Probably the last of the Western ships to be wrecked on Jeju Island prior to Korea opening to the West in 1882 was the British vessel – Mary. In September 1881, the Mary, while en route to Vladivostok, encountered a storm and was wrecked on the shores of Jeju Island. According to W. T. Guy, one of the survivors and the only European:
“There were then several Coreans on the beach, and one of them took off a mat that he was wearing and gave it to me to keep the rain off. We waited and saw the last of the vessel, and then the Coreans took us to a house close by and gave us some congee made of crushed wheat, made a fire for us, and sent a messenger to a village some distance off to inform the mandarin. In the afternoon the mandarin came and took us to the village. Here they gave us a house and some food. We slept there that night, and next morning after breakfast we went down to the wreck, where we found that the vessel was entirely broken up. In the meanwhile the Coreans had picked up all the bodies and put them out of the water. The Mandarin ordered some of his men to dig holes in the ground and we buried them – 16 in number.”
Guy also noted that the Chinese survivors all denounced the European to the governor of Jeju as evil and bad. “It was not only at this place that they said this, but at every other place we went to they made it their special business to run all Europeans down to the lowest, and praise themselves.”
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The more things change …
Well, none of us were on that ship. I have to imagine that 19th century European attitudes toward the Chinese weren’t the most egalitarian. Perhaps these Europeans were bad to the crew of the Mary.
We don’t have to “imagine” anything. The historical record is quite clear. Prevailing European (and North American) attitudes towards the Chinese was blatantly and unapologetically racist in a social darwinist and often in a literal sense. On the other hand, the sentiment was richly reciprocated by the Chinese. It’s only because the West “won” the late 19th early 20th century engagement that it is burdened with a sense of guilt about its prejudices, while the “victims” get a hall pass.
Have you by chance read either The Spirit of the Chinese People or My Country, My People? I believe both were written by Chinese who were shocked to learn that Westerners looked down on the world’s most advanced civilization. One of the books lays out in detail arguments showing how Chinese men and women are superior to other races, noting, for example, that Chinese women didn’t have to dye their moustaches like some Western women. The books are a hoot to read. Offhand I cannot think of any Korean equivalents.
Another interesting snippet of history. Thanks, Robert.
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