Wang-y-tong
Encyclopedia
Wang-y-tong (born c.1753, fl.1770s-1784) was a Chinese youth who visited England in the late 18th century. After the Christian convert Michael Shen Fuzong in 1687, the merchant Loum Kiqua in 1756-7, and the artist Tan-Che-Qua
in 1769 to 1772, Wang is one of the earliest Chinese people known to have visited England.
Little is known of Wang's early life. Having heard about Tan-Che-Qua's journey to and reception in England, Wang also decided to travel to England. He was brought to England from Canton by John Bradby Blake in the early 1770s. Blake was a supercargo
for the East India Company
, and also a naturalist, who was interested in Wang's knowledge of cultivating Chinese plants, and their culinary and medicinal uses. After Blake's death in 1773, Wang was taken into the care of Blake's father, Captain John Blake.
Wang visited the Royal Society
on 12 January 1775. In a letter of 1775, he is said to be about 22 years old. He was visited at Blake's house, where he discussed the manufacture of Chinese ceramics with Josiah Wedgwood
, and acupuncture
with physician Andrew Duncan
.
He became a page
to Giovanna Bacelli, a mistress of John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
, and lived at Knole House
in Kent, attending the nearby Sevenoaks School
. The Duke commissioned a portrait of Wang in 1776, paying Joshua Reynolds
70 guineas, framed by Thomas Vialls. The painting is exhibited in the Reynolds Room at Knole, alongside portraits of other 18th century celebrities by Reynolds, including the Duke, Reynolds himself, Samuel Johnson
, and David Garrick
. In the Reynolds portrait, Wang is depicted sitting cross-legged on a bamboo chair, holding a fan, and wearing crimson and blue oriental robes, red shoes and a conical Asian hat. He has been described as a living example of chinoiserie
. A portrait by George Dance the younger
in pencil with watercolour is held by the British Museum
, with Wang drawn in profile wearing European clothing.
Wang had returned to China before 1785. In December 1784, he was working as a trader in Canton when he replied to a letter from the linguist Sir William Jones
asking for help with the translation of the Shijing.
He is mentioned in several 17th century sources on China, including a satire by Lichtenberg
, Von den Kriegs- und Fast-Schulen der Schinesen (published in the Göttinger Taschencalender for 1796). Lichtenberg translated his name as "yellow man from the east". It has been speculated that his family name
may have Huang and his forename Dong
- the characters of Huang and Dong also represent "yellow" and "east" - and his full name may have been Huang Ya Dong.
Wang is occasionally confused with or misidentified as Tan-Che-Qua
(or Tan Chitqua), a Chinese artist who arrived in England in 1769, and exhibited his work at the Royal Academy
in 1770, but Tan-Che-Qua had returned to China in 1772. Tan-Che-Qua was included in a group portrait of the Royal Academicians by Johann Zoffany
. A portrait of Tan-Che-Qua, thought to be by John Hamilton Mortimer
, is held by the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons
in London.
Tan-Che-Qua
Tan-Che-Qua was a Chinese artist who visited England from 1769 to 1772. He exhibited his work at the Royal Academy in 1770, and his clay models became fashionable in London for a short period, but returned to China in 1772...
in 1769 to 1772, Wang is one of the earliest Chinese people known to have visited England.
Little is known of Wang's early life. Having heard about Tan-Che-Qua's journey to and reception in England, Wang also decided to travel to England. He was brought to England from Canton by John Bradby Blake in the early 1770s. Blake was a supercargo
Supercargo
Supercargo is a term in maritime law that refers to a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship...
for the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, and also a naturalist, who was interested in Wang's knowledge of cultivating Chinese plants, and their culinary and medicinal uses. After Blake's death in 1773, Wang was taken into the care of Blake's father, Captain John Blake.
Wang visited the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
on 12 January 1775. In a letter of 1775, he is said to be about 22 years old. He was visited at Blake's house, where he discussed the manufacture of Chinese ceramics with Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
, and acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
with physician Andrew Duncan
Andrew Duncan (doctor)
Andrew Duncan FRSE FRCPE FSA was a Scottish physician. He was born at Pinkerton, by St Andrews, in Fife, and educated nearby at the University of St Andrews...
.
He became a page
Page
-Position or occupation:* Page , a traditionally young male servant* Page * Page of Honour, a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom* A participant in any of the following programs:...
to Giovanna Bacelli, a mistress of John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset...
, and lived at Knole House
Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards...
in Kent, attending the nearby Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
. The Duke commissioned a portrait of Wang in 1776, paying Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
70 guineas, framed by Thomas Vialls. The painting is exhibited in the Reynolds Room at Knole, alongside portraits of other 18th century celebrities by Reynolds, including the Duke, Reynolds himself, Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
, and David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
. In the Reynolds portrait, Wang is depicted sitting cross-legged on a bamboo chair, holding a fan, and wearing crimson and blue oriental robes, red shoes and a conical Asian hat. He has been described as a living example of chinoiserie
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
. A portrait by George Dance the younger
George Dance the Younger
George Dance the Younger was an English architect and surveyor. The fifth and youngest son of George Dance the Elder, he came from a distinguished family of architects, artists and dramatists...
in pencil with watercolour is held by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, with Wang drawn in profile wearing European clothing.
Wang had returned to China before 1785. In December 1784, he was working as a trader in Canton when he replied to a letter from the linguist Sir William Jones
William Jones (philologist)
Sir William Jones was an English philologist and scholar of ancient India, particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among Indo-European languages...
asking for help with the translation of the Shijing.
He is mentioned in several 17th century sources on China, including a satire by Lichtenberg
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was a German scientist, satirist and Anglophile. As a scientist, he was the first to hold a professorship explicitly dedicated to experimental physics in Germany...
, Von den Kriegs- und Fast-Schulen der Schinesen (published in the Göttinger Taschencalender for 1796). Lichtenberg translated his name as "yellow man from the east". It has been speculated that his family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
may have Huang and his forename Dong
Dong
Dong may refer to:Asian languages* Vietnamese đồng , the currency unit of Vietnam* Dong people , an ethnic minority group in China* Dong language* Dong Lake, a lake in the Hunan Province of China* Dong quai, a medicinal herb...
- the characters of Huang and Dong also represent "yellow" and "east" - and his full name may have been Huang Ya Dong.
Wang is occasionally confused with or misidentified as Tan-Che-Qua
Tan-Che-Qua
Tan-Che-Qua was a Chinese artist who visited England from 1769 to 1772. He exhibited his work at the Royal Academy in 1770, and his clay models became fashionable in London for a short period, but returned to China in 1772...
(or Tan Chitqua), a Chinese artist who arrived in England in 1769, and exhibited his work at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1770, but Tan-Che-Qua had returned to China in 1772. Tan-Che-Qua was included in a group portrait of the Royal Academicians by Johann Zoffany
Johann Zoffany
Johan Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij was a German neoclassical painter, active mainly in England...
. A portrait of Tan-Che-Qua, thought to be by John Hamilton Mortimer
John Hamilton Mortimer
John Hamilton Mortimer was a British Neoclassical painter known primarily for his romantic paintings and pieces set in Italy and its countryside, various other works depicting conversations between people, and works drawn in the 1770s portraying war scenes, very similar to those of Salvator Rosa...
, is held by the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in London.