Leonard in chapter two suggested that Wei Yuan's response to the crisis generated by the Opium War was shaped by the history of Sino-Nan-yang relations. Leonard also highlighted his observation that in Qing, the geographical literature about the maritime world was few when compared to the large amount of geographical writings about China's Inner Asia. This imbalance is a reflection on the difference of importance attached by the Court to these two separate regions. After the War, when the Chinese began to look at the Nan-yang with renewed interest, they began to pay attention to the geographical writing did by the Jesuit decades ago.1 Leonard also mentioned that at one time Malacca was the center of Nan-yang trade. The rulers of Malacca in the early fifteen century enticed Javanese and Sumatran traders to their port. And they also adopted Islam ' in order to enhance and solidify ties with Islamic traders'.2 Leonard also stressed that it was wrong for scholars to confuse the tribute system and the junk trade as one single system. The junk trade was the only important link between Qing and the maritime world before the Opium War. In chapter three, Leonard said that Qing was indifferent to the coastal control and treated the West with indifference and contempt up to the Opium War. Also, the Sino-Nan-yang trade was handled at the local level as part of the the junk trade. At the start of the dynasty, Qing allowed foreigners, both European and Asians to do business in Macao, Chang-chou, Ningpo, Amoy, and Yun-tai Shan.3 But as problems with the missionaries grew, Qing gradually restricted foreign trade to Canton. 4 Eventually it was known as the Canton system. The government arm of the Canton system was the Guangdong Maritime Customs. The hongs were responsible for the behavior of personnel from foreign ships. The hong merchants became the link between foreign traders and Chinese officials. From the Chinese point of view, trading was a privilege to the foreigners, therefore Qing could dictate all trading terms. And as such, the foreigners had no right to discuss, and communication with official was deemed unnecessary.5 But as western trade grew and the Canton system was unable to cope, grievances mounted. (to be continued)
Note:
1. Leonard, Jane Kate. Wei Yuan and China's Rediscovery of the Maritime World. Cambridge (Mass.) and London: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University: distributed by Harvard University Press, 1984, page 54
2. page 56
3. page 72
4. page 73
5. page 75
2009年7月7日 星期二
2009年7月6日 星期一
BBQ(2009)
Yesterday I had BBQ at my backyard with relatives and friends of about twenty people. For over a decade it was an annual ritual for me to organize such a gathering in the summer. The weather was mild. It was a good moment to socialize, to enjoy the sunshine from the above and the green lawn under your feet. While my family prepared chicken wing, sausage, fried rice, sweet corn and vegetable, they brought along sushi, dumpling and many other good stuff. On a yearly basis, I could see kids turned into teens, and young people getting older. Time flies.
2009年7月5日 星期日
<行腳空門>(下)
下關只是一個小型商業中心和交通運輸轉運站, 有碼頭和街道. 鈕先銘等四人經過重重火海才能到達江邊. 這兒並無船隻, 只有一群散兵. 但在這裡的人, 誰也不願意站著等死. 於是拆房子的拆房子, 搬傢俱的搬傢俱. 凡是木材和可以浮起來的東西, 都集中起來, 把它們綁起成木排, 用來渡江. 不久一個較早前失散了的上尉醫官出現, 並向鈕報到. 他提議大家造一個木排, 眾人造完之後兩, 個士兵和醫官爬了上去這個只有三五見方的木排, 半浮半沉順江而下. 只剩下鈕和他的表弟逗留在江邊. 事實上, 在江邊仍然有成千上萬的散兵遊勇, 都在各自為自己出路打主意. 不久有一小船駛近江邊碼頭, 表弟一跳而登上了. 而鈕則沒有那個敏捷, 並丟進水裏. 眼看小船離開, 表兄想救也無從. 鈕是不懂水性, 可幸的是他的棉軍服在短時間變成救生衣, 暫時浮著. 而他亦本能地手舞足蹈, 幸運地抓住了一根非常粗大的木頭, 一個人在黑夜的十二月寒冬在江水裏順流而下. 過了一些時間, 江水把他沖回上岸. 他並未有成功北渡, 雖然遠離 落水的碼頭, 他仍然在南京的下關下游地區. 他爬上一斷崖的堤岸, 總算命不應絕. 之後他展轉來到上元門. 他在城門口向內外見, 只見一堆一堆兵士, 總數在數千以上. 城門裏的房屋還算齊全, 城外的環境則不同, 房子很少, 都是沒有屋頂的破屋. 原來是被散兵拆去造渡江工具. 但是其中有一所房子例外, 雖然並非什麼高樓大廈, 但屋瓦齊全, 座落於一矮樹林中. 它在江的邊緣, 簡直是一沙漠綠洲. 鈕走近一見, 才知道這是一農村的小寺廟. 門楣上石刻有 '永清寺' 三字. 寺廟裏外也有三,五十個士兵, 有些躺臥在地上睡覺. 日本軍來到這個地方掃蕩國軍只是時間上的問題. 鈕先銘往後的際遇就和這寺廟結下不解緣. 翌年九月他脫險返回武漢, 才知到他的留學法國同學曾在七,八月間為他開了追弔會 (註: 鈕亦曾於日本士官學校畢業, 懂日語). 因為鈕先銘是一個不懂游泳的人,在一嚴冬黑夜跌了落江, 不淹死也會凍死, 故此被朋友假定已死亡. 至於鈕先銘是怎樣避過成為日軍的戰俘, 並能逃離南京, 可以說是一個很好的電影劇本.
2009年7月4日 星期六
<廣東文史資料>
在上世紀六十年代初開始, 廣東省進行對清末至1949年各個歷史時期的資料收集, 編寫和研究. 並把部分收集得到稿件輯錄成書出版, 其中一書是<廣東文史資料>. 這本書第一輯是在1961年面世, 當時僅作內部發行. 但多年之後, 後期出版各輯已經是公開的書籍. <廣東文史資料>第一輯在1961年六月面世, 之後它繼續作不定時出版. 據我的瞭解, 在三十多年間, 總共出版了七十一輯. 最後一輯是在1992年一月. 在這七十一輯裏面, 有很多是第一手資料, 例如時人生活片段回憶記錄, 或者是時人耳聞目睹的事件, 故頗有歷史參考價值. (註:相片中的<廣東文史資料>是加拿大卑詩大學亞洲圖書館藏品)
2009年7月3日 星期五
<空門行腳>(上)
<空門行腳>是春秋雜誌第二卷第二期(1.2.1965)的其中一篇文章. 是有關作者在1937年12月12日以後在南京遇到的個人經歷 (註:南京大屠殺不久便在這裡發生). 我多年前讀這文章時, 已被這故事的傳奇性所吸引, 並感受到抗日戰爭中的各種戰亂景象. 作者鈕先銘把他的故事分開十次在雜誌刊出. 他當時是負責守衛南京的一個營長. 故事開始于南京十一月底, 部份守軍第一次報告發現城南外有日軍活動跡象. 在十二月十二日鈕先銘接到團長接的命令, 要他帶領部份部隊撤退出南京. 當時日軍是在南京南面, 故他們只有向北面撤退, 北方是一條河. 他從明故宮經鼓樓行到北平路口, 再行到鐵道部和交通部大廈附近時. 國軍各類人等幾乎擁擠在馬路當中. 因為前面的停滯, 而後者又向前擁. 情況開始混亂, 在這個時間, 所有人都希望可以迅速離開這個地方. 當時他的部隊只有餘下三,五十人. 其餘的當然是在驚慌中 各自行動, 以期各自逃生, 而致失散. 于是他指定一軍官領導這群人. 自己帶領三人到江邊觀察. 途中見到有不少轎車的引擎仍然開動, 但車子裏面並無一人. 他感覺到在遠方開始有槍彈射到這裡的人群. 當他們四人返回原來聚集點時, 已經無法找到部隊中任何一人. 他們幾個在人群裏面經過一輪掙扎, 終於可以離開城門的範圍. 可是一出城便見到下關一帶一片火海. (待續)
2009年7月2日 星期四
日本便利店設吸煙室
Recently the Japanese Jiji News reported the following:
大手コンビニエンスストアのローソンが１日、 東京都 千代田区に 喫煙ルームを備えた実験店を新規開店したことを分かった、路上喫煙や吸い殻のポイ捨てを防ざ、周辺の環境美化につなげるのが狙い。屋外に灰皿を置いているコンビニは多いが店内に喫煙専用の部屋を設けたのは業界ても初とみられる。 同店は 日比谷公園やJR新橋駅近くのオフィス街にあり, 周辺には 喫煙者も多い。喫煙ルームは飲食ザベースの奥にあり、ガラス戸で仕切って 空気清淨機やいすなど置いた。 利用時間は午前７時から午後１０時まで。
A big convenient store in Japan is experimenting with the opening of a smoking room at their store, with the aims of prevent smoking on the street and discarding cigarettes butts around, and to beautify the environment. Although it is nothing new to have ash trays outside convenient stores, to assign a room inside the store for smoking is a new attempt in the industry. One branch store of this company is near the office district where there are lots of smokers. Deep inside its cafetiere corner there is a smoking room. Glass door is used to separate air circulation, air cleaning machine and chairs are installed . The room can be used from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm.
I am wondering if convenient stores in Hong Kong can consider adding such a facility at their branch shops at locations such as Central and Causeway Bay. This may help the smoking white-collar workers in the area.
大手コンビニエンスストアのローソンが１日、 東京都 千代田区に 喫煙ルームを備えた実験店を新規開店したことを分かった、路上喫煙や吸い殻のポイ捨てを防ざ、周辺の環境美化につなげるのが狙い。屋外に灰皿を置いているコンビニは多いが店内に喫煙専用の部屋を設けたのは業界ても初とみられる。 同店は 日比谷公園やJR新橋駅近くのオフィス街にあり, 周辺には 喫煙者も多い。喫煙ルームは飲食ザベースの奥にあり、ガラス戸で仕切って 空気清淨機やいすなど置いた。 利用時間は午前７時から午後１０時まで。
A big convenient store in Japan is experimenting with the opening of a smoking room at their store, with the aims of prevent smoking on the street and discarding cigarettes butts around, and to beautify the environment. Although it is nothing new to have ash trays outside convenient stores, to assign a room inside the store for smoking is a new attempt in the industry. One branch store of this company is near the office district where there are lots of smokers. Deep inside its cafetiere corner there is a smoking room. Glass door is used to separate air circulation, air cleaning machine and chairs are installed . The room can be used from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm.
I am wondering if convenient stores in Hong Kong can consider adding such a facility at their branch shops at locations such as Central and Causeway Bay. This may help the smoking white-collar workers in the area.
2009年7月1日 星期三
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