New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-01-13
THE NEW ERA IN CHINA.

audience question in China will surprise every
body who has paid any attention to the
public p cc,iii@osv of that country Inc Chnes IS.
Government has precipitateIy a"1'0SS9 40
fortified position, and conceded most I'M
portant point to the unwelcome, pertinacious,
besieging foreigners. For time immemorial
the Emperor of China, the Son of Heaven, or
Hoang-Ti, has been approached only with the
divine hopors due bis exalted station. Accord
ing to the Chinese theory, he is Gods vicegerent,
the source of all earthly honor and power,
the owner of the soil and the resources OF the
earth, and the arbter of the life happiness and
fortunes of 4O0,O0000O of mankind. To enter
his presence required the performance OF the
kou-tow a ceremonial which consists OF three
kneelings and nine knockings of the forehead
on the ground. The representatives OF Six or
seven powerful Western nations have been
waiting for admission to the Court Of China
they have, on one pretext or another, been
kept outside; in reality, this performance OF
the ko,c-t o,c, exacted of all who come near the
Emperor, but to which none of these would
submit, seemed the most serious barrier.
Notwithstanding the fact that numerous
treaties have been negotiated between China
and the Western nations, nothing has been
done that would compromise the belief of the
Chinese that the Emperor possesses absolute
dominion of the whole earth. Ii any act
which approached to such a compromise has
been committed, it has been under protest;
and the pretensiOns of the Governments OF
Europe and the United States to equality with
China are, doubtless, secretly fidiculed by the
statesmen of China. Yet the naughty assump-
ton which compelled worship from every
person, native or foreign, who came into the
imperial presence has seemed to melt in
single day.
The marriage of the Emperor has just been
celebrated. This event signalizes the attain
ment of his majority and his assuming undi-
vided control of the Empire. This epoch has
been postponed again and again; it has been
DELAYED because it was sure to precipitate the
audience question which, for eleven years, has
hung in solution. The previous Emperor, Hen
Fung died in 1861; a Council of Regency, COM
posed of eight princes of the blood and high
functonaries of the Empire, was vested with
the Government. Prince Kung, uncle of the
present Emperor, who had already been con-
spicusus in affairs, by a coup detdt seized on
the Regency, the most prominent members OF
which he hurried to execution on various pre-
texts. Two dowager Expresses, one the chief
wife of the deceased Emperor and the other
the mother of his son, the present ruler, were
proclaimed Regents. The real powers of the
Regency, however, were welded by Prince
Kung, though the childless First widow" of
the late Hen Fung is reputed to be woman
of great abilities and influence in affairs.
Prince Kung and his partisans desire to hold
their power as long as possible; most of
the Chinese officials are ayerse to receiving
foreigners into the country; but as long as
the young Emperor's majority was postponed,
Prince KING remained virtual ruler of
China, and the audience question, on
which so much relating to foreign
intercourse depended, was put off. The En-
peror should have assembled the throne four
years ago he was then fourteen, the age
| which gave him the right in China to bear
rule, to marry, and to receive divine hOnors.
| He is now eighteen and has married an EN-
press, three wives of the first degree, six of
the second degree, nine of the third degree,
and has nine times nine concubines His per-
| sonal government of the Empire is about to
| begin; and with the opening of the new
Chinese year Gin February he will receive the
| foreign ambassadors dispensing with the
kop-tow.
/ Considering the relations of the imperfectly
| opened Empire of China to the rest of the
world, these events are highly important.
| II has been the practice of the Chinese Gov
eminent to obstruct all attempts at facilitating
| foreign intercourse by series of reluctant
surrenders. Each outpost Of their diplomatic
defenses has been stubbOrnly defended, and,
when given up, seemed to bring the wearied
besiegers no nearer the central point of attack.
During the Emperor's minority, every ques-
| ton has been craftily deferred until he should
come of age. The revision of commercial
treaties, settlement of the Tien-Tsin massacre,
and various other diplomatic matters have
thus accumulated until this time. More i'm
portant, because more widely affecting China,
is the general question of the extension of
foreign influences throughout the En-
pire. The representatives of European
and American Governments are pre-
uared to ask great deal Everything
they have asked hsgetsfofe has been blandly
dctfarred until such time as the Emperor
should cone Of age to answer for himself. He
has come of asse; what will he answers
Western nations ask TIT they sIsil trade in
tie interior and buy the produSts Of .le coun-
try. This involves the building of telegraph
lines the threading of steamers through .'pe
watery arteries of the Empire, and the con-
struction of railways between important
points. The Chinese object to railways be-
cause they ruin the trade of running footmen
and make noise; to steamers because they
would throw thousands of worthy people out of
employment, and to telegraphs because they dis
quiet the repose of their dead ancestors. These