THE FAMINE IN CHINA. THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID FAMINE IN CHINA ,3”[.u'sttntions In; at imam artist “'I'I‘II A TRANSLA TION 01'Y TH E CHINESE TEXT ISSUED BY THE COMMITTEE OF THE CHINA FAMINE RELIEF FUND ‘yw.m ‘ /%§ 5“” SE—«xu‘u \\. fl ‘ BR 4 \\ T J 9 GEE/YE": \ PAM 1%“? L O N D O N C. KEGAN PAUL & 00., 1 PATERNOSTER SQUARE 1878 #6 427 F3 CHINA FAMINE RELIEF FUND. LONDON COMMITTEE. SIR RUTHERFORD ALCOCK, K.C.B., Chairman. The Right Rev. Bishop ALFORD, D.D. Sir WILLIAM HERSCI—IEL, Bart. Sir THOMAS WADE, K.().B. Sir GEORGE BALFOUR, K.C.B., MP. Sir T. DOUGLAS FORSYTH, K.C.S.I. Sir ALBERT SASSOON, K.C.S.I. (Messrs. D. Sassoon S; 00.). Sir WALTER MEDHURST. . Sir R. MACDONALD STEPHENSON. The Rev. JAS. LEGGE, D. D., LL. D., P1OfeSSOI of ChineSe in the University of OXfOId The Rev. J. BALDWIN BROWN, BA. The Rev. ALEXANDER MACLAREN, D.D., Manchester. lEORGE ARBUTHNOT, Esq, Director of the Oriental Bank Corpora- tion. JOHN BOURNE, Esq., 0.13. THOMAS BRASSEY, Es:1., ALP. GEORGE DENT, Esq. R. K. DOUGLAS, Esq., Professor of Chinese, King’s College, London.. R. N. FOWLER, Esq. (Messrs. Dimsdale, Fowler, 8: 00.). {OBERT JARDINE, Esq. (Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, Sc 00.). THOMAS HANBURY, Esq. WM. LOOKHART, Esq, F.R.C.S. GEORGE LYALL, Esq. DONALD MATHESON, Esq. (late of Messrs. J ardine, Matheson, & 00.). J. E. MATHIESON, Esq. (Messrs. Fuller, Banbury, 8.: 00.). JOHN PENDER, Esq., M.P. DAVID REID, Esq. (late of Messrs. Reid, Evans, & Co., Shanghai). ARTHUR SMITH, Esq. (Messrs. Birley & 00., Hongkong). W. J. THOMPSON, Esq. (Messrs. W. J. & H. Thompson). {ICHARD B. \VADE, Esq. ., Director of the National Provine: a1 Bank of England. JAS. THOMSON, Esq. ., Ag1a Bank, To'msmw; The Rev. ARNOLD FOSTER, B. A., 11022. Samoan-y. Contributions will be received by Messrs. COUTTS & 00., 59 Strand; Messrs. RANSOM, BOUVERIE, & 00., 1 Pall Mall East; Messrs. FULLER, BANBURY, & CO., 77 Lombard Street; the NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK OF ENGLAND ; the HONGKONG and SHANGHAI BANK, 31 Lombard Street; or by the Hon. Secretary, the Rev. A. FOSTER, at the AGRA BANK, 35 Nicholas Lane, Lombard Street, EC. @313“??? THE principal facts connect-ed with the famine in China are now sufficiently well known in England to render it unnecessary here to make anything more than a very brief statement in regard to them. Most persons in this country are aware that ever since last autumn a famine, which in extent and for severity is almost without a parallel in the history of the world, has been raging in the northern provinces of China. Already the dead are numbered by millions, and it is to be feared that before food can again become plentiful, millions more will have perished, either from starvation, or from the disease and exhaustion which invariably follow upon famine. The China Famine Relief Fund in England was organised last February, for the purpose of raising contributions in this country for the relief of some of the sufferers, and since that time the Committee have been able, with a single exception, to send a telegraphic remittance every week to China. The amount of these weekly remittances has varied from £600 to £1,800. The Committee are receiving now by every mail, highly satisfactory reports of the work which the distributors of relief have been able to accomplish. These dis- tributors, working in various districts separated from 8 THE FAMINE IN cum. one another by considerable distances, have for the most part found that the distrust and suspicion with which they were at first regarded by the official classes has gradually passed away, and now wherever they go to carry on their work of mercy, the Mandarins as well as the common people, accord them a hearty welcome. In confirmation of this statement it will be sufficient to quote the testimony of Mr. R. J. Forrest, the British Acting-Consul at Tientsin. Mr. Forrest writes: ‘The officials treat the missionaries now with the most marked cordiality and assist them in every way in their power ..... That obdurate‘ class “-the' literati and gentry” are beginning to modify their views with regard to foreigners, and are confessing that their efforts for the relief of the suffering millions is not only an example for them, but has really been the incentive which has produced Chinese action.” Stimulated as it would seem by the example of foreign generosity, the Chinese have exerted and are exerting themselves to save their fellow-countrymen, but when the greatness of the demand made upon' them is remembered, it will not surprise anyone to learn that even when the Chinese have done their utmost, there still remains a large field for foreign philanthropists to labour in. On this subject the Times correspondent writes thus: ‘The Government are doing their best to meet the emergency, but their resources are miserably inadequate. . . . Money has been liberally subscribed by the foreign residents in China and Japan, and 10,000 dollars have been voted by the Hongkong (Colonial) Government. . . . One thing is certain—that every penny subscribed can be THE FAMINE IN CHINA. 9 utilised.’ At the present time the need of help is as great as ever, and it is certain that it will not become less until October—the earliest date at which a harvest can be gathered in. The pictures and accompanying explanations which are given in the following pages, are of purely native origin. The little Chinese book from which they are taken, was composed solely for the purpose of appealing to the compassion of benevolent persons amongst the Chinese, for help. It has been thought, however, that the re-publication of the book in England, with a free translation of the Chinese text, might help to carry home to English hearts a sense of the dire distress from which these unhappy people are now suffering, and to call forth from benevolent persons in this country also, a practical expression of sympathy. It is the earnest desire of the Committee of the Relief Fund that the work which has been satisfactorily carried on thus far, may be brought to a successful conclusion, and that none of those who have been engaged in rescuing the perishing Chinese from death, may be compelled to withdraw from the work, until they can have the satisfaction of feeling that the work itself is accomplished, and that their presence and assistance is no longer needed. With this object. in View they appeal to the British public for a continuance of that generous support which has enabled them already to do so much. ‘ \\'e have received from China a grotesque hut pathetic little picture book, painting the horrors undergone in the famine districts, the stripping.r ot' the trees of bark as well as leaves, the eating ot' the thatch 011' the houses, the feeding on the dead, the selling of boys and girls into slavery, each rough l‘rint accompanied by an explanation of its drift in Chinese. . . . A great multiplication of this little book with the Chinese explanations and English inter- pretations, and the appeal of the Committee for help on the cover, would, we are persuaded, touch more minds and hearts than any mere circular. It brings home what famine means, at once vividly and with that pathos which is all the deeper for its quaint and grotesque character.'— Spec-{alum ‘PICTURES ILLUSTRATING THE TERRIBLE FAMINE IN HONAN THAT MIGHT DRAW TEARS FROM IRON’ TRANSLATION BY THE REV. JAS. LEGGE, D.D., LLJ). PROFESSOR OF CHINESE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD 12 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE l. THEY SELL THEIR FIELDS AND TAKE THEIR HOUSES TO PIECES (To SELL THE MATERIALS). For a time the sufferers could borrow from one another, but this came to an end. Then they killed their ploughing oxen and pawned their implements of agriculture, their coverlets and clothes ; and at last they gave up all thoughts of the future, and fell to selling their furniture and the materials of their houses, and many of their fields, for a more song, till at last no purchaser could be found. Think of this, ye who live in high halls and fine houses, and let your hearts move. PLATE l. I \X _ 14 THE FAMINE IN cum, PLATE II. THEY STRIP OFF THE BARK OF TREES AND DIG UP THE GRASS ROOTS FOR FOOD. The glowing sun is in the sky and the locusts cover the ground. There is no green grass in the fields and no smoke of cooking from the houses. They caught rats, or spread their nets for birds, or ground the wheat-stalks into powder, or kneaded the dry grass into cakes. Alas I what food was this for men I They were at last reduced to the straits seen in the picture. Ye who Spend large sums every day on your food, will you not give these sufferers a cup of soup? W PLATE I‘. - ‘gn-iml‘.“ mll.H.\-1"“ __'—.. 16 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE Ill. LAMENTATION FILLS THE COUNTRY. THEY BEG FOR FOOD AND SLEEP IN THE OPEN AIR. Everywhere the famine prevails and nowhere can any means of living be found. 3ut while a breath remains who will resign himself to die of famine? They lead their old and support their yourg, turn their backs on their wells and leave their villages. East or west they go, seeking a resting-place and a mouthful of rice, but in rain. Beneath the curtain of the sky, and 011 the mat of the ground, the dew is their drink and the wind their food. Multitudes fall a. prey to disease and pestilence or faint and die on the way. Alas l PLATE HI. 18 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE IV. Tl-IEY SELL THEIR BOYS AND GIRLS. PARENTS AND CHILDREN PART AND TIIEIR BOWELS ARE RENT. Parents will not readily part With their children; but what can be done? It is better to separate and endeavour to live, than to remain together and follow one the other to certain death. Fathers and mothers for a small sum sell their children, while the tears stream from their eyes and their bowels seem rent asunder. How lamentable ! IV. PLATE 20 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE V. SUICIDES IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE FAMINE. The old and weak find it hard to trudge along. The young and solitary and feeble are not accustomed to run about. They wait for death in their houses, stript of everything. The cold winds pierce through their bones. They have no rice to cook, and the cravings of hunger are most painful. There is no way by which they can ascend to heaven, no door by which they can enter the earth. All their plans are exhausted. To die is better for them than to live. They hang themselves from beams, or throw themselves into the rivers. Everywhere such heartrending sights are to be seen. PLATE V LO LO TIIE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE VI. BODIES LIE DEAD ON THE ROAD, AND THE LIVING STRIVE TOGETHER FOR THEIR FLESH. The superior man in ordinary times, while he ‘ats cooked flesh, has his shambles and kitchen away from his hall; but in this year of famine, men eat one another. Letters from the country tell us that if abody lie unburied, the starving surround it, ready to rush on it with their knives, and cut ofl‘.‘ the flesh for food. The dead died because they could get no food, and the living seek new to prolong their lives by eating the dead. Would you have them die rather? \Vhat will not famine compel men to do ? PLATE VI. 24: THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE VII. A FAMISHING WOMAN IS TAKEN IN LABOUR, MOTHER AND CHILD BOTII DIE. What can be the result of such an (event amidst the horrors of the famine? A birth in the open air under ordinary circumstances is perilous ; but here, in a strange place, with disease and death around, the famishing mother gasps her last, and the child gives a few feeble wails and dies. Very few babes are born to live in this year of famine; where are the kind people to supply the swaddling clothes and money necessary to keep them alive ? PLATE VII. pa . -A/ \_\\ ~ .\\ '~ a» AQE § . z ’7 5 'I. n \\'w"- '1'" 55' .f. 2 . -' . ' 4':- ' I \\$%\§§\ an ’ntl' ' a. I "0"- 26 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE VIH. THE WHITE BONES LIE ALL OVER THE FIELDS, AND THE HUNGRY GHOSTS WAIL AT NIGHT. From starvation, from cold, by their own deed, they die. Coffins are not to be got for the corpses nor can graves be prepared for them. Their blood is an indistinct mess on the ground, their bones lie all about. thile the wind howls and the rain falls, in the gloom :of darkness, their hungry ghosts moan and wail. Pestilence comes as an accompaniment of the Famine,'and Who can think of medicine for the plague, or coffins For the multitudes of the dead? PLATE VIII. “Evy/— #___ '4 x fé’f . _,,_. —M% /f// ’~‘ J?“ j :4” L53 ~’Zr LO (‘fJ THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE IX. .\ FILIAL SON AND A FAITIIFUL \VIFE ENDURING HUNGER AND STIFLING THEIR CRIES. There are cases in which life and death appear equally difficult. Here are a grey-haired couple, in the decline of life, under their mulberry trees and elms, with one little yellowtmouthed grandchild, the only hope of their an- cestral temple. They cannot support him, for they have no way of earning anything, and they are compelled to think of selling him. They cannot continue to live together and they cannot all die at once. This certainly is a case in which appealing to Heaven only makes you feel its perplexity, and you can only stamp on the earth and beat your breast. Consider it well, yo benevolent gentlemen, in whom is our hOPC. F LA TE IX D 30 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE X. AL’SPICIOUS INDICATIONS OF SNOW IN THE SOUTH. THE PEOPLE OF NEIGHBOURING HOUSES EXULT WITH JOY. So it may be Where there are such indications, but in the afflicted territory there is no such ground of 110pe. Theyi'ilook out upon it and sigh as they say, ‘There is no snow to kill the young locusts; there has been no rain to prepare the ground for the wheat. In the coming spring we shall be bereft of an hope.’ PLATE X. LO TIIE FAMINE IN CHINA. 03 PLATE XI. DISTRIBUTION OF AID IIAS BEEN CONCEDED TO THE RE- PRESENTATIONS OF THE MAGISTRATE, BUT THE TERRITORY IS \VIDE AND THE PEOPLE ARE NUMEROUS. After the calamity fully appeared, the great officers requested the Imperial aid. This was granted, and officers were sent to distribute the stores with earnest considera- tion of the necessities of the case. The poor people looked up with eager expectation to the Imperial benevolence, full of joy. But the area of the distress extends over scores of departments and their districts; the number of sufierers waiting to be fed amounts to many millions; and the difficulties of transporting the food are great. Our Sacred lord (the Emperor) feels everyone’s suffering as if it were a wound in his own person; the great officers respond to his virtue with sympathy; they all toil to do their best; but what does all avail ? PLATE XI. /..h<\ \/% @qung 04 THE FAMINE IN CHINA. PLATE XII. ON THE GOOD WHO OPEN THEIR PURSES ALL THE SPIRITUAL POWERS BESTOW BLESSING. There is not much good talk among our learned Con- fucian scholars of the special recompense of special deeds ; but the principle is not to be called in question that the accumulation of good actions leads to superabundant blessing. And this year may afford fresh confirmation of its truth. He whose eyes these pictures shall affect, and Whose heart they shall move to manifest his benevolence, helping his neighbours in the day of their calamity, may be sure that ho is walking in the way of happiness. PLATE XII. O AI , . , . . gyazéw \w - j #1.. I v H1... .1 a. 49vnurfify. , a fig” m. 31 :