Envoi
Envoi • n 1793 , in the midst of the French Revolution, Lord Macartney led • a great and grand fleet of ships from Britain on an embassy to China. • Hi s objective, which h e faile d t o achieve, was t o put a n en d t o th e m privation s an d indignitie s suffere d b y Britis h merchant s tradin g i n m Canto n and Macao and to establish a permanent diplomatic presence accredited t o th e Imperia l Cour t i n Peking . Th e fleet saile d firs t south eastwards , crossin g th e Equato r t o Ri o d e Janeiro, an d the n o n a lon g haul across the southern Atlanti c and round th e Cap e of Good Hope. It sailed across the southern Indian Ocean, through the Sunda Straits, northeastwards following the coast of Indo-China, called at Macao, and finall y went u p rive r t o Tientsin . M y wife Jane an d I were curiou s t o se e th e place where thi s firs t seriou s effor t b y th e Britis h t o establis h relation s with China had come to such an ignominious conclusion . Travelling fro m Beijing , i t had take n seve n day s for Macartne y an d his entourage t o cover the distance to Jehol (moder n Chengde) , beyond the Great Wall, where the Emperor was relaxing for the summer. It took us al l o f fiv e hour s i n a touris t coach . Macartne y travelle d i n a horse drawn carriage , lurching, bumping and grinding ove r the narrow, rock y and dusty summer track and winding through the low mountains nort h of the wall until he reached the yurts, the conical tents, of the Manchus, the summer residence of the Emperor and his court . Chengde is a place of Buddhist temples and a fine lamasery (a Tibetan or Mongolia n monaster y fo r lamas) . W e toile d u p th e slope , passin g Envoi n 1793, in the midst of the French Revolution, Lord Macartney led a great and grand fleet ofships from Britain on an embassy to China. His objective, which he failed to achieve, was to put an end to the privations and indignities suffered by British merchants trading in Canton and Macao and to establish a permanent diplomatic presence accredited to the Imperial Court in Peking. The fleet sailed first southeastwards , crossing the Equator to Rio de janeiro, and then on a long haul across the southern Atlantic and round the Cape of Good Hope. It sailed across the southern Indian Ocean, through the Sunda Straits, northeastwards following the coast of Indo-China, called at Macao, and finally went up river to Tientsin. My wife jane and I were curious to see the place where this first serious effort by the British to establish relations with China had come to such an ignominious conclusion. Travelling from Beijing, it had taken seven days for Macartney and his entourage to cover the distance to jehol (modem Chengde), beyond the Great Wall, where the Emperor was relaxing for the summer. It took us all of five hours in a tourist coach. Macartney travelled in a horsedrawn carriage, lurching, bumping and grinding over the narrow, rocky and dusty summer track and winding through the low mountains north of the wall until he reached the yurts, the conical tents, of the Manchus, the summer residence of the Emperor and his court. Chengde is a place ofBuddhist temples and a fine lamasery (a Tibetan or Mongolian monastery for lamas). We toiled up the slope, passing Feeling the Stones through numerou s worshippin g hall s to reach th e crimso n wall s o f th e temple a t th e summi t whic h towere d u p lik e a smalle r versio n o f th e Potala in Lhasa. There, out of breath and with aching knees, we climbe d the many steps of the staircase across the wall to the quadrangle of shrines set in the top, each with carmin e pillars, blue bracketed roof and yello w tiles, until we reached Buddha glinting gold in the gloom. There from th e roof we could look across Chengde to the forests and mountains beyond. This was...
OR
