Buddhist China (1913)

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Politics & Social Sciences

Johnston Sir, Reginald Fleming

Philosophy

Kessinger Publishing

Written in 1913, this book provides a historical perspective on Buddism in China as well as detailed descriptions of legends of the past, the temples in existence in the early 1900's, and a remarkable sense of insight into the revolutionary times and the impact on Buddhist. Johnston writes dearly of his times in China. The early chapters of this book deal with the origin and development of some characteristic features of Mahayana Buddhism, especially in respect of the forms assumed by that branch of the Buddhist system in its Chinese environment. The sixth and seventh chapters are concerned with religious pilgrimages in China, and with those sacred mountains which are the homes of Chinese monasticism arid the radiating centres of Buddhist influence. Of these favoured seats of religious activity, the six last chapters contain detailed accounts of two which are taken as typical namely, the holy mountain of Chiu-hua, in the province of Anhui, and the holy island of Puto (Pootoo), off the coast of Chehkiang. The author is glad to record his grateful appreciation of the unvarying courtesy and hospitality extended to him by the abbots and monks in whose romantic mountain-homes he has spent the happiest days of his fifteen years sojourn in China. Whatever may be the ultimate fate of Buddhism, he earnestly hopes that neither his kindly hosts nor their successors will ever be driven away from the quiet hermitages which they so justly love; and that it may continue to be China's glory and privilege to provide, amid the forests and crags and waterfalls of her cloistral mountains, homes or resting-places for all pilgrims to the shrines of truth and beauty. Johnston is well known as the tutor to the last emperor and one of the few foreigners allowed inside the walls of the Forbidden City. His book Twilight in the Forbidden city was the basis of the movie The Last Emperor.

Buddhist China

Religion & Spirituality

Buddhism

Soul Care Publishing

"In these lectures I will endeavour to justify the faith that is in me and to explain the grounds on which I base my belief that Confucianism is still a living force among the Chinese people and has a message of great value for the China of the present and future and provide and answer to the question "What is Confucianism?  If we wish to form an adequate idea of Confucianism we must make an effort to look at it from within, and to approximate as closely as possible to the standpoint of those who are themselves among the loyal guardians of the great Confucian heritage." -Reginald Fleming Johnston.  Johnston provides a unique insight in outlining the fourteen Confucian texts and describes the challenges that Confucianism was to face during the revolutionary times of the early 1900's.  While written almost one hundred years ago, this book provides the reader with valuable insight into a significant aspect of Chinese culture.

Confucianism and Modern China

History

Asia

As the British-born Tutor to the Dragon Emperor, Johnston was the only foreigner in history to be allowed inside the inner court of the Qing Dynasty. Johnston carried high imperial titles and lived in both the Forbidden City and the New Summer Palace. Twilight in the Forbidden City reflects his eyewitness accounts of the memorable events of the time. He provides an first hand account of daily life in the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and gives many detailed descriptions of ceremonies including Pu-yi's wedding. Johnston provides a good deal of anecdotal material for the last days of the Ch'ing Dynasty court before the 1911 Revolution He knew many of the active players in those events, and of historical significance are his observations on the Ch'ing court's political structure, and in particular the Nei Wu Fu or Imperial Household Department. If you are planning to travel to China, or want to understand China better, then this book is a must read as it provides an eyewitness account of the events of period! A 'must read' for anyone interested in China!

Twilight in the Forbidden City (Illustrated and Revised 4th Edition)

Literature & Fiction

World Literature

This fascinating journey details the local traditions and characteristics of a China that has since disappeared. With tales of the mystic temples and monasteries, stories of a 1000 year old monk, and areas not yet open to the modern railway or airplane, Johnston's writings could easily have been the inspiration for James Hilton's Lost Horizon. Johnston, who eventually became tutor to the boy emperor, was district officer and magistrate of Wei-hai-wei, and was well qualified, both linguistically and by travel in other parts of China, to undertake the expedition described in the present work. In 1902 he had journeyed through Tongking, Yunnan, the Chinese Shan States, and down the Mekong to Siam; and in 1904 he had visited several of the provinces of Eastern China, and had even inspected the tomb of Confucius, and been presented to the seventy-sixth descendant in a direct line of the great philosopher and saint. The last and more ambitious tour was begun in January, 1906, the main object of the author being to explore the principalities of Eastern Tibet and thence to proceed southwards to Yunnan and Burma. Instead of ascending the Yangtse to Hankow and Ichang, Mr. Johnston followed the more interesting Lu-han railway route that the completion (a few weeks previously) of the famous bridge across the Yellow river had made possible. He was thus enabled to reach Hankow, 759 miles from the capital, in three days. The journey thence up-stream, past Ichang, is, of course, well known; at Wan-hsien the great river was abandoned, the hardy boats¬men paid off, and the land journey to Chengtu-fu commenced. Here and elsewhere it is gratifying to note the uniformly good behaviour shown to the author; even at Liang Shan, where the late Mrs. Bishop was mobbed and so seriously knocked about, he found the people orderly and good tempered. At Chengtu-fu and else¬where light was shed on some of Mr. E. C. Baber's researches, not the least interesting points referred to being the temples and the prehistoric cave dwellings of Chiating, and the wonderful fascination of Mount Omei the highest precipice in the world, with its strange atmospheric phenomenon of a gleaming aureole, the "Glory of Buddha." Pilgrims are expected to have certificates sealed at the summit as proof of their having visited the sacred place; probably the European notion of sending off postcards from the topmost monastery may eventually prevail. At Ta-chien-lu the author had to carefully consider his further route, and eventually, after encounter¬ing great opposition from the local authorities, decided to diverge from the Batang road and explore the Yalong valley and the mountainous road south-west of Ta-chienlu. Along this section of the route his only predecessors had been M. Bonin and Mr. Amundsen. The inhabitants of these parts seem all Tibetan, for between Cheto and Likiang in Yunnan-about a month's journey-the author did not meet a single Chinese, even the language being entirely unknown. At Muli, which looks strangely like a bit of the Austrian Tyrol, Captain H. R. Davies's route was struck, and European associations were further called up by the excellent chanting of the monks in the lamasery, which reminded Mr. Johnston of Palestrina. A little further south the remarkably acute bend of the Yangtze was reached, a geographical feature only revealed to science within the last ten years. At Likiang a French gentleman, engaged in the purchase of musk, was met, and from thence to Tali-fu and the Burmese frontier is fairly well-trodden ground. Mr. Johnston's return to Wei-hai-wei was by sea. His familiarity with Chinese, and careful study of ethnological and other questions, and of the native literature, invest his notes with special value, which would hardly attach to the researches of an ordinary traveller, while his concluding chapter contains some exceedingly well-weighed and instructive reflections on the relations between China and Western nations.

From Peking to Mandalay

A Chinese Appeal To Christendom: Concerning Christian Missions (1911)

Shao-Yang, Lin

Literary

Twilight in the Forbidden City

As part of China's 2008 Olympic welcome to visitors Xiaomina Press, presents this book about the last emperor of China. This book is essential reading for all visitors to China The Author Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston was a Scottish diplomat and the tutor of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Johnston was eye witness Chinese events in the crucial years of the 1920s and 1930s. Johnston was the only foreigner in history to be allowed inside the inner court of the Qing Dynasty. The author carried high imperial titles and lived in both the Forbidden City and the New Summer Palace. In 1934, Johnston looked for a residence in Scotland to retire to. He found a house on Eilean Righ, a small island in Loch Craignish, some 9 miles (15 km) NW of Lochgilphead. He moved there with his enormous library, which included a Chinese Encylopaedia in 1734 volumes and a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures in 1500 volumes. Twilight in the Forbidden City is very much a history of an entire period and not an exclusive portrait of the last Emperor of China. Twilight in the Forbidden City is prefaced by the Emperor Hsüan-T'ung himself in the year 1931 Chosen by Dowager Empress Cixi while on her deathbed, Puyi ascended the throne at age 2 years 10 months in December 1908 following his uncle's death on November 14. Puyi's introduction to emperorship began when palace officials arrived at his family household to take him. Puyi screamed and resisted as the officials ordered the eunuchs to pick him up. His wet-nurse, Wen-Chao Wang, was the only one who could console him, and therefore accompanied Puyi to the Forbidden City. Puyi would not see his real mother again for six years. Puyi's upbringing was hardly conducive to the raising of a healthy, well-balanced child. Overnight, he was treated as a god and unable to behave as a child. The adults in his life, save his wet-nurse Mrs. Wang, were all strangers, remote, distant, and unable to discipline him. Wherever he went, grown men would kneel to the floor in a ritual kow-tow, averting their eyes until he passed.

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

XIAOMINA

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