The Mystery of "Ding Long" (9)
Why didn't Carpentier shy away from the word "寕" on the envelope?
Chan Ka Kee
A few days ago, at the 7th International Symposium on "International Migration and Overseas Chinese Studies: Ding Long and His Times" held at Wuyi University in Jiangmen, some scholars questioned the famous "Ding Long" envelope in Chinese and English.
This envelope was displayed by the descendants of Ma Wanchang (who used the name "Jinlong" in the United States) of Qianqiuli Village, Baisha Town, Taishan City, and was sent in 1907 by GaIway (the hometown of Carpentier, the employer of Dean Lung, "Ding Long", and the place where he lived in his later years and was buried after his death) to Jinlong Wanchang, Baisha Qianqiuli, Xinning, Guangdong.
In 1907, an envelope sent by GaIway from the United States to Jinlong Wanchang, Qianqiuli, Baisha, Xinning, Guangdong (formerly known as Taishan) provided by Ma Wanchang, Zheng Wensheng, and Huang Changquan
The focus of the question is that this envelope was written in 1907, when it was still the Qing Dynasty, and the word "寕" is a word for avoidance ("寕" was designated as a word for avoidance by Emperor Daoguang), why was the envelope written as "Xin寕"?
"Xinbao" on the envelope (screenshot)
After the conference, the 7th International Migration and Overseas Chinese Studies: "Ding Long and His Times" Symposium was held at Wuyi University
"However, some scholars have also raised doubts about the evasion and texture of the material, and believe that this conclusion should be taken more cautiously."
Although the report said that "Chinese and foreign scholars also had a heated discussion on the relationship between Ding Long and Ma Wanchang at the meeting", due to time constraints, the topic of "avoidance" could not be discussed, and the author did not have the opportunity to express his views on this issue.
Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to give a special explanation to educate fellow researchers.
"Avoidance, this ancient and mysterious Chinese tradition has left many difficult mysteries in historical documents. The author avoids using the names of emperors, elders, or revered people in the text, and replaces them with word changes, spaces, or lack of pen, which is called evasion. Originally, Emperor Daoguang's name was "Mianning", but in the Qing Dynasty, out of avoidance, it was changed to "Minning", that is, the word "Ning" can no longer be used, but can only use the word "Ning". (Mak Guopei, "Looking at History through Envelopes: The Story of Emperor Daoguang's Avoidance in Ding Long's Family Book", 2020.07.16)
Qingfeng Langzhu2007-07-04 wrote in the article "Cliché, or about avoidance":
"寕" was indeed set by Emperor Daoguang as a shunning word, which is recorded in detail in the second volume of the "Qing Xuanzong Record". However, the view that the word "寕" in the original text of the Jiazhu book is regarded as a word of avoidance is not tenable.
"寕" as a vulgar variant character has been used since the Han Dynasty. One of the great features of the Jiazhu book is the extensive use of colloquial variants, many of which are written in two or even more ways in this book. Judging from the statistical results, "寜" appears in the main text or in the large characters of the ink commentary before and after each round, and the Ning character in the small characters of Zhu Pi is written as "寕" without exception.
Li Baida, director of the Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Historical Society in Guangdong Province, published an article "The Footprints of American Road Construction Chinese Workers" in the magazine "Domestic and Overseas" sponsored by the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, which published the license of his great-grandfather Li Junyan in the 33rd year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1906) Jinshan Zhengbu Li Longxitang Hundred Sons Association:
In the 33rd year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, Jinshan Zhengbu Li Longxitang Baizihui license provided by Li Boda
In 1906, a major earthquake occurred in San Francisco, USA, and the club of overseas Li clan activities - "Jinshan Zhengbu Li Longxi Hall" collapsed. On July 18, 1907 (the 33rd year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty), Li Longxitang of Jinshan Zhengbu issued Li Junyan a license for "Jinshan Zhengbu Li Longxitang Hundred Sons Association".
On this license, "Xinning" is written as "Xinning", not the evasive word "Xinning".
"Xinning" on the license (screenshot)
It seems that even in the Qing Dynasty, some people wrote "Ning", and they were not afraid of being "killed"!
Regarding the "Xinliao" writing style and "avoidance" on this envelope, Li Baida of Taishan City has a detailed description in the "100-year-old ancient seal "Ding Long" published in the "Beijing Evening News" on October 19, 2022:
Later, a researcher of Cantonese culture (a regional culture in the Cantonese-speaking region) questioned the letter, arguing that the 1907 envelope had "Guangdong Xinning" written in Chinese, which was fake. The reason is that the name of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty is "Min Ning (Ning)", and when Daoguang ascended the throne to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, anyone who wrote the word "Ning" was guilty of killing his head. At this time, "Xinning" can only be written as "Xinning".
According to Zhang Ying's book "A Brief Discussion on the Avoidance System of the Qing Dynasty", it is recorded that during the Daoguang period, the avoidance system was gradually relaxed. Daoguang's name was originally "Mianning", and the word Mian was a commonly used word, just like his father Jiaqing (Jiaqing's original name was Yongyan, which was changed to Yingyan after ascending the throne), and he changed his name to "Minning". If you want to use the word "Min" in daily life, you should use the missing wording, and the point in the word is not written to avoid it. The word "Ning" should be adapted, turning the "heart" in "Ning" into a horizontal and a vertical, so as to express avoidance. In addition, the "Obscure Character Spectrum" also recorded: Xianfeng four years, the word "Ning" generation.
With the decline of the Qing Dynasty, this kind of avoidance is no longer as strict as before, and with the addition of handwritten characters, it is normal to have more paintings and fewer paintings. The recipient address of this ancient seal of "Ding Long" is "廣東新寕白沙", in which the word "寕" is used, and there is no problem of offending the Qing court.
In this 1909 silver letter sent to Xinliao Chong Basket (provided by Li Baida), the "Xinning" on it was written as "Xinliao", using the evasive word "寕" instead of "Ning".
In 1909, a foreign bank letter letter was sent to Xinning Chonglou and was provided by Li Baida
"Xinbao" on the envelope (screenshot)
Postmark 12, July 1909 JL (July).
The postmark on this envelope shows that it was sent from the YARRAVILLE post office in Victoria on the 12th of July 1909. After inquiry, this place is near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
In 1851, gold was discovered in Melbourne, and a large number of people from all over the world came to Melbourne to pan for gold, including a large number of Chinese workers. Melbourne is also known as the New Gold Mountain by the Chinese, which is different from San Francisco (San Francisco) in the United States.
This silver letter was written by a Chinese in Yarravel near Melbourne to Liu Zhenxiang in Pingchang Village, Xinliao Chong.
It can be seen that Li Baida said that "with the decline of the Qing Dynasty, this kind of evasion is no longer as strict as before", and Carpentier's envelope to Dean Lung is not an isolated case of writing "Xinning" instead of "Xinning". Moreover, Chinese people who have lived overseas for a long time, such as the United States and Australia, have a weaker sense of "avoidance" in their minds.
Moreover, these two letters with "Xinbao" indeed arrived in the hands of the recipients, and no one was "killed" because they did not "avoid it". These two envelopes have witnessed the demise of "avoidance".
Today's researchers should strive to keep pace with the times and should not stick to outdated concepts.
Encourage everyone!