Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-26
Ii HUNG CHANG.
An Interview with the Uncrowned King
of China.
HOW The TALK WAS sECURED-oFFIcIAL SUR
RoUNDISGs- BY THE GREAT
vIcERoY-HIs VIEWS ABOUT coREA, TIE UNITED
STATES AND AUsTRALIA-wIILC CHINA RETALIATE?
IL STARS Travelling Commissioner.

vIcERoY-HIs VIEWS ABOUT coREA. TIE UNITED
STATES AND AUsTRALIA--wIL CHINA RETALIATE?
From THE STARS Travelling Commissioner
TIENTsIN, November Is. 1885,
The emperor of China is invisible to any bar
barian eye, and if he were not. he is still but
boy and probably knows less about his country
than the least of his officials. The real empe-
ror is the empress-his aunt and her proud
and determined personality is known to the
outside world chiefly through Ii Hung-chang.
Between the empress and the great viceroy
there Is close political partnership and an
offensive and defensive alliance. Therefore
the presence of the viceroy is the nearest pos
sible approach for foreigner to the throne of
China. And all the world knows that he is one
OF the notwithstanding and powerful men in it.
NlcerOy of the province of Chilli, hence ex
officio the guardian of the gate of China,
| senior OF the four grand secretaries of state,
formerly grand guardian of the heir apparent.
president of the board of war, superintendent
of the North sea trade. Count Shinu-ki of the
hrst rank. special plenipotentiary times with
out number, practical owner of an army of
$4,000 men and fleet which. so far as wood
and iron go, Is second to none in the east, inn
mensely wealthy, preternaturally astute, ut
| terly INSCRIPTIONS having at last overcome all
his enemies and even able to laugh calmly at
the dreaded censors themselves, Ii Hung
/
of these $50 000. 900 of shaven heads and plated
tails. at least far as the outside world is con-
cerned. III had a chief object in my journey
around the world, it was to interview Ii Hung
chang. And / have Just talked with him for
nearly two hours.
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW.
1t will easily be believed that he is not the
most accessible of men. and after waiting a
week at Tientsin for an answer to my request
for an interview, my methods of influence be-
ing all exhausted for the moment, had tenn
porarily relinqushed the project and ordered
my ponies to be ready to start for Picking the
next morning. 1t happened to be the race day
| at l1entsin and business suspended, the
banks closed and Everybody gone to the course.
AT half-past 2, as | had my foot in the stir
ruP to go top, European-looking note was
put INTO my hand 1t was beautifully written,
and read: Dear Mr.. Norman: | have the pleas
ure to inform YOU that his excellency the Vice
roy LII will be pleased to receive you this after
noon at 4:3O. hope therefore to find you in
the waitin groom of his excellency's yamtn at
| the hour appointed. Yours sincerely. LO Fang
Luh." So had succeeded But there was no
time TO be lost, as the viceroy's residence is
or miles from the hotel and it was necessary
to procure chair, with bearers in official red
hats, and a man to carry ones card. for was
informed that 1t would not be properly dignified
| to pay such visit of ceremony on horseback
or in jinriksha. A friendly Chinese merchant
| soon procured these for me, and the four bear
ers carried me off in the closed chair, like cat
In basket, at the rate of Smiles an hour
while the card-man trotted alongside and OBJ
lurgated anybody who got in the way. Mr.. Lo
Feng Luh, should add. is the English secre-
tary to the viceroy, and an official holding sew
eral important appointments.
THE OFFICIAL GATE
The yaman literally ''offcial gate'O of a
Chinese official is his combined private and
| official residence, though in general use the
word ''yamen" is equivalent to ''office" or .'bu-
reau." 1t consists always of large number of
buildings surrounded by a strong wall with
wide gateway and painted doors. In the center
are the officials private lving-rooms and the
apartments OF his wife and concubines. if he
has any; then comes his secretaries Offices his
walting-rooms, and his large official court or
reception-room. Around the yard into which
you enter are the buildings where his servants
and runners" live, the latter being the harpy-
like dependents, who shout when his distin-
gushed visitors enter, form his train when he
goes out, do all his dirty work. squeeze" his
petitioners and sell his secrets-a bad lot If
he Is magistrate his yamtn contains also
prison, and his runners" stand by to deal with
culprits condemned to ''eat bamboo" An
official yamen is also a house of refuge for
anybody fleeing from popular vengeance. Half
an hours shaking through the narrow streets
of the native city of Tientsin brought me to a
bridge over the river, across which two dense
crowds were passing both ways-cooles, beg
gars, mandarins in chairs on ponies and on
donBeys, and all kinds of common citizens By
the time we had jostled halfway across
THE FAMOUS YAMEN
was in full view-a mass of roofs inclosed in q
high wall of grey brick, with a big gateway
projecting at one SIDE over which a score of flags
and banners were waving, while in front
crowd of petitioners and beggars raised a
ceaseless hubbub. My bearers broke into a
| trot as soon as they came in sight of the gate
and entering 1t swung rapidly round blank
wall built directly in front of it, and deposited
me In the courtyard behind. This wall is set
up in every yamen with the geomantic object
of stopping evil influences, which can only pro-
coed in a straight line. Two enormous and
gaudy figures of officials or emperors or deities
II don't know which-were pasted to the
| doors, and opposite these, SO placed as to catch
the eye of the viceroy every time he goes forth
Is similar flaming monster the tan or beast
avarice-a warning against the besetting sin of
Chinese ofhcialdom. While / was noticing
these. and the runners lettering about were
commenting in chorus upon my personal ap-
pearance III a manner evidently very entertain
ing to themselves, my card-man had rushed
forward and two petty officials came to con-
duct me to the waiting-room.
THIS WAS THE FIRST SURPRISE.
The great mans ante-room resembled the out
patients waiting-room in charity hospital at
home-a bare, dirty, white-washed room, no
plSBtI tndn an ordinary pdrlOr, with q seat like
that OF third-class railway carriage running
around it, broken at intervals of couple of feet
by small tables placed upon it. Mr. Lo Fang
Luh. by contrast more Respondent in his Off
cial winter dress of silk and satin and sable and
ermlne, wearing. of course. a red-roofed hat
crowned by big button, was ALREADY there.
and tea was served to us at once Before we
had time to touch it, however the yiceroy's
chamberlain came to say that the Chung Tang
awaited us. / should explain that to saw Ii
Hung-chang," as we do, is to Chinese ears both
ignorant and rude; he should be spoken of as
Iii Chung Tang" 4. e., Grand Secretary Lii !"
or, more simply, 1.-The Chung Tang" The for
eign community at Tientsin at least all Of
them who have much to do with the Chinese.
invariably employ the last expression.
IN THE PRESENCE.
We followed the chamberlain, or whatever
he was for couple of minutes across yard.
through several door-ways around the veranda
of an open court, and turned abruptly into a
room and around large screen THE vice.
roy" said Mr.. Lo, with perfect European man
ners, as he stepped back and left me face to
face with tall and strongly-built Chinaman,
who put out his hand and smiled pleasantly
and grunted a solitary syllable. ''The viceroy
says he is very glad to see you" explained Mr.
Lo, very much a proud mother elab-
orately iIterprets the inarticulate .cackle of
her first born. The great man acknowledged
my bow In the Chinese manner-by bowling
with his clasped hands at the height of his
chm. and motioned us to be seated, myself op-