# A wandering student in the Far East

A Wandering Student
in the Far East
BY
THE EARL OF RONALDSHAY, M.P.
AUTHOR OF 'SPORT AND POLITICS UNDER AN EASTERN SKY,' AND 'ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF EMPIRE IN ASIA'
"He (Dr Johnson) talked with an uncommon animation of travelling into distant countries; that the mind was enlarged by it, and that an acquisition of dignity of character was derived from it. He expressed a particular enthusiasm with respect to visiting the wall of China."—Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND A MAP
IN TWO VOLS.—VOL. I.
William Blackwood and Sons Edinburgh and London 1908
DEDICATED
TO
J. I. M.
PREFACE.
In writing the book which is herewith submitted to the public, I have kept two classes of readers more especially in view—firstly, that part of the reading public which takes a general interest in records of travel in distant lands; and secondly, that part of it which takes something more than an academic interest in the trade and enterprise of the people of Great Britain in foreign countries. To both of these classes the subjects of my present study—China and Japan—will, I believe, prove the sources of no small attraction. China, with her vast undeveloped resources, her overwhelming population, and, above all, her uneasy but fateful movement away from the well-worn paths of her past and towards ​the untrodden ways of an as yet undecipherable future, looms ever larger and larger upon the horizon of the public view; Japan, at all times a centre of attraction to the casual traveller from the West, acquires a daily growing interest for the people whose interests in Asia are, by common consent and by the more formal testimony of solemn treaty stipulations, inextricably interwoven with her own. But beyond making an appeal to the interest of the general reader, China provides an unusual field for the enterprise of the merchant and manufacturer; while the commercial and industrial ambitions of Japan invite from them the most careful consideration and the most serious study. Need it be added that in the daily moves and counter-moves of these, the two great forces which give to the term "Far East" its present undeniable significance, the politician will find unending and absorbing material for study and speculation.
Generally speaking, volume i. will be found to appeal more especially, though by no means exclusively, to those who find pleasure in following a narrative of travel in unfamiliar ​and unbeaten tracks, since thirteen of its eighteen chapters are devoted to a description of my journey across the interior of China. The exceptions are chapters i., iv., xii., xvii., and xviii., which deal with various matters as follows: chapter i., with the positions of Japan and China in the Far East respectively, and with the contrast which they present; chapter iv., with the much-debated question of the navigation of the middle reaches of the Yang-tsze river; chapter xii., with the intricacies of the opium question; and chapters xvii. and xviii., with the building of the frontier between Burma and the Chinese Empire.
On the other hand, volume ii. is composed mainly of a series of essays upon subjects of more especial interest to those who are themselves personally interested, either directly or indirectly, in the development of Far Eastern affairs—the student, the politician, the financier, the merchant, and the manufacturer. Of the thirteen chapters composing this volume, nine are devoted to a critical examination of Japan's place in the Far East. ​In such an examination narrative of travel finds but little place, the bulk of the space at my disposal being required for more serious discussion. The remaining four chapters—chapters xix.-xxii.—are concerned with such matters as the present attitude of China towards Europe, and with the existing state of the commerce and communications (railways) of the Empire, some indication also being given as to their probable future development. Here again a description of travel finds no place.
The greater part of what is here published sees the light of day now for the first time. In one or two places, however, I have availed myself of the permission granted me by the proprietor of 'Blackwood's Magazine' and by the editor of 'The National Review,' to make use of matter which has already appeared in the columns of their respective publications. To these gentlemen my grateful acknowledgment is due. The illustrations are in ​every case, with the single exception of the frontispiece, reproductions of photographs taken by myself, and the map which accompanies volume i. has been specially prepared by Mr Edward Stanford under my own personal direction and supervision.
It would not be possible to make individual mention of all those to whom I am indebted for assistance and information. I should like, however, to place on record my gratitude to the large number of Japanese manufacturers who so courteously conducted me over their mills and workshops, as well as to many Japanese gentlemen—official and non-official—in the capital and elsewhere, for their kindly interest and hospitality. I was especially fortunate in being given the opportunity of discussing questions of public interest with Prince Ito and Count Okuma in Japan, and with his Excellency Yuan Shikai in China. To Sir Claud Macdonald, H.B.M. Ambassador at Tokyo, my thanks are especially due for the ready help which he accorded me in carrying out my investigations in Japan; and I am likewise indebted to Sir John Jordan, H.B.M. Minister at Peking, for an equal readiness to ​grant me assistance while in China. Among the many other officials of H.B.M. Diplomatic and Consular Service to whom I am indebted, mention must especially be made of Mr H. Bonar, H.B.M. Consul-General at Kobe, whose valuable companionship I was fortunate enough to secure in many of my expeditions to the chief centres of Japanese industrial activity; of Mr H. H. Fox, H.B.M. Consul at Ichang, Mr H. Goffe, H.B.M. Consul-General at Ch'êngtu, and Mr W. H. Wilkinson, H.B.M. Consul-General in Yün-nan, to all of whom I am indebted for both help and hospitality. I also received valuable aid from many unofficial residents in the Far East—from Captain Brinkley in Tokyo, and from Dr Morrison, Mr Gardiner, and Mr J. O. P. Bland in Peking, as well as from many members of the British mercantile community resident in Shanghai, Hankow, and Tientsin, and from the officials of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service. Nor must I omit to mention the kindness of the many members of the Missionary Societies with whom I came into contact in many parts of the Chinese Empire. ​In such different towns as Mukden, Niu-chwang, Ch'ung-k'ing, Ch'êngtu, Chia-ting Fu, Sui Fu, Chao-t'ung Fu, Tung-ch'uan Fu, Yün-nan Fu, and Tali Fu, I encountered members of the missionary community, from all of whom I received a cordial hospitality and much valuable information.
RONALDSHAY.
October 1908.
CONTENTS.
PART I. A NEW ORDER IN THE FAR EAST.
PART II. ACROSS THE HEART OF CHINA.
PART III. THE MAKING OF THE NORTH-EAST FRONTIER.
PART I.: GREAT BRITAIN AND CHINA.
PART II.: GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Peter. The Author. Mr Chou.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1937, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 86 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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