A Study On John Francis Davis' Views On China

John Francis Davis,the Knight Commander of the Bath,who was famous for the study of Sinology,had translated amount of Chinese classical literature successively,such as Laou-Seng-Urh,or "An Heir in His Old Age"?Hao Chiu Chuan.The Fortunate Union?Hon Koong Tsew,Or The Sorrows of Hon etc.Besides,he also published lots of books about Chinese society,politics,language and literature,for example Hien Wun Shoo,Chinese Moral Maxims,With A Free and Verbal Translation?Poeseos Sinensis commentarii,On the Poetry of the Chinese?The Chinese:A General Description of The Empire of China and Its Inhabitants etc.He was one of the pioneers of the early British Sinology in the nineteenth century and made an enormous contribution to the Sino-British intercourse in the nineteenth Century.The paper mainly explors his point of view of China from three aspects:Davis'views on the social of China,on the Chinese language and literature,and the observation of the Chinese people.He lived in China for about 25 years,being a translator of the East India Company factory at Canton,president of the Committee at Canton and the Governor of Hong-Kong,during which he had a profound understanding on China's politics.In order to promote the development of diplomatic relations between China and Britain,Davis tried to look for the Chinese's spirit through Chinese literature.As the diplomatic officer and the second governor of Hong Kong he became the most unpopular governor in colony's history.But he was a great translator and sinologist,and created great achievements which were deeply appreciated by the academic community.It is an undeniable fact that his view on China was restricted by the world development pattern and his own identity,besides,his study on China was practical but with a certain of political and colonial tendency.Generally,it reflected the recognition and imagination of Oriental civilization in the early nineteenth century from the Western world.