South Fukien: Missionary Poems: 1925-1951, William Angus, Amoy

An interesting note today from the Author of "South Fukien: Missionary Poems: 1925-1951, William Angus".  I read some of the poems and they really brought to life the place and the people of Amoy (now Xiamen), of Fujian Province. I even recognized some of the notorious characters--a bandit chief--in one poem, though the name was changed. Insightful, and fun. Below are the author's note and Press Release.
Click Here for "The Three Trees", William Angus' favorite poem. 
Dr. Bill, Xiamen University MBA Center (since 1988); Author of Discover Xiamen &Fujian Adventure.

Note from David Andrews, May 27, 2015

I have enjoyed reading your site while doing research for my book project, South Fukien:Missionary Poems 1925-1951,  by William Angus.

William R. Angus, Jr. was a Reformed Church missionary in Amoy and on the Fukien mainland in the years named, and after expulsion worked in the Philippines.  He wrote over 600 poems on the Fukienese people of his time, 60 of which are collected in a 2015 edition co-published by MerwinAsia Publishing and University of Hawaii Press.

I edited the collection and provided a historical Introduction and Glossary.  David R. Angus of Lansing, MI, the poet's son, wrote the Preface.

I am enclosing a press release for the collection and two files of excerpts.  I hope you will find them interesting and lend us some aid in raising the book's profile among readers, students, and perhaps missionaries.  Some links to web pages about the book are at the bottom of this message.

Best regards,

David Andrews 

                                                                                                                              

                 PRESS  RELEASE

Publication of South Fukien: Missionary Poems 1925-1951, By WilliamAngus

Edited with an Introduction by David Andrews 

Preface by David Angus

Portland, ME: MerwinAsia Publishers, 2015 

China Missionary Poet Published 64 Years after Expulsion

Lansing, MI, April 1, 2015

Through four decades as a Reformed Church missionary in China’s Fukien (today, Fujian) Province, William Angus produced more than 600 narrative poems.  What emerged is pointedly not A Nice Missionary’s Poetry.

In spring of 2015 MerwinAsia Publishers, in association with the University of Hawaii Press, releases 60 of William Angus’s verses under the title South Fukien: Missionary Poems, 1925-1951

Humane but hard-edged, Angus’s verse depicts the Fukienese through successive eras of trial: in China’s struggle toward modern government; through civil wars between Nationalist and Communist forces; under Japanese occupation in World War II; and during the Communist takeover at the end of the 1940s.

Written from actual incidents, in the voices of the storytellers, the poems are as vital as the Chinese people. Angus’s work combines historical reporting with folktale, and a sharp edge of moral ambiguity.  

David Angus, a retired educator in Lansing, MI, has waited decades to see his father’s poetry in print.

“My father traveled long distances in Fukien’s countryside—on foot, by boat, and by ancient, rickety bus.  He knew peasants and merchants, bandits and soldiers.  He heard their stories and he valued their experiences,” David reflects.  “He knew they were together in some of the world’s most troubled times.”

During World War II, Angus’s wife, Joyce and their three children—David Angus among them—were interned by the Japanese before repatriation to America.  In 1951 William and Joyce were forced, like all missionaries, to leave China by the new Peoples’ Republic.

“When my father died in 1984, he left behind a body of remarkable work which he edited and revised several times,” says David.  “These poems represent his personal response to the Chinese he lived and worked among.  The South Fukiencollection’s subtitle, Missionary Poems, offers a hope that his verse will still bear witness to the effect of Western evangelism on the daily lives and values of the Chinese people.”    

South Fukien is edited by independent scholar David Andrews, who provides a historical Introduction and Glossary.  David Angus supplies a Foreword recalling missionary life in China. 

The collection was assembled and annotated from papers in the collections of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, NJ, and the Joint Archives of Hope College and Holland, MI.  “The poems were an exciting and historically important discovery, too compelling to remain unpublished,” says David Andrews. 

William Angus’s poems are dispatches from his time to ours, showing the Chinese as a people much like us—hoping to adjust to a world of rapid change, seeking comfort in a Western religion that offers faith, justice, and love. His accounts of spiritual strength and moral failings present unique perspectives into a people’s behavior and mores under crisis, temptation and change.

“Writing with objectivity, sensitivity, compassion, and uncompromising directness, Angus does not pretend,” notes Dr. Paul Vender Meer, Professor Emeritus at California State University-Fresno.  Dr. Ann Kuzdale, Associate Professor of History at Chicago State University, says, “Angus is a keen witness to events that most readers know superficially.  South Fukien is a valuable addition to world history and religious studies courses, and to transnational and Pacific Rim history.

The Amoy Mission Pages

Anne Averil Mackenzie-Grieves (A Race of Green Ginger)

We are seeking more information about the author of the fascinating book "Race of Green Ginger," by Anne Averil Mackenzie-Grieves, who lived on Gulangyu in the 1920s. If you have any information on her, please share it with us!

Best regards, Dr. Bill

Born in 1903 into a wealthy and distinguished family near Uckfield, Sussex, she grew up mainly in Castle Hill House, Torrington, Devon. Her private tutor, Francis James, was a flower painter and inspired her interest in art, and after the death of her father in 1918 she went to Florence to study at Marfori Savini's studio. 

Accompanied by her mother, she returned to England as Fascism took hold in Italy, settling in St Ives where her interest in book illustration developed into wood engraving. At the 1924 Show Day in St Ives she was noticed for her 'very effective' wood engraving entitled The New Italy, showing Mussolini reviewing his troops. Having hoped to study under Alfred HARTLEY - his health at this time making it impossible - she attended the Walter SIMPSON School for a short time, but afterwards remarked "it was not the tuition I needed". 

Primarily a wood engraver and author, she also exhibited illuminated work with fine lettering and decorative wooden boxes. In 1925 she married Cyril Drummond le Gros Clark in St Ives, and they travelled on postings to China and Sarawak. She exhibited in the 1928 Summer Exhibition at NAG under her married name Le Gros Clark, and showed three works: Rice Fields, The Poet Chu Yuan and Schloss Tauffers: Tyrol. Returning from the Far East in 1936, she continued to travel extensively, devoting more time to writing than art. Her husband was killed in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in WWII. She later married John Keevil, the medical historian.

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Rare, Original 1844 Amoy Watercolor for Sale!

Ahoy from old Amoy!  I received an email today about a rare Amoy (present-day Xiamen) original watercolor of the White Stag Temple (which is still standing) for sale by Marani Fine Art, Australia. With their permission, I repost it below; you may email Mr. Bezuijen  at maranifineart@bigpond.com for further details.  Dr. Bill

Tue, Mar 3, 2015, Robert H. Bezuijen  wrote:
    Dear Dr Brown,
   When researching an early Amoy watercolour I came across your fascinating amoymagic website and read your family history with much interest.  From a 'nomadic lifestyle' point of view our lives have not been dissimilar, in that I lived and worked with shipping groups in Africa and Asia for thirty years, including ten happy years in Hong Kong during the 70s/80s, and after my last posting for the P&O Group in Vietnam from 1993-96 I decided to change course, hopped off the corporate bandwagon and, having always been interested in and collected art throughout my stay in Asia, I decided to deal fulltime in Asian art, with particular focus on historical and topographical images (paintings/photographs/manuscripts).  In this respect I wondered whether the following could be of interest to you:
    
    I have in my collection a rare, early watercolour of Amoy, titled "Sketch of part of the grounds of the White Stag, a large Joss House in Amoy". Please see images and detailed description attached.
    
    It is signed indistinctly on verso in a western hand and dated December 1844, barely two years after the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in August 1842, and only a year after Amoy was officially opened to foreign trade in November 1843.  From my research {as attached}, this is one of the earliest known images of the topography of Amoy, over 170 years ago, also pre-dating any photograph of the area, the earliest of which dates to 1849.
    
    Regarding the artist, I have not been able to decipher/identify the signature, though not for the lack of trying. Eg. the London Missionary Society established its Amoy Mission in July 1844, and its first missionaries were Rev.J.Stronach and William Young. The American Episcopal Church established a mission in Amoy in 1842, and its missionaries in 1844 were Rev.J.C.Hepburn and J.Lloyd. None of the other names match the signature either, such as Jardine's Agent in Amoy in 1844 was a Captain Forbes, and the first British Consul was Captain Henry Gribble.  Also, in July 1844 a severe fever broke out at Gulangyu Islet, from which few of the foreign residents escaped. So the artist might have been a visiting trader/ships crew or other company representative.
    
    I look forward to hearing from you whether this is of interest.  The price is A$1250 (approx. US$975/CNY6100). Packing/postage to be advised separately, also depending on whether sent framed or unframed, and whether to China or the US.
    
    Kind regards,
    
    Robert H. Bezuijen
    Marani Fine Art
    6 Dunn Avenue
    Ferny Creek
    Victoria 3786
    Australia
    Tel: 61-3-9755 2470
    Mob: 61-408-391164
    Email: maranifineart@bigpond.com

Mr. Bezuijen's info on the White Stag Temple.

Artist Unknown, c.1844

Chinese figures by a bridge and banyan tree within a hilly and rocky landscape,

the following pen inscription on verso:’

‘Sketch of part of the grounds of the White Stag

 a large Joss House in Amoy

 indistinctly signed and dated December 1844,

 with further inscription A piece of rock is shaped somewhat

 like a (white) stag …. ….’

Watercolour (in sepia tone) on paper

24.3 x 33.9 cm (9.6 x 13.4 in) – image size

35.8 x 43.1 cm (14.1 x 17.0 in) – frame size

Framed under glass in contemporary maple frame

Amoy

The coastal city of Amoy (Xiamen) in Fujian Province, southern China, was the focus of trade with the West for many years. The Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch traded here intermittently in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, and the East India Company established a base here in 1676.

The strategic significance of Amoy also led to its involvement in several wars and campaigns. During the First Opium War [1839-42] between Britain and China the British captured the city in the Battle of Amoy on 26 August 1841.   Amoy became one of the  five treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanking signed between British and Chinese officials on 29 August 1842 following China’s loss in the First Opium War.  The treaty was ratified by Queen Victoria and the Daoguang Emperor nine months later, in May 1843, and in November 1843 Amoy was officially opened to foreign trade.

European settlements were concentrated on the islet of Gulangyu off the main island of Amoy, and between 1842 and 1845 merchants, officials, consuls and missionaries from some thirteen countries established trading houses, consulates, churches and hospitals. A provisional British Consul by the name of H.Gribble was appointed in November 1843, replaced in November 1844 by Sir Rutherford Alcock as the first official British Consul.  Amoy especially became an early entry point for Protestant missions in China.

White Stag Hill – White Stag Temple {Joss-House}

Several early travel accounts of Amoy mention the distinctive rocky landscape and features of White Stag Hill.  For example, George Smith in his ‘Narrative of an Exploratory Visit etc’ [1847, refer Bibliography] made the following observation:

‘Among the temples there are some remarkable buildings. The collection of temples situated on the hill commonly called the “White Stag Hill”deserves particular mention. They consist of a cluster of buildings perched on overhanging rocks, and present, from the summit, a most romantic view of the city and its busy population, at the distance of a mile’.

And Henry Charles Sirr in his ‘China and the Chinese’ [1849, refer Bibliography] records:

‘The heathen temples or joss-houses at Amoy are curious and handsome structures, more especially about a mile from the city, upon White Stag Hill; several of these heathen places of worship are built on a most picturesque spot, at the summit of rocks, and appear to be overhanging the city; groves of banyan trees surround the temples, under whose luxuriant umbrageous foliage the priests idle away the greater part of the day’.

John Scarth in his ‘Twelve years in China’ [1860, refer Bibliography] also mentions, among others:

‘After a hurried sketch of part of the Mam-poo-to temple, we mount again and steer for

the Telegraph Hill and the White Stag temple, in search of views’.  And further:

The temple of the White Stag (the name is derived from a small stone figure of such an

animal in a cave hard by) is approached by a high flight of stone steps. From the temple  there is a fine view of Amoy. A banyan-tree shades the White Stag temple. It is a wonder

how it grows in such a rugged spot.’

On page 15 of his book there is an illustration titled ‘Amoy, from White Stag Temple, Fukien’.

The ‘China Review’ (19thc.,n.d.) also describes the topography of Amoy as illustrated in this early watercolour: ‘The island of Amoy is physically remarkable for the huge granite boulders which lie scattered about: boulders of massive proportions, poised in the most fantastic manner. In the valley beneath the White Stag Grotto is the Hong-tong-chioh (Wind-moved Rock), a block of stone upwards of 40 feet in length, and not much less in girth, commonly known as the Rocking Stones’.

And further: ‘Amoy teems with proofs of the widespread influence of Buddhism. Nestled amongst the rocks, and situated in those picturesque positions which the votaries of this faith seem to select with an inborn instinct, are numerous Buddhist temples and shrines, erected in honor of various popular deities. The sites upon which many of these temples stand have been sacred resorts as far back as the Ming Dynasty, AD 1368-1644.

The proximity of so popular a temple as the last named [Ho Khe Giam or Tiger Stream Temple] is one cause of the usually deserted appearance of the Pek-lok-tong (White Stag Grotto), and except on certain festival days the services of one resident shaven monk are more than enough to perform the various duties attaching to the guardianship of the temple, and the offices of the priesthood’.

Comments

G.H.R.Tillotson observes in his ‘Fan Kwae Pictures’[refer Bibliography] “..like the more usual views of Shanghai, views of the treaty port of Amoy suffer from standardization, though they are much scarcer because Amoy was taken by the Tai Ping rebels in 1853.

In fact only three paintings of Amoy of the 1840s have sofar been published, namely:

. The Parade Ground in Xiamen, c.1844, Collection HSBC, Hong Kong

. Amoy: The Parade Ground, c.1845, Collection Sze Yuan Tang, Hong Kong

. Trading Junk at Xiamen, c.1840s, Collection HKMA, Hong Kong

This watercolour, dated December 1844, is therefore one of the earliest known images of Amoy following the conclusion of the Treaty of Nanking in August 1842.  It also pre-dates any photograph of Amoy, the earliest of which dates to 1849, attributed to a Chinese photographer Lin Zhen {see Bennett, Terry, History of Photography in China 1842-1860, London, 2009, p.201}.

Auguste Borget (1808-77), before visiting Canton and Macau, joined the French frigate Psyche for a voyage along the Kwangtung and Fukien coast, travelling up to Amoy. And in a letter written on board the Psyche on August 9, 1838 he said: “I am then at last in China. I have taken possesion of the Celestial Empire!” .

Whilst this drawing is not by Borget, it is nevertheless interesting to note a similarity in the treatment of the tree, when comparing it to Borget’s pencil sketches of eg. ‘Burial Scene, China’, ‘Village Scene, China’, and ‘Old temple near the Macau border’, as illustrated in Hutcheon’s ‘Souvenirs of Auguste Borget’ [refer Bibliography].

Bibliography

. Smith, George, A Narrative of an Exploratory Visit to Each of the Consular Cities of

  China, and to the Islands of Hong Kong and Chusan, in Behalf of the Church

  Missionary Society in the Years 1844, 1845, 1846, London, 1847, chapters 25-34

  [Amoy]

. Sirr, Henry Charles, China and the Chinese: their religion, character, customs, and

  manufacturers, Volume 1, London, 1849, p.141

. Pitcher, Philip Wilson, In and about Amoy: some historical and other facts connected

  with one of the first open ports in China, Shanghai, 1912, p.294

. Scarth, John W., Twelve years in China; the people, the rebels, and the mandarins,

  Edinburgh, 1860, chapter IV, and illustration on p.15 ‘Amoy, from White Stag Temple,

  Fukien’

. Goodrich, Joseph King, The Coming China, Chicago, 1911, illustration of the collection

  of temples situated on the hill commonly called the White Stag Hill [Amoy]

. The China Review, Amoy- Physical Features, Monuments, Temples, &c., 19thc., n.d.,

  pp. 690-693

. Hong Kong Museum of Art, Gateways to China – Trading Ports of the 18^th and 19^th

  Centuries, Hong Kong, 1987, pp. 14-15, 89-91

. Tillotson, G.H.R., Fan Kwae Pictures, London, 1987, pp.86-87, 89 (ill.101)

. Hutcheon, Robin, Souvenirs of Auguste Borget, Hong Kong, 1979, p.41

. The University of Hong Kong Museum and Art Gallery, Picturing Cathy – Maritime

  and Cultural Images of the China Trade, pp.120-121 (ill.61-62)

. Hacker, Arthur, China Illustrated – Western Views of the Middle Kingdom, Singapore,

  2004, pp.118-119

. Conner, Patrick, Chinese Views – Western Perspectives, London, 1996, p.36, ill.25

. Lo, Hui-Min and Bryant, Helen, British Diplomatic and Consular Establishments in

  China: 1793-1949, Volume II, Consular Establishments 1843-1949, Taipei, 1988

. Gregory, Martin, Treaty Port Scenes – Historical Pictures by Chinese and Western

  Artists 1750-1950, exhibition/sale catalogue nr.83, London 2007/8, p.10 item 3

Bill Brown   Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Charles Jung Kear of Amoy (update)

 For those who read the previous post on Charles Jung Kear of Amoy, here is another letter from the descendant seeking to learn more about him. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Bill Brown

 Bill, it was so good to received you email.  Many thanks.

As we are going away for a few days, i actually posted the information to you and the address I mailed it to :  Mr Bill Brown, Box 1288, Xiamen University, Xiamen Fujian China 361005.  So fingers crossed that you will receive the A4 size padded bag when you get back from your trip. I mailed postcards to my family from Xiamen and happy to report all arrived approximately 3/4 weeks later.

It was difficult to decide what I should send.  I went through numerous paperwork and found anything that I thought would/may help the Chinese end.  Im not sure how many  old Churches still stand in Xiamen but we did think that would be a start (hence why we were outside the old Presbyterian Church). Luck was with us that day.  The other strong clue was my gran telling my mother that her father could speak "Scotch and Chinese".  Did Charles attend a Missionary school?  Obviously he was well educated for someone of that period as he worked for a time as a court interpreter acting for the Chinese Miners one would assume in the Hill End/Bathurst region was full of Chinese mining for gold. He may have been a full blood Chinese and adopted the name "Kear" on arrival in Australia.  Or his father could have been Scottish, a missionary or a naval man.  We are betting on the missionary part although cousin Helen has done research on line and have not found any Kears coming to Amoy. Old residents in Mudgee insisted that Charles was a "full blood"  and we were told that he and his sons dressed in traditional clothing and had pigtails. And given the strong chinese features of my gran Hannah Vashti and other relatives, it seems that could be so.

All of Charles's children had biblical names. (see letter from David Kear, NZ - check out on Google his background)

However,  the Kears come from the Forest of Dean in the UK, and have resided there for hundreds of years - all well documented.  It seems puzzling that Charles's wife Jean Shergold (Shurgold) came from Wilshire, very close to the Forest of Dean.  David Kear in New Zealand has made a lifetime search of the Kears and has made a comprehensive and organised file of the family.  He generously has shared it with us.  You will see his notes to me, so logical and organised.  David is now 92 and it appears no longer is using a computer when he wrote to me late last year.  His son in Melbourne is now taking up the Kear research.  I have yet to contact him.

Whist in Xiamen, we stayed at the Swiss International Hotel opposite the Island and actually walked past the University.  So close.

Obviously Kear/Chinese research has been picked up by us all and put aside given personal circumstances and it was really when I retired some 9 years ago that I had a bit more time and though I should get a move on.  Both MK and HM my cousins have done the same whilst a lot younger .

So fingers crossed that there are some researchers who may help us further.

We are happy to reimburse copying costs/postage where/as needed.

Longing for more news.

Many, many thanks
J. 
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Seeking Charles Jung Kear of Amoy (19th Century)

Below is the latest letter from an Australian lady searching for info on her great grandfather, Charles Jung Kear, born in Amoy. If you have any info, please let me know and I can have her contact you!

Jan. 9, 2015
Dear Bill,

I have just finished photocopying a lot of material that you might find fun to read on my long search for information  on my great grandfather, Charles Jung Kear born in Amoy.  If nothing else, if you enjoy reading puzzles, it will give you something to think about. Would you please send me your mailing address so I can post?

This last trip to China seemed to be difficult.  Perhaps because I am now 74 and was traveling with energetic daughter J and partner S. Oh, and fit husband M.!  We did a huge amount of walking.  We flew into Shanghai where we have been a few times and always enjoy, then 8 hrs rail to Xiamen, followed by a flight to HK and home.  I now wish we had spent a week in Xiamen, particularly after the amazing luck of bumping into A.F. outside the Presbyterian Church.  How lucky was that and that she spoke English!  We had been to the Museum and no one could speak English and we had just about given up on the whole idea. I was very despondent. And for A. to tell me that she knew you.  I had read all of your blogs and emailed you previously but assumed you were very busy.  (I worked at M. University for some 30 odd years on and off).  What a pity we could not have met.

I was overwhelmed when we got to Xiamen.  I had read about the village of 600,000 people but found a high rise city of perhaps 3 million? I wanted a village with colonial houses and streets that I could meander around. Yes, I know.  Dreaming. 

We first visited China in 1983 - Beijing and have been back perhaps 25 times and to different regions.  Even as a kid I was fascinated with everything oriental without knowing anything about my grandmother's parents.  Whilst gran lived with us for some years, she never ever spoke of her parents and my mother told me that gran had burnt her birth certificate at some stage.  Being Chinese was not highly thought of in Australia in those days. My own search such as it was, was when I was about 18 years old and I went to visit Mudgee, NSW (west of Sydney) where my great grandparents lived to search records.  In those days it was all manual and not well kept.

It has been only over the last few years when I put an add in the Sydney Morning Herald looking for family connections that I met HM and M Kear - both younger than me - 2nd cousins, who have also been researching.  So now we are in touch and every now and again, try researching another angle.

The puzzle is only Xiamen that we cannot "crack".

It would be wonderful if we could find some relatives/information/whatever.  I would be back to Xiamen in a flash!

Cheers and many thanks

Sincerely

JC, Australia

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