Asian Literature

Arthur Smith was a missionary from North America who wrote several narratives regarding his experiences and reflections about his travels. In his stay in China, he wrote a narrative about the Chineses national character entitled Chinese Characteristics. This was later translated into Japanese and was read by Lu Xun, a major Chinese writer and nationalists who had greatly influenced the post May Fourth Movement in China. His most famous work was The Truth Story of Ah-Q.   The search for a national character had been a pursuit for the Chinese ever since the idea regarding national character penetrated their traditions and ideologies. The idea comes from European nationalism. In the surface, the national character seems to portray the traits that the Chinese people possessed in general.

However, instead of being a factor to unite Chinese people as proponents of a nation, it revealed Chinese faults or negative traits. Thus, it led the Chinese to believe that they are doing things in the wrong way. Such criticisms about the Chinese are present in Arthur Smiths memoirs and narratives.
In Translating National Character Lu Xun and Arthur Smith, Lydia Liu elaborated on the connection that exists between Smiths writings and Lu Xuns view regarding the Chineses national character. After reading the chapter, it seems as though Lu Xun was highly influenced by the criticisms made by Smith regarding the Chinese traditions and way of life. Lu Xuns writings and perspectives revealed his personal interpretation of the Chinese national character based on western thoughts, predominantly from Arthur Smith. The connection was made based on the several references made by Xun about Smith throughout his writings. In addition, the national character that was described and reflected in Xuns writings were mostly reflective of Smiths description of Chinese national character.

Many authors had reflected the same view, without realizing that they are looking into the manner using a westerners lens and qualifications, instead of using their own.  For instance, Arthur Smith had criticized the manner in which Chinesemen seemed to hibernate during the first two hours of the afternoon. Bertrand Russell, a prominent western thinker, also perceives Chinese character as mainly negative.

Lu Xun largely agreed to Smiths presentation of Chinese national character. Taking into consideration that Lu Xun is a May Fourth movement writer, Lu Xun should have recognized that the national character is a western invention. By agreeing with Smiths ideas, Lu Xuns standards of national character had been defined by Smith. Although, Lu Xun argued against and even criticized some of Smiths reflections, in general he still believed that there is a thing called national character and such thing revealed the disease that China must cure.  The Story of Ah-Q, (a book written by Xun) reflects Lu Xuns agreement and criticism of Smith. It is one of the stories that connect Lu Xun and Smith, since it was written after Xun have read Smiths book. The main character Ah-Q resembles the national character that Smith had described. The descriptions of Ah-Q conforms Smiths point and the vest that Ah-Q was forced to wear resembled Smiths magistraterobe. In the same way, it could also be a presentation of how Lu Xun perceives himself to exhibit such national character. In detail, Lu Xun mentioned that I dissect myself much more often and much more savagely. He did not prescribe any medication (Xun perceived Chinese to have a national disease that hindered its progress), but he would like to reveal how Chinesemen thinks. Nonetheless, since he was influenced by Smith, the presentation of the national character is largely negative and biased towards the perspective westerners.

Lydia Liu described that the reaction made by Lu Xun to the writings of Smith affirmed that Xuns beliefs and ideas were influenced by western ideas (predominantly from Smith). Nonetheless, Liu also stressed that Lu Xun managed to give an account of Chinese national character by trying to emerge as the subject and agent of their own history. Lu Xuns writings revealed his reactions to Smiths ideas and his vision of recreating the Chinese national character.