Chapter 22 Chapter 21 Oka Chihiro and "Sightseeing Journey"——Modern Japanese’s Travel Notes to China

In the second half of the 19th century, many Japanese literati and scholars traveled or inspected or visited China, and wrote some travel notes about their visits to China. "Sightseeing Journey" by Oka Chihiro is one of them with high value. In June 1884, Shanghai's "Shen Bao" published a rather eye-catching piece of news: "A certain Japanese writer, carrying a thousand volumes of books, is traveling in the mountains and rivers of China." This "Japanese writer" is Wang Tao's Best friend and famous Japanese scholar Oka Chihiro.When Wang Tao visited Japan, he persuaded him to roam in China. In 1884, Gang Qianren finally realized his long-cherished wish to visit China.When he came to China, he brought with him a large number of books such as "The Chronicle of Respect", "French Records", "Milligan Records", and prepared to distribute them to visiting Chinese officials and celebrities. Therefore, there is a "carrying a thousand volumes" " said.

Gang Qianren, courtesy name Zhenyi, nickname Lumen, was born in 1833.He was originally a vassal of Sendai at the end of the Edo period. He was proficient in Sinology and Western studies.After the Meiji Restoration, he served as the editor of the Shushikan and the secretary (ie, director) of the Tokyo Prefecture Library.Later, because of his dissatisfaction with the autocracy of the feudal lords, he resigned from office to run a school, and entertained himself by teaching students and writing chants.There were 3,000 disciples before and after, and he wrote more than 300 volumes.Wang Tao admires Gang Qianren's character, courage and literary talent very much, and the two share the same interests, so they become close friends.

Oka Chiren set off from Yokohama by boat on May 29, 1884, and arrived in Shanghai on June 6, where he met his old friend Wang Tao and other Shanghai celebrities.Then travel around Suzhou and Hangzhou, enjoy the scenic spots, visit Yu Yue and other famous people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and visit the descendants of Zhu Shunshui.In Cixi, he was also warmly received by the family of Wang Tizhai, an overseas Chinese in Japan who returned to China on the same boat.He originally wanted to go to Fuzhou, but at the time of the Sino-French War of Horsetail, he had to return to Shanghai, then north to Tianjin and Beijing, and then returned to Shanghai via Baoding after visiting the Great Wall.Finally, China Southern Airlines Guangzhou and Hong Kong had to cancel the trip plan of the Yangtze River due to illness, and boarded a British ship on April 10, 1885 to return home.He spent 360 days in China, traveled nearly 10,000 miles, and met with nearly 200 Chinese officials and literati.During Gang Qianren’s visit to China, “If you hear and see, you must write it down.” These diaries are generally titled “Sightseeing Journey”, including “Shanghai Diary”, “Suhang Diary”, “Shanghai Diary”, “Shanghai Diary”, Yanjing Diary", "Shanghai Re-Records", "Southern Guangdong Diary" and other six volumes, about 60,000 words.

During Oka Chiren's visit to China, he carried out extensive cultural exchanges between Japan and China, and met many Chinese officials and scholars. Nearly 200 of them were mentioned in his "Sightseeing Journey".In addition to my good friend Wang Tao and others, I also met Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Sheng Xuanhuai and other dignitaries, and famous scholars such as Yu Yue, Li Ciming and Wang Shiduo.When interacting, most of them use pen to talk, ask and answer for remuneration, and sometimes they are interpreted by Wang Tizhai who accompanied them.The content of the exchange is extensive, involving politics, economy, culture, academics and other aspects.Gang Qianren is bold, often outspoken, expressing his views freely, and sometimes even engages in heated debates with the other party.He criticized the corruption and various ills of Chinese society at that time, and expressed his sincere desire for China's reform and revitalization.

When Gang Qianren traveled to China, it coincided with the Sino-French war.He is very concerned about the fate of China. When talking, he often advises Chinese people to adapt to the world trend, learn from Western methods, and reform themselves.He felt that Chinese intellectuals seldom understood the conditions of other countries in the world, and even the famous scholar Li Ciming did not know much about Japanese history, so he was worried about China.Gang Qianren also took the opportunity of meeting with Chinese officials to try his best to urge China to reform and become stronger.He visited Li Hongzhang, Governor of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang twice.Li Hongzhang saw him wearing traditional Japanese national costumes and kimonos, and thought he was an old man with "ancient appearance and ancient heart".Gang Qianren hurriedly explained that he was not advocating the ancients but advocating knowing the current affairs, and advised Li Hongzhang to "take advantage of the general trend of machine construction, turn disaster into blessing, and turn danger into safety." He also introduced the history of Japan's reform to Li Hongzhang's subordinates, and told Advocates starting from the study of Western culture.Oka Chienren also persuaded Chinese officials to implement opening up and reform, and introduced to them the situation in Europe and the United States and how Japan changed from "locking up the country to founding the country, to today's Meiji of ZTE".

"Sightseeing Journey" made a very profound exposure and criticism of the ills of Chinese late Qing society, especially the poison of opium and stereotyped imperial examinations.He advocated to Wang Tao that "sweep away the poison of tobacco and the six meridians, and revive the vitality of China".Wang Tao not only expressed his deep approval, but also added that corruption should be added, that is, corruption and bribery.Gang Qianren also believes that China's imperial examination system, which uses stereotyped essays to select scholars, is actually a trick to fool the people. We should "abolish the imperial examination, reform the civil and military system, wash away the thousand-year-old bad habits, and revive the vitality of the world"!During his visit to China, Gang Qianren was invited to live in Wang Tizhai's hometown in Cixi, Zhejiang Province for a month.The Wang family is a wealthy local businessman, and he was very hospitable to him, but he couldn't understand their extravagance and waste, bad rules and old customs, and sharply criticized them face to face.

Gang Qianren's footprints spread all over the north and south of the river, inside and outside the Great Wall.On the one hand, he admired China's beautiful rivers, mountains, and charming scenery, and on the other hand, he lamented that China's political corruption, scholars who do not seek progress, and the ravages of foreign enemies.When he visited the former site of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, he couldn't help sighing when he saw that there were only a pile of ruins left.He hopes to "keep his traces as a source of inspiring people's indignation", expressing the friendship and noble mind of Japanese progressives who are concerned about China's destiny and eager for China's revitalization.

During his visit to China, Oka Chiren exchanged ideas and exchanged knowledge with many Chinese literati and scholars.Although he criticized stereotyped imperial examinations and Confucianism, he also respected traditional Chinese culture and famous scholars.For example, he specially went to Suzhou to visit Yu Yue, a famous Confucian scholar and poet, and praised him as "the master of his writings".He has successively received 143 kinds of books presented by Chinese literati and scholars, and he is very happy as if he has obtained a treasure.He also searched and purchased Chinese cultural classics all over China. For example, he bought more than 50 kinds of books on the history of Song, Jin, Yuan, and Ming in Shanghai, packed them into two boxes, and shipped them back to Japan.His wish is "the world will have a thousand gold, rebuild the Lumen Abode, and hold thousands of volumes."Oka Chihiro also attaches great importance to overseas travel notes written by modern Chinese. He bought more than a dozen overseas travel diaries and notes written by modern Chinese in various bookstores in Beijing.At a friend's house, he saw books such as "Si Shu Qi" and "Western Studies" written by Zhang Deyi, one of the earliest diplomats in modern China, about his travels and missions to Europe. He couldn't put it down and borrowed them to read.At that time, ordinary Chinese literati didn't pay much attention to such books and their authors, thinking that such books "have no knowledge and insight".But Oka Chihiro disagreed with this point of view, and spoke highly of "Si Shu Qi" and other books, thinking that this book is as familiar with Europe and America as the "Europe and America Review" written by the Japanese Iwakura Mission. Talk about the 暆 [hao Artemisia] arrow of European affairs".Regarding the differences in customs and habits between China and Japan, he heard the Chinese laugh at the Japanese for "sitting on the ground, eating without a desk, and sleeping without a bed".And the Japanese also ridiculed some of China's old habits.Gang Qianren believes that it is not possible to "laugh at the inside and use the other as the other".China and Japan "have the same language as their neighbors, but their customs are so different", let alone Europeans and Americans?

Oka Chiren's "Sightseeing Journey" observes Chinese society in the late Qing Dynasty from the perspective of a Japanese scholar, and laments the current disadvantages. It also reflects the differences in the understanding of some issues between Chinese and Japanese intellectuals at that time.This book helps the Japanese to better understand China and promotes mutual understanding and emotional exchanges between the two peoples.