Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/765

 CHINA

685

CHINA

China by the convention of 8 Nov., 1905. Korea fell entirely into the hands of the Japanese. Ostensibly to obtain satisfaction for the murder of two mission- aries, the Germans seized Kiao-chou Bay (Shan-tung)

1 I Nov., 1S97), which was granted to them on long lease (6 March, 1898). Following the example of Germany, Russia obtained a similar lease of Ta-lien- wan and the adjacent waters (27 March, 1898); Eng- land, Wei-hai-wei (2 April, 189S); France, Kwang- chou-wan (27 May, 1898). On 9 June the territory (if Kow-loon ceded to Great Britain was extended to include Deep Bay and Mir's Bay; moreover, various declarations stipulated the non-alienation by China of the Vang-tze valley (11 Feb., 1S98), the provinces bordering on Tong-king (10 April, 1898), and Fu-kien

April, 1898). Prince Kung died 29 May, 1898. From 10 June, 1S98, until 20 Sept., 1898, when a coup d'itai of Empress Tze-hi deprived Emperor Kuans Siu of all his power, he made a strong attempt to reform the administration of his empire with the assistance of K'ang Yu-wei and others. Then fol- lowed a terrible reaction, which culminated in the Boxer rebellion. This began in Shan-tung and ex- tended to Ohi-li, secretly fostered by the empress dowager and her camarilla; Prince Twan, and General l'u nt; Fu-Siang. Everywhere missionaries were murdered. The German minister, Von Ketteler, was murdered (20 June); the legations at Peking were besieged by the troops and the infuriated mob. A relief column, under the command of the English admiral, Sir Edward Seymour, failed to reach the capital. The allied fleet captured the Taku forts

17 June, 1900). Finally a strong international army entered Peking (14 Aug., 1900), relieving the legations and the Catholic cathedral (Pe-tang), while the emperor, the empress dowager, and the court fled to Si-ngan-fu (Shen-si). Peking was looted and left in ruins.

The negotiations were long and involved, and on their completion a final protocol was signed at Peking, 7 Sept., 1901, by the representatives of the ten for- eign powers. The principal clauses included: a mis- sion of reparation to Berlin and an expiatory monu- ment to Baron von Ketteler on the spot where he was assassinated; the punishment of the principal au- i In us of the outrage; the rehabilitation of officials executed for being favourable to foreigners; the suspension of official examinations for five years in all cities where foreigners had been massacred or ill- treated; missions of reparation to Japan for the ,ii it ion of Sugiyama of the Japanese legation; expiatory monuments in cemeteries where foreign tombs had been desecrated; prohibition of the im- port. 'it inn of arms; a total indemnity of 450,000,000 Haikwan taels (about $300,000,000), special quarters for the legations at Peking; the destruction of the forts of Taku; the reorganization of the foreign office. An imperial edict of 24 July, 1901, trans- formed the Tsung-li Yamen into a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (W'ai-wu Pu), which takes precedence over the other ministries of State. Treaties were signed at aai by China with Great Britain (5 Sept., 1902), with Japan (commercial, 8 Oct., 1903), and with the United States for the extension of commercial rela- tions (S (let., 1903).

The great victories gained by Japan over Russia and the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth (23 Aug., ."> Sept., 1905), tin' various agreements signed by European nil ions with the victorious power, the tremendous ■ ffeel produced on all Asiatic peoples by the triumph of one of them, the latent discontent in China, the delusive and superficial attempts at re- form in the Middle- Kingdom, leave to the future prospects which arc anything but encouraging for the \\ est' ni countries.

Customs. The imperial maritime customs were started in Shanghai in 1854 when, the city being

threatened by rebels, the collection of dues on foreig i trade became impossible. Representatives of the three consuls from Great Britain, France, and the United States, were placed in charge of the custom service, which was inaugurated on 12 July, 1854. The American and the French delegates having re- tired in the course of years, the British delegate, Horatio N. Lay, remained in charge until he was superseded in Nov., 18(13, as inspector general, by Robert Hart (b. 20 Feb., 1835, at Portadown, Ire- land). The Shanghai system was extended to Can- ton (Oct., 1859) and afterwards to the other treaty ports. The importance of the service has grown with years and now includes also the postal sen ice. It is divided into four departments: (1) revenue de- partment (Indoor, Outdoor, and Coast staff), with 957 foreigners of various nationalities, the majority being British, and 4138 Chinese (1903); (2) marine department; (3) educational department ; (4) postal department. An imperial decree of 9 May, 1905, placed at the head of the custom service two high mandarins.

At the end of 1906, 2096 localities were open to postal business, and in 1907 the number of articles dealt with increased to nearly 113 millions. The num- ber of parcels reached 1,383,000, and money transac- tions taels 1,539,000. Moreover, there are some for- eign (British, German, French, Japanese, American, Russian) postal agencies at some of the treaty ports. On 6 Nov., 1906, a new Chinese ministry was created, styled the Yu-ch'wan Pu (Board of Posts and Com- munications) with a president and two vice-presi- dents.

Telegraph System. — In 1905 the Imperial Com- pany had 379 stations throughout China, Manchuria, and Mongolia. Other companies are the Imperial German Telegraph Co., through Shanghai, Tsing-tao, and Che-fu ; the French Telegraph Co., from Amoy to Tourane ; the Great Northern Telegraph Co., through Shanghai, Gutzlaff, Nagasaki, Yladivostock, Amoy, and Hong-Kong ; the Eastern Extension, Australasia and China Telegraph Co., connecting Shanghai, Gutz- laff, Fu-chou, Hong-Kong, Indo-China, and the Phil- ippines; the Deutsch-Niederlandische Telegraphen- gesellschaft, three cables connecting Yap (Carolines) and Shanghai, Menado (Celebes), and Guam (Mari- annes); the Commercial Pacific Cable Co., connecting San Francisco, Honolulu, Midway, Guam, Manila, and Shanghai with a branch line between Guam and Yoko- hama; the Japanese Telegraph Co., connecting Sharp Peak (Fu-chou), Formosa, Ishigakishima, Naha, Oshima, Japan, and Korea.

Trade. — The revenue of the customs in 1906 was Haikwan taels 36,068,595 (1 Haikwan tael = .•>(>. s, U. S.), as against Haikwan taels 22,742,104 in 1897. It included import duties, taels 16,100,954; export duties tls. 9,825,706; coast trade duties, tls. 2,208,- 192; tonnage dues, tls. 1,326,619; transit dues in- coming, tls. 1,831,934; transit, dues outgoing, tls. 445,167; opium Likin, tls. 4,330,083. The value of the foreign trade was Hk. tls. 682,767,231 in 1906, as against Hk. tls. 385,142,721 in 1897, the net value being Hk. tls. 6 16,726,821, as against tls. 366,329,983 in 1897. The value of the direct trade: Continent of Europe (Russia excepted), tls. 82,677,- 826; Russian European ports, tls. 5,757,036; Russia and Siberia by land frontier, tls. 2, 565, !.'U1; Russia, Pacific ports, tls. 11,018,087; Korea, tls., 1,811,037; Japan (including Formosa'), tls. 94,357,287; Philip- pine Islands, tls. 2,536,704; Canada, lis. 5,192,127; United States, including Hawaii, tls. 70,107,657; Mexico and Central America (including Panarj tls. 54,142; South America, tls. 27,309; Australia, New Zealand, etc., (Is. 1,014,469; South Africa in- cluding Mauritius), lis. 58,136, a total of tls. 616, 726,821 (net imports, (Is. ll(}.270.sj; export 236,456,739). The chief imports arc: opium, tls.