TWO hundred years ago King George III's ambassador to the Emperor of China set foot on Chinese soil on a mission that ultimately failed but had a long-term impact neither side could see.
The Dutch and the Russians had sent embassies to the Middle Kingdom before; but they had achieved absolutely nothing.
Lord Macartney was chosen as the British ambassador. Macartney was a cultured man. He was a friend of Dr Johnston and Voltaire. He had been Envoy Extraordinary to Catherine the Great of Russia and Governor of Madras. If Russian Empresses and Indian Nawabs succumbed to his Irish charm, why not the Son of Heaven? All the British wanted to do was to talk; to be treated as equals, to sort out a few problems facing their merchants in Canton and perhaps set up a permanent legation in Beijing.
China was an almost closed country at the time. Macartney's party included sinologists, astrologers, mathematicians, botanists and a number of artists.
As the embassy was taken up the river in a fleet of barges, a banner appeared on the leading junk announcing in huge Chinese characters: ''Tribute Embassy from Red Barbarians.'' Macartney was not pleased.
They were accompanied by the Emperor's Legate whose main job appeared to be to try to persuade Lord Macartney to kowtow to the Emperor. The symbolic act of an ambassador grovelling before the Dragon Throne implied that King George III was a cringing subject of Chien Lung, the then Emperor of China. As one of the main objects of the Macartney's mission was to persuade the Emperor that the King of England was his equal - this was unacceptable.
Macartney decided to write directly to the Emperor saying that he was quite willing to perform the kowtow ceremony provided that a mandarin of equal rank kowtowed before an oil painting of King George III. It was a brilliant solution; but there was a snag - he couldn't get anyone to write the letter for him in formal Chinese.