diff options
Diffstat (limited to '42904.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 42904.txt | 3772 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 3772 deletions
diff --git a/42904.txt b/42904.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d9ac804..0000000 --- a/42904.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3772 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, China, by Sir Henry Arthur Blake, Illustrated -by Mortimer Menpes - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: China - - -Author: Sir Henry Arthur Blake - - - -Release Date: June 9, 2013 [eBook #42904] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHINA*** - - -E-text prepared by Greg Bergquist, Melissa McDaniel, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42904-h.htm or 42904-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42904/42904-h/42904-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42904/42904-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/chinachi00blakrich - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -Menpes Crown Series - -CHINA - - * * * * * - -BY THE SAME ARTIST - - BRITTANY - 75 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Square Demy 8vo._ - - PARIS - 24 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Large Crown 8vo._ - - INDIA - 75 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Square Demy 8vo._ - - THE THAMES - 75 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Square Demy 8vo._ - - SIR HENRY IRVING - 8 PENCIL, AND TINT PORTRAITS - 6-1/4 X 4 _inches_ - - VENICE - 100 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Square Demy 8vo._ - - JAPAN - 100 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Square Demy 8vo._ - - WAR IMPRESSIONS - 99 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR - _Square Demy 8vo._ - -PUBLISHED BY A. & C. BLACK . SOHO SQUARE . LONDON . W. - -_AGENTS_ - - AMERICA - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - 64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK - - AUSTRALASIA - OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS - 205 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE - - CANADA - THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. - 27 RICHMOND ST. WEST, TORONTO - - INDIA - MACMILLAN & COMPANY, LTD. - MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY - 309 BOW BAZAAR ST., CALCUTTA - - * * * * * - - - [Illustration: A SHOEMAKER] - - -CHINA - -by - -MORTIMER MENPES - -Text by - -SIR HENRY ARTHUR BLAKE, G.C.M.G. - - - - - - - -London -Adam and Charles Black -1909 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - PAGE - Description of China; Her Early History; Tartar Garrisons; - Chinese Soldiers; Family Life; Power of Parents; Foot-Binding 1 - - - CHAPTER II - - Marriage Customs; Ancestral Halls; Official Hierarchy; - Competitive Examinations; Taxation; Punishments; Torture; - Story of Circumstantial Evidence 15 - - - CHAPTER III - - Gradations of Chinese Society; Agriculture; _Fung Sui_; - Pawn Offices; River Boats and Junks; The Bore at Haining; - Fishing Industry; Piracy on Rivers; Li Hung Chang; The - West River; Temples of the Seven Star Hills; Howlick 33 - - - CHAPTER IV - - The Yangtze; Opium; Conclusions of Singapore Commission; - British and German Trade in the Far East; Town and Country - Life; Chinese Cities; Peking; Temple of Agriculture; - Spring Ceremony of Ploughing by the Emperor and his Court 56 - - - CHAPTER V - - Peasant Cultivators; Religious Beliefs; Theatricals; Famine; - Life in Coast Cities; Canton; Guild-Houses; Beggar Guild; - Official Reception by Viceroy; Chinese Writing; Life of - an Official 72 - - - CHAPTER VI - - Houses of Wealthy Inhabitants; Flower-Boats; Reform - Movement among Chinese Women; Shanghai Women's - Convention; Women's Superstitions; Chinese Ladies; - Fashions; Visiting 100 - - - CHAPTER VII - - General Description of Hong Kong; Happy Valley; Peak - District; Night View of Harbour; Typhoon; Energy of - Survivors; The Streets; Early Morning Life of the City; - Chinese Workmen; The Barber; The Sawyer; The Stonecutter; - The Coolie; Gambling; Some Street Games 111 - - - CHAPTER VIII - - Dragon-Boat Races; Festival at Macao; New Year; New - Year Customs; Hong Kong Races; Curious Forms of - Gambling; Charitable Institutions of Hong Kong; The - Future of China 126 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -BY MORTIMER MENPES, R.I., R.E. - - - 1. A SHOEMAKER _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - 2. A QUIET CANAL 8 - - 3. A STUDENT 17 - - 4. SAMPANS 24 - - 5. CHOPSTICKS 33 - - 6. ON THE WAY TO MARKET 40 - - 7. A GRANDFATHER 49 - - 8. A SUMMER HOUSE 56 - - 9. A QUIET GAME OF DRAUGHTS 65 - - 10. WAITING FOR CUSTOMERS 72 - - 11. A CHINESE GIRL 89 - - 12. JUNKS AT EVENTIDE 96 - - 13. A TYPICAL STREET SCENE 105 - - 14. A STREET STALL 112 - - 15. ON A BACKWATER 121 - - 16. A TEMPLE 128 - - Also 64 Facsimile Reproductions in Black and White - - _These Illustrations were Engraved and Printed by the - Menpes Printing Company, Ltd., Watford, under the personal - supervision of Miss Maud Menpes_ - - - - -CHINA - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -In attempting even a slight sketch of China, its physical features, or -some of the manners and customs of the various peoples whom we -designate broadly as the Chinese, the writer is confronted with the -difficulty of its immensity. The continuous territory in Asia over -which China rules or exercises a suzerainty is over 4,200,000 square -miles, but China Proper, excluding Manchuria, Mongolia, Tibet, and -Turkestan, consists of eighteen provinces, covering an area of -1,530,000 square miles, with a population of about 410,000,000, or -about twelve and a half times the area of the United Kingdom, and ten -times its population. - -This area is bounded on the west by southern spurs from the giant -mountain regions of Eastern Tibet, that stretch their long arms in -parallel ranges through Burma and Western Yunnan, and whose snow-clad -crests send forth the great rivers Salween and Mekong to the south, -the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers to the east, to fertilize the most -productive regions on the surface of the globe. - -It is this conformation that has so far presented an insurmountable -barrier to the construction of a railway from Bhamo in Burmese -territory to the high plateau of Yunnan, from whence the province of -Szechwan, richest of all the eighteen provinces in agricultural and -mineral wealth, could be reached. Some day the coal, iron, gold, oil, -and salt of Szechwan will be exploited, and future generations may -find in the millionaires of Szechwan Chinese speculators as able and -far-seeing as the financial magnates who now practically control the -destinies of millions in the Western world. - -The portion south of the Yangtze is hilly rather than mountainous, and -the eastern portion north of that great river is a vast plain of rich -soil, through which the Yellow River, which from its periodical -inundations is called China's Sorrow, flows for over five hundred -miles. - -In a country so vast, internal means of communication are of the first -importance, and here China enjoys natural facilities unequalled by any -area of similar extent. Three great rivers flow eastward and -southward--the Hoang-ho, or Yellow River, in the north, the Yangtze in -the centre, and the Pearl River, of which the West River is the -largest branch, in the south. The Yangtze alone with its affluents is -calculated to afford no less than 36,000 miles of waterways. The river -population of China comprises many millions, whose varied occupations -present some of the most interesting aspects of Chinese life. - -The population of China is composed of different tribes or clans, -whose records date back to the dynasty of Fuh-hi, 2800 B.C. Sometimes -divided in separate kingdoms, sometimes united by waves of conquest, -the northern portion was welded into one empire by the conqueror, -Ghengis Khan, in A.D. 1234, and seventy years later the southern -portion was added by his son, Kublai Khan, who overthrew the Sung -dynasty. It was during his reign that China was visited by Marco Polo, -from the records of whose travels we find that even at that time the -financial system of the Far East was so far advanced that paper money -was used by the Chinese, while in the city of Cambaluc--the Peking of -to-day--Christian, Saracen, and Chinese astrologers consulted an -astrolabe to forecast the nature of the weather, thus anticipating the -meteorological bureaux of to-day. - - [Illustration] - -There are, however, still districts in the southern portion of China -where the aboriginal inhabitants have never accepted the position of -complete incorporation with the Chinese neighbours. In the mountain -district between the provinces of Kwangtung and Hunan a tribe exists -known as the Yu people, in whose territory no Chinese officials are -permitted to reside, nor do they allow strangers to enter their towns, -which are built on crags difficult of access and capable of offering a -stubborn resistance to attack. Their chief occupation is forestry, the -timber being cut during the winter and floated down the mountain -streams when in flood. Their customs are peculiar. Among them is the -vendetta, which is practised by the Yu alone of all the people in the -Far East. But no woman is ever injured; and even during the fiercest -fighting the women can continue their work in the fields with safety. -Their original home was in Yunnan and the western part of Kwangsi, -from whence they were driven out by the Chinese in the time of the -Sung dynasty. The Yu, Lolos, Miao-tse, Sy-fans, etc. (all Chinese -names expressive of contempt, like our "barbarians"), are stated by -Ma-tonan-lin and other Chinese historians to have been found -inhabiting the country when, six thousand years ago, it was occupied -by the ancestors of the Chinese, who came from the north-west. The -savage inhabitants were gradually driven into the hills, where their -descendants are still found. Their traditions point to their having -been cannibals. Intermarriage with the Chinese is very rare, the -Chinese regarding such a union as a _mesalliance_, and the aboriginal -peoples as a cowardly desertion to the enemy. The embroideries worked -by the women are different from those of the Chinese and, I am -informed, more resemble the embroideries now worked at Bethlehem. They -are worked on dark cloth in red, or sometimes red and yellow. - - [Illustration] - -After the time of Kublai Khan, succeeding centuries found the various -divisions of the Chinese again disunited, in accordance with a very -old Chinese proverb frequently heard at the present day, "Long united -we divide: long divided we unite"; but the final welding took place -under Shun-chi, who established the Tsing dynasty in 1644, and imposed -upon all Chinese people, as a permanent and evident mark of -subjection, the shaving of the front portion of the head and braiding -of the back hair into a queue after the Tartar fashion--an order at -first resented bitterly, but afterwards acquiesced in as an old -custom. To this day the removal of the queue and allowing the hair to -grow on the front portion of the head is regarded as a casting off of -allegiance to the dynasty. In the Taiping rebellion that raged in the -southern provinces from 1850 to 1867, and which down to its -suppression by Gordon and Li Hung Chang is computed to have cost the -lives of twenty-two and a half millions of people, the removal of the -queue and allowing the hair to grow freely was the symbol adopted by -the rebels. - -To secure the empire against future risings, the Manchu conquerors -placed Tartar garrisons in every great city, where separate quarters -were allotted to them, and for two hundred and sixty years these -so-called Tartar soldiers and their families have been supported with -doles of rice. They were not allowed to trade, nor to intermarry with -the Chinese. The consequence was inevitable. They have become an idle -population in whom the qualities of the old virile Manchus have -deteriorated, and supply a large proportion of the elements of -disorder and violence. Of late, the prohibition against entering into -business and intermarrying with the Chinese has been removed, and they -will ultimately be absorbed into the general population. - -From the point of view of a trained soldier these Tartar "troops" were -no more than armed rabble, with the most primitive ideas of military -movements; but in the north the exigencies of the situation have -compelled the adoption of Western drill, adding immensely to the -efficiency but sadly diminishing the picturesqueness of the -armies--for there is no homogeneous territorial army, each province -supplying its own independent force, the goodness or badness of which -depends upon the energy and ability of the viceroy. - -The pay of a Chinese soldier is ostensibly about six dollars a month, -which would be quite sufficient for his support were it not reduced to -about half that amount by the squeezes of the officers and -non-commissioned officers through whose hands it passes. He receives -also one hundred pounds of rice, which is not always palatable, the -weight being made up by an admixture of sand and mud to replace the -"squeeze" by the various hands through which the rice tribute has -passed. - -While under arms he is clothed in a short Chinese jacket of scarlet, -blue, or black, on the front and back of which are the name and symbol -of his regiment. The sleeves are wide and the arms have free play. The -shape of the hat varies in every corps, the small round Chinese hat -being sometimes worn, or a peakless cap, while some regiments wear -immense straw hats, which hang on the back except when the sun is -unduly hot. The trousers are dark blue of the usual Chinese pattern, -tied round the ankles. The costume is not unsoldierlike, and when in -mass the effect is strikingly picturesque; but it must not be inferred -that all the men on a large parade are drilled soldiers. An order to -the officer commanding to parade his corps for inspection not seldom -interferes seriously with the labour force of the day. He draws the -daily pay of, say, two thousand men, but his average muster may not -exceed three hundred. This is a kind of gambling with Fortune at which -China is disposed to wink as being merely a somewhat undue extension -of the principle of squeeze that is the warp and woof of every Chinese -employee, public or private. But he must not be found out; therefore -seventeen hundred coolies are collected by hook or by crook, and duly -attired in uniform, possibly being shown how to handle their rifles at -the salute. The muster over, the coolies return to their work, and the -arms and uniform are replaced in store until the next occasion. - - [Illustration: A QUIET CANAL.] - - [Illustration] - -The officers are chosen from the better classes, except when a more -than usually ferocious robber is captured, when sometimes his supposed -bravery is utilized by giving him an army command. The young officers -undergo some kind of elementary training. In Canton it was until -lately the custom to have an annual examination of their proficiency -in riding and archery. In a field outside the city a curved trench -about five feet wide and two feet deep was cut for about two hundred -and fifty yards. At intervals of fifty yards were erected close to the -trench three pillars of soft material each six feet high by two feet -in diameter. Into each of these pillars the candidate, who was -mounted on a small pony and seated in a saddle to fall out of which -would require an active effort, was required to shoot an arrow as he -passed at a gallop. With bow ready strung and two spare arrows in his -girdle, he was started to gallop along the trench that was palpably -dug to prevent the ponies from swerving, as the reins were flung upon -his neck. As the candidate passed within two or three feet of the -pillar targets the feat would not appear to have been difficult. If -all three arrows were successfully planted the candidate was at the -end of the course received with applause, and his name favourably -noted by the mandarins, who sat in state in an open pavilion close by. -But this description would not at present apply to the northern -provinces, where some of the armies are apparently as well drilled, -armed, and turned out as European troops. That Chinese troops are not -wanting in bravery has been proved; and if properly led a Chinese -drilled army of to-day might prove as formidable as were the hosts of -Ghengis Khan, when in the thirteenth century they swept over Western -Asia and into Europe as far as Budapest. - - [Illustration] - -It has been stated that the empire has been welded together by its -conquerors, but perhaps it would be more correct to say that it -coheres by the almost universal acceptance of the ethics of -Confucius, whose wise precepts--delivered five hundred years before -the birth of Christ--inculcated all the cardinal virtues, and included -love and respect for parents; respect for the Prince; respect for and -obedience to superiors; respect for age, and courteous manners towards -all. He held that at their birth all men were by nature radically -good, but "as gems unwrought serve no useful end, so men untaught will -never know what right conduct is." - -The bedrock upon which the stability of China has rested for over two -thousand years is the family life, the patriarchal system reaching -upwards in ever-widening circles, from the hut of the peasant to the -palace of the Sovereign. The house is ruled by the parents, the -village by the elders, after which the officials step in, and the -districts are governed by mandarins, whose rank of magistrate, -prefect, taotai, governor, or viceroy indicate the importance of the -areas over which they rule, each acting on principles settled by -ancient custom, but with wide latitude in the carrying out of details. -Nothing is more charming in respectable Chinese families than the -reverential respect of children for their parents, and this respect is -responded to by great affection for the children. It is a very pretty -sight to see a young child enter the room and gravely perform the -kotow to his father and mother. No young man would dare to eat or -drink in the presence of his father or mother until invited to do so. -Among the princely families the etiquette is so rigid that if a son is -addressed by his father while at table he must stand up before -answering. - -It is sometimes assumed that the custom of wealthy Chinese having two, -three, or more "wives" must lead to much confusion in questions of -inheritance, but there is no real difficulty in the matter, for -although the custom allows the legalized connection with a plurality -of wives, there is really but one legal wife acknowledged as being the -head of the house. She is called the kit-fat, or first wife, and -though she may be childless all the children born of the other "wives" -are considered as being hers, and to her alone do the children pay the -reverence due to a parent, their own mothers being considered as being -in the position of aunts. Strange though it may appear to Western -ideas, this position seems to be accepted by the associated wives with -equanimity. The custom probably originated in the acknowledged -necessity to have a son or sons to carry on the worship at the family -ancestral hall, where the tablets of deceased members are preserved. -Sometimes instead of taking to himself a plurality of wives a man -adopts a son, who is thenceforth in the position of eldest son, and -cannot be displaced, even though a wife should afterwards bear a son. -A daughter is on a different plane. She is not supposed to be capable -of carrying out the family worship, and cannot perpetuate the family -name. A daughter, too, means a dower in days to come, so sometimes a -father determines, if he has already a daughter, that no more shall be -permitted to live. This determination is always taken before the birth -of the infant daughter, the child in that case being immersed in a -bucket of water at the instant of its birth, so that from the Chinese -point of view it has never existed; but female children who have -practically begun a separate existence are never destroyed. In such -cases the father is quite as fond of the daughter as of the sons, and -in families where tutors are engaged the girls pursue their studies -with their brothers. - - [Illustration] - -The power of the parents is practically unlimited, extending even to -life or death. A mother might kill her son without fear of legal -punishment, but if, in defending himself, he killed his parent, he -would be put to death by the lin-chi--or death by a thousand cuts--a -horrible punishment reserved for traitors, parricides, or husband -murderers. Indeed, while theoretically the woman is in China -considered inferior, the kit-fat, or principal wife, is really the -controller of the family, including the wives of her sons. She rules -the household with a rod of iron, and has considerable, if not a -paramount, influence in the conduct of the family affairs. The wife of -an official is entitled to wear the ornaments and insignia of her -husband's rank, and in the Imperial Palace the Dowager-Empress of the -day is probably the most important personage in the empire after the -Emperor. - - [Illustration] - -In a Hong Kong paper a short time ago there appeared a paragraph -reciting that a wealthy young Chinese, whose mother controlled a large -business in Canton, had been spending the money of the firm too -lavishly, the attraction of motor-cars and other vehicles of -extravagance being too powerful for him. After various endeavours to -control him, the mother at length prepared chains and fetters, and had -him locked up. He, however, escaped, and the irate mother announced -her intention to exercise her maternal rights on his return by cutting -the tendons of his ankles and thus crippling him. The account -proceeded to say that this treatment is often resorted to by irate -parents with prodigal sons. - -The most incomprehensible custom among Chinese women of family is that -of foot-binding, which is generally begun at the age of three or four, -the process being very slow. Gradually the toes, other than the great -toe, are forced back under the sole, so that when the operation is -complete the girl is only able to hobble about on the great toes. When -a Chinese lady goes out, not using her sedan chair, she is either -carried by a female slave pick-a-back, or walks supported on either -side by two female attendants. Nevertheless, Chinese women of the -humbler classes are sometimes to be seen working in the fields with -bound feet. Why their mothers should have inflicted the torture upon -them, or why, when they had come to years of discretion, they did not -attempt to gradually unbind their feet, seems incomprehensible. The -explanation is that not alone would the unbinding inflict as much -torture, but slaves and their descendants are not permitted to bind -the feet; the deformity is therefore a badge of a free and reputable -family, and a girl with bound feet has a better prospect of being well -married than her more comfortable and capable sister, upon whom no -burden of artificial deformity has been placed. The origin of the -custom is lost in the mists of antiquity. One would imagine that the -example of the Imperial family ought to have had an effect in changing -it, for the Manchu ladies do not bind their feet; but though several -edicts have been issued forbidding it, the custom still continues. To -Western eyes, bound feet are as great a deformity as is the -tight-lacing of European ladies to the Chinese; but physically the -former is much less injurious than the latter, which not alone deforms -the skeleton, but displaces almost every one of the internal organs. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - [Illustration] - - -The marriages are arranged in a somewhat similar manner to that of the -Irish peasants. The negotiations are usually begun by a go-between -instructed by the young man's family, the etiquette of the entire -proceeding being rigidly adhered to. There is one insurmountable -objection to unrestricted choice--the bridegroom and bride must not -bear the same name, except in the province of Honan, where the -prohibition is disregarded. The extent of this restriction will be -realized when we remember that among the four hundred millions of -Chinese there are not much over a hundred family names. There may be -four millions of Wongs, but no man of that name may marry any one of -the four millions. As marriage is the principal event of a Chinese -woman's life, she has crowded into it as much gorgeous ceremonial as -the circumstances of her parents will allow. The day before she -leaves her ancestral home her trousseau and presents are forwarded to -her new home. At the wedding of a daughter of a wealthy gentleman in -Canton a few years ago, seven hundred coolies were engaged in -transporting in procession all these belongings, some of the presents -being of great beauty and value. The next day the bridegroom arrived -with his procession of two hundred men--some on horseback, some armed -and in military array--trays of sweetmeats, and numbers of children -representing good fairies. The inevitable red lanterns, with a band, -led the procession, which was brought up by a dragon thirty feet long, -the legs being supplied by boys, who carried their portion on sticks, -and jumping up and down gave life and motion to the monster. - -The bridal chair in which the bride was carried was elaborately carved -and decorated. Its colour was red, picked out with blue feathers of -the kingfisher carefully gummed on, which has the effect of enamel. On -arrival at her new home, the bride was met with the usual ceremonies, -and was carried over the threshold on which was a fire lighted in a -pan, lest she should by any chance be accompanied by evil influences. - -This carrying of the bride over the threshold is sometimes practised -in the Highlands of Scotland, the ceremony having been observed when -Her Royal Highness Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, first entered -Inveraray Castle as a bride. - -The day after the wedding it is the custom for the bride to cook her -husband's rice, the fire being made from wood, which forms part of her -trousseau, as she is supposed to bring everything necessary for the -purpose to her new home. At a wedding at Macao not long ago, on -proceeding to perform the usual ceremony, it was found to the -consternation of the bride that no firewood had been sent. Her -mother-in-law good-naturedly offered to give her the wood, but this -the proud bride would by no means permit. Calling her amah, she -directed her to fetch two rolls of silk, each worth about forty -dollars, and with them she cooked the rice. When next her father came -to see her she told him of the occurrence. He said, "You did right, my -daughter; you have saved your father's face"; and on his return he -promptly dispatched a hundred coolies laden with firewood, which was -more than the bridegroom's house could hold. - - [Illustration: A STUDENT.] - -The ceremony of the "teasing of the bride" is sometimes trying for -her, but in good families propriety is rarely outraged. Here is an -account of such a ceremony which took place in the house of one of our -friends the day after her marriage. The ladies' dinner was over when -we arrived; the gentlemen had not yet come up from their dinner at -the restaurant. This evening the bride had gone round the tables -pouring out samshu, a ceremony that her mother-in-law had performed on -the previous evening. The bride came into the room wearing a gorgeous -and elaborate costume of red, the long ribbon-like arrangements over -her skirt, huge open-work collar of red and gold, and the bridal crown -on her head. The veil of pearls was looped back from her face, and she -looked arch and smiling. It was quite a relief to see her after the -shrinking, downcast girl of the previous evening. When the gentlemen -came the "teasing" of the bride began. She was given various puzzles -to solve, two or three of which she undid very deftly. An intricate -Japanese puzzle was produced, but the mother-in-law would not allow it -to be given to the bride to solve, as she said it was too difficult. -The bridegroom came in, and the gentlemen present demanded that he and -the bride should walk round the room together, which they did, and -were then made to repeat the peregrination. There was a demand that -the pearl veil, which had been let down, should be hooked back that -all present might see her face. This was done. Then a sort of poetic -category was put to her, a gentleman of the family standing near to -judge if she answered correctly. The bride was told to ask her husband -to take her hand; to ask him what he had gained in marrying her, and -so on. The bride had to go round the room saluting and offering tea -to the various gentlemen. To one or two relatives she kotowed, and one -or two kotowed to her. This, of course, was a question of seniority. -Some of the questions and remarks made on the bride must have been -trying and unpleasant to any young lady, but being in Chinese they -were incomprehensible to us. The idea of the custom is to test the -temper, character, and cleverness of the bride. - - [Illustration] - -In the case of people of the lower orders, the ceremony must be more -than unpleasant, as there is sometimes rough horseplay, the -unfortunate bride being insulted, and now and again pinched severely. -But she must show no display of temper or resentment at the rough -process, as it would be taken as an indication that she did not -possess the qualification of non-resisting submission to her husband. - -Each family possesses an ancestral "hall," where are kept the tablets -of every defunct member of the family, before which incense sticks are -burnt daily, and where once or twice a year all the members of the -family within reach attend to lay offerings before the tablets in a -spirit of reverence. Should a man disgrace his family he is often -repudiated as a member, and at his death no tablet will be placed for -him in the ancestral hall. The consequence is that his descendants -cannot present themselves for the competitive examinations upon which -all official position depends. - -The family lands are apportioned annually, and from one particular -portion the contribution must be paid towards the expenses of the -local temple, including the theatrical performances that cost -considerable sums. This portion of the family land is cultivated by -each member of the family in turn. If the tenant be a Christian he -declines to pay the money for purposes to which he claims to have a -conscientious objection. Increased expense therefore falls upon the -other members of the family, who feel that the secession has placed an -additional burden upon them. The result is a feeling of antagonism to -Christianity; otherwise religious intolerance is not characteristic of -the Chinese. - -The official hierarchy in China is peculiarly constituted. China is, -like all democracies, intensely autocratic, and, within certain -bounds, each official is a law unto himself. To become an official is -therefore the ambition of every clever boy. At the triennial -examinations held in the capitals of provinces, from 150,000 to -200,000 candidates present themselves, who have passed successfully -preliminary competitive examinations held annually at various places. -To compete in these examinations a certificate must be produced by the -candidate that he is a member of a known family. If unsuccessful, he -may go on competing at every triennial examination held during his -life. Here we see the importance of family tablets in the ancestral -hall. No barber, or actor, or member of the boat population may -compete. - -At Canton, and also at Nanking and other great cities, may be seen the -examination halls and the rows of cells in which the candidates--after -being rigidly searched to ensure that no scrap of paper or writing is -retained that could assist them in the tremendous pending effort of -memory--are strictly confined during the time that the examinations -last. In Canton there are over eleven thousand; in Nanking there are -many more. The lean-to cells are built in rows, and measure three feet -eight inches in width by five feet nine inches in length, being six -feet high in front and nine feet in the back. From this cell the -candidate may not stir, except as an acknowledgment of failure, and -many die during the trial. At Nanking during an examination an average -of twenty-five deaths occurred daily. - -Those who win the prizes are at once appointed to office, and are -received at their homes with great honour. Of those who have passed -lower down, some are allocated to different provinces, where they -remain in waiting at the expense of the viceroy until some situation -becomes vacant. Once appointed they are eligible for promotion to the -position of prefect or taotai, or governor, or even viceroy. In all -these promotions money plays no inconsiderable part, and a wealthy man -may purchase mandarin's rank without the drudgery of examination, as -is not unknown in countries that boast of more advanced civilization. -In some cases, if a boy shows great intelligence and aptitude for -learning, a syndicate is formed by his family, and no expense is -spared upon his education. Should he be successful and attain a -position of importance, his family rise with him in wealth and -influence, and the syndicate turns out a productive speculation. The -whole system of examination is one of cramming, which, with -competitive examinations, was adopted by England from the Chinese. - - [Illustration] - -The Chinaman who has passed the examination and received what we -colloquially term his B.A. degree, even though he obtains no official -employment, holds himself above all manual labour, and however poor he -may be he belongs thereafter to the body of _literati_ known as the -gentry, who are consulted on all matters affecting the district in -which they reside. It is not easy to know how they live, but the -Chinese, like all Easterns, have a great respect for men of letters, -and have not yet become so civilized as to abandon higher ideals for -the degrading worship of wealth. There is probably found for such men -suitable employment in their localities that works into the social -economy. There are, of course, among them some lazy ones who, for want -of regular work, abandon themselves to the solace of opium-smoking; -but the class is a valuable leaven in the mass of the population. - -The viceroy of a province is really semi-independent. His nominal -salary in a province of possibly sixty millions of inhabitants is -L1000 or L2000 a year, out of which he must supply an army, possibly a -navy, internal customs, and civil service. - -The taxes are very much at his discretion, with the exception of the -settled duty paid by the cultivators on seed corn, that being the way -in which the land tax is levied. That paid, the small cultivator is -practically free from official interference, and such a man in China -if quiet and honest is as free as any man of his position elsewhere. - -This method of levying a land tax is most ingenious, and has existed -from time immemorial. The land is taxed, not proportionate to its -area, but to its productive capacity. Of two plots of equal area one -may produce a return from two bushels, while the other being poorer -soil will require wider sowing and take but one bushel. All seed must -be procured through the official, who levies an equal rate upon it. -The same idea governs the computation of distance. A road to the top -of a hill may be counted and carriage paid for ten li, the return -down hill being measured as five or six, it being assumed that the -muscular exertion and time are in both cases being paid for at the -same rate. - -There are, besides the seed tax, likin, or internal customs, levied on -transport of all commodities between districts, and various imposts -upon traders. When a man has amassed any wealth he is bled pretty -freely. Should a loan be requested it could only be refused at a risk -that he would not care to face, and any idea of its repayment is out -of the question. But should the demands exceed the bounds of custom -there is a check. The people of all classes know pretty well how far -the cord may be drawn before it breaks. Should the demands be -excessive the people put up their shutters, refusing to do any -business, and memorial the Throne. Should such a state of affairs -continue for any time even a viceroy would be recalled. Such a state -of affairs existed a few years ago in Canton over a proposal to -collect a new tax. The people resisted, and at length the viceroy -yielded. - -The principles on which the viceroy acts are adopted in a lesser -degree by all officials, but the people seem to understand the custom -and accept it, and in the ordinary business of life justice is on the -whole administered satisfactorily. - - [Illustration: SAMPANS.] - -There are, of course, exceptions. In the province of Kwangtung the -house of a well-to-do man living in the country was attacked by a -numerous band of armed robbers. The owner stoutly defended his house -and having killed three of the assailants the robbers decamped. But -this was not the end of it, for the indignant robbers lodged a -complaint with the magistrate, who summoned the owner of the assailed -house to appear, which he did with fear and trembling. He was obliged -to pay a hundred and fifty dollars before he was admitted to the -presence of the magistrate, who, instead of commending him for his -bravery, scolded him roundly, and ordered him to pay the funeral -expenses of the three dead robbers. The system of payments to -everybody connected with the court, from the judge downwards, would -appear to be destructive of every principle of justice; but a highly -educated Chinese official, who held the degree of a Scotch university -and who had experience of the colony of Hong Kong, when speaking on -the subject, declared that he would rather have a case tried in a -Chinese court than in a British, for while he knew what he would pay -in the first, in the colonial court the lawyers would not let him off -while he had a dollar to spend. - -When the territory of Kowloon was leased from China and added to the -colony of Hong Kong (after some armed resistance by the inhabitants, -who had been led to believe that with the change of the flag terrible -things would happen to them), local courts were established giving -summary jurisdiction to their head-men sitting with a British -magistrate, but a proviso was inserted that no lawyer or solicitor -should practise in these courts. The result was peaceful settlement of -disputes, generally by the arbitration of the British magistrate, at -the joint request of both parties to the dispute. - -The punishments inflicted in Chinese courts are severe, and sometimes -very terrible. The ordinary punishment for minor offences is the -cangue and the bastinado. The cangue is a three-inch board about three -feet square, with a hole in the centre for the neck. When this is -padlocked on the neck of the culprit he is placed outside the door of -the court, with his offence written upon the cangue, or is sometimes -allowed to walk through the town. In this position he cannot feed -himself, as his hands cannot reach his head, nor can he lie down or -rest in comfort. Sometimes the hands are fastened to the cangue. The -punishment is more severe than that of our old parish stocks, but the -idea is the same. Were it in the power of a troublesome fly to -irritate a Chinaman, which it is not, he might suffer grave discomfort -if the insects were active. - - [Illustration] - -The bastinado is a different matter. This is administered by placing -the prisoner on his face, his feet being held by one man and his head -by another. The blows are inflicted with a large bamboo or with two -small ones. The large bamboo looks more formidable, but though the -strokes are heavy they break no bones, and do but little injury. The -small bamboos are used in a different manner. Taking one in each hand, -the operator sits down and strikes the culprit rapidly with alternate -strokes, apparently mere taps. These are hardly felt for the first -fifty or sixty taps, and the skin is not broken; but after this phase -the flesh below the skin becomes regularly broken up, and the agony is -very great. The recovery from this severe punishment is slow, as the -tissues are destroyed for the time being. - -These are, however, the light punishments; torture for the purpose of -extracting evidence is still inflicted, and in pursuance of a custom -that down to a late period had acquired the force of a law, that no -person should be executed except he had confessed his crime, the -palpable difficulty of that apparently beneficent rule was surmounted -by the administration of torture, until the victim was reduced to such -a state of mutilation and despair that he was prepared to state -anything that would secure for him relief from his sufferings by a -speedy death. It must be acknowledged that the pressure of the torture -has now and again secured valuable evidence from unwilling witnesses -that may have been capable of independent proof, but as a rule such -evidence was utterly untrustworthy. - -The following story was told to me by a Chinese gentleman who had -personal knowledge of some of the persons concerned. - -A son and daughter of two wealthy families were married. At the -conclusion of the first evening's ceremonies the bride and bridegroom -retired to their apartments, which were separated from the main house. -Some time after they had retired, hearing a noise overhead, the -bridegroom got up and putting on his red bridal dress he lit a candle -and went up to the loft. Here he found a robber, who had entered -through a hole in the roof, and who, seeing himself detected, after a -short struggle plunged a knife into the bridegroom and killed him. He -then assumed the bridegroom's dress, and taking the candle in his hand -he boldly went down to the chamber where the bride awaited the return -of her husband. As Chinese brides do not see their husbands before -marriage, and as she was somewhat agitated, she did not perceive that -the robber was not her newly married spouse. He told her that he had -found that a robber had entered the house, but had made his escape on -his appearance. He then said that as there were robbers the bride had -better hand her jewels to him, and he would take them to his father's -apartments and place them in the safe. This she did, handing over -jewels to the value of several thousand taels. The robber walked out, -and he and the jewels disappeared. - - [Illustration] - -Early next morning the father of the bridegroom came to visit his son, -and on entering the apartment was told by the bride that she had not -seen her husband since he took the jewels to have them deposited in -safe keeping. The father on hearing the story went up to the loft, -where he found the dead body of his son. He searched about and in one -of the courtyards outside he found a strange shoe. - -For the wedding a number of the friends of the family had assembled -who were, as usual, accommodated in the house. Among them was a young -man, a B.A., and most respectably connected. The father taking the -strange shoe went round all the guests, who had just arisen. On -comparing the shoe he found that it belonged to the young B.A., who -was wearing its fellow, the other shoe being that of his murdered son. -The father was a cautious man, so instead of taking immediate action -he returned to the young widow and questioned her closely. He asked if -she could identify the man whom she had mistaken for her husband. She -said that she could not. He begged her to think if there was any mark -by which identification was possible, and after thinking for a time -she answered "Yes," that she now remembered having remarked that he -had lost a thumb. The father returned to the guest chamber and asked -the B.A. for explanation of his wearing the son's shoe, for which he -accounted by the statement that having occasion to go out during the -night he had stumbled in crossing one of the courtyards and lost his -shoe in the dark, and groping about had found and put on what he -thought was his own. Upon examining his hands he was found to be minus -a thumb. The father having no further doubt caused him to be forthwith -arrested and taken before the prefect. The young man denied all -knowledge of the murder, saying that he had a wife and child, was well -off, and was a friend of the murdered bridegroom. He was put to the -torture and under its pressure he confessed that he was the murderer. -The body had been examined and the extent of the wound carefully -measured and noted. Asked to say how he had disposed of the knife with -which the murder had been committed, and what had become of the -jewels, he professed his inability to say, though tortured to the last -extremity. He was then beheaded. His uncle, however, and his widow -would not believe in his guilt, and they presented to all the superior -authorities in turn petitions against the action of the prefect, who -ought not to have ordered the execution until corroborative proof of -the confession had been secured by the production of the knife and -the jewels, but the officials refused to listen to them. At length -they appealed to the viceroy, who, seeing their persistence, concluded -that there must be something in a belief that braved the gravest -punishment by petitioning against a mandarin of prefect rank. He sent -for the father and widow of the murdered man, who repeated the story, -which seemed almost conclusive evidence of the young man's guilt. He -asked the widow if she remembered from which hand the thumb was -missing of the robber to whom she had given the jewels. She replied, -"Yes, perfectly. It was the right." He then sent for the petitioning -widow and asked her from which hand her husband had lost a thumb. She -answered, "The left." Then recalling the father of the murdered man he -bade him try to recollect if he had ever known any other man wanting a -thumb. He said that there was such a man, a servant of his whom two -years before he had dismissed for misconduct. Asked if he had noticed -the dismissed man during the time of the wedding the answer was that -he had, but he had not seen him since. - - [Illustration] - -The viceroy then had inquiry made, and the man was traced to another -province, where he was living in affluence, with a good shop, etc. He -was arrested, and under torture confessed the crime and told where he -had concealed the knife and disposed of the jewels. The knife had a -wide blade that coincided with the width of the wound, and a portion -of the jewels were recovered, some having been pawned, some sold. The -prefect was degraded and punished for culpable want of due care in -having executed the man without securing complete proof by the -production of the knife and the jewels. - -The case is curious as showing the danger that lurks in all cases of -circumstantial evidence, and also, from a purely utilitarian point of -view, the failure and success of the system of torture. It will always -be to me a source of deep gratification that during my administration -of the government of Hong Kong, in the case of two murderers -surrendered from that colony and convicted after a fair trial and on -reliable evidence, I induced the then viceroy to break through the -immemorial custom, and have the criminals executed without the -previous application of torture, though they refused to confess to the -last. The precedent once made, this survival of barbarous times will -no longer operate in cases of culprits surrendered from under the -folds of the Union Jack, and awakening China may, I hope, in such -matters of criminal practice soon find herself in line with the other -civilized nations of the world, to the relief of cruel injustice and -much human suffering. - - [Illustration: CHOPSTICKS.] - - - - -CHAPTER III - - [Illustration] - - -In China the gradations of the social fabric as generally accepted are - - First.--The _literati_; for mind is superior to matter. - - Second.--The agriculturist; for he produces from the soil. - - Third.--The artisan; for he is a creator from the raw - material. - - Fourth.--The merchant; for he is a distributor. - - Fifth.--The soldier; for he is but a destroyer. - -However superficially logical this division is, the Chinese have -failed to realize that the army is an insurance and protection, -wanting which all other classes may be destroyed; but the fallacy has -had an unfortunate influence upon China, for until within a few years -the various so-called armies were simply hordes of undisciplined men, -whose officers were, as I have before said, sometimes robbers -reprieved on account of supposed courage and given command of -so-called soldiers. But this is now changed, and such armies as those -of Yuan Shi Kai and Chang Chi Tung (viceroy at Hankow) are well -disciplined and officered. This viceroy adopted an effective method of -combating the contempt with which the army was regarded by the -_literati_. He established a naval and agricultural college, and -colleges for the teaching of geography, history, and mathematics, and -formed all the students into a cadet corps. When I was in Hankow the -viceroy invited me to see his army of eight thousand men, who were -then on manoeuvres in the neighbourhood, and on my arrival I was -received by a guard of honour of one hundred of these cadets, whose -smart turn-out and soldierly appearance impressed me very favourably. -They were well clothed and well armed, as indeed were all the troops, -whom I had an opportunity of inspecting during the manoeuvres under -the guidance of a German captain in the viceroy's service, who was -told off to accompany me. I have no doubt that many of those cadets -are now officers, and will tend to raise the character of the army. - -The importance of agriculture is emphasized by the annual ceremony of -ploughing three furrows by the Emperor at the Temple of Agriculture in -the presence of all the princes and high officials of Peking. Furrows -are afterwards ploughed by the princes and the high officers of the -Crown. Agriculture is the business of probably nine-tenths of the -population, and in no country in the world is the fertility of the -soil preserved more thoroughly. In the portions of China visited by me -no idle land was to be seen, but everywhere the country smiled with -great fields of grain or rape or vegetables, alternating with -pollarded mulberry trees in the silk-producing districts, while -extensive tracts of the beautiful pink or white lotuses are grown, the -seeds of which as well as the tuberous roots are used for food and the -large leaves for wrappers. Nothing in the shape of manure is lost in -city, town, or village; everything goes at once back to the fields, -and nowhere in China is a river polluted by the wasted wealth of city -sewers. On the banks of the canals the cultivators even dredge up the -mud and distribute it over their fields by various ingenious devices. - -The rural population is arranged in village communities, each village -having its own head-man and elders, to whom great respect is shown. -Sometimes there is a feud between two villages over disputed -boundaries or smaller matters, in which case, if the elders cannot -arrange matters, the quarrel may develop into a fight in which many -lives are lost. Nobody interferes and the matter is settled _vi et -armis_. - - [Illustration] - -But this absence of local government control has its drawbacks; for -as sugar attracts ants, so unprotected wealth attracts robbers, and -gang robberies are frequent, generally by armed men, who do not -hesitate to add murder to robbery. Nor are these attacks confined to -distant rural districts. Only a few months ago an attack was made upon -a strongly built and fortified country house belonging to one of the -wealthiest silk merchants in Canton, who had specially designed and -built the house to resist attack, and had armed his retainers with -repeating rifles. Twenty-five boats, containing about three hundred -men, came up the river, and an attack was made at six p.m. that lasted -for seven hours. At length the fortified door was blown in by dynamite -and the house taken. Eighty thousand dollars' worth of valuables was -carried off, and the owner and his two sons were carried away for -ransom. Several of the retainers were killed and thirteen of the -robbers. - -The country people are very superstitious and dislike extremely any -building or work that overlooks the villages, as they say that it has -an unlucky effect upon their _fung sui_, a term that means literally -wind and water, but may be translated freely as elemental forces. This -superstitious feeling sometimes creates difficulty with engineers and -others laying out railways or other works. The feeling is kept alive -by the geomancers, whose mysterious business it is to discover and -point out lucky positions for family graves, a body of an important -person sometimes remaining unburied for years pending definite advice -from the geomancer as to the best position for the grave, which is -always made on a hill-side. They also arrange the lucky days for -marriages, etc. When the telegraph was being laid between Hong Kong -and Canton, the villagers at one point protested loudly against the -erection of a pole in a particular position, as they were informed -that it would interfere with the _fung sui_ of the village. The -engineer in charge, who fortunately knew his Chinese, did not attempt -to oppose them; but taking out his binoculars he looked closely at the -ground and said, "You are right; I am glad the geomancer pointed that -out. It is not a favourable place." Then again apparently using the -glasses, he examined long and carefully various points at which he had -no intention of placing the pole. At length he came to a spot about -twenty yards away, which suited him as well as the first, when after a -lengthened examination he said, with an audible sigh of deep relief, -"I am glad to find that this place is all right," and the pole was -erected without further objection. - -While gang robberies are frequent, there is not much petty theft, as -in small towns the people appoint a local policeman, who is employed -under a guarantee that if anything is stolen he pays the damage. In -small matters this is effective. - - [Illustration] - -The necessity for making villages secure against ordinary attack is -palpable, and many villages in country districts are surrounded by -high walls that secure them from such attack. In some, guns of ancient -pattern are mounted on the walls. - -The prosperity of a town is shown by the number of pawnshops, which -are always high towers solidly built and strongly fortified. The -Chinese pawnshop differs from those of Western nations, as it is not -merely a place for the advance of money upon goods deposited, but also -the receptacle for all spare valuables. Few Chinese keep their winter -clothing at home during summer, or vice versa. When the season changes -the appropriate clothing is released, and that to be put by pawned in -its place. This arrangement secures safe keeping, and if any balance -remains in hand it is turned over commercially before the recurring -season demands its use for the release of the pawned attire. Sometimes -very valuable pieces of jewellery or porcelain remain on the hands of -the pawnshop keeper, and interesting objects may from time to time be -procurable from his store. - -Next to agriculture in general importance is the fishing industry, in -which many millions of the population are engaged, the river boat -population forming a class apart, whose home is exclusively upon their -boats. To describe the variety of boats of all kinds found in Chinese -waters would require a volume. The tens of thousands of junks engaged -in the coasting trade and on the great rivers vary from five to five -hundred tons capacity, while every town upon ocean river or canal has -its house boats, flower boats, or floating restaurants and music -halls, passenger boats, fishing boats, trading boats, etc. On these -boats the family lives from the cradle to the grave, and while the -mother is working the infant may be seen sprawling about the boat, to -which it is attached by a strong cord, while a gourd is tied to its -back, so that if it goes overboard it may be kept afloat until -retrieved by the anchoring cord. In Hong Kong, where it is computed -that there are about thirty thousand boat people in the harbour, the -infant is strapped to the mother's back while she sculls the boat, the -child's head--unprotected in the blazing sun--wagging from side to -side until one wonders that it does not fly off. - - [Illustration] - -The large junks, with their great high sterns and bold curves, and -with the setting sun glinting on their yellow sails of matting, are a -sight to stir the soul of an artist. Many of these carry guns, as the -dangers of gang robberies on shore are equalled by that of piracy on -sea or river, the West River having the most evil reputation in this -respect. The unwillingness of junks to carry lights at night, lest -their position should invite piratical attack, adds to the dangers of -collision, and necessitates extreme caution after sunset in navigating -the southern coasts of China. These junks convey all the cargo from -the coast and riverside towns to the treaty ports, through which all -trade between China and foreign nations is exchanged. The high square -stern affords accommodation for the crew, but no man dares to -desecrate the bow by sitting down there. On one occasion when we went -by canal to Hangchow we stopped at Haining to observe the incoming of -the great bore that at the vernal equinox sweeps up the river from the -bay, and affords one of the most striking sights in the world. While -preparing to measure the height of the wave by fixing a marked pole to -the bow of a junk lying high and dry alongside, which was most civilly -permitted by the junkowner, one of the gentlemen sat down on the bow, -upon which the junkowner tore him away in a fury of passion and made -violent signs to him to leave the ship. Our interpreter coming up at -the moment heard from the irate junkman what had occurred. He pointed -out that the bow was sacred to his guardian deity, and such an insult -as sitting down on the place where his incense sticks were daily burnt -was sure to bring bad luck, if not destruction. Explanations and -apologies on the score of ignorance followed, and a coin completed the -reconciliation. The origin of touching the cap to the quarter-deck on -our ships originated in the same idea, the crucifix being carried at -the stem in the brave days of old. - - [Illustration: ON THE WAY TO MARKET.] - -The great wave or bore that I have just mentioned formed about six -miles out in the bay, and we heard the roar and saw the advancing wall -of water ten minutes before it arrived. The curling wave in front was -about ten feet high and swept past at the rate of fourteen miles an -hour, but the vast mass of swirling sea that rose behind the advancing -wall was a sight more grand than the rapids above Niagara. I measured -accurately its velocity and height. In one minute the tide rose nine -feet nine inches on the sea wall that runs northward from Haining for -a hundred miles. It is seventeen feet high, splendidly built with cut -stone, and with the heavy stones on top (four feet by one foot) -dovetailed to each other by iron clamps, similar to those I afterwards -saw at the end of the great wall of China, where it abuts on the sea -at Shan-hai-kwan. - - [Illustration] - -If the land is thoroughly cultivated the same may be said of the -waters, for in sea, river, lake, or pond, wherever water rests or -flows, there is no device that ingenuity can conceive that is not used -for the capture of fish, which enters largely into the food of the -people; and no cultivation is more intensive than pisciculture, a -fishpond being more valuable than ten times its area of cultivated -land. Sometimes the pond belongs to a village, and nothing comes amiss -that may serve to feed the fish, from the grass round the borders of -the pond to the droppings of the silkworms in silk-producing -districts. In such cases the village latrine is generally built over -the pond; it may, therefore, be understood that Europeans generally -eschew the coarse pond fish and prefer fresh or salt sea fish. These -pond fish grow very rapidly, and are taken by nets of all shapes and -sizes. Sometimes a net forty feet square is suspended from bamboo -shears and worked by ropes and pulleys, the net being lowered and -after a short time, during which fish may be driven towards it, slowly -raised, the fish remaining in the net, the edges of which leave the -waters first. In ponds of large area forty or fifty men may be seen, -each with a net twelve to fifteen feet square suspended from a bamboo -pole, all fishing at the same time. The entire pond is gone over, and -as the fish are kept on the move large numbers are thus taken. They -are then if near a river placed in well boats and sent alive to -market. During the summer months the bays around the coast are covered -by thousands of these large square nets. A net sometimes eighty feet -square is fastened at each corner to poles, long in proportion to the -depth of the water, the other ends of which are anchored by heavy -weights. The men who work the nets live in a hut built upon long poles -similarly weighted, and securely stayed by cables anchored at the four -cardinal points of the compass. From the hut platform the net is -manipulated by a bridle rope worked by a windlass. When the net is -raised the fish fall into a purse in the centre, from which they are -removed by men who row under the now suspended net and allow the fish -to drop from the purse into the boat. These nets are set up sometimes -in nine to ten fathoms. I have never seen them used in any other bays -than those on the coast of China, where, it may be observed -incidentally, there is hardly any perceptible growth of seaweed, and -one never perceives the smell of the sea or feels the smack of salt -upon the lips, as we do on our coasts. - - [Illustration] - -I have said that the devices for the capture of fish are endless, from -the large nets just described to the small fish trap set in every -trench or gap through which water flows. But they do not end here, for -about Ichang, on the Yangtze, otters are trained to drive fish into -the nets; and on the lakes and canals a not unusual sight is a boat or -raft with eight cormorants, who at the word of command go overboard -and dive in pursuit of the fish. Sometimes the bird is recalcitrant, -but a few smart strokes on the water close beside it with a long -bamboo sends the bird under at once. When a fish is caught and -swallowed the cormorant is taken on board and being held over a basket -the lower mandible is drawn down, when out pops the fish uninjured, -the cormorant being prevented from swallowing its prey by a cord tied -round the lower part of the neck. - -But the most curious device for the capture of fish is practised on -the Pearl and West Rivers, where one sees poor lepers seated in the -stern of a long narrow canoe along the side of which is a hinged board -painted white. This they turn over the side at an angle during the -night, and the fish jumping on to it are dexterously jerked into the -boat. In the Norwegian fjords, baskets are sometimes hung or nets -fastened under the splashes of whitewash marking the position of rings -let into the rocky cliff where the yachts may tie up in an adverse -wind. The fish jumping at the white mark, which possibly they mistake -for a waterfall, are caught in the net or basket suspended below. - - [Illustration] - -The boat population of the inland waters are liable to the same -dangers from armed robbery as are their brothers on land, for the -river pirates are a constant source of trouble. Even the large river -steamers of the American pattern plying on the West River under the -command of European officers are not always safe, though great -precautions are taken, as the robbers sometimes embark as passengers -if they know of any specie or valuables being on board, and at a -given point produce revolvers and hold up the captain and crew, -carrying off their booty in a confederate boat. On this account -launches are not permitted to tow lighters with passengers alongside -lest they should step on board, and in all large steamers the lower -deck used by Chinese is separated from the upper by a companion-way -with iron railings and locked door, or with an armed sentry standing -beside it. About six years ago two stern-wheel passenger boats left -Hong Kong for the West River one evening, to enter which the course -was usedly laid north of Lintin, an island in the estuary of the Pearl -River. The leading boat number one for some reason took a course to -the south of Lintin, whereupon the captain of number two came to the -conclusion that she was being pirated, so changing his course and -blowing his whistle loudly he pressed on with a full head of steam and -opened fire upon number one with rifles. Number one returned the fire, -assuming that number two had been pirated and was attacking him. He -steered back to Hong Kong and made a running fight, a hot fire being -maintained until the boats had actually entered the harbour, when they -were met by a police launch and the mistake was discovered. Over three -hundred shots were fired, but happily nobody was hit. It is not a year -since a train of seven or eight house-boats, full of passengers and -towed by a steam launch that plies between Hangchow and Suchow on the -Grand Canal, was held up by river pirates, who rifled the train as -American trains are now and again held up in the Western States of -America. These evidences of lawlessness are only the natural -consequences of the neglect of the primary duty of a government to -make effective police arrangements for the due protection of life and -property, for Chinese under proper control are naturally law-abiding -and peaceable. The Chinese system does not contemplate any police -arrangements outside the principal cities. The small village -communities arrange their own police, but there is no official means -of combating the more serious offences short of a military expedition. -The salutary principle of prevention is ignored and the fitful efforts -of government devoted to punishment. This system doubtless acts as a -deterrent when the punishment follows the crime so frequently as to -impress upon evildoers the sense of its probability. Therefore it is -that a strong viceroy makes a quiet province. When pointing out to Li -Hung Chang the advisability of controlling a town well known as a -headquarters of pirates, his Excellency answered quietly, "We will -exterminate them." He ruled the province of the two Kwangs with a rod -of iron, and left Canton to the profound regret of every man who had -property exposed to attack. - - [Illustration] - -Li Hung Chang was the most able of the many able officials of China. -He was supposed to have had strong Russian sympathies, but had he been -in Tientsin or Peking instead of Canton when the Boxer trouble was -brewing, it is probable that the dangerous conspiracy would never have -been allowed to come to a head. The viceroys at Nanking and Hankow -maintained peace in their provinces, though the "big knife" movement -had its origin in their districts, and Li Hung Chang was as strong a -man as either, or stronger. When he left Canton to try to reach Peking -it was too late, and the issue had been joined between the Chinese -Court and the foreign Powers. He would have done better had he -remained in the turbulent southern province that he had ruled so -sternly and efficiently. Dangerous as was the Boxer movement, it -showed clearly the want of cohesion between the different portions of -the Chinese empire. When the trouble broke out in the north, there -were a large number of Cantonese students at Tientsin College, whose -lives were as unsafe as if they were foreigners. Some Chinese -gentlemen waited upon me on the subject. They were in great distress, -as they had no means of getting their sons away. They begged me to -endeavour to get the young men sent down by the British Consul, and -undertook to pay any amount up to ten thousand dollars for the expense -of chartering a ship. I telegraphed, guaranteeing the amount, to the -British Consul, who kindly chartered a ship for the transit of the -young men. The bill of over nine thousand dollars was at once paid by -the Chinese gentlemen who had requested my good offices. - -The fact is that between different provinces, speaking different -patois, there exists in many cases a settled antipathy that has been -handed down from the feuds and wars of bygone centuries. To this day -the junks from Swatow land their cargoes in Hong Kong at a wharf where -Swatow coolies are employed; did they land it at a wharf worked by -Cantonese, there would certainly be disorder, and possibly fighting, -before the discharge of the cargo. - -The traveller in China is impressed with the vastness of its extent, -the fertility of its various countries, the grandeur of its rivers, -the beauty and boldness of its bridges, the strength of its city -walls, the contrast of wealth and squalor in the cities, the untiring -industry of the people. A more detailed knowledge compels admiration -for their proficiency in arts and crafts. - - [Illustration: A GRANDFATHER.] - -A journey up the West River leads through the gorges, which gives one -an idea of the teeming life of the Chinese water world. The West River -is, next to the Yangtze, the one most often coming under the notice of -foreigners, for the river is the principal scene of piratical attacks. -Indeed, no native boat known to have valuable property on board was, -some years ago, safe from attack if it did not pay blackmail, and -carry a small flag indicating that it had done so. Perhaps the most -curious craft on the river is the stern-wheel boats, worked by man -power. Sixteen coolies work the wheel after the manner of a treadmill, -four more standing by as a relief. The work is very hard, and coolies -engaged in this occupation do not live long; but in China that is a -consideration that does not count, either with workman or master. -Rafts float slowly down the yellow waters of the broad river-rafts -three to four hundred yards long, with the "navigators" comfortably -encamped; great junks, with their most picturesque fan-shaped sails; -at every town a crowd of "slipper" boats, as sampans are called, which -have a movable hood over the forepart, under which passengers sit. At -Sam-shui, the principal station of the Imperial Customs in the river, -a dragon-boat shoots out with twelve men. In it are carried a large -red umbrella and a green flag, the umbrella being a symbol of honour, -while around the sides are painted the honorific titles of the owner -or person to whom it is dedicated. From here comes the matting made at -Taiking that is sold by retail at ten dollars for a roll of forty -yards. - -Beyond Kwongli Island the gorges begin, through which the West River -debouches on the plains on its journey to the sea. From the island one -hundred and fifty acute sugar-loaf summits can be counted, and the -tortuous gorges wind past a succession of steep valleys that must have -been scored out when the mountain range was upheaved at a period of -very great torrential rains. - -Above the gorges the old town of Sui-hing is rather featureless, but -is a landing-place for the Buddhist monasteries, built at various -elevations on the precipitous sides of seven masses of white marble -rising from the plain and called the Seven Stars. These old -monasteries here and elsewhere are marvellously picturesque, perched -as they usually are in situations that can only be reached by steep -climbing. The temple is at the base of the cliff, and contains fine -bronze figures of Kunyam, the goddess of mercy, with two guardians in -bronze at her side. The figures are about ten feet high, and are -supposed to be over one thousand years old. There is also a bronze -bell said to be of still older date. - -Through a great cave and up marble steps the marble temple is -approached in which is a seated figure of the Queen of Heaven. The -sculptured figure, like the temple itself, is hewn from the solid -rock, the statue of the Queen of Heaven being in a shrine close by an -opening through which the light strikes upon the well carved statue -and drapery of white marble with a fine effect. The country round the -Seven Stars is perfectly flat, and devoted to the growth of rice, -fish, and lotus plants. In a large pond beneath the temple a water -buffalo is feeding on the floating leaves of lilies, while its calf -calmly swims beside the mother, now and again resting its head upon -her quarter. One realizes how large a part the water buffalo plays in -Chinese economy, for without it the cultivation of rice would be -seriously curtailed. The buffalo ploughs the inundated field, wading -in the mud literally up to its belly, when no other animal could draw -the primitive plough through the deep mud. In the town of Sui-hing -excellent pewter work is made, and here also are fashioned various -articles from the white marble of the Seven Stars, the carving of -which shows excellent workmanship. - - [Illustration] - -West of Sui-hing lies the city of Wuchow, where the Fu-ho River joins -the West River. Once a suspension bridge existed over the Fu-ho, and -two cast-iron pillars about nine feet high and twelve inches in -diameter are still standing, and have stood for several centuries. The -pillars have both been welded at about four feet from the ground. I do -not know if cast-iron can now be welded; if not, it is a lost art that -certainly was known to the Chinese. - -Below Wuchow, on the right bank of the river, is a district that will -one day attract the big game sportsman. Here the tigers are so -plentiful and so dangerous that the inhabitants do not dare to leave -their homes after four or five o'clock in the afternoon. Farther down, -on the left bank, is one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in -China--Howlick--which accommodates about two hundred monks, and can -take in an equal number of guests, who at certain seasons retire to -the monastery for rest and reflection. It is situated about two miles -from the river at an elevation of fifteen hundred feet. Approached by -a steep pathway, at the entrance of which stand or sit two grey-robed -monks armed with spears so as to be able to repel bad characters, and -which as it approaches the monastery is formed into long flights of -steps, Howlick is built upon a terraced plateau in the midst of -primeval forest and close by a most picturesque gorge. The monastery -is the resort of a large number of pilgrims, and Buddhist services -take place daily in the temple, which, unlike most temples in China, -is perfectly clean and well appointed. When I visited it the service -was being intoned in strophe and antistrophe, the chanters at each -recurrent verse kneeling and touching the ground with their foreheads. -The only accompaniment was drums and gongs, the time being marked by -tapping a wooden drum of the Buddhist shape, but all was very subdued. -One monk played two or three gongs of different sizes, one being only -about six inches in diameter. The two long tables on which the books -of the readers were placed were loaded with cakes and fruit. The -fronts were hung with rich embroideries. Such a service is paid for by -the pilgrims, who receive the food placed upon the tables and -distribute it to their friends. - -I had subsequently a long conversation with the abbot, who was most -kind and hospitable. He said the monks had their own ritual, and so -far as I could see Howlick is an independent community. In the -monastery were many shrines, at each of which was a regular sale of -sticks, beads, etc., in which a roaring trade was being done by the -monks. In the lower reception room was a number of women, who -purchased prayers written by a monk while they waited. For each prayer -they paid from sixty cents to a dollar. - -The difference in the level of the West River in the wet and dry -seasons is about forty feet in its narrow parts. As the waters recede -a considerable amount of land is left on the banks available for -cultivation and enriched by the deposit from the heavily laden flood -waters. These river borders are not allowed to lie idle, for as the -river recedes they are carefully cultivated, and crops of vegetables -and mulberry leaves taken off before the next rising of the waters. -The river banks are then a scene of great activity. In the district -about Kumchuk, in which sericulture is a considerable industry, the -banks of the river are all planted with mulberry, which ratoons -annually and bears three crops of leaves, at each stripping six or -seven leaves being left at the top. The worms are fed at first on -finely shredded leaves, which have to be changed at least twice daily, -the minute young worms being removed to the fresh leaves with the end -of a feather. The worms begin to spin in thirty-seven days and -continue spinning for seven days. Along the river are many apparently -wealthy towns, some showing by a perfect forest of poles like masts -with inverted pyramids near the top that a large number of the -inhabitants had successfully passed the examinations and received -degrees, which entitled them to raise these poles as an honorific -distinction before their houses. All mandarins have two such poles -erected in front of their yamens. - - [Illustration] - -The West River is at present the principal approach to the province -of Yunnan, from which province and from the western portions of -Kwangsi a large cattle trade is water-borne to Canton and Hong Kong. -From time to time these supplies are intercepted by the river pirates, -who sometimes meet their deserts. On one occasion the inhabitants of a -certain town, incensed at the murder of one of their people, turned -out _en masse_ and followed the piratical boat down the river, firing -upon her until every one of the robber gang was killed. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - [Illustration] - - -The West River sinks into insignificance when compared with the -Yangtze, the great river over which is carried the greater portion of -the commerce of China. From Wusung, the port of Shanghai, to -Hankow--six hundred miles inland--battleships can be navigated, and -some direct foreign trade is carried on by the cities upon its banks, -though Shanghai is the great centre of foreign trade for all the -Yangtze region. The history of the Yangtze is given annually by that -most complete and interesting epitome of statistical knowledge--the -returns of trade and trade reports by the various Commissioners of the -Imperial Maritime Customs. Here everything is dealt with that bears -upon the general condition of the country, and one can read at a -glance the causes of fluctuations in supply, demand, and prices. In -one report we read that production was interfered with by rebellion -following a drought. The insurgents, to the number of ten thousand, -had armed themselves with hollowed trees for guns, and jingals as well -as swords and spears. In the first encounters the insurgents got the -better of the Government "troops," who were probably of the ancient -type, but on the appearance of two thousand foreign drilled troops -they were dispersed. The hollowed trees that did duty for guns was a -device not uncommon in old China. The same substitute for cast-iron -was tried by the Philippine insurgents in the uprising against Spain; -but they had taken the precaution of adding iron rings. They had also -large numbers of wooden imitations of Snider rifles, beautifully made, -that must have looked formidable, so long as no pretence was made to -shoot. The jingal is still in common use in remote districts in China, -and was used against our troops in the slight engagements that took -place when, under agreement with the Imperial Chinese Government, we -proceeded to take over the leased territory of Kowloon. It is a -matchlock, the barrel being ten feet long and the bore one inch. In -the event of the spherical ball finding its billet, the wound would be -of no light matter; but the chances in favour of the target are many, -for the jingal requires three men for its manipulation, two of whom -act as supports for the barrel, which rests on their shoulders, while -the third primes the pan and manipulates the match. When the gun is -fired, and the crew of three recover from the shock, it is carried to -the rear for reloading, an operation that cannot be performed in a -hurry. In the event of a rapid retreat the jingal remains to become -the spoil of the captor. At short range, and used against a crowd, a -number of jingals would probably be effective, and would present a -formidable appearance; but the heroic days of short ranges, waving -flags, cheering masses, and flashing steel have passed, and the -trained soldier of to-day looks to his sights and to his cover. - - [Illustration: A SUMMER HOUSE.] - - [Illustration] - -If one could follow the ramifications of our trade through the coast -ports and rivers and creeks of China, the various products of cotton -and velvets, woollen goods, copper, iron, tinned plates, cement, dyes, -machinery, oil, railway materials, pepper, sugar, and tea dust, with a -host of other things, what an immense mass of useful and interesting -information one would acquire. From the ship to the junk, from the -junk to the boat, from the boat to the wheelbarrow, or the mule, and, -lastly, to the toiling coolie, who alone can negotiate the dizzy paths -of the more remote villages, or the frail means of transport over the -raging torrents of the mountain districts. I have said that seaweed is -almost unknown on the Chinese coast, and, curiously enough, seaweed -is imported in considerable quantities, being used as a food, as in -Ireland. The rock seaweed (called dillisk) and carrageen moss are -used. For these imports are exchanged a long list of commodities, -including eggs, hides (cow and buffalo), skins of all animals (from -ass to weazel), silk, tea, tobacco, wood, sesamum, and opium, the -latter, mainly from the provinces of Shensi, Szechwan, and Yunnan, -being among the most important of the exports. I find on looking over -the annual returns of trade for the Yangtze ports for 1906, that the -imports of opium for the year amounted to sixty-two thousand one -hundred and sixty-one piculs, while the quantity exported amounted to -six hundred and forty-three thousand three hundred and seventy-seven -piculs. It would be interesting to know if the arrangement entered -into by the British Government, that the export of opium from India -shall diminish by one-tenth annually until it has ceased, is -reciprocal, in so far that not alone shall the exports of the drug -from China be diminished in the same proportion, but the area under -poppy cultivation be similarly controlled. If no such arrangement has -been made, China will have once more demonstrated her astuteness in -dealing with unconsidered outbursts of European sentiment. The -statements made from time to time by anti-opium enthusiasts have been -made in all sincerity, and generally with a desire to approach -accuracy as nearly as possible; but, nevertheless, they are merely -general statements, made under no authority of reliable statistics, -and not seldom unconsciously coloured by an intense desire to -emphasize an evil that they consider it impossible to exaggerate. But -while it would be extremely difficult to examine systematically into -the actual state of opium consumption and its effects upon the -population as regards moral degradation and physical deterioration in -any Chinese district, these inquiries have been made and reliable -statistics obtained in Hong Kong and Singapore, and calculations based -on the known consumption of opium in China have been made by competent -persons, the result being to show that the statements so loosely made -as to the destructive effects of opium-smoking in moderation are not -borne out on close examination. My own observation of the Chinese in -Hong Kong--a practically Chinese city where every man was free to -smoke as much opium as he could afford to purchase--tallies with the -conclusion of the exhaustive inquiries since undertaken by order of -the home Government. The mass of the Chinese population are very poor, -and can support themselves and their families only by incessant -labour. When the day's work is done, the coolie who indulges in -opium--a very small percentage of the whole--goes to an opium shop, -where, purchasing a small quantity of the drug, he retires to a bench -or couch, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend, in which case they -lie down on either side of a small lamp and proceed to enjoy their -smoke, chatting the while. The pipe is a peculiar shape, looking -like an apple with a small hole scooped in it, and stuck on the -mouth orifice of a flute. Taking with a long pin looking like a -knitting-needle a small quantity (about the size of a pea) of the -viscous-prepared opium from the box in which it is sold, the -smoker roasts it over the flame of the small lamp until it is of a -consistency fit to be placed in the bowl of the pipe, on the outer -portion of which the pellet has been kneaded during the heating -process. Then placing the bowl to the flame, two or three deep whiffs -are taken and swallowed, which exhausts the pellet, when the bowl is -cleared out and the process repeated until a state of dreamy slumber -or complete torpor is reached, on awaking from which the smoker leaves -the place. - - [Illustration] - - [Illustration] - -When one remembers the exhausting nature of coolies' work in a seaport -town it is clear that if opium were smoked to excess the results would -be apparent in opium-sodden loafers and beggars; but the contrary is -the case, for in no town on earth is the population more efficient and -industrious. - -A valuable report has lately been issued by the Commission appointed -by the governor, to whom the following questions were referred. - -(1) The extent to which excessive indulgence in the smoking of opium -prevails in the Straits Settlements. - -(2) Whether the smoking of opium - - (a) in moderation - (b) in excess - -has increased in the said Settlements. - -(3) The steps that should be taken ... to eradicate the evils arising -from the smoking of opium in the said Settlements. - -The Commission included a bishop, three members of the Legislative -Council, including the Chinese member, and three independent -gentlemen. They examined seventy-five witnesses, including every class -in the population, twenty-one of whom were nominated by the anti-opium -societies, and presented a report of three hundred and forty-three -paragraphs, from which I cull the following excerpts. - - Par. 76. We are firmly convinced that the main reason for - taking to the habit of smoking opium is the expression - among the Chinese of the universal tendency of human nature - to some form of indulgence. - - Par. 77. The lack of home comforts, the strenuousness of - their labour, the severance from family association, and - the absence of any form of healthy relaxation in the case - of the working classes in Malaya, predispose them to a form - of indulgence which, both from its sedative effects and in - the restful position in which it must be practised, appeals - most strongly to the Chinese temperament. - - Par. 91. In the course of the inquiry it has transpired - that life insurance companies with considerable experience - of the insurance of Chinese lives are willing, _ceteris - paribus_, to accept as first-class risks Chinese who smoke - two chees (116 grains) of chandu a day, an amount that is - by no means within the range of light smoking, and we are - informed that these insurance companies are justified in - taking these risks. It appears therefore that, in the view - of those remarkably well qualified to judge, the opium - habit has little or no effect on the duration of life, and - there is no evidence before us which would justify our - acceptance of the contrary view. - - Par. 96. We consider that the tendency of the evidence - supports us in the opinion we have formed, as the result of - our investigations, that the evils arising from the use of - opium are usually the subject of exaggeration. In the - course of the evidence it has been pointed out to us that - it is difficult even for a medical man to detect the - moderate smoker, and it is improbable that the moderate - smoker would obtrude himself upon the attention of - philanthropists on whose notice bad cases thrust - themselves. The tendency of philanthropists to give undue - prominence to such bad cases, and to generalize from the - observation of them, is undoubtedly a great factor in - attributing to the use of opium more widely extended evils - than really exist. - - Par. 106. The paralysis of the will that is alleged to - result from opium-smoking we do not regard as proved, many - smokers of considerable quantities are successful in - business, and there is no proof that smokers cannot fill - positions of considerable responsibility with credit and - reliability. - - [Illustration] - -Referring to statements made that the dose must inevitably be -constantly increased, the report observes as follows in - - Par. 112. We have, further, evidence given in many concrete - cases that the dose has not been increased during - considerable periods, and we have the remarkable absence of - pauperism that should be strikingly prevalent if the - theories mentioned above were reasonably applicable to - local indulgence in opium. - -On the question of enforcing prohibitive legislation, the report -observes in - - Par. 133. The poppy is at present cultivated in India, - China, Turkey, and Persia, and it may, we consider, be - assumed that short of universal suppression of the - cultivation effectively carried out, prohibition in one - would lead to extended cultivation in others. - -The report goes on to deal with the substitution of morphia for opium -as demanding the gravest consideration, its effects being infinitely -more deleterious than the smoking of opium. - -It will be interesting to see how the International Commission that -has recently met at Shanghai has dealt with the question. The Imperial -Chinese Government has issued drastic regulations, and an Imperial -edict has decreed that the growing of the poppy and the smoking of -opium shall cease; but the people of China have a way of regarding -Imperial edicts that clash with their customs as pious aspirations. If -it succeeds, it will have effected a change more complete than any -that has taken place since the adoption of the shaved head and the -queue at the command of the Manchu conquerors. - - [Illustration: A QUIET GAME OF DRAUGHTS.] - - [Illustration] - -The proportion of the volume of trade under the various foreign flags -shows of late years a considerable diminution of our trade and an -increase of that carried in German bottoms; but this difference in the -supply of commodities, while it shows a loss to our shipping, is more -apparent than real as regards the commodities themselves. For the last -half century or more a large quantity of cotton and other goods -ordered through British houses was procured in Germany and shipped -from English ports. But with the passing of the Merchandise Marks Act, -a change was soon observed. When the astute Chinese trader saw printed -upon his cotton cloth the advertisement that it was made in Germany, -he asked the German Consul about it, and concluded that it would be -better business to order it from the maker direct, which he did. The -equally astute German arrived at the conclusion that as this large -direct trade had developed it would be well to build the ships to -carry it under its own flag, and save the transport and turnover in -England. The result was a great increase of German shipping to the -East, and with the increase of German argosies came the proposal, as a -natural sequence, that a German navy should be created to ensure -their protection. Thus the Act that was hailed with such appreciation -became the greatest and most valuable advertisement ever given by one -nation to another, and German technical knowledge, thoroughness, and -business capacity have taken full advantage of the situation. Ten -years ago the German flag in Hong Kong harbour was comparatively -infrequent. To-day the steamers of Germany frequently outnumber our -own in that great port. - -The life of town and country is more sharply divided in China than in -Europe, for the absence of local protection drives all wealthy men to -the security of the walled towns and cities. The aspect of all the -great cities south of the Yangtze is pretty much the same, and there -is not much difference in the life of the communities. The cities are -encircled by walls about twenty-five feet high and from fifteen to -twenty feet on top, with square towers at intervals, and great -gateways at the four cardinal points. The north gate at Hangchow, at -the extremity of the Grand Canal, is the most beautiful that I have -seen in China. Eight stone monoliths supported an elaborate structure -of three stories narrowing to the summit that was finished by a -boat-shaped structure with ornamental ends and a curved roof. Every -portion of the great structure of stone was beautifully carved, the -upper portions being perforated. The carved work was exquisite, -figures standing in bold relief, and flowers and foliage being -undercut so that a stick could have been passed behind them. The walls -of Nanking and Suchow are each thirty-six miles in circumference, but -within the walls are large areas that have probably never been built -over. The vacant spaces may always have been used for agricultural -purposes, the crops enabling the inhabitants to withstand a siege. -Many of the splendid buildings of these old cities have disappeared or -are now in ruins, but here and there the tiled roofs, beautiful in -their curved design and brilliant glaze of green or yellow enamel, -remain to testify to the innate artistic feeling of the Chinese -people. The Ming tombs at Nanking, with the mile-long approach through -a double row of elephants, camels, chitons, horses, etc., each ten and -a half feet high and carved from a single block, are monuments that, -unlike the great bronze astronomical instruments that erstwhile -adorned the walls of Peking, no conquering host could carry away. On -the back of each of the elephants is a heap of stones, every Chinese -who passes feeling it a religious duty to wish, generally either for -wealth or a son, when he casts up a stone. If it remains, the answer -is favourable; if not, he continues his course in sadness, but not -without hope. The porcelain tower of Nanking has disappeared, but the -bronze summit, fifteen feet in diameter, remains on its site. - -Inside the city walls the streets are narrow and sometimes filthy. -Smells abound, but Chinese are apparently oblivious to what we -consider offensive smells; and from a hygienic point of view it is -certain that foul smells are better than sewer-gas, which, though it -cannot be characterized as dirt, is decidedly matter in the wrong -place. - - [Illustration] - -Peking is unlike any of the southern cities. Its streets are wide, and -the mixture of peoples from the north gives variety and colour to the -street scenes. Here one meets long strings of laden camels bearing -their burdens from Mongolia, and issuing grumbling protests as they -follow the bell of their leader. Peking carts with richly ornamented -wheels but no springs ply over the raised centre of the broad but -filthy streets, the mud of winter and the dust of summer assuaging the -jolting of the picturesque but uncomfortable vehicles. Sometimes in -the carts are richly apparelled ladies, who are attended by mounted -servants. Now and again may be seen immense funeral biers bright with -red lacquer and gilding, and resting upon a platform of bamboos large -enough to admit from twenty to fifty or sixty bearers. Should the -funeral be that of a high official, as many as a hundred bearers are -sometimes engaged. This is a form of ostentation impossible in the -narrow streets of the southern cities. Peking is really four cities -within the immense outer walls, which are fifty feet high and -probably thirty or forty feet broad on top. On the portion of the wall -commanding the legations some of the hardest fighting of the siege -took place. The Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Agriculture are -situated to the right and left of the south gate of the outer wall. -Each temple stands in a park, and in the one the Emperor on the first -day of the Chinese New Year offers a sacrifice on the great white -marble terrace, and prays for blessings upon all his people, while in -the Temple of Agriculture the Emperor, attended by all the great -officials, attends on the first day of spring for the performance of -the ceremonies, as laid down by ancient custom. This ceremony in -honour of the opening of spring is one of the principal functions of -the year. The Emperor, with all the Court, attends at the Temple of -Agriculture in state to plough a furrow. The buffalo that draws the -plough is decorated with roses and other flowers, and the plough is -covered with silk of the Imperial yellow. The ground has been -carefully softened, and a hard path arranged on which the Emperor -walks while he guides the plough, before doing which he removes his -embroidered jacket and tucks up the long silk coat round his waist, as -a carpenter does when he wants to get his apron out of the way and -leave his legs free. After his Majesty has ploughed his furrow, three -princes, each with a buffalo and plough decorated with red silk, -plough each three furrows, followed by nine of the principal -officials, whose ploughs and buffaloes are decorated like those of the -princes. A rice is then sown called the red lotus, which when reaped -is presented as an offering--half on the altar at the Temple of -Agriculture, half on that before the tablets of the Imperial family in -the royal ancestral hall. - -This ceremony is of very ancient date, and indicates the high position -held by the agriculturist in the estimation of the Chinese. In the -books of Chow, written probably about 1000 B.C., in writing against -luxurious ease, it is written, "King Wan dressed meanly, and gave -himself to the work of tranquillization and to that of husbandry." - -To Peking, as the centre of Chinese official life, flock all the -higher mandarins from time to time, each high official--viceroy, -governor, or taotai, or lower ranks--to give an account of their -stewardship at the expiration of their term of office, and to solicit -a renewed appointment. Should a viceroy have acquired, say, three -millions of dollars during his three years' term of office, it will be -necessary for him to disburse at least one million in presents to -various palace officials before he can hope for an audience and for -further employment. Many of the officials put their savings into -porcelain rather than invest them in speculation, or deposit them in -savings banks. Some of this porcelain is buried or concealed in a safe -place, and when the owner requires money he disposes of a piece. It is -thought in England that great bargains of valuable porcelain can be -picked up in any Chinese town. This is a mistake. Of course, great -bargains may possibly be picked up anywhere, but good porcelain is -highly valued in China as in Europe. Shown a very fine vase by the -principal dealer in curiosities of Peking, he quoted the price at -seventeen thousand dollars. The result of the Chinese custom of buying -porcelain as a savings bank investment, and its re-sale when money is -required, is a constant traffic in good porcelain, which can generally -be procured, at its full value. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER V - - [Illustration] - - -The peasant cultivator of China spends a life of intermittent -industry. In the north there is but one annual crop, but in the south -two crops are grown. The principal cultivation being rice, he is -perforce constrained to the system of co-operation, as, there being no -fences, all the rice crop of a large flat area, sometimes minutely -subdivided, must be reaped at the same time, so that when the crop has -been removed the cattle and buffaloes may roam over the flat for what -pasturage they can pick up before the flooding of the land and -preparation for the next crop. - - [Illustration: WAITING FOR CUSTOMERS.] - -In the event of any farmer being late with his sowing, he must procure -seed of a more rapidly growing kind, some kinds of rice showing a -difference of a month or more in the time that elapses from sowing to -reaping. But even when the crop is down and growing, no grass that -may be found on the edges of the paths or canals is allowed to go -to waste. Small children may then be seen seated sideways on the broad -backs of the buffaloes while the beasts graze upon the skirting -pasture, the children preventing them from injuring the growing crops. - - [Illustration] - -The first crop is sown about April and reaped early in July, the -second late in July and reaped at the end of September. After the -rice, which has generally been sown very thickly in a nursery, has -been transplanted to the flooded fields and taken root, the ground is -gone over and the mud heaped with the feet around each plant. The -ground is manured when the rice is about a foot high with pig manure, -mixed with lime and earth, and scattered by hand at a time when the -water is low. If the crop looks poor the manure is carefully applied -round each plant, and sometimes if it is still very backward, when the -water is around it, the manure is poured over it in a liquid state. -The water is kept on the rice field until a very short time before -reaping, and after the crop is in full ear the Chinese like to have -three days' rain, which they say improves the yield very materially. - -When the rice is six or eight inches over the water, which is then -about three inches deep, large flocks of ducks and geese may be seen -feeding on the frogs, etc., to be found in the paddy fields (paddy is -the term for rice before it has been husked), attended by a man or -boy, who carries a long bamboo pole with a bunch of bamboo leaves tied -at the top. When the evening comes a shake of his pole brings all the -flock, sometimes numbering hundreds, out of the field, and as they -emerge on the path the last duck or goose receives a whack of the -bunch of leaves. It is amusing to see how this is realized by the -birds, who waddle along at top speed to avoid being last. Once on the -path the herd goes in front, and, placing his pole against the base of -a bank, all the flock jump over it, being counted as they go. Ducks -are reared in amazing numbers in Southern China, the eggs being -hatched in fermenting paddy husks. Every country shop has displayed a -number of dried ducks, the fowl being cut in half and spread out under -pressure. But as articles of food nothing comes amiss; rats are dried -in the same way and sold, though the house rat is not usually eaten, -the rat of commerce being the rodent found in the rice fields. Besides -rice, the farmer grows crops of rape, fruit, and a large quantity of -vegetables. Mulberry trees are the main crop in the silk regions, and -in the provinces bordering the Yangtze tea is produced, while to the -westward the cultivation of the poppy assumes large proportions. In -the economy of the Chinese farmer the pig plays as prominent a part -as in Ireland, for the pig is a save-all, to which all scraps are -welcome. The Chinese pig is usually black. It has a peculiarly hollow -back, the belly almost trailing on the ground, and it fattens easily. -A roast sucking-pig is always a _piece de resistance_ at a feast. - -The Chinese farmer is thrifty, but he has his distractions in -card-playing and gambling in various ways that could only be devised -by Chinese ingenuity. He loves a quail fight or a cricket fight, the -latter being an amusement that sometimes brings a concourse of -thousands together. A large mat-shed is erected and in this is placed -the cricket pit. The real arena of the fight is a circular bowl with a -flat bottom about seven inches in diameter. Two crickets being placed -in it are excited to fury by having their backs tickled by a rat's -bristle inserted in the end of a small stick, such as a pen handle. -The rival crickets fight with great fury until one turns tail and is -beaten. Many thousands of dollars are wagered at times upon these -contests, and the most intense excitement prevails. When a man has -been fortunate enough to capture a good fighting cricket he feeds it -on special meal. Such a known cricket sometimes changes hands for a -considerable sum. After all, the value of a cricket, like a -race-horse, is what it may be able to win. As the initial expense of -a cricket is only the trouble of catching it, this is a form of -excitement within reach of the poorest, and the villager may have in -gambling for a cash (the tenth part of a cent) as much excitement as -the richer town-dweller who wagers in dollars. - - [Illustration] - -The farmer's house is not luxurious in its furniture, but it is -sufficient for his wants. With the exception of the table almost -everything is made of bamboo, which, with the aid of fire and water, -can be bent to any shape, but there is great diversity in the lamp of -pottery or pewter or brass, the latter being somewhat similar in shape -to the ancient Roman lamp. The bed is simply a flat board, over which -a grass or palm leaf mat is laid. The pillow is a half round piece of -pottery about ten inches long and four inches high. A common form is -that of a figure on hands and knees, the back forming the pillow. The -careful housewife places her needlework inside the pillow, which makes -an effective workbasket. In winter the pottery pillow is replaced by -one of lacquer and leather, which is not so cold. Over his door will -be found a beehive, made of a drum of bamboo two feet long by twelve -inches in diameter and covered with dried clay, while his implements -of husbandry--consisting of a wooden plough of the same shape as may -be seen on Egyptian ancient monuments, and which with the harness he -carries on his shoulder to the field, a hoe, and a wooden "rake" of -plain board to smooth the mud on which the rice will be sown--can be -accommodated in the corner. He is not very clean and has a lofty -contempt for vermin; but sometimes he will indulge in the luxury of a -flea-trap, made of a joint of bamboo three inches in diameter, the -sides cut out, leaving only enough wood to preserve the shape. This he -carries in his sleeve, but what he inserts as a trap I have not been -able to discover. - - [Illustration] - -Apart from his gambling his distractions are a visit to the temple -before or after crop time, a marriage, a funeral, a procession, or a -pilgrimage to one of the seven holy mountains of China. He has not -often more than one wife, who, being entirely at his mercy, rules him -with a rod of iron, and to whom as a rule he leaves the emotional part -of the religion of the family. To her falls all the anxious care of -the children, and horrible fears assail her lest the evil spirits, -against whose machinations all the ingenuity of her religious -superstitions is exerted, should get possession of any of her boys. To -this end she will dress the boys as girls, and indulge in -make-believes that would not puzzle the silliest devil that ever -tormented a Chinese mother. Nor does she neglect religious duties, for -she will be seen in the temple praying devoutly, and then taking up -the two kidney-shaped pieces of wood, flat on one side and round on -the other, that are found on the altar before the god, she will place -the flat sides together between her palms and flinging them up observe -the position in which they fall. If both flat sides come up, it is -good; if the round, then it is evil; if one of each, there is no -answer. This she repeats three times; or going to a bamboo in which -are a number of canes, each bearing a number, she shakes it, as Nestor -shook the helmet of Agamemnon, until one falls out, when she looks for -the corresponding number among a quantity of yellow sheets of paper -hung upon the wall where she reads the mystic answer to her prayer. - -It is not easy for the casual inquirer to understand the religious -beliefs of the Chinese. In many ways intensely materialistic, the -people have a living faith, at least in reincarnation or recurring -life; and while their spiritual attitude is rather a fear of evil -demons than a belief in a merciful God, yet there is among them a -spirit of reverence and of thankfulness for favours received. One day -at Chekwan Temple--a very fine and richly ornamented temple on the -Pearl River--I saw a fisherman and his family enter with a basket of -fish and some fruits, which he laid upon the altar. Then, first -striking the drum to call the attention of the god, the family prayed -devoutly, while the father poured a libation seven times upon the -altar. I asked the priest what it meant, and he answered that the man -had had a good take of fish the previous night and was returning -thanks. Sometimes when a member of the family is ill they will go to -the temple and have a prayer written, then burning the paper, they -take home the ashes, and administer them as a medicine. Again, in a -temple in Canton one pillar is covered with paper figures of men, -which are tied to the pillar upside down. Asking the meaning I was -told that these were tied on by the light-o'-loves of young Chinese -who, having taken a wife, had put an end to the temporary arrangements -as common in a Chinese city as in the centres of Western civilization. -The abandoned ones vainly hoped that by timely incantations and tying -on of the figures their protectors might be induced to return to them. -But the great annual excitement to the peasant under normal conditions -is the theatrical performance that takes place in every district. The -company brings its own theatre, an enormous mat-shed erection capable -of accommodating an audience of a thousand people. This is erected in -a few days, and for a week or more historical or social plays are -performed. The actors make up and dress upon the stage, on which the -more prominent members of the audience are sometimes accommodated. All -the actors are men, as women are not allowed to perform; but the men -who take women's parts could not be distinguished from females, and -some are very highly paid. The dresses are very gorgeous. In -historical plays all the actors wear long beards and moustaches which -completely cover the mouth. The bad character of the play is always -distinguished by having the face darkened and with a white patch on -the nose. The play is in the form of an opera in which the singers -intone their parts in a simple recurring time, being accompanied in -unison by a couple of stringed instruments of curious form; but when -an important entry is made or one of the oft-recurring combats take -place, large cymbals clash with deafening noise. This is never done -while the singing dialogue is proceeding. The properties are in a -large box on the stage. If an actor is going over a bridge the -attendants, who are moving about, place a table with a chair at either -side, put over it a cloth, and the bridge is complete. The actor walks -over and the table is removed. Should he mount a horse, or get into a -chair, conventional movements convey the fact to the audience. In the -combats one man is always slain. Then the attendant walks forward and -drops a roll of white paper or cloth before him, when the slain man -gets up and walks out. In Japan matters are somewhat differently -done. There are always two attendants in black with wide flowing -sleeves, who are supposed to be invisible. When a character is slain -one stands in front, spreads his arms, and the defunct walks off, the -invisible attendant moving after him, keeping between him and the -audience. - - [Illustration] - -In social plays the actors are no longer in gorgeous historic -costumes, but are clad in modern dress. When a very poor man came on -he indicated his poverty by making the movements of cracking vermin on -his clothes between his nails. - -It is singular how little one misses the scenery, and the audience -takes the keenest interest in the plays, sometimes being moved to -tears at the tragic parts. - -The position of the actor is very low in the Chinese scale, no actor -or child of an actor being permitted to present himself for public -examination; the brotherhood of the sock and buskin is a very large -community. - -When the play is finished, if there are wealthy men present servants -come in laden with strings of copper cash, which are laid upon the -stage. - -But these are the incidents of country life in normal times. When -rains are short and rivers run low, and the rice crop fails, then -gaunt famine stalks over the arid land, and discontent and misery are -apt to lead to grave local troubles, the people looking upon such a -visitation as a direct intimation that the Emperor, as represented by -the local officials, had incurred the displeasure of heaven and lost -the confidence of the gods. This feeling makes for rebellion, and -rebellion in China, when it is faced by Government, is dealt with in a -manner so ruthless as to make one shudder. - -In 1903 a famine with the usual concomitants developed in the province -of Kwangsi, and harrowing descriptions of the condition of affairs -came to Hong Kong, where a relief committee was formed at once. An -official was sent up on behalf of the committee to inquire and report, -and on his return he gave an account of what he had seen. A -troublesome rebellion had broken out, and in the course of its -suppression many prisoners had been taken. These wretches, with large -numbers of criminals, were being executed, a general gaol delivery -being thus effected, the magistrate holding that as there was not -enough food for honest people none could be spared for criminals. The -starving population had been reduced to such extremity that they were -eating the bodies. At the same time the authorities and the gentry -were doing everything in their power to relieve the suffering of the -people; but all were miserably poor, and no taxes were being -collected. The Hong Kong Relief Committee's representative, who had -taken a first consignment of rice with him, was offered every -facility by the magistrate, who not alone gave him a guard, but sent a -launch to tow the rice junk up the river, sending a guard with it. The -state of brutality to which the community had been reduced was shown -by the following occurrence related to the representative by one of -his guards, who told the story with an evident feeling that the -incident redounded to the credit of the "party of order." A short time -before, information having reached the local authority of the -whereabouts of a "robber family," a party, including the narrator, -went to the village and seized the entire family. The man they cut -open, took out the entrails, cooked and ate them in the presence of -the dying wretch. They cut the breasts off the woman, cooked and ate -them in the same way. The woman he described as sobbing during the -operation. The two were then killed. As the "soldiers" did not care to -kill the children themselves, they handed knives to a number of -surrounding children, who hacked the little ones to death. - - [Illustration] - -This is a lurid story, but the sequel shows that even in China danger -lurks in too ferocious exercise of despotic power, however well -intended. The magistrate was unceasing in his efforts to cope with the -famine, with the added troubles of a rebellion, in fighting which the -advantage was not always with his troops. Rice was being poured into -the famine districts by committees established in Hong Kong and -Canton, and every assistance that could be given was afforded to them -by the magistrate, who was an educated gentleman and apparently full -of pity for the famishing people. His unvarying civility to the -working members of the Hong Kong committee who were engaged in the -distribution was at the close of their proceedings duly and gratefully -acknowledged; but the warm thanks of the committee never reached him. -A new viceroy had been appointed to Canton, who, on proceeding to the -famine district to make personal inquiry, found that the magistrate -had not been just, but had executed as criminals innocent people, -among them being a secret agent sent up by the viceroy in advance to -inquire into the real state of affairs. On finding this he degraded -the magistrate, who thereupon committed suicide. When one reads of the -reckless ferocity with which life was taken it is astonishing that he -was not put an end to by poison long before the interference of the -viceroy; for poisoning is not unknown, the plant named in China -muk-tong being used. It is inodorous and tasteless, but if boiled in -water used for tea it is almost certain death. - - [Illustration] - -The life of the coast cities where East meets West is full of -interest. Every treaty port has its foreign concession, where the -consuls reign supreme, and a Western system of police and municipal -arrangements is adopted. Tientsin, Shanghai, Ningpo, Fuchow, Amoy, and -Canton, as well as the Yangtze ports, all have on their borders large -areas over which the Chinese Government has abandoned its territorial -rights, and all offences or disputes are dealt with in European -magistrates' or consular courts with the exception of Shanghai, where -for certain offences the cases are tried in a mixed court, under the -jurisdiction of a Chinese and a European magistrate. The sudden -contrast from the foreign concession at Shanghai to the Chinese city -is most striking; on the one side a splendid bund along the river -bank, well kept public gardens, an excellent police force (mounted and -foot), broad streets in which are fine shops displaying the newest -European patterns, well appointed gharries standing on their appointed -ranks for hire at moderate fares, and for the poorer Chinese the -ubiquitous Chinese wheelbarrow--mentioned by Milton--that is palpably -the one-wheeled progenitor of the Irish jaunting-car. The axle of the -barrow is in the centre, the large wheel working in a high well on -either side of which are two seats. There is no weight on the handles -when the legs are lifted; the barrow coolie has therefore only to -preserve the balance and push. These barrows are used everywhere in -the Yangtze region, and are suitable for carrying heavy loads over -interior tracks too narrow for two wheels. In Shanghai they are not -alone used for transport of heavy burdens, but form the usual means of -locomotion for the Chinese of the labouring class who prefer the -luxury of driving to walking. In the morning, as in the evening, when -going to work or coming from it, as many as six people may be seen -sitting three a side and being pushed along by one coolie with -apparent ease, or now and again one or two men on one side are -balanced by a large pig tied on the other. - - [Illustration] - -Along the river front, where the bund is prolonged into Chinese -territory, the Western influence is seen in the police arrangements, -Chinese police, or "lukongs," being similarly attired as their Chinese -brethren in the "Settlements." But inside the walls the scene changes, -and the Chinese city is found, simple but not pure, as Shanghai city -is among the very dirtiest in all China. Yet it has its picturesque -and somewhat imposing spots near the great temples. Outside the city -bounds is the usual burial-place, on the border of the flat plain that -surrounds Shanghai. Here the custom is to deposit the coffins on the -ground, the tombs being sometimes built of brick, or the coffin being -covered with thatch, while in some cases the coffins are simply left -upon the ground without any covering. It must be explained that the -Chinese coffin is a peculiarly solid case, built in a peculiar manner -with very thick slabs of wood In every direction are peach orchards, -which when in blossom present as beautiful a sight as the famed cherry -blossom of Japan. All around the plain is intersected with deep -drains, the muddy bottoms of which the sporting members of the -Shanghai Hunt Club now and again make involuntary acquaintance. The -position of Shanghai, situated as it is near the mouth of the Yangtze, -marks it out as the future emporium of the commerce of Central China, -through which must ebb and flow the ever-growing trade of nine of the -eighteen provinces of the Middle Kingdom. The social intercourse -between the foreign and the Chinese communities is very restricted, a -restriction that cannot be laid entirely at the door of either side; -but until the division becomes less clearly and sharply marked there -can be no well grounded prospect of such community of feeling as will -make trade relations comfortable, when the now blinking eyes of the -sleeping giant have fully opened and he realizes his strength and -power to command attention to his demand for reciprocal rights among -the great nations of the earth. - - [Illustration] - -To a foreigner the most impressive city in China is Canton, with its -teeming population and intense activity. The foreign settlement of -Shameen lies along the bank of the Pearl River, and on the land side -is surrounded by a canal, the only entrance to the settlement being -over two carefully guarded bridges. Here everything is purely -Western--Western architecture, Western lawns, Western games; the flags -of all the foreign nations fly over their respective consulates; and -but for the Chinese domestics that one sees here and there, one might, -if he turned his gaze from the river, with its maze of junks and boats -of every kind, forget that he was not walking in the wealthy -residential suburb of a European town. But once over the bridge and -past the solid rows of stores--once the godowns of the European -hongs--every trace of European influence is gone, and we enter through -the city walls into a scene such as has existed in Chinese cities for -centuries. The streets vary in width from six to ten feet, and are all -flagged with granite slabs, and in these narrow streets is a dense -mass of blue-robed Chinese, all intent upon business except when a -foreigner enters into a shop to make a purchase, which always attracts -a curious and observing crowd. Narrow as are the streets, the effect -is still more contracted by the hanging sign-boards, painted in -brilliant colours and sometimes gilt letters, that hang outside each -shop. These sign-boards are sometimes ten to twelve feet long, and -each trade has its own particular colouring and shape. The effect -of the sign-boards, the colour of the open shops, and the gay lanterns -that hang at almost every door, is very fine, and gives an idea of -wealth and artistic sentiment. Every shop removes its shutters in the -morning, and as there are usually no windows, the effect is that of -moving through an immense bazaar, in which every known trade is being -carried on, while the wares are being sold at an adjoining counter. In -one shop will be found the most expensive silks and other stuffs, or -rather in a row of shops, for each particular business affects certain -parts of the street. Thus at one end may be a succession of shops with -the most delicate and beautiful commodities, while the continuation is -devoted to butchers' stalls, or fishmongers', the sudden transition -being proclaimed to every sense, and outraging our feeling of the -fitness of things. In the shops will be seen men at work upon the -beautiful fans for which Canton is famed; in another the shoemaker or -the hatter ply their more homely trade. Tailors, stocking-makers, -carpenters, blacksmiths, all are diligently at work, while here and -there, poring carefully over a piece of jewellery or brass or silver -work, may be seen the feather-worker attaching the delicate patterns -made with the brilliant feathers of the kingfisher, the work being so -minute that young men and boys only can do it, and so trying that -their eyesight can only stand it for about two years. At the corners -of the streets are seen tea-houses, the entire front being elaborately -carved from ground to roof and glittering with brilliant gilding. -Ivory-cutters carry on their trade, and jade and porcelain are -displayed. A great feature in many of the streets is the bird shops, -filled with singing birds or birds of brilliant plumage, of which the -Chinese are very fond, wealthy Chinese gentlemen giving sometimes -large sums for ivory cages for their favourites. In places the streets -are covered for short distances. These gay shops are not usually found -in the side streets, where the rougher trades--the butcher, the -fishmonger, and the greengrocer--predominate. In these particular -streets the smells are to European sense simply abominable, but -appreciation or otherwise of smells is possibly a racial as well as an -individual peculiarity. Among us musk is the delight of some and the -horror of others. - - [Illustration: A CHINESE GIRL.] - - [Illustration] - -Although too narrow for wheeled traffic, the noise of the streets is -considerable, as coolies, carrying great baskets of goods or perhaps -vegetables, shout panting warnings to the crowd, and all must make way -for the laden coolie. Now and again a mandarin rides past, attended by -his servants, or is carried in his official chair, when everybody -makes way for him with the most surprising alacrity. It is easy to -see that the people recognize the all but despotic power that always -notes the officials of a practically democratic community. The general -idea that strikes a stranger when going for the first time through -these narrow streets with their dense crowds is one of awe, feeling as -if enmeshed in the labyrinths of a human ant-hill, from which there -could be no hope of escape if the crowd made any hostile movement. But -the interests of Canton are not exhausted in her crowded streets, with -the marvellous absence of any jostling--the chair coolies never -touching anybody with their chairs, even though they fill up half the -width of the streets--for there are the various temples that have been -described _ad nauseam_; the water clock that has been going for over -six centuries; the mint, where the Government produces from time to -time coins of not always clearly determined fineness; and the City of -the Dead, where for a moderate payment an apartment may be engaged, in -which a deceased member of a family can be accommodated until such -time as the geomancer can find an auspicious position for the grave. -Some of these apartments, which are all kept admirably clean, have -tables on which are left the pipe of the inmate, while paper figures -stand by to hand him, if necessary, the spiritual aroma of his -favourite food when alive. - - [Illustration] - -The guild-houses of Canton are well built and richly ornamented -structures. These guild-houses are the club-houses of various -provinces, or the local club of the members of different trades. Even -the beggars have their guild in Canton, where strange members of that -ancient and honourable profession may obtain accommodation, and -permission to ply their occupation as mendicants on payment of a fee. -Every beggar so licensed carries a badge, bearing which he has the -right to enter a shop and demand alms. Among the procession of -mandarins with their brilliant entourage who assembled to meet Liu Kun -Yi, the viceroy at Nanking, on his return from Peking, in 1900, was -the mandarin head of the beggars. He was arrayed in the correct and -rich robes of his rank, and had his place in the procession exactly as -the other mandarins, who were each surrounded or followed by their -staff and their troops. The mandarin of the beggars' guild was carried -in his official chair, and around him and following him was the most -extraordinary and motley crowd of beggars, all in their workaday rags -and tatters. Had they but arms of any sort they might have given -points to Falstaff's ragged regiment. Every shopkeeper is visited at -least once daily by a member of the fraternity, and whether by law or -by custom he must contribute some small amount. The system is possibly -a form of outdoor relief, and if one but knew its inner working it -would probably be found to be a fairly satisfactory solution of a -difficulty that is exercising the wits of anxious social investigators -in England. - -If the shopkeeper refuses to submit to the customary demand he may -find a beggar, afflicted with some loathsome disease, seated at the -door of his shop, where he will remain until the honour of the guild -has been satisfied by a suitable donation, for there will be no stern -policeman to order the persistent beggar to move on. One of the most -painful sights that I have ever seen was a collection of lepers who -had been allowed to take possession of a small dry patch in the middle -of a deep swamp in the new territory of Kowloon. The only entrance was -by a narrow path roughly raised over the swamp level. Here they had -constructed huts from pieces of boxes, through which the rain entered -freely. Each morning the miserable creatures dragged themselves to the -neighbouring villages, the inhabitants of which charitably placed rice -for them before their doors. I have never seen a more miserable -collection of human beings. I had proper huts erected for them on -neighbouring high ground, where at least they were free from the -danger of being flooded out, and had shelter from rain and wind. There -is a regular leper hospital in Canton. - - [Illustration] - -It must not be assumed that Canton is entirely a town of retail -shops, for there are many important factories there, some of the -houses of business covering large areas, where hundreds of men are -employed in the various manufactures. Crowded as is the business part -of the city, one wonders that it is not devastated by fire; but over -every shop vessels of water are kept upon the roof, ready for instant -service. The value of land is very great, the average value being -fourteen dollars a square foot, which is roughly about sixty thousand -pounds per acre. But the narrow streets of Canton can be very imposing -when a high foreign official is paying a visit of ceremony to the -viceroy. On one side of the street is a continuous line of -soldiers--the streets are too narrow for a double line--each company -with its banner, while the other side is occupied by a dense crowd -that fills the shops and stands silently to see the procession of -official chairs go by. The streets are not alone swept, but carefully -washed, so that they are perfectly clean. At each ward-gate is -stationed half a dozen men with long trumpets, like those upon which -Fra Angelico's angels blew their notes of praise, and from these -trumpets two long notes are sounded--one high, the other low. In the -courtyard of the viceroy's yamen is stationed a special guard of about -one hundred and fifty men, richly dressed and carrying such arms as -one sees in very old Chinese pictures--great curved blades on long -poles, tridents, etc.--while thirty or forty men stand with banners -of purple, yellow, blue, or red silk, each some twelve feet square, -mounted on poles at least twenty feet long. The effect is singularly -picturesque. The viceroy's yamen is situated more than a mile from the -river, so that a large number of troops are required to line the -streets. The yamen is surrounded by an extensive park, in which is -some good timber. Another fine park surrounds the building once -occupied by the British Consul, but now used by the cadets of the -Straits Settlements and Hong Kong, who on appointment to the Colonies -are sent for two years to Canton, there to study Chinese. - - [Illustration] - -However busy the high official in China may be, his daily life is -passed in quiet, if not in peace. With him there are no distracting -sounds of street traffic, no hoot of motor-cars, no roar and rumble of -motor-omnibuses, no earthquake tremors from heavy cart traffic. The -streets are too narrow for this, and the yamen and the office are -separated from any possible interference with business by street -noises. The business of the yamen is, however, rarely done in -solitude, for the yamen "runners," as the crowd of lictors and -messengers are called, overrun the entire place, and the most -important conversations are carried on in the presence of pipe-bearers -and other personal attendants, to say nothing of curious outsiders, -that almost precludes the possibility of inviolable secrecy. It is -possible that where foreigners are not mixed up in the matter there -may not be so many anxious listeners, but there are few things about a -yamen that are not known by those whose interest it is to know them. - -The official proceeds with his work upon lines that have been deeply -grooved by custom, and however energetic he may be, he is careful not -to make violent changes, nor will he hastily leave the beaten track. -As a rule, no community becomes violently agitated by inaction on the -part of a government or of an official, however much it may be -deprecated. In China the only fear in such a case would be from the -action of the censors, who are appointed in various parts of the -empire, and who have proved by their denunciation of even the highest -officials for sins of omission, as well as commission, that China -possesses among her officials men whose fearlessness and independence -are equal to that of men of other races, whose honoured names have -come down to us in song and story. - - [Illustration: JUNKS AT EVENTIDE.] - - [Illustration] - -The rigid etiquette of China preserves a dignity in the conduct of all -public business, and it is against the first principles of an educated -Chinaman to use rough or harsh terms that would be considered vulgar. -The written language is so capable of different interpretations that -in treaties with China, which are generally written in three -languages--Chinese, French or English--and the language of the -contracting countries, it is always stipulated that in construing the -terms of the treaty one of the two languages, not the Chinese, is to -be taken as interpreting its true meaning. This does not necessarily -infer dishonest intentions on the part of the Chinese; but the fact is -that as each one of the many thousands of Chinese characters may mean -more than one thing, the real meaning has sometimes to be inferred -from the context, so that there are peculiar difficulties attending -the close and accurate interpretation of a treaty or dispatch. It is -popularly supposed that Sir Robert Hart and Sir J. McLeavy Brown are -the only foreigners who have complete mastery of the art of writing -Chinese so as to ensure the accurate expression of the meaning to be -conveyed. The yamen of a high official, with his residence, covers a -large area, as no house is built more than one story high. Such a -building might by its dominating height interfere disastrously with -the _fung sui_ of even a city, and is always bitterly resented. The -steeples of churches have something to answer for in this way in -keeping alive the spirit of antagonism fostered by the daily -maledictions of the Chinese, who bear patiently with submission rather -than acquiescence the presence of a dominant foreign influence that, -if they have any living superstition on the subject, must convey to -them an impression of evil. The yamen usually consists of a series of -courtyards, off which are built the apartments for the numerous staff -as well as the private apartments of the family, and in one of these, -when the business of the day is concluded, the official receives the -visits of his friends and smokes the calumet of peace, or plays one of -those complicated games of Chinese chess to whose intricate rules and -moves our game of chess is simplicity itself. Sometimes after his work -he indulges in his pipe of opium, after the manner of our own -three-bottle men of the last century. The late Liu Kun Yi, the able -Viceroy of Nanking, who with Chang Chi Tung, his neighbouring viceroy, -kept the Yangtze provinces quiet through the Boxer troubles was a -confirmed opium-smoker. But one thing he never does--he never hurries. -Haste is to him undignified, and he eschews it. In his official -dealings he will adopt methods that would not pass muster in our -courts; but from the Emperor to the coolie those methods are -understood and accepted. Much might be written on the ethics of what -we call official corruption; but let the facts be what they may, the -people understand the system, the Government understand it, and there -is no popular demonstration against it. Nor must we forget that -official "irregularity" is not unknown outside China. - -The social side of the life of a Chinese mandarin is not confined to -his own yamen. He is fond of visiting his friends and engaging in -intellectual conversation over a friendly cup of tea--and such tea! We -have no idea in Europe of the exquisite delicacy of the best Chinese -tea as prepared by a Chinese host. The tea is made by himself, the -leaves being only allowed to remain in the freshly boiled water for -four or five minutes. It is then poured into cups of delicate -porcelain, about the size of a liqueur glass, and sipped without the -addition of milk or sugar. After the tea has been drunk, the aroma of -the cup is enjoyed. The perfume is delicious. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - [Illustration] - - -The houses of the wealthy inhabitants are on the east side of the -city, and are separated from the streets by high walls. On entering -the grounds, the visitor passes through several courtyards and -reception halls, supported on beautifully carved granite pillars, a -wealthy Chinese gentleman sparing no expense in the lavish and -tasteful decoration of his home. From the courtyards one enters the -gardens, in which there is invariably a pond in which water-flowers-- -lilies, lotus, etc.--are grown, and in which there are shoals of -goldfish. A rockery is generally added, with quaintly contrived -approaches and caverns, and a bridge over the pond leads now and again -to a small island on which a decorated tea-house has been erected. The -bridge is always angular, like those that are seen on the old blue -china plates. In one large house, from which the owner was absent, -were some specimens of hammered iron-work that were the very -perfection of artistic workmanship. They were blades of grass, reeds, -and flowers, each specimen being placed in a window between two panes -of glass. These specimens of iron-work were made about four hundred -and fifty years ago by an artist whose name is still held in honour. -Large sums have been offered for them, but the fortunate owner holds -them more precious than gold. - -A great feature of Canton is its flower-boats, of which many hundreds -are moored together, and form regular streets. These boats are all -restaurants, and here the wealthy young Chinamen entertain each other -at their sumptuous feasts. The giver of the entertainment always -engages four or five young women for each guest, who sit behind the -gentlemen and assist in their entertainment. As the feast is a long -function, consisting of many courses, it is not necessary for the -guests to be present during the entire function. Sometimes a guest -will put in an appearance for one or two courses. Music is played and -songs are sung, and possibly there may be ramifications of the -entertainment into which one does not pry too closely; but again there -are regulated customs in China openly acknowledged and less harmful -than the ignored but no less existing canker that has eaten into the -heart of Western civilization. - -The wives and daughters of officials are in small towns at a certain -disadvantage, for etiquette demands that they shall confine their -visits to their social equals, who are not many. In large cities they -have the ladies of the wealthy merchants to visit, and they are by no -means devoid of subjects of conversation. They take a keen interest in -public affairs, and exercise no small an amount of influence upon -current topics. Many of the Chinese ladies are well educated, and have -no hesitation in declaring their views on matters connected with their -well-being. A very short time ago there was in Canton a public meeting -of women to protest against an unpopular measure. One result of -missionary effort in China has been the education of a large number of -Chinese women of different classes in English, which many Chinese -ladies speak fluently. When Kang Yu Wei, the Chinese reformer, was in -Hong Kong, having taken refuge there after his flight from Peking, his -daughter was a young Chinese lady who spoke only her own language. Two -years later, during which time the family had resided in the Straits -Settlements, this lady passed through Hong Kong, speaking English -fluently. She was on her way to the United States to pursue her -studies. - -The movement for reform that has begun to agitate China is by no -means confined to the men. In 1900 a women's conference met in -Shanghai, under the presidency of Lady Blake, to consider the question -of the home life of the women of China. The conference sat for four -days, during which papers were read by both European and Chinese -ladies on various social questions and customs affecting all classes -of the women of China. The conference covered a wide range of -subjects:--Treatment of Children; Daughters-in-law; Betrothal of Young -Children and Infants; Girl Slavery in China; Foot-binding; Marriage -Customs; Funeral Customs; Social Customs; and its proceedings contain -valuable accounts at first hand of the conditions and customs of women -from every part of the Middle Kingdom. The following remarks were made -by the president at the conclusion of the conference. - - [Illustration] - - [Illustration: A TYPICAL STREET SCENE.] - -"We have now concluded the consideration of the subjects that were -selected for discussion at this conference on the 'Home Life of -Chinese Women.' We have all, I am sure, been keenly interested in the -excellent papers and addresses with which we have been favoured, -containing so much information from all parts of this vast empire that -must have been new to many of us. I regret to find that the lot of -Chinese women, especially of the lower classes, appears on closer -observation even less agreeable than I had thought. The hard fate of -so many of the slave-girls, for example, must excite the pity and -sympathy of all men and women not altogether selfishly insensible to -human sufferings from which they are exempt. But while we have been -gazing on a good deal of the darker side of the lives of the women and -girls of China, we must not forget that shadows cannot exist without -light, so there must be a bright side in life for many Chinese women, -and some of the papers read have shown us that no small number of -Chinese ladies, independently of European influences, extend -noble-minded and practical charity to those amongst their humbler -neighbours who may stand in need of such assistance. Possibly some of -us may be too apt to judge the better classes of the Chinese by the -standards of the lower orders, with whom as a general rule Europeans -are chiefly thrown. How would the denizens of our ancient cathedral -closes, or the occupants of our manor-houses at home, like foreigners -to judge of them by the standard of the inhabitants of the lower -stratum of our society and the waifs and strays, who too often in -other lands bring the reverse of credit to their country? I cannot -help hoping, likewise, that as habit becomes second nature--and that -to which we are accustomed seems less dreadful, even when -intrinsically as bad--so some things that to us would make -existence a purgatory may not be quite so terrible to the women of -China as they appear to us. I would fain hope that even in such a -matter as foot-binding there may be some alleviation to the sufferings -of those who practise it, in the pride that is said to feel no pain. -Of the deleterious effects of the practice--physically and -mentally--there can be no doubt, and it is most satisfactory to find -that the spark of resistance to the fashion of foot-binding has been -kindled in many parts of China. As new ideas permeate the empire, I -have no doubt the women of China will not be greater slaves to -undesirable fashions or customs than are the women of other lands. The -greater number of the ills and discomforts of Chinese women, I cannot -help thinking, must be eradicated by the people of China themselves; -all that outsiders can do is to place the means of doing so within -their reach. As year by year the number increases of cultivated and -enlightened Chinese ladies, trained in Western science and modes of -thought, while retaining their own distinctive characteristics, so -will each of them prove a stronger centre from which rays of good -influence will reach out to their country-women. I was once given a -flower that had rather a remarkable history. I was told that somewhere -in Greece a mine had been found that was supposed to have been worked -by the ancient Greeks. Its site was marked by great heaps of rocks and -refuse. The Greeks of old, great as was their genius, which in some -ways exceeded that of modern days, were not acquainted with a great -deal that science has revealed to us, and in examining these heaps of -stones and rubbish flung out of the mine in days of old, it was found -that most of it contained ore, the presence of which had never before -been suspected, but which was sufficient in amount to make it worth -while submitting the refuse to a process that would extract the latent -wealth. So the great heaps of stone were removed, for smelting or some -such process, and when they were taken away, from the ground beneath -them sprang up plants, which in due time were covered with beautiful -small yellow poppies of a kind not previously known to gardeners. It -is supposed that the seed of the flowers must have lain hidden in the -earth for centuries. May it not be like this with China? In her bosom -have long lain dormant the seeds of what we call progress, which have -been kept from germinating by the superincumbent weight of ideas, -which, while they may contain in themselves some ore worth extracting, -must be refined in order to be preserved, and must be uplifted in -order to enable the flowers of truth, purity, and happiness to -flourish in the land. Two of the heaviest rubbish heaps that crush -down the blossom progress are ignorance and prejudice. I trust that -the conference just held may prove of use in removing them." - - [Illustration] - -Whatever may be thought of the relative prudence of choosing one's own -wife, or having the young lady provided by family diplomacy, as is the -Eastern custom, there is no doubt that Chinese women make affectionate -wives and mothers. A forlorn woman at Macao, day after day wailing -along the shore of the cruel sea that had taken her fisher-husband, -waving his coat over the sea, burning incense, and calling upon him -unceasingly to return to her, was a mournful sight; and I have seen -distracted women passing the clothes of their sick children to and fro -over a brisk fire by a running stream, and calling upon the gods they -worshipped to circumvent the demons to whose evil action all sickness -is attributed. Indeed, the loss of the husband himself would, in the -average Chinese opinion, be better for the family than the loss of an -only son, as without a male descendant the ancestral worship, on which -so much depends for the comfort of the departed members, cannot be -carried out in proper form. That the terrors of superstition enter -largely into the Chinese mind is clearly shown, but there is also -present the saving grace of faith in the possibility of assuaging -whatever may be considered the discomforts of the after life, and -Chinese are particular in ministering to the wants of the departed. I -have seen in Hong Kong two women gravely carrying a small house, -tables, chairs, and a horse, all made of tissue paper and light -bamboo, to a vacant place where they were reverently burnt, no doubt -for the use of a departed husband. This is the same faith that raised -the mounds over the Scandinavian heroes, who with their boats or -war-horses and their arms were buried beneath them. - -When a child is born, a boat made similarly of tissue paper and fixed -on a small bundle of straw is launched upon the tide. If it floats -away, all will be well; if flung back upon the shore, there is gloom -in the house, for Fortune is frowning. Or, when members of the family -are lost at sea, similar boats with small figures seated in them, and -with squares of gold and silver paper representing money placed at -their feet, are sent adrift. Such boats are constantly to be seen -floating in the harbour of Hong Kong, each one a sad emblem of -poignant sorrow, with that desperate anxiety of those bereft to reach -behind the veil that lies in the sub-conscious mind of all humanity. - - [Illustration] - -This is the mournful aspect of Chinese life, especially among the -poorer classes. But Chinese ladies, though they take their pleasures -in a different manner, are no less actively engaged in the amenities -of social intercourse than are their Western sisters. Violent -physical exercise does not appeal to them--our compelling muscularity -is a hidden mystery to all Eastern people--but visiting among -themselves is constant, and the preparation for a visit, the powdering -and painting, the hair-dressing, and the careful selection of -embroidered costumes, is as absorbing a business as was the -preparation of the belles of the court of _Le Roi Soleil_. To the -European man the fashion of a Chinese lady's dress seems unchanging--a -beautifully embroidered loose jacket, with long pleated skirt and wide -trousers, in strong crimson or yellow, or in delicate shades of all -colours--but Western women probably know better, as doubtless do the -Chinese husbands and fathers, who are usually most generous to the -ladies of the family. The general shape is unchanging, for in China it -is considered indelicate for a woman to display her figure; but the -Chinese milliner is as careful to change the fashion of the embroidery -at short intervals as is the French _modiste_ to change the form of -the robe. Therefore there are always to be procured in the great towns -beautiful embroidered costumes in excellent order that have been -discarded at the command of tyrant fashion as are the dresses of the -fashion-driven ladies of the West. - - [Illustration] - -The etiquette of the preliminaries of a visit is as rigid as is the -etiquette of all social intercourse in China; the scarlet visiting -card, three or four inches wide and sometimes a foot long--its -dimensions being proportioned to the social position of the -visitor--being first sent in, and returned with an invitation to -enter, while the hostess dons her best attire and meets the visitor at -the first, second, or third doorway, according to the rank of the -latter, and the elaborate ceremonial on entering the room. These -accomplished, the conversation follows the lines that conversation -takes where ladies meet ladies all the world over. The friendly pipe -is not excluded, and probably books, children, cooks, social -incidents, and possibly local politics, form the media of -conversation. The social customs of China do not afford much -opportunity for scandal; but who can say? Cupid even in China is as -ingenious as he is mischievous. Games, too, are indulged in, the -Chinese card games being as mysteriously intricate as is their chess. - -Should the guest bring her children, the little ones all receive -presents, these delicate attentions being never neglected; indeed, the -giving of presents at the New Year and other annual festivals is a -settled Chinese custom. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - [Illustration] - - -Though Hong Kong, when handed over to Great Britain in 1841, was a -practically uninhabited island, it has now a population of 377,000, of -which 360,000 are Chinese. The city of Victoria is situated round the -southern shore of the harbour, and is, next to London, the greatest -shipping port in the world. Behind the city steep hills rise to the -height of over 1,800 feet, their rugged sides scored by well -constructed roads and dotted over with handsome buildings, while a -cable tramway leads to the Peak (1,200 feet high), where fine houses -and terraces afford in summer accommodation for the European -residents, who find in its cool heights relief from the oppressive -temperature of the sea level. It is hard to say whether Hong Kong is -more beautiful from the harbour or from the Peak. From the one is seen -the city crowded round the shore behind the broad praya or sea front, -and sweeping up the precipitous sides of the hills--spreading as it -climbs from street to terrace, from terrace to villa, up to the very -Peak--terrace and villa nestled in the everlasting verdure of the -luxuriant tropics, varied by blazes of colour from tree, shrub, and -climber, the blue masses of hydrangea at the Peak vying with the -brilliant masses of purple bougainvillia, or yellow alamanda of the -lower levels, the whole bathed in such sunshine as is rarely seen in -temperate regions, while above the blue sky is flecked with light -fleecy clouds. Away to the eastward is the happy valley, a flat oval, -around which the hill-sides are devoted to a series of the most -beautifully kept cemeteries in the world. Here Christian and -Mohammedan, Eastern and Western, rest from their labours, while below -them, in the oval valley, every sport and game of England is in full -swing. - -From the Peak we look down upon the city and the harbour, and our gaze -sweeps onward over the flat peninsula of Kowloon to the bare and -rugged hills that sweep from east to west. But the interest centres in -the magnificent harbour, on whose blue bosom rest the great steamers -of every nation trading with the Far East, round whose hulls are -flitting the three hundred and fifty launches of which the harbour -boasts, whose movements at full speed in a crowded harbour bear -witness to the splendid nerve of their Chinese coxswains. Out in the -harbour, towards Stonecutter's Island, the tall masts of trim -American schooners may be seen, the master--probably part owner--with -sometimes his wife on board, and with accommodation aft that the -captains of our largest liners might envy, while the thousands of -Chinese boats of all descriptions look like swarms of flies moving -over the laughing waters of the bay. The hum of the city is inaudible, -and even the rasp of the derricks that feed the holds of the -steamships or empty them of their cargoes comes up with a softened -sound, telling its tale of commercial activity. - - [Illustration: A STREET STALL.] - -At night the scene is still more enchanting, for spread out beneath -are gleaming and dancing the thousands of lights afloat and ashore. -The outlines of the bay are marked by sweeping curves of light, and -the myriad stars that seem to shine more brightly than elsewhere are -mirrored in the dark waters, mingling with the thousands of lights -from the boats and shipping. - -This is normal Hong Kong, and in the warm season, for in winter it is -cold enough to demand the glow of the fire and the cheerful warmth of -furs. But the beautiful harbour lashed to wild fury by the dreaded -typhoon is a different sight. All may look well to the uninitiated, -who wonders to see groups of sampans and lighters, sometimes twenty or -more, being towed by single launches to Causeway Bay, the boat harbour -of refuge; but the gathering clouds in the south-east, the strong -puffy gusts of wind, and the rapidly falling barometer with the -characteristic pumping action, warn the watchful meteorological staff -that the time has come to hoist the warning signal, while in addition -the south-easterly heave of the sea gives notice to the careful -sea-captain that he had better not be caught in narrow waters except -with both anchors down and a full head of steam ready. - -With a blackening sky, increasing wind, and troubled sea there is no -longer room for doubt, and active preparations are made ashore and -afloat. While cables are lengthened, top hamper made snug, and steam -got up on sea, all windows are carefully fastened with hurricane bars -on shore, for should a window be blown in when the typhoon is at its -height there is no knowing how far the destruction may extend, the -walls being sometimes blown out and the contents of the house -scattered over the hill-side. I have seen such a typhoon that reached -its maximum in the early morning. The whole harbour was foaming with a -devil's dance of wild waters, hidden by a thick blanket of spray, -through which from time to time great waves were dimly seen dashing -over the high wharf premises, or godowns, of Kowloon, while -minute-guns of distress boomed from out the wrack of sea and mist, -heard as dull thuds in the howling of the mighty typhoon, and calling -for help that none could give. By ten o'clock the typhoon had swept -on to the north, leaving scores of ships and junks sunk in the -harbour, a mile of sampans smashed to pieces at the Kowloon wharves, -and hundreds of victims beneath the now moderating seas, while the -harbour was filled with floating bales of merchandise. - - [Illustration] - -The incident was the means of demonstrating the organizing capacity of -the Chinese. As soon as the sea had moderated sufficiently to allow a -launch to live, I sent for a Chinese gentleman and suggested that -something should be done to relieve the sufferers and rescue those who -still required assistance, and found that already the guild had sent -out two powerful launches, one with coffins for the drowned, the -other, with a doctor on board, equipped with the necessary means of -succour for the injured, and food for those who had lost their all. -Steaming along the Kowloon shore an hour afterwards, where the -wreckage of boats was heaving and falling in a mass of destruction -twenty to thirty feet wide along the sea wall, there was no sign, as -might have been expected, of stunned despair; but the crowd of -boat-people, men and women, who had escaped with their lives were -working with a will and as busy as bees, each endeavouring to save -something from the smashed wreckage of what had been their home, the -men jumping from one heaving mass to another, diving betimes and -struggling with the adverse buffets of fate with an energy none the -less for their stoical acceptance of the inevitable. - -Although Hong Kong is a British possession it is essentially a Chinese -city. British supervision has seen to it that the streets are wide and -all the houses well and solidly built, save a few remaining houses of -the era preceding the creation of a sanitary board, and cleanliness of -house and surroundings is secured by careful and unremitting -inspection. The shops are a mixture of European architecture and -Chinese decoration, which runs into rich and elaborate carving and -gilding. Outside are hung the same pendant signs that give such colour -to the streets of Canton. Blue is the predominant colour worn by all -Chinese, save the sweating coolies who toil along the quays of the -great port, and the blue crowd that fills the busy streets harmonizes -with the surrounding colours. The splendid buildings in what are -called the principal streets, where banks, hotels, and counting-houses -of the important European firms are situated, with the shops that -cater more especially for the wants of foreign residents and tourists, -differ but little from the architecture of a European city, while the -shops contain all that purchasers can require of European wares, or -Chinese and Japanese products wherewith to tempt the inquiring -tourist. But the wealthiest part of the city is in the Chinese -quarter, and here property has changed hands at startling figures, -sometimes at a rate equal to one hundred and sixty thousand pounds an -acre. Here the shops are purely Chinese, and every trade may be seen -in operation, while the doctor puts up a sign that he cures broken -legs, or the dentist displays a small board, from which hang five or -six long strings of molars of portentous size showing every phase of -dental decay. Everywhere is seen a teeming population instinct with -ceaseless activity. Rickshaws rush past, these most convenient little -carriages for hire having one coolie in the shafts, while private -rickshaws have one or two in addition pushing behind; or the more -sedate chair swings by, borne by two or four coolies, the men in front -and rear stepping off with different feet so as to prevent the -swinging of the chair. The shops in this quarter have abandoned the -glass front and are open, save when at night they are closed by planks -set up and fastened with a bar behind the last two. The shop is then -secure from any attempt to break in from the outside; but cases are on -record where armed robbers have slipped in at the last moment and, -closing the plank which secured them from observation, produced -revolvers and walked off with the contents of the till, leaving the -terrified owner and his assistants bound and gagged while they made -their escape. - - [Illustration] - -The early life of the city is an interesting study. At five o'clock -the people are astir. The working men apparently take their morning -meal in the streets, where tables are erected on which are large -vessels of rice, and of boiling congee (a mixture of rice flour and -water), piles of vegetables of various sorts chopped fine, dishes of -scraps of meat, including the uncooked entrails of fowls, pieces of -fish, and relishes of soy and other sauces. The hungry customer is -handed a bowl half full of rice, on which is placed small portions of -the various vegetables and a piece of meat, or some scraps of -entrails, over all is poured a ladle full of the boiling congee, and -the repast is ready. With his chopsticks the customer, holding the -bowl to his wide open mouth, shovels in nearly as much rice as it will -hold, then picking from the bowl pieces of the luscious morsels with -which it is garnished, he lays them on the yet untouched rice, when he -closes his mouth and proceeds with the process of mastication and -deglutition. Each mouthful is a course, and the same process is -repeated until the morning meal is complete. Hard by may be seen a -purveyor of whelks, which are a favourite food, especially with boys, -who have all the excitement of gambling in satisfying their hunger. -The whelks are in a basket, to the handle of which a dozen pieces of -wire with crooked ends are attached by long cords. A small boy appears -and lays a cash upon the stall, at the same time drawing from a deep -bamboo joint a bamboo slip, one of the many in the pot. At the end of -the slip is a number, or a blank, and the hungry lover of chance may -find the result of his first venture a blank, or he may be fortunate -enough to draw a prize with a number, which represents the number of -whelks that he is to receive. These he deftly picks out with one of -the crooked wires. They must, of course, be consumed "on the -premises," for the cautious caterer takes no chances by permitting the -wire to be detached from the cord. Boys are active and unscrupulous, -and crooked wires cost money. Balls of rice flour, fried in lard, are -another favourite food of the streets, and sweetmeats of appalling -stickiness and questionable preparation are always to be found in -Chinese quarters. The morning crowd is always good-humoured, chaffing -and laughing with a heartiness that explodes the European idea of -Chinese stolidity and want of expression. - - [Illustration] - -The Chinese workman eats but twice a day. His morning meal is between -six and eight o'clock, and his afternoon meal is at four. - -By this time the boats have arrived from Kowloon with their loads of -vegetables, and the small hawkers are busily carrying them from house -to house for the consumption of Chinese households, while the outlying -greengrocers are being supplied with their daily stock, in the setting -out of which great care is exercised, the Chinese greengrocer having -an artistic eye for effect. No small shop does a more flourishing -business than the druggist's and herbalist's, the Chinese having faith -in the use of "simples," though remedies including the calcined teeth -of tigers and vertebrae of serpents are not without their moral effect, -and the mystery of a pill three-quarters of an inch in diameter has -yet to be fathomed. At the Chinese New Year, tied up over every door -will be seen a small bundle of vegetables, consisting of five plants: -the _Acorus calamus_, representing a sword, and the _Euphorbia_, a -fighting-iron, to ward off evil spirits; the onion, to guard against -the spirit of malaria; the _Artemisia vulgaris_ and the _Davallia -tennifolia_. This charm is as efficacious as the house leek that, in -the imaginative pre-national school days, was carefully planted on the -roof of Irish cottages as a sure preservative against fire. - - [Illustration: ON A BACKWATER.] - -But the busiest man in the early morning is the barber, for the -Chinese workman does not shave his own head, and small crowds assemble -in each barber's shop, where tongues wag freely, and some read the -morning papers while awaiting their turn. However great the crowd, -there is no sign of hurry in the manipulation of the placid barber. -Not alone is the front of the head shaved, but the eyebrows and -eyelashes are attended to; then the ears are explored and cleaned with -minute care; and, lastly, the client is massaged and shampooed while -he sits bent forward, the hammering upon back and sides being by no -means gentle, and ending with a resounding smack with the hollowed -palm of the barber's hand. The constant manipulation of the ears is -supposed to be injurious as tending to produce deafness, but without -it the customer would not consider that he had value for his thirty -cash, the usual fee--about one-third of a cent. The end of the -operation is the plaiting of the long queue, which between the real -and the false hair freely used reaches nearly to the heels, and is -finished by a silk tassel plaited into the end. Sometimes a man may be -seen plaiting his own queue, which he does by taking it over the rung -of a ladder, and moving backwards so as to preserve the strain. - -Among the skilled workmen, the sawyer and the stonecutter are most in -evidence to the ordinary visitor, who is astonished to see a squared -log two feet in diameter being sawn by a single man. Having got the -log into position, one man with a frame-saw does the whole business. -He stands on top, and the work is extremely arduous; but an enormous -amount of timber is sawn in this way. The stonecutter has a lighter -job. The Chinese are very expert quarrymen, and cut out by iron or -wooden wedges great blocks of granite, the wedge-holes having been -prepared by iron chisel-headed bolts. Wooden wedges are then driven in -and wetted, the expansion of the wedge forcing out the block, which -requires but little squaring, so carefully is the cleavage effected. - -One generic difference between the physical formation of Western and -Eastern races is the facility with which the latter can sit upon their -heels. An Asiatic will sink down upon his heels with as much ease and -with as restful comfort as can a European upon a chair; and in -stonecutting the workman may be seen sitting upon the stone on which -he is working, sometimes seated on the edge while chiselling the -perpendicular side below him. In this position a row of workmen look -at a distance like a row of vultures sitting upon a ledge. - -The lowest form of labour in Hong Kong is the work of the coolies, who -carry coals and building materials to the Peak district; and here we -have a striking evidence of the patient industry and extraordinary -ingenuity with which the piece-work labourer secures the largest -possible amount of result from the day's labour. Up the steep -hill-side every brick or basket of sand and lime that has gone to -build the houses and barracks of the Peak district has been carried up -in the double baskets, suspended from the bamboo carrying-pole of a -working coolie, who is paid by the load. Now a heavy load, sometimes -weighing a hundredweight, carried up very steep roads for two miles or -so, means slow progress, with many rests. The coolie manages to reduce -the intervals of rest to the smallest compass. Placing two loads -together, he carries one for fifty yards and there deposits it, -returning for the second, which is carried up one hundred yards. -Dropping that, he--or she, for the matter of that, for the coolie -hill-carriers are sometimes women, not seldom old and feeble--returns -to the first load and carries the burden fifty yards beyond the -second, which is in turn taken up in the same way. There is no -standing idle or sitting down to rest, the only relief being that of -dropping the load and walking back down hill to take up the one left -behind. This system of overlapping saves all the time that otherwise -must be lost in resting, as no human being could carry up a load to -the Peak without frequent intervals of rest. - - [Illustration] - -After the day's work is ended the workman does not affect a tavern. He -dearly loves a game, or, more strictly speaking, a gamble; and while -all gambling-houses are put down with a strong hand, no conceivable -official ingenuity could circumvent the gambling propensities of a -people whose instruments of games of chance are not confined to cards -or dice. The number of seeds in a melon, or any other wager on -peculiarities of natural objects will do as well, and afford no -damning evidence should an officious member of the police force -appear. The game of chi-mooe is not confined to the working people, -but is a favourite game with all classes, and the shouts and laughter -that accompany it now and again bring complaints from the neighbours -whose rest is disturbed. The game is simple and is played by two. One -suddenly flings out his hand with one, two, or more fingers extended, -at the same moment the other must guess the number. Curling has been -called the roaring game, but no curler ever made a greater racket than -two excited chi-mooe players. One would imagine that the guessing of -the number of fingers extended must be a matter of pure chance, but a -Chinese gentleman assured me that in the flinging forward of the hand -there is a muscular difference in the form if one, two, three, or more -fingers are to be extended, and this difference is observed with -lightning rapidity by an expert player. - -However content the adult Chinaman may be with sedentary amusements, -the energy of youth is in full force in the Chinese schoolboy. He is -rapidly acquiring a taste for European games, such as cricket and -football, but he has always played the game of hopscotch, but little -differing from the game played in an English village. Where a ring can -be formed he also plays a game of shuttlecock, the only instrument -being a cork or piece of light wood with two or three feathers to -regulate its flight and fall. This is played solely with the feet, the -shuttlecock being kicked from one to the other with extraordinary -dexterity. The shuttlecock is often kept up for five or even ten -minutes at a time, foot and eye working together with wonderful -precision. - - [Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - [Illustration] - - -There is one sport in which the adult Chinaman shines. Each year in -the month of June the boatmen and fishermen hold a festival at which -the great feature is the dragon-boat races. The dragon-boat is about -ninety feet long and only wide enough to admit of two men with paddles -sitting side by side on each thwart. In this boat from sixty to eighty -men are seated, while in the centre stands a man with a drum or gong -before him on which he beats the time. A man stands at the stern with -a long steering paddle, and a boy sits in front with two lines in his -hands attached to a large dragon's head with which the bow is adorned, -and which moves from side to side as the lines are pulled. Two -contending boats paddle to the starting-buoy and at a signal they are -off. The frantic encouragement of the men beating time, the furious -but rhythmic splash of nearly two hundred paddles in the onrushing -boats, and the natural movement from side to side of the brightly -coloured dragons' heads, is one of the finest and most inspiriting -sights imaginable. Every muscle is strained, and no sport on earth -shows for the time a more tremendous effort of muscular energy. -Sometimes in the excitement of the race the boats collide, in which -event the race must be run again, for the mixture of paddles makes it -impossible to disentangle without a dead stop. But such a -_contretemps_ leads to no mischief or quarrelling. The accident is -treated good-humouredly all round, and it only means another race. On -the river at Canton literally thousands of boats make a line to see -the races paddled. There are no police and no stewards of the course, -but no boat ever attempts to break the line or cause any obstruction. - -The Chinese delight in festivals and spectacular effects, in which -they give proof of organizing capacity. A very striking festival was -that in honour of a son of the god of war, held at Macao every tenth -year in the intercalary moon. It was a guild procession--watchmakers, -tailors, shoemakers, etc. Each guild had carried before it a great -triangular, richly embroidered banner, also an umbrella of honour. -Many had also a long piece of embroidery carried horizontally on -poles. There were ornamental chairs of the usual type, some with -offerings to the gods, some with wooden drums. Each guild had its -band; some string bands, some reeds and gongs, some Chinese viols and -mandolins, the latter being frequently played while held over the head -or resting on the back of the neck. Each guild marched two and two -behind the band, the members being dressed in mauve silk coats and -broad red or yellow sash tied round the waist with richly embroidered -ends down each leg. The watchmakers' guild all carried watches on the -right breast. Children, richly dressed in mediaeval costume, were -mounted on caparisoned ponies, and some guilds had cars on which were -allegorical groups of children. In some cases, by an ingenious -arrangement of an iron frame, a child held a sword at length which, -apparently, pierced another child through back and breast. The variety -of these groups was very great. From time to time the procession -stopped, and then the children were taken down for a rest, the iron -frames being disconnected from their easily detachable sockets. In the -meantime each group was attended by men who held umbrellas over the -children to protect them from the sun. - -Each guild had its attendant coolies carrying stools, and when the -procession stopped the members at once sat down, starting up at once -on the sound of a gong that regulated the halting and starting, when -the stools were taken up by the coolies. - - [Illustration: A TEMPLE.] - -The procession finished with a dragon carried by twenty-six men. It -was a hundred and forty feet long, the back of green and silver -scales, the sides being stripes of red, green, pink, and yellow silk. -This dragon was preceded by a man, who danced before it with a large -ball representing the moon. At this the dragon made dashes from one -side of the street to the other, but was staved off by another, who -carried a ball surrounded by gilt rays. This probably represented the -sun saving the moon from being swallowed by the dragon, as is supposed -to take place in an eclipse. The dragon went along the street with -sinuous rushes from side to side. Where there was room it wound round -and round, but uncoiled on the touch upon its tail of the gilt ball -with the golden rays. The procession took an hour and a half to pass a -given point. The most perfect order prevailed, the crowd keeping a -clear space. At the finish each guild went to its own district, and -the decorations were carefully stowed away for future use. - - [Illustration] - -Such a festival is, of course, a local holiday; but the only legal -Chinese holidays are at the New Year, when all business is suspended. -The viceroy puts his seal away; the governor and the magistrate follow -suit; the merchant closes his place of business and squares his books, -while his employees take the opportunity to revisit their homes in -the country. The shopkeeper generally has a feast for all his people, -at the conclusion of which he makes a speech, wishing each and all a -"Happy New Year," in certain cases adding, "and I hope that you, and -you," mentioning the names, "will obtain good situations." This is a -delicate intimation to the persons named that their services are -dispensed with. In ordinary Chinese business affairs all accounts are -closed and balanced and all debts paid at the New Year. - -In Hong Kong the cessation from business lasts for ten days. At this -time booths are erected on either side of several streets in the -Chinese quarter, on which are displayed everything that appeals to the -fancy of the crowds with which the streets are thronged day and night. -There is an enormous sale of a white bell-shaped flower, something -like a large erica, known as the New Year flower; goldfish in glass -globes are a favourite purchase, and on the stalls rigged up under -cover are thousands of articles to suit the fancy of all classes. The -heterogeneous stocks-in-trade are evidently got together by roving -pedlars or collectors, who find their annual harvest at New Year. Here -may be purchased everything, from a piece of bronze or porcelain to a -small clay figure, of which a dozen may be bought for a couple of -cents. Sometimes an article of real value may be picked up by a seeker -after second-hand chances, while eager children spend their cents in -smaller investments; but the annual bazaar has one peculiarity that -speaks well for the masses of the Chinese people. In all the thousands -of articles and pictures exhibited for sale there is not to be seen -the slightest indication of even a suspicion of immodesty. - -Over every door is now found a small ornament of peacock's feathers, -that being a lucky emblem. The social ceremonies are many and -elaborate. New Year visits of congratulation are paid; the family -graves are visited, and due honours paid to the dead; and presents are -offered and accepted. During the holidays immense quantities of -fire-crackers are exploded, a string costing many dollars being -sometimes hung from an upper balcony, the explosion of the crackers, -with loud sounding bombs at intervals, lasting for several minutes, -and filling the street with apparently the sharp crackle of musketry -and the boom of heavy guns. At the end of the festival the streets are -filled with the vermilion paper that covered the exploded fireworks. - - [Illustration] - -Next to the New Year's fair, the most interesting study in Hong Kong -was the crowds who came down from Canton and the outlying districts of -Kwangtung province for the annual race-meeting--a European institution -that flourishes at every coast port in China, the horses being hardy -little Mongolian ponies, and the sport excellent. During the three -days' racing it was the custom practically to allow a Saturnalia, and -the police closed their eyes to offences against the gambling laws, -only pouncing upon faked pu-chee boxes, loaded dice, or other unfair -instruments of gambling. On the race-course these gamblers plied their -trade between the races, and afforded an opportunity of seeing the -most diverse and curious games of chance and skill. One game I do not -remember to have seen elsewhere. Round a flat stone was drawn a circle -with a diameter of about five feet, divided into spaces radiating from -centre to circumference. On the stone the proprietor placed a heap of -copper coin. The players placed their stakes in any division chosen; -then the proprietor placed a weight on his head, from which he jerked -it at a distance of about twelve feet. If the weight hit the heap of -coin he took the stakes, but if it fell on one of the divisions, the -player who staked on that division took the heap of coin on the stone. - -Again, on a board was painted a number of Chinese characters, on any -one of which the players placed their stakes. The proprietor then -handed a bag to a player, who took out a handful of disks, like -draughtsmen, on each of which was a character. The handful was placed -on the table and sorted, each character being placed on the -corresponding character on the board. The player received as many -times his stakes as there were characters drawn corresponding to that -on which he had placed his money. If no corresponding character was -drawn, then he lost. - -In pursuance of a determined effort to stop the ravages of plague, the -custom of winking at what were undoubtedly irregularities was -abandoned, so as to check the influx of the many thousands of -"sporting" vermin to Hong Kong at race time, and once stopped the -custom could not be permitted to again establish itself. - -It must not be assumed that all the interests of Hong Kong are -exhausted by a cursory or even a lengthened examination of its streets -and outdoor amusements. Hong Kong boasts of excellent schools, the -Queen's College and St. Joseph's Schools being the largest. There is -an excellent boarding-school for the sons and daughters of Chinese -gentlemen, where the utmost care is exercised in the supervision of -the pupils; a medical college exists in which the entire course of -medical education can be taken; and it is now proposed to establish a -university that may yet be the centre of higher education for Chinese -students. - -The charities of China are not sufficiently realized; but while there -is no general organization of charitable societies, as in European -countries, individual charity is widespread. The poor receive gifts -of clothing in winter; in times of famine or of scarcity rice is often -distributed free, or sold under cost price, or coffins are supplied to -the poor. In Hong Kong the Chinese community have built a well -equipped hospital for general patients, and also a plague hospital for -the reception of the victims of this scourge that has annually visited -the city for the past fifteen years. - -There is also in connection with the "Tung Wa" hospital an institution -called the Pow-li-un-kok, where orphan children are taken, as are also -received the children who from time to time are rescued by the police -from harpies who are carrying them through Hong Kong for the purpose -of selling them as domestic slaves. These children are brought up, and -the boys placed in situations where they can earn their living, while -arrangements are made for the marriage of the girls when they reach a -marriageable age. Chinese frequently take girls from the institution -as wives. It is also used as a rescue home for fallen and friendless -girls for whom also husbands are often found. - - [Illustration] - -These are but brief sketches of phases of Chinese life as it presents -itself to one who has had no opportunity for the study of cause and -effect that would require long years of careful observation. We know -but little of the real China. The average European, if he thinks of -China at all, sets her down as a nation just emerging from barbarism, -untruthful, deceitful, and having more than her share of original sin. -On the other hand, the Chinese who have come in contact with foreign -Powers regard them as bullies, who have by their destructive prowess -forced themselves upon the Middle Kingdom and deprived the Emperor and -his government of their sovereignty over the various concessions at -the treaty ports. No definite complaint has been formulated on this -matter so far; but it must not be assumed that there is no feeling of -irritation on the subject in the minds of many of the educated -Chinese. The phenomenal successes of Japan in war, and the rapidity -with which she has compelled her acceptance on terms of equality by -foreign nations, has set the Chinese a-thinking, and we know not how -soon the demand for reconsideration of foreign relations may become -inconveniently pressing. - -The death of the late Dowager-Empress and of the young Emperor, whose -sudden and mysterious death was the crowning tragedy of years of -sorrow and restraint, has placed upon the Imperial throne an infant -whose father (the Regent) is a prince of enlightened and progressive -views. Already great changes have been made, and greater still are -projected. The isolation of centuries is being modified, and in nearly -three thousand schools in China the English language is being taught, -and Western methods of instruction are being introduced. Many internal -reforms are being considered, and the principle of the training to -arms of all young men has been decided upon. If we take even one-tenth -of the population as being liable to military training, it would give -a crop of recruits of forty millions! It remains to be seen if such an -evidence of power will set in motion the military instinct, or if a -different system of education may not result in a demand for drastic -changes in the whole system and constitution of government. There is -in the Southern Provinces a strong leaven of opinion formed by -students who have been trained in the colleges of the United States. -Their aspirations are mainly on Republican lines; but I do not find -that this solution commends itself to the people of the Northern -Provinces. - - [Illustration] - -The establishment of local councils has been decided upon, the -inevitable result of which will be the lessening of the autocratic -power of provincial officials. Whether the change will result in the -increase of efficiency or the decrease of corruption time alone will -tell; but we may rest assured that however loudly reformers may demand -changes of system and custom, the present generation will be very slow -to move. When the Chinese people do move the advance will be probably -steady, and will certainly be maintained. Should a military instinct -be evolved, an alliance with Japan might at a future period form the -strongest combination in the world, and when that time arrives the -present system of extra-territoriality of the concessions, so -convenient for foreigners, will go by the board. - -At present, however, China offers in her markets an object for the -keen competition of the manufacturing nations of the world, in which -the British manufacturer bids fair to be beaten, especially by our -friends in Germany, whose watchword in commerce, as in everything -besides, is "thorough." - -The awakening of China means her entrance into strong competition for -her full share of the trade of the world. With her great commercial -capacity and enormous productive power she will be able to a large -extent to supply her own wants, and will certainly reach out to -distant foreign markets. Exploration discloses the fact that in bygone -ages Chinese influence has reached to the uttermost parts of the -globe. It is to be found in the ornaments of the now extinct Baethucs -of Newfoundland, and in the buried pottery of the Incas of Peru, while -in Ireland a number of Chinese porcelain seals have been discovered at -different times and in some cases at great depths, the period, judging -from the characters engraved upon them, being about the ninth century -A.D. It may be that with the increase of commercial activity, wages -will rise to such an extent as to bring the cost of production in -China to the level of that of other nations; if not, then the future -competition may produce results for the wage-earners of Liverpool, -Birmingham, and Manchester evoking bitter regret that the policy of -coaxing, worrying, bullying, and battering the Far Eastern giant into -the path of commercial energy has been so successful. Given machinery, -cheap labour, unsurpassed mineral deposits, and educated determination -to use them, and China will prove a competitor before whom all but the -strongest may quail. - -The only competition for which she will never enter is a competition -in idleness. Every man works to the full extent of his capacity, and -the virile vigour of the nation is intact. - -With the coming change in her educational system that will strike off -the fetters of competitive memorizing and substitute rational -reflection, China must be a potent factor in the affairs of the world. -When that time comes let us hope that the relations between China and -the British Empire will be the outcome of mutual confidence and -goodwill. - - -_Printed by the Menpes Printing Co., Ltd., Watford._ - - [Illustration] - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have -been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHINA*** - - -******* This file should be named 42904.txt or 42904.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/9/0/42904 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |