Li Dongeli's Interviews

Mr. Wang: My name is Wang Hui. I was born in Jiaonan, and I am thirty years old. When I was studying in university, my major was history.

Donglei: Could you describe China before the war began?

Mr. Wang: The war began at 1840. Britain declared war on China. Before the war began, China had a traditional feudal system under the Qing dynasty, but it was on the wane. A characteristic of the Qing dynasty was that the government was very powerful, and the economic system was based on self-sufficiency. In common daily life, men farmed and women worked in textiles, and there were little tradesmen. Many families lived with their extended family.

Donglei: Could you describe the farmer’s life during the war?

Mr. Wang: At the beginning of the war, the farmer¡¯s life was the same as before. As the wars continued, many goods which came from England came into China, so the self-sufficiency system began to wane. The goods were especially clothes; these were very popular in China. Before the war began, China was in an export surplus, but in 1865 China went into an export deficit.

Donglei: Do you know what were major goods exported by China before the war?

Mr. Wang: Tea and silk.

Donglei: Could you describe the effects on Chinese life?

Mr. Wang: The war is a sign of China becoming half colonized and half feudal. This war has many effects regarding everything in China. This war hurt China¡¯s territorial integrity and the administration of justice. The economy self-sufficiency was destroyed, especially in Ghong Dong Province, Fu Jian Province, and Jiang Su Province. Since the goods from other countries have very low prices, the Chinese goods could not be sold. In Song Jiang, the goods from foreigners flooded the markets. All ideas and religions from foreigners came into China and questioned traditional Chinese believes. Before the war, many of the Chinese did not want to learn from foreigners, but after the war, many enlightened people learned about technology and religion from foreigners, especially European. In total, this war had many bad effects on China.

Donglei: You said the war had many bad effects on China. Could you describe the Chinese resistance?

Mr. Wang: One side is that the government acted against the aggression. Because of the corruption of the Chinese government and army, China was finally defeated by England, but the Chinese people continued to fight. The most famous battle is in San Yuan Li and the revolt of Tai Ping Tian Guao [the tai ping rebellion]. The people fought against the Qing dynasty, but also England, France, Russia, and other countries who attacked China.

Donglei: You said that the Chinese army was very corrupt. Could you describe the army at the time?

Mr. Wang: The two major parts of the army were Ba Qi army and Lui army. The soldiers came from the Man Nation. The government gave this army many special powers. The army became very backwards. They did not know what the world was like. There is a very interesting story. A prince from Qin was sent to Guang Zhong [city] to fight against the English. When he saw the ships of the English Army and their weapons, he thought that the army was made by ghosts, so he ordered his soldiers to throw feces at the ships. For this reason he was defeated by England. Not only was this shameful but also spirited.

Donglei: You said that the government was beaten by England. Do you know why?

Mr. Wang: First because of the corruption. Some leaders wanted to fight with foreigners and some did not want to. The king sometimes wanted to fight and sometimes did not want to fight. The second reason is because the government did not call the people to fight. Another reason is that the Chinese economy was very backwards and England was very developed and had powerful weapons. The major reason is the first reason.

Donglei: Could you tell me the reason on England¡¯s side?

Mr. Wang: England was the first country to experience an industrial revolution, and so the economy was the best in the world and the weapons were very advanced. And before the war, England had a very long time to rebuild. Some other countries gave her help.

Donglei: Could you tell me what happened after the war?

Mr. Wang: The enlightened people such as Ling Zhe Xu and Wei Yuan started to study the world and learned technology from the west. Second, the people¡¯s cost of living decreased.

Donglei: After the war, the countries which attacked China created a treaty with China. Could you tell me what the treaty was about?

Mr. Wang: An important one was the Nanjing treaty which was made between England and China. One is Huang Pu treaty, which was made between France and China. Another one is Wang Xia treaty which was made between the United States and China. The first clause was that China must pay money to England. The second was that China must give territory to England, such as Hong Kong. The third was that China must give some special power to the three countries. This made China¡¯s situation worse; the people¡¯s life was worse. Most importantly it hurt China¡¯s territorial integrity. It also hurt the administration of justice.

Donglei: What do you think of the war?

Mr. Wang: In the world, it brought China much bitterness and misery. After the war, China had many great changes on every aspect. It made China even more backwards and it hurt China¡¯s territorial integrity. China started to become a country that was half colonized and half feudal, and this war stopped China¡¯s development, but the war also made the people learn from other countries so it also had some effects that were progressive.

Donglei: Do you know who was the king during the war? Please describe him.

Mr. Wang: The king is Dao Guang. He was very conservative. During the war, sometimes he wanted to fight against England, but sometimes he did not. He was not unshakable.

Donglei: Could you describe the people who worked in the government at that time?

Mr. Wang: Most of the officers were very corrupt. They took part in trafficking and using opium, but some of them were very responsible and they loved the country very much, such as Lin Zhe Xu, Guan Tian Pei, and Dong Ting Zhen went against England and opium, for example Hu Men Xiao Yuan, which happened in 1839. We can see the determination of the Chinese to fight against the aggression.

Donglei: Could you describe the arms of England and the arms of China during the war?

Mr. Wang: The arm of England was the most advanced in the world. And the arms of the Chinese was very backwards. For example, the turrets which the Chinese armies used could not change directions. The ship which the Chinese armies used were made of wood. Most of the Chinese soldiers still used knives.

Donglei: Could you tell me how the war changed the state of mind of China?

Mr. Wang: Before the war, the Chinese state of mind was of traditional Confucianism, but after the war the Chinese started studying and discovering other countries¡¯ states of mind. The Chinese learned many ideas from many different countries. Finally, they learned thoughts and ideas of Marx.

Donglei: Thank you for your answers.

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