Photography German Inscription on the Ketteler Memorial

A black-and-white photograph showing an inscription on a monument erected by the Chinese court to commemorate the death of German diplomat Clemens von Ketteler (1853–1900). He was assassinated on June 20, 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion. On his way to the negotiations, while passing through Hada Gate (Hademen 哈德門), he was shot at close range by a private of the Chinese Imperial Army. The perpetrator later stated that he had acted on orders from his superiors and because of the promised reward. He was executed by beheading.

The monument was erected in 1903 at the site of Ketteler’s murder on Dongdan Street 東單, and later moved to Zhongshan Park (Zhongshan Gongyuan 中山公園). The monument has the shape of a traditional Chinese memorial triumphal arch (pailou 牌樓) made of white marble with a roof of ceramic tiles, and forms three passages with its four columns.

The monument bears inscriptions in Latin, German, and Chinese. The first two drafts of the inscription, proposed by the Chinese court, were rejected. The third version, which we see in the photo, was accepted by the German Emperor Wilhelm II and confirmed on July 19, 1901. The Chinese text was also translated into Latin and German. The English translation of the German version of the inscription reads, “This monument has been erected by order of His Majesty the Emperor of China for the Imperial German Minister Baron von Ketteler, who fell on this spot by heinous murder on the 20th of June, 1900, in everlasting commemoration of his name, as an eternal token of the Emperor’s wrath about this crime, as a warning to all”.

The photograph is the ninth of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Deutsche Inschrift am Ketteller-Denkmal. (DZ)