I do not own Rorouni Kenshin, bla, bla, bla...(Ah…You already knew
that…Good)
Note: Be warned. It will include violence, some use of profane
language, and will include some extent of explicit sexual content, so
keep on reading at your own risk.
The story begins few month before the events of Kyoto Arc, so it will
include spoilers and some elements from it as well as from the Revenge
Arc too, although my fic will not follow either the anime or the
manga, and I will break some canon rules.
Note: I want to express my gratitude towards Mir, from the Tales from Meiji Era site.( )
Mir has been helping me with this and the improvement in the vocabulary and grammar through this chapter is due to Mir's kindness and supervision. Mir also has edited and improved the fic with wonderful suggestions. Thanks again for your time and effort!
Thanks, Mir! I hope there are more people like you around!
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The sand
rose in high clouds against the horizon line, moving towards them
slowly. It was the unmistakable sign of a caravan, since marauders stalked
their prizes in quick and relatively small groups.
In spite of his weakness, Enishi was able to help the woman dismantle the tent
and to load it on the back of the camel.
Then, they mounted and rode toward the advancing column.
Enishi was ahead Asiyah, and before she could utter a word, he had located the
caravan's chieftain and made arrangements to join the group. After the
initial
shock and anger for what she took for an abrupt example of authoritarian
interference to her decisions, Asiyah admitted that the step taken by Enishi
had indeed been the wisest. In these regions the opinion or words of a
woman were worth as much as a handful of the sand that surrounded them in the
wind. Simply, the boss of the caravan would not have even stopped to speak with
her, let alone taken her seriously.
Or perhaps worse. Maybe, they would have tried to enslave or rape her. And
then she wouldn't have had any other resource than to fight....
It was not that she couldn't have handled them herself. She might have been
exiled forever from the Kingdom of the Jinn, but she maintained each and every
one of her powers. In fact, they would increase with the passing of time as
much as if she had remained among her kind. However, if she had to live among
humans, she would have to stay within their social rules, customs, and laws, as
irritating as they would be to her. And the sudden change from a hierarchical
and matriarchal society, to an equally hierarchical but absolutely macho and
patriarchal one was truly disturbing and annoying as hell.
After the Elders' sentenced and expulsed her, her initial plan had been to
proceed directly to one of the big cities in the interior of China and to
leave the human there. However, she thought that perhaps if he awakened while
he was still in the desert, he would be less suspicious and ask fewer questions
than if he suddenly found himself in Beijing or one of the big imperial cities.
So she chose a place she knew would be crossed by a caravan in a few hours,
giving the human enough time to wake up and to receive some simple and
hopefully
convincing explanations.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. In spite of the evident
discomfort of riding, perhaps due to his days of immobility and the residual
pain of his wounds, he seemed to be recovered enough to let him be on his own
as soon as they came to any resting place.
It was settled.
At the very moment they arrived at Dunhuang, she would leave him and would
vanish herself...literally speaking. She didn't want any reminder of her
misery around her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
As they advanced along the road, Yukishiro Enishi grew more and more absorbed
in the careful review of the circumstances that had landing him in his present
situation.
After years of unproductive negotiation he had finally achieved a very
beneficial alliance with the bosses that dominated the Western part of China
(and consequently the very lucrative Silk Route... and opium).
Xian Zedong, the head of the opium trade with America, had proven crucial
to his success because it was he who had put him in touch with his own
"connections" in the barren West of China. He was very respected
among the
elder bosses, but he admired Enishi for his boldness and he sponsored him
in a certain way, although Enishi was a foreigner, a Japanese to be precise,
and Chinese never were too fond of the islanders.
As Enishi was not interested in the opium trade, he was neither a competitor
nor a threat for Xian. His sole interest rested in the smuggling of
weapons, and Central Asia was a very promising place for such activities.
With the wars between the Englishmen and Afghan, the perennial uncertainty in
Persia, and the Russian expansionism in the area, not to mention the frequent
uprisings against British colonial power in the India, the area assured
interesting and continuous dividends for those bold enough to invest in
there.
But there were also very high risks involved. The region was under the control
of western dealers, and the gaijin governments tried to internally destabilize
the rival powers colonies in the area, supporting and feeding the internal
strife of the region. Enishi was certain that the intervention of "free
investors" like himself would not be welcome.
The Russians provided weapons for the Indians and Afghan tribes so that they
would attack the Englishmen. The Englishmen sold weapons to the Persian so
that they could attack the Russians. The Germans provisioned the Turks and sent
them "military advisors," also against the Russians, Persians and
Englishmen...
And they went about their dealings with imprudence although sometimes they even
used respectable commercial facades like the Company of the East India... or
even not so respectable smugglers. However, the cost of such interferences from
the Westerners was too high and not always in gold or material values. To deal
with them was as tricky as to sell one's soul to the Devil. They didn't make
their dealings a business among equals -- their actual goal always was to
occupy
and colonize all of the Far East, imposing colonial slavery, their culture and
way of life, and absolute authority over all the non-white inhabitants.
And he truly hated Westerners.
He had very personal reasons for it.
The Incident of the Black Ships and Perry, the American who forced Japan to
open its boundaries to the trade and corrupt influence of Western powers, was
the spark that had ignited the bloody years of the Bakumatsu no Doran, which
concluded with the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate régime and the establishment of
the new Meiji Government.
It had meant the termination of the world of his childhood and the death of his
entire family.
If the Westerners have not been so greedy, they would have left Japan
alone.
And the war would have not exploded.
Kyosato Akira, his sister's fiancée, would never had gone to Kyoto, and
therefore he would not had died at Hitokiri Battousai's hands. Tomoe
would
have been married to her fiancée, and she would never have left
Edo.
And most importantly, she would still have been alive.
The forest near Otsu, the damned murderer's shining blade piercing through
flesh and white silk, and his sister's blood spilling onto the snow, all these
things would be nothing but a horrible nightmare created by some demon of the
night haunting him on his sleep -- and not the oppressive reality that plagued
every minute of his days.
Oh, yes...He had very good reasons to hate the Westerners [1]. Almost as much
as
he hated Hitokiri Battousai -- His own brother by marriage. His sister's
murderer.
And nothing could prevent him from exact his revenge from each one of
them.
To sell weapons to the rebels, marauders and smugglers of the area of Central
Asia, was for him not only a good, profitable source of income, but a subtle
form of reprisal. At least he contributed in the general effort to plague the
easy life of the Westerners in the region. He produced the most sophisticated
weapons in Shanghai taking advantage of the western domain of the city. [2] It
allowed him to get extra facilities to bribe the corrupt officials who came to
the city with the intent of getting rich, while he smuggled via America the
more
expected weapons, rifles and guns.
As for the Meiji government of Japan and Battousai himself, he had in mind
something very special for both... A cruel grin formed on his lips.
He put aside his thoughts of vengeance to ponder again on more recent events.
The meeting had been a complete success.
However, while on their return, their group had been unexpectedly ambushed. The
guides had been the first targets of the attack, and the intention was clear
from the beginning that if anyone survived the attack, it would not be they who
escaped the merciless claws of the desert. Quite an excellent plan that he
himself could have devised: to wait for the negotiations to be concluded,
ambush
the group, and then harvest the fruits of the encounter. The apparent expertise
of planning brought him to the conclusion that either another one of the bosses
of Shanghai had wanted to take his organization (highly improbable), or one of
his close associates had tried to betray him. The most logical option was
second
one, of course.
Almost all of his men had been killed during the first moments. But the
attackers hadn't constituted any challenge for him, and those that had survived
the counterattack of his few surviving men, were not so lucky against his gun
and sword.
Once finished with the attackers, he and two of his companions, all three
wounded, tried to make their way back on their tracks, looking for some safe
place, but the sand dunes were very tricky, and without an expert guide it was
a
hopeless task to try to find the right path. The sand dunes changed place
continually, erasing the prints that they had left, and in a few hours, they
understood that they were completely lost.
His two companions lasted only one day because of their
wounds.
He took their remaining provisions and their water and it continued ahead,
hoping to cross with a caravan by a miracle of some sort. He wandered for what
he thought it was near ten days, the first four ones riding his faithful
Mongolian horse, until it couldn't take the effort anymore and died from sheer
exhaustion. Then, he continued stubbornly ahead, walking and refusing to fall.
He had a promise to fulfill to his sister, and that alone was enough to prevent
him from becoming an easy prey to Death.
Fortune seemed to smile upon him once again, as it had when he'd been rescued
from certain death so many years ago in the dirty alleys of Shanghai. The woman
close to him and her unseen brother had liberated him once again of fate's
clutches.
As they rode, he looked at the strange woman by his side. She didn't seem too
concerned for their brother's fortune, although she had striven to make him
feel comfortable since he had wakened up. Something extremely curious for a
normal sister... or at least what he considered normal, which didn't always
seem
to coincide with what the other people said in this respect.
If he wasn't so certain that no woman could survive on her own in such a wild
and barren place, he wouldn't have any doubt about the nonexistence of the
supposed brother.
When he helped her to dismantle the tent, he found a gun and bullets among the
utensils. For caution, he loaded it and hid it among his own clothes. If by any
chance, she dared to try to betray him, then he might not kill her, but without
a doubt he would make her pay. After all, there were things far worse than
death. Especially for women.
He looked at her again, now taking his time to study her in full detail. She
wore a long saffron cotton tunic, and her head was partially covered with a
sort
of loose veil, but her hair was exposed enough to entice the casual observer's
eye to settled upon it. It was of the most incredible shade of crimson, a not
very common color for this part of the world, and her locks flashed as if
sparks
sprouted with her every movement. He had a sudden dejà vú -- the same color of
Battousai's.
As if she could felt the rage building inside him, she gave him an questioning
glare. The snow-white skin, the wide emerald green almond-shaped eyes, and the
golden dancing sparks on them spoke to him that the similarities weren't
contained in the color of the hair she and Battousai shared.
The skin of Battousai was white, and Enishi made the assumption that his mother
was gaijin. His lavender eyes, quite uncommon even for a gaijin, and the fire
of
his hair, pointed to the same conclusion. The skin of Asiyah was even whiter,
almost a translucent porcelain, and the color of her eyes and hair also
revealed
at least a mixed origin. On the other hand, both of their features, Battousai
as
much as Asiyah, exhibited typical oriental characteristics, although in her
case
it was not either Chinese or Japanese inheritance. Most likely she was the
result of the union between a British soldier and a Hindu woman.
That turned her into something quite exotic and attractive.
He wondered again about her being all alone. Any bandit or unscrupulous
caravan
boss could make a little fortune selling her to a pleasure house or as
concubine, quite a common event when there was the opportunity to seize any
attractive woman alone.
He was still caught in that train of thoughts, hoping not to come to any
problems because of her, when he noticed that she was being all too polite for
their own good with one of the chieftain's retainers. He almost fell off his
horse in surprise
Definitively that woman was crazy.
He approached both her and the man and shot at him a stare as cold as death,
moving his clothes just enough to give him clear view of the gun, making it
clear to other man that he was looking for trouble if he remained there.
The man figured out his message and leave them alone.
"What the hell do you think you're are doing?" He hissed at her
through clenched
teeth while carefully regarding their surroundings.
"W-what?"
With an abrupt gesture, he removed her hand from the reins and took them.
"Where do you think we'll be if you keep being so obvious? Hide your hair
and
your face as much as you can, and keep your eyes down. And try to keep a
lower
profile, for Kami's sake! Don't speak or look anybody. You could give someone
ideas about making some easy money. If something happens and it's because
of
some stupid thing that you've caused yourself, I won't move a finger to defend
you.
"How nice of you... You are sooo kind."
"Definitely," he puffed. He resolved to stay close to the silly
girl for the
balance of the trip, to prevent her from getting them into trouble.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After the incident she looked at the arrogant human male in
rage.
Although he was right, she still expected some kindness and courtesy since she
had been the one who'd saved his life. Besides, she also could give a good
lesson to any idiot with the crazed the idea of molesting her. And she would
never need any male's help to beat the crap out of those, less from a simple
and
weak human male....
Looking at it closely, she couldn't help to smile at the very the idea of the
man "protecting her," although his way of doing it so were rough and
impolite.
And definitively, he was taking the role, riding so close to her that she could
feel their knees touching, so close indeed as to make it clear to the others
that she was not alone at all.
She shook slightly her head, repressing a laughter that struggled to leave her
throat.
At least, she laughed.
The last hours had been so unreal...
- - - - - - - - - -
The world had crumbled on her head the very moment that the three Elders had
stepped into her place.
They had never seen there in fifty years, and for that reason she has no doubt
at
all in her mind that somebody had seen her and revealed her actions, in spite
of
all her precautions.
As she had been warned, the sentence was final. She would pass the rest of her
material existence in the world of the humans, without any chance of returning
to the Kingdom of the Jinn.
However, she didn't leave without giving a good fight. She lifted her voice
high
and clear and told them all those things she had kept in her heart for almost
her whole life...
But, although she left the kingdom keeping her dignity, the pain didn't stop
and it was hardly bearable. She would never enjoy again the company of
those
of her kind. No human, no matter how hard they might try, could ever understand
the anguishes, happiness or experiences of a Jinn. They very
natures were so
different that it was impossible.
- - - - - - - - - -
She sighed and looked again to her side.
She smiled again, but this time there was sadness in the expression. She was
thinking about God playing a practical joke on her.
She had made a bet and lost everything she loved, and she had made it for a
harsh, rude, and arrogant human....
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, after five days of exhausting march and a couple of halts in two
unfortunate oasis, they arrived to Dunhuang, without any further incidents
except a couple of small fights which Enishi managed to finish just seconds
after they had begun. After those, nobody dared to approach them.
Definitely, he made an excellent bodyguard...
Apart from this, things did not change too much during the rest of the
voyage.
Enishi was not very talkative. He didn't engage in banal chats neither he
thrust himself into other people's lives. On the other hand, neither had he
allowed them to enter his. When he spoke, it was measured, precise and sharp as
the edge of a good sword, and he was, as she had discovered quite bluntly,
rather authoritarian.
In spite of this, the prospect of leaving from him was not completely
satisfying. She simply wanted to hit her head against the next wall for
harboring such thoughts.
In fact, she didn't still know why she was attracted to the human in first
place.
She tried to soothe herself with the thought of him being her only acquaintance
in the new world, although she knew she was lying to herself, since it was not
her first time among humans.
But the decision had already been made.
Once inside the city walls, they parted with the rest of the caravan. Clearly,
he seemed to know where to go, because after a short while, they were at the
door of a small store.
"Come with me. Here are my people. They will help you find your brother
and your
family inside the city. Meanwhile, you will be able to rest, to give yourself a
warm bath and to eat some decent food."
"I..."
"If I had wished to do any harm to you I had a lot of opportunities out in
the
desert, you know. Don't be afraid. Now, let's go," he said
impatiently,
offering her his hand to help her to dismount.
Evidently, he misinterpreted her apparent doubt. She simply wanted to leave him
in a safe place and to vanish as quickly as possible.
Things got complicated...
Once inside the store, the old man who was behind the desk almost suffered a
heart attack at the sight of Enishi standing right in front of him. It seemed
as if he had seen a ghost... His terrorized screams attracted a group of bulky
and armed men who seemed just as amazed at the sight of Enishi.
"Are you going to stand there the whole day looking at me, idiots?"
"B-b-boss..." the one who seem in charge said with a semi-catatonic
expression.
"You are alive..."
"Could it be otherwise? I still have things to finish, and I cannot
possibly
die yet." He grunted while he forced his way into the building, pushing
aside
the men who blocked his path. "Send a message to Wu warning him that
the
reports about my death have been largely exaggerated. I want a detailed report
of ALL the events during my absence. And assist the lady who came with me.
Give her all she asks for. She is under my personal protection, so whoever
bothers her will have to face me afterward... Ah, she lost her brother in the
desert, find him. And look for her relatives in the city and warn them that
she's safe. And protected. Bring them to me. I need to talk to them."
"These things are not necessary..." Asiyah felt trapped.
"I insist," Enishi said in a tone that didn't allow further
discussions, looking
at her with a commanding stare. "Give the names and whereabouts of
your kin to
my men, and they will bring your family here. Now, I'll leave you. I will take
a
bath, and then I'll try to catch some sleep. I strongly advice you to do the
same. I will see you at dinner."
Damnit! Damnit! What will I say to them?... Think quickly...
Enishi's men definitely feared him very much, that she could tell.
They looked at Asiyah, studying her but out of the corner of their eyes. They
surely feared their boss's anger if they did something to offended her... That
fact bred in her an amount of curiosity as to what kind of fellow Enishi was to
cause such ferocious looking men to panic in his presence. But, these
musings
were not her immediate concern. She had never been in Dunhuang before, nor had
she any kind of contacts, not to mention relatives in the city.
Putting her
mind to work at full speed, she made up some data and names before she was
brought to a wide room, spartanly-furniture but nonetheless very
comfortable.
She would have a little time to disappear before they discovered that the
information she's give was them was fake...
She walked up to a desk that was in the room, and she searched for some paper
and ink to write a note. A small pouch appeared from nowhere on her hand. She
whispered a few words that opened a magic portal, and she left the room without
looking back.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I want to know everything about her and her family, and I want them to
have the
appropriate provisions from now on. If one of them has problems or needs
work,
you will solve it immediately if you are interested in pleasing me. From now
on, you will
keep me posted about them and their welfare. Go to Luang's and buy a dozen of
his very best dresses in stock. She is petite, so look for something
proper.
Tell him to write them down on my bill. Make sure that the girl is
comfortable
on her quarters." Enishi closed the eyes and leaned back in the
tub. "Ah...
after you find her family... convince them... quietly and not within her
hearing... that she will be safer if she comes with me to Shanghai."
"I placed two guards outside her room as you ordered. Li and Xuen are searching
for her relatives. I have also sent a group to search for her brother. And I
already sent the news of your return to Shanghai."
"Well then, all matters are already taken care of, at least at the moment.
Leave
me alone. Come and wake me up me as soon as you have news concerning the
girl
and her people. And make the cooks prepare a decent dinner for both of us. Now,
get out!"
After his bath, he dressed and he threw himself into bed. He needed to rest.
The
road to Shanghai was a very long one....
He was awakened by a knocking at his door. The sun had set, leaving the room
cloaked in darkness. He got up and opened the door just to find a very
frightened man in front of him.
From his expression, Enishi knew that he didn't bring good news. The man
sweated
and trembled from head to toe. Two men, looking even more miserable were
standing behind him.
"What-happened?" he asked, clearly marking every word. He stood
solidly with
his arms crossed across his chest
"It's is the girl...."
"What about her?"
"The information she provided us with... nobody knows her nor of the
relatives
in the area she told us to look for..." the man muttered but then hurried
to
add, "but then we could have misunderstood her, or her family could
be in
another part of the city...."
"I'll ask her myself. Surely, you've omitted something in your usual
pattern
of incompetence."
Enishi knocked on the door of her room, but received no response. Finally,
after
knocking again, he cracked the door just wide enough to peek inside, just in
case she was in some... situation.
He didn't need to inspect the room to know that she was no longer there. And in
fact, she was not even in the building.
He lifted the guards by their necks and threw them against the walls, in a
blind
attack of rage. He simply could not believe that a little woman had been
able to flee in their very noses.
Giving long strides he went to his room, to get dressed. If he wanted a thing
to be done properly, he had to take care of it by himself. He would get the
girl, and then she should answer his questions for a long, long while.
When he entered the room he saw something on his bed. There were a note and
small pouch in there.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I regret I won't be able to stay. I owe you a dinner. Another day
perhaps?
No... I don't believe we will ever meet again....
Do not worry about my "family" or my "brother." They never
existed. It was not
my intention to lie to you, but I had no choice under the circumstances.
Believe
me, it is quite... difficult to explain... and I doubt that you would be able
to
understand anyway.
Excuse me for the trouble that I may have caused you during the trip,
especially
with those two men.
Please. Keep the horse for yourself. It will serve you as a replacement for the
one you lost in the desert. I assume that you are fully able to reach your
destination, but just in case, accept the pouch for the expenses of the trip.
If you don't use it for that... well, you may keep it as a
gift.
Don't look for me because you won't find me.
I hope you have a pleasant life and obtain that for which your heart
yearns.
Asiyah
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He opened the little velvet pouch, and pearls run down through his fingers.
These
were the finest he'd ever seen. He shook his head, overwhelmed by incredulity.
He
had planned to reward her, not to be rewarded himself by a fortune in pearls in
his hand...
He looked at his subordinates standing outside his door and made a decision:
these people were so incompetent that they could not even prevent a young
teenaged girl from escaping from her room, moving around freely through the
building to his quarters, and then taking her horse and camel without at least
being noticed -- such men didn't have utility inside his organization, and
neither did they deserve to live.
As soon as he arrived at Shanghai he would send appropriate substitutes.
And he
would find Asiyah, even if he had to turn China inside out like a glove.
He observed the sky through the window of his room, thinking of
her.
Who are you, Asiyah? Who are you?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Two days later, in Shanghai...
"No... no... It is not possible... alive... No he couldn't have come out
of 'the
one that one doesn't return'" *
Suddenly, he remembered the desk of his newly found boss's
office...
"Hurry up! Don't stand there looking at me!... Bring a restorer...
Oh,
Gods! If he finds out he will have me for breakfast..."
And a chill run down his spine at the thought of what would happen to him if
Yukishiro Enishi found out about his "other" slip.
N of the A
* Wu Heishin makes reference to the name of the deserted Taklimakan (to see
notices previous chapter)
I want to make a brief introduction as for the nature of Enishi and of Asiya.
They are different from each other, and this difference will be explained later
on. As for Enishi, he has to do with the tendency of the tradition of certain
cultures about people acquiring the characteristics of their "guiding
animal
spirits" -- under certain circumstances, as if that spirit was part of the
person's soul, although I admit that I have taken some... licenses with the
interpretation and the use of the concept. To some cultures, the animal spirit
mixed with the soul, but in others only serves as a guide.
Regarding Asiyah, she is a Jinniyeh (genie, Djin, Jinni), a character of a
"species" that is a very tangible reality for the inhabitants of the
regions of
Persia and the Middle East (mainly in the wide deserts of the region), and the
Muslims in general. In this case, I have been more literal with the nature of
the Jinn and their powers, according to what the Islamic religious and
fictional literature of the towns of East have bequeathed us, although their
"social organization" came from my own mind....
Creatures of similar characteristisc they are present in the traditional
histories of all the towns of the world .
[1] Enishi's thoughts were shared by most Chinese and Asian people of the time,
due the merciless Imperialism of Western powers at that age. Let's see a
document written in Canton, just before the uprising in 1842.
Modern History Sourcebook:
The People of Canton: Against the English, 1842
[Tappan Introduction]: From a paper that was agreed to at a great public
meeting
in Canton.
"Behold that vile English nation! Its ruler is at one time a woman,
then a man,
and then perhaps a woman again; its people are at one time like vultures, and
then they are like wild beasts, with dispositions more fierce and furious than
the tiger or wolf, and natures more greedy than anacondas or swine. These
people
having long steadily devoured all the western barbarians, and like demons of
the
night, they now suddenly exalt themselves here.
During the reigns of the emperors Kien-lung and Kia-king these English
barbarians humbly besought an entrance and permission to deliver tribute and
presents; they afterwards presumptuously asked to have Chu-san; but our
sovereigns, clearly perceiving their traitorous designs, gave them a determined
refusal. From that time, linking themselves with traitorous Chinese traders,
they have carried on a large trade and poisoned our brave people with
opium.
Verily, the English barbarians murder all of us that they can. They are dogs,
whose desires can never be satisfied. Therefore we need not inquire whether the
peace they have now made be real or pretended. Let us all rise, arm, unite, and
go against them.
We do here bind ourselves to vengeance, and express these our sincere
intentions
in order to exhibit our high principles and patriotism. The gods from on high
now look down upon us; let us not lose our just and firm resolution."
At the same time, we have the end of the First Opium War and the Treaty of
Nankin, Look carefully on its clauses to have a glimpse of what Chinese (and
Indians, Japanese or Koreans, or South East Asians felt for British as a matter
of fact)
The Treaty of Nanjing (August, 1842) and subsequent treaties (July and
October
1843) signed between the British and the Chinese were the first of the
humiliating "unequal treaties." It radically increased the openings
for trade in
China and expanded the scope of British activities. The treaties opened five
ports, Canton, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Linbou, and Shanghai to conduct foreign trade as
treaty ports. A war indemnity of 21 million Mexican dollars was to be paid by
the Chinese government. Hong Kong was surrendered to the British, giving the
British a base for further military, political and economical penetrations of
China. The surrender of Hong Kong breached China's territorial integrity. The
Treaty stated that all custom duties must be negotiated with other countries.
It
therefore took away China's control of its own customs. Furthermore, the import
duties were lowered from 65% to 5%, and this effectively shattered China's home
industries.
The Nanjing Treaty abolished the system of Gong Hang. This allowed British
merchants free trade in China. The Treaty exempted British nationals from
Chinese law, thus permitting the operation of extraterritorial law on Chinese
soil. Furthermore, any Chinese who either dealt with the British, or lived with
them or were employed by them were also exempted from Chinese law. This made
foreign concessions a haven for Chinese criminals. To Chinese officials, this
clause also gave foreign invaders the legal right to setup and protect their
spy
and criminal networks. The treaties also allowed every treaty port to have one
British military ship. Thus for the first time foreign warships were allowed
free entrance to Chinese waters.
The Nanjing Treaty allowed British merchants to bring families to live in the
treaty ports. Furthermore, it also stated that Chinese local authorities must
provide housing or other dwellings that British merchants could rent. The
Chinese officials believed that such a system would eliminate disputes in the
treaty ports, and were quite happy to agree to it. To their surprise, this
system was used to establish concession areas by foreigners in the treaty
ports.
The Treaty of Nanjing included the so-called "most favored nation"
clause. This
in effect gave the British any privileges extorted from China by any other
country. The "most favored nation" clause later was extended to all
the foreign
countries that dealt with China, giving all Western countries that dealt with
China the same rights as the British.
The Treaty of Nanjing and subsequent treaties opened China to the world. China
became a semi-feudal, semi-colonial state. Its influences were far-reaching and
long-lasting. However because the Treaty of Nanjing was designed to obtain free
trade, its economic effects were the most severe.
Source:
From: Eva March Tappan, ed., China, Japan, and the Islands of the Pacific, Vol.
I of The World's Story: A History of the World in Story, Song, and Art,
(Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1914), p. 197.
Scanned by: J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. of History, Cal. State Fullerton. Prof.
Arkenberg has modernized the text
[2] Japan was at this time included in the most favored nation clause of the
Treaty of Nankin, making its citizens as untouchable by Chinese authorities as
Englishmen.