The Unveiled East (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1907. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XVI THE NEW CHINESE ARMY CHAPTER XVI THE NEW CHINESE ARMY TWELVE years ago the Chinese soldier was a relic of the Middle Ages. He was armed with bow and arrow, three-pronged fork, double-handled sword, ox-hide buckler, and two-man jingal. His officers had a deserved reputation for corruption and cowardice; his food was bad, his training was absurd, and his discipline slight. To-day one finds him--and three score thousand of him in the single province of Chil-li alone--dressed in khaki in summer and blue serge in winter, clean, well-shod, and with peaked cap shielding his eyes from the sun. He carries a useful rifle, Mannlicher or Mauser, and he knows how to use it. He is wellfed, well-clothed, and well-housed, and is led by officers of his own race who have absorbed something of the methods and discipline of the German army. Quick-firing Krupp, Creusot, and Armstrong guns are in his train. Foreign-taught doctors watch over his health, and skilled vets care for his horse. China is resolutely attacking the problem of creating a force capable of defending her against outside aggression. Ten years ago the profession of the soldier was one of the most despised in China. A typical incident will help to show this. Two ladies of high family visited a friend of mine, the wife of an English doctor in Chi-li. It was the first time they had been in a European house, and they were all smiles, uttering constant exclamations of pleasure and surprise as they examined the novel foreign furniture. At last they came to a framed photograph of an English artillery officer, displayed prominently in the drawing-room. Who was this? they asked. The hostess proudly replied that it was a portrait of her brother. The smiles on the faces of the Chinese ladies died away. They looked ...