The Servant as Teacher: First Encounters with Chinese Character
Our earliest understanding of the Chinese people often comes from an unexpected source: domestic servants. Though unaware of their role, they become our first instructors in the complex study of Chinese temperament. Foreign residents in China frequently express dissatisfaction with these servants, yet the lessons they impart prove unforgettable. As interactions broaden, a curious pattern emerges – though servants represent only a small segment of Chinese society, the conclusions formed through daily dealings with them find remarkable confirmation in wider Chinese behavior. This phenomenon suggests that every Chinese individual somehow encapsulates the national character.
The domestic sphere of foreign households in China provides rich material for observation. Among all servants, none wields more influence over household harmony than the cook. When hiring a new chef, the mistress typically outlines expectations regarding proper procedures, only to discover days later that the new employee has adopted all the forbidden practices of his predecessor. The bread goes into the oven under-proofed; unauthorized visitors (often accompanied by dogs) crowd the kitchen; tobacco smoke permeates the air. Confronted, the cook offers reasonable explanations – the bread’s failure lies not in kneading technique; the intruders are merely friends who “probably won’t return”; the smoke must drift from neighboring quarters. This pattern of apparent compliance masking persistent independence repeats across domestic roles.
The Mechanics of Resistance: Case Studies from Daily Life
The laundryman provides another telling example. Presented with labor-saving foreign washing machines and wringers, he eventually abandons them to return to traditional methods that damage fabrics. A laborer given a superior foreign scythe for cutting grass reverts to his familiar Chinese implement – a four-inch iron blade on a short handle. When questioned, he simply asserts the native tool works better. Similar stories abound: gardeners “repair” walls by adding branches rather than using bricks as instructed; messengers delay important deliveries to wash socks; cart drivers ignore specified routes based on hearsay from strangers.
Medical settings reveal particularly consequential manifestations of this behavior. Patients disregard precise dosing instructions, consuming two days’ medicine at once under the assumption that more medicine guarantees better results. They remove prescribed dressings against medical advice, fearing their skin might grow a tortoise-like shell. Remarkably, the opinions of illiterate assistants or even doorkeepers often carry equal weight with patients as those of trained physicians, sometimes with dangerous consequences.
The Cultural Roots of Surface Compliance
This phenomenon of flexible stubbornness extends far beyond foreign households, permeating all levels of Chinese society. Chinese employers experience similar dynamics with their servants, though they typically anticipate and accommodate such behavior as one accounts for mechanical friction or bad debts. The pattern appears in officialdom as well, where orders undergo creative reinterpretation based on personal convenience, relationships, or financial incentives.
A telling anecdote involves a mandarin who ordered water transported from a distant river due to local water’s poor quality. His servants instead drew from a nearer sweet-water village, satisfying all requirements while saving effort. Even if aware of the substitution, the official would likely accept the outcome – good water obtained with less trouble. This exemplifies the Chinese pragmatism captured by the proverb: “Regardless whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.” Success justifies means, and avoiding conflict often takes precedence over strict adherence to rules.
Institutionalized Flexibility: The Bureaucratic Dimension
The tendency toward selective compliance reaches its most developed form in government administration. Orders from superiors frequently meet with polite acknowledgment followed by creative non-implementation. When pressure intensifies, responsibility gets delegated downward until the “wind passes.” A classic example involves judicial punishments – a sentence of two months in heavy wooden cuffs might be reduced through bribery to wearing the restraints only during the magistrate’s comings and goings. The magistrate, being Chinese himself, anticipates such modifications and may inflate initial sentences accordingly.
Foreign observers documented how reform initiatives often followed this pattern. An upper official orders some action; subordinates respectfully report completion while doing nothing. Only sustained pressure produces token compliance, after which normal operations resume. This explains the cyclical nature of many Qing dynasty reforms, including repeated but ineffective prohibitions on opium.
The Bamboo Metaphor: Understanding Chinese Flexibility
Some have compared the Chinese character to bamboo – an exceptionally apt analogy. Bamboo combines elegance with remarkable utility. Hollow and flexible, it bends eastward under west winds and westward under east winds, yet stands straight when winds cease. While young bamboo appears pliant as grass, it resists being knotted. This captures the Chinese paradox: apparent accommodation masking essential persistence.
Similarly, Chinese people demonstrate extraordinary skill in accepting criticism – an art largely lost among Westerners. Confronted with faults, a Chinese person will typically listen patiently, acknowledge errors profusely, promise immediate reform, and thank the critic for their concern. While the Western observer knows these promises may prove insubstantial, the graceful acceptance diffuses tension and achieves the Chinese speaker’s primary aim – restoring surface harmony.
The Unchanging Core: Historical Persistence
The comparison to hair offers final insight. Hair represents supreme softness and adaptability, conforming to any direction yet always returning to its inherent growth pattern. If we imagine nations as hair on the globe’s head, the Chinese people resemble a cowlick – it may be combed, cut, or shaved, but will always regrow in its original, unalterable direction. This explains the remarkable continuity of Chinese civilization despite foreign influences, reforms, and revolutions. The fundamental character – that blend of flexible accommodation and essential stubbornness – persists through all surface changes, much as servants continue interpreting instructions according to their own understanding, regardless of their employer’s nationality or era.
This analysis reveals why foreign observers so frequently described Chinese character in contradictory terms – at once flexible and stubborn, accommodating and resistant. The paradox stems from distinguishing between surface behavior and essential nature. What appears as inconsistency reflects sophisticated cultural mechanisms for maintaining core values while navigating external pressures, whether from foreign employers or imperial edicts. Understanding this dynamic remains crucial for anyone seeking to comprehend China’s historical resilience or engage with its modern incarnation.