Notwithstanding that ten years have elapsed since the last edition of this book was published, the description of the grand Gorges of the Yang-tse remains as true and as fresh as on the day it was written, and little apology is needed for again bringing the scene before the public eye. The outside trade of Szechuan, estimated roughly at about five millions sterling, is still carried on by a fleet of eight to ten thousand junks, whose crews animate the rocks and precipices of the wild scenery, their shouts re-echoing from cliff to cliff as they toil over the broken ground. But during these ten years much has happened in China. The great unwieldy empire has been rudely shaken by the French war in 1885, and by the Japanese war in 1895, which brought about, the latter especially, a cruel exposure of China's weakness. This weakness was well known to residents on the spot, and should have been better appreciated and prepared for by our leading politicians at home. In the following pages of my Diary,

xii Preface to the Third Edition

written in 1883, it will be seen that I predicted the collapse that was then imminent, and demonstrated the folly of continuing our attempts to conciliate the corrupt camarilla ruling in Peking, and the worthlessness of China as an ally. It was this yielding to the worst features of Chinese conservatism that frustrated my original attempt to open the Upper Yang-tse to steam. Now, at last, thanks to the determination of the Japanese, and to our own Government's fortunate change of fronts since the appointment to Peking of our present energetic Minister, Sir Claude Macdonald, a pioneer steamer has ascended to Chung-king, and the account of the voyage is set forth in the last chapter of the book.

Oriental Club, London, October 7th, 1898.

第三版序言

儘管自本書上一版出版以來已有十年過去了，長江三峽的壯麗景象仍然如初，鮮活如新。再次將這些場景呈現給公眾眼前，幾乎無需任何解釋。四川的對外貿易，粗略估計約為五百萬英鎊，仍然依靠八千至一萬艘木帆船來進行。這些帆船的船員活躍在險峻的山岩和峭壁上，當他們艱難前行時，喊聲在懸崖間迴盪。然而，在這十年間，中國發生了許多重大變故。這個龐大的帝國先是被1885年的中法戰爭，後又被1895年的中日戰爭震撼，特別是後者，殘酷地揭示了中國的弱點。這種弱點在當地的居民中早已是公開的秘密，本應得到我們國內政界領袖的更好認識並加以。

我的日記，寫於1883年，讀者將看到我當時預言了即將來臨的崩潰，並指出持我們續討好北京腐敗集團的愚蠢，說明中國作為盟友毫無價值。正是這種對中國保守主義最糟糕特點的妥協，挫敗了我當初開放上游長江蒸汽船航運的嘗試。如今，感謝日本的堅定立場，以及我們政府自麥克唐納爵士（Sir Claude Macdonald）任駐北京大使以來的政策轉變，先鋒蒸汽船終於成功抵達重慶。這次航程的詳細記載可以在本書最後一章中找到。

倫敦東方俱樂部，1898年10月7日