more nominal than exact. Further, the Mongols, detested aliens, held sway for such a comparatively short period that they hardly left any characteristic mark on the face of Chinese literature.
The first edition of this book ended with the collapse of the Ming dynasty and the establishment of Manchu rule. I then contented myself by saying that the literature of the present dynasty has hardly passed beyond the limits of essayism and artificial verse. The book-market is flooded with collections of essays and poems on themes chosen from the sacred books, logically worded and correctly constructed, but wanting in the chief feature of the work of genius―originality of thought. Still from a literary point of view, there have been not a few elegant composers both of poetry and of prose. Chief among these we may reckon Lan Lu-chou, author of the Whole Duty of Woman, and of a vast number of essays on a variety of subjects; also Tseng Kuo-fan, the hero of the T‘ai-p‘ing rebellion, and father of the present Ambassador to Western Powers. As an actual specimen of the best style of modern composition, I may draw the reader’s attention to the Chinese preface, in cursiv-schrift, which adorns the cover of the first edition of this book. It was very kindly written for me by a rising young graduate of Foochow, named Nien Yün-Ting, through the medium of my friend, Mr. Ku Hung-ming (M.A., Edinburgh), to whose wide acquaintance with the literatures and philosophies of China, England, France, Germany, and Ancient Greece and Rome, I am indebted for many luminous suggestions. This preface runs as follows:―
“For sixteen years past I have been a diligent student of the language and literature of the Chinese people. I have now attempted to render into the English tongue specimens of their standard authors of past ages, in the hope that my countrymen may thereby learn something of the literary achievements of a great empire, whose inhabitants held learning in high esteem when our own painted forefathers were running naked and houseless in the woods and living on berries and raw meat.”[1]
In this second edition I have included extracts from the two writers mentioned above, as well as others from the pens of distinguished men of this dynasty, down to quite recent times, concluding with specimens of the matter and style of a brilliant Republican author and statesman who is still working for his country’s good. It is usual to make light of Manchu scholarship;
- ↑ “My poor friend, the young master of arts who indited the preface for your Gems, is dead, and has not left his peer.”―Letter of 12th August, 1883.
