Arthur Smith (historian)

Arthur Henderson Smith (1845-1932) was an American Congregational missionary and sinologist known for his extensive writing and observations on Chinese culture and society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best remembered for his book Chinese Characteristics (1890), which became a widely read, though often criticized, analysis of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese people.

Smith was born in Vernon Center, Connecticut, and graduated from Beloit College in 1867 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1870. He arrived in China in 1872 as a missionary with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), serving in Shandong province for over 50 years.

His writings, based on his experiences living among and interacting with the Chinese population, offered a detailed, though sometimes prejudiced, account of Chinese customs, beliefs, and social structures. While lauded for its insightful observations by some contemporaries, Chinese Characteristics has also been criticized for its generalizations, biases, and reinforcement of negative stereotypes about the Chinese. Modern scholarship often views his work as a product of its time, reflecting the prevalent attitudes of Western imperialism and cultural superiority.

Besides Chinese Characteristics, Smith also authored Village Life in China (1899), China and America Today (1907), and The Uplift of China (1907), among other works. These books further explored various aspects of Chinese society and addressed the relationship between China and the West.

Smith's work provides valuable historical insights into the perceptions and interactions between Western missionaries and Chinese society during a period of significant social and political upheaval in China. However, his writings should be approached with a critical eye, acknowledging the limitations and biases inherent in his perspective as a Western observer.