“
Parkes, as he himself testified, was treated quite well. He was given two meals a day plus cakes and “a little tea and tobacco.” After Hengqi, known as Hang-ki in Parkes’ statement, took the prisoners to the Kaowmean Temple (Gaomiao) on September 29, the jailers became their “servants.” The prisoners were supplied with not only “good food, beds, etc., but also with the luxuries of writing materials, soap, and towels, etc.” They could even “order our meals whenever we chose.” After Parkes sent his September 29 message requesting further peace negotiations, “a large present of fruit and confectionary” was delivered to him in the name of Prince Gong (cited in M’Ghee 1862, 240, 244–245; cf. Li Ciming 1936, 9:47b). According to Weng Tonghe, the grateful mandarins rewarded Parkes and other prisoners with a lavish banquet on October 2 (Weng Tonghe 1970, 1:192) 去书内
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  • 林勇辉 林勇辉

    This passage records the living conditions of British diplomat Parkes and other captives detained by the Qing court in 1860, supported by both Western and Chinese historical documents. Parkes’ own testimony serves as the core evidence to prove his decent treatment. He received two daily meals, cakes, tea and tobacco. After being transferred to Gaomiao Temple on September 29 under Hengqi’s arrangement, guards waited on them like servants. The detainees were provided with sufficient daily necessities including tasty food, comfortable beds, writing tools, soap and towels, and they could freely decide their meal times. When Parkes submitted a letter to demand peace talks, Prince Gong sent abundant fruits and sweets as a goodwill gift, recorded by Western writer M’Ghee and Chinese scholar Li Ciming. Weng Tonghe’s diary further supplements the fact that Qing officials held an extravagant feast for these prisoners on October 2 to show friendliness. The biggest merit of this material lies in its dual-source verification combining Western captive statements and Chinese official diaries. It reflects the Qing government’s moderate diplomatic attitude when handling captured foreign envoys, hoping to ease conflicts through courteous treatment instead of brutal punishment. Still, the text only focuses on Parkes’ favourable experience without covering other prisoners’ situations, which is an obvious limitation of the record.

    2026-06-20 喜欢(0) 回复(0)

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