Mr Ma and Son (32 page)

T
HE CHINESE
workmen in London are divided into two factions. One of these is prepared to take any work that’s offered, whether it’s decent work or not. When the film company was looking around for cringing Chinamen, it went to this mob. The other group consists of hard workers, men of resolute and independent disposition, who, although illiterate, unable to speak English and possessing no trade skills, are truly patriotic, and would rather starve than do anything that might lose face for their country.

The men of both parties share a coarseness of manner, a limited knowledge and a miserable existence. Where they differ is that one party is solely interested in earning its daily bread, no matter how, while the other wants to earn its daily bread in a decent way. Neither party has any time for the other, and when their adherents meet they at once start fighting. When unpatriotic dolts meet patriotic dolts, there’ll be fighting, no two ways about it. And as soon as they fight, they provide the foreigners with lots of funny stories, and nasty things get said about both patriotic and unpatriotic alike.

It’s not their fault, though. The blame lies with the Chinese government for choosing to ignore these men. If a government affords no protection or assistance to its subjects, those subjects are easy targets, aren’t they?

The Chinese students in England are also divided into two factions. One faction comes from China proper, while the other consists of the offspring of overseas Chinese. All love their mother country, China, while failing to comprehend the state in which that country is. The offspring of the overseas Chinese, having been born outside China, are ignorant of the state of affairs within the country. The students from China proper are forever trying to make foreigners understand China without having realised that while China’s so feeble, there’s no way foreigners will respect it or its people. Nations of the same stature are like brothers. But the little mouse needn’t try getting chummy with the tiger.

It’s become an established historical tradition to sneer at the Chinese in foreign films, plays and novels. On the Chinese stage, it’s an established historical tradition that the actor playing
Ts’ao Ts’ao
, the warlord who lived in the second century
AD
, is always made up with lead-white face paint, which signifies treachery. Just as there could never be a Ts’ao Ts’ao with black make-up, the colour of integrity, there could never be a good Chinese person on the English stage. Such things aren’t a matter of feeling, they’re historical.

The English don’t set out to belittle anyone, but seek to create a fine piece of literature. If a Chinese playwright had a black-faced Ts’ao Ts’ao in his play, everybody would ridicule him for his ignorance. If a foreigner wrote a play about the Chinese that didn’t include murder and arson, people would naturally ridicule him in the same way. There’s no hope for Ts’ao Ts’ao, and it’s not likely that his face will change colour in the next few years. But there’s still some hope for China. If only the Chinese can strengthen their nation, the foreigners will drop their pens and cease writing ‘Chinese’ plays. Humans abuse the weak and fear the strong.

The film that Alexander had persuaded Mr Ma to act in had been written by one of England’s most celebrated literary figures. This gentleman was perfectly aware that the Chinese are a civilised people, but to suit others’ attitudes and for the sake of art, he nonetheless depicted the Chinese as cruel and sinister. Had he not done so, he would have found it impossible to earn people’s praise and approbation.

The film was set in Shanghai, and Alexander had provided concessions, and another represented the Chinese part of the city. The former was clean, beautiful and orderly, and the latter was filthy, chaotic, and thoroughly dark and dismal.

As to the story, it concerned a Chinese girl’s falling in love with an Englishman. Her father wants to kill her as punishment, but, for some odd reason, the old Chinaman takes poison himself. Upon his death, his friends and relatives seek to avenge him. They bury the girl alive, and after the burial, go off and seek out the young Englishman. He and some British soldiers get stuck into them, and beat them until they beg for mercy on bended knees. The workmen from the East End played the crowd of Chinese who got thrashed. Mr Ma played a rich Chinese merchant with a little pigtail, who, while the fight was in progress, stood by watching the fun and excitement.

When the Chinese students in London heard about the film, they were up in arms, held conference after conference, and requested the legation to make a protest. The legation duly protested, and the following day the film’s screenwriter said some very nasty things about the Chinese legation in the newspapers. Saying such things about another nation’s legation should in fact call for a stern response, but since China would never dare start a war, why respond?

Seeing that the sole effect of the legation’s protest had been to elicit abuse, the students held another conference to discuss what was to be done. The chairman of the conference was the Mr Mao who’d been given a punching in the Top Graduate. It was Mr Mao’s opinion that a protest was of no use, and the only thing to do was stop any Chinese person from acting in the film. The students elected Mr Mao their representative to go to the East End and communicate their decision. The workmen – those of the unpatriotic faction – had already signed a contract with the film company, and there was no means of going back on the agreement, so Mr Mao incited the doltishly patriotic workmen to declare war on those who were going to act in the film.

Mr Ma was, of course, not one of them, and what’s more, he ran a shop and was well provided for, yet was still prepared to do such a shameful thing. For this the workmen held him in particular loathing, and everyone advocated smashing up his shop and wiping the floor with him. The students put forward the idea, and the foolish workmen agreed to go and carry it out. Which was how the Mas’ shop got some bricks as customers.

Li Tzu-jung got wind of the matter in advance but didn’t want to go and tell Ma Wei. He knew full well that Mr Ma was acting in the film not for a few pounds, but because Alexander had asked him to and he couldn’t refuse; the Chinese are so concerned with face. (He’d no idea that Mr Ma had wanted the money to buy a wedding ring.) He knew full well that if he told Ma Wei, it would inevitably stir up a dispute between father and son. And he knew full well that if he went and had a word with the workmen, he could end up with a black eye for his troubles. Nor would it have been any use going and having a word with the students, since they were only concerned with patriotism, and took no account of realities. So he’d said nothing.

When the matter had nearly come to a head, an idea occurred to him: tell Mr Ma and son not to show their faces, while he himself went to deal with the workmen. In that way, danger would be avoided. It would give the workmen the chance to smash some glass and vent their temper, and of course the insurance company would pay for all the damage. At the same time, it would make the Mas’ antiques shop famous, which would be very promising for future sales prospects. The main thing in business nowadays is publicity, and such an exciting incident would render Mr Ma and son celebrities. It would be a kind of free advertisement. As for the workmen, Li Tzu-jung had no wish to land them in prison, or make them suffer in any way. Their conduct was misguided, but the outlook behind it was reasonable. That was why he’d waited before asking Ma Wei to telephone the police, giving the workmen enough time to smash the window and make a quick escape.

It had never occurred to him that the police might catch two of the men.

It had never occurred to him that Mr Ma might be so scared that he would decide to sell the shop.

It had never occurred to him that the students’ association might pass a resolution that would make trouble for Ma Wei.

It had never occurred to him that the workmen, in revenge for the arrest of two of their number, might want to knock off Mr Ma.

Nor had it occurred to him that, the film’s release being imminent, the newspapers might deliberately play up the dire warning its story embodied, and use the incident to make all sorts of sneering innuendos concerning the legation’s protest.

After the incident, he purposely kept out of the way to ensure that it was Ma Wei’s photo they printed in the newspapers, which he thought would be a kind of advertisement. But who would have guessed it? When the Chinese in London saw the photograph, they all ground their teeth and cursed Ma Wei.

The ways of this world are complex, and nobody can think of everything, can they? But Li Tzu-jung, having been a self-confident person, now felt tremendously bitter and angry at himself.

Ma Wei understood Li Tzu-jung, and was resolved to carry on with the business no matter who reviled him, and no matter how much they wanted to beat him up. The opportunity was here now, and, come what may, he had to try making a go of things. He’d had no idea of what his father had been up to, and the arrest of the workmen was no fault of his, anyway. He had nothing on his conscience and wanted to forge ahead and get things moving. That was the only way he could do right by Li Tzu-jung.

It didn’t occur to him that his father might be so pathetic and devoid of courage as to insist on selling the shop. What, sell the shop? But if he wanted to sell it, no one could stop him. The shop was his.

Mr Ma, unable to understand why anyone should wish to beat him up, spent every day with his scrap of moustache scrumpled up tightly, sighing away at the wickedness of the world. It made no sense to him that Ma Wei had actually acquired a new enthusiasm for the shop and was really getting down to business, and he could only conclude that Li Tzu-jung must have hypnotised Ma Wei. Worried about his son’s safety, he felt, at the same time, extremely resentful towards Li Tzu-jung. He was puzzled as to why Mrs Wedderburn had congratulated him and told him that things looked bright for the shop’s trade from now on.

So the bloody shop’s been smashed in,
he said to himself,
and yet things look bright for it? I don’t know what goes on in these foreigners’ minds!

Alexander came to visit once, and he, too, said the same thing: ‘Ma, old chap, you’re made! The insurance company’ll compensate you for the stuff that was smashed. Your shop’s famous now. Hurry and get some goods in. Don’t let the opportunity slip, what!’

Mr Ma just couldn’t understand it at all.

In the evening, he stealthily went to see Manager Fan of the Top Graduate, firstly to discuss the sale of the antiques shop, and secondly to beg Manager Fan to try to make peace with the East End workmen for him. He would gladly give ten pounds apiece to the two workmen who’d been arrested. Manager Fan agreed to help him, and to top it off cooked him a dish of stuffed dumplings, and opened a bottle of grape wine for him. After a glassful of wine and two well-filled dumplings, Mr Ma let fall a tear of happiness.

On arriving home that night, he saw Ma Wei in cheerful conversation with Mrs Wedderburn and daughter, and felt rather jealous. The two ladies were treating Ma Wei like some hero, and suddenly looked down their noses at Mr Ma. He felt quite resentful towards them, especially Mrs Wedderburn. He sorely regretted he couldn’t drag her over and give her a couple of kicks, but he very much doubted whether he’d in fact get the better of her if it came to a fight. Foreign women are strong. What was even more infuriating was that Napoleon had stopped greeting him these last few days; Mr Ma hadn’t dared go out in the daytime lately, so hadn’t been able to take the Peke for a stroll. At the very sight of him, Napoleon had started to give a sneer.

There was nothing else for it but to go to bed, and bemoan his troubles to his late wife in his dreams . . . But he never saw her in his dreams.

M
A WEI
stood on the pavement at Marble Arch. The sun had long since set, and the people in the park had all gone. Before him he saw three shadows: a hopeless father, a faithful and sincere Li Tzu-jung, and a lovable Mary. He and his father couldn’t get along, and Mary refused his love. All he could do was let Li Tzu-jung down. It was time to clear off and leave the lot of them.

It was still dark in the room as he stood silently by Li Tzu-jung’s bed. The sound of Li Tzu-jung’s breathing was very even, and he slept like an innocent child. Ma Wei stood there some time, then quietly called, ‘Tzu-jung!’

Li Tzu-jung didn’t wake up. A warm tear from Ma Wei’s eye fell onto Li Tzu-jung’s bedclothes.

‘See you again sometime, Tzu-jung.’

How wretched and gloomy London was now that its people were all deep in sleep. The gas lamps still burned, shining with a lonely light, a deathly-pale glimmer. London seemed ghostly, with only those few lamps keeping their silent vigil. Watching; watching what? There wasn’t anything to see. London was dead, and didn’t even have a soul.

In another hour or two, London would spring to life once more. But Ma Wei didn’t wait to see it.

‘See you again sometime, London!’

‘See you again!’ a voice seemed to answer.

But whose?

Pinyin transliterations of Chinese names and expressions have been bracketed next to their Wade-Giles equivalents where the latter has fallen out of use.

revival of the Liberal Party
: The Liberal Party was the second largest political party in the UK in the nineteenth century but by the early twentieth century, they had lost much of their support as many voters went over to the Labour Party. The last majority Liberal government was elected in 1906.

Fu-hsi:
First mythical Emperor of China who reigned over four thousand years ago. According to legend, he taught the people how to write, hunt and fish, and is said to have discovered the
I Ching
.

President Yüan Shih-k’ai:
Yüan Shih-k’ai (Yuan Shikai) was the second president of the Republic of China. He proclaimed himself Emperor of China on 12 December 1915 but due to widespread opposition was forced to step down three months later on 22 March 1916.

M
ethodist Congregational Mission:
Mission of the American Methodist Episcopal Church.

Sun Yat-sen:
First president of the Republic of China.

Three Principles of the People:
A philosophical doctrine developed by Sun Yat-sen that became an underlying tenet of the Kuomintang Party. The three principles are Nationalism, Democracy and the Livelihood of the People.

National government:
The original National government, led by Sun Yat-sen based in Canton, was the southern rival to that of the northern Peiyang government during China’s Warlord Era. After the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, the National government, under the leadership of Chiang Kaishek, went on to nominally reunify China in 1928.

Buddhist rituals of the reception, third requiem and the release of the flame-mouth, and the burial:
Buddhist funereal rites common to northern China consist of: reception, on the day of death, when the deceased is cleaned and dressed for the afterlife; third requiem, on the third day following reception, involving a series of rituals and celebrations to ensure the deceased a peaceful ascent to heaven, and release of the flame-mouth when the possessions of the departed are burned for use in the afterlife. The family of the deceased will also hold a simple feast to thank relatives and friends who have participated. Finally, burial marks the transport and interment of the body, which is usually accompanied by a procession with music or drums.

‘long three’:
A piece in Chinese dominoes making up two sets of three whereby the indentations are arranged in a diagonal line across the domino piece.

Four Books:
The four philosophical primers:
Great Learning
by Tseng-tzu (Zeng Zi),
Doctrine of the Mean
by Tzu-ssu (Zi Si),
Analects
by Confucius, and
Mencius
, a collection of writings about the philosopher, Mencius, whose exact authorship is unclear.

Liu-li-ch’ang:
Liu-li-ch’ang (Liulichang) is a quarter of old Peking that specialised in the trade of traditional Chinese crafts and antiques. The area has, in modern times, become a popular tourist destination.

Ch’ien-men Gate:
The southern-most gate of Peking’s historic city wall, Ch’ien-men (Qianmen) Gate was the main entrance to the city in former times.

Shao-hsing wine:
A popular variety of fermented rice wine originating from modern-day Shao-hsing (Shaoxing), Chekiang province (Zhejiang), in eastern China.

fried triangles:
A traditional Peking street food consisting of a fried triangle-shaped pastry wrapper filled with meat and vegetables.

Ch’ing dynasty:
The last imperial dynasty of China, now referred to as the Qing dynasty, lasted from 1644 to 1912.

circuit intendant:
An official rank in the imperial civil service, a circuit intendant was the head of a circuit, consisting of two or more territorial departments. A circuit intendant is one rank lower than what is now equivalent to a provincial mayor in the Communist government.

Museum
: A station on the London Underground Central Line opened in 1900. It was closed in 1933 and a replacement station was opened at neighbouring Holborn.

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater:
Thomas Penson De Quincey’s autobiographical account of his experiences with opium, first published in 1821.

‘
The Moon Fairy Flees to the Moon’:
A saying derived from a popular legend about a woman who joins the ranks of the immortals and makes her home on the moon after her lover dies.

Szechwan-silk:
Szechwan (Sichuan) province in southern China is known for its silk production.

Great Beauty Restaurant:
A historic eatery established in 1808 in the Ch’ien-men Gate area of old Peking that originally specialised in Tz’u-chou (Suzhou) cuisine, but eventually grew to include dishes from both North and South China. See note to
Tz’u-chou
below for further explanation on Tz’u-chou.

K’un-ch’ü opera:
One of the oldest forms of Chinese opera, it is considered the progenitor of Peking opera, from which the latter grew out of in the eighteenth century. K’un-ch’ü (Kunqu) incorporates a mixture of drama, opera, ballet and poetry recital. See note to
Peking opera
for further explana tion of Peking opera.

Extending Virtue Theatre:
A Ming dynasty theatre located off Tashalai’erh (Dashilar) Street nearby Ch’ien-men Gate.

Sincere Department Store:
Formerly one of the ‘four great department stores’ of Shanghai, the Sincere Department Store was opened in October 1917 on Nanking (Nanjing) Road in central Shanghai.

Hsiang P’ien:
A popular variety of jasmine tea prized for its aromatic and fragrant taste, originating from Szechwan province.

Yüeh Lao
: A mythical Chinese deity synonymous with marriage and love who appears at night to unite all predestined couples with a strand of silk.

Four Archway Gates:
The name of a traditional architectural structure consisting of a series of four, three-arch gateways.

po-po cakes:
A traditional northern-Chinese cake made from wheat or maize flour.

kowtows:
A traditional bow of respect performed in a kneeling position, by the touching of the head to the floor, usually in sets of three.

Shantung
: A coastal province in eastern China.

Taoist philosopher:
is one of three primary schools of philosophy and religious tradition in China (the others being Confucianism and Buddhism) whose key text is the
Tao Te
Ching
, attributed to Lao Tzu. Practitioners of Taoism underline the importance of living in harmony with Tao (‘the way’) and focus on meta-ethical issues and practices such as finding the path to ecstasy and immortality.

Chuang Tzu
: An influential Taoist philosopher who lived in the fourth century
BCE

Man Friday:
The name of Robinson Crusoe’s dependable sidekick from Daniel Defoe’s
Robinson Crusoe
.

Chiang-ning silk
: A tough, satin-like silk originating from Nanking (Nanjing).

Kapok:
An organic cotton-like substance commonly used as stuffing.

Tientsin:
After the Second Opium War, the Treaty of Tientsin was ratified by the Emperor of China in 1860, effectively opening up the city to foreign trade. Tientsin became a treaty port and a sizeable expatriate community established itself.

Fukien lacquer:
Lacquerware originating from Fukien (Fujian) province in south-east China that was popular as a gift among royalty and foreign guests.

old Chang:
Chang Tso-lin was the leader of the Feng-t’ien faction during China’s Warlord Era. He became supreme ruler of Manchuria in 1920, and in 1926 managed to capture Peking and effectively declared himself leader of the republic a year later.

Shanghai horseraces:
The original Shanghai Race Club was founded by the British in 1862 occupying what is now the People’s Park and People’s Square in central Shanghai. The spring and autumn race days were marked occasions in the annual sporting calendar, and gambling on the horses became a huge pastime for both the local and foreign communities.

sempre legato:
Italian musical notation meaning to play continuously and smoothly.

fortissimo:
Italian musical notation meaning to play loudly.

The History of Mr Polly:
A comic novel written by H. G. Wells and published in 1910. Lao She has credited H. G. Wells as a source of inspiration for his writing.

Gamages
: A popular department store located at Holborn Circus that opened in 1878 and closed in 1972.

three immortals:
A popular name given to any dish based on three complementary ingredients of which shrimp is often a component.

Mongol and Manchu books:
Mongolian and Manchurian traditions were effectively supplanted by local Han culture towards the end of the Ch’ing dynasty and were often regarded as lesser cultures.

Field Marshal Chang
: See earlier note to
old Chang
.

Field Marshal Kuo:
A commander under Chang Tso-lin, Field Marshal Kuo Sung-ling unsuccessfully led a three-month rebellion against his commanding officer in 1925.

Twelve Heads:
A Ch’ing dynasty Manchu-to-Han pronunciation and transliteration guide that was used as a teaching aid for children.

Chu-ke Liang:
A famous military strategist from the Three Kingdoms period synonymous with intelligence and strategic guile, who features in much Chinese literature and drama.

I-hsing pot
: A type of traditional teapot used to brew tea. The teapot is made from I-hsing clay originating from Chiang-su (Jiangsu) province.

Tz’u-chou:
A city close to Shanghai in Chiang-su province famed for its intricate private gardens and canals. Suzhou, as it is now called, has a rich cultural history and is known for its traditional crafts and industry.

Ming:
The Ming dynasty was the last dynasty ruled by the ethnically Han Chinese, lasting from 1368 to 1644
BCE
. Arts and crafts, particularly porcelain and lacquerware, flourished, and by the sixteenth century, an exclusive export market catering for European tastes had developed.

Asia
magazine:
A popular American magazine in the twenties and thirties that featured journalism about Asia and its people. Pearl S. Buck was an editor and eventual co-owner.

Bernard Shaw:
George Bernard Shaw was a prolific Irish playwright and literary critic who wrote more than fifty plays. He continued to write through his nineties, leaving a final and unfinished play,
Why She Would Not
, upon his death at age ninety-four.

London Missionary Society:
A non-denominational missionary society formed by Anglicans and nonconformists in 1795 whose presence expanded globally into a network of largely autonomous congregations.

Peking opera:
An extremely popular operatic form in the Ch’ing dynasty that grew out of K’un-ch’ü opera in the eighteenth century. Peking opera is characterised by a mixture of music, song, mime, dance and acrobatics.

Hsi-p’i:
One of two principle melodies in Peking opera (the other being Erh-huang), generally characterised by a quick and lively tempo.

School of Oriental Studies:
The University of London School of Oriental Studies, now known as the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

catty:
A catty is a Chinese unit of mass approximately equal to 500 grams.

Grand Marshal of the Army:
Officially, the Grand Marshal of the Army and Navy was the highest military rank of the early Republic of China. Sun Yat-sen, Yüan Shih-k’ai and Chang Tso-lin were all grand marshals.

Olympia:
An exhibition centre in West Kensington, London, first erected in 1886 as the National Agricultural Hall.

Three Immortals convent:
A nunnery established since 1151 in the Buddhist monastery area of Pa-ta ch’u, to the northwest of old Peking.

Lung Ching tea:
A popular variety of green tea from Hangchow (Hangzhou), China that was named an imperial tea by Emperor Kang-hsi in the Ch’ing dynasty.

chop suey:
A dish invented in America by Chinese immigrants consisting of meat and eggs, stir-fried with sliced vegetables.

windlasses:
A leveraging pulley system allowing the vertical transport of heavy objects, such as to bring water up from a well.

‘During the Festival of Pure Light, the rain is coming down wildly’:
A famous line from the poem ‘Ch’ing Ming’ by the Tang dynasty poet, Tu Mu. Ch’ing Ming Festival is celebrated on the 104th day after the winter solstice, usually early April, to honour and tend to one’s ancestral graves.

hsiao-kua:
A traditional tight-fitting shirt

if she goes to court
: See note to
breach of promise
below.

Welwyn Garden City:
Founded in 1920, Welwyn Garden City was the second of England’s Garden Cities, which were originally designed as self-contained communities surrounded by green belts with equal proportions of residence, industry and agriculture