CHINA'S DOWAGER EMPRESS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6362, 17 December 1898, Page 2

CHINA'S DOWAGER EMPRESS.

A WOMAN OF GREAT ABILITY. (Detroit Free Press.) Since her fight with Japan, four years ago, the interest of the outside world has been turned to China at intervals, but recently it' has" been more sustained, until now the world awaits with expectation the unfolding of a stirring drama approaching its climax. The British occupation of Wei-hai-Wei, and the hoisting of the British flag on the island, May 24, was a mere incident in itself, with an issue in the plot; hi the Han-Kau-Peking Railway contract, bringing on Great Britain and Russia in- opposition, with Chi. nese cunning as a factor to reckon with, the incidents deepen, and, later, the treachery of the unscrupulous Oriental develops itself. Then follow in rapid succession the protest of Sir Claude MaeDonald, the British Minister, and the dismissal from power of Li Hung Chang for acting as an agent for M. Pavloff on behalf of Russia; the promulgation of ithe Emperor's reform scheme, his deposition in consequence, and the resumption of sovereignty by the Dowager. Empress. This might seem a fitting close to this mingling of comedy and tragedy, leaving the old lady in quiet possession, and the countiy "happy ever after" ; but the denouement has yet to come. The western spirit is gradually seeking its . way through the empire, added to the growing restlessness, enhanced since the war with Japan, caused by. the peculiarly humiliating position in which China has been placed on account of that war. The government of China is veiled in nystery, but "the empire seems to have reached all acute, threatening' stage, and, what adds significance to the prospect, is the striking personality of a remarkabie woman. Under ordinary circumstances the degradation and restoration of Li Hung Chang, as an official, might be passed over ; he has lost his yellow, jacket and peacock feathers before ; but, apart from the members of the Imperial family, he is the greatest personage in China, and, if all could be revealed, his would doubtless be found to be the hand behind the throne. A PROGRESSIVE EMPEROR. The causes which led to the most recent developments were the decrees and proclamation of the Emperor favouring the introduction of western ideas. By one of these decrees he established a post throughout the empire and called, on his people to make it a success ; by another he compelled the publication monthly of accounts of all public receipts and expenditure ; and, by a third, he is understood to have sanctioned something like a free Press. . Their intention obviously was to increase the means at the disposal" of the central Government of knowing what was going on hi the distant provinces, where rapacious governors steal revenue, oppress the people and leave the armies mere mobs of coolies in uniform. But. to understand the situation more clearly it is necessary to go behind the hand of the Emperor and seek for the source of the innovations. The Emperor of China is, theoretically, as absolute as the Czar, but he must have become aware that his officials were dealing dishonestly and proposed to learn the facts for himself. He broke with conservative tradition, to the horror of old officials secure' in their own sufficiency. Some new influence was at work in the "Forbidden City," which must have impressed the Emperor's mind. It is stated that the new forca is the advice of a Cantonese reformer who gained the Emperor's ear ; but, it is difficult not to believe, at the same time, that he was supported by another influence, that of the Japanese. It has been rumoured lately that Pekin and Tokio were • drawing closer together, and that, as the result of their defeat, the Chinese were beginning to consult " the dwarfs," whom they had four years before despised. The Marquis Ito was received privately in the palace, and it seems natural enough that the Emperor, .who felt his position keenly, and distrusted alike the advisers who have betrayed him. in to such humiliations, and the white foreigners who daily pressed their demands upon him, should turn to the visitor, who, though a conqueror, was still a Mongolian, with in? terests and ideas in common with himself. The Dowager Empress, who is rigidly conservative, and a hearty hater of the Japanese, used the ascendancy given her by the Chinese respect for parents,- and, backed by the great mandarins . who dreaded the publication of accounts, resumed her place at the council board, ordered ail ministers to report to her, and replaced her favourite minister. Li Hung Chang. The Emperor was reduced to a nobody. A MIGHTY EMPIRE. ' • In the utter humiliation of China through reverses of war, there is something unnatural. In that mighty empire are 400 t OOO,OOO of people, homogeneous,. Indus : Irious, brave in a way, conceited to a degree, and all under the same governing machinery, who, because they have been beaten in a conflict with Japan, are considered defenceless before any spoiler^ . Their government is insulted, their local rulers punished, their seaports seized by anyone who chooses to do it, and they maks no movement of resistance. As a. matter of fact, they have not been defeated ; nothing has gone .to pieces ; all life goes on as if no conflict had ever taken place, and still China is regarded and treated as a power of,, the past. Here is matter, perhaps, for the philosophising historian. Who was responsible for this state of things? Certainly not the Emperor. -.His. disco very of | his Detraval came too late, and but for I his mandarins "'taking ■- advantage of the Dowager Empress's hatred of Japanese and reforms, and the influence they exerted on her, measures were on foot to clarify the situation as to the future. As hinted above, the form of government is an absolute monarchy. The Emperor re- ; • gards himself as the interpreter of the decrees of heaven, and he is recognised by the people as the connecting link between | the gods -and themselves. Ihe Emperor is assisted in the administration by a cabinet council consisting of four ministers of J State; but the Emperor regards himself as responsible to no one, save to the gods. While this is time, there can be no doubt but that he gives much heed to his confidential servants of State. The' people of China regard the Emperor as the representative of heaven, and the Empress as the representative of mother earth. In this position she' is supposed to" exert an influence over Nature, and .to possess a transforming power. Tin's fact alone will show what glamour she can throw over the people. The Empress is supposed to be profoundly ignorant of all political matters. This- supposition, -however, is not ; always well founded. . .The: Dowager. Empress,. the mother, of the late . sovereign, Tung-Chee, by persistent inquiry into State affairs, succeeded; in bringing to light -a conspiracy .of certain members of the cabinet to, depose and murder her son. The principal conspirators were decapitated, while, others, not so deeply implicated, were sent into perpetual banishment. It is safe to say that few things- of any importance have transpired within the "Forbidden City" in the past forty years that she has not known about ; she has dominated Chinese affairs for mora than a quarter of a century, and her hand might be traced in every appreciable act of the administration'during that period. A REMARKABLE WOMAX. : The Dowager Empress, who has so unceremoniously taken up the reins of power again, is, ' indeed, a remarkable woman. She was born in Peking, the daughter of an official ; she is nearly sixty years of age, and, it is said, possessed, considerable beauty, in her earlier, years. . It. is almost certain that she must have eomo, of, high rank, for no others are looked to when the choice of. an emperor's consort is made. When' the Emperor arrives, at the marriageable age, Word is 1 sent to the families of high rank to prepare 1 their daughtaiV for presentation at the imperial court. This command is restricted to the families of officials from the first to the third rank; and in anticipation of the order the daughtefs of these officials are kept unmarried until the Emperor has made his choice, and;

even then marriages in this clpss are not permitted without imperial sanction. Wheu the Emperor's choice is to be made the hours of certain days are set aside when the daughters enter the imperial city and are presented for inspection. At the time of the selection of the present Dowager Empress as. consort, the Emperor already had a wife, installed as " Empress of the Eastern > Palace," according to an old cos* torn, and when the second wife was chosen she was installed as " Empress of the Western Palace." The first wife was childless, while the second bore the Emperor a son and heir. In this motherhood the Dowager Empress came into the great power which she has ever since maintained. By giving birth to a. son she no longer occupied, second place,, but assumed the firsthand became in. reality the , Empress. The other died about eighteen years ago. The cause was never known, but it is believed she did not die naturally. More recently two heirs-apparent haye disappeared in the same mysterious manner when at the point of assuming their sovereign duties. OP THE MANCHU DYNASTY. The Dowager Empress is a Manchu; and this means much in the government of China. The Manchus are the reigning dynasty, and have been in possession of the empire since 1644. The Manchus come from Manchuria, the " Long White Mountain " which occupies the north-eastern corner of the Chinese empire, being surrounded on the north and east by Russia and on the south by Corea. The name signifies the country of the Manchus, a tribe of Tartars. Manchuria lies north of the Great Wall, and is not part of China proper, but, according to ancient geographers, is called Tartary. The Manchus resemble the Cliiness in personal appearance, their eyes being kss oblique. Manchu women have always been conservative. They never cramped their feet, and no woman with crushed feet may enter the imperial court. The Rev W* S. Sayres, rector' of St Stephen's Episcopal Church, Detroit, lived in China about seven years, and in speaking to. the writer a day or two ago of the Dowager Empress, said : "She is utterly without principle, very capable, a tigress in disposition. She is a- very strong character indeed ; another Queen ; Elizabeth with her evil qualities exaggerated, and wanting in all her good ones. She is skilled in finesse, unscrupulous in her methods, with an indomitable will ; and she has ruled China for many years." In spite of the conservatism of the Dowa-. ger Empress, and the traditions of 2000 years, a revolution has set in, a revolution which must be met at no great distance of time. Young Chinese are beginning to learn foreign languages and articles that appear in western magazines and newspapers, as well as new works on military or naval matters, are regularly translated for the information of those in power. The desire to learn from the west is not confined to the official class-, and there is a resultant desire for emancipation, independence, better opportunities and wider spheres.