Reading Chinese in Oxford - Map of China: Decoding the Secrets of a Vanished Cartographer - page 50

Michaelspentpartofhistimeengagedinthistask,workinghiswaythroughthe
several dozen Chinese topics and manuscripts that had accumulated in the library
since 1604, noting on their covers what they were. His annotations in a clear hand,
both in Chinese and in Latin, can still be seen on these topics today. He also drew
up lists of what was in the collection, drafts of which can be found in Hyde's file
in the British Library. But he also spent much of his time with Hyde, to judge from
other notes preserved in the file. Hyde wanted to learn the rudiments of the lan-
guage, and Michael taught him. On one scrap of paper he has written (in Chinese
characters) xiyang ('the West') and zhongguo ('China'), one above the other, then
penned beside them a four-character catechism for each. In the West, 'from how it
sounds you determine how it is written'; in China, 'from how it is written you de-
termine how it sounds.' It is a neat summary of the difference between alphabetic
and ideographic languages. It certainly suited the mind of Hyde, who was always
prowling for keys such as this to make learning languages easier.
The Chinese who emerges from these scraps of paper is a figure in fragments.
He identifies himself as a native of Nanjing and 'junior in age' to Hyde, whom
he addressed with the honorific title of laoye daren , 'respected elder'. Two letters
he sent to Hyde are addressed: 'For mr. Dr. Hyde chief Library Keeper of the
University of Oxford at Oxon' and 'For Dr. Hyde chief Library Keeper of the
UniversityofOxfordtobefoundatQueensCollegeOxon'.Michaelseemstohave
mastered enoughEnglish toaddress aletter.Itisalso worthnotingthat theoriginal
red seals on two letters have been preserved. The image pressed into the wax is of
a two-masted ship at sea. Michael Shen, sailor of the world.
The Englishman lurking in these notes has a fascination for all things Chinese,
although there is a random quality about the subjects he inquires into. Hyde has an
interest in religion, getting Michael to run through the various names for Buddhist
temples and provide a short description of Buddhist worship. He also takes notes
on how paper is made from bamboo, silk and 'the inner Rind of a tree'. Michael
has written the character for 'cotton', but Hyde seems not to have figured out what
it meant. He also writes a short note on the Chinese gun, following Michael's ac-
count. Their firearms were fired not with a steel hammer on flint - a technique that
European gunsmiths haddeveloped earlier inthe century -butwith afuse,andnot
a fuse held in a matchlock (a European innovation from late in the sixteenth cen-
tury) but in the hand. Because of this primitive arrangement, Michael explains to
Hyde, when Chinese gunners 'fire' their guns, they 'turn their faces back for fear'.
Not a good pose from which to hit a target.