tself than the
worship of saints--had the effect of arming every household against
a faith that aimed to subvert their family altars. The dethronement
of _Shang-ti_ (a name accepted by
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most Protestant missionaries) and the substitution of _Tien Chu_,
could not fail to shock the best feelings of devout people. _Tien
Chu_, if not a new coinage, was given by papal fiat an artificial
value, equivalent to "Lord of all"--whereas it had previously headed
a list of divisional deities, such as Lord of Heaven, Lord of Earth,
Lord of the Sea, etc.

What wonder that for two centuries Christianity continued to be a
prohibited creed! The ground thus lost by a papal blunder it has
never regained. The acceptance of _Tien_ and _Shang-ti_
by Protestants might perhaps do something to retrieve the situation,
if backed by some form of respect for ancestors.

Kanghi was succeeded by his son Yungcheng (1722-1736), who was
followed by Kienlung (1736-1796), during whose reign the dynasty
reached the acme of splendour. Under Kienlung, Turkestan was added to
the empire. The Grand Lama of Tibet was also enrolled as a feudatory;
but he never accepted the laws of China, and no doubt considered
himself repaid by spiritual homage. No territory has since been
added, and none lost, if we except the cession of Formosa to Japan
and of Hong Kong to Great Britain. The cessions of seaports to
other powers are considered as temporary leases.

After a magnificent reign of sixty years, Kienlung abdicated in
favour of his fifth son, Kiak'ing, for the whimsical reason that
he did not wish to reign longer than his grandfather. In Chinese
eyes this was sublime. Why did they not enact a law that no man
should surpass the longevity of his father?

As to Kiak'ing, who occupied the throne for twenty-four
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years, weak and dissolute is a summary of his character.

The next four reigns came under the influence of new forces. They
belong to the era of transformation, and may properly be reserved
for Part III.

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PART III

CHINA IN TRANSFORMATION

[Page 149]
CHAPTER XXVII

THE OPENING OF CHINA, A DRAMA IN FIVE ACTS--GOD IN HISTORY

_Prologue--Act 1, the Opium War--(Note on the Taiping Rebellion)--Act
2, the "Arrow" War--Act 3, War with France--Act 4, War with Japan--Act
5, the Boxer War_

PROLOGUE

If one were asked to name the most important three events that took
place in Asia in the last century, he could ha