The history of China and India pictorial and descriptive

498 Pages·2016·39.23 MB·English

by  Corner Julia

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THE HISTORY OF CHINA.
INTRODUCTION.
THE
Chinese ai'e believed to have been, from very remote times, fond
of reading and hterary pursuits; yet, as far as our present information
extends, they do not appear to possess any regular authentic history of the
early state of their ancient empire. From the earhest times, it seems to
have been the pohcy of this singular people to keep themselves distinct
from the rest of mankind, to subsist on their own abundant resources,
and to bar theu' country against the ingress of other nations.
To this system, which, there is every reason to suppose, has been
invariably pursued from the remote ages of the world, is, in all probability,
to be attributed the extraordinary duration of the Chinese Empire, the
unchanged habits of the people, and the constant uniformity that has been
maintained in the mode of government, which is still, as it was at the com-
mencement, an absolute monarchy, conducted upon patriarchal principles.
The Emperor is regarded as the father of the people, whb are taught to
beheve that he derives his right torule overthemdirectlyfromthe Supreme
Being, ofwhom he is believedto be the "\ace-gerent and representative upon
earth.
The laws that govern the Chinese empire, said to have been framed
upwards of two thousand years ago, remain unaltered to this very day; and
asthey regulate the manners, customs, and education, as well as the moral
conduct and pohtical relations of the people, one generation succeeds
another, with the same habits, the same occupations, and the same external
appearance. Even the conquests of the Tartars, which have twice placed
the country under the dominion of foreign rulers, had no effect on the
domestic state of the inhabitants; for the Tartar princes, in both cases,
adopted the institutions of the land, and governed the people according to
their own ancient laws.
IV INTRODUCTION.
There seems no reason to doubt, tliat the Chinese was one of the first
monarchies established after the Deluge. It was cotemporary with those
great empires of antiquity which had vanished from the earth, even before
the days of the Romans, Time has witnessed the rise and fall of many a
mighty kingdom, the names of which may now be sought for, in vain, on
themapoftheworld: yet, China, as a nation, hasexperienced neither disor-
ganization nor decay, and still remains,with respect to its laws,institutions,
language, manners, and learning, almost the same as in those remote ages
that long preceded the Christian era.
Considering the extent, the wealth, and the civilization of the Chinese
empire, it is remarkable that it should have remained so little known to the
rest of the world, both in ancient and modern times. During the middle
ages of Em'opean history, the Chinese must evidently have been a far more
enhghtened people than the Europeans; for, while scarcely a nobleman on
this side of the globe could sign his own name, reading and writing were
common, even amongthe lower classes, in China, and learning was diffused
throughout the country by means of printing, which art was practised,
although in a primitive manner, by the Chinese, several centuries before
it was known to the Europeans. But, in Europe, when the spell of igno-
rance and superstition had been broken, knowledge at once made a rapid
progress; while, in China, it was not advancing a single step. Debarred
by their peculiar laws from all free intercourse with other countries, and
kept in total ignorance concerning the rest of the world, the Chinese
have had no opportunities of learning more than was known to their fore-
fathers; and, indeed, the natm'e oftheirgovernment precludes all possibiUty
of mental improvement beyond a certain extent. Hence, the great body of
the people believe that China is the only civilized portion of the earth, and
its monarch the supreme lord of all nations. From the most remote
times, the essential point of their rehgious and pohtical creed has been,
that aU good emanates from the Emperor, as the representative of the
Divine power upon earth; and fi'om this beliefarises that blind and degrad-
ing submission to his will, which is the main support ofhis despotism.