Gems of Chinese Literature/Chang Chih-tung-Religion

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Gems of Chinese Literature (1922)
translated by Herbert Allen Giles

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CHANG CHIH-TUNG.

a.d. 1835-1909

[One of the most distinguished officials of modern times, popularly known as the Incorruptible, who raised himself by his learning and ability to the highest posts in the empire. In early life he showed great animosity to the foreigner, and declared that “these outer barbarians are as ravenous as wolves;” yet in the Boxer crisis in 1900, it was he who most materially assisted in saving European and American lives. His literary style was brilliant to a degree surpassed only, perhaps, in these days by Liang Ch‘i-ch‘ao. His chief work was on education, extracts from which are given below.]

Chang Chih-tung1524407Gems of Chinese Literature — Religion1922Herbert Allen Giles

IHAVE heard that those who wish to save us from the upheavals of the present age, arrange their advice under three heads, to wit: (1) Keep safe our State. (2) Keep safe our holy religion. (3) Keep safe our Flowery stock. Now these three points are in reality connected by a single thread, and that is unanimity. To keep safe our stock, we must first keep safe our religion; to keep safe our holy religion, we must first keep safe our State. How can the stock be preserved? Wisdom will preserve it; wisdom, which is another term for religion. How can religion prevail? Force can make it prevail; force, which is another name for militarism. Thus it is that in a State which does not command respect, religion will not obtain; and if the State be not prosperous, the stock will not be held in honour. There is the religion of Islam; it is not based upon right, yet because the Turks are a fierce, cruel, and courageous race, the religion retains its vitality. There is Buddhism; here we find an approximation to right, yet because the Indians are an unwarlike race, Buddhism has lost its hold. There is the “luminous” religion (Nestorianism) of Persia; because the State was weak, the religion was changed. The ancient religion of Greece may exist or it may not; the Roman Catholic and Protestant religions prevail over six-tenths of the earth’s surface, a result which is due to powerful militarism. Our holy religion prevails in the Middle Land, where for several thousand years it has undergone no change. The Five Emperors and the Three Kings made clear the Way (Tao) and handed down laws, adding the part of teacher to that of ruler.

The conflict of divers religions has been seen among ourselves for over two thousand years. Confucianists and the followers of Mo Tzŭ were in conflict, and so were the followers of Lao Tzŭ and Confucianists. Chuang Tzŭ was a Taoist, yet he was in conflict with other Taoists. Hsün Tzŭ was a Confucianist, yet he was in conflict with other Confucianists. Under the T‘ang dynasty (a.d. 618-905), Confucianists and Buddhists were in conflict; and during the next two hundred years Buddhists and the followers of Lao Tzŭ were in conflict. The object of Confucianists in attacking any other faith is to distinguish truth from falsehood; other religions attack one another for the sake of establishing pre-eminence. In our days, the rights and wrongs of these conflicts are clear. Confucius and Mencius have handed down to us a holy religion which is absolutely unvarying and a perfect standard of conduct, glowing brightly like the sun or moon in mid-sky; embodying the pure law of God above with the fullest recognition of human relationships; even in far-off lands, where customs are different, there are none to say a word in its disfavour.