Seance 1 - 風 (Wind/Spirit)
Hong Kong Type #8
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.
This young man was only twenty-five years old at that time, fearless of heaven and earth.
In his heart, there was only God and the mission God entrusted to him — to save the souls of China.
He wanted to be an envoy of God, driven by the divine wind.
The divine wind is the Holy Spirit.
Robert Morrison was born in 1782, in Northumberland in Northern England, but his father was from Scotland. Note that many missionaries later were Scots.
When Robert was three, his family moved to Newcastle. He grew up in Newcastle and, due to family circumstances, didn't have the opportunity for higher education. In his teens, he apprenticed in his father's shoe last workshop.
But he yearned for another workshop: the workshop of the soul.
The workshop of the soul? Do souls need to be forged in a workshop?
That’s probably a metaphor for the Industrial Revolution.
Some say that Protestantism is the religion of the Industrial Revolution and capitalism.
From grazing on the grasslands, to sowing seeds in the fields, to forging in the workshop.
The trilogy of saving souls.
Hence, Morrison is referred to as the “great master of evangelism.”
The combination of these words is somewhat jarring.
Alright, alright, can you stop nitpicking over words!
Because his father was an elder in the Presbyterian Church and prayer groups met in his workshop weekly, Morrison, from a young age, was well-versed in the Bible and cultivated a devout faith.
When Robert was seventeen, he was deeply moved after reading The Evangelical Magazine and The Missionary Magazine. This spurred his ambition to preach in foreign countries. However, due to his attachment to his mother, he had to set aside this aspiration temporarily.
At twenty, after the death of his mother and inspired by the call of the Holy Spirit, he disregarded his father’s objections and applied to the newly-established London Missionary Society, volunteering to preach in China.
After three years of theological, language, and limited scientific training, Morrison set off in January 1807, first sailing to New York on the “Remittance” and then transferring to the American ship “Trident” to China.
May I ask, what kind of organization is the London Missionary Society?
Good question! The London Missionary Society plays an important role in our story.
Since the Protestant Reformation, many independent churches adopting congregational or Presbytery systems were established outside of the state religion Anglican Church. These factions, opposing conservative doctrines and authority, and upholding a spirit of autonomy, particularly emphasized the spirit of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles in the New Testament, which led to a large-scale missionary movement to various parts of the world in the 19th century.
Established in 1795, the London Missionary Society was an overseas missionary organization comprising Reformed churches and other non-Anglican denominations. Robert Morrison was the pioneer dispatched to China by the Society.
The three tasks given to Morrison by the London Missionary Society weren’t to evangelize, but to learn the Chinese language and script, translate the Bible, and compile a dictionary.
These form the foundation of spreading the holy teachings. Without these three, evangelism is just empty talk.
On September 4, 1807, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, Robert Morrison arrived off the coast of Macau on board the “Trident.”
The time is very precise!
We numbers are meticulous, unlike other characters that can be ambiguous.
Hey, who’s ambiguous then?
Cough, cough! At that time, the weather was terrible. It was raining heavily and the sea was dark and gloomy.
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the waters.
Is this from Genesis?
It’s the Book of Genesis and its Generations, also known as the “Ngak Nei Sai Shu”.
The wording seems a bit strange.
It’s Morrison’s translation.
God said, let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. He named the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day.
Two days later, in the evening, Morrison switched boats and arrived in Guangzhou. He saw numerous small vessels on the shore, huddling like beasts, with thousands of masts resembling a dark forest. In the forest floated countless spectral points of light. These were incense-sticks offered to Bodhisattvas. Passing through the air as turbid as hellish smoke, Morrison silently asked himself: Who can lead these people, who worship clay idols, towards the living God?
There are countless Bodhisattvas in China. How can the one true God be spread through the fragile hands of one person? No matter how strong the faith, this young novice must have felt shocked and anxious at the time.
Proclaim it! Holy ones, messengers of God!
My friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. If a spirit acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, it is from God. And if it does not, it is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
This ancient text is a bit hard to understand.
We are from the wind, those who recognize the divine listen to us, those who do not come from the wind, do not listen to us. In this way, we can distinguish between the true god and the false gods.
Is this from the New Testament?
First Epistle of John, Chapter 4.
Alright, alright, the divine wind brought Morrison here. Did he start preaching as soon as he landed?
Not at all! The place where Morrison landed is called Thirteen Factories, located outside the city of Guangzhou, on the north bank of the Pearl River. At the time, the gateways of China were shut tight, strictly forbidding foreigners to set foot on its soil. Foreign merchants were only allowed to stay within the Thirteen Factories during the annual trading season. For the rest of the time, they had to stay in Macau. This area consisted of a row of rectangular buildings, separated by alleys, with each building owned by a different foreign trading company. These included the Dutch House, the British House, the French House, the American House, totaling thirteen. Additionally, there was a China House for the Chinese merchants. The foreign merchants were monitored and restricted by the Chinese merchants, giving them no freedom of movement. Women and clergy were strictly prohibited, and only merchants and sailors were allowed. Moreover, foreigners were forbidden to spread their religions or learn the Chinese language. Violators faced severe punishments.
So, Morrison couldn’t do anything then?
Almost. Perhaps, if it had been someone else, they might have given up earlier.
His determination and willpower are truly commendable.
When he first arrived in Guangzhou, he hardly had a place to stay. He couldn’t show himself in public and didn’t speak the local language. He holed up in his room all day, intensively reading Chinese books. He privately hired locals to teach him Chinese, and even that had to be done surreptitiously.
It’s as if he came to China but never saw the real China.
Where is the real China? Isn’t the spirit of the real China in its characters?
This man had such a stubborn and persistent personality, best suited to wrestle with words.
Writing can consume all of a person’s energy.
Morrison was young, he had the fortitude to resist. Mental distress and physical exhaustion couldn’t defeat him.
In less than two years, his Chinese proficiency greatly improved. He earned the recognition of President John William Roberts, who hired him as a translator for the East India Company. Consequently, he gained an official residence status and a considerable income. For many years, Morrison did not draw a salary from the London Missionary Society, and even funded the missionary cause from his own earnings.
He built his empire entirely by his own strength.
Achieving the ability to act independently, and the conditions for self-determination.
Perhaps he was too independent?
Missionaries engaging in secular, non-proselytizing activities would later become the subject of quibbling and criticism.
Morrison did not forget the instructions from his mother church. In his spare time, he diligently translated the Bible and compiled dictionaries.
However, his missionary results were barely satisfactory. After seven years in China, he baptized only one person, the first Protestant convert in China.
This man was named Tsae Ko, and he was baptized in a secluded place by the beach in Macau where spring water flowed.
How to deal with the stubborn Chinese? What to do?
To shatter their idols and superstitions, one must first break through the barrier of their written language. To conquer the behemoth of Chinese characters, one must employ the most powerful weapon from the West — movable type printing.
After mastering the use of Chinese, Morrison attempted to print parts of the Bible and the missionary pamphlets he wrote himself. The first method he adopted was the commonly used woodblock printing in China at that time.
Bear in mind that this was a very risky and illegal act.
Why is that? Wasn't printing allowed?
In 1811, Emperor Jiaqing issued a decree that targeted foreigners who spread Catholicism, secretly printed religious texts, and established churches. Those proven to be leaders were sentenced to death by hanging; others who propagated the religion but didn’t have a significant following were also severely punished. Those who were only converted without promoting the religion were sent to Heilongjiang and enslaved.
That sounds quite severe.
The decree was originally aimed at Catholic missionaries and believers, but Morrison, a Protestant, was not exempt. Despite being cautious and secretive, information was leaked and he was cracked down by the government. Not only were all of his engraved plates destroyed and all prior efforts wasted, but even the craftsmen involved were implicated and sentenced to prison.
Morrison realized that he had to find another way.
Casting movable type?
Miss Talented, you’re being impatient again.
Well, it’s movable type, but it wasn’t cast. It was carved letter by letter.
The president of the British trading house in Guangzhou, John Elphinstone, upon learning that Morrison was compiling a Chinese dictionary, saw it as beneficial for future Sino-British affairs. He wrote letters convincing the Company board to sponsor the production costs. The Company not only dispatched the professional printer Peter Thoms from England but also shipped a Western printing press to Macau to establish the East India Company’s Press, which was entirely managed by Morrison.
In the following years, the printing house successively employed Chinese, Bengali, and Portuguese workers to carve on the metal bodies one by one, with the total number of movable types exceeding 200,000.
Starting in 1815 and completed by 1823, the dictionary became the first Chinese-English dictionary in the world. It was formatted in a quarto size, comprising six large volumes and 5,000 pages. In 1828, a dictionary titled Vocabulary of the Canton Dialect was also printed.
Here comes the number maniac again.
It’s a fact! A fact!
Having completed his mission, before returning to England in 1824, Peter Thoms used the type to print his translation of the romance novel Chinese Courtship, including selected biographies from New Praises of One Hundred Beauties. It was published in a Chinese-English parallel text format.
In 1827, Goethe borrowed this book from a library in Germany. He was particularly attracted to the "Adorable Women" in the appendix and translated four of the articles into German, mistakenly attributing them to "Chinese female poets".
It’s all just stories! Just stories!
After the Macau press completed its mission, the East India Company decided to close it. The first set of Western-style Chinese movable type, carved from steel, was donated to a printing house established by the American missionary Samuel W. Williams.
In 1856, during the Second Opium War between China and Britain, a major fire broke out in the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou, causing the complete destruction of Morrison’s movable types.
Our story is just beginning.
We are cast, not carved.
We won’t be burnt.
We will last forever.
As long as the matrix exists.
The character exists with the matrix.
If the matrix is lost, the character is lost.
The character exists... the character is lost...
[To be continued]