George Washington's image in China and its impact on the 1911 Revolution

Abstract

The founding father and first president of the United States of America, George Washington was well known in late Qing China. Stories about his accomplishments and personal virtues were widely and continuously circulated. His name's Chinese transliteration became increasingly elegant and his legacy was subject to different spins, including his willingness to give up hereditary reign just like the Chinese ancient sage kings Yao and Shun, as well as his heroic role in leading a nationalist resistance to foreign rule and his moral courage in facing up to personal responsibility. The various Chinese manipulations of the George Washington story helped the Chinese to understand American history, changed their perceptions of foreigners, and contributed to the revolutionary mobilization against the Qing dynasty. In terms of democracy, the Chinese interpreted Washington's legacy from three angles: the nominal, the institutional, and the ideological. Although lacking a democratic tradition, the Chinese did nevertheless value public mindedness, as illustrated by the much admired legendary ancient sage ruler Yao who allegedly passed his reign to another capable leader Shun, instead of to Yao's own descendants. For this reason, the Chinese of the late Qing period could easily appreciate Washington's choice of a presidency over kingship, but they were ill equipped to fully understand the institutional ramifications and the ideological underpinning of Washington's decision. In short, what attracted the Chinese to the Washington story was the nominal implication for political reform in China, not the substance of genuine democracy. As a result of the popularization of the Washington story during late Qing times in China, the Chinese became much more apprehensive about monarchism than about authoritarianism. Hence, when Yuan Shikai exercised his dictatorship as president, few Chinese reacted strongly. But when Yuan made attempts to abandon the nominal constitutional democracy established in the Revolution's wake and to return to monarchy, the whole country opposed him, resulting in the total collapse of Yuan's imperial ambition. This turn of events had a great deal to do with the popularization of the Washington story in late Qing China.