CHINA TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1835, 22 August 1913, Page 11

CHINA TO-DAY

• » THE TWO PROTAGONISTS SUN YAT SEN AND YUAN SHIH-KAI. "A man has arisen in the wilderness of men where the West lias said no man existed." In his interesting book telling the story of the revolution in China, Mr. Frederick M'Cormiek, who acted for several years as a special correspondent in Peking, gives some account of the life history, and depicts the character of some of the men who are now taking a prominent part in the drama which is being ucted in China at the present moment. The passage quoted above is tho text of ait entertaining sketch of the President, Yuan Shih liai. In. his book, which he entitles "Tho Flowery Republic," Mr. M'C'orniick seeks to show that this is the true Golden Ago for China. "There is an idea in the world," ho says, "that China has grown old, and that her civilisation is in decay, whereas, under the system which she has developed in the past, China has reached the pinnacle of earthly glory so far as she has ever known earthly glory." After the Mongols extinguished the powers of conquest in Western Asia, leaving Europe disposed of, so to speak, China was free to absorb the so-called barbarian tribes remaining on her, borders, and she steadily grew and progressed until she is larger, greater, raoro prosperous than over before, and exhibits a greater proportion, as well as a larger number of contented, if 'not happy, human beings than aro to be found elsewhere on tho globe. Civilisation should treasure these facts, as time brings its revolutionary craisli, supercilious iconoclasm, and sacrilege." Whether Mr. M'Cormick would write in tho same way in the light of more rece'nt events is at least doubtful, but ho is undoubtedly on sound lines when ho refors to the tact that the ruling Manchu Dynasty, though old, degenerate, and decrepit, was not unawaro of China's situation, and had a truer knowledgo of its own situation than had others. But tho revolutionary temper of the people was too strong for tho modernisation which the Dynasty attempted which' only increased tho avidity of the revolutionaries, and hurried on rebellion. "Everything led down, down, down. "With the knowledge of its impending fate, tho

Dynasty descended, open-eyed, ■ under the ministry of its patriarchal high priest, Prince Chin, into perdition. AVc who love grent events are fortunate to witness the passing of I'hnrnoh*. of Caesars, and of Moghuls in our time." Yuan Shih Kai. But Mr. M'Cormiek's book is most interesting when it (jives some insight into the personal characteristics of some of tlio great Chinamen associated with tlic revolutionary movement. The'man who hod arisen in the wilderness of menYuan Shih-Kai—had been hailed- as "the ono man." There was one Jlanchu, the Dowager Empress; thero was ono Chinese, Yuan Shih-Kai. "For him the times called, and he came. Now .he is President of The Flowery Republic.' tho finished man of 54, of pure Chinese lineage, tho product of the revolutionary era. in Eastern Asia." He had a. short way with tho Boxers in 1900, when lie was Governor of Shantung. A Boxer delega.tion visited him at his yamen in Tsinanfit. It was received with great politeness, and Governor Yuan Shih-Kai listened to al! it had to say. Tho Boxers claimed to bo invulnerable to bullets, and at the conclusion of tho interview they wero told that ho would test their claims at having achieved invulnerability by Boxer rites, had them stood up agaiiist tho wall before his soldiers, and shot. At tho end of 1901, when ho succeeded Li Hung Chang as Viceroy of Chihli, ho was a handsome man of forty-three, with mobile swarthy face and typical Chinese drooping moustache. Ho cnjne by train, surrounded by the bodyguard essential to the dignity of a high Cliineso official, and necessary for his urotection. Ho was in his big mandarin clothes, such as nil officials wear. His outer long coat was of plum colour, with tho insigin's of official rank on the breast and back—embroidered animals for the military, birds for the civil officials—and tho official ronnd turban, mounted by ft button, indicating degree of rank. A Picturesque Bodyguard. Representatives of the administration ot the metropolitan province and of tho foreign Powers thronged tho railway station at Tientsin. It is a sidelight on Chinese charactcr, and upon tho idiosyncrasies of Yuan Shih-Kai, that during tho period of his rise to power ho kept four, soldiers of uncommon stature as his personal bodyguard to impress tho populace. He passed in his chair, borno by four chair-bearer 3, .with two of theso giants in their plum-coloured Chinese uniforms, with blaok trimmings and velvet boots, turbans, and until swords on. each side. Tho foreign civil and military representatives—British, Japanese, l'rench, Italian, and others—in the uniforms of their different services, saluted, and he returned thoir courtesies by bowing his head and occasionally saluting with his hand in tho Western fashion,"

Yuan Sliih-kai's administration at Tientedn was efficient, if bnital. He had no compunction, in executing a thousand peoan a district where some rioting: iiftd taken place, and, in explaining the net, he said "foreigners may not think well of me for doing this, nor of this method, but it is my way." During his early, official career • he never went abroad, knew no foreign language, and was without any ■special literary attainments suck as generally distinguish the mandarins of China. Arrogance Personified. "Nobody understands the meaning of the term arrogance," said an American diplomat, "who didn't knosv Yuan in those years. He was' arrogance personified. He would not meet or associate with the Ministers of other Powers unless lie was allowed to occupy a sort of throne and 'receive' them as though ttiey were vassal envoys. . . . Ho was in my time just a big, brutal, sensual, rollicking Cnimunan. Having vast powers, ho frequently cut off the heads of Chines# gamblers and others, and I was an unwilling witness to soma of these streetside pastimes of his. Ho would imprison Korean gentlemen who objected to parting with their ancestral estates in order that they might bo used to enlarge Yuan'a palatial legation." "When Yuan Shih-kai went to Seoul, savs Mr. M'Cormick, "ho was a youne man of 2G. As the keeper of the door of tho continent through which China's great antagonist was to enter, he possessed some of the best qualities of youth—vigour, daring, and self-sacrifice—but ho had riioro tho qualities of a soldier than thoso of a civil mandarin or statesman, and as lie could not draw upon the resources of experience, all that could have served him was tho essential resources of an occult 6ense, an intuition. This he did not have. . . • In 24 years he has been hammered from, a rash young soldier into a statesman. He started with a metal of strong character, intelligence and amenability to persuasion, and d<v velnped a judicial miDd and powe r of decision. The latter quality Is that which impresses foreigners most, for the reason that that quality is almost lacking in Chinese diplomacy, and is undoubtedly tho one which more than anything else draws from them the- tributo of statesman.' " Sun Yat Sen. AVo have dwelt upon what Mr. M'Cormick says about Yuan Shih-kai, because ho is less known than Sun Yat Sen, whoso association with Western civilisation has made his personality a familiar figure. In tho light of subsequent events it is interesting, however, to quote what the late President said about liis successor. ' I have known him for some years, said Sun Yat Sen to Mr. M'Cormick, "and my impressions of him have been very favourable, as have been those of many others. Ho is tin able man, And ever since Jie becam© Governor of Shantung and iceroy of Chihli my observation has been that he has acted in the beet interests of the country, and it is certainly truo that ho has beeu h martyr to his convictions ot re form." ~ . , Mr. M'Cormick describes hw impression i of his interview with Sun Yat Sei thus:— : "A JialM'oolish, half-sad smile played \ round his mouth—he scorned more like Siamese or Burmese than Chinese, and liia small stature added nothing of imprea aiveuesa to him, It wjib somewhat strnnpq —half disappointing ,half wonderful. Hero

was (lip man who it appeared had done tho one thine- in airiho world most needful. Everything aliout him was simple, and his manners took nve off guard—he was most like a simple boy. 110 <ormcd to be dreaming of some yet greater event, perhaps a yet greater fate which he, saw dimly ami was trying to mnko out. It was as though ho felt a martyrdom, of which lie was not fully conscious, to be hanging over him. I did not wish to leave him. 'Ihere was no doubt of his magnetism, often proved by the /act that when he was farthest away his followers wevo most loyal to him."