The opportunities for friction between the small body of foreignresidents and the large Chinese population in whose midst they livedwere innumerable， and it is truly remarkable that serious disturbanceswere so infrequent. The avoidance of trouble was undoubtedly due inlarge measure to the fair-mindedness of the first British officials whohad been sent out to represent their country.
Causes of Friction between Chinese and ForeignersThere were many causes leading to possible misunderstandings.
The foreign community and the Chinese population had little incommon， except the desire to trade. Their religious， moral， social，and political ideas were different， and had few points of contact. Theforeign residents， with the exception of the missionaries， were contentto live their own lives in their own way among a people whom theymade little effort to understand. Outside of the missionaries and officialinterpreters few endeavoured to study the Chinese language， andcommunication between foreigners and Chinese was largely carried onin “pidgin” English.
Merchants conducted their trade through compradores who actedas middlemen and thus the principals in a business transaction seldomcame into touch with each other.
The foreign resident was too apt to regard himself as one of theelect and to look down upon the Chinese with a contemptuous andpatronizing attitude.
Many of the Chinese disliked the foreigners who had forcedan entrance into their country and regarded them as greatly inferiorto themselves in culture. They did not welcome their coming， andresented the necessity of granting them a settlement.
They did not welcome the missionary. Prince Kung declared toSir Rutherford Alcock on his departure from Peking in 186 9， “Takeaway your opium and your missionaries， and you will be welcome！“ Atthe same time Wen-siang， another high official， said to him， “Do awaywith your extraterritorial clause and merchant and missionary maysettle anywhere and everywhere; but retain it and we must do our bestto confine you and our troubles to the treaty ports.“The unpopularity of the missionary was due not so much to histeaching or to his good works as it was to the fact that his religionwas foreign， and considered unnecessary for China. Furthermore， asmissionaries were not content to remain in the treaty ports but wantedto carry on propaganda throughout the whole country it was fearedthey would introduce a disturbing element into Chinese social andpolitical life. The fact that mission work was protected by the treatiesgave rise to the criticism that the Christian Church relied on force forits extension. A great deal of the opposition to mission work was causedPidgin English is from of English spoken according to Chinese idiom， with wordsaltered in such a way was to make it easy for the Chinese to pronounce them. SomePortuguese and French words have been incorporated into it.
by the ignorance and superstition of the masses， who were stirred up tobelieve that missionaries carried on nefarious practices， such as takingout children"s eyes and making them into medicine.
But enough perhaps has been said to show how easily goodrelations between the foreign residents and the Chinese could be upset.
Attacks on MissionariesWe find that in the years 1868 and 186 9 attacks were made onmissionaries in different parts of the Empire， first at Yangchow andthen in Szechuen， where two French priests were murdered.
The Rev. J. Williamson was beaten to death in his boat atTientsin. These attacks culminated in the Tientsin Massacre in 187 0，when the French Consul and his Secretary， a number of Sisters ofMercy in the Roman Catholic Orphanage， a Russian merchant and hiswife， and several others—numbering nineteen in all-were cruelly doneto death by the Imperialist troops.
Further， a party of five foreigners had met with rough handling inthe vicinity of Shanghai， when they were returning to the Settlementalong the shores of Pootung. One of them， Mr. Grant， was found lyingbleeding and senseless in a creek， with bound hands and feet.
Shanghai is sensitive to all that goes on in China， and fears beganto be felt for its own safety. One immediate effect was to revive theVolunteer Corps which has ever since been maintained on an effectivefooting.