Chapter 13 Bu Li (1840~1918)

Burley (1840~1918), was born in a police officer's family in Limerick County, Ireland. At the age of 19, he joined the Irish Police Agency and worked for 17 years. In 1876, he became a magistrate. In 1884, he went to the Bahamas as governor. In 1887, he was transferred to Newfoundland, Canada as governor, and was knighted. In 1889, he became Governor of Jamaica, and his term was extended twice for nearly 10 years. In 1898, he became the governor of Hong Kong. In November 1903, he left Hong Kong at the end of his term and went to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) as the governor until 1907. Died in 1918.

After Bu Li left office, before the new governor came to Hong Kong, the Secretary of State, Mei Hanli, served as the acting governor of Hong Kong. In June 1898, Britain stepped up its aggression in southern China and obtained the lease of the New Territories for 99 years. The occupied Chinese territory increased by 376 square miles, and the Hong Kong area under British jurisdiction was enlarged by 10 times.It occupies 45,000 acres of arable land and has a population of 100,000. 1898 was a very important year in the history of Hong Kong. After Bu Li took office, he was ordered to take over the New Territories, but was firmly resisted by the local Chinese residents, and the British army had to occupy them by force, which led to the "Blood in Kam Tin" incident.

During Bu Li's tenure, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China in 1900, and Hong Kong became the general logistics station for the Eight-Power Allied Forces to attack China. In 1900, when a hurricane hit Hong Kong, the British warship "Shanduopai" sank, 10 ships and 110 cargo ships sank, and hundreds of people died. In 1901, Hong Kong suffered the first major water shortage, and the threat of water shortage continued until the second year. After the signing of the "Extension of Hong Kong's Boundary Site" in June 1898, the British Hong Kong government did not take over immediately, mainly because they were not very familiar with the situation in the New Territories, and the local people naturally could not accept it.The British Hong Kong authorities need time to prepare.They bribed Lu Huan, the magistrate of Xin'an County, with a lot of money, and obtained a lot of information about the New Territories from him; the British side also provided various documents, and notified the British Consul in Guangzhou to cooperate.It was not until half a year after the signing of the "Special Article" that the British Colonial Office sent a telegram to Bulley to take over the New Territories. In January 1899, the British authorities in Hong Kong began organizing preparations to "take over" the New Territories.

The twelfth British Foreign Office was drafted in December 1898 and formally took over the New Territories in February 1899.The Colonial Department was worried that various policies would not be formulated by then, and ordered Buli to keep in touch with Donale, and it could be postponed for several weeks if necessary.The governor of Hong Kong is concerned that land investors will raise the price of public land again when they know the delay, so they hope to take over as soon as possible. In March, Buli reported to the British government the different reactions of Hong Kong people.He said: "The mainstream is friendly, but the people in Deep Bay have a bad reputation, and it is necessary to use appropriate force when raising the flag." His judgment was wrong, and he underestimated the dissatisfaction and resistance of the people.The unequal treaties were signed by the corrupt and incompetent Qing court, and the common people never accepted them.In order to practice the treaty, the British colonialists had to use weapons to deal with the masses.

The "people on the Deep Bay side" mentioned in the Bullet report refers to Kam Tin.Kam Tin is a beautiful place.The Deng family has been farming here since the Song Dynasty.The original name was "Centian" village, taking the meaning of the fields under the mountain.After the hard work of the people, the trees are lush, the fields are green, and the fields are criss-crossed, which is as beautiful as a piece of brocade, so it was renamed "Jintian".The village is divided into north and south circles, and Jiqing and Taikang belong to the south circle.Those who surround it are also tall and large walls with ravines outside, which are used to prevent theft.The entrance and exit of the wall are equipped with large iron gates, which are sturdy and beautiful in design, and are also used for anti-theft.The villagers who have lived and worked here for generations saw that their homeland was about to be invaded by the British, and they were furious and prepared to resist to the death. gfhfghfghgf

The first deployment of the Hong Kong British authorities was that on March 24, 1899, the Hong Kong government policeman Stephen Smith selected a place in Tai Po to build a police station.Mei Hanli returned to Hong Kong to report and was supported by Governor Buli. On April 7, the British Hong Kong government issued a circular order to hold an acceptance ceremony in Tai Po at 1 pm on the 17th.Mei Hanli led the police to Tai Po to inspect the construction of the police station. The villagers expressed their opposition to the construction of the police station to Mei Hanli.The villagers said that the construction of the police station in this place hinders Feng Shui and requested to move it.Mei Hanli ignored him, and the people were very angry and besieged Mei Hanli.Upon hearing the news, Hong Kong governor Buli immediately dispatched more than 200 troops to suppress it. The villagers fought in unity, making the construction of the police station impossible. On April 15, Buli sent another 25 policemen and the Hong Kong Defense Force as reinforcements. When they arrived in Tai Po, the temporary police station had been destroyed by villagers, and Mei Hanli was besieged on a slope. On the 16th, Buli dispatched the British ship "Honor" to Hong Kong to carry a group of regular troops to Tolo Harbor in the southeast of Tai Po. They fired artillery shells to cover the landing of the infantry.After the British army occupied the hills near Tai Po, the Commander of the British Garrison in Hong Kong and the Secretary of State, Lockhart, entered Tai Po, held a flag-raising ceremony, fired salutes, read out the treaty and the order of the Executive Council: from April 16, 1899 at 2 p.m. From 50:00 onwards, Chinese residents in the New Territories are subject to British jurisdiction.This was a day earlier than the scheduled date, and as a result, the British army gradually pushed westward, encountering constant resistance along the way. On April 18, more than 2,500 people from the New Territories fought fiercely with the British army in Shangchun and defeated the British army.

In May, the British counterattacked heavily and bombarded Kam Tin Kat Hing Siege.The villagers used hoes and shovels as weapons, and relied on iron to surround the Haohe River, and fought hard.The British army bombarded the big iron gate of Jiqingwei with cannons in an attempt to destroy the entire city. As a result, the big iron gate was blown down and entered the siege, causing countless deaths and injuries to the villagers.The British army occupied Jiqingwei.After the British army entered, they arrested many villagers who resisted, and immediately dismantled the series of large iron gates at Jiqingwei, and transported them back to London as trophies. On May 14, the British government ordered the occupation of Kowloon Walled City and Shenzhen. On the afternoon of the 16th, the entire town of Shenzhen fell into the hands of the British army. The British army announced that: Shenzhen is now a British territory and is governed by British law. The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi no longer has jurisdiction over this place. On May 26, the governor of Hong Kong, Buli, wanted to capture Xin'an County, but did not act because of insufficient troops. On November 13, the British army was ordered to withdraw from Shenzhen and return to the boundary stipulated in the "special regulations".

Not keeping promises In 1898, when the Qing government signed the so-called "Special Regulations on the Expansion of Hong Kong's Boundary Site" with the British Hong Kong, there was no specific boundary line clearly stipulated on the map, and only a straight line was drawn on the northern boundary, stating that "it will be determined by the two sides in the future." Hong Kong Ying has deliberately "bastard" this boundary from the very beginning. The official "boundary survey" between the two sides began in March 1899.The two sides sent personnel to conduct on-the-spot survey and delineation of the boundary, and erected wooden stakes at all key points along the boundary, and signed a "Contract on the British-New Concession in Hong Kong" as another annex to the "Special Article on Expansion of Hong Kong's Boundary Site".

The demarcated boundaries stated in the contract are mainly the northern boundary of the New Territories, that is, a land and water boundary line today passing through Mirs Bay to Deep Bay, including the Shenzhen River and Sha Tau Kok, Man Kam To, Luo Wu and other places.As for the east, west and south sides, the east ends at the water area of ​​14° 30' east longitude, the west ends at the water area of ​​13° 52' east, and the south is limited to the north of 22° 9' north latitude. A corner of the western end of Lantau Island protrudes beyond 13° 52' east longitude, so a special sentence is added to the special article stating "including Lantau Island".

Wang Cunshan, sent by Tan Zhonglin, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Hong Kong British Counselor Lockhart determined the specific boundaries of the leased land, erected wooden stakes, and signed a "Hong Kong British-New Concession Contract", which stated the division of boundaries. Regarding the rent issue, Lockhart Not a word.The Hong Kong-British side once said during the negotiations on the expansion of the boundary: "It can be discussed later."According to this, after the demarcation was completed, the Chinese representative Wang Cunshan asked, "How much is the rent in the New Territories?" The British representative Lockhart replied, "I don't know. I can't solve this problem. The German government will pay the rent? What about the Russian government's Lushun?" The same goes for the rent issue.

When the Hong Kong British and the Qing government demarcated the boundary line, because of the Hong Kong British misinterpretation of the sentence "the rising tide can go everywhere", the two sides interpreted differently, and disputes arose again. In 1901, the British Consul in Guangzhou sent a note to Tao Mo, then governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, according to the opinion of the British Hong Kong government.The original note said: "As for where the British rights can go on the water surface of the new concession, I will now allow the Governor of Hong Kong to open the letter. The Hong Kong government does not think that the British right can go to the river ports that flow into the bay and the river ports that flow into the Shenzhen River in the concession. But they can go to the waters of each bay. As far as the shore can be seen, from the whole river in Shenzhen to the north bank. As for the river ports that flow into the bays and the Shenzhen River in the concession, the Hong Kong government is willing to be in each port of the river, from where the water on the shore can see the shore to the water on the opposite bank. As far as the shore can be seen, the delineation of the boundary line is the end of the British right. The Consul General checked the document of the Governor of Hong Kong. There is a phrase from the whole river of Shenzhen to the north bank, which refers to the junction of the Shenzhen River and the land boundary in the concession. So far, the corresponding note will be checked by the Guibutang, and the Guibutang will also think it is a compromise." Tao Mo, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, after receiving the supplementary explanation from Buli from the British Consul General in Guangzhou on the limit of the northern waters, reported the matter to the Prime Minister's Office of International Affairs of the Qing government in charge of foreign affairs.Tao Mo's speech explained the process of boundary survey and the disputes caused by "the rising tide can go everywhere", and expressed some objections to the British consul's note. Tao Mo’s address to the Zongli Yamen said: "The case is based on the expansion of the territory of Hong Kong by the United Kingdom. In May of the 24th year of Guangxu, it was approved by the noble yamen to send the rented chapter map to Guangdong, and Wang Cunshan was sent by the former Tang Tan to make up for the road in Guangdong. Together with the Hong Kong Secretary of State The meeting of Luoxi was confirmed on the record. However, the water boundary has not been clearly stated, and the British officials have repeatedly said that wherever the tide can reach, it should be under the jurisdiction of the British. As a result, in the Inner Harbor area, the footprints of British missions are also seen from time to time. Debate between the Ministry Hall and the Head Office Note. On April 14th, the 27th year of Guangxu, I received a note from the British Consul General at the Guangzhou Port... to check the water surface of the new concession. River, which adjoins the inner harbors of the bays and the Shenzhen River, is still under the jurisdiction of China. "It is fair for the Governor of Hong Kong to say that British power cannot flow into the river ports that flow into the bay or into the Shenzhen River in the concession. However, he said that the places where the tides can reach the bays and the places where the tides can reach from the whole river to the north bank of Shenzhen are all the same. Wherever the British right can be reached, the language is quite broad, and it is easy to be misunderstood. Afterwards, the bays in the new concession that adjoin the Hua'an should be bounded by the point where the water along the bay can see the shore. If it is assigned to the Shenzhen River in the concession, it will still be the same. The contract signed by Wang Dao is bounded by the north bank. All the river ports adjacent to the two bays of Mashi Shenzhen and the Shenzhen River in the concession are bounded by the relative straight lines on the left and right sides of the entrance. With this detailed statement, the officials and people of each other will, on their own It's clear, and it will avoid any troubles in the future..." The little-known historical materials, which have been sealed for a hundred years, are copied today and placed in front of us. The scene of the exploration of the border between China and Britain, the greed, cunning, and rape of the British invaders, and the cowardice and incompetence of the Qing officials are vivid. Lively history textbook.Some historians commented on this period of history: When the "Special Regulations on the Expansion of Hong Kong's Boundary Site" was established, the Prime Minister's Office had a memorial, which stated that it still retained the "governing power" in Kowloon City when it was forced to rent the place to others. , quite complacent.There is a sentence in the memorial: "The ministers and others are different from occupying another port by renting the boundary site. Yunyi temporarily rents a special lease, which can still manipulate herself, and still stays in Kowloon City and the original old wharf so that civil and military officials can be stationed. Military merchants have ships. Stopping in and out, and building the basis for railways in the future.” He also said that the British said that after signing this special article, they could help the Qing government increase the tax revenue of the treaty ports, which is quite a sense of loss and gain.At that time, the officials were stupid and misled the country, which is really lamentable. The British Hong Kong government also played word games on the Kowloon City issue, creating disputes and violating China's rights and interests. In the "Special Articles on the Expansion of Hong Kong's Boundary Site", immediately after the words that Kowloon City is still reserved by the Qing government, there is a sentence "provided that it must not interfere with Hong Kong's defenses."Bu Li claimed that the "expansion" of Hong Kong's borders is not because of any "land" ambitions, but only for the needs of Hong Kong's defense.As for the "provided that it shall not interfere with Hong Kong's defense" in the special article, there is no specific provision.Not long after the signing of the special clause, the Hong Kong British used the excuse of the Qing Dynasty officials and people in Kowloon City to set off firecrackers to welcome the gods, scaring the "British soldiers" outside the city, saying that this was an action that hindered Hong Kong's defense.Therefore, the Qing officials who were stationed in Kowloon City at that time were forcibly escorted out of the country by force.The special article was originally written clearly, but it was completely cunning colonialists deliberately playing diplomatic rhetoric on the article, deliberately creating troubles and expanding their territory. So far, Kowloon City has been occupied by the British Hong Kong and the Qing government has been abolished. .However, Bu Li did not talk about the occupation. Since 1899, he has said to the outside world that the officials of the Qing Dynasty in Kowloon City "abandoned the defense" and plunged Kowloon City into anarchy, so he had to take over. In the "Special Regulations on the Expansion of Hong Kong's Boundary Site", the British government agreed to "negotiate that within the boundaries to be expanded, the residents shall not be forced to relocate, and the property shall not be transferred to the government. , all should be priced from the public.”At the beginning of the Hong Kong governor's entry into the New Territories, in order to reduce the resistance of entering the New Territories, he also assured the villagers in the form of a proclamation: "Your commercial and real estate interests will be guaranteed."These words are written clearly and plainly. However, before the ink was dry, after the British accepted the New Territories, the Hong Kong government promulgated the "Land Court Ordinance" in July 1900, stipulating that during the lease period stipulated in the treaty on June 9, 1898, all land in the New Territories belonged to the government. Property, any resident who occupies these lands after the date fixed in the Gazette, is occupying the government public land, unless the land owned by him is granted by the government or other deeds are issued by the land court. In November of the same year, it announced the implementation of Chapter 124 of the Hong Kong Laws on the Resumption of Crown Land, which "does not recognize the potential interests of the land." 5 cents per foot, and the middle and lower fields will be reduced.It completely violated the clause of "price from the public". In 1902, Buli formulated the New Territories Management Regulations, which stated: "All roads, electric pipes... and places necessary for the above-mentioned public utilities are for the use of the British government." "The government may redeem them at any time." The power of the place must be used."A resident who has been living in the New Territories for more than 90 years, from his grandfather to his grandson, wrote that the Hong Kong government’s “a piece of regulation has completely lost the value of private property, especially the low price set by the government, which denies the potential benefits of private property. It’s simply a legislative grab.” The people of the New Territories were very indignant at the behavior of the British Hong Kong government going back on its word and violating the rights and interests of the villagers in the New Territories, and resistance actions continued to occur.In order to strengthen the control over the New Territories and prevent the people of the New Territories from revolting, in August 1903, the Hong Kong government issued another announcement regarding the management of the New Territories as follows: "With regard to the work of controlling bandits, the army has been dispatched to be stationed in key areas, and the police force has been strengthened. The guard force of the army and the police work together, and the joint team serves as a patrol, and a general police station is set up in Tai Po Market, and telephones are laid to communicate with the police stations in Kowloon, Hong Kong... Regarding the work of governing the people, the entire New Territories is divided into eight districts and forty In the seven sub-districts, the elders in the villages, who belong to their virtues, are appointed as the elders of each district, and they are responsible for restraining their children. In case of disputes, they have the right to judge, and at the same time, they are supervised by Luo Ke, the assistant secretary." On May 26, 1899, after the British army captured Shenzhen, they stopped advancing northward and gave up their original plan to attack Xin'an County.There are three main reasons: First, Bu Li felt that his troops were insufficient, and he had to increase his troops if he continued to attack.Second, some people pointed out that further occupation of Chinese territory would give people the impression that Britain was participating in the partition of China, and that the Russian envoy to China might take the opportunity to attack the British government.The third is the fear of the Chinese people's resistance.Before capturing Shenzhen, Buli wrote on April 28: The area from the Shenzhen River to the Dongjiang River is the most turbulent place in China. It is the headquarters of the "Triad Society" and the hometown of thieves.To rule such a region would require additional troops, a massive increase in the police force, and a large increase in the cost of the colony.In my opinion, it is best to use the river as the boundary now. Even in terms of the needs of the colony, there is no need to expand. Faced with the resistance of the Chinese residents, Bu Li was in a dilemma.On the one hand, he does not intend to withdraw his aggressive views. He believes that as long as Shenzhen is effectively controlled, the entire river valley and the mountainous area to the north can be preserved, then it would be a mistake to withdraw from Shenzhen.On the other hand, he also knows that his strength is limited, and the resistance actions of the Chinese masses have caused him a lot of trouble.Therefore, he gave up and continued to advance northward, and temporarily held Shenzhen to observe the advantages and disadvantages. London has also said it agrees that the line drawn in March is the boundary of the New Territories.That being the case, there is no need to entangle any further. At this time, Bu Li was thinking about when to withdraw the British army from Shenzhen in order to gain more benefits from China.Therefore, the withdrawal speed of the British troops occupying Shenzhen depends on the progress of the compensation negotiations.If you want to return your land that has been occupied, you must compensate me for the military expenses incurred during the occupation.This is the consistent logic of the British since the beginning of the Opium War.Buli asked for a high price, and the negotiation dragged on for a long time. On June 13, Buli received a notice from the British government to return Shenzhen to China. At this time, Buli had not yet reaped the benefits he wanted, so he excused that the turmoil in Guangzhou would affect the withdrawal of troops.In his report to the British Colonial Office, he said that the Hong Kong colonial government was not satisfied with the return of Shenzhen.The pro-British people in the valley of Shenzhen were also dissatisfied, and the "villages friendly to the British army" worried about reprisals after the British army withdrew. However, considering the possibility of war between Japan and Russia, the British army needs to gather in Hong Kong, and staying in Shenzhen for a long time will lower morale.The British soldiers did not retreat, and the three customs checkpoints agreed by China and Britain in 1886 to be moved to Shenzhen before the end of October could not be moved, which was inconvenient for Hong Kong customs and beneficial to smuggling.At this time, Bu Li was in a state of contradiction. He knew that he could not occupy Shenzhen for a long time, and wanted to gain more benefits at the negotiating table, so he could only procrastinate, neither advancing nor retreating. The British in Hong Kong are indeed talking about returning Shenzhen to China.Some British people are still trying to establish a "legitimate regime" in Shenzhen. Some people say that Major General Gaskorn's notice has announced that the Chinese regime in Shenzhen has been overthrown. Why should they retreat?I lost face.Some British people in Hong Kong said in a sarcastic tone, "Fan Guilao, like the Chinese, is asking for money. They sold Shenzhen for 93,000 yuan. They did a good job!" The local gentry and elders established the Shenzhen government under the supervision of the British army. Considering the complexity of the situation, the British government decided to return Shenzhen. However, the British Colonial Office agreed with Bu Li, delaying the withdrawal of troops and asking for more benefits from the Chinese side.It was not until November 2 that the order for the immediate withdrawal of the Shenzhen garrison was issued. On November 13, the soldiers gathered at the Shangpu Barracks near Shenzhen, and on the 22nd they withdrew to the New Territories. A British diplomat described the Sino-British negotiations on the Shenzhen issue as "a wonderful episode in the diplomatic relations between Britain and China." As the price for withdrawing from Shenzhen, the British Colonial Office suggested asking for 100,000 yuan in compensation, including 7,000 yuan in profits, and Shakesbury wanted 150,000 yuan, but if they had better ideas, they could waive the compensation.The British Colonial Office was not interested in this, and instead asked Xijiang to be opened to foreign businessmen. Britain gave up Shenzhen, but the British government in Hong Kong got compensation from other places.It cost nothing to obtain Chinese properties in the New Territories, including several Chinese customs checkpoints, Henglan Lighthouse, Kowloon Walled City military and political facilities, etc.Originally, Dou Nale had promised the Chinese party to repay the property, and the Chinese customs valued it at 22,000 yuan. In fact, the Hong Kong government did not have this expenditure in the budget, and it was not prepared to repay at all. Taking over Chinese property was an idea Bradley came up with in mid-June 1899, and some buildings were used as the Hong Kong British Police Department.Healy, the outgoing Commissioner of Kowloon Customs, demanded payment from the Hong Kong government, but Buli refused and only gave him a receipt.At first the London government agreed to pay, deducted from the Chinese reparations. At the end of October, the British government decided to act in accordance with the previous practice in view of the failure to pay Weihaiwei's Chinese property when it received it.The British Foreign Office opposed the free possession and asked Buli to appraise the building.Shakesbury agreed to let it go, unless China claims compensation, which should be considered separately.Various departments in England had different opinions, and it was delayed until March of the following year, when the then governor of Guangdong, Li Hongzhang, demanded that the military facilities before the takeover should be assessed and reimbursed, or that China should be allowed to demolish the buildings and transport away the materials.Buli could not get compensation for returning troops, so he took the opportunity to claim that "in view of the expenditure of Her Majesty's government in dealing with the resistance to the leased land exceeding the value of the buildings in question, it is recommended that the value of these buildings should be compensated, and it is not necessary to repay, nor allowed The Chinese government dismantled it and transported it away.” Just like that, it was nothing. Buli has successively served as the governor of five regions for more than 20 years of colonial rule.As governor, he must represent the interests of British colonial rule and implement the British government's policy of aggression and expansion.Hence the actions described above.However, as a person, it is very complex and changeable.From Bu Li's "Hong Kong Governor Talks about China", we can see another Bu Li. In 1909, Bu Li published the book "The Governor of Hong Kong Talks about China", which introduced modern China and its culture to the Western world. The translator of the Chinese version, Yu Jingxian, introduced Bu Lihe's book as follows: From 1898 to 1903, Black (namely, Blake) was appointed by the British government as the Governor of Hong Kong.During this period, the western powers were spying on China, the Qing Dynasty was becoming increasingly corrupt, the society was in turmoil, and the people were in dire straits.At this time, he visited many parts of mainland China, especially Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other big cities, the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Pearl River and other major river basins, as well as the provinces in southern China. What I thought and thought was faithfully recorded in the book.With a Westerner's unique curiosity-seeking vision and fact-oriented thinking pattern, he analyzed China's geography and history, political structure, social governance, agricultural labor, ethnic religion, scenic spots, historical sites, customs, opium smoking, gambling, beggar gangs, etc. Anecdotes and anecdotes, as well as various characters ranging from government officials to various religions and nine streams, are described in an extremely delicate manner, making readers feel as if they have personally experienced the scene, heard the voice, and seen the person. The author speaks in simple and fluent language, outlines vivid pictures of Chinese social life, and leaves precious fragments in the long corridor of Chinese historical scrolls, which not only enables readers to increase their knowledge and understand modern Chinese society , but also allows people to enjoy the sense of historical interest.For example, with great interest in the huge differences between Chinese and Western cultures, the author, like an urchin who loves to explore, casts keen eyes on every corner of the lower class society, and talks enthusiastically about the ordinary life of ordinary people in the city - haircuts, street breakfast, Marriage customs, porters on the mountain, Fengshui superstition, dragon boat races, industry guild celebration parades, etc., make this book like a mirror, showing readers the track of the development of Chinese civilization.Another example is two places in the book that record the details of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, according to the ancestral rules, leading the prince and ministers to Xiannongtan to hold a sacrificial ceremony to commemorate the beginning of spring once a year on the day of Lichun.This long-standing etiquette of the emperor personally plowing shows the emphasis on agriculture that 9/10 of China's population was engaged in at that time. The translator had a hard time finding the site to verify the details of the ceremony, because many Beijingers were ignorant of Xiannongtan and the sacrificial ceremony.Apart from emotion, I deeply feel the historical value of Black's description. Great changes have taken place in the study of Chinese history and culture by Westerners.Generally speaking, before the 17th and 18th centuries, they looked at China with curiosity and admiration.In their writings, China seems to be a "model society" governed by philosophers, so they praise China.However, in the late 18th century, especially in the 19th century, with the decline of China’s national power, Western colonialists stepped up their colonial expansion of China. Most of their research on China served their colonial policies and adopted a discriminatory and derogatory attitude.But Black, based on his own experience, took a very different approach.In fact, the vastness of China's land and resources shocked the author from the British Isles. He described China's magnificent mountains and rivers, the fertile Jiangnan Plain and the magnificent night view of Hong Kong with heavy brush and ink.He described the virtue of hard work and hard work of the Chinese people in a praiseful tone: "There is a competition that China will never participate in, and that is to compare who is more slack and lazy. Every citizen in China is working hard and the country is well preserved and strong strength.” Because of this, there is full use of land and rivers, and there are higher forms of agriculture, breeding, and exquisite handicrafts.It is true that he first had to stand on the stand of the British Empire and defend the interests of the people who suffered greatly under the autocratic rule of the Qing Dynasty and the coercion of Western powers, but as a human being, he still lamented sympathetically, revealing the inland waterway. Especially the rampant robbery on the Xijiang River, the Guangxi famine in 1903, the stupidity of Chinese officials, the harsh criminal law, and the tragic situation of women who were oppressed by feudalism, had their feet bound, and became concubines and maidservants. Blake mentioned in the book that on the mines mined by the ancient Greeks, modern people removed the slag stones accumulated for hundreds of years. As a result, plants grew in the soil below, and clusters of strange small yellow flower.These seeds have been crushed by stones for hundreds of years.From this, the author goes on to say, "There are also seeds of progress hidden in the bosom of ancient China. These seeds have long been under the weight of traditional concepts and cannot germinate." "The two mountains that destroy the flower of progress are ignorance and prejudice. He believes that to extract the nutrients in traditional concepts, not only preserve them, but also sublimate them, "only then can the flowers of truth, purity and happiness bloom all over the earth."He admits that Westerners only have a narrow view of China: "When ordinary Europeans mention China, they will think of a country that is uncivilized, dishonest, full of intrigues, and too many original sins." Research has formed a rare and unique insight, comparing ancient China to the sleeping giant of the East, and believing that "China's awakening means that she will enter the world market to fight for all the shares she deserves."He predicted, "With its strong commercial strength and huge productivity, China will be able to meet its own needs to a large extent, and will certainly expand to distant international markets." "All but the strongest competitors You will feel timid in front of her." Just imagine, what a prophecy this was for a backward feudal China a hundred years ago! Finally, he concluded the book with sincere words and sincere hope: "(China)'s upcoming education system reform will free people from the fetters of competing memories and replace them with rational thinking. become an influential factor in world affairs. When that time comes, let us hope that the relationship between China and the British Empire will be the product of mutual trust and good will." Bu Li lived in the cultural atmosphere where "Eurocentrism" was rampant in the 19th century, and his writings were naturally stamped with the imprint of the times. Coupled with his understanding of China's national conditions and the limitations of his own thoughts, some of the views discussed in the book It is not something we can all understand and accept, especially the discourse about the opium trade, which is basically contrary to the facts. Bu Li said in "Talking about Shenzhou", when I browsed the annual trade profit report of the ports along the Yangtze River in 1906, I found that the import of opium at the ports along the Yangtze River reached 62,161 tons, while the export volume of opium reached 643,377 tons...Although it is extremely difficult to systematically investigate the actual state of opium consumption in various parts of China and its effects on the moral and physical decline of the Chinese populace, such investigations have been carried out in Hong Kong and Singapore and have yielded reliable results. data.Calculations by able persons, based on what is known about the consumption of opium in China, show that the anti-smoking fanatics' statement that smoking opium in moderation can have devastating effects is not rigorous, nor does it come from careful thought. investigation.Since receiving orders from my own government, I have personally observed the Chinese in Hong Kong.Hong Kong was actually a Chinese city where every man could smoke any dose of opium he wanted as long as he had the purchasing power.The feelings I have obtained from my own observations are consistent with the conclusions drawn from the thorough investigation above.The vast majority of Chinese people are very poor. Only through continuous hard work can they support themselves and their families.After a day's work, the very few opium-addicted coolies would go to the opium den, buy a little opium there, sit on a bench or lie on a couch, and start smoking. stand up.Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends.In the latter case, they lay on either side of a small oil lamp, chatting and smoking happily. "Now that one knows the exhausting toil of coolie labor in port towns, one understands that excessive smoking of opium obviously reduces one to an opium-addicted idler and beggar; but the reverse is also true, for the earth There is no other town in the world where the people are more diligent and capable than the people in China. Recently, a commission of inquiry was appointed by the Governor.Seventy-five witnesses from all walks of life were interviewed, 21 of whom were nominated by social groups advocating the prohibition of opium.The investigation produced a report consisting of 342 paragraphs, from which I selected the following passages: We firmly believe that the main reason for the habit of smoking opium is that there is a general tendency among Chinese people to have a certain hobby based on human nature. Lack of domestic comfort, hard physical labor, severed ties with family, and, so far as the Malaya laboring class is concerned, lack of any form of wholesome recreation, all make the working class susceptible to some form of indulgent behavior.This form not only has a calming effect, but also makes people in a relaxed state in regular practice, so it has a strong appeal to the Chinese. It is known from the investigation process that life insurance companies with considerable experience in operating Chinese life insurance are willing to provide first-class life insurance for Chinese people who smoke 116 grains of tobacco every day under the same conditions. 116 grains is by no means a small dose, and we are told there is good reason for insurance companies to take the risk.It would appear, therefore, that the habit of smoking opiates, judging by those very good reasons, has little or no influence upon a man's life.Moreover, there is no evidence before us that would justify accepting a contrary view. In our opinion, the evidence available tends to confirm what we have formed, and this is the result of our research, that claims of harm caused by opium smoking are generally exaggerated.During the course of the investigation we learned that it was difficult even for medical workers to detect a person who was smoking opium in moderation.And the man who smokes opium in moderation is less likely to bring himself to the attention of philanthropists who cannot help but notice bad examples.These philanthropists often exaggerate these bad cases, and often make generalizations and judgments from the observation of these specific cases.This tendency, no doubt, was a great factor in the imputation to opium smoking of a scourge which was not actually so widespread. The assertion that the paralyzed state of human consciousness is the result of smoking opium is considered unfounded. Many people who have smoked a considerable amount of opium have achieved success in their careers; and there is no evidence that smoking opium cannot credibly and reliably hold a position of great responsibility." The report of the survey commented on the statement that opium smokers inevitably had to constantly increase their opium consumption as follows: We already have evidence from many concrete examples.The evidence shows that people did not increase their doses of opium over a considerable period of time; , there should have been shocking extreme poverty in the local area long ago, but this extreme poverty obviously does not exist in the local area. The investigative report made the following comments: We think it might be possible to assume that, in the absence of a universal and effective means of prohibiting the cultivation of opium poppy, the prohibition in one country will lead to the expansion of opium poppy cultivation in other countries. The Qing government of China has promulgated a large number of laws and regulations, and issued an edict to stop the cultivation of opium poppy and opium smoking; strong desire.Had the order worked, it would have brought about a change more radical than anything the Manchu conquerors had made since the order to shave their hair and put their pigtails on. As the translator of Bu Li's works, Yu Jingxian commented on the above passage as follows: It can be seen from the above description that Black’s single list of the import and export volume of opium at the ports along the Yangtze River in 1906 in the book is very easy to give people illusions.The book weakens the poisonous degree of opium, which shows that the author, as the governor of Hong Kong, intends to defend and justify Britain's criminal acts of opium trade and war of aggression. According to a Hong Kong "Wen Wei Po" report, during the plague outbreak in Hong Kong in 1899, Governor Bu Li vigorously promoted the rat eradication campaign.One thing that was cited as a joke was that the governor of Hong Kong ordered to exchange a mouse for 2 cents. As a result, the Hong Kong government bought a total of more than 43,000 mice within a year.但后来却发现，这些老鼠中大部分都并非香港本地老鼠。尽管如此，港府为杜绝瘟疫的蔓延，还下令收购并拆毁已经死去二千五百多人的重灾区——太平街一带大量密集的房屋，逐家寻找患者送往医院（船）治疗，并采用石灰集体掩埋的方式加速对尸体的处理。经过努力，至1904年才逐渐开始控制鼠疫。后来，在这片灾区的遗址上建起一座公园，取名卜公花园，园外竖起一块中、英文的纪念牌匾，纪志其事。后来卜公花园里绿树成荫，有珍贵的百年细叶榕树等，这儿不仅成了市民休憩的好去处，而且具有文化、历史的重要纪念价值。 另一个以卜力名字命名、闻名的公众场所就是香港的卜公码头，建于1901年，位于中环毕打街海岸，与天星码头为邻。卜公码头用瓦片为顶，设计呈一字形，入口处有个宏伟的卜力爵士塑像。当时，卜公码头是英国派出的总督赴港履新的码头，故亦称皇家码头。 作为伦敦皇家植物学会名誉会员，卜力总督对植物深感兴趣，对香港植物园的发展甚为关心。1800年前后，来自巴黎的传道会神父，在香港首次发现了一种植物，开着异乎寻常娇艳的紫色花朵。他摘下树枝，用插扦法把它种在薄扶林道一带的修道院。这种树后来又被移植到植物园，然后在香港广泛种植。植物学家经研究发现，它的叶子呈羊蹄形，紫色花朵不结子，属羊蹄甲属紫荆新品种，为香港独有。卜力爵士称之为洋紫荆。港人以此为荣，于1908年以卜力及其夫人的姓名来命名艳丽的洋紫荆花，以表彰他对植物园的支持。1965年，洋紫荆花被选为香港市花。1997年香港回归祖国，成立特别行政区，洋紫荆花被用作特区区徽，出现在香港特区的旗帜和硬币上。如今，满山遍野的紫色娇艳花朵，绽放在整个冬季。 1904年7月29日至1907年4月，弥敦为香港第十三任总督。