FOREWORD
by Anchee Min

He was the father of China’s modernization. He was the only foreigner the Emperor trusted. As Inspector General for Chinese Maritime Customs, Sir Robert Hart was responsible for generating one third the national revenue crucial to the Ch’ing Dynasty’s survival. I was surprised to discover that today few know that Sir Robert Hart was once a household name in China.

Like the Statue of Liberty in New York City’s harbor, there was once a bronze life-size sculpture of Robert Hart standing by the Huang-pu Bund at the mouth of the Yangtze River in Shanghai, China. The sculpture was commissioned by the Emperor of China and was erected in 1910. It stood for twenty-seven years until the Japanese knocked it down during the invasion in 1937. 

Today where Robert Hart’s bronze statue once stood is a figure of Mao’s General Chen Yi. But the old people of Shanghai still tell their young, as my father told me, about the statue of Robert Hart. ‘He was a great man, a true friend of China.’ Furthermore, people remember that there were streets in Shanghai and Beijing (Peking) named after Robert Hart before the Cultural Revolution like ‘Hart Boulevard’.

There were two famous stories about Robert Hart that I knew. One was about his legendary ‘refusal’ of the Emperor’s invitation that he be the ‘Commander in Chief of China’s Army’ in 1887. Hart believed that there would be a ‘conflict of interest’ since he was British. He felt that he could best serve China by staying the Inspector General of Chinese Customs. He wanted to stay ‘behind the scenes’ and to teach China to be a ‘better fisherman’ instead of handing her ‘fish’. Saying ‘no’ to the Emperor’s offer made Robert Hart a giant moral hero, and that was beyond the comprehension of the corrupt imperial royals.

The other story was about Robert Hart’s Chinese concubine, Ayaou. She was a boat-girl by background. During the love affair between Hart and Ayaou, she gave birth to three children. One can hardly imagine the passion, torment and struggle that must have taken place between these two strong-willed individuals during China’s most difficult times.

By learning about Robert Hart, I believe that a Westerner could gain a key to understanding China and the Chinese culture. I introduced Robert Hart to Lloyd while we were still dating. My reason was a selfish one—I wanted Lloyd to learn from a ‘Master’

It turned out to be the best gift I could give Lloyd. The more he learned about Robert Hart, the more he believed that it was his mission to make Hart’s story known. My Splendid Concubine was a work of nearly nine years of his labor.

I am grateful for what Lloyd has done, especially when building bridges of communication between China and the West is crucial to our survival.

Anchee Min

Author of Red Azalea,  Becoming Madame Mao,  Empress Orchid and The Last Empress