Chinese Characteristics

Chinese Characteristics is a collection of essays written in 1984 by Arthur Henderson Smith which summarizes the different aspects of Chinese social relations from his own experiences in China as a [White Anglo-Saxon protestant] missionary. He was one of the few white men during that time period to know Chinese life, as well as being able to translate the language accurately. The essays included are based off of his own observations, as well as the analysis of Chinese novels, ballads, plays, and the family/village dynamic. Smith supports his arguments with great numbers of anecdotes and further analysis of each incident. Much of this book touches on various aspects of the Chinese culture, from a very large scale examination of the economy to a detailed breakdown of human interactions with one and another. He also discusses benevolence, the absence of sympathy, the absence of sincerity, etc, and the collection comes to a close with remarks that China needs “righteousness” and the only way it can attain such righteousness is to change into a Christian civilization.

Even though Smith's unfiltered claims about Chinese social behaviors are based on bold generalizations that could be considered Orientalist and potentially racist, during his stay in China, Smith showed interest in Chinese society wellness, as well. He organized and distributed relief to Chinese famines, and also persuaded President Roosevelt to provide a scholarships for Chinese students studying in US Universities. This resulted in changes with Western policies toward China and along with higher tendencies of more fair interactions between the two countries. Despite his stern reflections, his life contributions reflect his appreciation of Chinese society and willingness to improve Chinese living conditions.

After the publication of this book, it was not only widely used by the Western society as an important resource for study about Chinese society and characteristics, but this book also significantly influenced the concept of China and Chinese for Western and Japanese scholars. From the perspective of Chinese people, Arthur was an honest and careful observer, but not necessarily accurate and objective. Therefore, the image of Chinese in the eyes of an American missionary living in 19th centuries was limited by his ideology.

Historical Context

In the later half of the 19^th century, China opened up to Western influences and modernization. Many educated elites believed that traditional Chinese beliefs were antiquated, leading to a type of nationalism that completely rejected them.

Until Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth (1931) was published, Smith’s Chinese Characteristics (1890) was the most widely read American book on China.

In 1906, he was even invited to the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt to discuss U.S.-China relations, helping shape American opinions of China.

Western Reception

This essay helps create the foundation for the Chinese Yellow Peril narrative. It sets the tone for the East Asian population at the end of the 19th century,  labelling the entirety of the population as not very trustworthy. As Asian xenophobia in North America was growing, this Yellow Peril narrative, through Smith’s perspective, was more greatly received. Smith’s personal experiences allow the confirmation of the Western population’s prejudice for Chinese distrust.

Critiques

The reception about the validity of Smith’s works among scholars and experts was mixed.

Minghong Gu (辜鸿铭, the first Chinese person for Western science, language, and oriental Chinese studies in Manchurian era), compares the classical European classics and Chinese Characteristics. Gu points out that he believes that since Smith wrote Chinese Characteristics, he has become a god above the Chinese people. Chinese Characteristics has almost become Smith’s very own Bible.

John K. Fairbank argues that Smith’s work is extremely bias because it is observed through a middle-class American man in the rural areas of China, and is mainly focused on the cultural differences between North America and China.

Although this book has many negative comments on the characteristics of Chinese people, Chinese sociologist Lu Xun had given a high degree of affirmation. On October 5, 1936, Mr. Lu Xun made the following remarks: "[Smith's] analysis is correct, he analyzed very hard, and did not ask for forgiveness and praise from others... When we try to make a thorough and introspective study, we can know that these words are not too insane.”

Furthermore, the first Chinese Sociologist JingHan confirms the nuance of Smith’s representation of Chinese society: “On the one hand, Mr. Ming (Arthur Henderson Smith) appreciates Chinese culture, on other hand, he makes serious judgments and faithfully puts out what he saw and heard and what he thought. He does not only use eyes to look, but also uses heart to feel. He respects China, and at the same time he emphasizes the facts, and he loves the truth.” This evaluation of Smith’s work through lenses of experts on Chinese culture reflects the ambiguity of characterizing social behaviour.

Publishing and Translation

This book was first published on ‘Northern China Daily Newspaper 华北每日新闻’ in Shanghai. The original language was English, was thereafter translated into other western languages, Chinese, and Japanese.

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Source: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Chinese_Characteristics