1st (Siatmll JlmiigraUy Sltbratg Stifata, JJem 1|nrk CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 Cornell University Library DS 705.J54 Mnemonic geography 3 1924 023 105 319 Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://archive.org/details/cu31924023105319 MNEMONIC GEOGEAPHT BY THOMAS JENNBR PAET I. THE PROVINCES OF CHIM Ars insirumenialis, dirigens menlem, do, AliDRICH, LONDON. MDGCCLXIX. All rights are reserved. T5H-. ADDENDUM, (Omitted from page 6.) Province of KIANG SU. In tHs province is tie City of Shang hai "; literially asceriding (to the^ sea. This is one of the most important of tlie treaty ports. PREFACE Writing of indirect influences, Martin Tapper puts it thus: — The flash that lighteth tip a Talley, amid the dark midnight of a storm, Filleth the mind with that scene sharper, than fifty summers, And who that has had restored to his gaze by the instant glare of lightning on a summer's night, the Steeple, the Windmill, and the Elm trees which are iseen from his own parterre will not attest the truth of the saying? It is so in other actions of the mind; when the full weight of understanding bringf? home a fact, the memory receives' its true imprest- In the foUomng stanzas (page 3) an attempt is made to present in more attractive guise the names of the eighteen provinces of China Proper, with sufficient explanations added of their true meanings, so as to render the study of this part of the geography of the '"P [^ Chung kwoh or middle kingdom, at least as easy to an English boy, as by means of the same meanings, it is to a young native. For fixing these in the memory associations are in some few cases sug- gested; but the author has preferred to furnish only one or two examples, for the reason that minds differ ^^ widely in the character of the associations which they respectively form, and are most retentive of those which they have made for themselves. To illustrate this by an example. It is required to form associa- tions in order to fix in the memory the native name and its meaning of the first of the provinces; viz: — Chi li which means "direct rule". It is easy to suppose that amongst many others, these would be produced. 1st. By a pupil with a nautical turn of mind. Chi li would suggest Chill lee, and the mental image would be an iceberg on the vessel's lee, which would bring up the "direct rule" When breakers or icebergs are seen on the lee; Then put about ship, and stand out to sea. 2nd. By a pupil having a biographical taste. Such an one would probably make out of the name of the Eev. Leigh Eic^mond, ( with a little ingenious transposition) "Chi li," connected in his mind with the "direct rule" of the law of kindness. 3rd. By a pupil in an historical humour. The scene of the Confederate camp after the battle of Bull's Eun might assist him to associate the "direct rule" of military command with the spontaneous out- burst from the hearts of the victors 'Cheer Lee!' (Chi li) An illustration of a Mnemonic help which the author remembers to have met with may not be here deemed inappropriate. Ill, "Some have asked why it should be, That Chinese silver's called Sycee; ' y / No doubt but that they call it so, /^/ Because they sigA to seygo." / In wMch the phonetic correspondence between sigh see and sysee completes the association. The native words are, ;;f.H /^ Sai si, "fine raw silk" which express figuratively the excessive fineness of this silver, which contains "98 of pure metal. Ahout the Chinese language he would add a few words. It has not inaptly been compared to the (xreat Wall for being as complete a moral barrier as this was a physical one to the occupation of the se- cluded Celestial country. But just as the theory of this defence against Tartar invasion is refuted in the person of the Emperor, so have, the labours of Dr. Morrison his contemporaries and successors divested this tongue of many of its traditional difficulties. Of real ones, the two chief are: the written characters, and the modulations of tone of the spoken language, of which the four principal are the ^ ping even, r. shang high, -^ fc'ii departing, and /\. ji entering. There are about 40,000 written characters, of which about 4,000 are employed in the smaller classics and holy scripture. Each of these characters is referred to one of 214 radicals or keys, which are arranged progressively from — " yi one (of one stroke,) to "^ yoh a three holed flute (of seventeen strokes.) The 85th. of the series is J^ shwui water, of which the %v contracted form in composition is */ and to this more ■words in common use appertain than to any other. It will be recognised in the following- geographical terms. 7^ Yanj ocean. /§ Hai sea, j^ Wan, bay^ iw Yuen gulf, j^ Hu lake, jfR]" Tio river, &c. He gladly takes this opportunity of recommending that admirable little book, "China and its people" * by a missionary's wife, and of acknowledging his indebtedness to the Mnemonic System of Professor Stokes in the acquisition of the rudiments of the Chinese written language (Mde Athenceum, for July 1 1 1868 page 53), as also the great kindness of Professor Summers of King's College, in revising the proofs of this little work, and in allowing him to lay his fount of Chinese type under contribution for its production. To Mr. ^ '^ Fung yee of the Chinese Embassy, and Mr John Williams of the Eoyal Astronomical Society, for kindly answering questions. Well does he remember when at school, the mas- ter, with his pointer on the Island lying east of New York asking the class "What is the name of this Long Island?" Ans. "Long Island". This was Mne- monic Greography. LONDON, March 1869. Note: — The pronunciation of the Vowels in the rendering of Chinese' words into Koman type should be agreeable with the Italian and German. Thus: — Chi li pronounced Oliee lee Shan tung ,, Shaan toong. etc. * Nisbet & Co. Price Is. CHINA Inteodttctoet Ebmaeks. China is the largest, most populous, and most ancient empire in the world, excepting only the connected area of all the Kussias. Her entire area (including part of Tartary and Tibet and the islands of Hainan and Formosa) is nearly equal to that of Europe; her inhabitants number about 400,000,000 or one third of the human family, and her histories record events coeval with the Flood. Unchanged, or little changed, as have been the characteristics of this remarkable and secluded nation for many centuries, the Im- perial authority, although hereditary, has through various revolutions passed from one family to another, and the reigning dynasty is Manohu Tartar. The government of China is based upon the law of parental authori- ty; the Emperor being styled — thefcdher oftTm nation; the governor the father of the province; and the magistrate, iAe/afer o/'iAe (^isJricJ. The principal exports of China are Tea and Silk. The religions of China may thus be briefly explained. 1st. — The philosphy of Confucius" and his disciples is for the most part esteemed by the governing classes sufficient to restore to its normal rectitude •> the soul which by vicious example has been led to err. 2nd — The doctrine of Laou tsz *" which deals rather with the mysteries of the spirit state. 3rd. — The Buddhist faith, which was introduced from India about A.D. 66, and which has become that of most of the people of China. •J L XV -J Eung fu tsz. b The first lesson a young Chinese learns in an imperial school is • V ■^w ^Ji l-t ^i^ 1^ Jin chi ChU sing pun Shen. TlieUfeofmcm in its origin is fundamentally good, c ^o J Laou tsz. MNEMONIC GEOGRAPHY. China is now open, ty treaties with the principal states of Eniope and is a. most productive field to the merchant, the scholar, and the missionary. As we think of her pagan millions, well may we remember the words of Thomas Pringle : — A Heathen? — Teach him, then, thy tetter creed. Christian, if thou deserv'st that name indeed. Facile percipere, et fideliter retinere. QUINTILIAN. Sounds which address the ear are lost, and die. In one short hour; but that which strikes the eye. Lives long upon the mind; the faithful sight, Engraves the knowledge with a beam of light. Dk. Watts. (See PREFACE) The eighteen divisions of China are here, The names and their meanings all made to appear; To assist boys and girls who geography learn, To answer the questions which come to their turn. Chi li and Shan tung are such difficult names, That they keep boys in school at the time for their games: By this plan, you will find, when the meaning is known, "long island" may not be more easily shown. CHINA THE NAMES OF THE PROVINCES IN MNEMONIC VERSE. Chi li* direct rule, by the Emperor's Fountains. Shan tung •> and Shan si," East and West of the mowatains. Ho d river, Nan d south, i e. south of Hwang ho. Which means Yellow river, rememher it so. Kiang su" and Ngan hwui' bid us now to tell how, Kiang ning" and Su"^ chau, Ngan king f and Hwui chau, ' As principal cities their titles bestow. Kiang si 8 Hiver west (where the Yang tsz does flow), Cheh kiang, ii Crooked river, so easUy seen, Fuh kien ' well established as plainly does mean. Hu peh ^ and Hu nan l these provinces two. Lie north and south -of the Tung ting hu. Kwang tung™ and Kwang si'' broad East and broad West, Yun nan ° means Cloud South (of the mountains so dressed). K.wei chau, p Noble Region; Western passes — Shen si "» Kan suh' willing reverence, as plain as can be. The list is complete; how easy it seems. To point out Sz chuen ° the state with four streains. 'M® "mm 'Mfw "^^ '-nm 'm )\\ MNEMONIC GEOGRAPHY EXPLANATIONS. Title of the Map [read from right to left.] m ± Tu Tung Yi Tsing Ta Map Complete One Pure Great TA TSING- * being the name of the reigning dynasty, the familiar rendering of the above is "A Complete Map of China (as at present divided)", a title which may appear to many to be very presumptuously given to a map with so few details marked, as on the one before the reader. We trust, however, that in connection with a title page which promises little, if anything, beyond instruction in the names and positions of the eighteen provinces (Sang) '' into which the Empire, more commonly called CHUNG- KWOH ° i. c. Middle Kingdom, is di-vided; it will be accepted with the intended limitation, a _L -iM b Jilt c i+t pa CHI LI ". This province, the name of which means "direct rule", is so called because the Imperial Capital being -within its borders the Emperor exercises a direct rule over its inhabitants. The principal city is Pe king'' that is Northern Capital also caUed Kew mun ching " or Nine gated city. [The native words are here, and in other examples, translated verbatim et seriatim, elegance of English idiom being sacrificed to perspicuity, and thereby to Mnemonics. ] CHINA SHAN TU■NG^ lit. Mountain Host i. e. East of the Mount- ains. This province derires its name from its location, Eastward of the Taihing shani" or Cfreat path Mountains. This mountain range is situated a little to the East of the position in the Map occupied by that name. The principal city is Tsi nan fu." i. c. Tsi south city, or City South of the Tsi river. Tsi means of mi even course, like our own "Medway smooth." ^ii] M "ic ^T III m m m SHAN SI *. Mountain West, or "West of the Tai Hing Shan*, Principal city, Tai yuen fu", greai commmcement city. Its situation near a spur of a mountain, the extreme of a range, may suggest its name of "Great commencement". 1TB. Assuming Tai* great, to te already fixed in the student's memory by his own means of association, employed on the Tai hing shan, assuming also the same of fu ° city, the author would here suggest an easy as- sociation for yuan', commewcemewJ. It has precisely the sound of the two letters U N which spell one of the most common prefixes in our own language, and are at the commencement of such words as "?6»likely", "M»able"j (to forget the Chinese word for Commence- ment J etc. "Ui ® "i: ^ III ''±MB '±'m 'i^ HO NAN*. Eiver South, i. e. south of the Hwang ho*" or Yellow river. Principal city, Kai fnng fa,' or Breaking the seal city. It was here a Jewish colony, (recently dispersed,) was found A. D. 1850, and thence was brought the ancient manuscript of the pentateuch, now in the British Museum; a circumstance which MNEMONIC GEOGRAPHY readily suggests, tlie name of tte City, of BreaHiig the Seal; (ot a secret long buried from the knowledge of the Western nations ). KIANG SU*. From the initial syllahles of the names of it3 principal cities, Kiang ning fti •> River's rest city, also called Ifau king", Soutliem Metropolis, (the former Capital of China; _^ and Su chau fu'J, Joyful district city. Apart from this, its origin, however, the name of this proyince, hears a meaning so simple, and so available for Mnemonic purposes, that it may not be passed over in silence. How easily does River's Joy, suggest the estuary of ths Yang tsz kiang . (The River's Joy on reaching the ocean at the end of a long course.) NGAN HWXJI '. From the initial syllables of the names of its principal cities, Ngan king fii ^, Fecuxful (xreeting City, and Hwui chau fa°, JSxcellent district City. KIAH(? SI", River West, i. e. "West of the Yang tsz kiamgb (literally Ocean's Son River). Principal City, Nan chang fii", Southern heaidiful City. CHE KIANG », Crooked River. Principal City, Hang chau fa l> The syllable Hang having very little use, beyond the proper name before us, a translation is" precluded. ^a i^^ j\\m CHINA FXJH KIEN *- From the initial syllaUes of the names of its principal cities, Fuh chau fu'', Happy district City, and Kien ning fa ", Established rest City. The abstract meaning of the pro- vincial title is, however, too suggestive to he passed by unnoticed; viz: — Happily Established. Such is this province on the eastern seaboard. HIT PEH ". Lake North, i. e. North of the Tung ting hu \ Deep Chamber Lake. Principal City, Wu chang fu", Dignified heauty City. In this province is also Han kau i*, Han mouth, i. e. mouth of the Han ° river, which is a tributary of the Yang tsz kiang. Han kau [usually spelt "Hankow",] is the centre of the interprovincial trade of China. HIT NAIsr^ Za^e South i. e. South of the Tung ting hu. Principal City Chang sha fn*. The present name of this city is taken from that of the star Chang ska", which is the 28th. in the Constellation Chin ^, and the same as C. Corvi of the celest- ial globe. KWANG TUNa". Droad East. Principal City, Kwang chau fub, Broad district City. This is the City of "Canton", (corrup- ted from Kwang tnng.) At the mouth of the Canton river is marked the Island of Hiang kiang", Fragrant Streams, (called MNEMONIC GEOGRAPHY by Europeans "Hong-kono,"^ whioli was ceded to Great Britain in perpetual possessiou A. D. MDCCOXLir. KWANa SI ", Broad West. Principal city, Kwei Un fu*", Cassia forest city. YUN NAN% Cloitd South: i. e. South of the Tun ling \ Cloudy Mountains; so called from their height and the phenomena of the clouds traversing their peaks. Principal city, Yun nan fu°. KWEI CHATJ *, Nolle Region, is named from its chief city Kwei yang fu '', Nobly splendid City, and may suitahly he recog- nised by the mountainous and well watered aspect of this "Noble Ilctjioii" of great mineral wealth. » FP III i> -ffi- t?H n*r. SHEN SI", Passes West, i.e. "Western Passes", a name easily suggested by the defiles between the many mountains in and about tins province. Principal City, Si ngan fu b, Western peaceful City, m'k^ KAN SUH* Voluntary Reverence. Tlie name of this province, taken from tliose of two of its cities [not marked] may be remem- bered from the circumstance of its separation from tlie province of CHINA "direct rule", [See Chi li] by considerable mountain ranges which interpose great natural barriers to the movements of the Imperial forces in compelling a "sitSmissiwi" which is thus rendered by its inhabitants "Volwniarily" rather than of necessity. Principal City, Lan chau fd'', [The plant] Lan district City. SZ CHUEN", Fotir Streams, so named from the four rivers min •>, lu ", loh d and yu *, which intersect it. Principal City, Ching tu fu', Perfectly abundant City. OTHER NAMES GIVEN ON THE MAP, Kau le *, Sigh- Beautiful: — Corea. Man chau'', Vast Region: — Manchuria. Wanlichangching", 10,000 Li Long Wall — The great "Wall built by Chi hwang ti-"!, the first Emperor of the Tsin ° dynasty about 220 B. C. Mung ku *, Obscure Ancient: — Mongolia. Sha mo •*, Sand: — These equivalent terms combine to render the usual name of the desert of Gobi. Ngan nan", Peaceful' South: — Annam. Hai nan ^, Sea South: — Island of Hainan. Tai wan^. Terrace Bay: — The Island of Formosa; [so named by the. Dutch, from the Latin word for "Beautiful." '\ ^ '"&m '^m 'm 10 MNEMONIC GEOGRAPHY Tnng hai", Eastern Sea. Ji pun kwoh •>, Svm's Origin Kingdom: The kingdom of the Sun's origin, or over which the Sun rises upon China. The Japanese pronunciation for the same three words is Nitz' pon kok', whence we have "Nipon'' the name of the principal Island of the Japanese Laying down his pen with the hope that he has usefully em- ployed it, ^h ^ m -w n Siaou Ti Tun Sheu Pai Little younger brother bows the head respectfully Printed at the Office of the Flying Dragon Reporter, 3 George-Td, Lombard-St. WAUD&CRAVCS PRINTERS LOVE LANE LONDON. ^(f^f^Jul Ij ^rjic>^£ra<^ X. C^ ^7^041 ^/otl. Cf/'l^fSf^ l^fit '. i*^y^^yi^fli{': ^A. ,.f',:.y ^•„i^/'./',jS'.' ■ <.A;, >''^3 mmmemitKiim