On the day of the audience, Nicholas walked into the palace swaggeringly under the guidance of Qing Dynasty officials.
China is a country of etiquette. Etiquette is not only a magic weapon for imperial rule, but also a weapon for educating foreign countries. In the various red tape etiquette, the rulers can quite find a sense of self-exaltation. However, to foreigners, all this is so weird and funny, and may even lead to rebellious psychology. The collision of such misplaced thinking patterns in diplomacy is not so pleasant.
In March 1675 AD, the Russian Tsar sent a delegation of Nicholas to China to meet Emperor Kangxi. As usual, the etiquette officer of the Qing Dynasty asked Nicholas to perform three kowtows and nine bows. Nicholas shook his head. Refuse on the spot. His reason is very good: in Russia, he will only kneel down on his knees before God, and even to the Tsar, he will only kneel down on one knee to kiss the hand . No matter how powerful you Kangxi are, you are at most on the same level as the Tsar. How can you compare with God?
The etiquette officers were stunned. Such a disrespect had never happened before, and it would never happen on their watch. So, everyone said all they could to say good things and coaxed Nicholas like a child for a long time. One official almost knelt down in front of him. . In the end, Nicholas reluctantly agreed, but he also put forward an additional condition, that is, the Qing government must arrange a grand ceremony to receive him. This is easy to say, even if he doesn't fight for it, this honor guard cannot be sloppy. How can he miss this opportunity to show his face and promote the country's prestige so easily!
On the day of the audience, Nicholas walked into the palace swaggeringly under the guidance of Qing officials who followed suit. At that time, Kangxi was sitting on the north side of the hall, with a curtain in front of him. Nicholas knelt down on his knees and quickly lowered his head diagonally towards Kangxi. He stood up before Kangxi could "flatten".
Regarding Nicholas's discourteous behavior, Kangxi did not hesitate to give a negative review afterwards, saying: "The barbarian does not know etiquette and talks too much. Because he is not educated enough, there is no need to care about him." These words expressed Two meanings: one is that the Russian envoy does not understand etiquette and speaks in a fluent manner; the second is an analysis of the reasons why the Russian envoy does not understand etiquette and speaks in a fluent manner, that is, he "fails to teach" and does his job well. This kind of self-examination of "the adults don't care about the faults of the villain" reveals the arrogance in the heart.
Kangxi only made a self-examination of Russia, but did not have time to teach them how to do it. After his son Yongzheng came to the throne, he tried every means to implement this work.
After the new Russian tsar Anna Ivanovna came to the throne, Yongzheng sent the former Minister of Rites to entrust Shi, Rehe and deputy capital Tong Zaisan to congratulate her in 1738 AD. Before the mission set off, Yongzheng repeatedly issued instructions, saying that the Russian envoys to China were arrogant and rude in the past. We cannot be like that. When you see the Tsar, you must bow three times and bow nine times to let these barbaric people who do not know etiquette learn the etiquette of the Qing Dynasty. and majesty. When
had an audience with Petersburg , Tuoshi personally presented his credentials and led the members of the delegation to perform three kowtows and nine bows, which really surprised the queen and the Russian officials. When Russian Foreign Affairs Commissioner Bashrov read Yongzheng's credentials, Toshi and others still knelt down. The Queen interrupted Bashrov and motioned for Toshi and others to stand up. Toshi did not agree with anything and said that this was The etiquette of and Qing , please don’t force the queen. In this way, Toshi and others did not stand up suddenly to the sound of "Long live my emperor" until Bashrov finished reading, which aroused waves of surprise from the Queen and the Russian ministers. After the audience, the Queen asked the envoys to go back to the hotel to rest. Tuoshi and others all knelt down and bowed to express their gratitude, and then carefully left under the surprised eyes of everyone.
During the Qianlong Dynasty, the British royal family prepared to establish formal diplomatic relations with China. In 1793 AD, it sent Lord Macartney to lead a permanent mission to China and met with Qianlong at the Jehol Palace. The Qing Dynasty decided to look down on this Fanbang island country when they were living at home. As soon as the envoy docked, the Qing army that came to greet them rushed up, placed many brand-new colorful flags on the fleet, and wrote a letter of "English Tribute Envoy". Big letters.For the list of gifts provided by the British envoys, the word "tribute" was always written. These changes made the British envoy very unhappy. When he came to the audience, Macartney was guided by the belief that the British Empire was "the ruler of the sea" and "the most powerful monarch in the world". Fortunately, Qianlong was as old as his grandfather Kangxi. Degree, did not delve into this matter.
After the audience, Qianlong ordered Fukang'an to accompany the British delegation to visit the palace. When Fukang'an saw that Macartney showed great interest in a music box, he thought he had never seen it before, so he became arrogant. He asked politely: "Does the UK also have these things?" Macartney smiled lightly and said: "These are the products of our British Empire." Own. This kind of thinking is not only shared by slaves, but even by emperors. It is clear if you look at the edict written by Qianlong to the British envoys at that time: "Go back and tell your king: In view of your devotion to Chinese culture, you have sent envoys from thousands of miles away to come and congratulate you." My Wanshou, I see that your words are sincere and respectful, deeply For praise. But your petition stated that you would send people from your country to stay in China to take care of your country's business. This is not consistent with the system of China. There are many Western countries, and you are not the only one. If everyone asks to be sent. What should I do if I want to stay in Beijing? So I can’t do it because of you. Please, destroy the system of the Celestial Empire. The Celestial Empire is rich all over the world, and rare treasures have long been commonplace. For the sake of your sincerity and coming from afar, I have ordered the relevant departments to accept your tribute and spread it throughout the world. , any valuable items should be Yes, so I don’t need your country’s goods, I appreciate this.”
When Qianlong’s son Jiaqing arrived, the British, who were unwilling to give up, sent a delegation led by Lord Amherst to visit. In view of Macartney's lesson, this time the ministers strongly demanded that the envoys kneel down to pay homage to Emperor Jiaqing. Naturally, Amherst refused. Subsequently, chaos broke out between the two parties. The ministers pushed, pulled, and bluffed He persuaded them to learn to kowtow, but Amesh and others resisted desperately and lodged a solemn protest. After the protest was reported, Emperor Jiaqing Long Yan was furious and ordered the British to get out of Beijing immediately, saying that he never wanted to see them again.
(end of this article)
