A New Year’s Day of Ceremonies and Discomfort

On the first morning of the lunar new year, the aging statesman completed his ancestral worship at the family altar before departing the military headquarters. His schedule included paying respects at the Longevity Temple, followed by incense offerings at the Confucian Temple. The protocol demanded subsequent visits to various high-ranking officials including the governor-general, provincial commander, customs superintendent, and other key administrators. Though these dignitaries politely declined his visits in keeping with New Year’s traditions, the ceremonial rounds consumed the entire morning.

Guangzhou’s winter climate remained relatively mild, and the official traveled in a warmed sedan chair. Yet at seventy-one years of age and in failing health, he felt the cold penetrating from his feet upward, seeping deep into his bones. As he stepped from his carriage, he inhaled a sharp gust of wind that seemed to chill him straight through to his chest. The traditional New Year’s dumplings prepared for his midday meal held no appeal, and by evening he still had no appetite. A sensation of something cold and solid persisted in his diaphragm, causing continuous discomfort.

Having previously received Western medicine during his time in Nanjing, the official held particular faith in European physicians. He dispatched attendants to the foreign enclave west of the city to summon a Western doctor. At number three, Fengtai Hong on New Doulan Street in the factory district stood the Guangzhou Ophthalmic Hospital operated by the American physician Peter Parker, commonly known as the New Doulan Medical Dispensary. Fortunately, Westerners did not observe the lunar new year, and Parker happened to be present at the hospital. The American doctor personally attended to the official, informing him that both his liver and heart showed signs of trouble. Parker emphasized the necessity of proper rest and cautioned particularly against excessive agitation and worry.

The official thought to himself: Given the responsibilities I currently shoulder, how could I possibly avoid agitation and worry?

Negotiating a New Commercial Order

Following the fifth day of the new year, the official’s subordinates Huang Entong and Xian Ling proceeded to Huangpu to negotiate customs tariff regulations with their British counterpart Robert Thom. The negotiations progressed relatively smoothly, resulting in significant modifications to the existing tariff structure. Over fifty categories of goods would see increased duties, while sixty categories would receive reductions. Thirteen previously unlisted commodities gained new tariff classifications.

The majority of increased duties settled at five percent ad valorem, while reduced tariffs generally fell between two and four percent. These rates represented the lowest import and export duties anywhere in the world at that time, providing greatest benefit to British merchants. Nevertheless, Huang Entong considered the outcome quite satisfactory, as overall calculations indicated approximately fifty percent greater revenue compared to the previous customs system.

Particularly gratifying to Huang was the ten percent ad valorem duty secured on tea exports. The merchant Wu Shaorong had informed Huang that British merchants transporting tea to England faced import duties of twenty-five silver dollars per picul imposed by the British government, equivalent to approximately seventeen and a half taels of silver. Meanwhile, Chinese export duties amounted to merely one and three-tenths taels per picul—less than one-tenth of the British import levy. Using this information to his advantage during negotiations, Huang successfully argued for the higher export duty. The senior official likewise expressed satisfaction with these terms.

The Backlash from vested interests

The negotiated settlement, however, provoked outrage throughout Guangzhou’s official circles. According to the newly established procedures, British merchants would pay customs duties once then transport goods freely throughout China without further charges. The agreement specifically eliminated various irregular fees and surcharges previously imposed, effectively cutting off significant revenue streams for officials ranging from provincial governors down to county magistrates, particularly those connected with foreign trade.

What further incensed Guangzhou’s officialdom was the impossibility of openly opposing these changes. The rational arguments for standardized taxation and the diplomatic necessity of honoring treaty obligations prevented overt resistance. Yet these officials would not suffer their financial losses quietly, finding alternative means to express their discontent.

The Anonymous Manifesto Appears

On the morning of the Lantern Festival, copies of “A Public Proclamation by the Righteous Gentlemen and Commoners of All Guangdong” appeared throughout Guangzhou’s inner and outer cities. Someone had even posted a copy on the gates of the military headquarters. Guards retrieved one copy and presented it to the senior official, whose reading provoked such anger and anxiety that he broke into a cold sweat.

The proclamation began with stirring rhetoric: “We reverently maintain that the great unity of the Heavenly Dynasty cannot tolerate the dismemberment of territory for others. The wild grasses and countryside demonstrate loyalty, knowing only to kill bandits and repay the state. Our great Qing has pacified all under heaven for two hundred years, with successive emperors of sagely virtue following sagely predecessors. All who eat the plants and tread the soil have long been steeped in imperial virtue and bathed in imperial benevolence. Even those in the wildest wastelands beyond civilization jointly support heaven’s height and tread earth’s thickness.”

The document continued with inflammatory language describing the British as “sometimes male, sometimes female” rulers commanding people “like beasts and animals” with “ferocity exceeding tigers and wolves” and “rapacious hearts no different than serpents.”

The official slapped his thigh in frustration, exclaiming: “Such frog-in-a-well perspective! Insulting the English like this will likely create further complications. Absolutely detestable!”

Escalating Rhetoric and Personal Attack

The proclamation proceeded to enumerate various British crimes before criticizing the painstakingly negotiated Treaty of Nanjing: “Why is it that our frontier ministers and great commanders value their lives like mountains, and our civil and military officials fear the enemy like tigers? Ignoring national enmity and popular resentment, they hastily proceed to sever territory and transport gold, acting even worse than the treacherous officials of the Southern Song dynasty?”

The manifesto posed the troubling question: “If other nations rise up to imitate them, what policy will we employ to respond? Therefore, if the English barbarians are not pacified, this truly constitutes the common people’s disaster and the state’s great anxiety. Only by not sharing heaven with them can we be without shame before our vital spirit. If we willingly share this soil with them, we truly have no heart or liver!”

Reading these words, the official felt a blockage in his heart, the hard mass in his diaphragm seeming to expand as his vision blurred. He immediately issued orders: “Send someone at once to invite Governor-General Qi—no, invite Governor Liang Baochang for discussions.”

The Origins of Dissent

When Liang arrived and observed the official’s sallow complexion, he hurriedly offered consolation: “Your Excellency must not anger yourself. This proclamation absolutely does not target you personally. The matter originates from events at the end of last October, and the instigator has already been imprisoned.”

According to Governor Liang’s account, two individuals authored the inflammatory document. The first was a Zhejiang examination candidate named Qian Jiang—originally a wandering rascal who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations yet remained extremely arrogant. Having arrived in Guangzhou the previous year to wander aimlessly, he stirred up trouble everywhere he went, earning universal dislike. Following the signing of the Nanjing Treaty, he had collaborated with one He DaGeng, who had previously served on Lin Zexu’s staff and deeply embraced the concept of “using the people to control the barbarians.”

The Historical Context of Commercial Tensions

The events of early 1843 occurred against the backdrop of fundamental shifts in China’s relationship with foreign powers. The Treaty of Nanjing, signed the previous year, concluded the First Opium War and forced China to cede Hong Kong, open five ports to foreign trade, and pay substantial indemnities. The tariff negotiations described represented early attempts to implement the commercial provisions of this unequal treaty.

Guangzhou held particular significance in this transitional period. For centuries, the city had served as China’s primary gateway for maritime trade, operating under the Canton System that restricted foreign merchants to specific quarters and limited their interactions with Chinese officials. The new treaty provisions dismantled this carefully controlled trading environment, creating both opportunities and anxieties for all involved parties.

The medical intervention by Peter Parker highlighted the growing Western presence in China. Parker had established his hospital in 1835 as both a medical mission and bridge between cultures. His treatment of Chinese officials represented early examples of cross-cultural professional relationships that would become increasingly common in the treaty port era.

The Economic Realities of Treaty Implementation

The tariff negotiations reflected complex economic considerations. While Chinese officials sought to maximize revenue, British representatives aimed to create favorable conditions for their merchants. The principle of “value hundred抽五” would become the standard for treaty tariffs throughout nineteenth-century China.

The tea duty negotiations illustrated the global nature of commercial interests. Chinese officials discovered that while they charged minimal export duties, British authorities collected substantial import taxes on the same commodities. This awareness prompted efforts to secure better terms for the Chinese treasury, demonstrating that Qing officials actively sought to leverage international commercial knowledge to their advantage.

The elimination of “various irregular fees and surcharges” addressed longstanding complaints by foreign merchants about the unpredictable costs of doing business in China. These “customary fees” had traditionally supplemented the incomes of numerous officials and intermediaries in the trading system. Their abolition under treaty provisions threatened established patronage networks and revenue streams, explaining the vehement opposition from Guangzhou’s official circles.

The Cultural Dimensions of Conflict

The anonymous proclamation revealed profound cultural misunderstandings between Chinese and Western societies. References to British rulers being “sometimes male, sometimes female” likely reflected confusion over Queen Victoria’s recent accession to the throne. Descriptions of Westerners as beast-like demonstrated the deep-seated cultural chauvinism prevalent among Chinese literati.

The comparison to “treacherous officials of the Southern Song dynasty” invoked powerful historical parallels. The Southern Song period saw China retreating southward under military pressure, eventually making humiliating concessions to northern invaders. For educated Chinese, this historical reference framed the current situation in terms of national humiliation and betrayal.

The document’s appearance during the Lantern Festival placed political protest within the context of traditional celebration. Chinese festivals often provided opportunities for collective expression, whether celebratory or critical. The posting of manifestos during such gatherings ensured maximum visibility and impact.

The Human Toll of Diplomatic Responsibility

The physical and emotional distress experienced by the senior official highlighted the personal costs of managing China’s transition into the treaty system. As a seasoned diplomat who had participated in the negotiations concluding the Opium War, he understood better than most the necessity of compromise amid unequal power relationships.

His awareness that popular sentiment and official opinion opposed his pragmatic approach created profound psychological stress. The manifesto’s accusation that officials “value their lives like mountains” and “fear the enemy like tigers” struck particularly close to home for someone who had helped negotiate the settlement under military duress.

The official’s reliance on Western medicine while implementing policies favorable to Western interests created a symbolic connection between physical and political treatments. Just as Parker addressed his bodily ailments through foreign methods, the official sought to address China’s political challenges through diplomatic engagement with foreign powers—both approaches generating suspicion and resistance from traditional quarters.

The Legacy of Guangzhou’s Tariff Settlement

The events of early 1843 established patterns that would characterize China’s foreign relations for decades. The tension between practical diplomacy and popular sentiment, the conflict between central government priorities and local official interests, and the struggle to maintain cultural integrity while adopting foreign methods—all these dynamics first manifested clearly in this period.

The tariff agreement itself set important precedents. The specific rates established would be extended to other treaty powers through most-favored-nation clauses, creating a uniform system of low import duties that hampered China’s economic development. The elimination of irregular fees, while beneficial to foreign merchants, disrupted traditional revenue channels without establishing adequate replacement funding for local administration.

The protest movement exemplified early Chinese nationalism, blending traditional culturalism with emerging awareness of international power dynamics. While framed in conventional terms of loyal opposition and righteous indignation, the manifesto reflected genuine popular anger at perceived national humiliation. This sentiment would grow and transform over subsequent decades, ultimately contributing to the collapse of the Qing dynasty.

Conclusion: Between Past and Future

The elderly official’s physical suffering during those early spring days of 1843 mirrored China’s painful transition into the modern international system. His efforts to implement treaty obligations despite opposition from colleagues and the public demonstrated the difficult choices facing Chinese statesmen in the wake of military defeat.

The medical treatment he received from Peter Parker symbolized the ambiguous relationship with the West—simultaneously source of humiliation and provider of solutions. The tariff negotiations he supervised established commercial patterns that would both enrich and exploit China in coming decades. The public opposition he confronted foreshadowed the nationalist movements that would eventually transform Chinese politics.

In this moment of personal and national crisis, the official embodied the central dilemma of late Qing China: how to preserve essential elements of traditional civilization while adopting necessary innovations from threatening yet powerful outsiders. His physical discomfort, diplomatic challenges, and political isolation represented in microcosm the immense difficulties China would face throughout the nineteenth century as it struggled to find its place in a rapidly changing world.