Samuel Wells Williams And Early Sino-US Diplomacy(1855-1876)

Samuel Wells Williams was one of the well-known American missionaries in China in the 19 th century.He came to China in 1833 and lived here for over 40 years.But he was not only a missionary but also a Sinologist and diplomat.His career in China can be divided into two periods.During the first period(1833-1854),he mainly managed the affairs of the printing house in Guangdong province,which was launched by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions(ABCFM).Apart from this,he took part in the negotiation of Treaty of Wang-Hea(1844)and Kanagawa Treaty(1854),which paved the way for his participation in Sino-US diplomacy.While in the second period(1855-1876),he became the secretary as well as the interpreter of the American Legation in China and got involved in all the important affairs in Sino-US diplomacy at that time,which made him become one of the key persons in Sino-US diplomacy in this period.He accompanied American ministers to Tientsin and Peking twice to negotiate and exchange the Treaty of Tientsin in 1858 and 1859.Although he did not gain firm support form William Reed,he managed to put the clause of religion tolerance into the Treaty of Tientsin despite the unwillingness of officials in Qing dynasty.Unexpectedly,this clause was partly blamed for the Christian conflicts,which had great negative influence on Sino-Foreign relations.According to the article of the Most Favored Nation,America ministers also got the right to reside in Peking after the Convention of Peking.As the interpreter of the American Legation in Peking,Samuel Wells Williams played an important role in building the Legation and taking charge of the legation affairs as the actual minister.His work was indispensable for the maintenance of American Legation in Peking.While Samuel Wells Williams was in charge of the legation affairs,the event related Henry Andres Burgevine was an important example,which to some extent indicated his difference from other diplomats.For the friendship between America and China,he argued that Burgevine should be handed over to the Qing dynasty,yet George Seward,the general consul in Shanghai insisted the right of American consulate to bringhim into justice.But after loads of criticism from foreigners in China,his attitude began to change.Multiple identities was the reason for his contradictory attitudes in this case.Samuel Wells Williams’ diplomatic career in China reflected the close relationship between diplomats and missionaries in the 19 th century in China.However,despite his long-term and close participation in Sino-US relations,he ended his diplomatic career still as the interpreter and secretary due to the immaturity of American diplomacy in China.