No. 165.
Mr. Avery
to Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
Pelting, June 22, 1875.
(Received August 13.)
69.]
Sir: Early last month it came to the knowledge of
the consuls at Tientsin that a picture representing the massacre of
foreigners was being publicly exhibited at a fair in the interior of this
province, the evident tendency, if not the motive, of such exhibition being
to incite the populace to violence. The consuls of Great Britain, France,
the United States, Germany, and Russia thereupon addressed a joint note upon
the subject to Li Hung Chang, governor of Chihli, a copy of which is
inclosed, requesting him to take steps to discover and punish the exhibitor
and painter of this picture; also, to cause a proclamation to be posted
stating why such punishment had been inflicted. Although this note was
inconsiderately worded, and conveyed an imputation, or what seemed to be
such, upon the good faith of the provincial authorities, the reply of the
governor-general was quite satisfactory, and his action equally so. The
proceedings had will fully appear from this document and the inclosed copy
of a proclamation subsequently issued. The picture alluded to contained
illustrations of the foul practices falsely attributed to foreign
missionaries by ignorant and superstitious natives—such as plucking out the
eyes and hearts of Chinese women and children, practices similar to those
which, by the ignorant and superstitious of the Christian faith in different
countries in Europe, at different times, have been so falsely charged
against the Jews. Something of this kind, or kindred charges of abduction,
have been made the pretext for most of the attacks on Christian missionaries
in China, and it therefore becames more and more important to insist upon
the aid of the authorities in preventing, as far as possible, the
propagation of such preposterous but mischievous notions.
I have approved the action of Mr. Sheppard, our consul at Tien-tsin, in
common with his colleagues.
I have, &c.,
[Inclosure 1 in No. 69.]
The Consuls to Governor
Chang.
We, the undersigned consuls, have the honor to inform your excellency
that a picture, presumably intended to portray the Tien-tsin massacre of
the 21st June, 1870, was
[Page 346]
exhibited in a peep-show at a public fair held at the beginning of last
month in the town of Ching-chia-wu, in the Ning-tsin district. In this
picture the Chinese mob is represented as attacking foreigners under the
leadership of Chen-kuo-jui, whose banner is depicted with the
characters-upon it. Many other mandarins, decorated with red buttons,
yellow jackets, and peacock’s feathers, are also represented as being
present, and over the head of one of these waves a flag inscribed with
the character “Brigadier-general.” In the upper story of a house, one
foreigner is pictured as scooping out the eye of a Chinese woman, a
second foreigner standing by and holding a vessel to receive it, whilst
in an adjoining room another foreigner is cutting out a China woman’s
heart. Now, it is evident that the public exhibition of such a picture
as this is calculated to exasperate the ignorant multitude against
foreigners. The disgusting and atrocious lies about the scooping out of
eyes and cutting out of hearts, which have so often been repeated
against them in anonymous placards, are now brought by this picture more
vividly before the imagination of the populace, and the belief that
attacks upon our nationals are approved, if not instigated, by the
mandarins, is strengthened. We therefore request your excellency to take
steps to discover and punish the exhibitor and painter of this picture;
also, to cause a proclamation to be posted up in the town of
Ching-chia-wu, and district city of Ningtsin, stating why such
punishment has been inflicted. We trust, too, that your excellency, with
the view of preserving friendly relations between China and the
treaty-powers, will see the necessity of enjoining the local officials
to exert themselves in dissipating the ignorance which unhappily
prevails about the pursuits of foreigners and their position in your
country; but, at the same time, we cannot refrain from expressing our
regret that inflammatory placards or pictures have never, in any case
which we are aware of, been brought to the notice of high Chinese
officials by Chinese official agency. In conclusion, we would request
that your excellency will be good enough to state, for the information
of our respective ministers, what steps you have deemed it expedient to
take upon the receipt of this communication.
We have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servants,
- C. BISMARCK,
Consul for
Germany.
- C. DILLON,
Consul for
France.
- J. MONGAN,
Her Britannic Majesty’s
Consul and Acting Austro-Hungarian Consul.
- ELI T. SHEPPARD,
United States
Consul.
- C. WÆBER,
Acting Consul-General for
Russia.
His Excellency Li Hung-Chang,
Governor-General of Chihli, &c.,
&c.
[Inclosure 2 in No.
69.—Translation.]
Governor Chang to
the consuls.
J. Mongan, Esq., Her
Britannic Majesty’s Consul,
C. Dillon, Esq., Consul for
France,
E. T. Sheppard, Esq., United
States Consul,
C. Wæber, Esq., Acting
Consul-General, Russia,
C. Bismarck, Esq., Consul for
Germany,
Tien-tsin.
Gentlemen: I duly received your joint note of
the 15th instant, referring to a picture portraying most detestable
falsehoods in representation of the Tien-tsin affair of 1870, which
picture had been found among some exhibited by a showman in a public
fair held at Ching-chai-wu, in the Ning-Ching district, and unitedly
requesting me to take action with regard thereto. I would observe that
when the picture known as the “San-chă-ho-kŏu” was exhibited for sale in
Tien-tsin last year, I repeatedly directed the local Tao-tai and prefect
to seize and burn every copy of it found in stock in the picture-stores,
and to cut up the blocks, the Taotai also to issue a stringent
prohibitory proclamation on the subject. As the result of those measures
no pictures of that description have since been found in Tien-tsin. In
the present instance, where a similar picture has been found exhibited
by a showman at a fair in the Ning-Ching district, the offender must
unquestionably have been a simple-minded and ignorant person. I was much
surprised on hearing of this
[Page 347]
matter, and concluded that it occurred in an out-of-the-way place, where
the circumstances would not come within the cognizance of the officials.
I have ordered the Tien-tsin Taotai and the customs Taotai to send
deputies to the place mentioned, and there join with the local
magistrate in a thorough search for these pictures and their blocks,
destroying all that may be found, and punishing the possessors according
to law. Also to issue interdictory proclamations enjoining local
officials to make inquiries from time to time, and check the circulation
of idle stories among the rustic population. These measures are
calculated for the mutual welfare of Chinese and foreigners. With
reference to your remark that Chinese officials, either openly or
secretly, connive at such matters, I think that such is not the case
within the jurisdiction of Chihli, and that you should dismiss such
suspicions from your minds.
I avail, &c., &c.
Card and compliments of
LI HUNG-CHANG,
Viceroy of
Chihli.
[Inclosure 3 in No.
69.—Translation]
Proclamation of Wu and Sun.
Wu, intendant of the circuit of Tien-tsin-Fu, Hochien-Fu, &c.,
&c.; Sun, superintendent of customs at Tien-tsin, &c, &c,
issue the following interdictory proclamation:
During the winter of 1873, a picture called the “San-chă-ho-kŏu-tŭ” was
exhibited for sale in the picture-shops of Tien-tsin, whereupon Ting,
then Taotai of Tien-tsin, and Chen, then customs Taotai, directed the
prefect and magistrate of Tientsin to seize and destroy the pictures and
blocks, summon the shopkeepers, and oblige them all to enter into a
restrictive bond, making themselves liable for heavy penalties, as duly
set forth, and further to issue a prohibitory proclamation on the
subject. In March last another case occurred at a fair held at
Ching-chia-wu, in the Ning-Ching district, wherein a man with a
picture-show had among his pictures one representing a fracas between
the people of Tien-tsin and the Christians,*
portraying false and atrocious incidents. The foreign consuls thereupon
jointly requested his excellency the viceroy to take action. We have
sent reliable deputies to the district of Ning-Ching, there to
co-operate in apprehending and punishing the offenders; and, as
required, we now issue a strict prohibitive proclamation. Let the people
of every district take notice hereby that from and after the date of
this proclamation, pictures representing the fracas between the Tientsin
people and the Christians, whether exhibited in town or market-place,
must be at once destroyed. If any one shall presume to conceal such
pictures and reproduce them for sale, he will, after detection and
summary examination, be awarded most severe punishment a liberal reward
will be given to any person bringing reliable information, and the
offender thus informed against will meet his proper punishment. Treaties
of friendship have existed for many years between China and foreign
countries, and hence in every case of intercourse the mutual conduct
should be that of courtesy, not suspicion and insult, lest disturbances
result and penalties be brought upon one’s self. Let all obey with
trembling, and evade not this special proclamation.
