WESTERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE

June 14, 1876

BY REV. A. STRITMATTER

The city of Shanghai is situated on the Wu Sung River, a large tributary of the Yangtze, into which it empties not far from the sea. At the mouth of the Wu Sung is a bar, over which vessels of heavy burden can cross only at high tide. On this account vessels are frequently delayed for some hours. The foreign citizens of Shanghai have had on foot for some time a project for connecting their community with the mouth of the Wu Sung by railway (the distance being about twelve miles), thereby affording speedy facilities for the transportation of both mails and cargo of delayed steamers. After some time spent in negotiating with the Taotai, or provincial magistrate, that official consented to the construction of the proposed railroad, on the condition that no steam engine should be run upon it. As this was a point on which he would not yield, the foreigners agreed to use the railroad only for horse-cars, hoping that when the utility of the thing should be made manifest to the eyes of the Chinese, they might gradually be led to consent to the introduction of steam.

The consent of the Taotai having been obtained, the next step was to purchase a strip of land running through to the mouth of the Wu Sung, along the proposed railway route. It had been stipulated with the Taotai that no impediment should be laid in the way of opening the route, nor should any one be permitted to interfere with the natives in the sale of their lands. The country around Shanghai is very flat, and is all under cultivation. Most of the land-owners were quite willing to part with the required strip of their possessions, and at very reasonable rates. But in one or two instances a decided opposition was manifested. The surveyed route of the track ran along by an old lady's field, near a pond of water belonging to her. On learning what the foreigners were about to do, the astute old woman immediately perceived that the railroad, if built, would entirely spoil the fung-shui of the site. To avoid such a calamity, prompt measures were necessary; and the venerable but courageous matron succeeded in raising such a clamor that all her neighbors were roused into opposition. A mob was formed, the Chinese workmen were driven away, and two or three foreigners badly maltreated. The English consul, Mr. Medhurst, placed the matter before the Taotai, who ordered the old lady to be arrested and fined and the ringleaders of the mob punished. Quiet was restored, and the work was permitted to go on, to the consternation of the mettlesome dame, and the inevitable ruin of the fung-shui of her neighborhood.

Another old lady was also the occasion of trouble at a different point of the route. The surveyed track cut right through her grounds, directly across a venerated grave. On being asked to sell she obstinately refused, declaring that the foreigner's railroad should never run across that grave. As she could not be compelled to sell, not even by any law in China, and all remonstrances were fruitless, the foreigners had no resource but to survey a track around the spot, and permit the old lady to enjoy her possessions in peace.

But when she saw they were making a curve around her field, and that thus her plans for defeating the entire project were foiled, she relented and permitted the road to pass through her grounds.

The land having been all secured and the track laid out, no delay was manifested in pushing forward the enterprise to completion. Indeed, the zeal of the foreigners overcame their discretion, and led them to infringe on the stipulations made with the Taotai. Having become impatient at the slowness with which the car-loads of materials were transported to the workmen by horses of flesh and blood, they resolved to facilitate matters by putting on one of iron; and in a few days a little steam engine was rushing frantically back and forward on the track. The effect on the people was marvelous. Never before had there been seen such a thing in China. Immense crowds gathered from far and near to behold the wondrous spectacle. Every body was amazed at the velocity with which the engine flew over the rails; and when it would shriek out its notes of warning, they would scatter, pell-mell, in every direction, as though it were possessed by a demon. Some, however, overcame their timidity so far as to venture on the cars for a ride, and their amazement at the speed at which they found themselves transported over the ground was so great that not one of the forty thousand characters of their language could have expressed it. They were delighted at the idea of having this new mode of travel introduced in their country, and were anxious to see the work completed.

Of course news was soon brought to the Taotai of these proceedings. Now, what did that worthy official do? Did he order his richly cushioned sedan chair, and go in state to pay his personal respects to the iron horse? Did he resolve to have the credit of being the first to welcome into his country this wonderful and ingenious feature of Western civilization? Not he. He was actuated by no idle love of curiosity. He was too much concerned for the dignity of the Empire to permit such a humiliating innovation. He sent to the English Consul, complaining that the stipulations agreed on had been violated, and moreover threatened to have a bamboo fence built across the track to stop that engine if it wasn't taken off. The foreigners were very reluctantly compelled to comply, but only waited for some plausible pretext for replacing the engine on the track. An opportunity was soon given. In a few days the Chinese who had sold to them began to come and demand back their land. "Who has ordered you to do this?" was asked. "The Taotai," they replied. "Ah!" said the foreigners;" so he has been violating his terms of agreement, and they are no longer binding on us." The locomotive was re-instated, and it is probable that no amount of opposition on the part of the native officials will now induce the foreigners to remove it. Such is the state of affairs at the time of the present writing, but the railroad is in a fair way of being completed and put into active operation by the time this brief account reaches the readers of the Advocate.

Such is the opposition manifested by Chinese officials to the introduction of foreign inventions. But the pressure brought to bear upon them by outside nations is too steady and strong for them to resist it long. A new trade route is about to be opened through Birmah into the hitherto hostile province of Yunnan, and to the upper waters of the Yangtze. Within the last two or three years the cities of Foochow and Amoy have been connected by telegraph, and a railroad, built on however small a scale, would be the harbinger of a speedy civilization for China. Dr. Dudgeon, for many years resident in Peking, takes the position that, if it had not been for the opium traffic, China would to-day be thrown open from end to end to the foreigner, and the country would be as far in advance of Japan as she is now behind that nation. Certainly never was any nation more demoralized by any evil than China is today by means of that pernicious drug; nor is any thing but Christianity strong enough to redeem her from its terrible curse.