The Art of Diplomacy - A Chinese Perspective

Chinese Letters...

I just completed the reading of a very interesting book: "Lettres chinoises - Les diplomates chinois découvrent l'Europe (1866-1894)" by Feng Chen-Shrader [Chinese Letters - Chinese Diplomats Discover Europe (1866-1894)].

I found this book very enlightening.

In the second half of the Nineteenth Century, two years after the end of the Second Opium War, the Tianjin Treaty impose some diplomatic legations to Beijing. In 1866, for the first time in its history, China must send emissaries in Occident. At the time, it was perceived as a sign of submission. Furthermore, Europe, as a region ignoring confucean values, was perceived as barbarian. To become a diplomat was not a desirable position, and the mandates of the first Chinese diplomats was mostly limited to recording their observations of the European society.

Feng Chen-Shrader has studied and analysed the correspondence of these first diplomats mandated by the Middle Kingdom. The Europe they discover is told with a very different perspective and very different principles than those of the Europeans themselves. Their correspondence puts some historical perspectives on the cultural perception Chinese might have of us, and on some stereotypes that might still convey today despite the time that has elapsed since the writing of the diplomats letters.

For example, it is really interesting to read how the diplomats perceive the notion of democracy. The use of the Chinese language seems to add confusion to their comprehension of it, as if there would be no real appropriate word to describe this notion without putting some negative connotation to the concept. Moreover, the notion of a democratic Parliament headed by a Queen, such as in England, seems to be also creating some bewilderment. How can a Queen obey to the people? At the same time, the concept of a democracy headed by a monarch (as opposed to one that is entirely elected) leaves the Chinese diplomats more confident that such system could eventually be applied to China, since a system without a monarch does not seem to be feasible for them.

Also it is really interesting to read how these men were sent without much of a role except the one of observer, as if China did not want to involve itself in the diplomatic exercises played in Europe, by fear of showing a position of submission towards other countries. Because of that, the Chinese diplomats reported to their country in an almost anthropological way of Europe and its customs.

The book gives us many details of various elements surprising to the diplomats. For example, Paris night lights and wide streets, its sewers, as well as London's cleanliness, its public parks and its public buildings, its postal services and various other public services created to facilitate the life of the population were all pleasant discoveries. The notions of public welfare and public services never reached such extent in China, and the European city and its public services was perceived in such a positive way that most diplomats conveyed it back to their home country. By their descriptions, the diplomats give us an idea of the city in China, which at that time was still a maze of lanes, with not public services, no postal services, no public transport. In fact, it is also noted that Chinese cities were mostly administrative centres, where scholars families are not always inhabiting, and were a mostly rural population is still living. Furthermore, the divide between the Chinese city and the country side remained indistinct as the major commercial wealth of china is not of urban origin but of rural origin.

On other topics, the diplomats are also surprised by the women desire to adapt their wardrobe to fashion, by the notion of gallantry, by the foods and table manners, among other things. These are new concepts to them. Notions such as celibacy were new to the Chinese, as well as all the courtship predating a marriage were surprising to them. Furthermore the diplomats were surprised to see how much space is given socially to women, which is not even possible for a Chinese person to imagine. It creates genuinely complicated situations, such as when a Chinese diplomat asked to bring along his wife to a formal evening did so, and later was recalled to his country, as in China such exposure of a women is considered indecent.

One of the diplomats summarize his surprise to several aspects of London daily life: "In England, everything takes the exact opposite of what applies in China. In the political domain, the people goes before the monarch. For birth parents prefer having a girl rather than a son. A the dinner table, it is the host, and not the guest, who occupies the honour seat. The writing goes from left to write. To read a book, we start from the end and go the the first page. During a meal, dishes are put forward the wine. All this is explained by the fact that England is at the exact antipodes of China. The sky above this country is in fact under the earth. Its customs and traditions are completely the opposite of those we know in China."

Following the author's analysis, we get to understand that the Chinese have a important resistance to change, even more to change coming from abroad. Before the presence of the first diplomats, there was little credit given to Europe and its development. When they land in Europe, the diplomats see how much there is to be learned from Europe, on so many level. They are amazed by the existence of civilization other than the Middle Kingdom, and to see that it can no longer be considered barbaric. Their many attempts to understand Europe are limited by their political perspective by which they must affirm the Chinese pre-eminence. They bring everything back to a possible Chinese source or reference. It leads to some interesting comments.

For example, the concepts brought on by Christianity are compared to a Chinese philosopher, Mo Di, who encouraged simplicity and universal love, as well as the cult of Heaven before filial love. The reasoning here is that Christianity must be a simplistic version of the more ancient and profound Confucianism, another reason why European civilization must be indebted to the Chinese culture. Of course, little is discussed regarding the sacred character of the religion. In fine, the world, for the Chinese, seems to still be divided between orthodoxy (Confucianism) and heterodoxy (all foreign religions or ideas)...

Similarly, notions of democracy are discussed as originating from a specific period in the Chinese history, the Xia period, between XXI-XVI Century BC. At the period of the Three Dynasty, (XX to III Century BC) there is also mention of the Mencius Dogma, which says that the people must be placed before the emperor. This is what is similar to the regime holding in England and in Italy at the time of the diplomats. They are trying to reassure themselves with some kind of parental link with what they are seeing in Europe. Despite their analogies, these eras were some brief windows of democracy in China, long gone since, first eliminated by the Xin Dynasty with an totalitarian government (211-207 BC), and followed with various similar imperial or one-party models.

Finally somewhere in the book, the author brings on the comment of one diplomat, who acknowledge the time spent by the Chinese youth while trying to learn their language, studying and practicing calligraphy, while the occidental youth learns all sorts of practical knowledge to master completely a field of knowledge. This is not to say the Chinese are less intelligent, and that there is a need to feed an inferiority complex or orgueuil. This is said in reference to the development and the strenght (puissance) of Occident, and the refusal of the Chinese scholars to follow their exemple. The diplomat goes on saying that this attitude is really not worthy of a great country such as China. I have to admit that I smiled while reading this portion of the text - Oh! Do I find that the time spent on learning this language is endless!!!

To conclude this was a very interesting journey into the mind of the first Chinese diplomats, both discovering their political ideas and their representations, but also the European culture, which from their perspective can be indeed quite strange and fascinating.