The Historical Record for November 15, 2008: Chen Yucheng and…the REST of the story (after Paul Harvey)

Good morning fellow Beijingers, you know what Chinese history is, in a minute…you’re going to here the REST of the story.

150 years ago today, in the province of Anhui, the Taiping general Chen Yucheng launched a daring attack at the key strategic point of Sanhe Zhen.

Earlier that year Chen had caused full-fledged panic in the Qing court by seizing the city Luzhou (today’s Hefei).  When government soldiers, including 5000 crack troops from the Hunan Army, under the command of the famous Qing military officer Li Xubin, were advancing to retake the city, it was General Chen who rode to the rescue of the rebel garrison there and scored a stunning victory for the Taiping.

Sanli Zhen was a crossroads for both land and water routes which also guarded the southern approaches to Luzhou.  The Taiping forces occupying the Luzhou reinforced the city walls with brick and held fast against Li Xubin’s army in a bloody defensive stand, repeatedly sending messages urging Chen to hurry with reinforcements.  Chen in turn sent word to his fellow Taiping general, Li Xiucheng.

Two years earlier, when the smoke finally cleared following the circular firing squad that was the Taiping leadership crisis of

November 15th, 2008

The Mystery of the Missing Manchu: Monolingual Signage at the Forbidden City

Sharp-eyed visitors to the Palace Museum will note the number of signs which are written in both Chinese and Manchu.  Makes sense considering who actually ruled the Qing Empire and so many of the signs at the Forbidden City look something like this:

But the signs on the main attractions, the big gates and halls of the outer court, the ones EVERYBODY sees (even the “In 35 minutes we have to be at Badaling” package tourist) have signs only in Chinese. By way of example, check out this picture of the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe Dian), in which scholars of centuries past toiled away to pass the highest level of exam.

Only Hanyu. What gives?

I’ve been wondering this for awhile, and on the off-hand chance that either Freda Murck or Geremie Barmé reads this blog they could drop me a note.  Until then, Joel Martinson, the translation machine behind the Danwei blog, tipped me off to this article from 163.com posted back in 2004 which claims to have the answer.  I’ve translated and appended it below the fold, but I’m not entirely convinced…sounds a little too neat and clean to blame old Yuan

November 14th, 2008

The Historical Record for November 14, 2008: Arsenic and the Old Buddha

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the death of The Guangxu Emperor.  The second in a line of three child emperors, Aisin-Gioro Zaitian (b. 1875) ascended the throne following the death of his cousin, Aisin Gioro Zaichun (The Tongzhi Emperor, r. 1861-1875).  I say cousin because Zaitian was the son of Prince Chun and the Empress Dowager Cixi’s younger sister.  This would be Cixi’s first “Keith Hernandez Moment” but certainly not her last.  Not only did she choose her own nephew, but by doing so violated one of the most sacrosanct rules of imperial succession: each emperor must be able to pay obeisance to his ancestors before.  Cousins don’t count.

The young emperor grew up, carefully watched by his aunt and her cronies, until 1898 when Guangxu decided to assert himself a bit.  In league with a group of young scholars including Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Tan Sitong, Guangxu issued a series of proclamations between June and August of that year while Cixi was on her summer sabbatical.  The “100 Days Reforms” included overhauling the examination system, founding new educational institutions (including what would become Peking University), and re-appropriating funds to build a modern navy and army.  Kang Youwei

November 14th, 2008

New blog stats

Despite my small work and research-related hiatus, this past month Jottings from the Granite Studio had its 500th post and its 150,000th visitor.  Small time compared to Perez Hilton but not bad for a hobby.

November 13th, 2008

The Τibet-Mongolia Treaty of 1913

In the chaotic years following the dissolution of the Qing Empire, several regions formerly under Manchu control either declared independence outright or fell into a pattern of de facto independence under local rulers.  A document, a treaty between Mongolia and Τibeτ, purportedly negotiated and signed during this time, has surfaced, causing quite a stir among groups advocating Τibeτan independence.

In an interview for the pro-independence website Phαyul*, Professor Elliot Sperling, a faculty member in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, and director of the university’s Τibeτan Studies program, argues:

The Treaty is exactly what its appellation states it to be. It is a treaty signed and sealed by representatives of Τibeτ and Mongolia in January 1913. The treaty begins with Τibeτ and Mongolia attesting to their having emerged from under Manchu domination and constituted themselves as independent states. It goes on to different short articles which deal, among other things, with the provision of mutual aid and assistance, as well as commercial and financial matters.

As to why the treaty remained out of public view for so long:

The treaty was found in Mongolia. It was likely in the state archives (it bears the seal of the

November 13th, 2008
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