China itself. Chinese cotton is very white, Åne, resistant, and short but less twisted than its Indian counterpart. Mr. Jones, the cotton mill’s manager and one of the most a‫ٺ‬able gentlemen in the entire Shanghai colony, takes us on a visit of the Christian village built for the plant’s workers and their families. A Catholic missionary is usually in residence. The houses are neatly kept. They house a total of 6,000 persons. A – 197 –

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small wooden board lists the names and ages of each resident, whose numbers vary between six and twelve. Large refectories welcome the Chinese workers who go there to eat their meals or enjoy a refreshment during the day. Policing is entrusted to Indian Sikhs sporting enormous red turbans. At the far end of Hongkou can be found the Shanghai Silk Filature, Ltd. There I run into two escapees from the Villa of the CertiÅable, the Rey brothers. A veritable hunting pack welcomes us at the gate as the plant’s directors are nearly as fanatical as their comrade Forest, the scourge of the gri‫ٻ‬n and the Nimrod of the Far East. Mr. Rey takes us on a tour of the well-appointed workshops where almost 200 women and young girls work the cocoons. If these workers could spend one hour in the insalubrious sheds of Macao in which are crammed 100 female employees of Chinese companies, they would undoubtedly appreciate the advantages of European progress all the more. The working methods are highly unusual. On one side of a long metal table are young girls who throw the cocoons into a basin Ålled with water heated to 80 degrees. They then hermetically reseal the basin, whose lid supports an inner brush. By turning a handle, the young workers set the brush in motion. In a few seconds, the silk threads, which were previously tightly bunched, even glued together and could not have been unwound, soften and pull apart as a result of the brushing. The cocoons are then passed to older workers standing on the opposite side of the loom. These are the spinners, who with nimble Ångers attach the thread from the next cocoon to the one that is about to disappear, its silk exhausted. Each spinner has four basins within her domain. The looms are of the tablet type, with the thread simply twisted around itself. In a nearby workshop are looms of the Champon type, which receives two threads simultaneously. Here, the children use a small broom to separate the cocoons in hot water. Supervision is entrusted to Italian women. At the plant’s gate, a violent argument erupts between two women, one of whom is an employee of the spinning works. It takes an intervention by Mr. Rey for calm to be restored. Arguments between Chinese people are frequent, and the vocabu– 198 –

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lary of the insults even children hurl at each other surpasses in richness anything our European imaginations can conceive. But brawls are very rare. During the six months I have spent rubbing elbows almost every day with Chinese people of all types on the quays, in smoking dens, tea houses, dives of various sorts, and every other place I haunted, only once did I see Chinese people come to blows. In the Hongkou suburb, I come across many wheelbarrows carrying female workers with tiny feet. At the end of the working day, a long line of these vehicles can be seen neatly lined up along the sidewalks as they wait for their daily clientele. Women cram themselves six or even eight to each wheelbarrow. Here is one loaded with nine young women, who admittedly do not belong to the Société des Cent Kilos 62 We next visit the godowns of Messrs. Racine and Ackermann in the Xinza suburb. These are among the most emblematic manifestations of Shanghai’s commercial intensity. A godown is a vast warehouse used either by the trading house itself or by traders who pay to have their merchandise stored there until it can be shipped or for purposes of providing collateral at annual rates that rarely fall below 6% and can go as high as 12%. As a result, merchandise is piled high in Xinza’s immense warehouses all along the Suzhou Creek, where junks ceaselessly carry the wares of the Far East to and fro. Among these are the 40,000 chests of that excellent tea our ladies of quality will serve their friends at the Åve o’clock hour. Crammed into cubic boxes, the green tea is Årst wrapped in paper and then placed inside a chest lined with tin and lead, which is then enveloped Årst in bamboo leaves and then in plaited Åbers. The precious leaf is well protected. Each chest measures 25 cubic centimeters [sic] and weighs 30 kilograms and is worth about 15 taels, or approximately 52 to 53 francs. Here are enormous cotton bales and no less voluminous ones containing cocoons, the latter selling for 4,000 to 5,000 francs each. The 6,000 bales I am looking at thus represent a respectable number of millions. Then comes sesame seed, tiny and very tasty, which will be used in 62 “The Hundred Ki o Society” was a pejorative expression for obese peop e; it was not a rea society.

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oil manufacturing or go without being crushed into the pastries and sugary confectionaries to which the Chinese are so partial. The sesame and almond nougat is especially exquisite. On the way back, we witness a particularly interesting hunt. This is the hour when thousands of chirruping small birds make for the Bund’s trees to seek shelter for the night. Evading the watchful eye of the police, Chinamen take up positions under the trees. In their hands are three bamboo sticks they slot into each other like the sections of those Åshing rods of ours that can be dismantled. The end of their rod is daubed with glue. This is how they pick small sparrows, bringing them down and slipping them into a shoulder bag with astonishing skill. What a cruel end for these feathered friends, so gay, so trim, and the source of so much liveliness all along this attractive section of the Bund!

October 27 Let us take a look at the site of the skirmishes of last July. I take advantage of a typhoon lasting several days and ruling out long walks to inform myself about these events, which so unnerved the European population of Shanghai and so preoccupies our diplomats at the moment. Let us be scrupulously accurate about the facts, which were badly distorted by the foreign press and especially the Chinese press, which exercises an inÆuence on the population we do not su‫ٻ‬ciently take into account. We saw that by the terms of the Treaty of Whampoa of October 24, 1844 and the proclamation of April 6, 1849, France is the concessionary possessor in Shanghai of a vast and clearly delimitated portion of territory. For our nationals, this concession carries the right to expropriate the previous land holders. Consequently, on the strength of a declaration known here as an application to this e‫ٺ‬ect lodged with the Shanghai Consulate, any French national can state his interest in becoming the owner of a speciÅc plot within the concession on the condition that he pay the previous owner a sum equivalent to the value of said plot. This being the case, in 1897, the Municipal Council of the French Concession searched for a plot suitable for public works aiming primarily to beneÅt the Chinese population of the concession: a school for young Chinese children, and a hospital where free medical care would be made available to poor Chinese residents. – 200 –

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It selected the one and only available plot within the boundaries of the concession. This plot was attached to the pagoda of residents from Ningbo, who occupied, in fact if not in law, as we shall soon see, three plots separated from each other by a number of streets and alleyways. The plot that is of interest to us has been surrounded by a wall since 1874. This is where the Ningbo residents once buried their dead until they could be claimed by their families. For the past 30 years or so, not a single body has been laid to rest there. I have just returned from a visit to the plot in question. Vegetation whose growth was guided only by the vagaries of the wind that sowed seeds randomly has invaded this solitude. Wild grasses and trees of every sort grow everywhere. There is not a single funeral column or monument, only an almost square Åeld measuring approximately one hectare, with puddles here and there, all of which is enclosed by a twometer-high wall. All around, within as much as without the French Concession, swarms a dense Chinese population in the numerous houses that line the neatly laid out streets. The Municipal Council had the plot valued at the top of the range and o‫ٺ‬ered the Ningbo authorities a sum of 41,375 taels in return for full title to the plot. In a letter of June 21, 1898, the Ningbo residents replied that they held no such title proving ownership.63 Through the services of the French Consulate General, the Council then approached the only possible representative of the legitimate owners, namely the Chinese Government in the person of H. E. Ts’ai,64 the Commander of the local “Cercle,” or taotai. Like all civil servants in the Celestial Empire who Ånd themselves in a di‫ٻ‬cult situation, discreetly incited against the Western Devils by the Ningbo residents, the taotai tried to sidestep the issue and refrained from giving a deÅnite answer. As negotiations led to no solution, the Municipal Council, which 63 This incident is now known as the Ningbo Cemetery (or Siming Gongsuo) Riot of 1898 (a simi ar event occurred in 1874) over the huigan, or ancestra buria ands, which were tax-free and ho dings. It is considered one of the key ear y instances of organized resistance against foreign ru e in modern China. 64 Ts’ai Chun (dates unknown) wou d become Minister to Japan in the ear y 1900s.

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wished to set to work on buildings whose necessity was clearly felt, urged the Consul General, Mr. de Bezaure, to bring the matter to an end since the impasse could not last forever. The taotai was informed that the plot had been taken possession of, its value being deposited in a bank and put at the disposal of the legitimate owner, with no objections being raised as to the level of the estimate. The mandarin replied verbally that trouble would follow if the plot were to be seized, going as far as sending several French ladies a letter signed by himself begging them to intervene with their husbands. Yet neither threats nor the mandarin’s supplications succeeded in deterring the French from seeing their rights prevailed. Since numerous inaccuracies were committed on this subject in articles that appeared in the European press, all this, it should be reiterated, concerns a plot that incontestably lies within the perimeter of the French Concession and does not even abut that boundary. At six o’clock in the morning on July 16, Count de Bezaure, the French Consul General and Mr. Claudel,65 his deputy, went to the plot accompanied by Messrs. Bard, President of the Municipal Council, and de Malherbe, the Council’s Secretary.66 Eighty sailors from L’Éclaireur were posted in the vicinity of the plot close to the French police post in preparation for all eventualities. To signify possession, the wall was breached in three places, each one ten meters wide. Everything went without a hitch. Little by little, a crowd gathers, agitators circulating among the throng. The anticipated riot is brewing. The company of French volunteers is summoned and begins to patrol. The Chinese head for the houses of two French nationals, Messrs. Houllegatte and Meudre.67 They destroy the outer wall of the Årst and ransack the second. Bricks are thrown at the soldiers. The riot must be suppressed. This occurs without a single shot being Åred, and by midnight, the city is calm again. 65 Pau C aude (1868 1955) was a French dip omat remembered today primari y for his poetry and verse dramas. He wrote about these events in his journa , which has been pub ished as Les Agendas de Chine (Paris: L’âge d’Homme, 1991), 330 331. 66 The Directory (1899) ists E. Bard as chairman of the Municipa Counci and R. de Ma herbe as Secretary to the Secretariat. 67 The Directory (1899) ists P. Hou egatte as overseer in the Secretariat.

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The next day, July 17, it becomes evident that with spirits inÆamed by the agitators, more serious trouble can be expected. A detachment of sailors from L’Occident, the Messageries Maritimes’ great liner, kept watch over the Consulate all night. At seven in the morning, some of the rioters appear, the dregs of Shanghai’s Chinese population, armed with pikes, sharpened bamboo sticks, and cutlasses. They demolish one of the walls of the police post and overwhelm the guard corps from an easterly direction. Meanwhile, bricks, stones, and broken roof tiles rain down on our sailors. A warning is issued to the crowd. Following a round of blank shots, four sailors receive from Commandant Texier of L’Éclaireur the order to shoot on the rioters. Three men fall, and the crowd disperses, screaming. On the other side, on Quai de la Brèche, similar riots take place simultaneously, clearly demonstrating that the disturbance was orchestrated and also necessitating the use of Årepower. Two, then seven Chinamen are killed. Total: twelve dead. From that moment, thanks to the energetic posture of the sailors and volunteers, calm is restored. Negotiations begin, and are still continuing. The three breaches will not be Ålled. Let us consider the latest position. First, two historical footnotes. In 1863, upon request from the French Consul and the Municipal Council, a meeting of property owners had proposed an urban plan and agreed on a layout for the Concession’s various streets, handing over to the authorities the land necessary to drive through properly aligned thoroughfares. The plan was approved. In the vicinity of land occupied by the Ningbo residents, two streets were planned and laid out: Rue de Ningpo, and Rue de Saigon. When in 1874 it became necessary to take over this land if the urban plan was to be adhered to, the Ningbo authorities requested that the Municipal Council abandon the project. Deaf to the request made that year by Mr. Godeaux,68 whose attitude was severely criticized at the time and who in particular used the services of one of the pagoda’s administrators as interpreter, the 68 Ernest Napo éon Marie Godeaux (1833 1906) was a dip omat who served throughout Asia and the Midd e East. From 1866 to 1872, he was French Consu Genera in Shanghai.

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Shanghai Municipal Council did not see Åt to modify its project and instead aimed to eliminate from the center of an already densely populated city a cemetery that no longer needed to be located there. A riot ensued but without provoking o‫ٻ‬cial suppression. Several Europeans were grievously injured and a number of houses ransacked. In the process of defending themselves, the French shot dead a number of Chinese individuals, and amazingly, compensation was paid to the families of the Chinese “victims.” Recalling the sums paid previously, the 1898 rioters sought to have the bases of the agreement in force at that time veriÅed. As a result of these searches, the taotai discovered a decree signed by Mr. Lemaire,69 the Interim Shanghai Consul in 1878, by the terms of which the French relinquished in perpetuity the right to intrude upon the owners of the pagoda and its dependencies in return for a payment by the Ningbo residents of 37,000 taels, of which 7,000 was to be shared among the victims of the repression. But the plot thickened when the French text of this singular accord, which the interested Chinese parties had never invoked, was discovered in Peking. The text contains no mention whatsoever of relinquishing a right in perpetuity. The position, the document concludes, is one of status quo. That same year, Mr. Brenier de Montmorand, the French Minister of Finance at the time, arrived in Shanghai to try to resolve the issue. Two days before the decree was due to be signed, he addressed the Municipal Council and declared that all obstacles would be removed provided two conditions were met: the French would not tamper with the pagoda itself, and they would abandon the plan to create Rue de Saigon and Rue de Ningpo. For their part, the Chinese would undertake to no longer deposit co‫ٻ‬ns inside the pagoda. Since that time, co‫ٻ‬ns have accumulated in their thousands, to the point where last year, the Consul General had to put in an energetic intervention to have them removed. As I write these lines, about 600 of them remain piled inside the pagoda.70 For its part, as of 1898, the Municipal Council was abiding by the elements of the accord that had been brought to its attention. 69 Victor Gabrie Lemaire (1839 1907) was a dip omat and expert sino ogist who served in severa posts in China. He was First-c ass Consu in Canton in 1878. 70 A the co‫ٻ‬ns have now been removed [Raquez].

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The Council did not tamper with the pagoda in any way, and it did not insist on extending Rue de Saigon and Rue de Ningpo. All it requested, entirely legally and essentially in the public interest, was the expropriation of a plot separated from the pagoda by Rue de Palikao, a heavily used thoroughfare eight meters wide, and which had been totally unused for over 30 years and given the corpses it may well contain, was a blot on such a compact urban area. But the Ningbo residents argued for the respect due to the departed, so dear to Chinese hearts. In reply and not without good reason, it was retorted that a congregation neighboring the one under discussion had the bodies of its deceased exhumed without the slightest objection to allow for the streets surrounding the Ningbo pagoda to be driven through. In addition, it was pointed out, that the pagoda’s administrators themselves took similar steps for the section of their cemetery lying outside of the boundaries of the French Concession and sold this as building land in return for a pot of gold and that very recently, the Chinese administration built Wusong Station on the site of a former cemetery from which 3,500 co‫ٻ‬ns had been removed. Clearly, the aim was simply to thwart the French. The only point that remains to be elucidated is the inexplicable convention signed in 1878. By the terms of the treaty, only the French text carries legal weight. In what ways does it di‫ٺ‬er from the Chinese text? How is it that its content was never communicated to the Municipal Council any more than the Chinese version was ever brought to the attention of the Ningbo residents concerned, who accept that they have no title to the plot? How can we explain that this accord Æatly contradicts the statements made by the French Minister to the Municipal Council just two days before it was signed, as the minutes of Council deliberations unambiguously demonstrate? Finally, is it possible that this document, which was signed by the Interim Consul alone, retroceded rights held by France by the terms of another treaty? These are tricky questions, which seem to me to imply heavy responsibilities and which our diplomats would do well to clarify. Let us hope that the Chinese text will not be all Greek to them!

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