Jottings from the Granite Studio

Yung Wing (容闳, 1828-1912) was the first Chinese graduate of Yale University (class of 1854) and went on to have a long and diverse career as an interpreter, tea trader, diplomat, educator, military procurement specialist, and writer.

In his autobiography 我在中国和美国的生活 My Life in China and America, he recounts an incident that took place in Shanghai after his return from the United States via Hong Kong.  Yung Wing was insulted by a Scotsman and took matters into his own hands, punching the Scot in the mouth in front of the British consul and calling out the man as a ‘blackguard.’  It’s an amusing story, but Yung Wing draws from it an analogy for the Chinese nation:

“The incident was the chief topic of conversation for a short time among foreigners, while among the Chinese I was looked upon with great respect, for since the foreign settlement on the extra-territorial basis was established close to the city of Shanghai, no Chinese within its jurisdiction had ever been known to have the courage and pluck to defend his rights, point blank, when they had been violated or trampled upon by a foreigner.  Their meek and mild disposition had allowed personal insults and affronts to pass unresented and unchallenged, which naturally had the tendency to encourage arrogance and insolence on the part of ignorant foreigners.

The time will soon come, however, when the people of China will be so educated and enlightened as to know what their rights are, public and private, and to have the moral courage to assert and defend them whenver they are invaded.  The triumph of Japan over Russia (Ed note: While the incident happened in 1855, Yung Wing is writing his account in 1908) in the recent war has opened the eyes of the Chinese world.  It will never tolerate injustice in any way or shape, much less will it put up with foreign aggression and aggrandizement any longer.”

While the passage echoes similar sentiments by other Chinese writing at the same time, it’s a bit striking coming from Yung Wing’s pen.  Yung Wing has a kind of wishy-washy reputation among Chinese historians.  His efforts in educational reform and his acheivements overseas are certainly noted, but at the same time his unabashed love for the United States, his dual citizenship, and his marriage to an American, cause some to call into question his Chineseness–the original 假洋鬼子 if you will.  But I think Yung Wing, as a liminal figure straddling two cultures at a time when few had the ability or desire to do so, makes him a fascinating subject for historical inquiry and his patriotism and desire for a strong Chinese nation are quite apparent in passages like the one above.

Anyway, for those interested more in his life and times, the Yung Wing Project is an online collection of Yung Wing’s papers and materials as well as other documents related to Sino-US relations and Chinese students abroad.  On this last subject, another great resource is the CEM Connections website, which contains photographs, materials, and biographical information on all 120 students who participated in the Chinese educational missions.