Why did Napoleon say that China was a sleeping lion?

Napoleon, the once all-powerful French emperor, has a famous saying about China. People often say, "China is a sleeping lion. Once awakened, it will shock the world. " This is probably one of Napoleon's most famous sayings. So, in history, did Napoleon really say the original words, or did he change them after being circulated? On what occasion was it said?

Contemporary media, whether newspapers or online articles, have a lot of textual research on this passage, and there are also many versions of romance. Among them, the most accurate and reliable Chinese material is The Stagnant Empire written by the late French contemporary historian and politician peyrefitte. If we start with the most original first-hand information, we can find that Napoleon's remarks about China are basically from the memoirs of his personal doctor, Omira, The Voice from St. Helena. But there is no mention of "sleeping lion" in the original text, which belongs to later generations.

St Helena is Napoleon's exile after being defeated by Britain and other anti-French allies. Aumeras was an Irish doctor assigned to Napoleon at that time and later became Napoleon's friend. After leaving the island, he compiled and published Napoleon's remarks over the years, that is, the voice from St. Helena. In this book, Napoleon's remarks about China are mainly recorded in three paragraphs, all of which are conversations with Dr. Omira, which took place in March, May and August of 18 17 respectively. The content is that Omela talked about the British envoy to the Qing court at that time and passed by Lord Amested on St. Helena on his way home.

Lord Amherst's visit to China is another mission aimed at promoting China's opening up trade with Britain, more than 20 years after Britain sent a huge Madzar mission to China in 1792. Then, to clarify this historical background, we must start with the Magalny mission.

(1) Madzar's mission

1792 In September, the British government sent a mission to China, with Magalny as the chief ambassador and Stanton as the deputy ambassador, including 100 mission personnel and more than 700 sailors. This is the first time that western countries have sent an official mission to China to congratulate Emperor Qianlong of China on his eightieth birthday. The more important task is to open the way for the trade between Britain and China. The mission brought rifles, telescopes, astronomical instruments, clocks and watches representing the advanced technology at that time, as well as models of Britain's strongest warships (class I warships).

The mission arrived in China on August 1793, and soon there was a dispute with the official about the etiquette of meeting the emperor. The British are extremely reluctant to be the three-kneeling and nine-knocking gift for China courtiers to meet the emperor. Macartney suggested that if you insist on using the three kneels and nine knocks of the Qing Dynasty, you should give the same gift to the king of England: either find A Qing officials at the same level and give gifts to the king's portrait while the mission gives gifts to the emperor; Either announce to the public that when Qing officials pay a return visit, they should kneel and knock on the king of England three times. Honest officials are naturally furious with this method and cannot accept it. After some arguments, a compromise was finally reached, and the British envoy knelt down on one knee instead of kowtowing.

Although the British mission managed to preserve its dignity on etiquette issues, it was completely defeated on substantive issues related to trade. The British ambassador asked for the opening of a small number of trading ports, the establishment of embassies, the disclosure of tax incentives and the permission of missionary work, all of which were rejected. Emperor Qianlong's thinking is simple: if China goes nationalized, it should have its own, and there is no need to trade with foreign countries. And those "kit kat" things are not uncommon. The imperial edict of Qianlong said, "King Er, this time, all the tributes are specially ordered to be taken in by the yamen. In fact, China is far away from Germany and Wei, and various countries come to the king, and all kinds of precious things are collected by air on the ladder. I'm your ambassador. Wait. However, it is never expensive and there is no need to make things in China. " .

The British mission was disappointed and suffered the cold reception and humiliation as an envoy, which made a member of the mission exclaim "Like a beggar in Beijing, like a prisoner when living, like a thief when leaving". At the same time, the sharp-eyed British also saw the real weakness under the arrogance of the Qing Dynasty. It is mentioned in Marco Polo's Travels that Chinese civilization "has regressed instead of making progress. At least in the past 150 years, when we made great progress in science and art, they degenerated into semi-barbarism compared with Europe. " In terms of internal affairs, the editor of the official editions of "Almost every year, there are riots in all provinces" and "The government is a minority of Tatars" is George Stanton, the deputy special envoy of the mission. His 12-year-old son Sir Staunton also became a member of the delegation and worked as a waiter. This little Sri Lanka is always smart in East Africa. He studied Chinese diligently during his voyage and travel, and became the only person in the mission who was generally familiar with Chinese. Twenty-three years later, the servant boy stood in his father's position and became the next deputy envoy of the British Mission.

(2) Support mission

There was an episode in the middle. A year after the visit of the magal delegation, the Netherlands sent a small delegation of seven people to Beijing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Emperor Heganlong's accession to the throne. This mission was led by Isaac Tiezin. Tizin was then an official of the Dutch East India Company in Batavia (present-day Indonesia). Previously, he served as the plenipotentiary of Japanese commerce and was received by general Edo Shogunate of Japan. The attitude of the escort mission to etiquette is "don't blame many people", including three kneels and nine knocks. Suffering is inevitable, including a banquet for 300 Jin of sturgeon presented by Emperor Qianlong, and three kneels and nine knocks. The standard and treatment of the interview is relatively higher than that of the British mission, but many people in the mission think it is not worthy of its "treatment". This is only a mission with the basic purpose of congratulating North Korea, but it is also the mission of 1840 to see Emperor China for the last time before the Opium War.

The interpreter of Tizin Mission is a Frenchman. His name is De Guine and he lives in Guangzhou. After de Quinn returned to France, he published his memories in 1808. At this time, the French emperor Napoleon, who was at the peak of his power at that time, became interested in China and ordered De Quinn to compile the Chinese-French Latin Dictionary. It took more than five years to complete this dictionary, which is basically based on the Chinese Latin Dictionary written by Gremona a century ago.

(3) AMIS

More than 20 years later, Britain sent a huge mission to Madzar. In the twenty years between these two missions, Europe was in the period of French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic War. For more than a decade, Napoleon's French army was almost invincible in Europe. As France's main rival, Britain is worried that overseas business will fall into French hands. Therefore, British troops occupied Portuguese territory Macau twice to prevent the French threat, but the relationship with China became more tense.

After years of war, Napoleon was finally defeated by the great powers. The Battle of Waterloo marked the end of Napoleon's military and political career. After the defeat, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. At this time, Britain's influence in Europe is stronger, and with the strength of the country, the demand for expanding the world market is also stronger. It is against this background that Lord Amherst's mission began. The mission's main task is to urge the Qing government to abolish the long-standing public transport system of "official control of foreign countries", open more commercial ports and expand trade freedom.

Amish, the ambassador of the mission, is behind the door. His father is Lieutenant General William Amish, one uncle is an admiral, and the other uncle is Baron Geoffrey Amish, a famous British field marshal in the Seven Years' War. After his uncle Marshal Jeffrey Amish died, he became the heir to his title. Influenced by his uncle, he became interested in diplomacy very early and served as a diplomatic envoy in the Napoleonic era. One of his ambassadors is Sir Sir Staunton, the son of Ambassador Magalny, and the little boy of the mission. After more than 20 years' experience, this young man has been the chairman of the special committee of the British East India Company in Guangzhou, and he is also an authentic China hand.

The mission1816 started in February, arrived in Guangzhou in July and arrived in Tianjin in August. Just like last time, I immediately quarreled with the honest official about audience etiquette. The Qing side insisted on giving Emperor Jiaqing a gift of three kneels and nine knocks, and Amish was only willing to take off his hat three times and bow nine times instead. The two sides were deadlocked, so the mission had to stay in Tongzhou outside Beijing.

During this period, officials of the Qing court continued to persuade Amish people to accept three kneels and nine knocks. Sir Staunton and others strongly opposed it, believing that it was detrimental to British dignity. Before leaving for amherst, the British government indicated that it could make some compromises on etiquette if necessary, but after consideration, amherst decided to put honor first. But the task also needs hard work, so Amish suggested kneeling on one knee, bowing his head three times and repeating it three times.

Qing court officials saw that this was not enough, so they had to go to Jiaqing emperor to make a careless eye, saying that foreigners "knelt up quite unnaturally, but it was still a ceremony" and practiced kowtowing many times. Jiaqing heard the news and planned to summon him. However, the mission rushed into Beijing overnight, dusty and exhausted, and the vehicles carrying official uniforms and credentials failed to keep up. Amish people asked for a rest, but the official in charge of introduction was smart enough to lie to Jiaqing that the British ambassador was ill, which angered the emperor. In a rage, Emperor Jiaqing ordered the expulsion of the mission. Although Emperor Jiaqing later found out the reason, he gave the mission high courtesy on his return trip and relaxed some restrictions on British businessmen. But in the end, the mission didn't even see the emperor, and most of the demands were dashed, which made the British very angry.

The return trip of Amistad's mission was also not smooth.1817 65438+1returned from Macau on October 28th. The ship sank once and met pirates. Arrived in St. Helena, Napoleon's exile at the end of June. However, the news is faster than people. Around March, the news of Amish's experience and his arrival in St. Helena had reached Napoleon's ears. Before and after amherst's arrival, he had three wonderful conversations with his personal doctor, Irish Aumeras. Of course, due to the incomplete information on the island, some details in the comments may not be completely true. Moreover, as an old enemy of Britain, the commentary also made fun of the British. As for the Amish, Napoleon didn't talk to him when he arrived on the island, perhaps because he didn't want to sprinkle salt on the unfortunate envoy's wound face to face.

(4) Napoleon's three comments

The first conversation between Napoleon and Omera was three months before the Amish arrived.

1865438+March 25th, 2007 (translated from Dr. Aumeras's memory):

I told the emperor that Lord Amish, the British envoy who was recently sent to China, would arrive here in a few days. He said that he thought it was wrong for British ministers not to order him to abide by the customs of the country in advance, or he should not be sent at all. I pointed out that if Amherst agreed to obey the required etiquette, the British would think it was an insult to the country. If we make concessions on this point, the people of China may be dissatisfied, and they may also demand etiquette that is humiliated by the Dutch as demanded by the Japanese. Besides, Lord Amherst has agreed to give the Emperor China the same courtesy as the King of England. Napoleon replied, "These are two different things. One is just a ceremony, where high-level people salute the head of state. The other is used by a country to make foreigners grovel. In my opinion, no matter what the custom of a country is, as long as it is the etiquette of important state officials to the head of state, foreigners will not lose face if they abide by it. Different countries have different customs. In England, you kiss the king's hand in court, which is considered absurd in France. Whoever did it will become a laughing stock. But when the French ambassador arrived in Britain, he didn't feel humiliated. In Britain, if the king wanted to be served on his knees hundreds of years ago, this etiquette still exists in Spain. In Rome, you kiss the Pope's toes, but it's not shameful. When a person goes to another country, he should do as the Romans do. No matter what etiquette Lord Amish used, as long as it was courtesy of senior officials to Emperor China, it was decent. You said he was willing to do the same courtesy to Emperor China as to meet the king of England, but you have no right to send someone to China to tell them, because some etiquette is used in England, so it must be observed. For a hypothetical example, if the habit of the British is not to kiss the king's hand, but to kiss the king's ass. Is it necessary for Emperor China to take off his pants? "

This passage was accompanied by exaggerated movements, and I couldn't help laughing. The emperor also smiled humorously.

"If I want to send a special envoy to China," he continued, "I will order him to get familiar with the etiquette before the emperor from senior officials in China, and if asked, let him observe the same etiquette without causing complications. Now because of doing stupid things, you may lose the friendship of a country and lose huge commercial interests. " I said, we can easily force China to agree to more favorable terms with several warships. For example, we can use some cruisers to stop at suitable blockade locations and cut off their salt supply. Napoleon replied: "It is the biggest mistake that can be made in many years to wage war with a huge empire with rich resources like China. At first, you will undoubtedly succeed, take their boat and destroy their business. But you will make them realize their strength. They will be forced to try their best to resist you and protect themselves. They will think and say: Why should we be oppressed by people so far away and let them do whatever they want? We must make ourselves as strong as this country. We must build a ship, we must install cannons on it, and we must have the same equipment as them. " The emperor continued: "They will also find craftsmen and shipbuilders from France and the United States, and even go to London. They will build a fleet and will defeat you sooner or later. "

1865438+May 27, 2007 (translated from Dr. Omira's memory):-Napoleon's condition improved, but his right cheek was still swollen. I talked to him about the envoy. "If," he said, "one million francs is given to the highest official in China, all problems can be solved. Because that task does not represent the honor of the country. It should be regarded as a commercial issue, rather than directly affecting the country. Actually, it's an envoy sent to China by a British tea merchant. If you buy it, you can gain fame and fortune. In addition, when you send envoys to deal with barbarians, you must please them and do it according to their habits. They won't look for you. They will neither send messengers to visit you, nor ask you to send anyone. Now, Britain may lose huge commercial interests, and the result may be war with China. If I were British, I would think that the person who started the war against China is the most dangerous enemy of the country at present. You will eventually be defeated, and maybe an Indian revolution will follow. "

On June 27th, 2007, Amish people arrived in St. Helena. Some articles often regard Napoleon's conversation with Aumeras in March as a conversation with Amish people. In fact, what Napoleon and Amish talked about was basically commonplace, and no practical opinions were expressed.

On July 18 17, amherst visited Napoleon.

(Quoted from: Stagnant Empire, Chapter 85-Advice of St. Helena Prisoners of War)

No one else attended Lord Armitstead's private meeting, and no one introduced him except himself. This is what he said:

"I am in front of this extraordinary person. He is wearing a green dress, a pair of white trousers, stockings and knotted shoes. He has a triangular hat under his arm. Wearing the legion of honor on his chest. I have seen a painting before, which made him a little bloated; Actually, it's not like this at all. He is a little fat and has a short neck. But his limbs are well-proportioned, and I think he can still exercise regularly. His eyes were cold and sharp, and his words were vivid. The conversation mainly involved four topics: my experience, China, his treatment on the island and European politics. "

When talking about China, the emperor didn't criticize Amherst's practice: "He asked me about my stay in Beijing and the manners of the Tatars. But he didn't comment on the possibility of my submission as I prepared ... Then he asked me about my trip in China. He doesn't want to embarrass us about his own fate on the island. I have to report the failure of this mission to the government. It was too much for me to take one more message ... then he invited Ellis in ... the rest of his entourage quickly entered the hall ... he talked to everyone, including my nephew Jeff. He thought he had a beautiful face (French) and asked him what he would take home after his trip to China.

1865438+On July 2, 2007, Amherst left the island.

1865438+August 26th, 2007 (translated from Dr. Aumeras's memory): Napoleon made the following comments on our trip to China.

"It is said that your special envoy, Lord Macartney, was forced to kowtow at 1793, otherwise he would not be received. The minister you sent to amherst must have foreseen the difficulties of etiquette. Now that he has foreseen it, he should be authorized to observe the local etiquette. Moreover, it seems that his personal opinion is in line with local customs, and he refused because he was misled by the wrong opinion. "

"A fallacy that many people think is that envoys represent the monarch. But the envoy does not represent his monarch. In fact, the agreement he signed has no effect until it is approved. As for the etiquette level of envoys, there is no precedent for monarchs to regard them as peers, there is no need to pay a return visit, there is no need to make way for them, and there is no other treatment equal to foreign monarchs. " …….

"Lord Macartney, or Lord Amish, wants to use a method that the Russians have tried. They suggested that A Qing officials at the same level kowtow to the portrait of the king of England. Or publicly announced that if the imperial court of China sends envoys to Britain, it must also kowtow. China rejected the proposal for good reason. If you receive an envoy from China in London, you have no right to kowtow, but you should pay a tribute to the king of England, such as a prince, courtier or guardian knight. That is, the British version of Shantou. " ……

"Your envoy cost you hundreds of thousands of pounds. The loss of money may be the fundamental difference and hostility between China and your country. These are all caused by absurd misunderstandings. When you think your own customs are higher, you should respect the customs of another country. The etiquette that should be shown to a great foreign monarch has become a set of your country. " ……

"You said you could intimidate them by sea force, thus forcing China people to obey European etiquette. This is a crazy idea. You must have miscalculated. If so, you will force a country with a population of 200 million to arm itself and build a fleet to deal with your self-defense. In the end, the unfortunate ending is that every reasonable person in your country will think it unwise to refuse to kowtow. "

(v) Conclusion

Britain's two visits to China are the collision of two different cultures, concepts and systems. Britain, a new generation of capitalist powers with maritime hegemony, and Daqing, the boss empire, can be said to be both unpleasant. The debate on etiquette is just one of the epitome. The British concept is "kneel down three times and kowtow three times each time". Three kneeling and nine knocking are for courtiers or princes, symbolizing the supreme authority of the emperor. As an equal country, it should be rejected. Napoleon pointed out that the British made a mountain out of a molehill, saying that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and "envoys do not represent national honor". In fact, amherst almost got an interview under the compromise route in the end, and lost the opportunity to meet him because of other misfortunes. However, even if I met the emperor, there was little hope of success because of the differences and differences in understanding of trade.

Napoleon sided with China and predicted that China's awakening would be accelerated. Although there is no "China once awakened, shocked the world." But the basic meaning is similar. It's just that this awakening process is much longer and more complicated.