Chinese virtue

Chapter 2 Preface
As with anything, people want someone in the know to tell the truth.Although many people know something about the Chinese people, they seldom tell the whole truth.Because no matter how rich a person's knowledge is, it is impossible to figure out all the conditions of the Chinese people.Because of this, this book will be challenged by three different viewpoints.

The first view is that trying to show people the Chinese character is a complete waste of effort.

Mr. Cook was a reporter for The Times of London. He made a special trip to interview China in 1857-1858.Like all writers who came to China, he met Chinese people living in various environments, and learned about Chinese people through some learned people.Later, Mr. Cook described the character of the Chinese in the preface to the publication of the collection of letters he wrote.However, he confessed that he was not satisfied with this description, and felt deeply guilty for it: "When it comes to the character of the Chinese, there are some good articles related to it, but I did not use it in my letter. It is really negligent. Such a topic is not only very attractive, but also has a lot of room for expansion, allowing people to make ingenious associations and profound generalizations, and then make correct judgments. As for me, I have not been inspired by it at all. This matter If those picky people find out, they will definitely blame me. In fact, I have written several good characters of Chinese people, but when I wrote these letters, all I saw were Chinese rude words and deeds I burned several of them to ensure authenticity. However, I have to say one thing. I know several Sinologists who are not only excellent in their work, but also very honest. , indicating that the character of the Chinese people cannot be summed up in one word, and they agree with me. Of course, only those sinologists who really understand the Chinese people will encounter such problems. As for those "savvy ', they can completely bypass the subject and write some unrealistic arguments in flashy words. To be honest, Chinese people do have contradictions in character. But now I want to make a comprehensive and and accurate analysis and evaluation, but I feel that I have more energy than I can do. At present, all I can do is to describe the Chinese people with the constant factor of personality, and avoid giving a precise definition to the Chinese people. I can do this , I am quite satisfied."

Over the past 30 years, the Chinese have played an increasingly important role in international affairs.They are not afraid of any pressure, which is really incomprehensible.Indeed, only in China can foreigners truly understand Chinese people.Foreigners generally admit that they are elusive about Chinese people.However, we have also dealt with the Chinese for hundreds of years anyway, so we have reason to believe that studying the Chinese is the same as exploring other complex situations.

The second point of view is that the author of this book is not qualified to write such a book at all.This objection is very strong.Yes, I have only lived in China for 22 years, so I do lack the ability to successfully write Chinese characters.In my case, I'm like a miner who just works hard.Although the miner toiled in the silver mine for twenty-two years, he was not necessarily capable of writing a treatise on metallurgy or gold and silver bimetallization.China is so big, and I have only lived in two of its provinces, and visited less than half of them, so of course I am not qualified to comment on it.These letters were originally intended for the readers of Shanghai Zilinxi Newspaper. Later, some of the topics aroused the interest of people in Britain, the United States, Canada and other countries, so I collected and published these letters at their strong request. .

A third view is that those who discuss the character of the Chinese are misleading and unfair.It should be clear to one that impressions cannot be as exact as statistics.Impressions are like film, they obviously cannot be identical, but they can truly reflect different realities.The film, lens, and processing method used in photography are different, and the photos obtained are naturally different.

Many people have lived in China for a long time, so they know more about China than I do.However, in essence, their views on China are no different from mine.Still others believe that adding a splash of color to a drab picture will make their point more real and compelling.Taking these pertinent comments into account, I have thoroughly revised the original text.Due to time constraints, I deleted one-third of the content related to the Chinese character in the original text, and only kept the most important part, and added a new chapter "Contentment and Joy".

The Chinese have many good qualities, which can be seen in their words and deeds.We should naturally praise these good qualities.However, because of this, some people may think that this book is exaggerated, and think that exaggerating the good qualities of Chinese people is actually derogatory to Chinese people.Speaking of this, I can't help but think of the famous British satirical novelist Thackeray.In his characters, the good guys are generally stupid, and the bad guys are brilliant.Someone asked him why he wrote this, and he replied: "Because good people always have eyes but no heart."

There is an oak woodcut of Napoleon standing with his head bowed and arms folded, on the British island of St. Helena.Even if a person stares at it for a long time, he may not be able to see anything.However, if someone pointed in advance, the viewer could immediately see the outline of Napoleon.

Things like this abound in China, and they don't show up at first, but when pointed out, they become haunting.However, readers must be reminded that this book is only similar to a restrictive clause, so it cannot summarize the whole of China like a generalized main clause, nor can it represent the characteristics of all Chinese people. The general impression of the Chinese people only reflects part of the character of the Chinese people.It is like a ray of light that can only be made into a ray of light if it comes together with other rays of light.These texts come from my personal experience and that of various other people, and there are many special insights and examples in them, which can be used as a primer for understanding the Chinese people.

Among the many writers who study China and its people, the British consul Midi Le can be regarded as the most philosophical mind.In his opinion, the best way for a person who has a correct understanding of the character of people of other peoples and wishes to share this knowledge is to read carefully a large number of important events that have attracted attention. view of the event.Through many such events, general conclusions can be drawn.Insist on citing real exceptions even when the conclusions are likely to be questioned.All theories concerning the character of the Chinese should be seriously considered.If one tries to make a study of this kind, one will feel strongly that it is difficult to compare the Chinese with the Anglo-Saxons, and will come to realize that the Chinese represent all Orientals in character.Readers only need to judge the truthfulness of this sentence based on their own personal experience.

It is said that foreigners can learn about Chinese social life by studying Chinese novels, folk songs and dramas.These three paths are undoubtedly valuable, but there seems to be a more effective way to achieve the goal, and that is to witness the life of Chinese families first-hand.However, not all writers who want to write about China or the Chinese people have the opportunity to embark on this path.It is better for one to go to the countryside than to the cities in order to understand the topography of a region.It's the same with understanding people's character - it's easier to go to the country than to the city.If a foreigner wants to understand the life of a Chinese family, he can go to a Chinese countryside for a year, and the effect of doing so is better than staying in a Chinese city for ten years.The countryside is the basic unit of Chinese social life, and it is also the starting point for me to write this book.What this book reflects is not a missionary's point of view, but an observer's experience without any subjective emotion.Therefore, this book does not say that Chinese people need Christianity, nor does it advocate the use of Christianity to improve the character of Chinese people.However, if the book mentions the problems of the Chinese, such as some major defects in character, then it is necessary for us to study how to make up for these defects.

Today, the "Chinese problem" is not just a national problem, but an international problem, and it will become more tense in the twentieth century, and for good reason.

In today's world, Chinese people account for a very large proportion.Therefore, anyone who wants mankind to live a better life will care about how to improve China.If our conclusion is right, then even the evidence that has been ignored will further support it; but if our conclusion is wrong, then no matter how much evidence there is to support it, it will not stand up to scrutiny of.

The Shanghai business community once asked Lord Elgin of the United Kingdom about this issue, and Lord Elgin answered it.Many years have passed now, but his words are still so appropriate and persuasive.He said: "When this country was freed, the Western Christian Church found that it was not barbaric, but an ancient civilization with many flaws and declining, so it was inevitable to have a little sympathy for it. However, this resourceful man Many countries are full of doubts about Christianity. Therefore, if Christianity wants to win in the upcoming competition, people must understand that Christianity has an advantage in guaranteeing public morality and personal morality.”

(End of this chapter)