The author of this book, Professor Herbert Allen Giles (1845 - 1935) was a British diplomat officially stationed in China between 1880-1893. Unlike many ivory tower academics, he had the real life experience to develop an in-depth understanding of China and its people.
I have reviewed another book by Professor Giles, "China and the Manchus"China and the Manchus. Unlike that book, which can be considered a more serious historical work, this book has a lighter tone, as it is composed of a series of lectures by the author at Columbia Unviersity in 1902, covering subjects such as the Chinese language, library, government structure, religion, manners and customs. It even had a fascinating chapter titled "China and Ancient Greece", giving curious comparision between these two different yet comparable civilizations.
This book makes enjoyable reading for anyone interested in Chinese culture. The writing is highly conversational, breaking up information is easily digestable bits. Many observations he made are as relevant today as they were almost 110 years ago, while the others are completely outdated.
For example, his observation that learning to speak Chinese is relatively easy remains true today, since the Chinese language lacks grammatical restraints. "After 6 months he should be able to chatter away more or less accurately on a variety of interesting subjects." However, he considered the written form of Chinese language "may fairly be regarded as a sufficient study for a lifetime...because [it] is often so extremely terse as to make it obscure, and sometimes so lavishly ornate ..." This was true in 1902, but is no longer true because the written Chinese language has been reformed extensively during the first quarter of the 20th century, and is no longer terse or ornate.
It is interesting to see certain misconceptions linger on despite the passage of time. Even today, many westerners still think the people in China discriminate against females heavily, even to the extent of abondoning or killing baby girls on a regular basis. While such incidents indeed happen (hardly surprising given the odds in a country of over 1.3 billion people), they are not the norm. Professor Giles responded to this very misconception in this book, describing his first-person account showing that such misconception is due to exaggeration by locals and visitors alike, and sensational stories often take on lives of their own.
He also examined the old Chinese custom of binding girl's feet(thankfully such custom died out a few decades after this book was written). Westerns then and now often see such a horrible custom as evidence of oppression of women by the men or the establishment. The real reasons are more complex: (1) The Qing Dynasty (which ruled China for over 250 years until 1911) did not require or encourage foot-binding. In fact, it attempted to outlaw such practice but was resisted by the people. (2) Mothers were the ones insisting on binding their daughters' feet, because bound feet were considered attractive and would improve the daughters' marriage prospect, thus, all the pain and suffering would be worthwhile. Curiously, the same argument may be made for the stick thin figures and 5 inch heels regarded as standards of beauty today in China and the western world alike. Everyone knows such "fashion" can be painful and unhealthy, but for a large section of the population, such pain is worth it if it gives them a comparative advantage in attractiveness. As Professor Giles observed astutely, "Here we have the real obstable to the abolition of this horrible custom, which vast numbers of intelligent Chinese would be only too glad to get rid of, if fashion did not stand in the way."
Of course, some of the customs may be laughable to anyone familiar with the modern Chinaese customs, just like certain Victorian customs will be hilarious in modern UK or America. For example, a polite man should cover his face with his fan (which he apparently carries all the time) when meeting a friend in the street if (1) the friend is riding a horse or a sedan chair or (2) if the man is in a hurry and does want to chat. At least these make highly amusing readings. If nothing else, it would help us to understand certain Chinese dramas set in the bygone era.
P.S. please note the frequent use of the term "Chinaman" in this book does not mean that the author was a racist. The English language evolves over time, and something that may sound derogatory today did not necessarily have the same meaning 100 years ago.
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Top reviews from other countries
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- John WWReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2016
Very interesting window into the baffling language and a terrific introduction that is a window into an enormous country
