[PGS] Introducing international law to East Asia——The Formation of Wanguo Gongfa, the Chinese translation of Elements of International Law

Introducing international law to East Asia——The Formation of Wanguo Gongfa, the Chinese translation of Elements of International Law

Yan Xingjian
HKU

This presentation examines how and why International Law as a world order was methodically introduced to East Asia through Wanguo Gongfa, the Chinese translation of Elements of International Law. It not only examines the intent, blueprint, and process of translating Wanguo Gongfa, but also reveals that the translation was carried out and completed with the strong support of the United States government, essentially to induce the Qing government to accept international law and better fulfill a series of unequal treaties previously signed with the Great Powers. In addition, this report highlights the Qing government’s proactivity and initiative in introducing international law. The Qing government did not passively accept international law under the coercion of the Great Powers, but actively sought knowledge of international law, sent officials to embellish the translation, and funded its publication.

In addition to focusing on the translation and publication of this translation of international law, this presentation also examines the history of the dissemination and reading of Wanguo Gongfa, which many historians have previously neglected. By combing the history of the publication of Wanguo Gongfa in China and Japan and the records of the reading of Wanguo Gongfa in the letters, diaries, and anthologies of intellectuals in China and Japan in the second half of the 19th century, the different situations of Wanguo Gongfa in China and Japan are restored. This reveals the different attitudes of China and Japan at the level of the introduction of international law, and to some extent, explains the different results of modernization in the two countries.

Yan Xingjian is a final-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at The University of Hong Kong. He completed his BA in History at East China Normal University, and his MA in History at Brown University. His research interests include History of Sino-American Relations, History of International Law and History of Ideas. He is currently researching William Alexander Parsons Martin’s Chinese translation of Elements of International Law, entitled Wanguo Gongfa, and the interactions between its evaluation and practice in China and Japan.

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You may also join us online here: https://hku.zoom.us/j/99748001315?pwd=WllrK2haRVFtUDdjenA2ZEEwQmx3dz09