Fw: H-ASIA: Anti-foreign episodes in China, 1890-1900

----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Dwyer" <dwyer@MAIL.H-NET.MSU.EDU>
To: <H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 9:32 PM
Subject: H-ASIA: Anti-foreign episodes in China, 1890-1900

> H-ASIA
> March 4, 2011
>
> Anti-foreign episodes in China, 1890-1900
> *****************
> From: Ian Welch <ian.welch@anu.edu.au>
>
> In my work on missionary affairs in China, and the importance in 19th
> century Chinese history of "humiliations" caused by foreign incursions, it
> is of considerable interest to observe that there does not seem to be a
> comprehensive list of (a) gunboat episodes; (b) anti-foreign episodes; (c)
> missionary cases; (d) popular uprisings and rebellions.
>
> It appears that the primary "humiliation" in 19C China was not foreigners,
> nor their incursions or gunboats, but the venality and incompetence of a
> ruling elite whose self-interest was predominant in every dealing with
> foreigners, to say nothing of their contempt for ordinary Chinese.
>
> This is not to say that foreigners were not engaged in humiliating events,
> but that their behaviour was in no small part reactive. Diplomats and
> consuls reported that considerably more than half their time was taken up
> with "missionary cases" of various kinds. It must be noted that
> "missionary cases" involved well-meaning but ignorant foreigners
> intruding into Chinese domestic affairs on behalf of their Chinese
> converts. Responsible missionaries were well aware of the problem and in
> the case of Fujian Province, all the Protestant missions combined to issue
> a statement condemning the practice.
>
> In researching the Huashan Massacre of 1 August 1895, and preparing a
> world data-base related to it comprising over 3,000 items covering the
> period 1870-1900, it is apparent that foreigners in China were unanimous
> that anti-foreign episodes, including anti-missionary riots (missionaries
> being the most accessible for attacks), demonstrated a deliberate
> long-term policy of the Chinese elite, from the Peking Governmen
> downwards, to make the residence of foreigners so difficult that they
> would retreat to the Treaty Ports and then driven entirely out of China,
> or at least limited to such affairs as the Chinese elite was prepared to
> tolerate. It also seems that there were regional rivalries for senior
> Chinese positions (Hunan v. Ngan-whei for example) and anti-foreign
> episodes were caught up in elite struggles for status, authority and
> power.
>
> Apart from welcoming discussion of the above, I would be interested to
> learn of any lists in regard to the four categories noted in the first
> paragraph.
>
> Regular readers may remember that I was equally surprised some time back
> to learn that there was no listing of anti-Chinese episodes in the United
> States. I put together an initial table on that topic that some folk have
> been interested to obtain and would welcome additions if anyone cares to
> contribute. I have not done the same for Australia, so far, but I believe
> that anti-Chinese riots in Australia were, as far as my knowledge
> currently extends, comparatively rare and were firmly dealt with by the
> legal system.
>
>
> Ian Welch, Canberra.
>
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