This is the summer of 1898, when a German journalist heard about China

In 1898, Paul Goldmann, a reporter for the German newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung, was assigned by the newspaper to come to China to investigate China's economy, military, and judiciary. He landed in Hong Kong, went deep into the hinterland of China through Guangzhou and Shanghai, Hankou, Wuchang, Jiaozhou, Tianjin, and Beijing, and interviewed Li Hongzhang, Rong Lu, Chen Jitong, secretary of the Governor of Guangdong and director of the Lijin Bureau, Shanghai Daotai, and other figures of the late Qing Dynasty.

Recently, Paul Goldman's trip to China, "Summer of 1898: A German Journalist's Observations on China", was published by the People's Literature Publishing House. As a historical record of foreigners' visits to China, the book has irreplaceable historical value. Through the perspective of the "other" with a sense of scene, readers can feel the important historical details of the transformation of the late Qing Empire in a difficult and dangerous situation, and then see the vivid style of Chinese society in the late Qing Dynasty.

Born on 31 January 1865 in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland), Paul Goldman died in Vienna on 25 September 1935 as an Austrian and German journalist, publicist, travel writer, theatre critic and translator. From 1892 to 1902, he worked as a reporter for the Frankfurt newspaper in Brussels, Paris and China.

On March 6, 1898, the Qing government signed the Jiao'ao Lend-Lease Treaty with Germany. On April 10, German journalist Paul Goldmann was assigned by the Frankfurter Zeitung to conduct an interview with China from the Port of Geniana, Italy.

After setting off on the German "Prussia" long-distance mechanical ship, Goldman crossed the Mediterranean Sea, through Egypt, the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, and sailed to singapore, a European-style oriental new city. Then, he landed in Hong Kong, through Guangzhou, Shanghai, and all the way to the hinterland of China for a detailed investigation. On the way, he interviewed Wang Cunshan, then secretary of the Governor of Guangdong and director of the Lijin Bureau, and Cai Jun of Shanghai Daotai. From Shanghai, take a boat down the Yangtze River and stop at Zhenjiang, Hankou, Wuchang and other places.

In Hankou, Goldman visited the commercial institutions and monasteries established in Chinese mainland in Europe. In Wuchang, he inspected the new type of army trained by German instructors hired by Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang. In Qingdao, Weihai, Zhifu (Yantai) and other places in Jiaozhou Bay, he visited the Jiaozhou area that had just been incorporated into the German concession.

Goldman met many modern Chinese historical figures during his visit. In Yantai, he met Chen Jitong, a former Qing government diplomat in Europe. This is an important figure in modern history who has vigorously promoted Chinese culture in Europe. In Tianjin, he interviewed Rong Lu, the Qing government's army chief and governor directly under him. In Beijing, he visited Li Hongzhang, who had just left the wilderness.

What he wrote down helps us understand the scenery of the cities along the way at the end of the 19th century and the face of Chinese society. With the acumen of a journalist and the writing of a writer, he recorded the customs of Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hankou, Wuchang, Jiaozhou, Tianjin, Beijing and other cities in the late Qing Dynasty, which has a sense of picture. It is easy to recall the paintings of Wu Youru, a famous journalist and genre painter in modern China. What is particularly valuable is that in the book, Goldman highly affirms the diligence, bravery and wisdom of the Chinese people he has come into contact with. He predicted at the time that Shanghai would become a great city in the East with decades of efforts. This prophecy later became a reality.

In the book, he also revealed the inside story of the capital competition of the European powers in the initial Process of China's railway planning, as well as the situation that China's economy and the European economy are compatible with the European economy and the conflict of interests between the great powers. Through interactions with officials at different levels of the Qing government, he documented the different ideas of officials in the late Qing Dynasty for reform and cooperation with the West, as well as the different reactions of the people to such ideas.

Paul Goldman's interview in China is meticulously observed, beautifully written, and highly recognized by Chinese folk and ordinary Chinese people. Under the historical conditions at that time, this was rare and valuable. After a hundred years, this book can be discovered, translated, and published, which is also meaningful and valuable. Some netizens even compared the historical value of this book with "Marco Polo's Travels" and Snow's "Red Star Shines on China" as the best of the books written by foreigners in China.

As a German journalist, Paul Goldman is friendly to China, and his position and integrity on major historical issues such as opposing the Nazis are also admirable, but we must also note that in this book, after all, he looks at China from a German perspective, and sometimes it is inevitable to reveal some racial arrogance, and even occasionally the tone of colonizers. This is obviously a historical limitation, but also his prejudice, so while affirming the historical value of this book, Chinese readers also need to be vigilant about individual expressions, and need to take a critical stance to read and understand the relevant content.

The famous writer Tang Haoming commented: "This is both a history book and a literary book, with a clear social outlook and a vivid historical scene. Through the eyes of foreign journalists, ordinary readers can see the style and story of 1898, and professional readers can verify the truth of some historical materials and details. ”

Dai Haibin, a professor in the History Department of Fudan University, said: "At the end of the 19th century, the trip to China by the reporter of the German "FrankfurtErm" recorded all aspects of the social landscape of the city in the late Qing Dynasty, and also left the silhouette of the times of Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Rong Lu, Tan Zhonglin, Cai Jun, Wang Cunshan and other figures, opening up a pair of 'exotic eyes' for us to understand 'modern China'. ”

Nandu reporter Huang Qian