Xu Jiyu
Encyclopedia
Xu Jiyu (1795-1873), native of Wutai County
in Shanxi
, high-ranking Chinese
official and geographer during the late Qing dynasty. He is mostly known as the author of A short account of the maritime circuit (1849) and is widely regarded as an early participant of the Self-Strengthening Movement
.
. The young Xu was fond of studying and joined his father in Beijing
, where he met a number of prominent scholars of the day. Xu studied under the direction of his father and became an adherent of the Wang Yangming
school of thought.
. In the Academy, he worked under the direction of the chancellor, Mujangga
, with whom he would work closely during following years. In 1836, he became prefect of Xunzhou in Guangxi
province. During his tenure as a prefect Xu Jiyu submitted a number of memorials on domestic reform, which impressed the Daoguang Emperor and further helped Xu to rapidly rise through the ranks of the Qing civil service. Following the outbreak of the Opium War
, Xu was appointed circuit intendant of a coastal prefecture in Fujian province, where he witnessed the war with his own eyes, an experience that convinced him that China needed to learn more about the West.
After the Opium War, Xu Jiyu was closely associated with grand councilor
Mujangga's "appeasement" faction in the imperial court and he was responsible for carrying out Mujangga's policies in the south. In 1846, Xu was appointed governor of Fujian Province, where he took charge of managing the opening of two ports that had been opened as a consequence of the Treaty of Nanjing. In Fuzhou
, Xu Jiyu frequently met with foreign residents, who provided him with information on the world outside China.
The ascension of the Xianfeng Emperor in 1850 and the subsequent ousting of the Mujangga faction from the government would reversed fortunes of Xu Jiyu. In 1851, he was dismissed from his post on account of his mishandling the case of Shen-kuang-szu Incident
and he was forced to retire to his home province, where he stayed for almost a decade and a half. Xu's fortunes again changed after Empress Dowager's Cixi
's coup d'état in 1861 and afour years later, Xu was brought back into service, first working in the newly established foreign office, the Zongli Yamen
, and later being put in charge of the language school Tongwenguan. Xu Jiyu retired in 1869 and retired to his home province, where he died four years later.
, the and British consular officials, Rutherford Alcock
and George Tradescant Lay, father of Horatio Nelson Lay
. Xu also collected information on the West from missionary literature in Chinese. The information Xu collected was crucial to his publication of A Short Account of the Maritime Circuit (Yinghuan zhilüe, 瀛環志略) in 1849. Although this work is lesser known than the work of his contemporary Wei Yuan
, A Short Account was more accurate in its description of Western geography. The work was reprinted in 1866 and was also republished in Japan.
In 1853, an excerpt about George Washington from A Short Account was inscribed on the stone donated to the Washington Monument
by a group of Chinese Christians. The stone and the inscription can be seen at the base of the Washington Monument
today, a fact that was mentioned by President Clinton's 1998 speech in China.
Xinzhou
Xinzhou is a prefecture-level city of the People's Republic of China province of Shanxi.-Administrative Divisions:- Education :Xinzhou has numerous public schools, including Xin Zhou Yi Zhong Xue , which is considered the most prestigious of public high schools in the region.Another public high...
in Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, high-ranking Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
official and geographer during the late Qing dynasty. He is mostly known as the author of A short account of the maritime circuit (1849) and is widely regarded as an early participant of the Self-Strengthening Movement
Self-Strengthening Movement
The Self-Strengthening Movement , c 1861–1895, was a period of institutional reforms initiated during the late Qing Dynasty following a series of military defeats and concessions to foreign powers....
.
Early life
Xu came from a scholarly family in Shanxi province; his father Xu Rundi had obtained the highest degree in the imperial examinations and served as a secretary in the Grand SecretariatGrand Secretariat
The Grand Secretariat was nominally a coordinating agency but de facto the highest institution in the Ming imperial government. It first took shape after Emperor Hongwu abolished the office of Chancellor in 1380 and gradually evolved into an effective coordinating organ superimposed on the Six...
. The young Xu was fond of studying and joined his father in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, where he met a number of prominent scholars of the day. Xu studied under the direction of his father and became an adherent of the Wang Yangming
Wang Yangming
Wang Yangming was a Ming Chinese idealist Neo-Confucian philosopher, official, educationist, calligraphist and general. After Zhu Xi, he is commonly regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker, with interpretations of Confucianism that denied the rationalist dualism of the orthodox...
school of thought.
Bureaucratic career
Having obtained the intermediary degree in the imperial exams in 1813, Xi Jiyu was initially unsuccessful in advancing in the exam system. In 1826, Xu Jiyu was finally awarded the highest degree in the imperial examinations and four years later he was appointed to a position in the prestigious Hanlin AcademyHanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution founded in the eighth century Tang dynasty China by Emperor Xuanzong.Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its main duties was to...
. In the Academy, he worked under the direction of the chancellor, Mujangga
Mujangga
Mujangga was a Manchu statesman during the late Qing dynasty. Mujangga belonged to the Bordered Blue Banner in the Eight Banners. He was awarded the highest degree in the Imperial examinations in 1805 and quickly rose in the ranks of the Qing government...
, with whom he would work closely during following years. In 1836, he became prefect of Xunzhou in Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
province. During his tenure as a prefect Xu Jiyu submitted a number of memorials on domestic reform, which impressed the Daoguang Emperor and further helped Xu to rapidly rise through the ranks of the Qing civil service. Following the outbreak of the Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
, Xu was appointed circuit intendant of a coastal prefecture in Fujian province, where he witnessed the war with his own eyes, an experience that convinced him that China needed to learn more about the West.
After the Opium War, Xu Jiyu was closely associated with grand councilor
Grand Council
The Grand Council or Junjichu was an important policy-making body in the Qing Empire. It was established in 1733 by the Yongzheng Emperor...
Mujangga's "appeasement" faction in the imperial court and he was responsible for carrying out Mujangga's policies in the south. In 1846, Xu was appointed governor of Fujian Province, where he took charge of managing the opening of two ports that had been opened as a consequence of the Treaty of Nanjing. In Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Xu Jiyu frequently met with foreign residents, who provided him with information on the world outside China.
The ascension of the Xianfeng Emperor in 1850 and the subsequent ousting of the Mujangga faction from the government would reversed fortunes of Xu Jiyu. In 1851, he was dismissed from his post on account of his mishandling the case of Shen-kuang-szu Incident
Shen-kuang-szu Incident
The Shen-kuang-szu Incident was a series of events that took place between 1850 and 1851 in Fuzhou, China and was marked as one of the earliest conflicts between local Chinese and foreign Protestant missionaries...
and he was forced to retire to his home province, where he stayed for almost a decade and a half. Xu's fortunes again changed after Empress Dowager's Cixi
Cixi
Cixi may refer to:*Empress Dowager Cixi , empress of the Qing Dynasty*Cixi City, in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China...
's coup d'état in 1861 and afour years later, Xu was brought back into service, first working in the newly established foreign office, the Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen was the government body in charge of foreign affairs in imperial China during the late Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking. It was abolished in 1901 and replaced with a Foreign Office of ministry rank.The former site of the...
, and later being put in charge of the language school Tongwenguan. Xu Jiyu retired in 1869 and retired to his home province, where he died four years later.
Scholarly work
During his tenure in Fujian province, Xu Jiyu had the opportunity to interact with a number of Westerners who had just arrived in the province, such as the American missionary David AbeelDavid Abeel
David Abeel was a missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church with the American Reformed Mission. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1804 to Capt. David and Jane Hassert Abeel....
, the and British consular officials, Rutherford Alcock
Rutherford Alcock
Sir Rutherford Alcock KCB was the first British diplomatic representative to live in Japan.-Early life:Alcock was the son of the physician, Dr. Thomas Alcock, who practised at Ealing, near London. As he grew up, Alcock followed his father into the medical profession...
and George Tradescant Lay, father of Horatio Nelson Lay
Horatio Nelson Lay
Horatio Nelson Lay , was a British diplomat, noted for his role in the ill-fated "Lay-Osborn Flotilla" during the Taiping Rebellion.-Early life:...
. Xu also collected information on the West from missionary literature in Chinese. The information Xu collected was crucial to his publication of A Short Account of the Maritime Circuit (Yinghuan zhilüe, 瀛環志略) in 1849. Although this work is lesser known than the work of his contemporary Wei Yuan
Wei Yuan
Wei Yuan , born Wei Yuanda , courtesy names Moshen and Hanshi , was a Chinese scholar from Shaoyang, Hunan. He moved to Yangzhou in 1831, where he remained for the rest of his life. Wei obtained the provincial degree in the Imperial examinations and subsequently worked in the secretariat of...
, A Short Account was more accurate in its description of Western geography. The work was reprinted in 1866 and was also republished in Japan.
In 1853, an excerpt about George Washington from A Short Account was inscribed on the stone donated to the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
by a group of Chinese Christians. The stone and the inscription can be seen at the base of the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
today, a fact that was mentioned by President Clinton's 1998 speech in China.
Sources
- Drake, Fred W. "A Mid-Nineteenth-Century Discovery of the Non-Chinese World." Modern Asian Studies 6, no. 2 (1972): 205-24.
- Baidu Baike Article on Xu Jiyu (in Chinese)
- Studies of Xujiyu (in Chinese)
Further reading
- Drake, Fred W. China Charts the World: Hsü Chi-Yü and His Geography of 1848. Cambridge, MA: East Asian Research Center, 1975.