Chapter VI: Part V: consists of biographies of the most eminent men who came to the (4)

From time immemorial it has been the rule in China that men and women should not pass things to one another,--for fear their hands might touch. A local Pharisee tried to entangle the great Mencius in his speech, asking him if a man who saw his sister-in-law drowning might venture to pull her out. "A man," replied the philosopher, "who failed to do so, would be no better than a wolf."

The Chinese lady may go out to pay calls, and even visit temples for religious purposes, unveiled, veils for women having been abolished in the first years of the seventh century of our era. Only brides wear them now.

Girls are finally separated from boys at seven or eight years of age, when the latter go to school.

Some say that Chinese girls receive no education. If so, what is the explanation of the large educational literature provided expressly for girls?

One Chinese authoress, who wrote a work on the education of women, complains that women can never expect more than ten years for their education, _i.e._ the years between childhood and marriage.

The fact is that among the literary classes girls often receive a fair education, as witness the mass of poetry published by Chinese women. One of the Dynastic Histories was partly written by a woman. Her brother, who was engaged on it, died, and she completed his work.

About the year 235 A.D., women were actually admitted to official life, and some of them rose to important government posts. By the eighth century, however, all trace of this system had disappeared.

The women of the poorer classes are not educated at all; nor indeed are the men. Both sexes have to work as burden-carriers and field labourers; and of course in such cases the restrictions mentioned above cannot be rigorously enforced.

Women of the shopkeeper class often display great aptitude for business, and render invaluable assistance to their husbands. As in France, they usually keep the cash-box.

A mandarin's seal of office is his most important possession. If he loses it, he may lose his post. Without the seal, nothing can be done; with it, everything. Extraordinary precautions are taken when transmitting new seals from Peking to the provinces. Every official seal is made with four small feet projecting from the four corners of its face, making it look like a small table. Of these, the maker breaks off one when he hands the seal over to the Board. Before forwarding to the Viceroy of the province, another foot is removed by the Board. A third is similarly disposed of by the Viceroy, and the last by the official for whose use it is intended. This is to prevent its employment by any other than the person authorised. The seal is then handed over to the mandarin's wife, in whose charge it always remains, she alone having the power to produce it, or withhold it, as required.

A Chinese woman shares the titles accorded to her husband. When the latter is promoted, the title of the wife is correspondingly advanced. She also shares all posthumous honours, and her spirit, equally with her husband's, is soothed by the ceremonies of ancestral worship.

"Ancestral worship" is a phrase of ominous import, suggesting as it does the famous dispute which began to rage early in the eighteenth century and is still raging to-day.

In every Chinese house stand small wooden tablets, bearing the names of deceased parents, grandparents, and earlier ancestors. Plates of meat and cups of wine are on certain occasions set before these tablets, in the belief that the spirits of the dead occupy the tablets and enjoy the offerings. The latter are afterward eaten by the family; but pious Chinese assert that the flavour of the food and wine has been abstracted. Similar offerings are made once a year at the tombs where the family ancestors lie buried.

The question now arises, Are these offerings set forth in the same spirit which prompts us to place flowers on graves, adorn statues, and hold memorial services?

If so, a Chinese convert to Christianity may well be permitted to embody these old observances with the ceremonial of his new faith.

Or do these observances really constitute worship? _i.e._ are the offerings made with a view to propitiate the spirits of the dead, and obtain from them increase of worldly prosperity and happiness?

In the latter case, ministers of the Christian faith would of course be justified in refusing to blend ancestral worship with the teachings of Christianity.

It would no doubt be very desirable to bring about a compromise, and discover some _modus vivendi_ for the Chinese convert, other than that of throwing over Confucianism with all its influence for good, and of severing all family and social ties, and beginning life again as an outcast in his own country; but I feel bound to say that in my opinion these ancestral observances can only be regarded, strictly speaking, as worship and as nothing else.

To return to the Chinese woman. She enjoys some privileges not shared by men. She is exempt from the punishment of the bamboo, and, as a party to a case, is always more or less a source of anxiety to the presiding magistrate. No Chinaman will enter into a dispute with a woman if he can help it,--not from any chivalrous feeling, but from a conviction that he will surely be worsted in the end.

If she becomes a widow, a Chinese woman is not supposed to marry again, though in practice she very often does so. A widow who remains unmarried for thirty years may be recommended to the Throne for some mark of favour, such as an honorary tablet, or an ornamental archway, to be put up near her home. It is essential, however, that her widowhood should have begun before she was thirty years of age.

Remarriage is viewed by many widows with horror. In my own family I once employed a nurse--herself one of seven sisters--who was a widow, and who had also lost half the little finger of her left hand. The connecting link between these two details is not so apparent to us as it might be to the Chinese. After her husband's death the widow decided that she would never marry again, and in order to seal irrevocably her vow, she seized a meat-chopper and lopped off half her finger on the spot. The finger-top was placed in her husband's coffin, and the lid was closed.

This woman, who was a Christian, and the widow of a native preacher, had large, _i.e._ unbound, feet. Nevertheless, she bound the feet of her only daughter, because, as she explained, it is so difficult to get a girl married unless she has small feet.

Here we have the real obstacle to the abolition of this horrible custom, which vast numbers of intelligent Chinese would be only too glad to get rid of, if fashion did not stand in the way.

There has been in existence now for some years a well-meaning association, known as the Natural Foot Society, supported by both Chinese and foreigners, with the avowed object of putting an end to the practice of foot-binding. We hear favourable accounts of its progress; but until there is something like a national movement, it will not do to be too sanguine.

We must remember that in 1664 one of China's wisest and greatest Emperors, in the plenitude of his power issued an Imperial edict forbidding parents in future to bind the feet of their girls. Four years later the edict was withdrawn.

The Emperor was K'ang Hsi, whose name you have already heard in connection with the standard dictionary of the Chinese language and other works brought out under his patronage. A Tartar himself, unaccustomed to the sight of Tartar women struggling in such fetters, he had no sympathy with the custom; but against the Chinese people, banded together to safeguard their liberty of action in a purely domestic matter, he was quite unable to prevail.

Within the last few weeks another edict has gone forth, directed against the practice of foot-binding. Let us hope it will have a better fate.

Many years ago the prefect of T'ai-wan Fu said to me, in the course of an informal conversation after a friendly dinner, "Do you foreigners fear the inner ones?"--and on my asking what was meant, he told me that a great many Chinese stood in absolute awe of their wives. "_He_ does," added the prefect, pointing to the district magistrate, a rather truculent-looking individual, who was at the dinner-party; and the other guests went into a roar of laughter.

The general statement by the prefect is borne out by the fact that the "henpecked husband" is constantly held up to ridicule in humorous literature, which would be quite impossible if there were no foundation of fact.

I have translated one of these stories, trivial enough in itself, but, like the proverbial straw, well adapted for showing which way the wind blows. Here it is:--

Ten henpecked husbands agreed to form themselves into a society for resisting the oppression of their wives. At the first meeting they were sitting talking over their pipes, when suddenly the ten wives, who had got wind of the movement, appeared on the scene.

There was a general stampede, and nine of the husbands incontinently bolted through another door, only one remaining unmoved to face the music. The ladies merely smiled contemptuously at the success of their raid, and went away.

The nine husbands them all agreed that the bold tenth man, who had not run away, should be at once appointed their president; but on coming to offer him the post, they found that he had died of fright!

To judge by the following story, the Chinese woman's patience is sometimes put to a severe test.

A scholar of old was so absent-minded, that on one occasion, when he was changing houses, he forgot to take his wife. This was reported to Confucius as a most unworthy act. "Nay," replied the Master, "it is indeed bad to forget one's wife; but 'tis worse to forget one's self!"

Points of this kind are, no doubt, trivial, as I have said above, and may be regarded by many even as flippant; but the fact is that a successful study of the Chinese people cannot possibly be confined to their classics and higher literature, and to the problem of their origin and subsequent development where we now find them. It must embrace the lesser, not to say meaner, details of their everyday life, if we are ever to pierce the mystery which still to a great extent surrounds them.

In this sense an Italian student of Chinese, Baron Vitale, has gone so far as to put together and publish a collection of Chinese nursery rhymes, from which it is not difficult to infer that Chinese babies are very much as other babies are in other parts of the world.

And it has always seemed to me that the Chinese baby's father and mother, so far as the ordinary springs of action go, are very much of a pattern with the rest of mankind.

One reason why the Chinaman remains a mystery to so many is due, no doubt, to the vast amount of nonsense which is published about him.

First of all, China is a very large country, and from want of proper means of communication for many centuries, there has been nothing like extensive intercourse between North, South, East, West, and Central. Of course the officials visit all parts of the Empire, as they are transferred from post to post; but the bulk of the people never get far beyond the range of their own district city.

The consequence is that as regards manners and customs, while retaining an indelible national imprint, the Chinese people have drifted apart into separate local communities; so that what is true of one part of the country is by no means necessarily true of another.

The Chinese themselves say that manners, which they think are due to climatic influences, change every thirty miles; customs, which they attribute to local idiosyncrasies, change every three hundred miles.

Now, a globe-trotter goes to Canton, and as one of the sights of that huge collection of human beings, he is taken to shops,--there used to be three,--where the flesh of dogs, fed for the purpose, is sold as food.

He comes home, and writes a book, and says that the Chinese people live on dogs' flesh.

When I was a boy, I thought that every Frenchman had a frog for breakfast. Each statement would be about equally true. In the north of China, dogs' flesh is unknown; and even in the south, during all my years in China I never succeeded in finding any Chinaman who either could, or would, admit that he had actually tasted it.

Take the random statement that any rich man condemned to death can procure a substitute by payment of so much. So long as we believe stuff of that kind, so long will the Chinese remain a mystery for us, it being difficult to deduce true conclusions from false premises.

As a matter of fact, that is, so far as my own observations go, the Chinese people value life every whit as highly as we do, and a substitute of the kind would be quite unprocurable under ordinary circumstances. It is thinkable that some poor wretch, himself under sentence of death, might be substituted with the connivance of the officials, to hoodwink foreigners; but even then the difficulties would be so great as to render the scheme almost impracticable.

For in China everything leaks out. There is none of that secrecy necessary to conceal and carry out such a plot.

At any rate, the uncertainty which gathers around many of these points emphasises the necessity of more and more accurate scholarship in Chinese, and more and more accurate information on the people of China and their ways.

How the latter article is supplied to us in England, you may judge from some extracts which I have recently taken from respectable daily and weekly newspapers.

For instance, "China has only one hundred physicians to a population of four hundred millions."

To me it is inconceivable how such rubbish can be printed, especially when it is quite easy to find out that there is no medical diploma in China, and that any man who chooses is free to set up as a doctor.

By a pleasant fiction, he charges no fees; a fixed sum, however, is paid to him for each visit, as "horse-money,"--I need hardly add, in advance.

There are, as with us, many successful, and consequently fashionable, doctors whose "horse-money" runs well into double figures. Their success must be due more to good luck and strictly innocent prescriptions than to any guidance they can find in the extensive medical literature of China.

All together, medicine is a somewhat risky profession, as failure to cure is occasionally resented by surviving relatives.

There is a story of a doctor who had mismanaged a case, and was seized by the patient's family and tied up. In the night he managed to free himself, and escaped by swimming across a river. When he got home, he found his son, who had just begun to study medicine, and he said to him, "Don't be in a hurry with your books; the first and most important thing is to learn to swim!"

Here is another newspaper gem: "In China, the land of opposites, the dials of the clocks are made to turn round, while the hands stand still."

Personally, I never noticed this arrangement.

Again: "Some of the tops with which the Chinese amuse themselves are as large as barrels. It takes three men to spin one, and it gives off a sound that may be heard several hundred yards away."

"The Chinese National Anthem is so long that it takes half a day to sing it."

"Chinese women devote very little superfluous time to hair-dressing. Their tresses are arranged once a month, and they sleep with their heads in boxes."

What we want in place of all this is a serious and systematic examination of the manners and customs, and modes of thought, of the Chinese people.

Their long line of Dynastic Histories must be explored and their literature ransacked by students who have got through the early years of drudgery inseparable from the peculiar nature of the written language, and who are prepared to devote themselves, not, as we do now, to a general knowledge of the whole, but to a thorough acquaintance with some particular branch.

The immediate advantages of such a course, as I must point out once more, for the last time, to commerce and to diplomatic relations will be incalculable. And they will be shared in by the student of history, philosophy, and religion, who will then for the first time be able to assign to China her proper place in the family of nations.

The founder of this Chinese Chair has placed these advantages within the grasp of Columbia University.

INDEX

INDEX

_Account of Strange Nations_, book in Cambridge collection, 58.

Albinos, Chinese, 181.

Alchemy, Taoist practice, 166-168.

_Analects_, Confucian Canon, 42.

Ancestral worship, China, 199-201.

Ancestry of Chinese traced through mother in ancient times, 27.

Ancient Greece, _see_ Greece.

"And," idea in Chinese written character, 28.

Archaeology--
Chinese dictionaries and work, 120.
Confucian Canon, archaeological works referring to, 43.
"Ark," erroneous analysis of Chinese written character, 34.

Athenian and Chinese women, points of resemblance, 121.

Baby Towers, Chinese infanticide, 190-192.

Bactria--
Alchemy, practice imported into China, 166
Mission of Chang Ch'ien, 130-131

Bamboo tables, style of Chinese writing, 26

Biographies--
_Historical Record_, 46-47.
National and private records, 49-50.

_Biographies of Eminent Women_, description, 50.

Bird-Bishop, Mrs., statement as to infanticide, 192, 193.

Black art, Taoism, 168-170.

Black-haired People, title of Chinese, 181.

_Book of Changes_, Confucian Canon, 40.

_Book of History_, Confucian Canon, 41.

_Book of Odes, see Odes_.

_Book of Music_, Confucian Canon, 42.

_Books of Rites_, Confucian Canon, 42.

Books, Chinese, _see_ Library, Cambridge University.

Buddhism in China--
Borrowing from Tao, 172.
Buddhist priest anecdote, 138.
Cambridge collection, Buddhist works, 44.
Date of appearance, 171, 172.
Struggle with Taoism, 172.

Burning of the Books, 44, 129.

Butchers, tax on, resisted, 93-95.

Calendars, Greek and Chinese, similarities, 129.

Cambridge University library, _see_ Library.

Canon, _see_ Confucian Canon.

Canton--
Dogs' flesh shops, 207.
Riot, 1880, 99-101.

Catalogue of books in Imperial Library, China, 69-70.

Ceremonies, valued by Confucius, 182.

Chamberlain, J., eyeglass remarked on by Li Hung-chang, 182-183.

Chang Ch'ien, mission to Bactria, 130-131.

Chang Chih-tung, viceroy, bridge incident, 97.

Changes, Book of, Confucian Canon, 40.

Charities, Chinese, 193-194.

Characters of Chinese language, _see_ Language.

Ch'ien Lung, Emperor, catalogue enterprise, 69.

Children--
Fondness of parents for, 194.
Girls, _see that title_.
Infanticide, _see that title_.
Nursery rhymes published by Baron Vitale, 206.
Toys, passage in the _Odes_, 195.

China--
Albinos, 181.
Alchemy, 166-168.
Ancestral worship, 199-201.
Ancestry traced through mother in ancient times, 27.
Anecdote, Grecian, in Chinese jest-book, 138.
Archaeology, _see that title_.
Bactria, _see that title_.
Biographies, _see that title_.
Black art, 168-170.
Buddhism, _see that title_.
Burning of the Books, 44, 129.
Calendars, Grecian characteristics, 129.
Cambridge University library, _see_ Library.
Canton, _see that title_.
Chang Ch'ien, mission to Bactria, 130-131.
Charities, 193-194.
Children, _see that title_.
City sights resembling Grecian, 122-124.
Clocks, _see that title_.
Columbia University, endowment of Chinese chair, 4, 37, 211.
Combination, 92.
Confucius _and_ Confucian Canon, _see those titles_.
Counting board, likeness to Grecian, 128.
Crucifixion, alleged punishment, 193.
"Crying one's wrongs," 101-102.
Customs varying with places, 207.
Dictionaries, _see that title_.
Diplomatists, _see_ Statesmen.
Doctors, "horse-money," etc., 209-210.
Dogs' flesh, Canton shops, 207.
Drama, _see_ Plays.
Dress, _see that title_.
Dutch settlement, story of, 137.
Dynasties and Dynastic histories, _see those titles_.
Education, _see that title_.
Elixir of life, 163-170.
Emperors, _see that title_.
Encyclopaedias, _see that title_.
Entertainments, Grecian points of contact, 126.
Erroneous ideas of Chinese life, 189-210.
Etiquette, _see that title_.
Exaggeration, fault of Chinese, 193.
Execution substitutes, erroneous idea, 208.
Eyeglasses, _see that title_.
Facial differences of Chinese, 177.
First impressions of foreigners, 177.
Foot-binding, _see that title_.
Games, Grecian similarities, 126.
Girls, _see that title_.
Government, _see that title_.
Greek influence, _see_ Greece.
Guests, _see_ Visitors.
Hair, _see that title_.
Han Yue, great works of, 117.
Hankow military riot, 1882, 97.
"Heavenly horse", 131-133.
"Henpecked husbands", 204.
History, _see that title_.
Horses, _see that title_.
House, Greek characteristics, 120-121.
Huai-nan, Prince of, _see that title_.
Immortality, _see that title_.
Infanticide, _see that title_.
Ivory carvings, Grecian resemblances, 124-125.
Jesuits in China, _see that title_.
Jews, 144.
Jugglers similar to Grecian, 124.
Justice, _see that title_.
K'ang Hsi, Emperor, _see that title_.
Kiangsu riot, 99.
Language, _see that title_.
Lao Tzu, _see_ Taoism.
Library, Cambridge University, _see that title_.
Library, Imperial, catalogue, 69-70.
Li Hung-chang, _see that title_.
"Lion," word for, 23, 133.
Literary qualities of nation, 72.
Literature, _see that title_.
Magic, _see that title_.
Magistrates, _see that title_.
Mahommedanism, 143.
Manchus, imprisonment, 1891, people's fury, 98.
Mandarin language _and_ Mandarins, _see those titles_.
Manichaeans, 144.
Marriage customs, _see that title_.
Mencius, _see that title_.
Mental and moral training, relative values of Greek and Chinese,
109-119.
Mirrors, ancient Chinese and Greek, 132-133.
Murder, conviction for, illustrations, 103-106.
Music, _see that title_.
Mystery--the Chinaman a mystery, 206, 208.
Nestorian Christians, 143.
Newspaper extracts, 209-210.
Novels, 61-62.
Official coats, "horse-shoe sleeves," 179.
Official positions, _see that title_.
Olive, Greek and Chinese associations, 128.
Opposites--China regarded as land of opposites, 119, 210.
Penal code, 56, 87-88.
Personal freedom, 87-88.
Plays, _see that title_.
Poetry, _see that title_.
Population, vastness of, 3.
Portrait-painting, _see that title_.
Protestant missionaries, 144.
Puppet shows, alleged origin, 123.
Quails, fighting, common custom in Greece and China, 126.
Queue _see that title_.
Readers, professional, 61.
Religions, _see that title_.
Rhyme, 67-68.
Riots--people's self-government, 97-101.
Rip Van Winkle, story of, 55.
Roman Catholicism, 144.
_Romance of Three Kingdoms_, novel, 61-62.
Self-government, illustrations, 69-106.
Self-taxation, _see_ Taxation.
Senior Classics _see that title_.
Social life, knowledge of, 181-182.
Spanish seizure of islands, method of, 136.
Statesmen, _see that title_.
Statutes of present dynasty, 56.
Story-tellers, 61, 123.
Street etiquette and rights, 183-186.
Study of Chinese affairs--
Advantages of study, 140, 211.
Columbia University endowment, 4, 37, 211.
Language, _see that title_.
People, study of, 205-206.
Recent growth of study, 3.
Students needed, 139, 208, 211.
Taoism, _see that title_.
Taxation _see that title_.
Viceroys, 76, 82, 83.
Visitors, _see that title_.
Water-clocks, Grecian, 128.
Watermelon, term for, Greek origin, 134.
Wen T'ien-hsiang, influence of Chinese literature and training on,
113-116.
Western incidents in literature, 135-139.
Widows, 201-202.
Wine, introduction of grape-wine, 131.
Wine-drinking, _see that title_.
Women, _see that title_.
Wuchang bridge incident, 97.
Zebra, picture of, in ancient Chinese book, 59.
Zoroastrians in, 144.

Christians, Nestorian, in China, 143.

Christianity and ancestral worship in China, 109-201.

Chuang Tzu, Taoist writer, 148, 154-160, 165, 171.

Chu Hsi, commentary, 43.

Chung-king, tax on pigs resisted, 93-95.

Circuits, division of provinces into, 76, 83.

Classics, study of, relative values of Chinese and Greek training,
109-119.

Clocks, Chinese--
Newspaper extract, 210.
Water-clocks, Grecian and Chinese, 128.

Coats, official, "horse-shoe sleeves," 179.

Colloquial language, _see_ Language.

Columbia University, endowment of Chinese chair, 4, 37, 211.

Combination against taxation, 92.

Commentaries, Confucian Canon, 43.

Commissioners, provincial government, 81.

Concordance to phraseology of Chinese literature, 65-69.

Confucian Canon, Cambridge University Library--
_Analects_, 42.
Archaeological works, 43.
_Book of Changes_, 40.
_Book of History_, 41.
_Book of Music_, 42.
_Book of Odes_, _see Odes_.
_Book of Rites_, 42.
Commentaries, 43.
Conversations of Mencius with disciples, 42.
_Doctrine of the Mean_, 42.
Five Classics, 40-42.
Four Books, 42.
_Great Learning_, 42.
_Spring and Autumn_, 41.

Confucius--
Acquaintance with Lao Tzu alleged, 146-147.
Confucian Canon, _see that title_.
Maxims and sayings, 182, 205.
Unwelcome visitor anecdote, 185.
Value of ceremonial, 182.

Counting-board, Chinese, likeness to Grecian, 128.

Crucifixion, alleged punishment in China, 193.

"Crying one's wrongs," 101-102.

Cumming, Miss G.--infanticide in China, 189-192.

Dialects, Chinese language, 6-10.

Dice games in Greece and China, 126.

Dictionaries, Chinese--
Cambridge library collection--
Concordance to phraseology, 65-69.
Hsue Shen, work of, 63-64.
Modern standard dictionary, 64-65.
Encyclopaedias, _see that title_.
Lao Tzu's treatise, characters not found in dictionary, 149-150.

Dinner, invitation to, 188.

Diplomatists, _see_ Statesmen.

Doctors, Chinese, "horse-money," etc., 209-210.

_Doctrine of the Mean_, Confucian Canon, 42.

Doctrines, _see_ Religions.

Dogs' flesh, Canton shops, 207.

Drama, _see_ Plays.

Drawing, chapters on, in Chinese encyclopaedia, 53.

Dress, Chinese--
Official coats, 179.
Veils for women, abolition of, 197.

Dress, Japanese, misconception as to, 178.

Dutch settlement in China, story of, 137.

Dyeing the hair, practice of, 180.

Dynastic histories--
Cambridge collection--
Biographies, _see that title_.
Edition of 1747, 45.
Encyclopaedias, _see that title_.
_Historical Record, see that title_.
_Mirror of History_, by Tsuma Kuang.
Penal Code, 56.
_Record in Dark Blood_, 57.
Reprints, 55.
Statutes of present dynasty, 56.
"Veritable Record", 48.
Woman's work, 197.

Dynasties of China--
Histories, _see_ Dynastic histories.
History compilation custom, 47.
Ming dynasty, _see that title_.
Statutes of present dynasty, 56.

Education--
Value of, 72, 79
Women, 197-198.

Elixir of life, Taoist doctrine, 163, 170.

Emperors of China--
Ch'ien Lung, catalogue enterprise, 69.
Government of the Emperor, 75.
K'ang Hsi, _see that title_.
Ming dynasty, character and end of last Emperor, 117-119.

Encyclopaedias, Cambridge collection, 51-54.
Arrangement, 54.
Drawing, chapters on, 53.
Portrait-painting topic, 53.
_San T'sai Tu Hui_, 52-53.
[_See also_ Dictionaries.]

England, Cambridge University library, _see_ Library.

English--"pidgin" English, 17.

Entertainments, Chinese and Grecian, 126-127.

Etiquette--
Glasses, removal when conversing, 183.
Street etiquette, 183-186.
Visitors, _see that title_.

Exaggeration, Chinese, 193.

Execution substitutes, erroneous idea, 208.

Eyeglasses--
Chamberlain's, J., remarks by Li Hung-chang, 182-183.
Chinese etiquette, removal of spectacles, 183.

_Family Library_, Chinese reprints.

Fay, Miss, student of Chinese, 6.

Fielde, Miss, student of Chinese, 6.

Finance commissioner, provincial official, 81.

Five Classics, Confucian Canon, 40-42.

Foot-binding--
Edicts prohibiting, 203.
Fashion, obstacle to abolition, 202.

Fulangbis, seizure of islands from China, 136.

Fusang, account of, in Chinese book, 58.

Games, Chinese, similarity to Grecian, 126.

Geography, Chinese, Cambridge collection, 57.

Girls--
Education, 197.
Foot-binding, _see that title_.
Market value, 195.
[_See also_ Women]

Glasses, _see_ Eyeglasses.

"God," analysis of Chinese written character, 33.

Government--
Circuits, 76, 83.
"Crying one's wrongs," 101-103.
Dynasties, _see that title_.
Emperors, _see that title_.
Headboroughs, 77-78.
Justice, _see that title_.
Magistrates, _see that title_.
Mandarins, _see that title_.
Mencius, quotations from, 84-87.
Ming dynasty, _see that title_.
Official positions, _see that title_.
Penal Code, 56, 87-88.
Prefectures, 76, 83.
Provincial government, _see that title_.
Scale of governors, 78.
Self-government illustrations, 96-106.
Viceroys, 76, 82, 83.

Governors of provinces, 76, 83.

Grain commissioner, provincial official, 81.

Granville, Lord, influence of the classics on, 112.

Grammar, Chinese, absence of, 10.

Grape-wine introduced into China, 131.

_Great Learning_, Confucian Canon, 42.

Greece, ancient Greece and China--
Archaeology, Greek and Chinese, 120.
Bactria, _see that title_.
Buddhist priest anecdote in Chinese jest-book, 188.
Calendars, 129.
City sights in China, 123-124.
Classics, relative values of Chinese and Greek training, 109-119.
Coincidences between Chinese and Greek civilisations, 120-139.
Counting-board, 128.
Entertainments, 126-127.
Games, 126.
"Heavenly horse," 131, 133.
House, Chinese, Greek characteristics, 120-131.
Ivory carvings, 124-125.
Language, terms of abuse, 124.
Literatures of China and western nations, analogies, 135-139.
Marriage, similar customs, 122.
Mirrors, 132-133.
Music, 129.
Olives, 128.
Plays, 125-126.
Quails, fighting, 126.
Question of Greek influence, 130-133.
Water-clock, 128.
Wine-drinking, 126-127.
Women, points of resemblance, 121-122.
Words, Chinese, Greek origin, 133-135.

"Guess-fingers," game of, common to Greece and China, 126.

Guests, _see_ Visitors.

Hair--
Black-haired People, title of Chinese, 181.
Dyeing, 180.
False hair, 180.
Queue, _see that title_.

Han Fei Tzu, writer on Taoism, 148.

Hangchow tea strike, 95.

Hankow military riot, 1882, 97.

Han Yue, statesman, great works of, 117.

Headboroughs, government of Chinese boroughs, 77-78.

"Heavenly horse," origin of, 131, 133.

Hebrews in China, 144.

"Henpecked husbands," 204.

_Historical Record_--
Alchemy, 166.
Sketch of contents, 45-47.

History--
B.C., 130.
_Book of History_, Confucian Canon, 41.
Dynastic histories, _see that title._
_Mirror of History_, 49.

Holland--story of Dutch settlement in China, 137.

"Horse-money," Chinese doctors' fees, 209.

Horses--
"Heavenly horse," 131, 133.
Official coats, "horse-shoe sleeves," 179.
Respect for, origin of queue, 179.

House, Chinese, Greek characteristics, 120-121.

Hsue Shen dictionary, 63-64.

Huai-nan, Prince of--
Discovery of elixir of life, 168.
Taoist writings, 149.

Husbands, "henpecked," 204.

Immortality, Taoist doctrine--
Elixir of life, 163-170.
Memorial of aggrieved Confucianist, 170.
Pills of immortality concocted, effect of, 167.

Imperial Library catalogue, 69-70.

Imperial statutes, present Chinese dynasty, 56.

Inaction, doctrine of, Lao Tzu's philosophy, 152, 156.

Infanticide--
Baby Towers, 190-192.
Bird-Bishop, Mrs., statement of, 192,193.
Chinese exaggeration, 192-193.
Cumming, Miss G., writings of, 189-192.
Drowning children in pools, 192-193.
Jesuit writings, illustrations, 192.
Market value of girls, 195.
Negative argument, 193-195.
[See also _Children._]

Intendant of circuit, official, 76, 83.

Invitation to dinner, 188.

Ivory carvings, Greek and Chinese, 124-125.

Japan--
Dress, misconception as to, 178.
Language, absence of terms of abuse, 124.

Jebb, Sir K., influence of the classics in mental training, case of
Lord Granville, 109-113.

Jesuits in China--
Infanticide illustrations in writings, 192.
Music of Greeks borrowed from Chinese, alleged, 129.
Translation of Chinese character into "ark," 34.

Jews in China, 144.

Jugglers, Chinese and Grecian, 124.

Justice--
Administration of, 102-104.
Commissioner of, 81.

K'ang Hsi, Emperor--
Dictionary and phrase-concordance ordered, 64, 65.
Foot-binding prohibited by, 203.

Kiangsu riot, 99.

Language, Chinese--
Colloquial--
Coupling of words, 20.
Dialects, number and distinction of, 6-10.
Lack of vocables, 17-21.
Mandarin, _see that title_.
Monosyllables, incapable of inflection, 10-17.
Rhyme, 67-68.
Simpleness of study, 4-5.
Suffixes, 21.
Tenses, 13-15.
Tones, _see that title_.
Dialects, number and distinction of, 6-10.
Dictionaries, _see that title_.
Grammar, absence of, 10.
Greek words, 133-135.
"Lion," word for, 23,133.
Mandarin language, _see that title_.
"Pidgin" English, 17.
Study of--
Advantages and objects of study, 107.
Relative values of Chinese and Greek, 109.
Students of Chinese wanted, 139.
Women students--Misses Fay and Fielde, 6.
Terms of abuse, 124.
Tones, _see that title_.
Written--
Bamboo tablets, 26.
Conjunction "and," 28.
Difficulty of study, 5-6.
Errors in analysis of words, 33-35.
Non-application of rule in cases, 32.
Number of words, 18, 19.
Origin and development, 25-32.
Paper, invention of, 26.
Parts of written characters, 22-28.
Phonetic basis and indicator, 29-36.
Hsue Shen dictionary, 63-64.
Modern standard dictionary, 64-65.
Pictures of words and ideas, 25-28.
Uniformity all over China, 22.

Language, Japanese, absence of terms of abuse, 124.

Lao Tzu, _see_ Taoism.

Library, Cambridge University, collection of Chinese books--
Account of strange nations, 58.
Binding of volumes, etc., 40.
Biographies, _see that title_.
Buddhist works, 44.
Catalogue of Imperial Chinese Library, 69-70.
Collection of the books, 39.
Concordance to phraseology of all literature, 65-69.
Confucian Canon, _see that title_.
Dictionaries, _see that title_.
Division A, 40-44.
Division B, 45-57.
Division C, 47-60.
Division D, 60-63.
Division E, 63.
Dynastic histories, _see that title_.
Encyclopaedias, _see that title_.
Geography of the Empire, 57.
Historical collection, _see_ Dynastic histories.
Illustrated books--notices of Senior Classics of Ming dynasty, 70-71.
Novels, 61-62.
Number of volumes, 40.
Oldest printed book in the library, 58.
Plays, 62-63.
Poetry, 60.
Reference works, 63.
Reprints, 55.
T'ai-p'ing rebels, pamphlets, 56.
Taoist writings, 44.
Topographies, 57-30.

Library, Imperial, China, catalogue, 69-70.

Life, elixir of, Taoist doctrine, 163-170.

Li Hung-chang--
Diplomatic abilities, 112.
Remark on Mr. Chamberlain's eyeglass, 182-183.

_Likin_, self-taxation of Chinese, 89-90.

"Lion," Chinese word for, 23, 133.

Literary qualities of Chinese nation, 72.

Literature, Chinese--
Cambridge University library, _see_ Library.
Concordance to phraseology, 65-69.
Relative values of Chinese and Greek in mental and moral training,
109-119.
Western incidents in, 133-139.

Liu Hsiang, _Biographies of Eminent Women_, 50.

Luzon (Philippines), Spanish seizure, 136.

Magic--
Jugglers, Chinese and Grecian, 124.
Taoist black art, 168-170.

Magistrates--
Advancement in ranks, 78.
Deputy official, test of, 79-80.
Division of prefectures into magistracies, 76.
Duties, 80.
Expenses of education no obstacle, 79.
Income, 82-83.
Law experts in offices, 56.
Real rulers of China, 78.

Mahommedanism in China, 143.

Manchus, imprisonment, 1891, people's fury, 98.

Mandarin language--
Importance of "official language," 7-10.
Sounds for conveyance of speech, lack of, 17-21.
Study of, 10-21.
[_See also_ Language.]

Mandarins--
Meeting in street, 186.
Seal of office, 198-199.

Manichaeans in China, 144.

Marriage customs--
Grecian customs, similarity of, 122.
Widows, 201-202.
Wives, number of, 196.

Mencius--
Attacks on heterodox systems, 147.
Conversations with disciples, book of Confucian Canon, 42.
Lao Tzu, no allusion to, in writings, 147.
Quotations from, 84-87, 196-197.

Ming dynasty--
Emperor, character and end of last Emperor, 117-119.
History, quotations, 136.
Overthrow, 118-119.
Senior Classics, illustrated books, 70-71.

_Mirror of History_, by Ssu-ma Kuang, 49.

Mirrors, ancient Chinese and Greek, 132-133.

Missionaries, Protestant, in China, 144.

Monosyllables, Chinese language, incapable of inflection, 10-17.

Murder, conviction for, illustrations, 103-106.

Music--
_Book of Music_, Confucian Canon, 42.
Burning of the Books, music destroyed, 129.
Greek characteristics, 129.

Nestorian Christians in China, 143.

Netherlands--story of Dutch settlement in China, 137.

Novels, Chinese, 61-62.

Odes, Book of, Confucian Canon, 41.
Mirrors mentioned in, 132.
Standard of rhyme, 67.
Toys of boy and girl babies, 195.

Official coats, "horse-shoe sleeves," 179.

Official positions in China--
Law experts in offices of judge of criminal cases, 56.
Senior Classics, _see that title_.
Value of, 72.
Women once admitted to, 198.
[_See also_ Government.]

Olives, Greek and Chinese associations, 128.

Opposites, China regarded as land of, 119, 210.

Painting the face, custom of Chinese and Grecian women, 122.

Pakhoi, opium tax resisted, 95-96.

Paper, invention of, effect on style of Chinese writing, 26.

Pegasus--Chinese "heavenly horse" compared, 133.

Peking, dialect of, standard Mandarin, 8.

Penal Code, Chinese, 56, 87-88.

Persia--"heavenly horse" in China, 131,133.

Philippines, Spanish seizure from China, 136.

Phonetic basis and indicator, _see_ Language--Written.

Phraseology concordance, Chinese, 65-69.

"Pidgin" English, 17.

Pigs, tax on, resisted, 93-95.

Pills of immortality, concoction and effect of, 107.

Plays--
Editions of, 62-33.
Grecian similarities, 125-126.

Poetry--
Cambridge collection, 60.
Taoist poet, quotations from, 160-163.
Women writers, 60, 197.

Population, Chinese, vastness of, 3.

Portrait-painting, Chinese--
Encyclopaedia topic, 53.
Story, 53.

Prefectures, division of circuits, 76, 83.

Priest, Buddhist priest anecdote, 138.

Prince Huai-nan, _see_ Huai-nan.

Protestant missionaries in China, 144.

Provincial government--
Division of provinces, 76, 78.
Governors, 76, 83.
Officials, commissioners, etc., 81-82.
Viceroys, 76, 82, 83.

Puppet-shows, China, alleged origin of, 123.

Pythagorean and Chinese systems of music, similarity of, 129.

Quails, fighting, Grecian and Chinese custom, 126.

Queue--
False hair, 180.
Tartars, fight against queue, 179.
Theories as to origin, 178-179.

Readers, professional, Chinese, 61.

_Record in Dark Blood_, historical section, Cambridge, 57.

Relativity, doctrine of, Lao Tzu's teachings, 156.

Religions--
Buddhism, _see that title_.
Classification--Three Doctrines, 143, 145.
Confucian Canon, _see that title_.
Jews, 144.
Lao Tzu, _see_ Taoism.
Mahommedanism, 143.
Manichaeans, 144.
Nestorian Christians, 143.
Protestant missionaries, 144.
Roman Catholicism, 144.
Taoism, _see that title_.
Zoroastrians, 144.

Reprints, Chinese--
Cambridge collection, 55.
_Family Library_, 55.

Rhyme, Chinese, 67-68.

Riots, Chinese, people's self-government, 97-101.

Rip Van Winkle, Chinese, story of, 55.

Rites, Book of, Confucian Canon, 42.

Roman Catholicism in China, 144.

Roman classics, relative values of Chinese and Greek training, 109-110.

_Romance of Three Kingdoms_, novel, 61-62.

Salt commissioner, provincial official, 81.

Sanskrit, introduction of, 110.

_San Ts'ai T'u Hui_ encyclopaedia, 52-53.

Seal of office of mandarin, 198-199.

Self-government illustrations, 96-106.

Self-taxation, _see_ Taxation.

Senior Classics--
Honours of, 72.
Illustrated book in Cambridge collection, 70-71.

Shopkeepers, women's business ability, 198.

Smith, Rev. Dr. A., statement as to prejudice against Christianity,
181.

Social life, knowledge of, necessary to foreigner in China, 181-182.

Spanish seizure of islands from China, 136.

Spectacles, _see_ Eyeglasses.

Speech, Chinese, _see_ Language.

Spring and Autumn, Confucian Canon, 41.

Ssu-k'ung T'u, Taoist poet, quotations from, 160-163.

Ssu-ma Ch'ien--
_Historical Record_, 45-47.
Memoir of Lao Tzu, 149.

Ssu-ma Kuang, author of _The Mirror of History_, 48-49.

Statesmen--
Chang Ch'ien, mission to Bactria, 130-131.
Compared with men from other countries, 112.
Han Yue, great works of, 117.
Li Hung-chang, _see that title_.
Wen T'ien-hsiang, influence of Chinese literature on, 113-116.

Statutes, present Chinese dynasty, 56.

Story-tellers in Chinese towns, 61, 123.

Street etiquette and rights, 183-186.

Strikes--tea strike, Hangchow, 95.

Study of Chinese affairs, _see_ China.

Suffixes, Chinese language, 21.

T'ai-p'ing rebels, pamphlets of, 56.

Taoism--
Alchemy, 166-168.
Black art, 186-170.
Borrowing from Buddhists, 172.
Cambridge Library, collection of writings, 44.
Chuang Tzu, writer on Taoism, 148, 154-160, 165, 171.
Corruption of the Tao, 171-173
Decline, 163.
Elixir of life, 163-170.
Genuineness of _Tao-Te-Ching_, evidences against, 146-151.
Han Fei Tzu, writer on Taoism, 148.
Huai-nan Tzu, writer on Taoism, 149.
Immortality, _see that title_.
Inaction doctrine, 152, 156.
Last state, 143.
Legends of Lao Tzu, 145-146.
Philosophy of, 151-163, 182.
Poet, quotations from, 160-163.
Relativity doctrine, 156.
Struggle with Buddhists, 172.

Tao-t'ai, intendant of circuit, 76, 83.

_Tao-Te-Ching_, evidences against genuineness, 146-151.

Tartar generals, provincial governors, 82.

Taxation--
Combination and resistance, 92-96.
Lightness of taxation, 89.
New imposts, people's approval necessary before enforcement, 90-92.
Opium tax resisted, 95-96.
Pigs, tax on, resisted, 93-95.
Self-taxation, 84.
Illustrations, 92-96.
_Likin_ tax, 89-90.
Tea strike, 95.

Tea, serving and drinking, 187.

Tea strike, Hangchow, 95.

Tenses, Chinese language, 13-15.

"Three Doctrines," 143, 145.

Tones, Chinese language, 20
Arrangement of concordance to phraseology, 66-68.

Topographies, Chinese, Cambridge collection, 57-60.

University, Columbia, endowment of Chinese chair, 4, 37, 211.

University of Cambridge, Library, _see_ Library.

Veils for women, abolition of, 197.

"Veritable Record," Cambridge collection, 48.

Viceroys, Chinese, 76, 82, 83.

Visitors, Chinese etiquette, 186-189.
Invitation to dinner, 188.
Left-hand, place of honour, 187.
Tea, serving and drinking, 187.

Vitale, Baron, publication of Chinese nursery rhymes, 206.

Water-clocks, Chinese and Grecian, 128.

Watermelon, Chinese term for, Greek origin, 134.

Wen Tien-hsiang, influence of Chinese literature and training on,
113-116.

Western incidents in Chinese literature, 135-139.

Widows, Chinese, 201-202.

Wine, introduction of grape-wine into China, 131.

Wine-drinking--
Anecdotes, 127-128.
Grecian resemblances, 126-127.
Guest-tea, 187.

Wives--
"Henpecked husbands," 204.
Status, etc., 196, 198, 199.
[_See also_ Women.]

Women--
Ancestry of ancient Chinese traced through mother, 27.
_Biographies of Eminent Women_, 50.
Disregard of, 189.
Education, 197-198.
False hair, 180.
Foot-binding, _see that title_.
Girls, _see that title_.
Greek similarities, 121-122.
"Henpecked husbands," 204.
Official life, 198.
Painting the face, custom, 122.
Poems by, 60, 197.
Privileges not shared by men, 201.
Seclusion, 177, 196.
Shopkeepers, business ability, 198.
Veils, abolition of, 197.
Widows, 201-202.
Wives, _see that title_.

Written Chinese language, _see_ Language.

Wuchang bridge incident, 97.

Yuean Yuean, commentary, Confucian Canon, 43.

Zebra, picture of, in ancient Chinese book, 59.

Zoroastrians in China, 144.

End of Project Gutenberg's China and the Chinese, by Herbert Allen Giles