Although This Statue Is Not Old, Yet It May Have Been
Made After An Ancient Model.
Archdeacon Gray, in his remarkable and
interesting book, Walks in the City of Canton (Hong Kong, 1875, p. 207),
justly criticized the Marco Polo theory, and simultaneously gave a correct
identification of the Lo-han in question.
His statement is as follows: "Of
the idols of the five hundred disciples of Buddha, which, in this hall,
are contained, there is one, which, in dress and configuration of
countenance, is said to resemble a foreigner. With regard to this image,
one writer, if we mistake not, has stated that it is a statue of the
celebrated traveller Marco Polo, who, in the thirteenth century, visited,
and, for some time, resided in the flowery land of China. This statement,
on the part of the writer to whom we refer, is altogether untenable.
Moreover, it is an error so glaring as to cast, in the estimation of all
careful readers of his work, no ordinary degree of discredit upon many of
his most positive assertions. The person, whose idol is so rashly
described as being that of Marco Polo, was named Shien-Tchu. He was a
native of one of the northern provinces of India, and, for his zeal as an
apostle in the service of Buddha, was highly renowned."
Everard Cotes closes the final chapter of his book, The Arising East
(New York, 1907), as follows: "In the heart of Canton, within easy reach
of mob violence at any time, may be seen to-day the life-size statue of an
elderly European, in gilt clothes and black hat, which the Chinese have
cared for and preserved from generation to generation because the
original, Marco Polo, was a friend to their race. The thirteenth-century
European had no monopoly of ability to make himself loved and reverenced.
A position similar to that which he won as an individual is open to-day to
the Anglo-Saxon as a race. But the Mongolian was not afraid of Marco Polo,
and he is afraid of us. It can be attained, therefore, only by fair
dealing and sympathy, supported by an overwhelming preponderance of
fighting strength."
[Dr. Laufer reproduces here the note in Marco Polo, I., p. 76. I may
remark that I never said nor believed that the statue was Polo's. The
mosaic at Genoa is a fancy portrait.]
The question may be raised, however, Are there any traces of foreign
influence displayed in this statue? The only way of solving this problem
seemed to me the following: First to determine the number and the name of
the alleged Marco Polo Lo-han at Canton, and then by means of this number
to trace him in the series of pictures of the traditional 500 Lo-han (the
so-called Lo han t'u).
The alleged Marco Polo Lo-han bears the number 100, and his name is
Shan-chu tsun-che (tsun-che being a translation of Sanskrit arya,
"holy, reverend"). The name Shan-chu evidently represents the rendering of
a Sanskrit name, and does not suggest a European name.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 602 of 701
Words from 317998 to 318518
of 370046
