place, we went to visit the women’s prison, which is within the same
enclosure as the men’s, though separated by a wall. It was very
much smaller in extent but equally well kept, and even, I must add,
_attractive_. The matron was a pleasant-faced, comely woman, and her own
room quite a picture. The white-curtained bed, pretty coverlet, vase
of flowers, and various little treasures suggested a home, and as she
took us round, it was easy to see that she was happy in her work. We
passed through the dining-room, where the tables were spread with clean
cloths, and bowls and chopsticks were ready for the forthcoming meal.
The prisoners were only about thirty in number, and were busy making
mattresses and clothing, knitting and crocheting. It was suggested that
they should sing a hymn, which they did with evident pleasure, and some
of them talked with the missionary, who comes to see them once a week.
The matron is not a Christian, but finds the singing and reading does
them so much good that she has taken to learning and to teaching them
herself. The missionaries were originally invited by the master to come
and speak to the prisoners, and it is now a regular custom. One woman who
is in for murder has become quite a changed character, and her term has
been shortened in consequence of her good behaviour. Some were in for
opium-smoking, which is here a punishable offence, while in other parts
of the empire it is frankly encouraged.
The prisoners are allowed to have a visitor once a month, but no
complaints are allowed to be made. Visits are stopped if this happens.
The prisoners can earn money—if they work sufficiently well—which is
placed to their credit for payment when their sentence is up.
The prison system was appalling in China previous to 1912, but it was
then decided that it must be radically changed. It was reckoned that
it would take seven years completely to re-model it in the twenty-two
provinces. I have only seen one other of these new prisons at Tientsin,
and it was not nearly so attractive as the Taiyuanfu one, but still
worthy of imitation in many European countries. It had a sort of chapel
in which moral addresses were given, but, it is only in the one at
Changteh—under General Feng’s jurisdiction[14]—that a chapel was to
be found where missionaries had regular services, each mission being
responsible for a month at a time, in rotation. The Chinese Government
has no small task still before it, for it is estimated that a sum of at
least $24,000,000 will be required to provide the new gaols, besides
which the Government scheme provides reformatories, Prisoners’ Protection
and Aid Societies.
So much is said at present in the European Press about the disorders
and misgovernment in China, that it is only fair to let people know
that a steady tide of reform is flowing on at the same time, which will
render possible a great forward movement when once there is a settled
government. Not only are there new gaols, but new barracks, and a large
military hospital of which the M.O. is a fine capable Chinaman, trained
in the Mission Hospital; he is always ready to lend a hand there still
when needed. I was interested to see him doing so one day when the young
Chinaman in charge had a serious operation to perform, and if comparison
were to be made between that and some European ones I have seen, it would
not be in favour of the latter. The mission-trained Chinese are the only
men capable of carrying out many of the reforms now taking place in
China, owing to the dearth of trained Chinese. The Governor has sent nine
students, selected by competitive examination, to study medicine at the
Tsinanfu Christian university,[15] and 100 to France to study textiles.
One of the latest reforms of Governor Yen is particularly interesting:
it is the power to make his will known in any part of the 70,000 square
miles (or thereabouts) of Shansi within twenty-four hours. Considering
that the railway line only runs up to Taiyuanfu—seventy miles or less
through the province, and that the telegraph wires coincide with it—this
is a truly amazing achievement. It is managed by means of telephone and
of fast runners.
The mineral wealth of Shansi is phenomenal, and Baron v. Richthoven
estimated that its coal would supply the whole world for several thousand
years. Anthracite and iron are found in large quantities, besides other
minerals. Given, therefore, a stable government and a progressive
Governor like Yen, the province of Shansi is capable of becoming a most
important place, in fact, of world-wide importance.
The difficulty of transport is one of the main drawbacks at present, and
the loess formation is not only a bar to this, but also to irrigation of
Taiyuanfu, owing to the curious ravines, sometimes as much as a hundred
feet deep, through which traffic often passes, and the sides of which may
at any time give way, burying the luckless travellers beneath them. The
Governor has sent to England to buy 100 second-hand Government transport
lorries, and no doubt he has plans for overcoming the difficulties, if
only he is left in peace to develop them. He was formally proclaimed
“Model Tuchun” by the Chinese Government in 1918, and although he is not
yet forty, has proved himself one of China’s ablest governors.
[Illustration]
_Chapter III_
_The Province of Yünnan_
“International life—a product of science, industry and economic
relations—is hardly yet born; yet it is daily becoming a more
and more comprehensive reality, including within its sphere
items whose numbers and importance are steadily increasing. Nor
is this common life merely international. Might not one say
that it is also inter-ethnic, in the sense of embracing the
most diverse races, not only in Europe, but also in America,
Asia and Africa? Over the whole globe we are witnessing the
spread and propagation of ideas that are also forces—motor
ideas, which are everywhere identical and are drawing very
different minds in the same directions.”—ALFRED FOUILLÉE.
_Chapter III_
_The Province of Yünnan_
[Illustration: CHAIR COOLIES.]
Yünnanfu, the capital of the province, is a most fascinating place and
situated in a most lovely district. I visited it thirteen years ago,
before the coming of the French and their railway, and found it very
interesting to study the changes which have taken place. These are
important, but not so deep-reaching as in other cities, and I asked
myself what the reason was.
There has grown up quite a foreign suburb round the station, and there
are French hotels, in one of which we stayed—the _Terminus_. There are
plenty of shops there, full of the cheaper kind of European goods; but
beyond this small area French influence does not seem to extend. It seems
out of harmony with the Chinese psychology, and all that we heard about
their relations was disappointing. The railway has been useful for trade
purposes, but has not promoted a good understanding between the races.
The management of it leaves much to be desired in every way, and there is
constant friction between the French and the Chinese.
It is extremely desirable that France should be represented in China by
a different quality of people from those at present in Yünnan: the bulk
of them entirely ignore the French traditions of courtesy and treat the
Chinese as a lower and subservient race; almost they look upon them as if
they had been conquered. It is a tragedy that Westerners should invade
any areas against the will of the people, and still further increase the
ill-will by their lack of manners in daily intercourse. Of course it is
not only French people who do this, but Europeans of every kind, and the
day of reckoning will surely come.
We went to see our missionary friends, who had entertained us on our last
visit, and found their premises were overflowing with guests, as all
the missionaries working in the district to the north and west had been
called in by the officials on account of the activity of the brigands. In
fact we met no less than three who had been prisoners in their hands. Two
of these had made their escape, with hairbreadth adventures, and gave us
most interesting accounts of these people. We also heard a lecture by one
who had been seven weeks in the hands of the brigands, and from him we
gathered a vivid picture of their life; always pursued, and fleeing day
and night from the soldiers sent out against them. It made us feel much
sympathy for that particular band.
Many brigands are disbanded soldiers who have taken to the life as a
last resource. Their pay was rarely forthcoming, and they have been
not infrequently disbanded with no means of earning a living. The
captain of this band is a modern Robin Hood, with certain chivalrous
ideals and strict in enforcing discipline. He treated his prisoner with
consideration, allowed him to ride his beast while he himself walked.
Mr. S. had to endure the same hardships as the robbers, but no more; the
hardships were, however, too great a strain on his health, which speedily
gave way, and he was very seriously ill by the time he was rescued, as
the result of urgent remonstrances of his American Consul.
His robber guards treated him with genuine kindness and lent him their
wraps at night to keep him warm. The chief was very anxious that Mr. S.
should mediate with the Governor of Yünnan on his behalf, and promised
that he and his men would settle down to a peaceful life, if they might
have a free pardon for their past misdeeds. They had got a considerable
amount of loot shortly before, which may have influenced them in this.
He also offered to make Mr. S. his chaplain, with a salary of a thousand
dollars a month and six months’ salary deposited in advance in a bank in
Yünnanfu! He promised that all his men should become Christians: some of
them certainly were in sympathy with Christianity. But Mr. S. knew that
it was impossible to succeed in obtaining any favourable terms for the
robbers, and declined to attempt it. A French abbé, at great personal
risk, got permission to visit the sick man and was the greatest comfort
to him, but the abbé told me that he never expected to be allowed to go
away. What the reason of the robbers was for leaving the abbé at liberty
is decidedly obscure.
Mrs. S. had begged the robbers to take her prisoner with her husband,
but they refused, as in the case of another missionary’s wife. This was
a great encouragement to us, as we were women; but when I told it to our
young interpreter, he asked tragically, “But what about me?” and was
by no means reassured when I pointed out that he was neither a man of
substance nor of political importance, and so need have no fear.
The captain of the robbers was extremely particular with regard to the
treatment of women and girls by his men. They were strictly forbidden
to molest them. On one occasion, Mr. S. told us, the parents of a girl
came to complain that a smart young fellow had taken her from their home
the night before. After inquiry into the matter and finding that the
accusation was just, the captain had the culprit taken eighty yards up
the road and shot, all the band being witnesses and obliged to pass the
dead body as they left the village where this happened. I quote this
story because we so often heard ghastly stories about the ferocity of
brigands that justice seems to demand that something be said in their
defence. If there were a better Government, brigandage might soon be
put down, as may be seen by the fact that it has entirely ceased in the
province of Shansi, under Yen Hsi Shan’s wise rule.
We stayed for ten days at Yünnan and saw many interesting things while
the preparations for our journey went on apace. As soon as we had got
permission for it we ordered chairs, which had to be made, and looked out
for a cook. By means of the Y.M.C.A. we got an admirable one, called Yao.
The Y.M.C.A. is run by Americans and is mainly educational in character
at Yünnan: they have a charming Chinese house for their premises, but
look forward to the day when funds will be sufficient to have an American
one!
One of the most important pieces of work done by foreigners is the
C.M.S.[16] Medical Mission, and they are building a fine new hospital
besides having a beautiful native house in the city. Dr. Bradley told
us of the successful work done in curing opium smokers, who wished to
break themselves of the habit. A wealthy young official had presented
complimentary tablets in gratitude for his cure. The work was rather in
abeyance pending the completion of the hospital.
There is also a fine, well-managed French hospital for Europeans, but it
is not in the railway suburb, as it was built a great many years ago,
before the railway was built, in the days when the French were first
getting a footing in the province.
But the most interesting thing to us of all the things we saw was the
Chinese Home Mission—a Society formed in 1919, by which the Chinese
take up the evangelization of China as their own special duty. This is
as it should be. The time has come when the burden of responsibility
should begin to be taken up by the Chinese Christians, because it is
of paramount importance that Christian mission work should cease to be
looked on as a foreign institution. The Chinese Church of the future
is beginning to take shape, and must grow in accordance with national
needs. It is to be the outcome of the honest hard spiritual work of
many sections of the Christian Church, but the copy of none. It is of
happy augury that in this particular section seven members of the party
represented the Presbyterians, Methodists, and American Board; while
twelve different societies are represented on their advisory board.
They have not so far formulated any creed, but have gone out rather as
pioneers to learn the needs of the people and the way in which they
can best work. They will then report to those who sent them. Not only
are Christians of all churches supporting the movement financially,
but also non-Christians show a great interest in it. The chief of the
Governor’s staff in Yünnan wrote most cordially, welcoming their coming
and promising to help them in any way he could. The missionaries have
all done the same, and they are now working most happily alongside one
another. We went to call on the two ladies of the C.H.M. settled in the
city, the others of the party being unfortunately some distance away in
robber-ridden areas of the country. Miss Li Ching Chien and Miss Chen
Yu Ling have a girls’ school in a charming old temple building, and we
found about thirty girls there, some having a lesson in the classics,
others doing needlework. They are drawn from the exclusive upper-class
families, whose doors are rigorously closed against the foreigner. They
are glad to have their daughters instructed in Western knowledge, even if
it does include Christian doctrine. The teachers told them in the opening
ceremony that the main object of the school was to promote Christianity.
They did not speak much English, but we took our interpreter, who was
pleased to find he knew one of them in Peking, when she was working
in the North China Union College for Women. They told us how they now
visit in more than a hundred houses, owing to their school work, and
are allowed to talk freely of the message, which is their chief aim. On
Sundays they hold a service in their house and a Chinese pastor preaches:
to this service men come as well as women and girls.
Meanwhile the men of the Chinese Home Mission have been visiting
different parts of the province, Pastor Ding Li-mei going as far as
Tengyueh, on the western border of Yünnan. He not only made a careful
survey of the various districts, but also preached wherever he went. He
is a man of high repute, one of the most successful and widely known
evangelists in the East of China. His wife had taken up kindergarten
work in the capital, as that has been her special line. Another of the
party, Mr. Sang, went to visit a large tin-mining district in the south,
and made a survey of Ku Chin, a prosperous city. The people of the
district are greatly addicted to opium-smoking, which is on the increase.
The Southern Government, which is supreme in Yünnan, openly encourages
opium-smoking. There is no missionary work going on in this part of the
province at present; in fact, there are not a dozen mission centres in
the whole of this huge province, 146,680 square miles, with an estimated
population of twelve millions. No wonder that the Chinese Home Mission
felt that this was the place where they were most needed; hence their
decision to start work in Yünnan, hoping to extend their work to other
provinces. Another of the party, Mr. Li, visited the northern part of
the province, crossing the border into Szechuen. At one place he found a
group of Christians, who begged him to become their pastor.
The work of the C.H.M. is gradually getting organized and has promise
of a fine future; its inception was mainly due to women, and they seem
destined to play an important part in it. Chinese women have initiative
and great staying power. One of its chief promoters was Dr. Mary
Stone,[17] an able Chinese doctor, whose reputation is known throughout
the empire. In her interesting book, _Notable Women of Modern China_,
Miss M. E. Burton gives a graphic sketch of Dr. Stone’s life, from the
time when her father brought her as a child of eight to an American lady
doctor, saying, “Here is my little girl. I want you to make a doctor of
her.” She grew up to be one of the people who tackle hard jobs of every
kind and who inspire others, as in the case of the Chinese Home Mission.
And the success of the Mission can only be secured if others take their
share in it, for “they also serve who only stand and wait.” A charming
instance of this came to my notice at Amoy. A friend took me to visit an
old pastor and his wife who had just celebrated their combined birthday
of a hundred and fifty. They said to me, “We are too old and infirm to
carry on our work, so now we have set ourselves to pray for the Mission,
and every day ten of us meet together for the purpose, and we give what
little we can.” I told them I was going to see the ladies at Yünnan, and
they were pleased at the thought of sending a message direct. Miss Li and
Miss Chen were no less pleased to receive it.
[Illustration: The Pilgrim Way, Yünnanfu Lake.
_Page 74_]
[Illustration: In Cloudland.
_Page 74_]
There are in China some hundred and twenty different societies at work,
but I venture to think that there is still room for many more Chinese
workers, if not societies. At Yünnanfu I talked to an old and experienced
missionary,[18] and he told me that he is convinced that the Chinese
are best reached by their own people, and that now he confines himself
almost entirely to superintendence and organization, while he has an
ever-increasing number of evangelists who do all the speaking and
teaching. It seems clear that the Chinese themselves feel the need of
this support, seeing that the Chinese Home Mission has elected to have a
foreign advisory committee. It is also essential to have foreign training
centres, such as Dr. Keller’s school at Changsha (_see_ page 152). At
present the training of these men is often most inadequate, owing to the
difficulty and expense of sending them long distances to the schools,
especially from the less accessible mission stations.
We did not spend all our time in the city, while preparing for our
journey eastward. Once again the lure of the lake came irresistibly on
me, and we sent our interpreter to engage a boat in advance to take
us across to the celebrated shrines. It is a long day’s expedition
and requires strong rowers. When we reached the spot, by ricksha, from
which we were to start, the boat proved quite unsuitable: it was so
heavy that it would have taken all day to get across. The only thing
was to make a fresh bargain for something more suitable, and we were
amused to find that it was women only who seemed to be in charge of this
trade. A pleasant, hefty-looking woman undertook to do the job to our
satisfaction, and we were soon gliding across the smooth waters. There
were many heavily-laden boats with lovely sails and as picturesque a
crowd of passengers as you could wish to see, who were crossing the lake
either to or from the city. Other boats were employed in fishing. The
air was most lovely and the colouring of lake and sky and mountains a
dream of beauty. Our two men and two women rowed like Trojans, and in
two hours we landed at the foot of fine crags on the further shore. We
climbed up a steep zigzag path, often up a rock stairway, through the
pine-trees. The air was filled with the scent of roses, and the birds
sang; nothing disturbed the delicious stillness of the place. From time
to time we reached a shrine where the devout pilgrim worships, and always
found a terrace or balcony with stone balustrade on which were perched
quaint carved beasts, and from which there was a glorious view across
the shimmering lake. Sometimes we passed through fine carved gateways,
and we found the thousand steps rather long and weary! At one shrine a
young acolyte, suffering from hip disease, prepared tea for us, before we
attacked the topmost stage of pilgrimage. This led by a passage cut in
the face of the rock to a very lofty little shrine, where squirrels were
sporting among the overhanging shrubs. We entered the dragon gate, over
which was inscribed the legend “Blessing to all who come.”
A party of Chinese women had actually climbed all the way up on their
tiny feet and welcomed us with charming courtesy. After they had chatted
for a few moments they turned in absorbed interest to their religious
duties: cash were dropped in the box, incense lighted and due obeisances
and prayers offered to the god carved in the solid wall of rock.
The view from the terrace was sublime, and far below the water was dotted
with white sails that looked like insects on its surface. The overhanging
cliff was of great height, and there was a sheer drop of hundreds of feet
to the narrow belt of cornland on the margin of the lake, whose further
shore was lost in the midday haze. The lake is called K’un-Yang-Hai; it
is forty miles long and from five to eight miles wide; no wonder the
people call it the “sea”! As we came down we noticed some scribbling on
one of the temples “against Japanese goods,” with a rough drawing of a
man with a pistol. Everywhere this hatred is shown in one form or another.
We had much interesting talk with an Englishman in our hotel, who had
been there for more than six months trying to establish trade relations
with the local authorities on behalf of his firm. The mineral wealth of
Yünnan is proverbially great: it has rich mines of gold, silver, copper,
iron, lead, coal, zinc, tin, and also salt and petroleum wells. The ores
are of good quality and easily extracted, so that Yünnan has boundless
wealth, if she chooses to develop it. But the Yünnanese are thoroughly
unprogressive and a lazy, lethargic people, very different from other
Chinese. The officials absolutely declined to sell their raw products,
and it was precisely the ore which the English firm wished to buy: it
was quite useless in its manufactured form. Their envoy hoped to have
completed his business in a few weeks, but months had already elapsed,
and although he thought the end was in sight, it was still a matter of
uncertainty. Probably a substantial bribe would have accelerated matters;
but not only is bribery unworthy of our trade traditions, but in the long
run injurious to trade itself. The trade relations of China are by no
means easy, and all nations are bidding for special facilities.
What a pity that the world as a whole cannot be converted to the policy
of Free Trade! What a clearing of the moral atmosphere it would make;
and what temptations would be saved to frail human nature!
Nine days after reaching Yünnanfu we started on our journey eastward.
No one who has not experienced it can imagine the thrill of delight
with which we set forth in search of adventures! We said good-bye to
many helpful friends, got all our papers in order, and a letter of
recommendation to the Governor of Kweichow; at an early hour of the day
an escort of ten white-uniformed soldiers was waiting outside, ready to
accompany us. We had seventeen coolies, and looked quite an imposing
procession. First came our two four-bearer chairs, then the interpreter’s
three-bearer chair, the cook’s two-bearer chair (it is important to
preserve the etiquette of position), and finally four coolies carrying
the luggage; part of the escort led the way and part brought up the rear.