China and the West

Goldsmith, Oliver. The citizen of the world, or, Letters from a Chinese philosopher [ID D26901]. (1)
Quellen :
Argens, Jean-Baptiste de Boyer d'. Lettres chinoises [ID D1835].
Du Halde, Jean-Baptiste. Description... [ID D1819].
Le Comte, Louis. Nouveaux mémoires sur l'état de la Chine [ID D1771].
Montesquieu. Lettres persanes. T. 1-2. (Amsterdam : Pierre Brunel, 1721).
Murphy, Arthur. The orphan of China [ID D19836]
Gueulette, Thomas-Simon. Les avantures merveilleuses du mandarin Fum-Hoam [ID D16785].
Hellen, Robert. Letters from an Armenian in Ireland, to his friends at Trebisond, &c. (London : Printed for W. Owen, 1757).
Lyttelton, George. The Persian strip'd of his disguise : or, remarks on a late libel, intitled, Letters from a Persian in England to his friend at Ispahan. (Dublin : Printed by S. Powell, for Edward Exshaw, 1735).
Voltaire. L'orphelin de la Chine [ID D1836].
Walpole, Horace. A letter from Xo Ho, a Chinese philosopher at London, to his friend Liän-Chi, at Peking [ID D26894].
Vermutlich auch Einfluss von : Jean-Paul Marana, Charles Rivière Du Fresny, Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux.

Table of contents : Letter I-CXXIII
I : Introduction. A character of the Chinese philosopher.
II : The arrival of the Chinese in London. His motives for the journey. Some description of the street and houses.
III : The description of London continued. The luxury of the English. Its benefits. The fine gentleman. The fine lady.
IV : English pride. Liberty. An instance of both. News papers. Politeness.
V : English passion for politics. A specimen of a news paper. Characteristic of the manners of different countries.
VI : Happiness lost, by seeking after refinement. The Chinese philosopher's disgraces.
VII : The tye of wisdom, only to make us happy. The benefits of travelling upon the morals of a philosopher.
VIII : The Chinese deceived by a prostitute, in the streets of London.
IX : The licentiousness of the English, with regard to women. A character of a woman's man.
X : The journey of the Chinese from Pekin to Moscow. The customs of the Daures.
XI : The benefits of luxury, in making people more wise and happy.
XII : The funeral solemnities of the English. Their passion for flattering epitaphs.
XIII : An account of Westminster Abbey.
XIV : The reception of the Chinese from a lady of distinction.
XV : Against cruelty to animals. A story from the Zendevest of Zoroaster.
XVI : Of falshood propagated by books seemingly sincere.
XVII : Of the war now carried on between France and England, with its frivolous motives.
XVIII : The story of the Chinese matron.
XIX : The English method of treating women caught in adultery. The Russian method.
XX : Some account of the republic of letters in England.
XXI : The Chinese goes to see a play.
XXII : The Chinese philosopher's son made a slave in Persia.
XXIII : The English subscription in favour of the French pioners commended.
XXIV : The venders of quack medicines and nostrums, ridiculed.
XXV : The natural rise and decline of kingdoms, exemplified in the history of the kingdom of Lao.
XXVI : The character of the man in black ; with some instances of his inconsisten conduct.
XXVII : The history of the man in black.
XXVIII : On the great number of old maids and batchelors in London. Some of the causes.
XXIX : A description of a club of authors.
XXX : The proceedings of the club of authors.
XXXI : The perfection of the Chinese, in the art of gardening. The description of a Chinese garden.
XXXII : Of the degeneracy of some of the English nobility. A mushroom feast amont the Tartars.
XXXIII : The manner of writing among the Chinese. The eastern tales of magazines, &c. ridiculed.
XXXIV : Of the present ridiculous passion of the nobility for painting.
XXXV : The philospher's son describes a lady, his fellow captive.
XXXVI : A continuance of his correspondence. The beautiful captive consents to marry her lord.
XXXVII : The correspondence still continued. He begins to be disgusted in the pursuit of his wisdom. An allegory, to prove its futility.
XXXVIII : The Chinese philosopher praises the justice of a late sentence, and instances the injustice of the king of France, in the case of the prince of Charolais.
XXXXIX : The description of true politeness. Two letters of different countries, by ladies falsely thought polite at home.
XL : The English still have poets, tho' not versifiers.
XLI : The behaviour of the congregation in St. Paul's church at prayers.
XLII : The history of China more replete with great actions, than that of Europe.
XLIII : An apostrophe on the supposed death of Voltaire.
XLIV : Wisdom and precept may lessen our miseries ; but can never encrease our positive satisfactions.
XLV : The ardour of the people of London, in running after sights and monsters.
XLVI : A dream.
XLVII : Misery best relieved by dissipation.
XLVIII : The absurdity of persons in high station pursuing employments beneath them exemplified in a fairy tale.
XLIX : The fairy tale continued.
L : An attempt to define what is meant by English liberty.
LI : A bookseller's visit to the Chinese.
LII : The impossibility of distinguishing men in England, by their dress. Two instances of this.
LIII : The absurd taste for obscene and pert novels, such as Tristram Shandy, ridiculed.
LIV : The character of an important trifler.
LV : His character continued : With that of his wife, his house, and furniture.
LVI : Some thoughts on the present situation of affairs, in the different countries of Europe.
LVII : The difficulty of rising in literary reputation, without intrigue or riches.
LVIII : A visitation dinner described.
LIX : The Chinese philosopher's son escapes with the beautiful captive from slavery.
LX : The history of the beautiful captive.
LXI : Proper lessons to youth entring the world ; with fables suited to the occasion.
LXII : An authentic history of Catharina Alexowna, wife of Peter the Great.
LXIII : The rise or the decline of literature, not dependant on man, but resulting from the vicissitudes of nature.
LXIV : The great exchange happiness for shew. Their folly in this respect of use to society.
LXV : The history of a philosophic Cobler.
LXVI : The difference between love and gratitude.
LXVII : The folly of attempting to learn wisdom by being recluse.
LXVIII : Quacks ridiculed. Some particularly mentioned.
LXIX : The fear of mad dogs ridiculed.
LXX : Fortune proved not to be blind. The story of the avaricious miller.
LXXI : The shabby beau, the man in black, the Chinese philosopher, &c. At Vaux-hall.
LXXII : The marriage act censured.
LXXIII : Life endear'd by age.
LXXIV : The description of a little great man.
LXXV : The necessity of amusing each other with new books, insisted upon.
LXXVI : The preference of grace to beauty : An allegory.
LXXVII : The behaviour of a shop keeper and his journeyman.
LXXVIII : The French ridiculed after their own manner.
LXXIX : The preparations of both theatres for a winter campaign.
LXXX: The evil tendency of encreasing penal laws, or enforcing even those already in being, with rigour.
LXXXI : The ladies trains ridiculed.
LXXXII : The sciences useful in a populous state, prejudicial in a barbarous one.
LXXXIII : Some cautions on life, taken from a modern philosopher of China.
LXXXIV : The anecdotes of several poets, who lived and died in circumstances of wretchedness.
LXXXV : The trifling squabbles of stage players ridiculed.
LXXXVI : The races of New-market ridiculed. The description of a cart race.
LXXXVII : The folly of the Western parts of Europe, in employing the Russians to fight their battles.
LXXXVIII : The ladies advised to get husbands. A story to this purpose.
LXXXIX : The folly of remote or useless disquisitions among the learned.
XC : The English subject to the spleen.
XCI : The influence of climate and soil upon the tempers and dispositions of the English.
XCII : The manner in which some philosophers make artificial misery.
XCIII : The fondness of some, to admire the writings of lords, &c.
XCIV : The philosopher's son is again separated from his beautiful companion.
XCV : The father consoles him upon this occasion.
XCVI : The condolance and congratulation upon the death of the late king ridiculed. English mourning described.
XCVII : Almost every subject of literature, has been already exhausted.
XCVIII : A description of the courts of justice, in Westminster Hall.
XCIX : A visit from the little Beau. The indulgence with which the fair sex are treated, in several parts of Asia.
C : A life of independance praised.
CI : That people must be contented to be guided by those, whom they have appointed to govern. A story to this effect.
CII : The passion for gaming among ladies, ridiculed.
CIII : The Chinese Philosopher begins to think of quitting England.
CIV : The arts some make use of to appear learned.
CV : The intended coronation described.
CVI : Funeral elegies written upon the great, ridiculed. A specimen of one.
CVII : The English too fond of believing every report, without examination. A story of an incendiary to this purpose.
CVIII : The utility and entertainment which might result from a journey into the East.
CIX : The Chinese philosopher attempts to find out famous men.
CX : Some projects for introducing Asiatic employments into the courts of England.
CXI : On the different sects in England, particularly methodism.
CXII : An election described.
CXIII : A literary contest, of great importance. In which both sides fight by epigram.
CXIV : Against the marriage act. A Fable.
CXV : On the danger of having too high an opinion of human nature.
CXVI : Whether love be a natural or a fictitious passion.
CXVII : A city night-piece.
CXVIII : On the meanness of the Dutch, at the court of Japan.
CXIX : On the distress of the poor, exemplified in the life of a private centinel.
CXX : On the basurdity of some late English titles.
CXXI : The irresolution of the English accounted for.
CXXII : The manner of travellers in their usual relations, ridiculed.
CXXIII : The Conclusion.

The Editor's Preface
... They were surprized to find a man born so far from London, that school of prudence and wisdom, endued even with a moderate capacity. They expressed the same surprize at his knowledge that the Chinese do at ours. How comes it, said they, that the Europeans, so remote from China, think with so much justice and precision ? They have never read our books, they scarcely know even our letters, and yet they talk and reason just as we do. The truth is, the Chinese and we are pretty much alike. Different degrees of refinement, and not of distance, mark the distinctions among manking. Savages of the most opposite climates, have all but one character of improvidence and repacity ; and tutored nations, however separate, make use of the very same methods to procure refined enjoyment.
The distinctions of polite nations are few ; but such as are peculiar to the Chinese, appear in every page of the following correspondence. The metaphors and allusions are all drawn from the East. Their formality our author carefully preserves. Many of their favourite tenets in morals are illustrated. The Chinese are always concise, so is he. Simple, so is he. The Chinese are grave and sententious, so is he. But in one particular, the resemblance is peculiarly striking : the Chinese are often dull ; and so is he...
The furniture, frippery and fireworks of China, have long been fashionably bought up. I'll try the fair with a small cargoe of Chinese morality. If the Chinese have contributed to vitiate our taste, I'll try how far ehy can help to improve our understanding...