Diary of a Chinese Diplomat

In the book Diary of a Chinese Diplomat by Zhang Deyi, the time is the latter portion of the nineteenth century, and the author provides much information about the life of a Chinese diplomat of the period, the attitudes of the Chinese as expressed to and through their diplomatic corps, and the reaction of the Chinese diplomats to the different cultures they encountered as they represented their country in far distant parts of the world. The Chinese diplomat in this case comes to the United States through San Francisco and travels to Washington to meet with Secretary of State Seward, among others, and in this and subsequent meetings with American officials, the diplomat tells of the different requirements placed on a diplomat for filling out papers, getting letters of accreditation, and other details of his work even as he reacts to the new world that has opened for him.

Zhang writes in his diary about the people he meets and the events he attends, and he interacts with various Americans as well as some people from his own country who seek him out in Washington. He is always conscious of his role and of his place as a Chinese person, and being Chinese and maintaining Chinese ways is very important to him. At a reception at Seward's home, he meets a young man he at first believes is Japanese because of the way he looks and is dressed, but he discovers that the young man is a Chinese who has been in the U.S. for seven years studying to be a missionary. The young man intend

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describes the entry, the rotunda, and the Senate chamber itself. Some habits are clearly quite different from what Zhang is accustomed to in his homeland: . . . the senators left their places and lined up in two rows to shake hands with us and introduce themselves, which left a stinging sensation in the wrist (85). Zhang seems especially interested in the activities undertaken by different American groups. He notes how Seward entertains and the way Americans conduct their politics. He also stops to watch a child's game with great interest, a game in which nine children stand in a cross and chase one another around the cross following a series of rules that are not entirely clear from his description (105). He is also much taken with the arrival of a European circus, seen by him first as it paraded into town and later at an evening performance (105). He visits a cemetery (106), goes to the country (109), a police station (112), a 4th of July celebration (103-104), and a state dinner at Delmonico's in New York (95-96). He is guided to these places by various dignitaries and government representatives. He is fascinated by different aspects of American culture as seen in the places he visits, but he is also likely to find so

Category: Literature - D