Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/800

 748 CHINA

According to the estimate of the Customs authorities, in 1919 the total number of foreigners resident in China was 350,991, made up as follows: —

American. . 6,660

Austrian. . 27

Belgian. . 391

British. . 13,234

Danish. . 546

Dutch. . 367

French. . 4,4091

German. . 1,335

Hungarian. . 11

Italian. 276

Japanese. . 171,485

Norwegian. . 249

Portuguese. . 2,390

Russian. 148,170

Spanish. . 272

Swedish. . 632

Other nationalities 537

Total. . 350,991 i Including 91S proteges. There are now 19 Treaty Powers in China, as follows: Russia (1689). Great Britain (1842), United States (1844), France (1844), Belgium (1845)^ Sweden (1847), Portugal (1862), Denmark (1863), Netherlands (1863), Spain (1S64), Italy (1866), Japan (1871), Peru (1874), Brazil (1881), Mexico (1899), Chile (1915), Switzerland (1918). Bolivia (1920), and Persia (1920). Austria-Hungary (1869) and Germany (1861) were also included before the war.

Religion.

Three religions are acknowledged by the Chinese as indigenous and adopted, viz. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

With the exception of the practice of ancestral worship, which is every- where observed throughout the Republic, and was fully commended by Confucius, Confucianism has little outward ceremonial. The study and contemplation and attempted performance of the moral precepts of the ancients constitute the duties of a Confucianist. No ecclesiastical hierarchy is maintained at the public expense, nor any priesthood attached to the Con- fucian religion. A proposal to make Confucianism the State religion of China was negatived in both 1912 and 1917 by the Constitutional Committee who, however, agreed that Confucianism shall be the basis of the Ethical teaching in National Education.

Buddhism and Taoism present a very gorgeous and elaborate ritual in China, Taoism — originally a pure philosophy — having abjectly copied Buddhist ceremonial on the arrival of Buddhism 1,800 years ago. Probably all Chinese (not Mahometans or Christians) profess and practise all three religions. The bulk of the people, however, are Buddhist.

Mohammedans are found in every province of China, being most numerous in Kansu, Hsin Chiang, Chihli, and Yunnan. From evidence collected in 1909 Mr. M. Broomhall estimated that the Moslem population of China numbers between 5,000,000 and 10,000,000.

Roman Catholicism has had a footing in China for more than three centuries. At tho end of 1916 it numbered 50 Bishops (China proper 42), Manchuria 3, Mongolia 4, Tibet 1), 1,437 European priests, 828 Chinese priests, and 1,790,220 native Christians.

Protestant Missions date from 1807. In 1916 they were served by a foreign force numbering 5,517, including 383 missionary (106 being women) and 118 Chinese physicians, 1,092 ordained ministers, and 138 foreign nurses. Native Christians numbered 511,142. Attached to Protestant Missions in 1915 were 24 colleges of university standing, 120 normal and training schools, 29 theological schools, 216 middle schools, 464 higher elementary schools, 4,748 lower elementary schools. Under Christian instruction were 169,797 pupils. Foreign Protestant Medical Missionaries at 330 hospitals and 223 dispensaries attended during the year 104,418 in-patients and 1,535,834 out-patients.

The Russian Orthodox Mission dates from 1685, when the Chinese con- quered Albazin fortress on the river Amur, taking 45 Russians prisoners and