In the year 1793, a British ambassador, Lord Macartney, arrived in
China, to request further trade facilities and the establishment of a
permanent British diplomatic representative. The Emperor at this time
was Chien Lung, the best of the Manchu dynasty, a cultivated man, a
patron of the arts, and an exquisite calligraphist. (One finds specimens
of his writing in all sorts of places in China.) His reply to King
George III is given by Backhouse and Bland.[25] I wish I could quote it
all, but some extracts must suffice. It begins:
You, O King, live beyond the confines of many seas, nevertheless,
impelled by your humble desire to partake of the benefits of our
civilization, you have despatched a mission respectfully bearing
your memorial.... To show your devotion, you have also sent
offerings of your country's produce. I have read your memorial:
the earnest terms in which it is cast reveal a respectful
humility on your part, which is highly praiseworthy.
He goes on to explain, with the patient manner appropriate in dealing
with an importunate child, why George III's desires cannot possibly be
gratified. An ambassador, he assures him, would be useless, for:
If you assert that your reverence for our Celestial Dynasty fills
you with a desire to acquire our civilization, our ceremonies and
code of laws differ so completely from your own that, even if
your Envoy were able to acquire the rudiments of our
civilization, you could not possibly transplant our manners and
customs to your alien soil.
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