風 (Wind / Spirit)
I’ve waited for you for a long time. Where did you go?
We have made a mysterious disappearance.
Why did you disappear?
Character spirits don’t just come and go upon command.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way!
In fact, we took some time to sort out our memories.
Do character spirits also need to organize their memories?
There’s no helping it, we've been dormant for a long time, it’s been over a hundred years since we last flexed our muscles.
Our combinations aren’t as flexible as before.
So, to avoid speaking nonsense, we need to practice a bit.
Practice what?
Forming sentences.
Constructing sentences requires good cooperation. If the words do not harmonize, or are arbitrarily paired, it will cause problems.
I see. How is your practice going?
We’re getting the hang of it. That’s why we came back to you.
You’re diligent! Let's talk about the story of Robert Morrison learning Chinese.
It was indeed a groundbreaking endeavor.
At that time, there were hardly any Europeans who truly understood Chinese.
What do you mean by understanding?
To read, write, listen, speak, and translate.
Before Morrison departed for the East, he only studied with Yong Sam-tak, a Chinese living in England, for half a year.
But I heard that Yong’s Chinese wasn’t that good.
So, you can’t even say Morrison had a basic grasp.
Just a drop in the bucket.
The only Chinese books he read were a New Testament translated by an unknown Catholic priest found in the British Museum, and a Latin-Chinese dictionary.
With such rudimentary equipment, he set off.
It’s like going to battle with a rusty, blunt sword.
He had to forge a new sword on the battlefield.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, without any support, he fought alone.
But hadn’t Macau already become a Portuguese colony? And the British had a trading post in Guangzhou, right?
What you might not know is, apart from the Chinese who rejected the barbarians, the Catholic Church and the British East India Company were also very hostile to Protestant missionaries.
The Qing Emperor expressly prohibited foreigners from preaching. The East India Company, in order to avoid upsetting the court and affecting trade, refused to let Morrison board their ships.
It was the beginning of the 19th century. After the failure of Macartney Embassy to China, the British still held some caution towards the Qing court. They strictly adhered to the court’s requirements, only engaging in limited trade activities in Guangzhou. They also expressly instructed their citizens not to violate the Qing prohibitions, one of which was not to preach in China.
Therefore, Robert Morrison had to first sail to the United States, obtain an American passport, and travel to China on an American ship under American identity.
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