The Chinese Statue

The story “The Chinese Statue” is about the journey of a

statue of Emperor Kung acquired by Sir Alexander
Heathcote,a British diplomat when he was posted in China.
The opening scene is set at the Sudheby’s , an auction house
of considerable repute, here an antique Chinese statue had
gone under the hammer. To apprise the bidders about the
piece a fact sheet was made available which stated that the
piece was purchased from a place called Ha Li Chuan in the
year 1871. The name of the aristocratic owner remained
concealed. The author was intrigued by the statues history and
decided to delve into its past.
The character SAH, is portrayed as an “exact man”. He rose
every morning at 7 am,had the same breakfast with the same
ingredients and in the same quantity every day. He was a
punctilious man whose daily routine was set to the accuracy
of a minute ,was as precise as his father who was also a
general. After calling through various promotions he was
finally posted as a minister in Peking. Sah had taken more
than an amateur interest in the history of the Ming Dynasty
and was ecstatic when he had got the opportunity to admire
Chinese art in person.
SAH arrived in Peking and handed over his credentials to
Empress Tzu-Hsi in a traditional ceremony which took place
in the Imperial Palace where the queen was standing in her
white robe with bold embellishments and received the
ambassador of Queen Victoria. SAH went through the
ceremony with great finesse and aplomb.
 As SAH ministerial appointment was only for three years, he
took no leave and spent most of his time travelling to the
outer districts to “learn more about the country and its
people.”He was accompanied by a mandarin who acted as an
interpreter and as a guide. On one such journey SAH chanced
upon a craftsmen workplace in a village called Ha Li Chuan,
with curiosity gripping his mind he entered the workshop with
the intention of acquiring a small memento. An old man
looking very ordinary stepped out to meet the minister in a
deferential manner. The old man was more than polite in
giving his eager assent to the min request to watch him work.
For over an hour the minister feasted his eyes on the splendid
masterpieces. The master Artisan then assured the visitors into
an inner chamber which appeared very intriguing with the
collection of miniature statues and a conversation ensued
between the minister and the artisan which had a component
of ming dynasty with the Mandarin being the channel. The
artisan preferred to show a statue belonging to Ming dynasty
which had been in his family for over seven generations. After
a while he returned and the author comments – “from the very
way he held it close to his chest,had to be a treasure”. The
minister was ecstatic on seeing the statue which was of
Emperor Kung. The statue was not more than six inches in
height and the minister was convinced that the maker was the
great Pen Q. The author says – “ The statue’s only blemish
was that the ivory bases on which such pieces usually rest was
missing” but in the eyes of the Minister it was perfect never
the less. A few moments later the minister uttered the most
undiplomatic words in his whole career-“How I wish the
piece was mine”. The minister immediately regretted voicing
out his opinion openly as he was reminded of the Chinese
tradition that if an honest guest requests for something then
the giver will assume a higher status in society by parting with
it. The min was momentarily confused and perplexed by the
sudden turn of events. As the statue did not have a base the
craftsman picked a base decorated with small dark figures and
assured the min that it bore the mark of a master artisan who
then left with the statue.
Upon reaching Peking the mandarin was aware of the min
predicament and reminded him of the Chinese tradition that if
a stranger has been generous then you must return the favour
within the calendar year, being an exact man he followed the
traditions. The min ascertained the true worth of the piece
from the Embassy Library which came out to be three years of
his salary. With prior agreement from his wife he withdrew a
large sum of money from his bank. The min was apprised that
the craftsman was Yung lee who was growing old and wished
to retire to the hills. His son was ready to continue the family
tradition.
Almost a year to the day , min and mand visited the
cratsmens workshop and the min announced that he was back
to repay his debt. They set out on a journey towards the hill
and stopped when they had reached the hollow of the hill . In
the hollow stood a newly completed small white house of the
most perfect proportions. The min offered the house to the
craftsmen by saying- “A small, inadequate gift and my feeble
attempt to repay you in kind”. The craftsman initially refuse
as it was forbidden for an artisan to accept gifts from a
foreigner but when he heard that the Queen had indeed
sanctioned it , he was overjoyed.
 The Min completed his tour duty in Peking and the and
received the Silver Star from the Empress and the queen
added the K.C.V.O to his decorations. He lived his twilight
years in his ancestral home of Yorkshire. The statue was
placed in the center of the mantelpiece in his drawing room.
SAH drafted a detailed will giving instructions on the disposal
of his estate and what was to happen with the staute. He stated
that the statue should be passed on to the first born and should
never be sold “unless the family’s honour was at stake.
Sah first born Major James Heathcote was a fighting man
who served the queen in the Boer War. Although he did not
take much interest in culture, she treasured the family
heirloom and exhibited it at the Regimental Mess in Halifax.
When he died the statue returned to the drawing room. M J H
had passed on his father’s instructions clearly.
M J H first born R A H kept the statue on the mantelpiece of
a vicarage. When he became the Bishop, it shifted to the
Bishop’s Palace. He too had passed on his grand Fathers
instruction.
R A H first born C J H placed the statue in the mess at
Halifax. He was tragically killed in the war and the statue
came into the possession of his two year old son, Alex
Heathcote, he was not of the mettle of his doughty ancestors.
He grew up to be a selfish and spoiled brat who’s cultural
values were not intact. He was prodigal/spendthrift who could
not hold a job for more than a week. When casinos opened in
Britain he was convinced that he had found an ideal way of
earning a living without actually working. He squandered all
his money by playing rouletteand was indebted to a a lot of
people and was threatened to be harmed physically if he did
not repay them. He decided to sell the family heirloom to
which he felt “a little sad”. He delivered the piece to
Sudheby’s. He expected the statue would be worth atleast
10000 pounds which was more than enough to cover all his
debts. The head of the oriental dept tells him –“ A nice little
piece your emperor, but unfortunately a fake,” . He was
dejected to find out that it was worth only 720 pounds which
was enough to buy a gun and bullets and kill himself, the
atmosphere immediately changes when he is informed that the
base was a magnificent piece of art. The randomly choosen
base was sold for 22,000 guineas.
Sah was an antique enthusiast, interested in Chinese history,
even though he was an exact man he felt prey to his own
indiscretion. He shared a lot of information about the statue
swaying the readers into believing that the statue was genuine.
Sah believed that the statue was real as it appeared beautiful.
The theme of appearance vs reality is showcased.The story
also reveals the psychology of human mind. This is a story of
an overwhelming passion for possessing an extra ordinary
work of art supposed to be of great value.