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•- 1 



OLD HIGHWAYS IN CHINA 




BY 



ISABELLE WILLIAMSON 



OF CHEFOO, NORTH CHINA 



THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY 

56 Paternoster Bow, and 65 St Paul's Churchyard 

1884 



9. !li 5 - 



LOXUOX : PBIXTED BY 

SrOTTISWOOUK A^D CO., IsEW-SlttEET SC^IAaK 

AJSD FAALIAMBXT BTQEET 



PEEFACB. 



-•o*- 



During my earlier years, in the company of my hus- 
band, Dr. Williamson, I made several journeys through 
the province of Cheh-kiang, and resided in some of the 
cities in the interior of that province. At that time I 
gave my impressions of the women of China in a series 
of articles, entitled 'Our Sisters in China.' These 
appeared in the ' Leisure Hour ' for 1863. 

In 1864, removing to the province of Shan-tung, 
which had been recently opened to foreigners, I occupied 
myself for some years in tentative work in Chefoo and 
the neighbourhood. After becoming familiar with the 
language of that district, and also with the habits and 
etiquette of the women of that province, I made four 
long journeys, two of which are briefly described in the 
following pages. 

The first journey was undertaken in the autumn of 



6 PREFACE, 

1873, ma Weihien, Tsi-nan-foo, Tai Shan, and the cities 
of Confucius and Mencius, returning by Mung, Yiu hien, 
and Tsingchow-foo ; the second in 1875 to Weihien, 
Tsi-nan-foo, and back; the third in 1881 from Chefoo 
to Peking, as narrated; the fourth in the spring of 
1882, partly on the ^ Old Highways,' and partly on the 
byways and bridle-paths of the eastern portion of 
Shan-tung. 

The object of these journeys was first to carry 
Gospel truth to as many of the women of China as 
I could reach, and secondly, to familiarise them with 
Western women, and so to render the visits of those 
who followed me more easy. 

Both objects were attained, and the result has been 
that Western women can safely travel and reside in any 
part of the province. 

This volume does not profess to give an account of 
mission work — that will be found in our denominational 
literature — but rather records observations of every-day 
life made during my journeys through North China 
and during my intercourse with the people. 

I trust, however, that it will deepen the interest of 
English readers in the women of China; they well 
deserve it. As regards natural endowments, they 
are, as may be supposed, in every respect compeers 



PREFACE, 7 

of the mea — active, intelligent, and, like our sisters 
in every land, more open to religious teaching than 
the men are. 

Missionaries of the widest information and greatest 
experience, both in China and India, concur in aflEirming 
that missionary operations have reached that point 
when efficient zenana work is indispensable to satis- 
factory progress. They find that men will never be 
converted in any large numbers till the women are won 
over to the side of Christianity. The women conserve 
the ancient religions and superstitions of their country ; 
and what can a man do when the women of the house- 
hold are against him ? The elevation, therefore, of the 
nations of the East, and the advancement of Chris- 
tianity among them, depend to a large extent upon 
the women of Christendom. 

Again, the promises of Scripture converge towards 
the Gospel being preached to every creature. Nearly 
half the women of the world belong to the two great 
empires of China and India. The Scriptures can never 
be fulfilled so long as these Eastern women have not 
had even the opportunity of hearing of the Gospel of 
Salvation. The end of all evils, therefore, and the 
fulfilment of the purposes of God, seem contingent on 
our Zenana work. I look upon work among the women 



8 PREFACE. 

of the East as now the great question of the Christian 
Church. 

There are many noble-minded women of independent 
means and few family ties wishing for an outlet equal 
to their zeal, and why should they not go forth resolved 
to spend their lives in this work ? In such a beautiful 
country as North China there is no more danger to 
health than there is in the Northern States of America 
or in Australia. 

May God so bring home, to those who can go, the 
needs of the women of China, that there may soon be a 
great going forth of the Christian women of Great 
Britain, thus fulfilling the prophecy contained in 
Psalm Ixviii. 11, new version: ^The Lord giveth the 
word, and the women that bring glad tidings are a 

great host.' 

ISABELLE WILLIAMSON. 



CONTENTS. 



-•<>♦- 



CHAPTEE I. 



PAGE 



Old highways — Their great interest, antiquarian and modem — 
China's daughters — Our vehicles — Their construction and 
motion — Our start — Our travelling companions, their dress 
and idiosyncrasies . . . . . .17 



CHAPTEE II. 

Our first halting-place — An old friend and his family — Hearty 
welcome and cordial greetings — How mandarins become 
rich — The famous mountain, Ai-Shan — Legendary lore — A 
quaint and beautiful story pertaining to Ai-Shan . . 23 

CHAPTEE III. 

Rugged roads — Charming scenery — A wasteful watercourse — 
Lotus ponds — Arrowroot produced from lotus — The village 
of Wun Shih Tang — The inn and its garnishings — Hot 
mineral baths — ^An amusing incident. . . .31 

CHAPTEE IV. 

The Old Highway again— Our first hostelry : its guests and 
bustle — The city of Whang Hien, its reputation — The market 
town of Pe Ma, or White Horse Town — The cordiality of 
the natives — The town of Whang San Ewan — Chinese 
peasants and peasant life — ^Wayward and wasteful water- 
courses again, alternating with plains of wondrous and 
varied fertility — Multitudinous variety of grains and vege- 
tables — ^Beautiful orchards . . . . .36 



lo CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 



PAGE 



Arrival at the city of Laichow-foo— Our experiences there — 
Boys: their pranks, and their defeat— The traffic as seen 
in the inn-yard — Trip through the city — Steatite slabs, 
cups, and ornaments — ^Fine marble quarries— Contrast 
between cities and villages — Our departure ; a block on the 
road — Ghats with the natives and wayfarers — A bridge out 
of the way — A beautiful archway • • • .41 

CHAPTEE VI. 

The town of Sa Hoh — The centre of the great straw-braid dis- 
trict — The producers : their diligence and expertness — A 
Chinese funeral — Preparations made at night, and the 
reason why — A description of the rites, procession, and 
obsequies. ....... 48 

CHAPTEK VII. 

A genuine country fair — The buyers and sellers: their com- 
modities, ways, and keenness — Barter — Domestic cotton 
spinning : its utility and importance — The town of Han 
Ting — A touching sight at the inn —The city of Wei Hien : 
how it was taken — The inn-yard • . . .53 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Chinese ladies — A Chinese lady's dinner — Its cuisine, etiquette, 

and elegance. • . . . . .59 

CHAPTER IX. 

A grand archway in honour of a virtuous woman — Its ornamen- 
tation — Pleasant villages — The city of Chang Loh — Lime- 
kilns — Novel house-building— Sunday — Native Christians 
— Transmission of letters — Manufacture of twine • . 69 



CHAPTER X. 

The city of Tsingchow-foo — Its antiquity — Inns — Process of 
disinfection — A murder story — Falcons and falconry — 



CONTENTS. 1 1 



PAGB 



Archers — A walk through the city — Trades : silks, cutlery, 
calico printing — Musicians — Chinese music — Maxims by 
ancient sages — Steam-whistles in China — The manufac- 
ture of silk — A Tartar city • . . . .74 



CHAPTEE XI. 

A Chinese bride— Bridal privileges — Bridal attire — The return 
of a bride to the house of her parents — Betrothal : when 
and how— -Sacredness — Marriages are made in heaven — A 
famous Chinese story in illustration thereof • • 82 



CHAPTEE XII. 

Chinese marriages : their antecedents and formalities — The 
bride passes through a trying ordeal — ^A Chinese woman- 
hater — How he trained his son : his precautions, and the 
result. • . » .... 89 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

A religious festival : its inconvenience — A ruffian innkeeper — 
The Chinese theatre : its acts, actors, and character — The 
town of Chang San Hien, or Long Hill Town — Large 
crowds : their anxiety to see us— Kindliness of the . - . 
women — A Chinese mother and her first-born — Women 
police — Fine igei-lows in the place — Silk for England's 
fairest daughters : how and by whom produced • • 96 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

The outskirts of Chang San Hien : their beauty — The city of 
Tseu Ping Hien : also of great antiquity, and full of ^ei- 
"Ums — A city market — The politeness of the people — Efforts 
of the women to see the foreign sister — * She speaks our 
language * — A Chinese lady ; her kindly attention — A cup 
of tea — How to reckon the population of a city — Crema- 
tion : its former practice, its present illegality — A funeral 
' corUge on its way from Peking — The desire of the Chinese 
to be literally * gathered to their fathers / • • • 101 



12 CONTENTS, 



CHAPTER XV. 



FAGS 



Waterwheels— Coal and coalmen — Native ventilating hats — 
Nearing the capital — ^Bullocks shod with iron and with 
straw — The Sentinel Hill — First visit to Tsi-nan-foo — Pro- 
vincial examination— Tsi-nan-foo, the Paris of North China 
— The Boman Catholic cathedral — The Mahommedan 
mosque — A sail on the Shining Lake— Pleasure palaces — 
Pleasure-seekers — Gay students — Enchanting scene at 
sunset on the lake — Floating lamps used for divination — 
Sad corUge — The Chinese Morgue — Superstition against 
dying in a neighbour's house — Chinese revenge— Visit to 
mosque — Mahommedan women . . . .111 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

Tsi-nan-foo in Carnival time — Comical heterogeneity of the 
fair — A Chinese auctioneer: his tricks of trade — The 
natural fountain of Tsi-nan-foo — Encounter with a bear — 
Merry-makers of many kinds— Contrast between the 
theatres of China an Bome — The mosque revisited — Two 
heroines . ..... 126 



CHAPTER XVn. 

Classic China— Talk with the women — An invitation — A party 
of Chinese ladies — An indolent daughter punished — Care 
of Chinese mothers in training their daughters — The tomb 
of Shao Hao— The Tai Shan— The Temple— The ascent of 
the sacred mountain — A nunnery — ^A priest sitting in his 
bones — The land of Confucius — Kio-foo-hien — Invitation 
to the duke's palace— Descendants of Confucius — The 
Great Temple— The tomb of Confucius — Tsow Hien — 
The Temple of Mencius — The mother of Mencius— Tablet 
erected in honour of the sage — Mencius contemporary with 
Plato and Demosthenes ..... 132 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Tsow Hien, or the city of Mencius— Our reception there— The 

teaching of Chinese sages . . . . 161 



CONTENTS. 13 



CHAPTER XIX. 



PACK 



China's Sorrow' — Crossing the Yellow Biver — The ferry: 
ferrymen and mules — Eural life — A fine inn, but a bad 
landlord — Uniformity of the scenery — Wheelbarrows with 
sails — Arid soil — How the natives treated the gods to cause 
them to send rain . . . . . .155 



CHAPTER XX. 

Chinese burial-grounds — An imperial courier — Temples : the 
beauty of their sites — Chinese Christians— The spread of 
Christianity in Shantung— The telegraph — Whang ho Yeh— 
The emporium of Teh Chow — A great dep6t on the Grand 
Canal — Fine pei-low — Great display of lethal weapons at 
every gate— Bookselling — Chinese ' exquisites ' and Chinese 
roughs — Hunt for an inn — A guest-room tastefully orna- 
mented — ' The seven ages of man ' — Chinese honesty. . 162 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Grand Canal : the ferry — A new fort and garrison — Another 
imperial courier — The city of King chow with fine .pagoda — 
An affable innkeeper — A newly dug canal — Chinese bridges 
— Superstition connected with their erection — Sacrifices of 
children— The reopening of water communication — The 
town of Shen Kia Lin — Sickness— Gambling — Chinese 
gallants ....... 172 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The famine districts in Chih Li— Sad stories — A good dog story 
— The departmental city of Ho kien foo — Roman Catholic 
establishment and Church of England mission — The ruins 
of old and handsome bridges — An inn three storeys deep — 
Sing-song girls — A specimen of their musical recitations — 
Tune, Madame Wang — Great distributing city of Ma Chow— 
A great wholesale fair — Sign-boards and advertisements — A 
miserable inn— The merrymaking of the fair — Canals and 
junks. ..... 181 



14 COXTENTS. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 



PAQK 



The banks of the T'sing ho — A beautiful walk— Pao Kow ho 
— Origin of the term * Ma teu '—Another unruly mob — 
Origin of names of places — Natural hayforks — Lumbermen 
— The city of Tso Chow — A nation has changed her colours 
— Death of the Eastern Empress — Sign-boards — Pawn- 
broking — Peripatetic kitchens — Magnificent bridge — The 
tortoise, heraldic emblem of China— How Chinese defend 
their live-stock against wolves .... 194 

CHAPTEE XXIV. 

How our * walking map * turned out— Difficulty of governing des- 
peradoes — A run on a bank — The summary punishment of 
the villains — An escape from roughs — A new feature on the 
* old highways '— Camels : their drivers and burdens — 
Approach to Peking — Bad roads — A Peking street — The 
walls — Manchu women — Origin of the small feet — Band- 
aging and the pain it causes .... 207 

CHAPTEE XXV. 

Peking— Its plan, buildings, and institutions — Its social economy 
— Improvements since 1866— Railway and telegraph — 
Journey by canal— Infanticide not common in North China 
— Tien-tsin— The Pei hoh— The Taku Forts— Chefoo . 218 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



-•o*- 



CHINESE PEASANT LIFE— GOINa TO MAKKET . . Fvcui 

A CHINESE BULLOCK CART ON A COUNTRY ROAD . 

A CHINESE OFFICIAL ...... 

GATEWAY OF A WALLED VILLAGE .... 

A CHINESE LADY ...... 

CHINESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS .... 

CHINESE COUPLE LATELY MARRIED .... 

A CITY MARKET OR FAIR ... 
COAL MEASURE WITH HANDLES FOR CARRYING . 
A CHINESE TEMPLE .... 

A CHINESE WHEELBARROW WITH SAILS 

A CHINESE CANNON . . . . 

A CHINESE OFFICER ...... 

CHINESE SOLDIERS AND TENT .... 

A CHINESE LIGHT CART OR CAB .... 

A CHINESE MERCHANT ..... 

CHINESE LUMBERMEN ON THE TA T'SING HO . 

THE CHINESE CHARACTER * TANG,' THE PAWNBROKER'S SIGN 



PAGE 

spiece 
17 
25 
45 
61 
77 
91 
103 
112 
119 
160 
166 
174 
175 
179 
190 
197 
202 



f 



B BULLOCK CAST ON A COUHTBI SOAD. 



OLD HIGHWAYS IN CHINA. 



CHAPTER I. 

Old highwaya— Their great interest, antignarian and modern — 
China's daughters — Out vehiclea — Their oonetraction and 
motioD — Our gtart— Our trayeUing companionfl, their dress aod 
idiosyncrasies, 

FsoM Chefoo to Peking Ib a Joamey of about seven 
liimdred miles, and wa go by the Old Highways. 

Old Highways indeed ! old, almost beyond historical 
Tecord. Trodden by the feet of more than a hundred 
generations, they are yet fresh as of yore, and ever and 
anon present landscapes of the rarest beauty. To one 



i8 CHLVA'S DAUGHTERS. 

acquainted with the language and habits of the people 
these highways are a never-ending book of antiquity, 
from which to read the story of the past, blended with 
the life thoughts of the present. China comes to us 
like a submerged continent newly upheaved from the 
ocean of time ; and on its vast extent there are no 
objects of interest greater than China's daughters. 
Beautiful they are with a certain beauty of their own. 
On them, alas! centuries of non-culture have pressed 
heavily ; but now, Undine-like, each Chinese maid and 
matron seems rising and asking for a soul. 

On the journey my interest was chiefly in the 
women, and I looked at all through a woman's eyes. 

April 7th is the day fixed for our start. The 
muleteers promise to be in good time ; all arrangements 
have been made, and nothing has to be done in the 
morning hut to load the animals. . 

Our preparations have not been extensive, as we 
depend on native sources for our supplies. We take 
a few pounds of sugar, a pound or so of tea, four tins 
of condensed milk, a small bag of sea biscuit, three 
bottles of arrowroot, a few articles of crockery, and a 
small medicine chest. Our clothing is in a carpet sack, 
which serves for a pillow. A dressing bag does a like 
duty. These, and a Chinese quilt for each, comprise 
t)ur travelling outfit. 

There is a small mountain of books 'to be conveyed, 
inasmuch as to sell and" distribute good books is one of 
the main objects of our journey. They also are piled 
up in readiness. 

Mules are always used for long journeys, as they 
are hardy and sure-footed. True to their promise, at 
early dawn the muleteei'S lead the mules into our 



OUR VEHICLES. 19 

courtyard. To convey our books and baggage we re- 
quire six animals. They are all examined to see that 
they are in good condition. One mule has a large 
wooden pack-saddle ; a second has a pair of immense 
panniers. 

Our vehicles are called shendzles, and each shendzle 
requires two mules. These shendzles are of the simplest 
construction, and are very light. Three small wooden 
pack-saddles are laid on the ground about three feet apart. 
These are fastened to two poles about eighteen feet 
long. After the poles are securely tied to the upturned 
saddles, three narrow but strong strips of bamboo are 
arched over the poles. Reed matting is spread upon 
the bamboos, and sewn firmly to them with twine. Be- 
twixt the poles, about two feet from either end, there 
is stretched a broad band of cowhide. The shendzle 
mules have wooden pack-saddles, and in the centre of 
each saddle is fixed an iron spike, standing upright. 
In the middle of the band of untanned cowhide a hole 
is pierced, and in putting the shendzle on the backs of 
the mules, the poles are raised so high that the iron 
spike on the saddle can be run through the hole in the 
cowhide band. There is no strap or fastening. There 
you are — balanced. Very careful driving is required, 
and a good muleteer is always on the watch to lay hold 
.of the poles at any signs of toppling. 

Over the shendzle we tied a sheet of vulcanised 
indiarubber cloth, which is most useful in travelling. 
It defends from both sun and rain. Every night it is 
Bpread on the sleeping-place, as a protection from damp, 
and in very many other circumstances it is a comfort. 

Our energetic friend, Mr. Paton, looks after the 
packing of the books. The panniers are filled with 

B 2 



10 OUR START. 

them. A box of them is strapped on each side of the 
pack-saddle, and the remainder is packed away in the 
under 'parts of the shendzles. Our quilts and eatables 
are put in. Everything being ready, we are invited to 
crawl into the place that is to be a home for many days. 

We crawl in. Good-byes are said to numerous 
teachers and Chinese friends. All the school girls and 
boys and all the members of the establishment come 
up and wish us a good journey and a speedy return. 
We say good-bye to Mr. Paton, and to the sunny-haired 
English baby in the arms of her smiling mother. How 
fair and sunny the two look beside the bronzed and 
yellow-tinted sons and daughters of China ! 

Well, of all vehicles a shendzle is one of the fun- 
niest. Outwardly, it looks like a gigantic chrysalis ; 
inwardlv, it seems comfortable as a couch. There is 
great difficulty in the balancing of it. Slung simply 
on the backs of the mules, an unlucky, awkward move- 
ment of the traveller within it may send it rolling down 
the first precipice. So soon as we are fairly started, 
one is requested to sit *a little more to the north'; 
then, ' a little more to the south * ; ' no, not so much ' ; 
till, after a variety of orders and counter-orders, at last 
the muleteer is satisfied. We climb a hill immediately 
after, starting, and we soon find that the mules have 
had no training, and never by any chance step together. 
We are rocked from side to side cradle fashion, then 
jolted to and fro from head to heel. 

Backwards, forwards, see-saw, zig-zag, jerk, jolt, 
jog, joggle ! — the proverbial ' baby on the tree top ' must 
have had quiet compared to this. 

Sea-sickness is disagreeable, but moX de shendzle is 
worse. However, the disagreeable experience usually 



OUR TRAVELLING COMPANIONS, 21 

passes away with one day ; and it is found that, although 
it is a very unsocial, yet it is not an altogether un- 
pleasant, mode of travel. Few can read in a shendzle, 
and those who do read must have books of very large 
type. A Chinese book in good-sized type may be read 
with comfort. 

Our travelling companions are two muleteers, a help 
for bookselling, and a man who is half servant half man 
of business. My muleteer, who claims the lead, is a roguish 
looking man, rather surly and taciturn. He has some 
ugly scars on his visage, and a peculiar leer in one eye. 
He is strong and hardy, and has the reputation of being 
a perfect walking map. His head is adorned with a 
marvellous cap of soft grey felt. On ordinary days it 
looks like a plain skull-cap. As the weather changes I 
discover that this cap is a multum in parvo. If the 
wind blows hard from the north, he immediately doffs 
his cap, and pulls out a flap that defends his ear and 
neck. If the mornings are cold, the cap has flaps to 
cover both ears. Should the sand be driving in his face, 
an immense scoop is projected in front to protect his 
eyes. When it rains, a great peak appears, to prevent the 
water running in at the collar of his jacket. His jacket 
is of blue cotton, wadded. His continuations are buff- 
coloured leather. He has white cotton stockings cjuilted 
with cotton, and black cloth shoes with a most liberal 
allowance of sole. He carries a whip at his girdle, but, 
to my great comfort, seldom uses it. The other muleteer 
is a younger man, with a quiet look. He is dressed 
much in the same style — only his continuations are of 
olive-green leather, and he is not the proud possessor 
of a mvltum in parvo cap. 

The bookseller was engaged the evening before we 



22 OUR TRAVELLING COMPANIONS. 

started. He was recommended as a * decayed gentle- 
man.' He is very" much decayed indeed, but he has a 
cheery, happy-go-lucky way, and is not an unpleasant 
travelling companion. He has a faculty of making 
friends, not enemies. We were obliged to take him in 
the place of a dear old man who became ill just before 
we left, and who died ere we returned from our journey. 
The man Friday is a fine, tall, handsome Chinaman, 
a good scholar, and a gentleman in his manners. He 
can do anything, from writing a Chinese document to 
boiling an ^^'g^ and he has a marvellous facility for 
making palatable whatever provisions we can get at inns 
or country markets. He is the butt of the party. His 
mounting on his mule is one of the sights not to be 
lost. Many directions he receives as to his demeanour 
on his steed. ^ Sit to the east,' is shouted to him ; again, 
^ To the west ' — * More to the back ' — ' Nearer to the 
front ' — and he makes an effort to comply as far as he 
can. His perch is on the mule with the panniers, and 
he falls off on an average three times a day. It is 
supposed that he goes to sleep, and thus overbalances 
the panniers. His falls are not serious, as the panniers 
save him, and he is generally found seated in one of 
them. He always persists in packing the crockery in 
these panniers, as a proof that he has no fear of an 
upset, but after reducing us to one teacup, he becomes 
exceedingly careful to put it in the snuggest place in 
my shendzle. I fear I must be troublesome to him, as 
I constantly tease him to read all the sentences the 
Chinese write on their doors, and also the ornamental 
scroll-work with which they decorate their dwellings. 
He is a most agreeable companion, and never loses his 
temper : his wits he sometimes loses. 



23 



m w 



a • 



CHAPTER JI. 



Our first halting-place — An old friend and his family — Hearty wel- 
come and cordial greetings — How mandarins become rich — The 
famous mountain, Ai-Shan— Legendary lore— A quaint ani^ 
beautiful story pertaining to Ai-Shan, 

Our path lay off the main road and through a fine 
valley. The greater part of the way was a watercourse, 
lined on each side with lovely trees. 

We had arranged to stay the first night at the house 
of one of our church members, a faithful old man with 
small ability but a true heart. He and his friends were 
expecting our visit. As we emerged from the shade of 
the trees, and were crossing a stony rjdge at the head 
of the glen, in the dim t>vilight, we could descry figures 
and hear voices hailing us, and shouting, * Take, the 
north road.' Presently we met the old man and his 
son, their faces beaming. In the distance we could see 
lights and hear the hum of a village. 

As we got near to the house, just on the edge of the 
hamlet, we found nearly all the villagers assembled. 
The greetings were numerous and cordial. Women 
came round, and were introduced as the mothers of sons 
named to us. Indeed, a woman's title in China is usually 
the name of her eldest son ; and what title is sweeter to 
a mother's ear ? ' • 

Everything was made tidy for us. The best 'kwaq ^ 

» Brick bed. 



24 AN^ OLD FRIEND. 

was lit, and the mill-room arranged for a sitting-room. 
For a long time Dr. Williamson sat conversing with the 
men on religious subjects. In the inner room, entering 
by another door, I saw the women. It was pleasant to 
find how much of Scripture truth the women and girls 
knew. 

The family of our host consisted of his wife, a son, 
and a daughter, the brightest little Chinese maiden I 
have ever seen. She was greatly interested in my 
buttoned boots; the particular fault of this little 
Chinese maid was a tendency to be untidy in her gaiters 
and shoes. So she at once informed her mother that 
she would not need to be scolded for her besettii^g sin 
if her shoes and gaiters were all in one piece, as mine 
were, and if they were made of leather. Altogether 
she took my heart — a cheery, sunny, little lassie. 

The story of this family is a good illustration of how 
an unjust magistrate may oppress his people. Some 
five or six years ago this man had, in foreign employ- 
ment, saved about one hundred and twenty thousand 
cash. For a peasant this is quite a little fortune. The 
mandarin of the district, a very petty magistrate indeed, 
knew this. For some time he sought an occasion to 
bring this man up before him on some ofience. First 
he had him arraigned on a charge of having broken 
down a small mud embankment, and sent water and 
stones over a field belonging to a neighbour. But it 
was clearly proved that the water and stones had found 
their way into that field without Shoe's help. At the 
time of the floods the man was at his work in Chefoo, 
some twenty miles away ; and his wife could not have 
walked such a distance in the storm. This charge thus 
fell to the ground, though a horde of underlings had to 



ffOiV MANDARINS BECOME RICH. 2$ 

be paid their fees. Nevertheless the mandarin raised 
another case against him, and kept it on and on, till, 
by fines and otherwise, he got the one hundred and 
twenty thousand cash Shoo had saved. He then released 
his victim, who had all the costs of the suit to pay. 
Old and poor, he has to begin again ; and he says, ' If I 
save any money now, I'll be careful not to let my 
neighbours know.' 



There is nothing a respectable Chinaman fears 
more than to get into the clntches of the mandarins. 
He prefers to sufier loss rather than go to law to 
recover a debt, particularly if he has any money to 
lose. 

After a comfortable night, and after seeing a great 
many Chinese who were clamouring around us before 



26 THE FAMOUS MOUNTAIN, AI-SHAN. 

sunrise, we started from Mee Kow about seven A.M. 
Almost immediately on leaving Shoo's village, afar on 
the horizon, framed in by the arching trees, rises on our 
view the lofty Ai-Shan. Its summit is strikingly like 
the dome of St. Paul's, but under a bluer sky. The 
general outline of the whole mountain is suggestive of 
a majestic cathedral. Its highest peak is seen afar 
off on the sea by the mariner, and guides him into 
harbour. 

The following is a legend of this mountain : — 
A young girl, beautiful and affectionate, lived under 
the shadow of the celebrated Ai-Shan. Her father 
owned property in junks, and was very rich. She had 
two brothers older than herself. Her father and her 
two brothers set sail for the south, one fine autumn day. 
They went each in charge of a junk. The girl was 
sorry to part with them; but they comforted her by 
promising to return in the following summer, when the 
soft south wind would waft them gently home to their 
own quiet bay, and they would bring beautiful presents 
for her, as by next autumn she would be wearing the 
scarlet dress of a bride. 

Months passed, and the young maiden dwelt with 
her mother. When the winter wind howled round 
their home at night, she used to shiver, as she thought 
of her dear father and brothers in the junks, tossing on 
the stormy sea. Sometimes an old friend of her father 
would come to visit them. This man was also rich, and 
a junk owner. The fair young maiden sat inside the 
damask embroidered curtains, and listened to the tales 
of the sunny south which the old junk owner was in 
the habit of telling her mother. Inside the curtain she 
sat because it was not etiquette for her to be seen ; but 



THE LEGEND OF AI-SHAN. 27 

the old man knew that she wa^ a far more attentive 
listener than. the old mother, who would interrupt hiTn 
in his most lovely description by asking if her husband 
was sure to make lots of money. The old man loved 
the girl, whom he seldom saw, for he hoped to have her 
for a daughter-in-law. His only child, a son, was with 
the junks. 

Winter with its storms passed over ; spring came ; 
then summer, and the gentle south wind, that was to 
waft the dear ones home, died in the changing monsoon. 

Day by day preparation was made for the return of 
the sailors. Daily Ahn Yune longed to be able to go 
up the Ai-Shan just a little way, to see the ocean where 
sailed the loved ones, but was prevented by Chinese 
etiquette. Another summer was passing away. Still 
the junks came not. Night after night she dreamt of 
her father and brothers, still they came not. Summer 
also had its storms, with lashing rain, and dreadful 
thunder, aad lightning flashing into her chamber. 

One night she dreamt a dream. In the morning 
she was found lying on her liang. Her garments were 
dripping, her hair was dank with sea-water, and she 
lay pale and exhausted. They changed her clothing 
and carried her to her mother's Aangr. There she 
revived, and then she told her dream : — 

* I went up Ai-Shan, oh ! so far — high up amid the 
clouds. Then I saw the sea, and away off, just like 
three specks, the three junks. Suddenly the clouds 
gathered black, the thunder rolled, and under each 
lightning fla,9h I saw the junks, the sea beating over 
them. They could not reach the harbour, for the wind 
was in their teeth; the black rocks were behind 
them ; they dared not go back. Suddenly I felt myself 



28 THE LEGEND OF AI-SHAN. 

moving near to them. I came so near that 1 saw my 
father's face and the faces of my brothers. They were 
all imploring Heaven to save them. " Heaven has sent 
me/' I said ; but they heeded not, for they did not see 
me. On my father's junk I saw one, young and hand- 
some, I knew, though I had never seen him ; that was 
Aa, and I loved him. One brother's junk was on the 
right side of my father's, the other on the left side. Down 
into the cold dashing sea I went, laid hold by one hand 
of my eldest brother's junk cable, and with the other 
my younger brother's junk. Then I said, " Oh ! my 
father ! " And lo ! I felt something across my mouth. 
With my teeth I grasped the cable of my father's junk. 
Then we sailed straight for Ai-Shan. I could not turn 
my head, but I felt the three junks towing after me. 
Something whispered, "Trust in Heaven, do not be 
afraid." We sailed swiftly on. Waves dashed — I was 
not afraid. Thunder rolled — I was not afraid. We 
sailed so close to land I could only see the peak of Ai- 
Shan. Closer, and I could not see Ai-Shan. The sea 
washed my hair ; the silver pin became detachpd ; it fell 
down my back. I opened my mouth to say, " Oh ! my 
silver pin ! " for I was vain of it. The cable slipped from 
my teeth. I lost my father's junk. In a second my 
brothers' junks touched land. I sprang on a rock, to 
see where my father's junk had gone. Oh! horrors! 
it was sticking on a great black rock. In the front 
stood my father, and that other, and I loved him. The 
great waves broke over them ; the foam covered all. 
Again the masts shook, the foam dashed. I saw the 
two ; the young man held the old man in his arms. 
Again the foam broke, but only over the rock ; the great 
junk was not there. I sped home, and the day dawned.' 



THE LEGEND OF AI-^HAM. 49 

' Let us get down to Chefoo/ was on every tongue, 

* Yes, I can lead you to the place.' 

Litters, mules, donkeys are fast carrying them to 
Yentai, the port of Chefoo. The old junkman heads the 
cavalcade ; straight towards the harbour sands they go. 
Ahn Yune rises up in her litter. * There are the two 
junks,' she cries, ' and yonder the black jagged rocks. 
Oh ! my father ! ' 

On they go. The junks are there. A crowd is on 
a rock. Two handsome, stalwart men are wringing 
their hands. An old and handsome man lies there, just 
washed up by the sea, and by his side a young and 
noble-looking man, ^ It is he ! ' exclaims Ahn Yune, 
and buries her face in the old junkman's gown, 

. On that spot the brothers built a large temple, 
which stands till this day, and is called the 'Niang 
Niang Miao,' — ' The Lady's Temple.' 

Ahn Yune never left the old junkman. She became 
his daughter-in-law, though her betrothed lay in the 
little cemetery. She did all she could to help those who 
lost their kindred in the treacherous sea. To the last 
she tended the old junkman, who had many stories of 
the southern seas to tell her and her mother, who often 
said to her, * It was well you saved the two richest junks.* 

Such is the legend, as told by the peasant people 
who now dwell in the hilly country round Ai-Shan, 

It is the custom, in the long winter nights, for 
friends to assemble in each other's houses ; and, while 
seated on their hot brick beds, to relate legend after 
legend, and to repeat tale after tale. When the tales 
and legends are ended, the younger people amuse them- 
selves with riddles and conundrums, some of which are 
quite ingenious^ 



p 



THE LEGEND OP AI-SffAI^. 



Scholars will discover in the above story the legend 
of the Goddess of Mercy ; and they will also see how 
the Buddhists here, as elsewhere, localise their myths, 
and so impart a vividness and verisimilitude to their 
marvellous narrations. 



3» 



CHAPTER III. 

Bugged roads — Charming scenery— A wasteful watercourse— Lotus 
ponds — ^Arrowroot produced from lotus — The village of Wun 
Shih Tang — The inn and its garnishings — Hot mineral baths — 
An amusing incident* 

Over hills we jogged, and over rough and uneven 
ground we jolted. The scenery was enjoyable, with 
always the grand, lofty Ai-Shan in the foreground. 
Sometimes it was seen against the bright blue of the 
sky. Sometimes the plantations of young willows, 
with their slender stems and leafless boughs, formed a' 
fairy screen to veil the mountain. 

After about twenty miles of this road we suddenly 
descended into the almost dry bed of a mountain torrent. 
Acres and acres of land, swept over by the stream when 
in flood, were now dry sand, which the least breath of 
wind sent blowing about in clouds. 

On the borders of this stream is a large tract of 
land where the lotus is grown. in hot-water ponds. The 
water is so hot that during winter it does not freeze. 
This lotus is a water-lily. The root is ground into 
farina, and makes a very good kind of arrowroot, used 
by the natives. Lotus-growing is a large branch of 
industry, as this farina is in great demand, and is sold 
at four hundred cash per catty — that is, about two 
shillings per pound weight. 



32 TMk VILLAGE OP WVN SHIJI TAl^G^ 

Passing the lotus ponds, we came to the village of 
Wun Shih Tang. In the east end of it is a building 
resembling a temple. In large Chinese characters, the 
public are informed that on the east side of this build- 
ing there is a bath for men, on the west side one for 
women. 

We stopped at an inn near the baths, and were 
ushered into a large room entirely destitute of furni- 
ture, save a small, narrow table and a bench to match. 
Neither would keep steady, partly on account of the 
irregularities of the mud floor, and partly because the 
carpenter (for the sake of variety, probably) had been 
careful that not two of the legs should be of the same 
length. We hunted up stones of various thicknesses, 
and, to ensure a level surface for our teacups, we propped 
up the feet of the table. This process has to be gone 
through at almost every inn. 

After a hurried luncheon in the presence of a great 
number of spectators, we had a talk with the people who 
came to greet us. Some of them were members of the 
church. All of them were more or less acquainted with 
the truths of the Christian religion. As they had fallen 
into a state of religious lukewarmness, they were warned 
of their danger and exhorted as to their duty. 

The Christians in the village were pleasant, and 
looked so much tidier and so much more intelligent 
than their neighbours, that I rejoiced. 

With one of the Christian women for a guide, I 
visited the bath for women. We entered a gate, passed 
through a little labyrinth, and reached the large square 
room where the bath was. The bathing tank was faced 
round with stone on three sides ; on the fourth there 
was some movable contrivance for an outlet to thie 



A VISIT TO THE WOMEN'S BATH. 33 

water. There were steps running all round the tank. 
The topmost ledge was piled with garments of all 
descriptions. The bath was almost full of women and 
girls — the owners of the garments. 

The girls were enjoying the bath in a most boisterous 
fashion, splashing evidently to their own satisfaction, 
but to the annoyance of the women ; for, as I entered, 
I heard a most resounding slap administered, and an 
accompanying threat to drown the delinquent if she did 
not keep quiet. Neither the slapping nor the threat 
had so much effect in producing quiet as the entrance 
of a foreign lady. 

It was not an intrusion, however, as they were all 
pleased to see me. Several of the bathers were old 
friends, and immediately began a most animated con- 
versation, chiefly in the style of the catechism, * How 
had I come ? ' ' How long was I going to stay ? ' 
* Had I had a good journey? ' * Would I have a bath ? ' 
They were kind enough to offer all to get out, run the 
bath off, and let it fill afresh. I thanked them, but 
declined. The water must have been very hot, as some 
of them looked as red as the proverbial lobster. 

An idea got suddenly into the heads of the girls that 
they would lose the fun of my starting if they did not 
immediately dress. So four or five of the wildest little 
lasses got out of the bath, and dragged their garments 
from amongst the piles on the edge of the tank. 
Suddenly something was projected into the middle, and 
went down with a splash. I thought a dog had espied 
his mistress and leaped in. However, a young and 
pretty woman screamed out, and in an instant dived 
afler the submerged something, and fished up a baby ! 
With all haste she cleared its mouth and eyes from the 

c 



34 AN AMUSING INCIDENT, 

water, and seating herself on the step, half under water, 
proceeded to comfort the poor little thing. It proved 
to be a baby three months old, who had been laid on a 
small quilt. A big girl roughly pulled the quilt, hunting 
for her jacket, and thus sent the child spinning into the 
water. 

Tlie little mite did not seem the worse for his duck- 
ing ; and, as his wardrobe consisted of a jacket and a 
cap, there was not much harm done. The cap was 
missing. A neighbour felt about the tank with her 
feet, and soon brought up the scarlet head-dress. I don't 
know how the baby liked the dip, but it caused great 
mirth to the crowd of girls round the bath. Order was 
restored, and the girls proceeded to make their toilettes, 
amid a good deal of scolding and much laughter. The 
real offender made off with only a portion of her ward- 
robe in her hand, and nothing on but her shoes. 

I went to visit at the houses of our church-members, 
and was pleased to see the neatness and cleanliness of 
their apartments. One woman proudly showed me how 
she had set aside the time-honoured custom of having 
the cooking-stoves, or rather coppers, placed at the sides 
of the doorway. She had them put at one end of the 
house-place. ^ So,' she said, ' you can pass in and out 
without soiling your skirts or blowing the ashes about.' 
Hor daughter, a young bride, was busy preparing her 
trousseau. That morning a friend had presented her 
with an ordinary chair— a luxury they did not before 
possess, the sitting accommodation being generally 
limited to a narrow bench — simply a perch, not a seat. 
A countryman usually, in lieu of a seat, sits literally on 
his heels. 

We made several visits, and it was pleasant to find 



HOT MINERAL SPRINGS, 35 

a great amount of comfort and happiness amongst the 
people. The village street has been recently paved. 
Outside the bath-house there were two wells faced with 
stone. The villagers come to these for hot water for 
domestic purposes. As we passed, two children and an 
old woman were busily washing turnips at the wells. 
This water must be a great boon to the villagers. 

These springs are constantly resorted to for health. 
At a certain season of the year the village is full of in- 
valids. Rheumatic people especially are much bene- 
fited by this hot bathing. Sulphur springs are found 
in many parts of Shan-tung. At this place, and at Ai- 
Shan-Tang, the water as it comes from the spring is too 
hot for bathing. At another place about sixty miles 
off there is a spring so hot that eggs and fish can be 
cooked in it. The name of that spring is Chau Yuen. 
On the Shan-tung promontory, at a place called Wun- 
tung Hien, there are seven or eight hot sulphur 
springs, and near that place there are numerous caves 
and grottoes. 



c % 



36 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Old Highway again— Our first hostelry : its guests and bustle— 
The city of Whang Hien, its reputation — The market town 
of Pe Ma, or White Horse Town— The cordiality of the natives - 
The town of Whang San Ewan — Chinese peasants and peasant 
life— Wayward and wasteful watercourses again, alternating with 
plains of wondrous and varied fertility — Multitudinous variety 
of grains and vegetables — Beautiful orchards. 

Leaving Wun Shih Tang, a short time brought us to 
the Old Highway we had left two days before. It is 
always much pleasanter to travel on the main roads 
than in the country lanes, which, though pretty, are 
very rough. In a mountainous district the fatigue of 
getting over them in a shendzle is rather trying. This 
evening we were fortunate enough to get into a com- 
fortable inn just in time to secure the only apartment in 
it fit for a lady. We had scarcely taken possession when 
eight or ten travellers arrived — young Chinese gentle- 
men, who looked rather disappointed when they found 
there was no better accommodation for them than the 
common room, where their companions might not be 
so scrupulously clean as they would desire. However, 
they took their disappointment philosophically, particu- 
larly as they knew that possession was, at a Chinese 
inn, the whole ten points of the law. In an incredibly 
short time every corner of the inn-yard was full of carts. 



WHANG HIEN AND PE MA. 37 

mules with pack-saddles loaded, and donkeys with im- 
mense panniers. 

Next morning we passed through Whang Hien, a 
large and very busy city, which has always been con- 
sidered unfriendly to foreigners. Its citizens have the 
reputation of not being at all particular on points of 
etiquette, of being rough in manners, but always suc- 
cessful as merchants. They have a slight peculiarity of 
speech which shows that they are natives. Sometimes 
a Whang Hien man will be greatly amused if you tell 
him you know by his tone he has come from that city. 
There is a great deal of wealth in Whang Hien, but no 
special manufacture ; it is merely a great caravanserai. 
The city has a fine wall ; the gates are in good pre- 
servation. The main street is, perhaps, the busiest 
place I have seen during this journey. 

In the evening we came to a quiet little place called 
Pe Ma, or White Horse Town. It got its name from a 
Taoist legend of a white horse, as visionary as the Flying 
Dutchman. The horse was possessed by one of the 
eight immortals. It carried the owner thousands of 
miles in a day, and when he halted he hid it away in 
his wallet. He is one of those who are supposed 
to have entered immortality without suffering bodily 
dissolution. 

We had quite a long talk with the women, who had 
often seen foreign gentlemen, but not ladies. The 
landlord made a journey into the country, to bring a 
favourite grand-daughter to see the foreign lady. She 
was a merry, bonny little maiden, dressed in all the 
colours of the rainbow, and almost as harmoniously 
blended. She was made perfectly happy by the gift of 
a pictorial magazine and some pieces of foreign cloth. 



38 PEASANTS AND FEASANT LIFE. 

« 

A bit of black velveteen rejoiced her immensely. ' Oh ! 
what splendid tips for my brother's shoes that will 
make ! ' she exclaimed. She was a loving, joyous little 
child. 

We passed the lively town of Whang San Kwan, 
which was busy, a market having been held that morn- 
ing. In the afternoon we saw a great many peasants 
returning from the fair. They had a pleasing look 
of contentment. Not one of them seemed to have in- 
dulged in drinking anything stronger than tea. Almost 
every man among them was carrying some article for 
household use. They had brooms, hay-forks, pot-lids, 
sheets of matting, baskets, wooden buckets, straw 
sandals, teapots, toys for children, and a variety of 
other domestic utensils. These peasants depend on 
their little 'markets for the necessary supplies. In 
many villages there is not a single shop. All over 
the country there are pedlars selling oil, cloth, and the 
various little silk trimmings and silk thread so neces- 
sary to beautify the tiny shoes of which every Chinese 
woman is so proud. These pedlars are complete plun- 
derers. They charge exorbitantly. Unless a Chinese 
woman is quick-witted, they will, in the most glaring 
way, add up the items wrongly, but always putting the 
error on the side that fills their own pockets. 

The country we passed through was not very in- 
teresting. We crossed a great many watercourses, 
almost dry at this time, but in the rainy season what 
sweeping torrents they must be ! I was quite distressed 
at the amount of land covered by these mountain 
torrents. They spread out over acres and acres of ground 
strewn with sand and loose stones. The inhabitants 
make use of them as drying-grounds for their vermicelli. 



VARIETY OF G/^A/ATS AND VEGETABLES, 39 

When I saw the poles, and long white hanks drying, 
I thought we had come on a Chinese bleaching establish- 
ment. The finest, snowy white, was hanging on poles 
in immense skeins, just as yarn is when in. process of 
drying. Vermicelli, made from a very glutinous bean, 
is a great article of export to Hong Kong, Singapore, 
and the South of China. The natives rarely use it 
except at the new year. They count it too precious 
to be wasted in home consumption. 

Lying between these large tracts of waste land are 
fine fertile fields, most carefully cultivated. Wheat is 
just now looking its richest green. By-and-by, many 
varieties of Indian corn, several kinds of millet, 
panicum, and buckwheat, beans, peas, turnips, carrots, 
endless varieties of melons, from the gigantic water- 
melon to the fine-flavoured musk-melon, not much 
larger than an orange, egg plants, enormous vegetable 
marrows, cucumbers, and smaller vegetables of all kinds, 
will be found in great abundance in this plain. Here 
and there are small patches of upland rice, which grows 
like wheat, and needs no irrigation. Indigo, saffron, 
madder, and many other dye-stuffs grow on the farms ; 
also tobacco and the cotton plant. They have sweet 
sorghum,^ from which they make a kind of thin syrup. 
On the hills they have a plant from which they make 
coarse, bitter tea, and on their own lands, by the sides 
of streams, they can raise timber enough for building 
purposes. Altogether, they are fairly independent of 
the outer world. The only time of distress among them 
is when the fruits of the earth fail. 

In little sheltered valleys we come on orchards. The 
blossoms are just opening on the cherry trees. In a few 

' A species of Barbadoes millet. 



40 THE VILLAGES. 

days these orchards will be ablaze in the pink glories of 
the peach and the soft white of the pear. 

The villages look comfortable ; most of the houses 
are built of stone, and roofed with blue tiles. The 
village street has invariably its idol shrine, and generally 
a pond, lively with ducks and geese. The outside yards 
are usually carefully swept. Inside the houses is a sort 
of organised untidiness, for the houses are shop and 
house in one, where they grind the corn for their daily 
need, spin the cotton, weave it into cloth, and often 
prepare their dye-stuffs. 

The peasant life here at present is something like 
the life that Scottish farm-labourers and peasants lived 
in the time of the poet Burns and the days of Sir 
Walter Scott. Amid all this agricultural population I 
am sure there are many who, although they do not sing 
of the 

* Wee, modest, crimson-tippit flower,' 

yet praise some Chinese gem with equal fervour. I 
have come across not a few of poetic taste and alive to 
the beauties of nature. 



41 



CHAPTER V. 

Arrival at the city of Laichow-foo — Our experiences there — Boys : 
their pranks, and their defeat — The traffic as seen in the inn- 
yard — Trip through the city — Steatite slabs, cups, and orna- 
ments — Fine marble quarries — Ck)ntrast between cities and 
villages — Our departure ; a block on the road — Chats with the 
natives and wayfarers— A bridge out of the way — A beauliiful 
archway. 

A FEW hours' ride next morning brought us to the city 
of Laichow-foo. My husband immediately went into 
the city with books, and lefb me at the inn, to give 
attention to matters relating to provender. Crowds of 
boys came rushing in to stare at the foreign woman. 
I was speedily considered fair prey by a small army 
of young ruffians. To escape from them, I closed the 
double-leaved door, and retired to a comer with my 
books. They crept quietly up to the door, and suddenly, 
with a bang, opened both sides of it, and whooped and 
howled distractingly. Outside there was quite an em- 
bankment of faces. Again I shut the door and bolted 
it, and hoped for quietness, but the hooting and noise 
of the boys continued. They shouted, ' Devil woman, 
open the door ! ' Then they began to use language which 
they would not have used had they known that I 
understood it. This was not to be borne ; I opened the 
door to make friends with these boys. That crowd of 
youngsters had something like half-a-dozen Chinese 



42 BOYS: THEIR PRANKS AND DEFEAT. 

'Tom Sawyers,' hooting and yelling as if possessed. 
Out I came, and said, * Look here, boys. Have you got 
fathers ? ' 

' Yes ! yes ! yes ! ' all over the crowd. 

' Have you got mothers ? ' 
■ * Yes ! yes ! yes ! ' more loudly. 

The ringleader pointed to a meek-looking little lad. 
' His mother is dead ; will yovi take him ? ' This of course 
raised a laugh. 

' Have devils fathers and mothers ? ' 

' No ! no ! no ! ' very loudly. 

' Well, boys, I cannot be one ; for I have a father 
and a mother — an old mother of eighty, far, far away 
over the sea, in America.' 

The boys looked disconcerted. The crowd began 
to melt away. There was no more fun to be got by 
worrying a woman who talked to them like this. I 
told them of their Father in heaven, and of all His 
goodness to them, and of His Son, our Saviour. ' That 
is a Jesus-religion woman,' said a man on the edge of 
the crowd. The boys retired discomfited, but not con- 
vinced ; for the ringleader put his head round the angle 
of a building, and, as a parting salute, shouted, * Kwei 
Tzl Lao poh,' olim * Devil woman.' However, I was 
left in profound peace till my husband returned, after 
having traversed the city and sold many of his books. 

In this inn-yard of Laichow-foo I counted forty- 
five animals at one time. There were carts, large and 
small, laden with goods of all kinds. Some were going 
west with bales of piece-goods, Manchester cottons, and 
woollen cloths. Some were e?i route for Chefoo, with 
native produce, straw braid, for England and America, 
vermicelli, for the South of China, great quantities of 



STEATITE SLABS AND ORNAMENTS. 43 

medicinal drugs, barks, roots, and dye-stuffs, the saffron 
thistle, and indigo, besides miscellaneous articles for 
home consumption. 

In the neighbourhood of Laichow-foo there is some 
fine and very beautiful steatite, of a soft grey colour. 
As the steatite is chiefly found in laminse, it is only 
used for ornamental work. Broad slabs of it, finely 
grained, are thought very handsome. These are mounted 
on stands of wood, and placed in libraries. 

It is pleasant to visit the shops and observe the variety 
of articles for use and ornament devised by the ingenuity 
of the people. The largest were trays made of slabs of 
steatite with borders of carved wood. There were teacups, 
little teapots, saucers, carved gods innumerable, and all 
sorts of grotesque figures of the same material. There 
were also some basins of solid stone cut out in compart- 
ments. The most artistic thing I saw was a piece of 
steatite of a soft grey colour grained with white and black, 
and carved out in the form of a lotus leaf with its edges 
curled up, so as to make a large flat cup. There was a 
great variety of screens, on which the steatite had been 
carefully carved to represent fruit and flowers ; and, as 
the flowers were tinted, the whole effect was pleasing. 

In this neighbourhood there are immense marble 
quarries. The marble is quarried out in very large 
slabs, and is used extensively for gravestones. It is 
very white and durable. The longer it is exposed to 
the weather the whiter it looks. 

We left the city of Laichow-foo, with its handsome 
walls and imposing gateways, with reluctance. It has 
a much cleaner look than most Chinese cities. The 
people are pleasant. They are not so busy with mer- 
chandise as to have little leisure for study. The literary 



44 A BLOCK ON THE ROAD. 

men among them are fond of reading, and discuss- 
ing the literary magazines. The shops are always 
interesting, from the great variety of stonework in 
them. 

A walled city has always a handsome look that 
straggling places lack. The defined wall hides many 
deformities. Some towns lose themselves in the country, 
or the country gets swallowed up in the town. In such 
cases there is a want of decision, as if neither town nor 
country had strength of mind enough to say, ' I'll stop 
here.' The moat surrounding a walled city often im- 
proves its appearance, filled, as it sometimes is, with 
the pink water-lily and other aquatic plants, while the 
green banks are starry with wild flowers and shady 
and cool with waving willows that grow most luxuri- 
antly. 

"We were brought to a halt just outside of a small 
town a little beyond Laichow-foo. We found a large cart, 
laden with bales of cotton and vermicelli, blocking up 
the entire gateway. One of the mules drawing the cart 
had slipped on the smooth stones of the incline at the 
gateway and fallen. Our muleteers, powerful men, 
helped to release the fallen mule and to remove the 
block from the gateway. 

While our party waited for the clearing of the way, 
we had a talk with the people. One rather nice-looking 
man begged very eagerly for medicine to cure his eyes. 
He said that he was a block-cutter, that his eyes had 
become sore, and that now he was quite unable to do 
any work at engraving, and so his family was suffering. 
We advised him to go to Chefoo, that he might be 
healed. He said that he would be only too glad to go, 
if he could be restored to fitness for working. Over the 



OATBWAT OT A WATTED THfLii 



A BEAUTIFUL ARCH WAY, 47 

gateway where the cart was stuck fast was a motto cut 
in the stone, 

'kingdom peaceful — FAMILY HAPPY.' 

We are frequently crossing bridges that span the 
dry earth, while the water wanders off at its own sweet 
will, and looks back, as if enquiring of the empty arch, 
' Don't you wish you could catch me ? ' Just after 
passing one of these empty bridges we came on a very 
fine old willow tree, growing by the side of the vagrant 
water. In some bygone storm it had been partially 
uprooted, and now it made a complete span of the road, 
rising in a fine arch. From the centre of the arch there 
had grown up, as if planted in the old trunk, four fine 
trees. It was a natural curiosity, and made quite a pretty 
object, seen far off on the highway. 



48 



CHAPTER VI. 

The town of Sa Hoh — The centre of the great straw-braid district — 
The producers: their diligence and ezpertness — A Chinese 
faneral — Preparations made at night, and the reason why — A 
description of the rites, procession, and obsequies. 

Twenty miles west from Laichow-foo we reached Sa Hoh, 
the centre of the district in which so much straw braid 
or plait is made. It is prepared from wheat straw. The 
natives are very expert at plaiting it. At every door 
stood girls and women busily plaiting, their fingers 
going as nimbly over the braid as though there was no 
toil in forming those wondrous bunches of fine straw 
plait. The finest of it is plaited by women from seven- 
teen to thirty years of age. When older than thirty- 
five expertness fails them, and, as a rule, they do not 
plait so well. This plaiting is one of. the most im- 
portant industries of Shan-tung. Great quantities of 
the plait are exported to New York and to England. 
It is also dyed in very fine colours. The mixed braids 
of green and white, and of magenta and white, are 
exceedingly pretty. 

The town has improved immensely since I saw it 
first in 1873. Many new and handsome places of 
business have been opened. Many houses have recently 
been built. There is a general well-to-do look about 
the people. Certainly foreign trade has done a great 



A CHINESE FUNERAL. 49 

deal, not only for Sa Holi, but for all the surrounding 
district. 

The whole town was astir because of a very impor- 
tant funeral. A funeral is always a cause of excitement 
among the Chinese. They have a great appetite for the 
pleasure to be got from a large burial. The liveliest 
music is then played, and, if the people have money, 
there is a good deal of feasting. 

We were disturbed the whole night by the firing 
of crackers, the promenading of the orchestra, and the 
clattering of their cymbals and other instruments. The 
age of the man to be buried is announced at certain 
stages in the orchestral performance by the firing of 
guns. This poor man was seventy-eight; so we had^ 
quite a night of firing and broken slumbers. I asked 
the people why they made all this parade in the night. 
They said, ^ In the daytime we are too busy with straw 
braid to pay attention to buryings.' 

Just at dawn the procession was formed, and the 
old man was carried to his long home in a little yew- 
shaded graveyard outside the town. His age having 
been told by firing, his history was shadowed forth in 
the order of the funeral procession. The following is 
the order of procession :•— 

Two rough fellows dragging the effigies of two public 
lictors, not toys but life size. 

A man carrying a supply of fire-crackers. 

Two men with red flags — the banners of the house. 

Two men dragging effigies of lions. 

Two men waving large placards, with a character 
on them which signifies to all people that henceforth^ 
all personal matters with this man are at an end, and- 
no persojifd quarrels, &c., are to conti^iuQ i]i bis family. 

_p ;. .. 



50 A CHINESE FUNERAL. 

Four shrines, with offerings for the gods. The 
offerings include flowers, fruits, meats, and wine. 

Four paper houses, with dresses, furniture, and 
servants all complete. These four houses signify that 
the man has four sons, who each provide him with a 
house for the world of shades. If the sons are dead 
their descendants attend to this. 

An effigy of his private horse, riderless. 

An effigy of his wife's mule, with her seated on it. 

An effigy of his private cart. These have all their 
suitable attendants, life size. 

A number of mourners in the second degree, their 
blue clothes showing under the white. 

All the schoolboys of the family. 

A few friends, literary graduates, in their best robes. 

A few more special mourners of the second degree. 

Two effigies of the gate-keepers of hell. These are 
carried about by men inside of them, and are made 
immensely large. They are represented as carrying heavy 
brass maces. All this is to insure that no one comes out 
of hell to drag the man into it. 

A handsome gilt shrine with crimson canopy, car- 
ried by four bearers, containing offerings for the dead, 
bread, meat, fish, pork, and usually a boar's head. 

A man carrying fire-crackers. 

Priests, who are also musicians, and discourse music 
all the way to the tomb. When they stop playing 
crackers are fired off. 

The tablet of the viQage or district god. 

Men bearing flying banners of strips of silk. These 
are to catch any evil influences that are in the air, and 
that might harm the dead. 

The empty sedan-chair of deceased, with trumpeters 
following. 



A CHINESE FUNERAL. ji 

The chief mourners. 

Man with bowl. 

The hearse, borne by sixteen bearers, with paper 
isittendants inside. 

The cofiBin on a bier. 

The chief mourners (women), who remain kneeling 
and wailing till the crackers are fired, telling that the 
coffin has left the village. 

Several masters of ceremonies form the procession 
into proper order. As the coffin is brought out all the 
chief mourners kneel in front of the hearse, the eldest 
male relative holding in his hands a very large bowl. 
This bowl contains the ashes of all the dead man's 
private letters, and all personal things that he has not 
put in the hands of his secretary. Immediately after 
the man dies these are burned, and the ashes are put 
into a large handsome bowl prepared for the purpose. 
Just as the coffin is put into the hearse this bowl is 
broken to atoms by the man who holds it, and who 
utters some words, signifying that the dead man has 
done with all things here. At the same time an atten- 
dant woman cuts through a double scarlet cord, and 
says, ' The cord is loosed.' This is done only if his wife 
survives him. This has a most solemn effect, especially 
as all have been silent till now. But now the floodgates 
of sorrow. are opened, and the women wail in most 
heartrending tones. 

* The loosing of the cord ' has reference to a very 
ancient phrase that is always used when betrothals are 
spoken of. The phrase runs in Chinese, 'Their feet 
have been tied together.' How similar to the words in 
the Book of Ecclesiastes, ' the bowl broken,' * the cord 
loosed ' ! Shan-tung is classic China, and here are found 

d3 



5^ A CHINESE FUNERAL. 

the oldest reKgious traditions. I have given the order 
of this procession. In large cities the funerals are much 
more imposing. 

The wheat straw of Sa Hoh is a curious instance of 
the efifect of soil on plants, showing that the virtue does 
not always lie in the plant, but in soil and environment. 
"With a view to bring the straw braid nearer to the port 
of shipment, several farmers sowed the seed from Sa 
Hoh in the immediate vicinity of Chefoo. It produced 
most excellent wheat, but the straw was worthless for 
plaiting. 



S3 



CHAPTER VII. 

A genuine country fair — The buyers and sellers : their commodities, 
ways, and keenness —Barter — Domestic cotton spinning: its 
utility and importance — The town of Han Ting — A touching sight 
at the inn — The city of Wei Hien: how it was taken — The inn- 
yard. 

Next morning we came to a small town where a 
genuine country fair was going on. I was astonished 
to see so many women buying and selling. There 
were charred and wrinkled forms of womankind, also 
middle-aged peasant women, and a small proportion of 
young women. At these fairs one can read the life of 
the people. 

At the entrance to the town is a lovely little temple 
built on a height. The temple is like a miniature 
palace, and is surrounded by very handsome yew and 
arbor vitce trees all around. It has the look of a 
toy palace for some fairy princess from Liliput Land. 
In the square in front of this temple a noisy market 
was being held, a genuine small country fair. 

The flight of steps which led up to the idol shrine 
had been taken possession of by the women. On the 
lowest step sat a rather pretty woman about twenty- 
four years of age, displaying for sale a fine black fowl. 
I would fain have stopped and bought it, as our stock 
of provisions was low, and we had not been able to get 



54 A COUNTRY FAIR. 

fowls in some places through which we lately passed ; 
but I thought she would have asked six times too 
much for it. Higher up the steps leading to the shrine 
eggs were placed in baskets of all sizes, and salted 
eggs in great abundance, carefully guarded by old 
crones. Hot steamed bread was carried about in 
baskets exactly like our straw beehives, with the mov- 
able tops for lids. An active-looking young rustic had 
skilfully piled up a pyramid of leeks. Next to the 
leeks was a butcher s stall, where various sections of 
good pork were hanging. The pork-butcher was hard 
to bargain with. A spruce young husband was trying 
to barter a string of yarn cops of his wife's spinning 
for one of the finest pieces of pork chops. As our 
shendzles stopped, the young man said, ^You won't 
often see such fine spinning ! ' 

* Who spun it ? ' said the butcher. 

' My people at home.' 

^I don't want fine thread. We are not weaving 
cloth this year.' 

' I'll give you the half of them for these ribs of 
pork,' persisted the husband. 

Our shendzles passed on. I suppose the man had 
the pork after all. There seemed to be little money 
passing in the market. Most of the business was done 
by barter. It takes a long time to dispose of things in 
that way. It may be a primitive mode of business, but 
I could see it was very inconvenient. An old woman 
with a basket of cotton, snowy white, just as it comes 
from the pod, wants three very large Shan-tung cab- 
bages. The vendor offers two. She insists on having 
three. She puts a handful or two of the cotton into 
her lap, and offers again. The bargain is concluded ; 



DOMESTIC COTTON SPINNING, 55 

she gets two cabbages for the cotton minus the two 
handfuls. At one end of the street there is a regular 
barter of spun yarn for raw cotton. 

In the poor peasant households each daughter-in-law 
on her arrival is presented by her mother-in-law with 
a pound of cotton. Sometimes she is presented with 
two pounds of cotton. With this she is expected to 
clothe her husband and herself; and it depends on her 
industry whether they shall be comfortably clad or in 
rags. She spins the cotton. Her husband takes it to 
the fair. For one pound of very finely spun yam the 
merchant will give two pounds of carded cotton. If 
it be indifferently spun he may give only a pound and 
a half. If she gets two pounds of cotton, at her next 
spinning she retains one pound. The husband again 
takes the other and barters it for two. It is astonishing 
how much yam an active young woman who is an expert 
spinner will thus accumulate during a year. In the 
winter months it is quite cheery to hear the swish of the 
shuttle and the click-clack of the treadles as the men 
make the yam into cloth, for weaving is always done 
by men, such work being thought too heavy for women, 

A yam merchant makes quite a profit. He sells 
the yam either to professional weavers or to families 
whose spinning has been deficient. Native cloth is 
worth much more than that from Manchester looms, 
and it wears twice as long. City people do not spin so 
much. If the Via Victoria ^ brings in its wake spin- 
ning-jennies and sewing-machines, what will China's 
daughters do ? No hum of spinning-wheel, no elabo- 
rate stitching ! Are England's daughters happier with 

^ Via Victoria, as the railway has been aptly called— true both 
of its era and its issue. 



'5(5 THE TOWN OF HAN TING, 

Cambridge examinations and art galleries than were our 
great-grandmothers with their spinning-wheels ? I 
leave the West to answer this. 

But we have not seen all the fair. It begiils at 
the temple and wanders all up the village street. The 
cake-sellers and sweetmeat-sellers get cash. Of course 
the toffee is as attractive to young China as to our 
home children. The sweetmeat-seller drops his cash 
into a long piece of bamboo, which makes a capital 
purse, and the children stand round and watch for the 
drop of the coins, so that they may hear the rattling noise. 

From Sah Hoh to Wei Hien the country is very 
lovely, though flat, but on every side are the spreading 
wheat fields. In consequence of the value of the straw 
braid for export, as much wheat is sown as possible. 
We stopped at Han Ting, a few miles from Wei Hien, 
and had long talks with the people, who remembered 
much of the former teachings. The inn-yard was not 
so crowded as usual. I was interested in little twin 
children, of whom their father, quite a young man, was 
exceedingly proud. As the mules were prancing hither 
and thither, he got anxious about his little ones, and, 
for safety, sat them in a manger. These Eastern 
mangers are large troughs, standing on four feet, and 
are movable. We thought of the Babe of Bethlehem 
and the manger cradle. 

AH along the outside of the toWn the rope-makers 
were busy making splendid ropes. The flax or hemp 
used by them was of a fine colour and very long in the 
fibre. Their winding machines were most ingenious, 
and were worked most efficiently. Some of the ropes 
were immensely thick and hard-twined. The large 
coils of them must have been very valuable. 



THE CITY OF WEI Hi EN, yj 

In this neighbourhood the handsome barn-door 
fowls, something like our Dorkings, constantly attracted 
my attention. 

The next stage on our journey was the city of Wei 
Hien, which lies in the centre of an immense plain, 
which, in the autumn, is like a great ocean of waving 
grain. It is a most important place — a busy, wealthy 
city, surrounded by a fine, lofty, crenelated wall, with 
only here and there an embrasure. The inhabitants have 
the reputation of being proud, turbulent, and very ex- 
clusive. After the treaty of 1860 they resolved that, 
although the government had allowed barbarians to 
travel throughout China, their city at least would not 
open its gates to them. After some years a foreigner 
presented himself at the gates. Great was the con- 
sternation. The whole city was moved. . The elders 
assembled. ' Tell him he can't come in.' 

* He says he is coming in.' 

' Call out the military, and let them defend the gate.* 

' He says the soldiers belong to the Emperor, and 
he carries the Emperor's order to go all over Shan-tung, 
and he is coming into Wei Hien, as this is part of 
Shan-tung.' 

' Fix spears, and defend the gate.' 

' So it shall be.' 

But the foreigner is quietly walking through the 
gate and up the main street. The soldiers, with spears 
fixed, and eyes fixed too, gaze at the tall bearded 
foreigner walking alone with the imperial passport open 
in his hand. What could they do ? 

So Wei Hien received the much-dreaded barbarian ; 
and ever since, the city has not only been open but 
kindly to foreigners. 



$8 THE INN-YARD. 

The foreigner who first walked into the city has 
again and again visited it, has established a station in 
itj and now has arrived on another visit. 

It was early afternoon, and Dr. Williamson almost 
immediately went into the city, taking with him many 
Scriptures and books. 1 remained in the inn. Soon 
old friends came with kindly welcome and kindly 
questions : ^ Had I brought my daughter ? ' ' Would I 
stay a long time ? ' After a while an old friend who 
had got much teaching in the doctrines of religion 
came. His greeting was warm and earnest. He spoke 
of our hospital at Chefoo, and said, ' You should make 
one in Wei Hien ; every one would like it. Wei Hien 
people all like foreigners. Even the mandarins say 
foreigners come to teach people to be wise and good.' 
This man and all his household have embraced 
Christianity. 

Many women and girls came to see me. On former 
occasions I had lived in the north-western suburbs, but 
now many of these women had come all across that 
great city to see me again. It was pleasant to be 
recognised by them, and to find they had not forgotten 
what I had attempted to teach them. 



59 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Chinese ladies— A Chinese lady's dinner — Its cuisine, etiquette, 

and elegance. 

I HAD formerly visited Wei Hien, and had many kind 
friends within its walls. So, some time after our 
arrival, I sent in my card to one of their houses, in the 
evening. One of the servants came to me with a return 
card, and a message from the ladies asking me to excuse 
them from receiving me, because they were out of 
health, and their house was not in complete order, and 
saying that they would be glad if I would visit them on 
the following day. Early next morning a fine cart 
drawn by a handsome mule came rattling into the 
courtyard of the inn. In the cart, as escort, was the 
personal maid of the Chinese lady at the head of the 
house. This maid was a shrewd, sensible woman of 
forty-five. She said that, lest I might not like the 
jolting of the cart, the lady had sent her sedan-chair 
for me, and a lictor to clear the way. Which would I 
have, the cart or the chair? I preferred the cart. 
From the front of the cart the lictor brought a stool, 
placed it firmly against the wheel, and so I mounted a 
conveyance which, in China, takes the place of a private 
carriage. The maid sat behind, because the front seat 
is the best. The curtain, in the centre of which was a 
square of glass, was let down, and oflF we rattled, the 



6o VISIT TO A CHINESE LADY. 

coachman holding the reins and mnning alongside, 
this being the dignified thing to do. What a bumping 
and knocking about from side to side over the rough 
stones ! Still, it was pleasant to look at the shops, and 
watch the concourse of people. The crowds on the 
street were most polite; for, was not this foreigner 
seated in the family chariot of the proud possessor of 
the highest poles in the city? In China it is not the 
man with the deepest purse who is entitled to honour, 
but the man who, for some special merit and good 
conduct, is entitled to put up at his front gate the tallest 
poles — red lacquered poles, like giant masts. 

After driving for half-an-hour we reached the house, 
close to the city wall, within the east gate. There 
stood the poles, one on each side of the entrance to the 
mansion, and kept in their places by four enormous 
blocks of granite. These poles, a greatly desired mark 
of distinction, were about sixty feet high, with orna- 
mental cross-trees, and varnished with imperial ver- 
milion. As the. cart drew up at the door a great crowd 
collected. It was quite orderly, and made a line for me 
to pass through the gateway and into the inner court. 
Here the lictor stopped the crowd, and ordered the 
door to be closed. The maid apologised to me for not 
reaching the ladies' apartments through the gra.nd 
library, because, since the death of the master of the 
house, his widow had locked it up, as it contained many 
very valuable objects of art, which she feared might be 
stolen. In this library was the coiffin of an uncle 
waiting for interment for twenty-one years, because 
that branch of the family were not able to afford a 
tandsome funeral. 

We passed into a court behind the library, and 



VISIT TO A CHINESE LADY. 6r 

from thence into tlie ladies' court. Close to the great 
door of the ladies' court, aa it was opened, stood the 
eldest lady of the family. She stood alone in the centre. 
On each side of her, drawn up in lines, were the other 
ladies of the household. On her left were the sons' 
wivea, their children and attendants. On her right 
were her married daughter and other female members 



of the family, with their attendants. It was quite an 
imposing sight. I am sure there were over fifty women 
in that courtyard. We saluted each otter by clasping 
one hand over the other and making a salaam. Then 
the old lady, with words of kindly welcome, took my 
hand and led me up to the top of the stone steps, the 
ladies following in two lines, first left, then right. We 
sainted each other formally. Then the lines were; 



62 VISIT TO A CHINESE LADY. 

broken np, and we had such a greeting of old friends. 
The eldest son's wife, a pretty woman of forty, claimed 
me as her friend. The eldest daughter, a woman of 
forty-five, also claimed me. They hugged and patted 
and petted me in a most un-Chinese fashion. They 
were most unfeignedly delighted to see me, and ex- 
claimed, * Why have you been so long of coming ? ' 

They told me their sorrows ; — how the head of the 
house had died ; how the eldest grandson had died ; 
how the two younger daughters of the house had died ; 
and how, when one after another died, they always 
wanted me to comfort them. Then they told me that 
the second son was very ill, and could not live long. 
* Would you mind sitting in his room and talking to 
him ? We promised him you would.' I said I would 
be only too pleased to go. We went into the Tai Tai's 
room. One half of it was screened off by a silken damask 
curtain, a perfect piece of beauty, gold ground with 
crimson flowers, and broad stripes of pale sea-green. 
In front of the curtain was a low ottoman, covered with 
fine crimson felt, and in the centre of the ottoman a 
handsome brazier of brass filigree work was placed, in 
which charcoal was burning. I was taken to a seat on the 
ottoman, and asked to warm my fingers. Then a silver 
pipe was presented — a water pipe, in which the smoke 
is purified by passing through water. I declined to 
smoke. Then tea in beautiful cups with silver saucers 
was offered. The saucers were not round but oval, 
pointed at either end. Various kinds of sweetmeats 
were given with the tea, the finest being crystallised 
Siberian crabs. These were most delicious. The ladies 
told me that every year they had a supply of them from 
Peking. 



A TALK WITH AN INVALID. (>i 

We had a pleasant talk of the various changes in 
our households. We spoke of how the Da Sian Niang's 
daughter was married ; how they would not give her 
to an opium-smoking husband ; how my daughter was 
married, and when she would come to visit me. 

Suddenly a movement of the damask curtain, and a 
voice saying * Mamma!' in our own identical tones, 
startled me. Behind the curtain was a luxuriously 
furnished divan, and there lay the sick son. He was 
most handsomely dressed. As he extended his hands 
they looked like ivory. His face, though pale, was not 
unpleasant. A habitual opium smoker, he was wasting 
away. 

He greeted me most pleasantly, talked of his old 
friends, and asked where they were. He mentioned 
particularly Dr. W. A. Henderson, who, he said, had 
been most kind to him and to his father. I said, *I fear 
we disturb you.' He replied, 'No, I like so much to 
hear you all talking.' He was most affectionate to his 
mother and sisters, and spoke kindly to his wife. He 
evidently had the feelings of a true gentleman. We 
talked of Russia, and of European news that he had read 
in the ' Globe Magazine.' We spoke much of religious 
matters. He told me he was afraid to become a Christian, 
lest when he died he would not go to the same place 
as his ancestors. * All the New Testament,' he said, ' was 
good, but the Revelation of St. John was splendid.' Our 
conversation was mixed with talks of railways, the falling 
of the Tay bridge, and current news. 

After a time we adjourned to the apartments of the 
younger ladies, and had luncheon of confections, finiit, 
pastry, salad, and tea. Only the old Tai Tai ate with 
me. The young wives and daughters ate afterwards. 



64 AN IMPORTANT QUESTION, 

The divan on which we sat, and on which was placed 
the small dining-table, was covered with, a magnificent 
wadded quilt. The centre piece was yellow silk with 
crimson brocade pattern, richly mixed with gold. I 
think these gorgeous damasks must be like the cloth of 
beaten gold spoken of in Scripture. The opposite divan 
was covered with a quilt of greater beauty — white satin 
embroidered in pink and gold and green. The border 
was a wide piece of pale sea-green satin, I never saw 
such costly damasks. Perhaps the ladies had beautified 
their rooms with spoils from the old mandarin's Tioard. 
They told me that these damasks and the elaborate 
embroidery that hung as a drapery on the front of the 
lianqs were a present. A rich man in China often 
fears to show his wealth, as he is so apt to be victimised 
by the ofiicials. While we were at luncheon the whole 
household of women came in and partook of melon seeds 
and sweetmeats. Some of the nieces of the old Tai Tai 
came in with their children. There were many very fine- 
looking women amongst them. They all talked gently 
and pleasantly. 

I spoke to them for a long time on the truths of 
our religion. They were attentive listeners, and asked 
a number of most intelligent questions. Two or three 
of them whispered together for a short time, and then 
the eldest daughter said, * We have one important thing 
we wish to know. We are always thinking of it and 
talking of it. Many of our family are dead, and this 
brother will soon die. This is the important question : 
Where do people go when they die? Do men and 
women go to the same place ? * 

I told them of the city that hath no need of the 
sun, of the pearly gates, and of the golden streets, of 



A CHINESE LAD ITS DINNER. 65 

the inhabitants of the city who hunger no more, neither 
thirst any more. I told them of the multitude which 
no man can number, of all nations and kindreds and 
people and tongues, and 'of God the Judge of all, and 
of the spirits of just men made 'perjed! 

The great event of the day was dinner. I had 
hoped to return to our inn before evening, but as I 
found they would be disappointed if I did not stay to 
dinner, I reluctantly consented. 

Just at sunset dinner was served. None but the 
old Tai Tai and I dined, although there was ample pro- 
vision for the thirty or forty women and girls who sat 
round about the room, talking and amusing the little 
ones. The table, about a foot high, was laid again on 
the cloth of gold divan. The eldest son's wife sat by 
the side of the old Tai Tai to assist her. The eldest 
daughter of the house sat by my side, to give me what 
help I needed in selecting the most recherche viands. 
Various women servants waited table. A relative — an 
aunt, I think — whose duty it is, began the dinner by 
pouring from an exquisite little china teapot some very 
toothsome sauce into a porcelain spoon that wa^ laid 
on a saucer for each. Another relative brought wine 
in two silver measures. The eldest daughter-in-law 
brought in wheaten cakes as thin as paper. The eldest 
daughter brought in two napkins, called food arresters. 
These were beautiful squares of silk about the size of 
a large dinner napkin. The one handed to me was ot 
pale olive-green, printed in colours, pink roses being 
the chief patterns. It had a lining of pale pink satin ; 
one comer of it was folded down, and a silk cord sewn 
on to serve as a button latch. The lady deftly fastened 
this on the topmost button of my dress^ laid the corner 



66 A CHINESE LADY'S DINNER. 

straight down the front of my dress, and spread the 
other two comers out towards my elbows. The old Tai 
Tai was similarly adorned. The prevailing colour of her 
napkin was blue. The lining of it was of gold colour. 
Ladies strive to have these napkins in as much variety 
as possible. 

After we were arrayed in the napkins dinner was 
served. The viands were deliciously cooked, and as course 
after course was sent in I became quite bewildered. 
There were fowl, fish, pork, salad, eggs, savory stews 
of all things mentionable and unmentionable, heche de 
mer, steaming hot bread of the whitest, chips of ham 
of the finest flavour, confections exquisite in taste and 
appearance, and, last of all, a tiny basin of soup, with a 
slightly acid flavour and a mucilaginous consistence. 
This wound up a dinner fit for an empress. If refine- 
ment is seen in the manner in which we prepare and 
serve our food, then the Chinese are a refined people. 
The decorations on the various dishes were highly 
artistic. When dinner was ended, two beautifully lac- 
quered basins were brought in, with hot water and 
a small napkin, which the lady wrung out and handed 
to me; so we did not wipe our hands on the lovely 
satin pinafores. There were about forty young and 
pretty women in the room. Now and then the old 
Tai Tai fed some little prattlers with titbits, the little 
rosebud mouths opening for them like so many little 
fledglings. 

Opium smoking has made sad havoc in this family. 
There is scarcely a healthy member in it. The sons are 
all dead save one. The grandsons are puny and sickly. 
One boy of eight has never had more than three teeth, 
and is not likely to have more. Another child of four 



EFFECTS OP OPIUM SMOKING, 6? 

Las cataract in both eyes. He was all right till he was 
two years of age, when the cataract was observed. It 
is affecting to see him turn his little eyeballs, and try 
to look upon his mother. She is devoted to the child, 
and asked me eagerly if a great doctor like Dr. Hender- 
son was coming, and if I thought he could make her 
child see. It was sad to hear these women talk of opium 
as having blighted all their lives. The heir, a fine boy 
of ten, is quite like his mother, and has not a trace of 
his father's features. The women in the family are bent 
on keeping him from opium. The old grandmother tells 
him that if he begins to take opium, she will sell every- 
thing but the house, and divide the silver amongst the 
ladies of the family. 

I went to say good-bye to the invalid son. I asked 
if I could do anything for him. He inquired if I had 
any coffee. He said it helped him much against opium 
smoking. We had a large bottle of essence of coffee, 
and some tins of milk, which I sent to him. He also 
begged me to send him two tubes of vaccine lymph. 
In former years we had sent it. As many as six hun- 
dred babies had been vaccinated with it in one spring 
by his father. 

I bade these friends a most affectionate adieu. I 
returned to the inn in the cart. The driver was a verit- 
able Jehu, for, in the evening, when the streets were 
clear of traffic, and a brilliant moon was shining, he did 
drive furiously. 

In the morning, just as we were starting from the 
city, the manservant came with his master's card, wish- 
ing us a happy journey, and with a present of two red 
boxes of sweet cakes. It is a Chinese custom on such 
occasions to present such cakes, which are a substitute 

a2 



68 A PARTING PRESENT. 

for the stirrup cup, and a good substitute. It is a 
piece of affectation to pile these little red boxes in a 
conspicuous place among the baggage, so that all may- 
see how popular one is. On some carts a regular pile 
of them was seen, ten or twelve at least. 



69 



CHAPTER IX. 

A grand archway in honour of a virtuous woman — Its ornamenta- 
tion — Pleasant villages — The city of Chang Loh— Lime-kilns— « 
Novel house-building — Sunday— Native Christians — Transmis- 
sion of letters — Manufacture of twine. 

1'he next forenoon was fine. As we left Wei Hien 
we looked lingeringly back to its lofty walls, and the 
great powder tower that stands just outside the west 
gate. A mile or two from the city, on the north side of 
the road, we saw a most gorgeous pei-low, quite new, 
and of larger proportions and finer workmanship than 
any we had seen. From every ornament on it, and 
from every point from which anything could be hung, 
there floated long banners of scarlet cloth. At all the 
comers, also, were long draperies of scarlet cloth. The 
breeze was just light enough to stir the banners and 
give the whole a jubilant look. The grounds around 
were newly planted with trees. Hundreds of workmen 
were busy putting up a fine wall to enclose several acres 
of ground around this handsome monument. 

Who was thus honoured ? we inquired ; and great 
was our surprise to be told that it was a lady, the wife 
of a great man in the city. We could not hear anything 
more special about her than that she had been good, and 
very kind to the poor and to the aged. But, alas ! she 
had no sons to hold her memory sacred. Her husband 



70 PLEASANT VILLAGES. 

had been a great public benefactor, and had done good 
service to the city in many ways. So, with imperial 
permission, the citizens erected this gigantic monument 
to perpetuate the remembrance of his wife. It had been 
publicly opened a few days before, and the whole road 
leading to it had a gay, holiday look. A village some 
two miles beyond, in which the ancestral temple of this 
family stands, was also decorated with great streamers 
of scarlet. What amused me most was to see every little 
idol on the roofs and gateways of the temple with a 
strip of scarlet cloth tied round its throat, the ends 
floating in the wind. Even the little poodles that were 
running about the village had scarlet strings on their 
necks. 

We passed through pleasant villages shaded with 
trees, and lively with young voices, the cackling of 
ducks, the gossip of geese, and other cheery rural 
sounds. We stopped for our mid-day halt at a very 
small inn in an exceedingly pretty village, the street of 
which was wide and filled on each side with small inns. 
Tables were ranged on the street, and numerous travel- 
lers were taking dinner in the open air. 

On the outskirts of this village we saw a number of 
men making beautifully smooth sun-dried bricks. They 
were kneading the clay with their feet, and then press- 
ing it into an oblong mould. 

All their courtyards were tidily swept up, and their 
fowls, exceedingly pretty, of varied colours, were well 
cared for. Almost every chanticleer had a tippet of a 
different colour. There were grey cocks with sheeny 
green ruffs; gold-coloured, with silvery grey; white, 
with golden brown tippets; and black, with mottled 
white. 



NOVEL HOUSE-BUILDING, 71 

Passing over a mountain ridge, we came on a village 
of lime-kilns on the sides of a spur of a hill. It was a 
very busy place. The highway ran right through the 
village. The lime-burners looked a wild and rough set 
of men, who were busily loading great wheelbarrows 
with the lime. This village is, I am told, entirely 
deserted during the winter months, as it is too cold and 
exposed; The huts in it are built tent-fashion — a low 
wall, not a foot high, for a foundation ; then, long millet 
stalks forming a sloping roof, plastered with white lime. 
They looked, in the distance, exactly like canvas tents. 

After crossing the limestone ridge we reached the 
city of Chang Loh. Here we found what, for China, 
was a most comfortable inn, and almost clean — brighter 
and lighter than the usual hostelries at which we have 
put up. A very early start in the morning had brought 
us to our halting-place while the sun was yet high ; so 
we had time to walk about, and get interested in the 
people. 

At one place they were building a house in rather 
a novel way. At each of the four corners they had 
erected a square, solid pillar of half-burnt brick. From 
one of these corners to another two long planks were 
fixed in the form of a trough, whose width was to be the 
thickness of the walls. Into this trough three men 
and a boy were busily shovelling mud lightly mixed 
with straw. After shovelling in a quantity, they laid 
down their spades, got into the space between the 
planks, and stamped most vigorously on the mud. Then 
another filling was succeeded by another stamping, and 
so on, till the mud was beaten hard. The planks were 
then slipped up, and the process repeated till the wall 
was completed. This house was entirely of mud and 



72 NATIVE CHRISTIANS. 

straw ; beds, cupboards, cooking pots, — all were built 
in with the same materials. The cupboards were 
millet stalks plastered over with mud. Nearly all the 
walls in that village were built on the trough plan. 
Some of the houses were plastered over with lime, and 
looked bright enough. I fear they would be infested 
by scorpions and such crawling things as are found 
living in mud walls. The millet stalks also, I believe, 
would most likely make a very earwiggy cupboard. 

The workmen had levelled the earth for the floor, 
and the hard knockings they made were accompanied 
by a sing-song kind of grunt. Looking in, I saw the 
floor was being pounded hard by three men, working 
what Shakespeare calls 'the three-man beetle,' and 
rapidly making the floor smooth and solid. The house 
was roofed over with millet stalks, plastered with mud 
mixed with straw. When dry, the roof would get a 
good solid coat of lime plaster. It was astonishing 
that, with such scant materials and in so short a time, 
they could make a tolerably comfortable dwelling. 

At this city, Chang Loh, we spent the Sunday. 
How often it happens that Sabbaths are so calm and 
bright, as though heaven were so near that some of 
its rest, and peace, and brightness had overflowed to 
soothe us here ! 

In this neighbourhood are many native Christians, 
poor peasant people who are struggling upward to the 
light. In these weak ones are the germs of the true 
righteousness whereby this nation will, in the future, 
be exalted. 

This was the third point on the route from which 
we dispatched letters. We made them up in a large 
packet, and gave it to the muleteer of a cart travelling 



MANUFACTURE OF TWINE, 73 

towards Chefoo. Outside the package was written 
that, on delivery within a specified time, the bearer 
would receive one hundred and fifty copper cash — about 
eight pence of English money. Letters are seldom lost. 

The town of Chang Loh was much dilapidated. Yet 
there was a great deal of life in the streets. The in- 
habitants were busily occupied in making fine twine. 
Along the sides of the streets were most ingenious 
winding machines for twisting the hemp, some of them 
twisting from ten to twenty lines of twine, each line 
containing five strands of hemp. 

In the neighbourhood of Chang Loh the soil is ex- 
ceedingly fertile. All the plain is dotted with villages, 
and to the south are many market-towns of goodly size. 



74 



CHAPTER X. 

The city of Tsingchow-foo — Its antiquity — Inns— Process of disin- 
fection — A murder story — Falcons and falconry — ^Archers — A 
walk through the city — Trades : silks, cutlery, calico printing — 
Musicians — Chinese music — Maxims by ancient sages — Steam- 
whistles in China — The manufacture of silk— A Tartar city. 

We reached Tsingchow-foo about noon. It is a de- 
partmental city of importance, and of great antiquity. 
We entered by the east gate, but found there were no 
inns in that quarter of the city. So we retraced our 
steps, and went outside the wall to reach the north 
gate, by which we went in. In one of the streets my 
husband got a most kindly greeting from a pleasant, 
bright-faced man. Inns were very few. After travers- 
ing a great part of the city, we went into one — a low, 
musty-smelling place. It was very damp; so we lit 
small fires of straw all over the floor. We were glad 
even to shut in the smoke, to help in freshening up the 
atmosphere. 

A former traveller had deposited a large parcel of 
salted fish on the floor. The odour left from them was 
so very strong that I tried to avoid that corner of our 
Tsingchow-foo domicile. An old woman who came in 
gave another account of the disagreeable odour. Her 
tale was this : — ' One evening two travellers arrived 
late and had supper. After everything was arranged 



A MURDER STOR\, 75 

for the night the younger of the two tapped at the 
landlord's room, and asked if he would take payment, 
as they found they must start before daybreak. The 
landlord did so, and noticed that they had had a great 
deal of wine at supper. In the morning the stable-boy 
was roused by a tap outside his window, and a voice 
said, "You close the door ; we are off." This was in the 
autumn. No more was thought of the two travellers 
till nearly six months after. Ever and anon some 
traveller would complain of the foul odour of the place. 
The dog at the inn began to scratch up the earth in a 
comer under a wooden bedstead. At length the men 
at the inn removed the bedstead to repair the damage, 
and were horrified to find that the dog had scratched a 
hole deep enough to disclose the putrifying remains of 
a human hand. At once they went to the magistrate's 
bureau. In full state the Chi-foo came and had the 
whole exhumed. A small boy at the inn was sharp 
enough to identify some ornament on the shoes as those 
worn by the travellers who were supposed to have left 
the inn very early one morning about six months before. 
The body found was interred by order of the magistrates. 
Nothing had transpired to lead to the identification 
either of the dead man or his murderer.' I did not 
like the inn any the better for the old woman's story. 

One bit of beauty lit up this dismal, foul-smelling 
room. It was an exquisite water-colour painting of a 
white ger-falcon on a perch, with silken cord and tassels 
thrown over a finely embroidered belt. The artist must 
have been a lover of birds, or he never could have 
given the life-like touch to this one. A good deal of 
falconry is indulged in here. It is astonishing how 
successful the falcons are in capturing their quarry. 



76 A WALK' THROUGH THE CITY. 

They are carried on the wrist and hooded, as in the olden 
time. Indeed, this city has altogether an old-world look. 
We saw a great many archers. Two of them, with bows 
slung over their shoulders, came to our inn the first day 
we were there, begging medicine for a man who had got 
an arrow into his arm as the soldiers were practising 
archery outside the Manchu city. Eobin Hood and 
Little John, I called them. One was tall and burly, the 
other short and slender. They were clad in olive-green. 

We had crowds of people all day to talk to. In the 
evening we walked out, and found that the city, which 
supplies a large district, had been improved very much 
since the famine time. There were many fine streets 
in it. One street, which I dubbed Sheffield Street, 
seemed almost entirely filled with shops for cutlery 
goods. There were scissors, knives, swords, all sorts of 
steel implements and tools for various trades. The 
people trading in them were all as busy as possible, 
hammering, filing, welding, and riveting. In another 
street there seemed nothing but silk shops. In a third 
street many men were busily block-printing in colours, 
laying one colour on after the other very expeditiously. 
In another quarter men were brushing the patterns on 
over perforated vellum, and laying one colour over the 
other. 

The people were most friendly. An old man offered 
to give us some music on an instrument called a san 
Men, a kind of guitar. He had evidently a musical 
taste, as he performed with some skill. His instrument 
had only three strings, and some of the music from it 
was wonderfully sweet. The crowd around him thought 
he was a first-rate player, and were most anxious that 
we should hear him play. After a time he asked us to 



8o STEAM-WHISTLES IN CHINA. 

the State.' His teaching on these subjects was un- 
compromising. The three were indissolubly associated 
in his mind. 

' When aflfairs cannot be carried on to success/ 
Confucius said, * proprieties and music will not flourish. 
When proprieties and music do not flourish, punish- 
ments will not be properly awarded. It is by the Odes 
that the mind is aroused ; it is by the rules of propriety 
that the character is established ; it is from music that 
the finish is received.' 

These two philosophers were musicians ; the former, 
Chuang Tsze, considered that no coarse or vulgar person 
had any right to intermeddle with this divine accom- 
plishment. His remark is : * If a man be without 
the virtues proper to humanity, what has he to do with 
music ? ' This was written nearly two thousand years 
before Shakespeare penned the words : 

* The man who hath not music in his soul 
Is fit for wars, stratagems, and treasons.' 

One thing seemed very fashionable in Tsingchow 
too, viz. a gigantic hot-water kettle, with a compart- 
ment for fire, and a funnel going up through the kettle. A 
copper coin was so placed in the kettle that, when the 
water boiled, the hole in the coin, a cagh, made a regular 
steam-whistle,' These were whistling on all sides, as it 
was just the time when the people prepared their even- 
ing meal. One and another rushed to the hot-water 
kettle to have tea infused. We, from our inn^ patronised 
one of these kettles for all the hot water we required. 
The charge for a teapotful was not quite one farthing. 

* The copper coins in use in China have all a hole in the centre, 
and are strung on a cord. 



THE MANUFACTURE OF SILK, 8i 

It was amusing to notice the varieties of teapots brought 
out by the inhabitants of Tsingchow-foo ; they were of 
all sizes, shades, and shapes, round, square, hexagonal, 
large enough for twenty, and small enough for two. 

The most important industry in the city is the pre- 
paration of silk. In all the district around Tsingchow- 
foo the silkworm is reared. Under foreign auspices this 
trade has revived and extended wonderfully. Every 
year thousands of bushels of cocoons are brought to the 
port of Chefoo. These are wound and spun at a large 
silk manufactory recently erected by foreigners. Undei 
skilled treatment the silk of the Tsingchow-foo dis- 
trict is made most valuable for use in Europe, whither 
it is sent chiefly in the form of reeled yarn. Over a 
great part of the province of Shan-tung, and especially 
in the neighbourhood of Tsingchow-foo, this trade is a 
great blessing, as it gives employment to thousands of 
women and girls who would otherwise be destitute. 

Just outside the wall of Tsingchow-foo there is a 
Tartar city, not large, but with a good wall, that has 
lately been carefully repaired. In former times there 
had been a wide moat surrounding the wall. Now it 
is dry, and is used for driUing the soldiers, and for pra^- 
tice with the large bow and arrow. This Tartar city is 
entirely a city of soldiers ; no trade is done in it. The 
only shops in it are for victuals. The Tsingchow-foo 
people dislike the Tartar soldiers very much. As we 
passed in the early morning the whole place looked 
peaceful. All round the Tartar city wall the trees were 
waving green, and in full leaf. In this neighbourhood 
is a large number of native Christians. 



82 



CHAPTER XI. 

A Chinese bride — Bridal privileges — Bridal attire — The return of a 
bride to the house of her parents — Betrothal : when and how — 
Sacredness — Marriages are made in heaven — A famous Chinese 
story in illustration thereof. 

One of many kind and thoughtful laws of China is that, 
at the end of a few months, a newly wedded woman has 
the privilege of visiting her parents' home. In Shan- 
tung this law is almost always observed. The husband's 
friends are usually willing, but if they object to take 
the trouble, the elders of the village can compel them 
to convey the bride to her mother's home in proper form 
for this lawful visit. 

As I journey on, along the old highway, there is 
a ripple of silvery laughter, a trot, trot, of tiny hoofs, 
hurrying to pass my shendzle. What a bonny, laugh- 
ing face looks into mine! — large, lustrous, almond- 
shaped eyes, and features, not Romanesque, yet perfect. 
The lovely little rosebud mouth shows teeth as pearly 
as can be boasted by any of Beauty's daughters in 
Western lands. She is too old to be afraid, and too young 
to be prudish. She has for escort a nice-looking lad 
about fourteen years of age — a brother; the kinship 
is written in their faces. 

I give her a smile. She turns away with a blush 
and another ripple of silvery laughter. She tries to 



BRIDAL ATTIRE, 83 

hurry the little donkey on, then changes her mind 
quickly, and says to her brother, * You need not be in a 
great hurry.' Then another look. I keep my eyes fixed 
on my work, as I know she is taking a good look at me. 
Evidently she has not the least idea that I may under- 
stand her language ; for in the prettiest Chinese she in- 
forms her brother, ' She has yellow hair, and a purple 
butterfly at her throat, and it is resting on a silver 
leaf.' This purple butterfly is a bow of satin ribbon. 

' Can you see her feet ? ' 

' No, they are under the quilt.' 

* Do you think she will have red shoes ? ' 

* No,' says the boy indignantly ; ' she is old.' 
Then I look up. Again she blushes, and I have 

time to examine her dress ; and, as it is typical, I will 
describe it. 

Most important of all in the eyes of a Chinese bride 
are her shoes, so there I must begin. What radiant 
shoes they are — of glistening rose-pink satin, worked in 
shaded blue silk embroidery, intermingled with gold ! 
The outlines of the shoes are in fine gold braid, and just 
at the instep can be seen the tiniest bit of white — the 
bandage with which her foot is bound. The sole of 
that little foot would not much more than cover the 
length of my palm. Eound the ankle is a small gaiter 
of sea-green silk, tied with a red silk ribbon two inches 
wide,' and with tassels at the hanging ends. The little 
foot is most artistically displayed under her riding skirt 
of scarlet cloth. This skirt is made in gores, about six 
inches wide at the hem, and tapering to the waist. 
Each gore is bound with black satin, and the scarlet 
cloth is profusely covered with shaded blue embroidery, 
butterflies being predominant. 

r 2 



84 BRIDAL ATTIRE. 

Sitting straight on the back of the donkey, her 
elaborate riding skirt can be fully seen, it being spread 
out over the saddle-bags, which hang well over the sides 
of the animal. She wears a loose jacket of crimson 
brocaded crape, the long sleeves draping most grace- 
fully. The jacket has a black satin binding, and a 
trimming of white satin about two inches wide, beauti- 
fully embroidered in blue and gold. Then an immense 
collar in arabesques, bound with black satin, and em- 
broidered with various hues. Just where the sleeves 
form a line from the shoulders, there hang two magnifi- 
cent tassels of scarlet and blue and gold. The little 
hands that hold the reins are gloveless, but they are 
white and shapely. Her head-dress is a broad band, 
mysterious in its beauty of satin and embroidery. This 
also is bound with black satin, and, straight up the 
forehead, studded with gems like small brooches. Her 
earrings are a mass of slender chains of gold, with blue 
enamel pendants, like a miniature chatelaine; each 
earring, though light, would be almost a handful, and 
has this advantage, that it ^ makes music wherever she 
goes.' Her jet black hair is smooth and glossy, put up 
in a coil behind, and fastened with many and most 
variedly ornamental gold pins. There are a few balls 
of crimson silk at the left side. 

Crimson is China's bridal colour; for brides in 
China are all royal, an empress in ancient times having 
granted them that privilege. 

Whilst taking note of the lady's dress I have also 
been observing the kindliness existing between the rider 
and her little squire. That boy loves his sister ; affec- 
tion is seen in his every look. He has dressed the little 
white donkey to bring her home. There is a bit of 



BETROTHAL: WHEN AND HOW, 85 

red cord tying up its tail, a red rosette at each ear, and 
its head-gear is all brilliant with twists of scarlet braid. 
They turn up a cross road leading to a village shaded 
by fine elm trees, and looking lovely in the morning 
sunlight. On the edge of the village is a handsome 
house. Near the house is a group of boys and girls in 
gay clothing. As the little donkey trots up the road 
I see demonstrations of joy among the band. The 
blues and scarlets of their robes are intermingling like 
a fairy show. Evidently there is a merry greeting for 
the two, who, forgetting the foreigner, are urging the 
little donkey to his utmost speed. I can hear the 
shouts of the children, though I cannot distinguish 
their words. A tall, handsome Chinaman comes out of 
the house, just in time to take the beauty into his arms ; 
and I am mistaken if that father does not clasp his 
daughter with as much affection as is bestowed on 
daughters in Western lands. 

' Marriages are made in heaven ' ; no nation believes 
this more firmly than the Chinese. The formalities 
necessary to a marriage are gone through in the gravest 
manner. In every town and village there are women 
who gain a livelihood by attending to these matters. 
The precise time of a child's birth is always noted by 
the family, as that on which depend all the future 
events in its life. 

Betrothal is arranged for by the j^onvha or go- 
between. The family of the young man is supposed to take 
the initiative. The first act is to give the go-between 
a card with the family name, the hour, day, month, 
and year of the birth of the prospective bridegroom. 
This card is presented to the match-maker who acts on 
behalf of an eligible young lady. A card giving the 



86 A CHINESE LAW OF MARRIAGE. 

same information about her is presented to the match- 
maker on behalf of the young man. The two match- 
makers consult Zadkiel. If he pronounces favourably- 
regarding the proposed match, then the details of the 
betrothal are arranged. 

One Chinese law of marriage is that no persons 
bearing the same family name may be betrothed. This 
prohibition has been in force from early times. In course 
of ages it happened that whole communities came to 
have the same family name, so that men had often to 
make long and expensive journeys to get wives. This 
became so oppressive that in the years between A.D. 
1403 and A.D. 1425, during the reign of the emperor 
Yung Lo, a law was enacted that members of families 
who had military titles, and families who were strictly 
private people, though having the same name, might 
intermarry. 

In China onlv the heads of families are interested in 
the making of marriages. The young men and women 
themselves are not likely ever to meet prior to their 
wedding-day. Indeed, the Chinese idea of a happy 
union is, that the couple do not see each other till after 
the wedding, when it is the custom for the bridegroom 
to lead his bride into his mother's apartment. He there 
unveils her, and for the first time looks in the face of 
the woman with whom he is to spend his life. 

In spite of early betrothals, there is a great amount 
of domestic happiness in China. No feelings of injustice 
and no ideas of forced marriage are associated with the 
ancient and universal custom. 

While the details of betrothal are in process, it is 
believed that if the marriage is not registered in heaven, 
the Heavenly Father will interfere to interrupt it. So 



A CHINESE STORY. 87 

betrothal has to run the gauntlet of circumstances. If 
anything unlucky happen in either family while 
arrangements are in process, even so small an event as 
the breaking of a piece of crockery or the loss of any 
article of value, the negotiations would be stopped and 
the cards returned. However, should the ^course of 
betrothal run smooth,' the horological card is produced, 
and two threads of scarlet silk and four long and large 
needles. These needles are solemnly threaded at each 
end of the threads. Two of these needles are passed 
through the card in the possession of the bridegroom's 
family, and sent to the family of the bride. The other 
two needles are passed through the card in possession of 
the bride's family. These cards are kept most carefully 
as evidence of the betrothal being binding. 

AU the documents relating to a marriage are written 
out in front of the ancestral tablet. Until the whole 
process is legalised the cards are deposited under the 
incense vase in front of the tablet. The phrase used in 
declaring a betrothal completed is, * The red strings are 
tied.' 

I may relate the story on which this is based. It is 
constantly told by the legend-loving: — ^In the Tang 
dynasty, A.D. 618-905, a student went to the capital of 
the province for his B.A. examination. He had worked 
so hard and become so anxious that he could not sleep. 
One fine moonlight night he walked out to the lake 
beside the city wall. There he observed an old man 
reading a book by the light of the moon. * What are 
you studying ? ' said the young student. * The book of 
matches for all places under the heavens ; ' adding, ^ I 
always carry about with me the cords with which to tie 
those who ought to be united ; and when this cord is 



88 A CHINESE STORY, 

tied nothing can change it ; the two will come together, 
even though they are at the extremes of the earth. You 
will see your future wife in the home of the old woman 
who sells vegetables at the north of the lake. The 
cord is tied.' Next day the student found the shop and 
the old woman. She had a young girl in her arms. He 
thought the girl would be ugly like her mother ; so he 
hired a ruffian to kill the girl. The student was told 
that the ruffian had killed her. No one cared, for the 
woman was poor. Fourteen years afterwards, when the 
student had become a mandarin, and many attempts at 
marriage had failed, his superior officer gave him his 
daughter in marriage. She was very beautiful, but 
always wore her head-dress with an ornament over her 
left eyebrow. Her husband asked her why she wore this 
ornament. She said, * When I was a little girl, my old 
nurse carried me out in the street, and one day a robber 
struck me. The old woman and I fell down on the 
stones, and she thought I was dead, but she bound up 
the wound, and I recovered. The scar of the wound is 
still here.' She pushed off her head-dress and showed 
the mark of what must have been a frightful wound. * I 
am the prefect's niece,' she continued. ' My father died 
in the Sung, and my old nurse, who sold vegetables, took 
me to her home till my uncle could send for me.' 



89 



CHAPTER XII. 

Chinese marriages: their antecedents and formalities —The bride 
passes through a trying ordeal — A Chinese woman-hater — How 
he trained his son : his precautions, and the result. 

In rich Chinese families the wedding trousseau is often 
a matter of vanity and parade. I have seen a wedding 
outfit borne by more than a hundred coolies, and all 
the articles tied with red silk crape to the carrying 
poles. Before a trousseau is sent off everything in it is 
* sifted/ so that no evil influences may go from the 
house of the bride. On the day previous to the 
wedding, the bride's parents invite their friends to a 
feast. The bride is dressed in her wedding robes, and 
her hair is done up in the style of a married woman. 
While friends are feasting the bride goes through her 
farewell ceremonies. She lights incense before the 
ancestral tablets of her father's house, and worships 
there for the last time. She kneels down before her 
grandparents, her father and mother, a] so her aunts 
and uncles, and worships them. It is really a formal 
leave-taking, and is often very sad. This is done after 
the bridal chair, usually sent the day before the wedding, 
has arrived. 

On the morning of the wedding-day she is called 
*The new woman,' and is invested with a large and 



90 CHINESE WEDDING CEREMONIES, 

magnificently embroidered veil of scarlet crape, having 
a blue and gold crown over it. This veil completely 
conceals her features, and almost her form. Preceded 
by musicians, and amid the firing of crackers, she is 
borne away. Everything in the procession is crimson — 
dress, chair, lanterns. These lanterns have printed on 
them the family name of the bride. From the bride- 
groom's home a procession goes forth to convey the 
bride. When the bearers of the lanterns in the two 
processions meet, they gyrate round each other ; those 
carrying the name of the bridegroom take their places 
in front of the chair. From that time the bride's name 
is changed, and her lantern-bearers with her name, and 
her part of the procession, return to her home, where 
the women of the house are supposed to be wailing in 
great grief. 

Wedding ceremonies are under the supervision of 
the priests, and in connection with them are the 
worshippings of both gods and men, and many super- 
stitious practices. At the wedding ceremony the pair 
are placed before an altar prepared in the reception 
room. The bride is so completely blindfolded by the 
thick veil that she has to be led about. The heralds 
blow a blast. The priests chant some sentences. The 
musicians play their loudest. When the din has 
reached a climax, the pair kneel and worship heaven, 
earth, and the bridegroom's ancestors. The assistants 
produce from the altar two cups filled with wine, tied 
together with a crimson silk cord. The bridegroom sips 
a little from one ; the other is put to the bride's lips, the 
veil intervening. The two cups of wine are then inter- 
mingled. The ends of the sashes are tied together, and 
the bridegroom leads his bride into his mother's room. 



CHINESE WEDDING CEREMONIES, 93 

There is a little by-play as they take their seats together 
on a sofa. Each endeavours to sit on a portion of the 
other's dress, as it is supposed that the one whose dress 
is sat upon will be sure to get the worst of it all 
through life. After this the groom unveils his bride. 

During the whole evening the bride is exhibited. 
Every one who chooses may go in and have a look at 
her, as she stands up on exhibition. She must not 
speak, or laugh, or scarcely move, but remain like a 
waxwork figure, while people make remarks on her 
general appearance. This is a most fatiguing and nn- 
refined ordeal, especially after a long journey and all 
the excitements of the day. I was once called in to 
help a poor young bride who had fainted away ; and 
after she was restored to consciousness there was some 
difficulty in clearing the house of spectators. 

But, with all these tedious formalities, young China- 
men are quite apt to fall in love. Ofttimes it happens 
that a betrothed dies. Then, if the young man is grown 
up, he has a chance of quietly looking about him, and 
by some old aunt or other person get a marriage to his 
liking arranged. Some of the most popular Chinese 
songs relate such adventures. If he is a very aspiring 
young man, and has taken a good literary degree, he 
may in the large card which every graduate is allowed 
to paste up insert an advertisement, saying that he is 
willing to become the son-in-law of a rich man. This 
is frequently done by poor but fortunate students. 
Many a rich man who has no literary standing keeps a 
favourite daughter unbetrothed, in hope of getting a 
literary graduate for a son-in-law. Of course the young 
man takes the ancestral name of his father-in-law, and 
is always spoken of as a son, while the daughter is 



94 A CHINESE LEGEND. 

Spoken of as though she were another man's daughter. 
Thus the rich can burnish their gold with the coveted 
sheen and glory of literature 

The following legend is told : — A man had an only- 
son whom he loved very dearly. He had a good sum 
of money, which he put out to interest, and retired, with 
his son, to a house on the top of a mountain. As the 
father was a literary man, he taught his son. The boy 
became fond of literature, and particularly fond of orna- 
mental writing and drawing. For many years the 
father and son lived in complete happiness. The father 
made journeys down the mountain to the neighbouring 
town for necessaries. He was careful to supply his son 
most liberally with drawing materials. As age crept on, 
and he was no longer able to carry their household sup- 
plies up the mountain, his son dutifully entreated for 
leave to descend the mountain along with him. He 
reluctantly consented, and several trips were made. One 
morning, as they got to the town they found a theatrical 
company there, attracting crowds to the usually quiet 
place. Suddenly there appeared on the road, hurrying 
to the theatre, three lovely young girls, dressed to per- 
fection. 

^ What are these ? ' exclaimed the son. 

' Don't look at them,' said his father ; ' they are 
devils.' But the son could not withdraw his eyes from 
a sight so wonderful. 

On their way up the mountain the boy plied his 
father with all manner of questions about the appari- 
tions. The father was full of stories of the disasters 
people had suflFered through having anything to do with 
such dreadful creatures, and of the frightful evils which 
would result from even thinking of them. In awe-struck 



A CHINESE LEGEND. 95 

tones the father told his son that, if he did not wish 
to be separated from his father for evermore, he must 
not again speak of them. 

So they got home, and matters went on as usual, 
though not quite as usual ; for the son took to going 
out alone, and lying in the sun, with his hat over his 
eyes. He took less interest in his drawings, and none 
in his books. His little dog got no attention, so that 
it preferred staying by the old man, while he cultivated 
their little patch of vegetables. Matters became worse 
and worse. The son scarcely ever spoke to his father, 
but went solitarily about. His father feared he was ill, 
and anxiously asked him to see a doctor. In their visits 
to the town he noticed that his son always loitered as 
long as possible. Suddenly the young man took to his 
pencils and paints, and worked hard at some secret work, 
always carefully locking up his little sanctum. Then 
again he became listless. His father was most solicitous, 
and once got up in the night to look. The light was 
burning in his son's sanctum, the door open. Noiselessly 
he slipped in, and there sat his son, as pale as death, 
before the picture of a beautiful Chinese lady. The son 
became aware of his father's presence, and, rising, threw 
himself into his arms, exclaiming, " Oh ! father, that 
tallest devil ! ' 



95 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A religious festival : its inconvenience— A ruffian innkeeper — The 
Chinese theatre : its acts, actors, and character — The town of 
Chang San Hien, or Long Hill Town — Large crowds : their anxiety 
to see us — Kindliness of the women — A Chinese mother and her 
first-born — Women police— Fine pei-lows in the place— Silk for 
England's fairest daughters : how and by whom produced. 

In the course of our travels we came to a town where 
a great ivJiei, or religious festival, was being held. Guests 
were so nuiflerous that, after travelling all over the town, 
we were driven to take shelter at an inn which has such 
an unenviable reputation, that Chinese who know the 
place would rather trudge on by night or camp out 
than risk staying at it. We had no alternative. By 
representation of the muleteers, who said the inn had 
changed hands, and was now in charge of very respect- 
able people, we were induced to go in. When we first 
arrived in the town the ostlers were all at the inn gate, 
and almost forced us to go in. However, after a vain 
search for another place we were obliged to return and 
enter. 

I was entertained afterwards with tales of lonely 
travellers who had disappeared at that inn. We found 
it really deserved a bad name. In the morning the 
keepers of the inn insisted on being paid more than 
three times the proper amount. On our refusing to pay 



CHINESE THEATRES, 97 

it, every man flew to his sword. A veritable set of 
ruffians they were. While they were arming, we walked 
right out and along to the high road, where there were, 
though early, already many travellers. When the 
scoundrels saw that we were gone, they took the amount 
(twice as much as they ought to have had), and allowed 
our mules to come after us. 

At this place there was a great theatre, built of 
matting, and most tastefully decorated. As we passed in 
the early morning, the play had not commenced. It is 
considered quite a meritorious act to give a play. The 
actors are all paid by one rich man. The stage is 
erected in a large open place, generally in front of a 
temple. No charge is made for admission. All who 
can get standing room may go. The respectable plays 
are principally from historical subjects. Some of the 
actors are of great merit, from a Chinese point of view, 
and become such favourites that they command large 
sums of money. In the historical plays, they are very 
careful to be in the costume proper to the time. They 
depend almost entirely for effect on costume. To the 
other accessories of the stage, such as 'scenes,' they 
pay almost no attention. 

So far as I can learn, the Chinese have no passion- 
drama, such as the ' Muharram ' of the Persians, and 
nothing at all in character like the tragedy of ' Husain.' 
They are fond of emperors and courts. The religious 
element does not enter into their plays. Power is the 
keynote of all Chinese theatricals. Women are not 
allowed to act on the Chinese stage. Young boys 
always take the parts of women. Yet in their plays 
they are fond of having many female representations. 
The acting of the Chinese does not rise to the dignity 

G 



98 KINDLINESS OF THE WOMEN * 

of art ; and I have never heard that they cater for tears. 
I was once privileged, in a private manner, to see one 
of their finest companies of actors. They chose an 
historical play, or rather a kind of opera ; for there was 
a great deal of singing, and the orchestra accompanied 
in a marvellously unharmonious concord. The story 
came out well, and some of the actors, under good 
traininof, would have been above the averaofe staofe- 
player. 

At Chang San Hien we made our mid-day halt. 
The town is very dilapidated ; we had great difficulty 
in getting quiet in which to eat our luncheon. Dr. 
Williamson had frequently to go out to clear a space 
in front of the door. 

As usual, numbers of women crowded round the 
shendzle. Bright and pleasant they looked. We had 
a nice little chat with some of them after dinner. One 
bright young mother placed her baby, of whom she was 
evidently very proud, in my lap, and said, * Now you 
can have him.' The little fellow smiled up into my 
ftice, not in the least afraid. How beautiful mother- 
hood is! The one thought of that young Chinese 
mother was that precious baby, and this was a little 
trick to get him into notice. I patted and praised him, 
and the mother blushed, and beamed with perfect sun- 
shine on her face. The women were all exceeding 
friendly, and one and another, as I passed out, said, 
' When will you come back again ? When will you 
come back ? Come soon.' 

In this inn-yard I saw two women police. The 
Chinese have at all their magistrates' offices women 
who assist in the duties of the court. In rural districts 
they liave women who are entrusted with the duty of 



WOMEN FOLICE. 99 

helping to keep the peace, and who have a right to 
interfere in the cause of justice. Western lands have 
thought of many places that women might fill to advan- 
tage. Has any one suggested women police ? These 
' Ya-Men ' women are easily known. They are generally 
in the prime of life — from thirty-five to forty-five — 
usually of a tall and strong build, and very loud-voiced. 
When they come into an inn-yard they salute the land- 
lord or the muleteers. Thev are women of sfood cha- 
racter, but their position is not envied. I should have 
said they are always widows, and are in this service with 
consent of the parents of their late husbands. Eecog- 
nised by law, there are also lady doctors. 

The town is now very wretched, and dilapidated in 
the extreme. Long years ago it must have been rather 
a pretty place. In its palmy days many pei-lows 
had been built. In the centre of the town there was a 
very old one. I notice that in the oldest pei-low the 
lions are either crouching with outstretched paws or 
seated with paws close together. The figure of the lion 
as an architectural accessory has been imported into 
China. The Chinese name for a lion is a foreign word 
of Persian origin. Usually Chinese artists are fairly 
correct in their representation of animals, but they 
always decorate the lion with a mane all down his 
spine to the root of his tail. On the newer pei-loiv the 
lions are seated, sometimes half profile, grinning at each 
other. Under the paw there is usually a ball or the 
globe. Sometimes they are fondling a tiny cub. 

All along the street men were reeling silk outside 
their doors. The reels were tiny things, prettily made. 
The largest I saw was about three feet long. The 
skeins of silk were just a fraction over fifty inches, 

o 2 



lOD SILK FOR ENGLISH LADIES, 

raaasuring all round. One skein given to me must have 
been wound on a very large winder, as it measured 
two hundred and two inches round. The silk was of 
a most exquisite yellow, the real ' old gold ' that ladies 
have of late thought so becoming. I thought how that 
silk might perchance be woven into robes for ladies 
in England. We are linked each to each all over 
the world. The noble dame who may sweep through 
stately halls in a robe made of this silk knows little of 
the land whence it comes — how fair are its scenes and 
how sunny its skies. Little can she know of the host 
of workers that have contributed to produce the glossy 
fabric she so much admires. I wish I could photo- 
graph for her the lovely Chinese maids and matrons 
who tend the silkworms, the bright-eyed cherubs who 
gather the leaves for the food of the worms, the thou- 
sand and one pictures of calm domestic life in the 
homes of these people. And I would ask those who 
dwell in the lordly halls of England to provide the 
means of training the minds and bringing the comfort 
of the Gospel to the hearts of those Chinese who con- 
tribute so much to the adorning of the persons of 
England's fair daughters. I always found that in the 
districts where the sUkworms are raised the people were 
more refined, and certainly the women were more ele- 
gant and more intelligent than in districts where the 
crops are only cereals. 



lOI 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The outskirts of Chang San Hien : their beauty — The city of Tseu 
Ping Hien : also of great antiquity, and full of pei-knvs — A city 
market — The politeness of the people — Efforts of the women to 
see the foreign sister — * She speaks our language * — A Chinese 
lady: her kindly attention — A cup of tea— How to reckon the 
population of a city — Cremation : its former practice, its present 
illegality — A funeral cort^e on its way from Peking — The desire 
of the Chinese to be literally ' gathered to their fathers.' 

Just outside the town of Chang San Hien there is a 
beautiful piece of water, crossed by a long, flat, stone 
bridge. At intervals, on the outside of the parapet, 
are gargoyles, the water running off from the open 
mouths of finely carved dragons' heads. At the west 
end of this bridge there is a temple, though now 
neglected and fast becoming a ruin. When first built, 
it must have been very imposing. There could hardly 
be a finer site. The water spreads out in front of it, 
and it is surrounded by a raised embankment, with an 
ornamental stone parapet. All around the plain is well 
wooded. The roads are avenues of fine elm, beech, and 
willow trees. In the distance the hills from which the 
place takes its name Q Long Hill Town ') have soft, flow- 
ing outlines, and its blue is as intense as the blue of 
the sky, but in tint a little deeper. 

We bade farewell to Chang San Hien, thinking 
that much kindliness to foreigners existed amopgst the 
people. 



102 THE CITY OF TSEU PI AG HIEN. 

4 

Teeu Ping Hien is a town full of pel-lows. One 
in the centre of the town is of great beauty. It is very- 
ancient ; the people around could not tell how old it 
was — an immense mass of stone, that spoke volumes for 
the skill of the architects. Artistic talent was displayed 
in the carvings ; some of the little pieces in panels, 
executed in relief in stone, being really good. This 
pei-low was jointed in the stone throughout, no mortar 
having been used ; all the great slabs were grooved and 
dovetailed into each other. 

These pei-lows are really triumphal gateways, and 
they have a most imposing effect. They span the road 
usually in three divisions, a wide space in the centre 
and two smaller at the sides. They vary from twenty 
to over sixty feet high. Usually there are ornamental 
panels on them, and sometimes the story of a hero is 
cut in relief in white marble. At the base are often 
the lions that the Chinese are so fond of representing in 
stone. Surrounding the foot of this one in Tseu Ping 
Hien were no fewer than sixteen stone lions, eight on 
either side. These lions were all couching with out- 
stretched paws. 

If one is stopped in a Chinese street, he is apt to 
say to himself, * What an immense number of people 
with nothing to do ! ' Although the Chinese as a nation 
are industrious, yet it is surprising how many of them all 
their lives do absolutely nothing. 

A great fair or market was being held, and plenty of 
ready money going in it — not as in the little country 
fair of which we have spoken. ITiere seemed to be for 
sale everything necessary for Chinese humanity, from silk 
to soap. 

It is hard to picture out before the reader a city 



A CITY MARKET, 105 

street more than a mile in length, lined on both sides 
with stalls, on which are displayed all things for use or 
ornament. Further to the west, vegetables and grain 
are sold : these are displayed on matting spread on the 
raised pathway at each side of the street. The sellers 
at these fairs pay a tax to the town. There were few 
women in the market ; but a Chinaman has a very good 
idea of the requirements of his household. 

The articles displayed at this market — and it was a 
regular one — ^gave us a good insight into the condition 
and comfort of the district. Vegetables and fruits of 
many kinds were there. Grain was abundant, and in 
great variety. There were many kinds of matting, 
some of it quite gay in designs of white and scarlet. 
There were baskets, brooms, crockery, shoes, incense 
papers, silk, yellow and white, cotton in pod, and 
spun yarn, native cloth of all colours, and great piles 
of what in England is called Nanking cloth. There 
were tables of cakes and confections, tables of fortune- 
tellers and letter-writers, perambulating soup-kitchens 
and peripatetic barbers, mobs of mules and donkeys, 
salt and sugar-cane, gossiping ducks and gobbling 
geese, hens and mocking-birds, imitating all manner of 
sounds. There were firewood and charcoal, fir cones and 
fir branches. What a strange mingling of all sorts of 
things was there under the bluest of blue skies, under a 
vault of heaven having a look of height that I have 
never seen elsewhere ! 

Some of the stalls dazzled with sham jewellery, 
bracelets and pins, earrings, all the gewgaws that girls 
like, with a little box in a comer having a pair or two 
of real gold and gem earrings, worth more than all the 
sparkling show. There were books and artificial flowers, 



o6 'SUE SPEAKS OUR TONGUE.' 

and blooming flowers and flowering shrubs. As we 
afterwards went along the road, we were greeted with 
the exquisite perfume of the hwe hiva^ and saw men 
carrying flowers and shrubs in all directions from the 
market. • ' 

In the midst of all the traffic of the fair our shen- 
dzles halted, and our books were taken out. A rapid 
sale began. The concourse of people became so great 
that the way was blocked up ; so we had to leave the 
booksellers behind, and go straight through the main 
street to the outskirts of the town, where there was room 
to unload the poor animals. 

Hither there was a great rush of little-footed China ! 
I was making an attempt to sell books, but saw it 
would be dangerous, as I was in dread lest any of the 
little children might be trampled to death. It was 
interesting to me to see the efibrts the men made so 
that their women-folk might see the foreign woman. 
Stools were borrowed and forms were hired from 
neighbouring shops, and women and girls stood on 
them, held up by fathers, husbands, and brothers. A 
murmur ran round the crowd, ' She speaks our tongue.' 
Then I was plied with questions. I mounted on the 
poles of the shendzle ; that raised me over the heads of 
the crowd. Only women and girls were near. Boys 
and men were on the outskirts. So I told them of my 
reason for coming to China, and said that I had some- 
thing to teach women. Immediately my voice was 
heard there was a stillness over that great assembly. 
A doctrine for women was new to them. A person 
come to exhort women to be good, to avoid lying, to 
curb their tempers and put a bridle on their tongues, 
to pray to the Heavenly Father, and to reverence His 



A CUP OF TEA, 107 

Son, our Lord and Saviour, to worship the Heavenly 
Father in their own homes, to raise an altar for Him in 
their hearts, not to go to temples and worship and burn 
incense to idols, and to believe that in heaven there was 
a place prepared for Chinese women. 

The men nodded their heads, saying, ' Good,' ' That's 
right.' The women said, * True.' Then a pause and 
a change of audience, and the address was repeated. 
Not once was an objectionable word used. All were 
kindly polite. Some invited me into their houses, but 
I declined, and told them I feared the difficulty they 
would have in keeping out the crowd. Many of them 
said, * You will come back soon.' 

A fine private cart, equal to a good carriage at home, 
was drawn up near enough to hear. In it was seated a 
lady who had a teapot in a basket-work cosy. She got 
it filled with hot water at an inn on the opposite side of 
the road. In a short time she sent her little daughter 
in the arms of a serving man, the child bearing a cup 
of tea with some sweetmeats in the saucer. It was a 
ladylike act to offer the first cup to the stranger. The 
tea was a most grateful refreshment in the midst of all 
the heat and dust. Over the heads of the crowd I, from 
my perch, bowed, or rather shook my hands, in acknow- 
ledgment of the kindness. The lady answered the 
salaam. When I had finished the tea I returned the 
cup to the child, and presented her with a small pictorial 
magazine. Her mother evidently feared the child had 
not thanked me, so she made her return in the arms of 
the servant, and, in the prettiest way imaginable, the 
little girl put her hands together and thanked me. 
She was dressed in a beautiful pale green silk jacket, 
with black satin arabesques, scarlet trousers, and pink 



io8 CREMA TIOl^, 

shoes. It looked as if the man had captured a gigantic 
tropical butterfly. 

After some time the booksellers arrived, followed by 
an immense crowd. In a little while we mounted our 
shendzles and set off, amid much noise and excitement, 
and a great rushing for a final purchase of books. The 
people were all kindly disposed. My husband seemed 
to be well known amongst them. 

As we went out of the town, troops of women and 
children gathered at various points to see us pass. 
Many Chinese gentlemen came to purchase books, so 
that my husband had to get out of his shendzle to 
supply them. 

On entering or leaving a Chinese city you can form 
a good idea of its size by the number of the graves 
that lie immediately outside its walls. These are 
chiefly the graves of the poor and of strangers. In 
the eleventh century there was quite a rage for crema- 
tion. At first the priests, for the benefit of the poor, 
encouraged the practice, as they said ' the poor could 
not afford the expense of sepulture ' ; but by-and-by they 
began to cremate the rich also, and to appropriate to 
themselves the legacies that ought to have been devoted 
to ancestral worship. The priests made great gain by 
it, and much valuable property passed into their hands. 
In A.D. 1157 the Chinese Government forbade crema- 
tion, and set apart cemeteries for the poor. However, 
the priests still persisted in cremating ; and by this ac- 
quired property in temples that they still retain. In 
the year a.d. 1261 a petition was presented to the 
throne for the prohibition of the erection of furnaces 
for cremation. This was earnestly sought, as cremation 
interfered materially with the rites of ancestral worship. 



A FUNERAL CORTEGE. 109 

and was only encouraged by the priests to cover their 
peculations. The petition was granted. Buddhist 
priests of high standing are still cremated, and the law 
permits the coffin of an unknown stranger to be burned, 
especially if it has been lying exposed for a long time 
and is decayed. It is legally burned, and the ashes 
spread about. 

The Chinese are not materialists. They have a very 
marked belief in the existence of the soul after death. 
Each grave mound we have passed tells this ; for at 
the present season, spring-time, the graves have each a 
beautiful square-cut sod laid on the top, to signify that 
spring has come. 

We met on the road an immense cavalcade con- 
veying a large coffin from Peking. The coffin was a 
very handsome one covered with bright blue Russian 
cloth and trimmed with gilding. The pall was crimson 
Russian cloth, hanging about six inches over the coffin. 
Over all was an almost transparent oiled silk cover. 
On the top, in a wicker cage, was a white cock leading a 
.most happy life. From the top of this cage floated a tri- 
angular flag of yellow satin, bearing in black characters 
the titles of the deceased. On a piece of yellow satin 
at the head of the coffin was a long list of the virtues 
of the dead mandarin, lliis was carried by four hand- 
some mules, the largest I have seen. The cock is never 
absent from the carrying of a coffin from one place to 
another. The Chinese believe that this fowl has a 
special influence in inducing the spirit to follow the 
body. 

It is the wish of every Chinaman to be ^ gathered to 
his fathers,' to sleep his last long sleep in the little yew- 
shaded graveyard where all his people lie. The bodies 



no 'GATHERED TO HIS FATHERS: 

of the very greatest men of the empire are often thus 
transported to be laid to rest near some obscure little 
village. There is no Westminster Abbey or St. Paul's 
Cathedral for the Chinaman who has served his country. 
The Chinese have more faith in the familv than in the 
nation. 



lit 



CHAFER XV. 

Waterwheels— Coal and coalmen— Native ventilating hatf?— Nearing 
the capital— Bullocks shod with iron and with straw — The 
Sentinel Hill— First visit to Tsi-nan-foo —Provincial examina- 
tion —Tsi-nan-foo, the Paris of North China— The Boman 
Catholic cathedral— The Mahommedan mosque— A sail on the 
Shining Lake— Pleasure palaces— Pleasure -seekers— Gay stu- 
dents—Enchanting scene at sunset on the lake — Floating lamps 
used for divination — Sa.d cortege — The Chinese Morgue— Super- 
stition against dying in a neighbour's house— Chinese revenge — 
Visit to mosque — Mahommedan women. 

On leaving Tseu Ping Hien, after a short ride in the 
early morning, we passed Chang Kieu. Outside of the 
wall to the east we saw four fine and very large water- 
wheels in motion. There is abundant water power in 
this neighbourhood. We dined at a small place called 
Lee Tien, in an inn remarkable for dirt and festooned 
with venerable cobwebs. The country is very flat. 

In all these towns and villages coal is used as fuel. 
The people looked dirtier than in other parts, and par- 
ticularly the little children were smutty in the extreme. 
Along the streets there was to be seen the perambulating 
coalman, ringing a bell hung under his wheelbarrow, 
the rope attached to tho handle, and shouting ' Coal ! 
coal ! ' It seemed to be very cheap indeed, and was 
sold by measure in a great square wooden trough. 
When a purchase was made the coal merchant obligingly 



112 VENTILATING HATS, 

took hold of two of the handles of the trough, and 
helped the purchaser to carry the coal into his house. 

Outside the town of Lee Tien we saw many wheel- 
barrow loads of queer, hexagonal-shaped straw hats, 
with ventilating crown-pieces. For convenience of 
carriage the hats were all packed together, while the 
crown-pieces were in bunches by themselves. These 
hats were most ingeniously woven, and were meant to 
serve as hat and umbrella in one. 

The highway as we got near Tsi-nan-foo became 
wider, and the number of mules on the road was very 




COAL MEASURE WITH HANDLES FOB CAKRYINO. 

large. Indeed, it was a lively sight. There were a 
great many travellers. The constant greetings of 
friends and the chatter about local affairs were quite 
entertaining. We made a very short stage, and stopped 
at a place called Kwo Tien. It was some time before 
sunset, so we had leisure to inspect the room before 
we entered it. It was so dirty that we resolved to go 
elsewhere ; rather than allow us to do this, the room 
received such a cleaning as it had not had for years, 
and was wholly refurnished to suit our convenience. 

In the morning we feel that we are near the centre 
of civilisation, for we are to enter Tsi-nan-foo, the 



CHINESE HIGHWAYS, 113 

capital of the province. This is China's classic province, 
and is in reality a kingdom. In Scotland there are 
something under four millions of inhabitants. In Shan- 
tung there are something over thirty-three millions. 
There is in the province abundance of coal, iron, silver, 
lead, and all material for building purposes. Shan- 
tung has a splendid seaboard. It has a fine race of 
people, and boasts of being the birthplace of China's 
greatest sages. 

As we get near the city we have a very fair specimen 
of the * Old Highways.' They seem at present to have 
small attention from road committees ; broad highways 
are left with the unrepaired ruts of many winters, 
waiting till some severe flood will smooth them over, 
to be again cut up by the wheels of busy traffic. The 
bridges also are seldom in repair, and are often incon- 
veniently placed ; yet we could not but admire the 
wondrous engineering skill which the builders of these 
bridges must have possessed. 

In the cities the pariah dogs and the ubiquitous pig 
divide the duties of sanitation, with an occasional 
sweeping when the mud becomes like a liquid stream. 
When a foreigner complains of the condition of high- 
way or street, the Chinese give a knowing look, as 
much as to say, ' If you don't like our roads, you can 
stay at home.' 

On the highway there was quite a number of 
l)ullocks. Some of them were shod with iron, as of olden 
time in Rome oxen used to be shod. Some oxen had 
only straw sandals tied on each hoof. These they call 
* five li shoes,' that is, they last only about a mile and 
three quarters. Oxen are much used for ploughing, 
and do their work steadily. Going towards Tsi-nan-foo 



114 FIRST VISIT TO TSLNAN-FOO, 

we were particularly struck by the straightness of the 
furrows on a piece of newly-ploughed land. 

While we have been interested in highway and 
field, there has been looming into view the great Sentinel 
Hill, an isolated volcanic cone ; this morning gleaming 
purple as an amethyst, and standing like a grand sentry 
to guard the capital of the province, the great city of 
Tsi-nan-foo. 

Many years ago I made a visit to this city ; and as 
it took place when the great triennial examination was 
being held, it may interest the reader if I give an account 
here of that most interesting visit. 

We arrived just as the sun was setting in the 
west, and the handsome gateway and lofty crenelated 
wall were tinted with a glory of purple and gold. We 
drove through the fine wide streets, and turned into the 
spacious yard of an inn near the Mahommedan mosque. 
There were already some forty or fifty mules in the yard, 
many of them rolling over and over on the ground in high 
enjoyment at being relieved of their hot pack-saddles, 
others munching gratefully at their brttn, beans, and 
straw. The whole place was alive with restless animals. 

The inn itself was old and much dilapidated, though 
roomy and-airy. There were several courtyards belong- 
ing to it ; and ranged round these were many small 
rooms suited for students. These were all full, as fifteen 
thousand Bachelors of Arts had arrived in the city for ex- 
amination. We were shown to a suite of rooms at the ex- 
treme north of the inn, where we had a chance of seeing 
a great many of these candidates for literary honours. 
They all seemed bright and intelligent fellows, very 
sedate, and anxiously discussing examination affairs. • 
Students before their examination are sufiiciently quiet 



THE PARIS OF CHINA, 115 

and subdued, but after the dread trial is over they are apt 
to rush headlong into all sorts of wild practical jokes. 
The mandarins are always excessively anxious regarding 
the peace of the city as corps after corps is passed out 
of the examiners' hands. The first batch were still in, 
so we felt fairly safe. 

Early the following morning we set out on foot to 
explore the famous city. After being accustomed to the 
squalor of little towns, Tsi-nan-foo looked to me the 
Paris of China. The streets are very handsome, much 
wider than the streets of cities in the South of China, 
and they are well paved. In the business part of the 
city the shops are very lofty and most handsome. Every 
shop is wholly exposed by day, and is shut in at night 
by immense boards. While the eaves are a rnass of 
lacquer and gilding, each shop seems to vie with ita 
neighbour in the amount and gorgeousness of the carv- 
ing, gilding, and exquisite colouring of the sides and 
cornices. Scarlet, green, black, and immense portion t 
of gilt flash in the sunlight and dazzle one with the 
brilliancy. Each shop has a counter running all along 
the front. The tea and silk shops do not expose their 
wares, but the counters are profusely decorated with 
flowers in pots, and with dwarf, trees full of blossom. 
The restaurants, the fruit and confection shops display 
their dainties to the best advantage, and most of them 
are decorated with flowers. The attendants at the finer 
shops are very numerous, and are usually young men 
exceedingly well dressed and agreeaWe in their manners. 

The most prominent buildings in Tsi-nan-foo are the 
Eoman Catholic cathedral, with its Western architecture 
and glittering cross, and the 3Iahommedan mosque^ 
with its silver crescent. • These two buildings prove that 

n 2 



Ii6 A i^AIL ON THE SHINING LAKE, 

religious toleration is granted, and they speak constantly 
to the students of teachings other than those of Confucius. 

As the morning advanced the streets became more 
crowded ; but the people were civil, though they stared 
in utter amazement at the foreign woman, the first 
woman of a strange race that had ever trod their streets. 
If they showed any symptoms of crowding or jostling, 
a polite remark from me in their own tongue usually 
made them fall back into a respectful attitude, and from 
one to another would go the words, ' She speaks our 
language,' ^ She understands our rites.' 

After getting enough of the noise and heat of the 
streets, in the afternoon we made our way to the 
beautiful lake which is inside the city wall. There were 
numberless pleasure boats waiting for hire. In one of 
the most brilliantly painted we embarked and sailed 
softly over the shining lake. It was perfect fairyland 
as we glided up one avenue and down another, for the 
lake is divided into portions, each separated by a floating 
artificial bank. These divisions are most ingeniously 
arranged. Anchored to stakes and large stones at the 
bottom of the lake are tiny wicker-work rafts. On these 
rafts a quantity of sods and a stiff growth of reedy plants 
hnd some mould are piled up. All are bound firmly 
together by the natural growth of the roots and fibres 
of plants. On these banks are planted willows and 
other trees that thrive in damp soil, also endless varieties 
of water-loving plants and beautiful flowers, some of 
them almost tropical in their richness. All this vegeta- 
tion was a pleasure to the eye. The spaces enclosed 
were all radiant with pink lotus flowers and their 
beautifully shaped leaves. I enjoyed sailing over these 
avenues of water and watching the men at this season 



GAY STUDENTS. 117 

busy harvesting these broad leaves, which are dried and 
. used extensively for wrapping up parcels of grocery and 
other wares. The men gathering the lotus leaves were 
all paddling about in tubs. I asked why they did not 
take boats. They said tubs were better, as they did not 
. injure either the lotus plants or the floating gardens. 
As we sailed about, sometimes we came to a rocky 
island on which a series of pleasure palaces were built. 
In front of these was a large open space, where the pink 
and white lotus were growing in the loveliest luxuriance. 
It was just the time when all the loungers of gay Tsi- 
nan-foo enjoyed the luxury of afternoon tea in these 
handsome palaces. These palaces are public property, 
but many people seemed to make a trade of supplying 
tea to visitors. In the balmy air the gorgeous blos- 
soms, the brilliant hues of the robes of the Tsi-nan-foo 
dandies, mixed with the soft whites and blues of the 
crape robes of the elderly scholars, were dazzling. I 
could scarcely believe that this was China. Surely we 
were under the spell of Aladdin, who is reported to have 
lived somewhere in this direction. We seated ourselves, 
and I watched a group of gay young Chinamen, some of 
them lounging over the stone balustrade in front of the 
palace. Regular aristocrats they were, and dressed in 
the most lustrous of brocaded silks or in the crimpiest 
of cream-coloured crapes, flirting their fans with admir- 
able grace, talking, laughing, and thinking themselves 
the observed of all observers, too proud to seem anxious 
to stare at the foreigners, yet evidently most desirous to 
study these specimens of Western barbarism. To my 
eye, so long accustomed to the peasant Chinaman, the 
elegance of these lolling students was quite a treat. 
After a most charming afternoon, near sunset, we 



ii8 FLOATING LAMPS, 

embarked again in our gaudy pleasure boat. Here and 
there, all over the water, was a beautiful aquatic plant, 
as if a handful of the leaves of the rose tree had been 
thrown at intervals all about. The sun set just as we 
were in sight of a fine temple where we meant to disem- 
bark. Suddenly the paddling at the stern of the boat 
ceased ; a fine-toned bell tolled a few strokes ; all the 
surrounding boats stopped ; not a sound was heard. In 
the gathering gloom I could just descry a troop of men 
and another group dressed as young women, each 
attended by a priestess, and coming down the broad 
flight of steps. Suddenly, out from the steps floated a 
tiny spark of fire, that rose until it burned a steady flame. 
Then another and another, till the whole place was full 
of dancing lights. Some floated so near that we could 
see that they were the celebrated lotus lanterns, made 
of little wooden basins, each surrounded by a beauti- 
fully made and exquisitely coloured paper lotus flower. 
•These basins were filled with melted tallow having a 
thick wick in the centre. 

These lamps are primarily supposed to give light to 
the spirits of those unfortunate people who have been 
drowned in the lake. I found this was not entirely the 
fact, for if each of these lamps represented an accident, 
that must be the most tragic spot on earth ! 

The lamps are set afloat chiefly for divination on 
personal matters, and are intended to foretell, in some 
cases, the fate of those afar off* at sea, and, in others, the 
duration of a beloved life, or the probable shortening of 
the life of some hated rival. At times two were floated 
ofi" together — binary lamps, to ascertain if a betrothal that 
was being arranged would prove propitious, or whether, 
by the extinction of the lamp that represented the 



FOR DIVINATION. ii<) 

Lusband, his bride bad a risk of being left in bbe mucb 
dreaded sbate of widowhood. A keen mercliant would 
quietly lauQcb one to know whether some great specu- 
lation in business would be successful. Whatever was 
the object of setting these tiny lamps afloat, they were 



ftll watched with intense interest, and often with great 
excitement. 

These floating interrogations to the Fates made a 
beautiful appearance as they moved hither and thither, 
blown about by the slight currents of wind that crept 
over the surface of the lake. Some blazed up with a 



120 A SAD CORTEGE. 

spurt, and then suddenly died out in darkness. Other* 
went away with a brilliant, steady light, floating far off, 
till each lamp looked merely like the reflection of some 
bright star in the dome of heaven overhead. Soma 
caught in the long reeds and became stationary. Others 
were stopped in their course by a fibre of grass, that 
would arrest the tiny lamp for a moment ; then the fibre 
would perchance ignite, and, burning through, set the 
brilliant wanderer free to tell a false life story to some 
anxious heart. 

We became intensely interested in watching the 
lotus lamps. Not one of the pleasure boats stirred an 
oar while these indications of destiny were making their 
respective voyages. At length these twinkling lights- 
all died out, and each questioning heart has turned 
homewards with its fully believed sad or joyous answer.. 
We drew a long breath to shake off the spell of watch- 
ing. A few strokes of the oar floated us to the steps of 
the temple, where a mule was waiting for my husband,, 
who just arrived as the lamps were extinguished. He 
had been all day engaged in the streets of the city 
preaching the Gospel and selling Christian books. In 
the soft moonlight we walked to our inn, revolving in 
our minds that the Chinese are not so prosaic as they 
are generally considered. 

Early the following morning we sent our shendzles 
ahead to wait for us outside the Mahommedan mosque. 
As we reached the great street of the city the sun was 
rising. At one of the cross streets there was a block, occa- 
sioned by*a train of immense wheelbarrows laden with 
crockery. From a side street there emerged a sad cortege 
— four men carrying on their shoulders an open bier, on 
which a young man was laid in his last sleep. His face was 



THE CHINESE MORGUE, 121 

exposed ; a noble face it was, with fine features. Beside 
the cold dead hand, that could never use them more, were 
laid an ink-stone and a packet of books. The bearers of 
the dead were obliged to press close up to where we stood. 
Our guide entered into conversation with them. They 
said that the young man, who died in the night, had not 
been sick ; that he only gave two moans and was gone. 
He was the only son of a rich family, was of great ability, 
and had been in for examination. Evidently he was rich, 
because the quilt that covered him was of handsome silk. 
The ends also of the pillow on which his head rested were 
exquisitely embroidered. The body was being borne to 
the Morgue temple, there to lie til] his friends should come 
with a coffin for him. My mind went back to the palace 
on the lake. I could not lose the idea that he was one 
of the group of gay young students whom I had seen 
lolling over the parapet. 

* The doubly dead, 
In that he died so young.' 

What hopes died out with that life we cannot telL 
I felt sorrow fill my heart for the lonely home. 

This Morgue temple is indispensable, as the customs 
of China prevent any one sheltering the dead. Such 
temples are under the control of the district mandarin. 
If a poor man dies far from home, a coffin is provided 
for him by the authorities, and he is buried in the free 
burial-ground ; but rich men often lie in coffins in these 
temples for a long time. 

Every owner of property is held responsible for the 
death of any person whose corpse is found on his 
premises. Hence, when any one seems near death in a 
stranger's house, he is at once carried towards his own 
home. If he dies on the road, and the distance is too 



122 STRANGE MODE OF REVENGE, 

great, there is always the Morgue temple where he can 
he laid. A proper-minded Chinaman cannot bear the 
thought of dying in the house of a friend, a^ thereby he 
might get his host into serious trouble. In Scotland T 
felt the shock of this difference of custom. Some one 
used the expression, ' He was a great friend of mine, 
and died at my house.' But, as a Chinaman thinks 
that his greatest enemy could not serve him worse than 
to die in his house, he would have said in such a case, 
* The man had no manners.' 

A very choice, refined, and effectual way of punish- 
ing an enemy is to commit suicide on his premises. 
The following instance came under my notice : A large 
and handsome house was just completed, when, in 
order to make the landlord suffer for some fancied 
wTong, a carpenter entered one of the finest rooms, 
fastened up the door, and then deliberately hanged 
himself to a beam. It was many days ere the landlord 
thought of opening the door. He believed it had been 
closed to keep the beautiful pillars and other decora- 
tions from being spoiled. Judge of his surprise when 
he discovered the state of matters. The unfortunate 
landlord was hurried off to the court of justice. He 
was imprisoned, fined, and, in fact, ruined. The house 
could not be occupied by a respectable tenant. For a 
long time it was empty. A large contingent of soldiers 
arrived, and some of the officers were glad to get shelter 
in the house. Eventually it was let out piece-meal to 
coolies and vagrants to whom its history was unknown. 
As we walked through the street, I could not help 
thinking on the strange contrariety of all things 
Chinese. 

In due time we reached the Mahommedan quarter 



VISIT TO THE MOSQUE, 123 

of the city, and found that the mosque was a gorgeous 
building. We entered by a small side door, and ttere, 
straight before us, was a broad flight of steps rising to 
a great height. At intervals a landing broke the 
ascent. The steps terminated at a large pavilion sup- 
ported on handsome pillars. This pavilion formed one 
side of the square court in front of the great hall. The 
hall is approached by a flight of steps, broad and 
handsome, and running all along the front part of the 
building. The mosque had just been repaired. The 
paint and gilding were quite fresh, and the whole place 
had a look of gorgeousness not usual in Chinese build- 
ings. The wide portico in front was decorated by many 
large mottoes beautifully framed. The mottoes chiefly 
referred to the attributes of God, and were entirely 
different from those that are put up in heathen temples. 
Indeed, these scrolls might have decorated any place of 
.divine worship. The mottoes were : ' God, the Pure and 
True ' ; ^ The Incomparable.' The great worship hall is 
very lofty, and the ceiling beautifully panelled and 
painted in fine colours, the prevailing tints being grey, 
green, and gold. The roof is supported on a number of 
massive wooden pillars lacquered in crimson. The hall 
is probably over two hundred and fifty feet square. The 
floor is covered with a very thick matting that must 
have been woven on the floor, as it encircles the pillars 
without break or seam. 

I was told that only on special days were women 
allowed to enter. I was invited to go in, and told to 
take off my shoes if I did so. I did not feel inclined to 
enter, as I could see all that the hall contained. In it 
were a pulpit or two for preaching, a lectern, a number 
of red tables, and lacquered side tables with racks on 



124 MAHOMMEDAN WOMEN, 

the back for holding candles. The arched door into the 
holy of holies was covered with Arabic characters. A 
fine Arabic scroll in gilding was over the arch. There 
were some framed mottoes, also in Arabic. A very fine 
one was over the lectern in Chinese, with again the 
motto, 'The Incomparably True and Pure One/ At 
the east end was a magnificent screen of brass scroll* 
work, very lofty. The whole place was beautifully 
kept, and most tasteful shrubbery adorned the garden 
of the A-houn's house. 

Eeturning from the hall of worship, I was received 
by a number of fine-looking women, whose features 
difiered entirely from the Chinese. They were all taH, 
from five feet four to five feet eight, had finely arched 
noses and abundant hair. The hair of some of them 
was quite grey, almost snow-white, a thing seldom seen 
among Chinese women. The whole pose of their figures 
was noble. The eldest amongst the group spoke much, 
and claimed me as a worshipper of the true God. We 
were standing at the top of the lofty flight of steps, 
whence we could see many heathen temples embowered 
in the trees away off on the hillsides. To these temples 
she pointed in scorn, and said, 'These people make 
with their own hands gods of clay and worship them. 
We worship the true and pure One.' As she stood 
with outstretched arm and flashing eye, she might 
have been a Miriam or a Deborah. 

These women told me that their special duties were 
teaching schools and instructing the women. They did 
not go out to teach, but they said there are always men 
marrying ignorant women who need teaching, and 
children growing out of babyhood to be instructed. 
In the boys' schools they teach the Chinese classics. 



MAHOMMEDAN WOMEN'. 125 

Mahommedans take degrees and become mandarins, 
just as those who adhere to the other religions of China 
do. China is indeed very tolerant, and resents inter- 
ference with politics more than interference with 
religion. These Mahommedan ladies very kindly in- 
vited me to take tea with them and see over their 
schools. They were dressed in the same dress as Chinese 
ladies, but had their feet the natural size. 

Only one A-houn could read Arabic, and we had not 
taught any one else. He was the head A-houn, a fine- 
looking and most intelligent man, who was hoping soon 
to visit Mecca. Dr. Williamson presented him with 
copies of some of his own writings in Chinese. 

With great politeness the ladies escorted us out 
and bade us adieu, telling us that when we returned to 
the city we must visit them. They were exceedingly 
kind, and sympathised with me over the miseries of 
shendzle travelling. We passed down the great flight 
of steps. At the door we found our shendzles waiting, 
and got over that stage of our journey in good time to 
reach our halting-place before dark. 



is6 • 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Tsi-nan-foo in Carnival time — Comical heterogeneity of the fair — A 
Chinese auctioneer: his tricks of trade — The natural fountain 
of Tsi-nan-foo— Encounter with a bear — Merry-makers of many 
kinds — Contrast between the theatres of China and Home — The 
mosque revisited — Two heroines. 

On this occasion we visited Tsi-nan-foo in the spring, 
and during Carnival time. Holiday makers were 
numerous. A large space around the great temple 
and all its courts were completely occupied with 
booths and stalls, on which goods of every description 
were exposed for sale. There were stalls completely 
filled with whips ; stalls where pens alone were sold ; 
stalls for ink-stonos ; stalls for books — the Chinese 
classics in most choice editions, and novels innumer- 
able ; stalls for shoes with the whitest of soles ; stalls 
for hats of most fashionable shapes ; stalls filled with 
toys ; and stalls for sham jewellery and endless quan- 
tities of pins and other ornaments wherewith the 
Chinese women decorate their hair. These last stalls 
were surrounded by many purchasers, showing that 
Mrs. John Chinaman is not forgotten when John goes 
out for a holiday. The toy stalls were also much 
patronised, and juveniles were strutting about in the 
splendours of wooden swords, brilliantly painted, their 
faces adorned by false moustaches of the fiercest cut. 



A STREET AUCTIONEER. 127 

Smaller children shook rattles, flourished whips, and 
hugged toy horses. 

Most interesting to me was a fine pavilion, where 
the sale of plants was going on quite briskly. The 
favourites were dwarf flowering shrubs. Many dwarf 
fruit trees were laden with blossoms. Small evergreen 
cypresses were trained and thinned into exact repre- 
sentations of miniature forest trees. Some of these 
were really beautiful, and would have been prized as 
table decorations in England. There were hundreds 
of monthly roses in various hues — deep rcd^ pale pink, 
sulphur, gold colour, and pale blush. There were 
quantities of grafted roses ; many rose trees which 
would bloom during May and June ; flowering plants 
growing in water, such as the lotus ; and various kinds 
of narcissus. There was a most charming display of 
peonies, and of the favourite flower of the Chinese 
artist, the maw tan Inca. The air around the pavilion 
was frasrant with the sweet scent of the hwci hxrd. 
It spoke well for the taste of Tsi-nan-foo and neigli- 
bourhood that such a display of flowers was possible, 
and also that the prices given were very high. 

In some of the larger booths outside the temple 
courts Cheap Jack was at work, offering his wares, and 
vigorously bidding against himself — beginning at fabu- 
lous prices, then suddenly coming down to the value of 
the article, 

TTie street auctioneer is one of the wits of China, 
and a good deal of coarse buffoonery is indulged in for 
the benefit of the rustics. I stood outside one of the 
tents for a few minutes. The man was going on in a 
loud chant that was quite dramatic, changing his tone, 
as if two speakers were engaged, and when an article 



128 A NATURAL FOUNTAIN-. 

of woman's apparel was being offered feigning a femi- 
nine voice. 

A great many gambling tables were spread about ; 
also the tables of letter-writers, soothsayers, fortune- 
tellers, and various other unauthorised prophets of lucky 
or unlucky days. 

Very few women were visible, and these elderly ; but 
many pretty little girls were carried about by their 
fathers, to get a peep at all the bravery of the fair. There 
was a great amount of good-natured joking, and but few 
attempts at rude horse-play. I saw no intoxicated men, 
and no drinking-booths. There were innumerable peri- 
patetic kitchens. The Chinese take a little spirit with 
their food, but have not the habit of drinking, so sadly 
prevalent in Western lands. Of course there would be 
opium smoking in out-of-the-way dens, but these revel- 
lers at the fair had not an opium-smoking look. 

This fair is held annually. Many of the articles 
brought to it for sale are the results of the winter's 
labours of the peasants in remote villages. It is the 
market whence pedlars and small country shopkeepers 
replenish their stock. One of its great attractions is 
a grand theatrical display ; but this year the death of the 
Empress Tzr Ann prevented the company from acting, 
and the theatre was closed. I heard many of the rustics 
bemoaning the consequent dulness of the fair. 

As we passed in and out among the booths the people 
were most civil, though they followed us in crowds. 
We went over all the temple to the innermost shrine. 
In the central court is a most beautiful natural fountain, 
where an enormous amount of water is thrown up daily. 
The main gush is a foot in diameter. Many smaller 
gushes rise up all over the surface of the small lake 



ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR, 129 

round which the temple buildings stand. From out this 
basin there flows a large stream of water — in truth, a 
rushing river, that supplies the lake. The water is pure 
and crystalline, slightly warm,, as in frosty weather, they 
tell me, it * smokes ' all over. In all parts of the city 
there are springs. If these were utilised for decorative 
purposes, Tsi-nan-foo might be made a lovely city. 

As we left the fair I tried to avoid the crowds by 
turning sharply round a large stall at a comer of the 
temple. I nearly ran into the paws of a great black 
bear, who was standing on his hind legs. He had been 
going through a number of military manoeuvres, and was 
for a time deserted for the rival attractions of a foreign 
woman. I felt surprised when I found myself close 
under the paws of the immense shaggy beast. Fortu- 
nately Bruin was occupied hugging a large brass basin. 
I believe our astonishment was mutual, else he might 
have visited vengeance on his rival. However, I made 
a rapid retreat. I had the best of him, for he was 
chained, but his chain was long enough to have enabled 
him to come some few paces in pursuit. 

As we get disentangled from the labyrinth of stalls 
and booths we find that the ground around is much 
occupied with merry-makers. The Punch and Judy 
show is attracting crowds. Innumerable boys are 
walking on stilts. A band of musicians, also on stilts, 
make * music in the air.' There is a general tone of 
happiness all round, and a comforting odour of cooked 
viands. It makes one think of Juvenal's saying about 
^panem et Gircenses.' A Chinaman must have some- 
thing comfortable to eat. He is a civilised creature, a 
kindly soul who never brings into his games aught that 
is cruel, so that they contrast most favourably with the 

I 



I30 THE MOSQUE REVISITED, 

scenes in the amphitheatres of Rome and Alexandria, 
where torture and death alone could amuse the populace. 
A Chinaman enjoys a pleasant theatrical performance, 
where the court of an emperor is well represented, and 
where the crafty knave falls into his own snare. The 
cold-blooded tortures and cruelties alleged against the 
Chinese are all under the auspices of the magistrates' 
offices and imperial decrees. The masses are not 
embruted by such spectacles as we read of in classic 
history. Their horrors are all confined to punishments 
for crime. 

Passing from all the hilarity of the fair we got into 
some quiet streets, and thence paid a visit to our old 
friends at the Mahommedan mosque. We had ex- 
changed cards, and the A-houn and his retinue were 
exceedingly friendly and civil; but the crowd that 
followed us was quite unceremonious, and rushed in, 
up the lofty flight of steps, and even into the private 
garden of the A-houn. We made our visit shorter than 
either the Mahommedans or we intended, as we were 
much afraid lest the numbers of people might spoil the 
fine shrubbery. 

The great hall was just as we had seen it on our 
former visit. We had not leisure to visit the lady 
teachers. We learned that the head lady had died 
during the past year, and that our favourite A-houn 
had gained his wish, and was in Mecca. I scanned 
the crowd closely and saw that many of the faces were 
not Chinese, I noticed particularly that the hair was 
diflFerent, lighter in colour and finer. Their manners, 
however, were not in the least afiected by this difference, 
as they were just the same crowding, pushing, staring 
throng. 



MISSION FAMILIES IN INTERIOR, 131 

I almost felt inclined to take back what I had said 
about the Parisian look of Tsi-nan-foo. This morning 
it was simply detestable. Eain had fallen during the 
previous day, and the streets were filthy in the extreme. 
The mud was so deep and sticky that I was fearful the 
coolies would abandon me to my fate. However, they 
took it as a regular part of the play, and trudged 
through right manfully. We came across one of the 
numerous runs of water, so the coolies set the sedan 
down, walked into the stream, washed their shoes, 
then their feet, and finally their faces. When these 
ablutions were completed, they shouldered the sedan 
and marched cheerfully off to the eastern part of the 
city. 

Since the opening of the northern ports of China, 
in 1860, gentlemen have travelled through Shan-tung. 
It was not considered desirable that families should re- 
side in the interior cities. Lately, however, since the 
Chinese have become accustomed to foreigners, both 
British and American Missions have been able to rent 
houses, and two families now reside in this city and 
several in other parts of the interior. 

All honour to these missionaries and to the brave, 
devoted women who have chosen to uphold their hus- 
bands in the interior. It is depressing to live in a 
Chinese city ; the houses are so closely packed together, 
that the only view one can have from them is the strip 
of sky overhead, and what variety the clouds can there 
give. But these ladies are happy and contented, helpfiil 
to their husbands in their work, and show to the Chinese 
the examples of well-ordered households. 



I 2 



'32 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Classic China — Talk with the women— An invitation — A party of 
Chinese ladies— An indolent daughter punished — Care of 
Chinese mothers in training their daughters — The tomb of 
Shao Hao— The Tai Shan— The Temple— The ascent of the 
sacred mountain — A nunnery — A priest sitting in his bones — 
The land of Confucius — Kio-foo-hien — Invitation to the duke's* 
palace — Descendants of Confucius — The Great Temple — The 
tomb of Confucius — Tsow Hien — The Temple of Mencius — The 
mother of Mencius — Tablet erected in honour of the sage — 
Mencius contemporary with Plato and Demosthenes. 

To the south-east of Tsi-nan-foo is a hilly road leading 
to the most noteworthy portion of Shan-tung. We are 
now in classic China, and can use a road-chart made 
about twelve hundred years B.C., and a most respect- 
able map it is. Climbing the hills to the south of 
the capital, ever and anon we looked back over the 
mighty city, sorry to leave its lively streets and busy 
crowds. In our ten days' stay we had seen hundreds 
of its women, and found them exceedingly religious. 
Amongst them I found many fine, matronly women who 
had for twenty or more years scarcely missed attending 
the temples at the new and the full moon, the first and 
the fifteenth of the Chinese months. In some of the 
zenanas I found women who eagerly upheld their idols, 
and even amongst themselves were emphatic on the 
merits of a favourite shrine. Thus the city of Tsi-nan- 



TALK WITH THE WOMEN. 133 

foo, with its many wealthy zenanas, had attractions in 
jny eyes greater than almost any Chinese city I had 
visited, and as its lofty walls and gateways vanished 
from sight I hoped that ere long I might be permitted 
to revisit it. 

We stopped at a clean little inn ; and as the story 
of a foreign lady travelling had preceded us, the women 
of the place were all in holiday dress, and all on the 
look-out. The visit of a foreign sister was a new event 
in their lives, and each seemed determined to get her 
fair share of the show. They crowded the courtyard, 
and inspected me with no little interest. This interest 
speedily increased when I began to talk to them, and 
make myself known as a thorough Chinese lady. There 
is a sort of taJismanic power in striking at once into the 
interests, the hopes, and the fears that make up the 
lives of Chinese women. At once the bond of sympathy 
is recognised, and question after question will follow 
till they begin to lose sight of the foreigner in the sym- 
pathetic woman. They took very kindly to the thought 
that I had come to announce a doctrine for women — a 
Saviour as ready to help them as to help men, and a 
•means by which they all might attain to heaven at the last. 

After quite a long talk in the courtyard, and a pro- 
mise that after the sun was set I would come out and 
have another chat, I entered the inn, but had scarcely 
.shaken the dust from my garments when there was a 
most polite invitation from one of the wealthy families 
that I should visit their house. This invitation was 
made emphatic with what in their eye is the most 
important reason they could urge, viz. that the old 
•great-grandmother, who was eighty-three years of age, 
wished to see me, but she was not able to come. 



134 AN AGED CHINESE LADY, 

Sucli is their respect for age that to refuse to gratify 
a request of this kind would be looked upon as an un- 
Mndness of the most heartless description. The young 
man who brought the invitation was fine-looking and 
intelligent ; he had seen my husband on some former 
journey, and claimed us as old friends. I was glad to 
comply with the request, as I knew that I should have 
an opportunity of meeting the inmates of some of the 
neighbouring zenanas as well as the one to which I 
was invited. Of course the ladies of these zenanas 
could not gratify their curiosity by coming to the inn- 
yard. 

After a short rest and a cup of tea, in the pleasant 
afternoon light, I made the call, and was introduced to 
quite a bevy of beauties. The tliie of the village were 
gathered to see this foreign wonder. There were smiling 
young girls, dignified, silent, young Chinese wives, 
middle-aged, loquacious matrons, and inquisitive grand- 
mothers, all surrounded by a small mob of women-serv- 
ants and nurses with their infant charges. In the midst 
— queen of them all, as if holding court — was the aged 
Chinese great-grandmother of eighty-three. 

Contrary to my experience, this lady in her old age 
"i^f^ very beautiful. She had a clear, delicate complexion ; 
bright, dark eyes, in which there was no sign of age; her 
*hair was snowy white, yet still so abundant that she had 
iao need for the head-band generally worn by the aged 
women. Her jacket of bright blue brocaded silk made 
a fine contrast to her silvery crown of hair. Altogether 
she looked, and I am sure she was, most lovable. For 
forty-two years she had ruled the household alone ; this 
had given dignity to her deportment, and in her manner 
there was a peculiar graciousness. 



AN INDOLENT DAUGHTER PUNISHED, 135 

Some most exquisite confections were served, and 
then tea and pipes and tobacco. We had a long, pleasant 
conversation, the old Tai Tai, as she was called, asking 
some most apt questions. While we elder women were 
talking the young beauties drew near, and to each 
other commented on my dress, my manners, the immense 
size of my feet, and also expressed their appreciation of 
the fact that my language was the same as their own. 

In a pause of the conversation suddenly there was 
an enquiry for some one named Mae Koo, or Hawthorn 
Blossom. Her mother, an active-looking matron of forty 
or thereabouts, answered for her : ' Oh, she has been so 
indolent that for three months she has not made even a 
pair of shoes. We scolded her day after day, so now I 
have punished her.' 

' How old is she ? ' I asked. 

* Seventeen,' was the answer. 

Wondering what kind of punishment she had given 
her daughter, and also wishing to learn a new lesson on 
their domestic life, I said I should so much like to see 
the young lady. The bevy of beauties giggled, but her 
mother at once said, ^ Oh yes ! come; she will like to see 
you.' Leading the way to a suite of apartments at the 
extreme north of the courtyard, she lifted a silken curtain 
and ushered me into a pretty room, with some very finely- 
carved wooden figures standing on a side table. There 
was no sign of an occupant. The brick bedstead, or 
hang^ was faced all round with about two feet of open 
carved work, and there in one comer stood an exceedingly 
beautiful young woman, tied up by her thumbs! The 
silken braid with which her thumbs were fastened was 
so put round the offending digits, that while not 
hurting, it was impossible to get out, and efforts for 



136 CARE OF CHINESE MOTHERS 

release would only tighten the tie. A most uncomfort- 
able position, and quite trying enough to prevent idleness 
in any maiden ! 

There she stood, her tiny feet resting on one of the 
hard pillows they are so fond of using, and spread out 
before her a fine confusion of silk and satin scraps, half- 
made shoes, and unfinished embroidery, and in a tangle 
all sorts of tinsel and fancy braids. These she had to 
gaze upon — a quiet reproach in every unfinished thread. 

' There is Miss Idleness,' said her mother, ^ and there 
are all the things she ought long ago to have finished. 
How will a young lady like that ever finish a wedding 
trousseau, even if she begins it ? ' 

' Now that I have come to see her you will take her 
down,' I pleaded. 

The girl's pretty face was sulky, but there was a look 
of interest in her eyes when she heard me speak. 

I said, * I am sure after this you will be more diligent,' 
and I quoted two lines from their woman's classic. 

The mother said, ' I am not going to take the trouble 
to clamber up and release you ; I'll send Mae Fang.' 

We departed, and Mae Fang did her duty in un- 
tying her friend ; but the idle young lady could not be 
induced to join the talkers in her grandmother's sitting- 
room. It would not be expected ; no one feels dignified 
after being punished. 

In the North I have always found Chinese mothers 
exceedingly careful that their daughters should be 
trained to industrious habits. The beautiful embroidery 
made in all Chinese zenanas is a great blessing to the 
secluded ladies. Like the tapestries of the olden time 
in Western lands, in making these embroideries there 
is a great deal to interest the mind and exercise the 



IN TRAINING THEIR DAUGHTERS. 137 

taste. Ladies draw their own patterns on the material, 
and are constantly on the look-out for some new design 
in this style of decorative art. In a large zenana there 
are always one or two ladies who have great facility 
with their pencils. In working the embroidery they 
select with great care the various colours and shades. 

In the Li-Ki, Book of Rites, B.C. 800, the law is laid 
down for zenanas. ^ From their tenth year girls are not to 
be allowed to go out. A widow is to teach them tender- 
ness, grace, and obedience. They are to be taught to 
work in hemp and linen, to manage silk cocoons, to braid 
trimmings and fringes. They are to learn all kinds of 
women's work, and to make garments. They are to 
leam to look after sacrifices, take charge of sauces, 
pickles, fruit, and meat. In all the worship they are to 
assist at offerings before the gods. 

* In their fifteenth year they are to receive ornaments 
for the hair, to show that they are grown up. In their 
twentieth year they are to be married, unless they are 
mourning for a parent. In that case in their twenty- 
third year they are to be married. 

'When the parents are seventy years old, the 
management of the zenana is put into the hands of the 
eldest son and his wife. But if the father dies before 
the mother is seventy, all must submit to the old 
mother.' 

This zenana was well ordered and governed accord- 
ing to the rites. After many invitations to return and 
visit them we made our adieus, escorted to the library 
door by all the elder ladies, and from thence to the 
inn-yard by two middle-aged waiting women. 

With a feeling of regret, as though parting from 
friends, I left the tidy little room and the bright faces. 



138 . GANDERS TO KEEP WATCH, 

I believe the pure mountain air had given them a beauty 
of complexion and an elasticity of spirits unusual in 
Chinese women. 

The night was miserably cold, and before daybreak 
we started over a wild and rocky road. We crossed 
the ridge just as the sun glinted over the hills and sent 
a flush of gold athwart a scene very like the banks of the 
Tweed at Berwick, only on a grander scale. There was 
a stretch of lofty hills where the limestone, having 
decayed, had left many a pillared temple. The whole 
scene recalled 

. * Norham*s castled steep, 
And Tweed's fair river, broad and deep.' 

On the steeps on either side there were numerous wd 
tzles, or refuges, with their banks of loose stones in readi- 
ness for the pates of robbers, and far below in the valley 
the river lay winding through. 

The bank on which the road is made is high and 
torn off, leaving the side abruptly precipitous down to 
the water, some eighteen or twenty feet below, showing 
that at times the stream must rush along with great 
violence and carry off masses of earth. There were 
immense numbed of beautiful ducks swimming and 
paddling on the shallow side of the river. There were 
also great flocks of geese in charge of most warlike 
ganders, keeping the flock together, much as collie dogs 
tend a flock of sheep. 

These fierce birds were utilised by the farmers to 
keep watch in their yards, and the noise made by some 
of these was as effective in rousing the inmates as any 
' watch-dog's honest bark ' could be. Certainly to the 
intruder the noise was more disagreeable, while the beat 



THE TOMB OF SHAO HAO, 139 

of the extended wings and the snap of the great beak 
were exceedingly formidable. 

The country we were how traversing is the centre of 
classic China, where every hill has a history and monu- 
ments telling of the visits of emperors to the temples 
of the sages. The temples are historic, built to men 
famous for wisdom in all departments of life ; to men 
whose engineering skill was called out to save the 
country from the floods of the Yellow River ; and also to 
men who had guided the state through many a troublous 
epoch. What tributes to brain power are found all 
over classic China ! Tablets everywhere, and once we 
came on a genuine pyramid, the tomb of Shao Hao, 
who is said to have reigned B.C. 2597-2513.^ 

We crossed the beautiful Wan river, famous for its 
sounding stones, and picked up pieces of coarse honri- 
blende, which, on being struck, gave out a clear, sonorous 
note, the larger and thicker giving the deepest tone. 
These stones, it is recorded, formed part of the taxes 
mentioned in the IVibute of Tilj some two thousand two 
hundred years B.C. ; and in the catalogue of the imperial 
musical instruments such stones are mentioned. They 
are suspended on a frame and tuned to a scale. 

In this neighbourhood the villages had a most comical 
appearance, as roof, walls, and sometimes even the doors, 
were covered over with paper, drying and bleaching — a 
very poor paper made chiefly from straw and old rope. 

In the afternoon light we descry one of the places of 
special pilgrimage in Shan-tung, the Tai Shan, which is 
the highest peak of a range of hills. Afar off we can 
see the temples on its summit, their brilliant red walls 
presenting a fine contrast to the green of the hill. We 

* See Journeys in North China, vbl. i. p. 234, 



140 THE TAI SHAN. 

fioem to travel round the hill, always keeping the temple 
in sight and not getting nearer, when suddenly^ at 
the foot of the hill, we reached the city of Tai-ngan- 
foo. In the time of pilgrimages this city is very lively 
and interesting, being full of pilgrims, old and young, 
men, women, and even little children. Everything was 
c(uiet as we reached our inn, a fine large courtyard with 
suites of apartments dotted all over it. Our innkeeper 
was civil, but seemed to have a decided objection to our 
having anything cooked ; and finally we ordered supper 
from a cookshop, and most palatable it was, costing as 
much as a supper in a first-class restaurant in England. 

It was a glorious evening, so we proceeded to inspect 
the great temple in the city, built to the divinity of 
4:he Tai Shan, which is the chief of the five Sacred 
Mountains of China. The history of its worship goes 
back to far remote times. It is said to have been an 
object of worship 2255 B.C. There are authentic histories 
to show that for more than four thousand years genera- 
tion after generation has worshipped here. People and 
-sovereigns have alike paid homage at this hill. It seems 
BS if each generation had had its own particular deity, 
sometimes a god, sometimes a goddess, just as feeling 
moved them. . For all these generations has prayer been 
made here, and emparors have left records of their visits. 
Still the pilgrims come year by year, with only a vague 
idea of what benefit they are going to receive. 

Over the entrance to the great temple there is a 
tablet, and on it is inscribed ' Tai Shan is decreed to 
give happiness.' Still the quest, in East and West alike, 
is happiness. How pathetic is all this striving for 
happiness ! The human heart desires that for which it 
was created. When will the world find it in obeying 



THE TEMPLE, 141 

the gracious words, * Come unto Me, all ye that labour 
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ' ? 

The lofty gateway of the temple faces the south, and 
the great street running east and west is called the 
* Way or Pass to Heaven.' The entrance is a most mag- 
nificent stone arch of the kind known in China as a ;pai 
fang^ i.e. square at the top. This arch looks loftier 
than its actual height, as there is a paved sloping walk 
leading up to it. Straight in front there is a beautiful 
pavilion, where, we were informed, officials who find the 
emperor's business too urgent for them to take time ta 
ascend the mountain may worship looking towards its- 
summit. * Far-off audience ' this is called ! Another fine 
arch, and then the main gateway is reached. A row of 
five immense gateways, the central one for royalty, the 
others for magistrates, the outmost two for subjects ; but 
one only stands open. The space within is very large, 
as the wall is three and a half li round, i.e. over a mile. 

The temple itself is a fine lofty building, the roof 
supported on ninety pillars, some forty feet high, all 
shining with pure vermilion lacquer. The whole place 
is worthy of Imperial China. It would take a day to- 
see it and admire its galleries and temples and elaborate 
imperial tablets. Nature too has done much for it, as 
the cypress trees were very beautiful, as well as the 
courts and walks of soft green grass. In some places 
there were tables where tea was being sold, and literary 
men chatting in learned fashion between their sips. 

During the pilgrimage season, fairs, theatres, auc- 
tions, &c., are held in the courts of the temple. 

Before sunrise the next morning two mountain chairs 
were ready, and the bearers having laid in a quantity 
pf solid flour bread, we started for the top of the Sacred 



142 ASCENT OF THE SACKED MOUNTAIN, 

Mountain. The hill is a veritable Pilgrim's Progress 
done in stone. Temples, pavilions, arbours, inscriptions, 
records of imperial visits made — sometimes, in adverse 
circumstances — bridges, grottoes, and monuments. One 
particularly attracted me : a great stone obelisk, and not 
a single character on it ! We were gravely told it was 
erected to the emperor who burned the books, and, as a 
reproach to his ignorance, not a character was cut on it. 
Satire in earnest ! 

China's history is well represented here, as almost 
every noteworthy emperor and sage has mention, honour- 
able or otherwise. Up and up we go, passing 5,640 
steps either cut in the rock or built upon it. Many 
spots bear most poetical names. I am afraid to look 
downward as the men climb near the summit, and we 
come to a flat sort of bridge called ' Touch the Sky,' then 
to the ' Gate of Heaven.' 

Here we rest, and the men point out a spot to me 
which is the most precipitous of all, and certainly over- 
looks a fearful precipice. A wall is built to prevent 
access to it. Many pilgrims were in the habit of making 
vows that if the gods of the Tai Shan spared the life 
of a father or a mother, they would return and cast them- 
selves from thence, and be dashed to pieces on the rocks 
below — a sacrifice to the gods, as an act of filial piety. 
This became so frequent that government had to inter- 
dict the practice, and one of the emperors gave orders to 
build the wall. 

A glorious view rewarded us for our long climb. A 
clear blue sky, not. a cloud or a tint of haze. North of 
us hills lay, range after range in their grandeur and 
solitude. Southwards and eastwards and westwards 
stretched tie great plain of Shan-tung, an ocean of grain. 



A NUNNERY, 143 

We could only see the Wun river by its gleaming waters 
winding through, and the many brooks like silver streaks 
that fall into the main river. The city of Tai-ngan-foo 
we had just left, lying close to the hill, looks small, its 
great temple walls scarcely visible. In the pilgrimage 
season, on the day of the full moon, sometimes as many 
as ten thousand persons ascend the hill. 

We made a rapid descent, and at times it seemed 
dangerous. The chair coolie tripped once, and but for 
the presence of mind of his neighbour, who grasped an 
iron chain that was fixed in the parapet, we should have 
been sent whirling down some thirty or forty granite 
steps. I could see they felt the danger by the scared 
look on their faces and the smothered exclamation. 

By the side of a brawling stream we came down, and 
finally the coolies deposited me at the door of a pretty 
temple. Out came three or four of the occupants, each 
smoking a long pipe. They escorted me in after a 
fashion that took my companions by surprise. But the 
explanation was simple : the place was a nunnery, and 
they were nuns, dressed in every way like priests, and 
with large feet. ' North Pole Queen ' was the name of 
this temple or nunnery. 

They took me into a large hall, and from the back 
window there was a lovely peep of a cascade. A most 
romantic spot these nuns had chosen, and they had a 
most comfortable home. They were intelligent women, 
and gave me a graphic description of the great temple 
in Tai-ngan-foo, of which we have spoken. Temple after 
temple on the hill had fallen to. decay ; but they Were 
always rebuilt at an enormous expense. The imperial 
treasury was always ready with grants of money. Only 
recently the whole place had undergone repair. 



144 ^ PRIEST SITTIXG IN HIS BONES. 

These bright and lively nuns claimed kin with 
me, for had we not the same large feet, and were 
we not living to help our fellow-creatures ? The 
eldest, who was a scholar, and who enjoyed the fun 
of my making Chinese quotations, declared that I 
ought to come and live with them and teach the pil- 
grims. They told me they got very large sums of money, 
and they beautified the temple with it. Rich ladies 
often come to stay with them during the pilgrimage 
time. 

Parting from the nuns, we visited a priest sitting in 
his bones, who died a hundred and thirty years ago. 
He was sitting cross-legged in a shrine, where he had 
sat and starved himself to death in search of immor- 
tality. Far less ghastly than the friars of the chapel of 
St. John in Malta, yet he was not a pleasant object. 
Over his face is a mask, and around his shoulders a 
mantle. As we passed out a number of people entered 
and prostrated themselves before this piece of departed 
humanity. I believe he is a good source of revenue to 
the priests. 

Seen from the garden of this temple, the Tai Shan 
presents a very remarkable sight. It would be diffi- 
cult to find elsewhere a hill with so many human asso- 
ciations. And in a religious sense also it is a great 
monument, testifying to the cry of the human heart 
for something to worship. The Emperor Shun is said, 
in the first year of. his reign, to have worshipped 
^ Heaven.' This term ' Heaven ' is precisely the same 
as we have, when the prodigal returned. He said, * I 
have sinned against Heaven ' : it means the Most High 
God. Afterwards there was worship made to the spirits 
of the hills and rivers. In all the temples on this hill, 



CONFUCIUS. 145 

and upon the monuments, there is nothing that ap- 
proaches the sensuous ; all is pure, and this tells its own 
tale as to Chinese mind and feeling. 

In the dim grey of early morning, we bade farewell 
to the city of Tai-ngan-foo, and set our faces toward 
the land of China's greatest sage, Confucius. Great he 
must have been, as no man has ever influenced so many 
minds ; and the teachings of no other man have such 
amazing power over the minds of so many millions. 
And this power was gained by wisdom alone. Confucius 
never sought by any undue means to gain this influence ; 
no pretended revelation from heaven, no tales of visions 
and messages in supernatural ways. In a clear and 
straightforward manner he expounded The Art of Living. 
He was wise in this — that he kept his teaching strictly 
to things within his knowledge. The problem of life 
must have been much before his mind, when he de- 
scanted on the five relations, viz. between sovereign and 
subject, between father and son, between elder brother 
and younger, between husband and wife, and between 
friend and friend. 

It was rather a risk venturing on such classic ground 
as the city of Kio-foo-hien. How would the descendants 
of the sage tolerate a foreign woman wandering about 
the tomb and temple of the ^ teacher of ten thousand 
ages ' ? These questions came up as we traversed the 
road on the banks of the Sze Shui river, another of the 
streams famous anterior to the time of Abraham, and 
spoken of in the Tribute of Yii, for certain articles that 
were sent from the neighbourhood as taxes. Near this 
river is the hill always associated with the mother of 
Confucius, on which there is a famed temple in honour 
of the mother of the great man. 

K 



146 Af ESS AGE FROM THE DUKE. 

It was a hot autumn afternoon when we reached the 
Mecca of China. Scarcely had we deposited our tra- 
velling impedimenta in a wretched inn, with a floor of 
clay and walls of mud and straw, when two servants 
from the palace arrived with a request to know the 
names of the illustrious travellers. My husband's card 
being given to the men, in about half-an-hour the mes- 
sengers returned with four coolies bearing an exquisite 
luncheon. The duke had sent his car J and a message 
of great kindness. On a former occasion my husband 
had visited the palace. The message now was that they 
still had a pleasant remembrance of his visit ; would 
so like to see him again, but, alas ! the shadow of death 
was hovering over the palace : the beloved mother had 
but a few hours to live, the whole place was in sorrow, 
and the grave-clothes were being prepared. 

Although the palace was in the utmost confusion, 
they would have the pleasure of receiving us in the 
* hall of preaching ' within the temple ; and the ladies 
of the family would wait on me. The doors of the 
temple would be thrown open to us. 

The duke's card and the message were suitably ac- 
knowledged, and we promised to accept the invitation 
to the Maiig slut tang, or ' hall of preaching.' 

We set out to look at the city, not a very large one, 
but lively and busy. Our inn was close to the south 
gate. We found that besides the ordinary city gate to 
the south, there was a special gate reserved for royalty 
— an imperial south gate — directly in front of the 
celebrated Confucian temple and the street leading in a 
direct line to the temple gates. The west part of the 
city is almost entirely taken up by this temple and 
grounds ; and in this district, it is said, Confucius lived. 



DESCENDANTS OF CONFUCIUS. 147 

It was a lesson in history to talk with the men of 
the place, who counted seventy-nine generations direct 
from the sage ; men whose ancestors in one unbroken 
line have lived and died in this city. More strange 
still is it to notice that these men, in face and figure, 
bear a distinct resemblance to the portrait that the 
old graven stones still keep in trust as a likeness of 
Confucius. 

One tall, portly man, thirty-two years of age, inter- 
ested us particularly, since he looked, I feel sure, exactly 
like what Confucius must have been at his age. A 
plausible, genial man, he seemed, obliging and likely to 
get on well with those in whose company he was thrown. 
He told us that nowadays not many of the name took 
high degrees in literature, feeling evidently that the 
fame of their great sire was quite enough for them to 
the end of time. When we passed his house — which 
was humble enough, though he was handsome and 
lordly — ^he rushed in and brought out two of his boys 
and their mother to see the foreigners. I gave them 
some foreign articles I had in my reticule, and they 
were greatly pleased. One thing was carefully exam- 
ined and praised, a reel of J. and P. Coats's white 
thread ! The woman said that for many years it would 
suffice for stitching the black velvet ornaments on her 
husband's shoes. 

Next day in the pleasant dewy morning we set out 
— according to arrangement — to visit the great temple. 
It stands to the west of the great gate, and there, 
under a verandah, were assembled quite a crowd of 
ladies with their attendants. Two of the elderly ladies 
of the family and four attendants, who also were related 
to the duke's household, came at once across to meet me 

K 2 



148 THE LADIES OF THE PALACE. 

and escort me over the temple. We had a pleasant 
morning. I found them most companionable and intelli- 
gent. We talked of many matters of Chinese interest, 
and they questioned me on many things relating to 
England. Queen Victoria was a favourite subject. 

* What size are her feet ? ' was the first question. 

^ I believe about the size of the feet of the present 
Empress of China,' was my reply. 

* Oh yes ! the Great Illustrious Empress has large 
feet. She is a Manchu.' 

They were most anxious that I should see every- 
thing that was noteworthy. They told me that they 
often sat in the portion of the palace where the classics 
of Confucius were dug out of the walls, in which scholars 
had hidden them, to save them from the emperor who 
burned the books ; ' and of course,' said they, ' that 
ignorant emperor searched most carefully in the birth- 
place of Confucius for the classics.' 

It was a new idea to them when I told them that 
Queen Victoria wrote books. 

The part of the temple where the musical instru- 
ments are kept had great attractions for them; and 
one of the younger women made a very good attempt 
on a kind of harp to accompany herself while she sang 
a favourite song, *The mo lee wha,' — 'The jessamine 
flower.' 

We set out to view the temple. The lofty, yellow- 
tiled roof of the great shrine looked like gold in the 
sun's rays, and the marble pillars with the exquisitely 
carved dragons coiled at the top were a sight of beauty. 
The building was most carefully kept, and all round 
the eaves there were wire guards to keep out the birds. 
They were extremely proud of the shrine, and asked me 



THE TEMPLE, 149 

to admire the gorgeous silken curtains that covered it. 
The likeness of Confucius within is a large one, eighteen 
Chinese feet high, and coloured life-like. The important 
part, however, to them was the fai wai, or worship 
tablet, his spirit's resting-place. 

At last we came to the preaching-hall, and there 
we were served with an elegant repast, their morning 
meal. Refreshing tea, cakes of many kinds, confec- 
tions and some most delicious sweets with white icing, 
each cake bearing the Chinese character of the duke's 
name in vermilion. 

Tiffin over, we were shown a temple to the father, 
and another to the mother of the sage, and also, behind 
all, a temple in honour of his wife. 

The ladies made me promise that if there was any 
amendment in the symptoms of the sick lady I would 
gratify the ladies of the palace by visiting them. We 
bade each other farewell, and they were quite affectionate. 
In the evening many boxes of sweetmeats were sent for 
our use on the road, an attention never omitted where 
there is friendliness and good will. The duke's card 
accompanied the present, and a message that the sick- 
ness was unto death, and no hope was entertained of 
the patient surviving till the morning. 

In the afternoon a mounted escort was waiting to 
conduct us over the graveyard. The fine avenue of 
cypress trees leads straight from the north gate. The 
burial-ground is of great extent, but the part where the 
tomb of Confucius stands is enclosed by a high wall. 
Around the grave there are some fine old trees and 
beautiful shrubs. There also are the graves of his family. 

We were shown the spot where his disciples built 
huts and dwelt in them, mourning their master for three 



ISO MOURNING FOR CONFUCIUS, 

years ; and one favourite disciple sat for six years over 
his grave and mourned him. The graves of his clan are 
scattered over a vast extent of ground, and the enclosure 
contains much ground still unoccupied. The stones 
all bear the date of so many generations after Confucius. 
We saw the seventy-sixth, and were told that the young 
children playing round the place were the seventy-ninth 
generation. 



iSi 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Tsow Hien, or the city of Mencius — Our reception there— The 

teaching of Chinese sages. 

Tsow HiEN, our next stage, is a city with all the most 
pleasing characteristics of a Chinese landscape. The 
exquisite pagoda, the fine old grey walls, and the 
picturesque range of hills lying beyond the city, make 
a picture so completely Chinese as to satisfy the most 
ardent worshipper of all that is pleasant in the peculiar 
style of the Flowery Kingdom. In the range of hills 
lying behind Tsow Hien there is one mountain of 
historic fame, the loftiest of the range, a high peak seen 
from a great distance, called the Yih Mountain. In the 
well-known Tribute of Yil this mountain is spoken of as 
the part from whence was brought in tribute to the 
emperor the wood of a famous dryandra tree, celebrated 
for the purpose of making lutes for the imperial palace. 

At the present day this hill still has attractions for 
the traveller on account of the stones that take the forms 
of so many different things. One rock is said to be 
exactly like a drum, another like a bell. We did not 
explore the hill and its wonders, but pushed on to the 
southern suburb. 

I had a personal interest in wishing to visit the 
Temple of Mencius, which is situated in this town 



152 A MODEL MOTHER. 

Through all my residence in China I had constantly 
heard of Meng Mu, the mother of Mencius. Her fame 
is in every household, and she is constantly quoted as 
an incentive to young mothers to take care of their 
children ; and constantly held up as an example of how 
careful mothers ought to be in regard to what they allow 
their children to see or become familiar with in their 
youthful years. Women who know nothing of what 
Mencius taught, know a great deal about what his mother 
taught him. 

The Chinese idea of maternal wisdom is summed up 
in Meng Mu. Her boy was but an infant when his 
father died, leaving her residing near a large public 
graveyard. This she believed to be a bad surrounding 
for her boy, so she changed her abode. However, she had 
not been sufficiently careful, bscause she found herself 
in the neighbourhood of a market, and lo ! a butcher 
opened a shop close to her house. Her boy, clever and 
imitative, began to watch and imitate the butcher ; so, 
fearing this might develop a cruel nature in him, again 
she changed her abode, and found congenial neighbours 
in an adjoining school. No doubt she had some anxiety 
here also, as the pupils would be likely to teach the well- 
guarded boy not a few schoolboy tricks. At all events 
he was apt to be idle at his lessons and inclined to play 
truant. History tells us that she was obliged to resort 
to a most graphic object-lesson to teach the incipient 
sage the value of continued exertion in acquiring -learn- 
ing. She was engaged in weaving a web of cloth, so 
slie cut the threads across with a knife, to show him the 
dangers arising from a lack of continuity. The web was 
a web no more, only a small piece of woven cloth and a 
tangle of useless thread. We can judge that the object- 



OUR RECEPTKN, 153 

lesson was not lost on young Meng Ko, as his after 
fame amply compensated his mother for her spoiled web 
and her many changes of abode. 

The gatekeeper recognised my husband, and at once 
admitted us. He congratulated me on being the wife 
of a sage, and laughed outright when with a touch of 
sadness in my voice, I informed him ' it was only the 
mothers of sages who were famous.' 

Here, as at the Temple of Confucius, the man was 
anxious that we should see the whole of the wonders 
of the place. The most striking object to be seen on 
entering is a colossal tortoise of marble, bearing on his 
back a huge tablet. The tablet is over twenty feet high 
and six broad, a magnificent slab of greyish pink marble. 
This tablet was erected by the Emperor Kang-hi, in 
honour of the sage. It had a regal look. The tortoise 
is finely cut in black marble, and is over twelve feet long. 
It must have been a work of engineering skill to poise 
that slab on the back of the tortoise. 

An avenue of cypress trees leads to the temple, and 
on each side stand numerous tablets in honour of the 
sage. Each dynasty seems to have done honour to 
the great man. In the main temple, which does not 
compare with the Temple of Confucius, there is a large 
statue of Mencius. It stands on a raised platform 
enclosed in a shrine gorgeous with carving and gilding. 
The statue is reported to be a good likeness, and cer- 
tainly from the stone there gleams a look of power, if 
not of genius. With all the drawbacks of the rude skill 
of the graver, we can at once see that no ordinary or 
commonplace Chinaman is represented here. He was a 
man evidently of swift thought and rapid action. A 
Chinese face with a history. Mencius was contemporary 



154 CHINESE SAGES, 

with Plato, Aristotle, and Demosthenes. Bom B.C. 371, 
he died at the age of eighty-four. His descendants 
still live here. The eldest of the present generation is 
seventy-two, his sons and grandsons are bright, intelli- 
gent young men. I was told that there were a few 
children of the seventy-third generation living at the 
family house. 

Like Confucius, the sage Mencius taught The Art of 
Living, and most stoutly denounced the sins of the age. 
His teachings on public and private morality are weighty. 

On • our way home we visited the burial-ground of 
the family of Mencius. It lies about six miles from the 
city, on the southern slope of a beautiful hill. Nearing 
it we enter a fine avenue of cypress and yew trees. 
Traversing this, we come to a tablet, on which is en- 
graved, * Erected in honour of the holy Sage. Mencius,' 
and on the left of this tablet is a small mountain, under 
which his remains repose. His mother's tomb lies on a 
similar hillside about eight miles distant. 



I5S 



CHAPTER XIX. 

China's Sorrow * — Crossing the Yellow Biver — The ferry : ferrymen 
and mules — ^Bural life — A fine inn, but a bad landlord— Uni- 
formity of the scenery — Wheelbarrows with sails — Arid soil — 
How the natives treated the gods tc cause them to send rain. 

We now resume our journey to Peking along the old 
highways. Four hours from Tsi-nan-foo we reached 
the famous Yellow River, well called ' China's Sorrow/ 
The Emperor Kia King, a.d. 1796-1811, in his will 
gave it this name, and speaks of it as having been from 
remotest ages * China's Sorrow.' When we crossed it 
looked peaceful enough, for the waters were low, but 
the current was very rapid, and altogether it looked the 
kind of stream one would not like to trust. At this 
ferry there was visible one of the numerous griefs inflicted 
on the government by this treacherous river, viz. a fine 
bridge almost completely destroyed. In the centre of 
the stream several arches still remained. Originally the 
bridge seemed to have been strongly and solidly built, 
but the arches had been too low. The river swept 
under as long as it could, but when the waters rose and 
it gained force it rushed over and carried away a great 
part of the bridge. 

In the hamlet above the ferry there seemed as 
choice a collection of ruffians as I have ever seen. They 
just matched the river — wild and turbulent they were, 



156 FERRYMEN AND MULES. 

evil-looking also. Our shendzles were seized by them, 
and they were determined to have our patronage for 
the night. The muleteers agreed with the fellows who 
wished to detain us, and with quite an eflfort we got to 
the river side. The sun was still high, and to make 
our proper halting-places it was necessary to cross the 
Yellow River that afternoon. 

A large boat lay at the ferry, and the boatmen were 
as anxious to carry us across as the innkeepers were to 
detain us. So we pitted one set of ruffians against 
another. My husband's ideas coincided with those of 
the ferrymen, and we resolved to cross. The mules 
were unloaded, very reluctantly by the muleteers, very 
heartily by the ferrymen: the baulked innkeepers 
hovering gloomily around. The great ferry-boat already 
contained two immense wheelbarrows laden with delf 
teapots. These barrows were wheeled to the stem, and 
with much noise and shouting our shendzles were put 
on board. On the margin there was a lively scene. 
The mules, held firmly by the bridles, were plunging 
about wildly and rearing. The innkeepers stood halloo- 
ing, still more to exasperate the frightened animals. 

But at last all are on board, and we are shoved off. 
We sail softly down the stream, the men managing the 
huge sail admirably. On the east side the current ran 
strongly, but on the west it was much slower. After 
running down with the current we tacked, and came 
slowly up the west bank, and disembarked at a point 
only a little lower down than where we had started. 
There was no difficulty in disembarking ; the mules were 
soon laden, and the shendzles were just in motion, when 
suddenly there arose a great howl for bucksheesh. My 
shendzle was surrounded. A cry of disappointment 



RURAL LIFE, 157 

arose, for the shendzle was empty, as I preferred to walk 
up the bank. Pell-mell they rush on my husband's 
shendzle. They seem as if going to devour him, mules 
and all. He scatters some cash, and in the scramble 
the shendzle escapes, and we pass on our way un- 
molested. 

It is a lovely evening, the sun is still an hour from 
setting. Everything is quiet except the tinkle-tinkle 
of the mule bells and the lowing of oxen as they go 
home from the fields. One set were just ahead of us, 
three fine oxen abreast, and a mean little donkey with 
his long traces as slack as they could possibly be, not 
to entangle his heels. They were dragging a sledge 
that is used to mark the width of the furrows, with a 
box for sowing the seed in front. On the sledge are 
now piled a harrow and a plough, with its polished 
share brightly gleaming in the setting sun. The man 
behind is carrying a windlass and close basket bucket 
for raising water. The Chinese never leave any of 
their farming implements in the fields. Though their 
lives are primitive, their simplicity is not primitive. 
Neighbour does not as a rule steal from neighbour, but 
passing travellers consider the villagers fair prey. 

Sometimes, as on this occasion, we see fine bits of 
real rural life. A fine mule was dragging home a small 
stone roller ; on his back was seated a sturdy little three- 
year-old boy, chubby and rosy as any farmhouse pet 
in either ^ Merrie England,' or * Bonnie Scotland ' ; a 
troop of larger children were following and gambolling 
around him. Young China was held on by his father. 
At the door of the house stood a smiling woman, young 
and pretty, clapping her hands, and holding them out 
for the little rider, who was kicking his little heels and 



158 A BAD LANDLORD, 

crowing back to her. It was a lovely picture. The 
colouring also was fine ; the soft grey of the mule, the 
little boy with scarlet jacket and vivid green trousers, 
and the elder children in various shades of blue. The 
handsome young father also was a genuine son of the 
soil, burnt and copper-coloured. 

Soon after crossing the Yellow Eiver we stopped to 
enquire the way, and the answer to our enquiiy was, 
* Wang pei kii,' that is, * Go to the north.' We went 
northwards. The country looked lovely in the twilight. 
I walked for miles along the level road, shaded at intervals 
by lofty elm, beech, poplar, and willow trees. At this 
season these have their fairest, freshest look. The wheat 
though short was not parched, as a shower of rain had 
fallen during the previous day. It was long after dark 
when we reached the town of Ma Kia Tien, but we 
found a fine inn, a Koong Kwan. 

In the morning the landlord was very hard to satisfy. 
We got in so late that there had been no time to make 
an agreement as to money ; and for the honour of 
entertaining us with the comforts of a large wooden 
bench as a bed, and a little hot water for tea, he wanted 
the same sum that the Foo Tai * had paid, who had 
brought something like fifty followers. We could not 
reduce him to a reasonable charge, but compromised for 
about half the sum he demanded. 

We now reached a part of the province where streets, 
shops, inns, temples have a uniform colour, and that is 
the colour of their fields. The people also are grim and 
grey-looking. * And Adam was made out of the dust 
of the ground.' These words are constantly coming up 
to me. The walls and roofs of the houses are only stalks 

* Governor of the Province. 



UNIFORMITY OF THE SCENERY, 159 

of millet plastered over. Few of the houses have even 
the variety of a ridge pole, or any indication of where 
the one side of the roof slopes off from the other. All 
is one plaster of mud. Truly ^ mother earth ' is mother 
earth to them. But, with this glorious brightness of 
sky, and the lovely trees, some of them all aglow with 
fruit-blossoms, not even a clay-coloured village can look 
quite repulsive : and ever and anon from the most 
wretched hovels will peep the sunny faces of children. 
Their bright blue jackets form a pleasant contrast to 
the neutral tint of these sepia hamlets, as I called them, 
and as one after another of these little black-eyed faces 
smiled at me I could not help thinking of Dr. Charles 
Mackay's lines : — 

* Who bids for these little children ? 

Body and soul and brain. 
Who bids for these little children ? 
Young and without a stain.' 

Occasionally we are startled. A distant curve of the 
road seems suddenly full of sails, just like a small fleet 
of pleasure boats. Each tiny sail has its ropes all taut. 
Sometimes, if the wind is high, a reef is taken up in the 
sail. Surely this is Liliput, and we are on the track of 
elves or fairies. Such miniature sails could not propel 
aught but a fairy bark. Certainly these are going 
steadily and at a good rate. ' Is there water there ? ' is 
a question we ask ourselves. Possibly there may be, 
for low banks prevent our seeing aught ; but the Lili- 
putian sails are gliding on. There is a break in the 
embankment, and one by one the sails fleet past the 
opening. These are the land yachts of North China ! 
the prosaic wheelbarrows ! The sails must be of much 
assistance in propelling them, for they are very heavy. 



l6o WHEELBARROWS WITH SAILS. 

and there are generally two men, but sometimea only 
one, handling each wheelbarrow. Human labour could 
scarcely exceed the strain these wheelbarrow men bear. 
Milton speaks of Cathay, where Chinese ' drive their 
cany waggons light.' Had he seen them, and not merely 



the tale in Marco Polo, he would liave had to use a 
different adjective. Our mules don't like the sails, and 
are always troublesome while passing them. 

We had a hot, dusty ride between Ten Tien and 
Ur Shih le poo. All along the way, one is almost op- 



ARID SOIL. i6t 

pressed by realising the great efiforts required to trans- 
port things from place to place. Surely the Via Victoria 
ought to be here, to relieve this dreadful pressure, and 
give human beings a chance of being something else 
than mere beasts of burden. In the Southern provinces, 
.where water-ways are abundant, the urgent need of 
railways is not felt, but in the North, where there are 
no water-ways, railways are necessary for the well-being 
of the people, to set them free from this drudgery. Had 
they water-ways, these would be of no use in winter, 
for this is a most tantalising climate. Neither cold 
enough to freeze the rivers thoroughly, nor warm enough 
to keep them thawed. 

So arid it was between Ur Shih le poo, and Whang 
ho Yeh that I was reminded of the alkaline plains 
on the South Pacific Railway in America. The dust 
brought the same biting, stinging sensation to one's eyes 
and finger-nails. Yet the trees are as lovely as possible. 
The frost has locked up the moisture in the soil, and 
trees, striking their roots deep, flourish. The surface 
looked dry, so dry, the wheat poor, and struggling hard 
to live. In this neighbourhood the drought has been 
trying. After praying in vain to the gods for rain, 
the inhabitants at one village took down one of the 
walls of a temple, so that the gods might see for them- 
selves the dryness of the soil, and feel the glare of the 
noonday sun. The people told me it was quite effec- 
tual, as on the succeeding night a good shower of rain 
fell, accompanied with thunder. In the districts where 
there had been no lack of rain, and the wheat was 
young and green, the whole plain had a park-like look, 
owing to the great number and variety of the clumps of 
trees planted over graveyards. 

L 



1 62 



CHAPTER XX. 

Chinese burial-grounda — An imperial courier — Temples : the beauty 
of their sites — Chinese Christians — The spread of Christianity 
in Shan-tung — The telegraph — Whang ho Yeh — The emporium 
of Teh Chow — A great dep6t on the Grand Canal — Fine pei-low — 
Great display of lethal weapons at every gate — Bookselling — 
Chinese * exquisites ' and Chinese roughs — Hunt for an inn — A 
guest-room tastefully ornamented — * The seven ages of man ' — 
Chinese honesty. 

The Chinese government forbids intra-mural interment. 
Public burial-grounds, given by government, are only 
used for the very poor, or for strangers dying far away 
from their homes, and who have not had money enough 
to carry them to their native places. Sometimes at 
the seaports, or other great places of trade, the men 
from some distant province will subscribe and pur- 
chase a cemetery, where those who are rich have tem- 
porary sepulture, and the poor lie till the angel shall 
proclaim that time shall be no more. Usually each 
family has its own little graveyard in its own piece of 
ground. Graveyards are therefore dotted over every 
plain. Some of them have very fine trees. It is quite 
unusual to see graves unshaded by the dark yew, or 
the feathery arbor vitae. 

We have now reached the great main highway to 
I'eking. To-day we meet a courier with the imperial 
mail for the South. A most imposing personage he 



AN IMPERIAL COURIER, 1163 

seems. His yellow silk sash, and his despatches rolled 
in yellow silk and tied across his shoulders, proclaim 
his dignity. Couriers travel very rapidly. At each 
stage a man waits, ready mounted, to receive the pack- 
ages, and transfer them to the next stage. No delay is 
permitted. How interesting it would be to know what 
this messenger carried! Promotion to the fortunate, 
degradation and often decapitation to the unfortunate, for 
here, as in Western lands, * nothing succeeds like success.' 

We dined at a small place called Woo-li poo, or * Five 
Mile Cairn.' It was a miserable little place, so wretched 
indeed that there was no room fit to eat in. So we had 
to betake ourselves to the open air. The people were 
kindly and polite, and it was pleasant to have the blue 
sky overhead. 

Just after our meal an intelligent-looking man came 
up and saluted my husband as ^ pastor,' rather a novel 
salutation, but a most welcome one in these parts. Of 
course that at once told us he was a Christian, and not 
ashamed of his creed. We may think that the prestige 
of a Briton is high, but that of a Christian is higher. 
A Chinaman is not at all times anxious to claim his ac- 
quaintance with a foreigner. Not unfrequently it brings 
down upon him many petty annoyances from his neigh- 
bours. Even the mandarins sometimes oppress those 
known to be friendly to the outside barbarian. This 
man, however, came with the utmost frankness. He 
told us there were a few Christians in the neighbour- 
hood belonging to the mission of the American Board 
of Foreign Missions. 

When my husband passed through this region in 
1865, there was not a Protestant Christian nor a mission 
station in any part of Shan-tung, except at the ports 

L 2 



l64 CHINESE CHRISTIANS. 

of Chefoo and Tung-chow-foo. What a change! 
According to late statistics, there are now over 2,800 
professed converts in Shan-tung alone, six ordained 
native ministers, and little groups of Christians dotted 
all over the province. Each year there has been an in- 
creasing ratio of baptisms. We trust this will continue: 
for not. only does Christianity bring to Chinese hearts 
the joy and the healing of salvation by faith in Jesus 
Christ, but the advancement of Christian missions means 
prosperity, deliverance from superstitious bondage, and 
the removal of Chinese exclusiveness in every shape and 
form. 

Near this point the telegraph line between Tien-tsin 
and Shanghai passes. There is now telegraphic com- 
munication from Tien-tsin, which is the port of Peking, 
to Shanghai, and . from thence to London and all the 
world. ^ This has been brought about by the power and 
wisdom of the well-known Chinese general, Li Hung 
Chang, at the instigation and with the able assistance 
of Sir Robert Hart, the Inspector-general of the 
Chinese Imperial Customs. The construction of this 
telegraph marks a wonderful era in the history of the 
Chinese Empire. The Chinese have gone at one sweep 
from travelling couriers to telegrams, without waiting 
for the intermediate penny postage. Who, after this, 
can say that they are slow to adopt- improvements ? The 
successful planting and opening of this line of telegraph 
has been greatly aided by the amount of intelligence 
that has of late been spread amongst the officials and 
people. The distribution of books and the circulation 

' A high mandarin told me lately that neither imperial mandate 
nor guards of soldiers would have enabled the telegraph to be erected 
had it not been for the information diffused by the missionaries 
among the people. 



A FINE PEILOW, 165 

of periodical literature have enabled them to under- 
stand the value and utility of our Western discoveries. 
The frequent journeys of foreigners throughout these 
Northern provinces have also helped to enlighten the 
common people. 

Very likely, in a short time, the Chinese will make 
a corresponding leap from ruts to railways, without 
going through the transition stage of macaSamised 
roads. Chinese roads will be repaired when Chinese 
gentlemen require wheeled carriages to catch the trains, 
and waggons to bring their goods to railway depots in 
time to reach stated markets. In this empire railways 
cannot lag far behind telegraphs ; for from speedy infor- 
mation will arise the necessity of speedy transit. 

. The city of Whang ho Yeh, meaning ^ The shore of 
the Yellow Eiver,' is now a very long way from that 
erratic stream. It has fine, lofty, arched gateways, with 
beautiful temples over them, though there is nothing 
to protect but mud inside the walls. It is astonishing 
how the people contrive to have some piece of beauty 
in these mud-built towns. The temple usually absorbs 
all the aesthetic powers of the inhabitants ; for although 
there is not a brick or a tile in the houses, they seem to 
get bricks, and tiles, and paint to decorate the village 
shrine. Care and money are evidently bestowed on 
their little temples, which are always built on the love- 
liest sites. Some of the finest trees are found in the 
temple grounds. I speak of small village temples. In 
large places the temples are often in a state of ruin and 
decay. 

We next reached Teh Chow, a most prosperous city, 
the depot for the trade by canal. The streets are wide. 
The shops and warehouses looked thriving. lu the 



i66 DISPLAY OF LETHAL WEAPONS. 

centre of the city is a fine fci-low built of wood, the 
.first wooden fei-low we met. The fretwork on the top 
is particularly fine, with nothing of the grotesque. At 
every gate and barrier— and these were more numerons 
than usual in Chinese cities — there was a grand display 
of swords, spears, battle-axes, bows and arrows, javelins, 
gingalls, &C, These, however, were only painted. The 
actual weapons were in the citadel beyond — quite an 
imposing structure. They would have been formidable 
in the hands of such braves as we saw loitering about. 



In the busiest port of the city we halted. Dr. 
Williamson took a great quantity of Testaments and 
other books for sale. WhUe this was being done, I 
watched the sour looks of the grandees in the crowd. 
Fancy to yourself an ' exquisite,' tall and elegant, got 
up in a long robe of sea-green brocaded crape, a violet 
carmine satin jacket, a blue velvet collar, a black satin 
hat with crimson tassel, irreproachably white stockings, 
lavender silk shoes with black velvet toes, rubbing 



CHINESE BANDIES. 167 

shoulders with some of the most loathsome and wretched 
specimens of humanity I have ever seen — and there wer^ 
scores of such among them, all the roughs of a most 
turbulent city — yet such * exquisites ' braving all this, 
merely to get sight of a foreign woman. 

This particular dandy tried to treat me to his most 
elaborate sneer. While he stood at one side I looked 
steadily at the other, and made myself appear unaware 
of his presence to such an unlimited extent that he be- 
came angry. To another ' exquisite,' in a stone-coloured 
silk robe, a black satin sleeveless jacket, and black velvet 
boots, he remarked, ' What an abominable odour these 
foreigners have ! faugh, the whole street is full of it ! ' 
Then Mr. Sea-green Kobe stood right in front of the 
mule, and stared hard into the shendzle. Still was I 
imperturbable, quite regardless of his sneers and cynical 
remarks. The dandies then commented on my appear- 
ance, which was not to their taste. Mr. Grey Robe said, 
' Think of an old man like that bringing his daughter 
out ; these barbarians sometimes don't let their daughters 
marry till they are over thirty.' Mr. Sea-green ques- 
tioned me : — 

' How old are you ? ' 

Mr. Grey said, ' She does not understand a word 
you say.' 

■Oh! doesn't she though? She speaks as good 
Chinese as you do ! ' said a cheeky lad. 

When they discovered I was not to be worried, they 
walked off to the greater attraction of the bookselling, 
where doubtless they harassed my husband not a little. 

He was very much distracted by just such fellows 
as I have described. Of course, when common roughs 
get the countenance of the upper classes, they are apt 



i68 BOOKSELLING. 

to become very much more boisterous than they would 
otherwise be. 

At the close of his sales that evening, Dr. Williamson 
tells me, a gentleman answering the description of Mr. 
Grey Robe, made a raid on the colporteur's basket. 
Snatching a handful of small books, he scattered them 
amongst the crowd for a scramble and made oflf; but 
not soon enough, for Dr. W. seized him by his queue ; 
he screamed out. Dr. W. allowed him to go, as there 
was no credit in provoking a fight. Such conduct is 
a disgrace to Chinese gentlemen, especially men getting 
towards forty years of age. 

The books were sold as rapidly as the money could 
be collected — Scriptures of the National Bible Society 
of Scotland, and books from the Religious Tract Society 
in London. There was very great eagerness to get both 
Scriptures and books. The Testaments sold were of a 
new edition, with maps, introductions to each book, and 
headings to the chapters, such as we have in our 
English Bibles. The Tract Society's books were a fine 
collection, more extensive, and better suited to the 
Chinese than we ever previously had. Amongst them 
were many periodicals like the ^ Leisure Hour ' and 
^ Sunday at Home,' mostly well illustrated. These 
were in great demand, also a book called the 'Two 
Friends,' being a story in dialogue between two China- 
men, illustrating the various points of our religion, and 
a large sheet calendar with appropriate religious texts 
and several illustrations. 

Usually, when a man or boy became the proud pos- 
sessor of a book or calendar, there was a rush to read 
it; and over shoulders and on all sides numbers of 
Voices screamed out as much of its contents as they 



THE 'SEVEN AGES OF MAN: 169 

could see. Then it was pronounced haw^ good, and a 
pell-mell sale was the result. 

At various points Dr. Williamson made arrange- 
ments for supplying the magistrates with a copy of the 
* Globe Magazine' for one year. This is a gift from 
the Eeligious Tract Society of London. The mandarins 
expressed their thanks for the kindness, and sent their 
cards. The ^ Globe Magazine ' is like the ' Leisure 
Hour,' with a few pages of news of the world. 

While the bookselling was going, on, the cavalcade 
went off to hunt up an inn, where we might stay the 
night. In that part of the city to which we had been 
directed, viz. the western suburbs, there were only wheel- 
barrow inns, with no accommodation for animals. So, 
after much questioning and going round outside the 
walls, we were at length directed to a very good place. 
The crowd that followed us in a great human tide 
rolled into the inn-yard. I got into the shelter of the 
large room of the inn. The crowd filled the courtyard 
and began peering in at the windows and to tear the 
paper. It was only with great difficulty that I forced 
myself from the unwelcome attentions of the gazing 
crowd. Left in peace at last, I found that the large 
room of this inn was in a Chinese fashion rather 
tastefully decorated. Over the sideboard, and opposite 
the door, was a picture quite Shakespearian. The 
^ seven ages of man ' were painted on a long scroll such 
as the Chinese admire. There was age prattling to 
infancy, the infant held in the arms of middle age; 
manhood sat on a throne with an aureole of peacock 
feathers ; youth stood slightly behind, as if attending 
on manhood; while boyhood and childhood were in 
front in the act of presenting flowers and fruit to age 



170 MORE BOOKS WANTED. 

and infancy. This was a copy of a very old and favourite 
picture. It was probably an inspiration of genius before 
the Bard of Avon penned his immortal lines in * As You 
Like It.' This picture was very vivid. It had been 
recently put up, and had probably some connection 
with a death in the landlord's family, as it was flanked 
on either side by commemorative scrolls that told of 
the ' five lakes ' and the ^ four seas,' and of human life 
slipping away like rivers to the ocean. There were 
drawings on crimson paper quite artistic, studies of 
plants, in which the bamboo figured gracefully. These 
were all quite pleasing to my eye, and suggested the 
sunny South, with its groves of fairy bamboos. Outside, 
on the whitewashed walls of the courtyard, were two 
pictures in colour-wash. On one side travellers were 
represented under a lofty pine tree, on the other side 
a weeping willow shaded the wayfarers. These were 
roughly done, but had the artistic touch that is so 
unmistakable. 

While I was admiring this picture gallery, a man 
arrived with an oral message from my husband : ' The 
books are nearly sold out, send more, also calendars.' 

' Did the teacher not give you a paper ? ' 

* No ; nothing, only said, '' Bring books." ' 
' Did he pay you ? ' 

* No ; but when I go back I am to have two books 
for my trouble.' 

The man had an honest face, though he was poor 
and dirty. I committed to his care about fifty Gospels, 
fifty ' Three Character Classics,' and two hundred 
calendars. After he started I was rather doubtful of 
the wisdom of the transaction ; but when a Chinaman 
is entrusted with anything he is usually faithful. I 



CHINESE HONESTY. 171 

was delighted to find that he conveyed all the books 
most faithfully ; though he was only sent hoping he 
would reach the inn before the colporteur started, and 
thus go along in his charge. 

The man got the promised two books that were to 
recompense him for his trouble, and was as proud of his 
act of service as if an honour had been conferred on 
him. 



172 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Grand Canal : the ferry — A new fort and garrison — Another 
imperial courier— The city of King chow with fine pagoda — 
An affable innkeeper — A newly dug canal— Chinese bridges — 
Superstition connected with their erection — Sacrifices of 
children — The reopening of water communication — The town 
of Shen Kia Lin— Sickness— Gambling— Chinese gallants. 

Just outside the town of Teh Chow we crossed the 
celebrated Grand Canal, the direct water-way to Tien- 
tsin and Peking, and entered the province of Chih-li. 
There were many boats in the stream. The ferry-boat 
was large, and had no sail. It was simply drawn 
across by means of a rope, though the deep canal is 
at this point much wider than the Suez Canal. 

About a mile distant, on the Peking side, we saw 
a new fort bristling with brass cannon. No soldiers 
were loitering about, as it was very early in the morn- 
ing. At a little distance from the fort a courier on 
horseback overtook and passed us. His despatches 
were more bulky than usual, but they were covered 
with the genuine imperial yellow. Immediately behind 
him, on a beautiful black pony, rode an armed officer, 
to guard the precious papers. A heavy shower of rain 
fell, and we left them behind. Very soon they over- 
took and again passed us. They had stopped to cover 
up the packet of despatches with oilskin, and the officer 



THE CITY OF KING CHOW. 173 

had drawn an oilskin hood over his helmet. Both were 
pleasant-looking men. The officer remarked to the 
muleteer -as he passed, ' How can the lady bear the 
cold and rain ? ' I could not help admiring their 
steeds as they galloped off. Not the usual podgy 
animals that mandarins delight to see, but fiery little 
barbs, -with an Arab look about them. 

In this neighbourhood are many camps of soldiers. 
They are towards Tien-tsin, along the line of this canal. 
Each camp contains five hundred men. A few of these 
are cavalry, but the greater portion of them are infantry. 
These camps are placed for the protection of the tele- 
graph from Tien-tsin to Shanghai, of which we have 
formerly spoken. 

At noon of this day we reached the city of King chow, 
a most dilapidated and poverty-stricken-looking place. 
The gates are . imposing. Within the walls is quite 
a handsome pagoda. The inhabitants are few, and 
their houses are clustered together at the cross of the 
city. Their manners are rude, insolent, and almost 
savage. The inn where our dinner was prepared, 
whilst my husband went to the streets to sell books, 
was the only respectable-looking house in the place. It 
was kept by a cheery old Peking man, who complained 
that ^ these steamers from Tien-tsin to Shanghai had 
taken all the trade from the interior ; that formerly the 
traffic on this road was tremendous, but now, alas ! the 
people here were too poor to live.' His inn was much 
in decay, but he pointed triumphantly to the relics of 
former grandeur in the fine mahogany lampstands he 
used to set out when illustrious guests came. He 
pointed to the fine tables and other furniture that had 
evidently been the pride of his heart. I amused him a 



174 'i NEWLY DUG CANAL. 

little by declaring that I was unfortunate not to have 
arrived in the evening, when he might have displayed his 
lampstanda for such an illustrious guest aa a foreign lady. 
In the afternoon we passed a newly dug canal, 
where a number of soldiers were busy driving piles for 
a bridge. They had erected an immensely high trestle 



which would have been a credit to any 
trestle bridge railway contractor in America. This 
BcafTolding was to enable them to drive the piles. Pro- 
bably, under each large pile would be put a living 
child — under the piles on the west, boya ; under those 
on the east, girls. Alas ! that men with brain enough 
to plan and execute engineering works of great magni- 



SACRIFICES OF CHTLDREHT. 175 

tude were yet bo dark witli superstition as to believe 
that the bridge would have small chance to stand unless 
supported by this sacrifice of human life ! Near Che- 
foo, we knew of eight children being so sacrificed. A 
wooden bridge had been frequently swept away by the 
turbulent stream, so that, to appease the spirit of the 
river, this sacrifice waa thought necessary. The famihes 
from which the children were taken were poor. Each 
family got a handsome douceur, and the affair was 



ifrttrn A Chineu dratcing.) 

quietly managed. I am only sorry to add that the 
bridge, being constructed of heavier timbers, stands still, 
and the people are satisfied that they have done right. 
Children so sacrificed are supposed to enjoy entire free- 
dom from punishment in after life ; and the sacrifice of 
them is considered a meritorious act on the part of their 
parents, so that there is no need to mourn. Aiterwards, 
when telling the number of their children) they never 
count the little ones who perished thus.' 

' This I have on Chinese auUiovit/. 



176 SHEN KIA Z/y. 

At the town close by the canal we could not get 
rooms. The place was full of soldiers and navvies. 
The present Board of Works are making a great eflTort 
to drain this portion of the country, which had been 
seriously inundated by the Yellow lliver some years 
ago. They are opening outlets that have been closed 
for years, and at this point are digging an entirely new 
canal, to open up water communication with the West 
and South. At one place, so many coolies were carry- 
ing round basketsful of mud that the plain resembled 
an ant-hill. AVe were told that seventy thousand men 
were engaged on this work, and I believe it to be the 
fact. No wonder the people dread these inundations. 
A few weeks before our visit the Yellow River over- 
flowed at Chi Ho, the place where we crossed after 
leaving Tsi-nan-foo, and there has been dreadful suffer- 
ing and loss of life. 

Well ! His Imperial Majesty's workmen obliged us 
to plod on for six miles, in a beating rainstorm, till we 
reached a much more picturesque place, called Shen Kia 
Lin, or, ' The Forest of the Shen Family.' That night, 
probably in consequence of the wetting, my husband 
became seriously ill. We had a small stock of medicines 
with us, and fortunately just what was required to check 
the disorder. On Saturday it rained in torrents, to the 
great joy of the people, for the rain saved their crops. 
I joined in their feelings, as my husband was improving. 
Next morning he was much stronger. 

Sunday morning was bright and fair. About noon 
there came sweeping into the inn-yard, in .fine style, a 
goodly cavalcade, shouting and flourishing. 

The masters of the carts were young men ; some of 
whom were tall, stout, and loud-voiced. In an instant 



CHINESE PEDLARS, 177 

the inn-yard was completely crowded with pedlars of all 
sorts of small wares. Each pedlar rattled most vigorously 
a bamboo about a foot long, filled with sticks, about the 
thickness of an ordinary lead pencil, and the end of the 
bamboo was fitted with something that sounded like a 
drum. What could all these noises mean ? The bamboos 
were lottery boxes. The sticks in them were all marked 
so many blanks to so many prizes. The sticks were 
well shaken up and down on this resounding tym- 
panum. When a stick drawn was marked as a prize, 
the drawer was entitled to a certain amount of the 
contents of the pedlar's basket ; but if it was marked 
as a blank, his money was lost. The first basket I saw 
had a tray, with goose eggs, hard-boiled ; salted duck 
eggs, also hard-boiled ; sweet cakes ; toffee ; and pea- 
nuts. Some baskets had coloured tapes, used for tying 
up Chinamen's gaiters ; buttons, and all sorts of nick- 
nacks ; eatables being more plentiful than anything else. 
What an appetite for gambling these men seem to 
have ! The Pekingese are the most noted gamblers in 
China. Misery is always the result of their gambling. 
Fortunes are lost and families ruined in their gambling 
dens. 

Rattle ! rattle ! rattle ! half-a-dozen bamboos strik- 
ing at once make quite a lively noise. Round and 
round the inn-yard they move, till all the new-comers 
have drawn several times, and all the cakes are gone. 
The eggs also have disappeared. Indeed, the trays are 
pretty well cleared out. It reminded me of what goes 
on in some fancy bazaars at home, where fair young 
ladies go round and tempt the unwary to dip into their 
mystery bag, from which on payment of a silence one 
may get something worth a penny. I think those 



178 A CHINESE MEAL. 

Chinese gentlemen fared better. They did look foolish 
drawing the sticks and getting a handful of peanuts as 
a reward. One unlucky wight drew a blank thrice, and 
he threw the stick into the man's face, and retreated 
into his room in disgust. 

Meanwhile a brass basin filled with hot water is sent 
round, and every man washes his face in it. After the 
basin a teapot of large dimensions and cups to match 
were sent round with tea for the men. For an hour 
the inn-yard was lively, both with sound and motion. 
The mules were busily munching provender from 
mangers in the open air, three mules at each manger, 
each mule tied up short, so that if one felt greedy he 
could not get more than his own share of grain or 
straw. The muleteers moved to and fro, adding now 
one kind of grain, now another, to the bait, which 
consisted of beans, black and green, Barbadoes millet, 
Indian corn, bran, and chopped straw. 

Presently from the kitchen comes a waiter, bearing 
aloft a wooden tray, with four basins of meats and two 
plates of vegetables. There are two guests in each 
room. In a marvellously short time, each room has a 
second supply of four basins and two plates of vegetables. 
Little boys run in with bread steaming hot from the 
oven, and kettles with hot wine. The food looks 
palatable, and smells savoury: there are pork balls 
with mushrooms ; breasts of chickens with olives and 
vermicelli ; shrimps stewed with celery ; a white 
jelly with savoury sauce ; bean curd and onions ; 
kippered mackerel with garlic ; a nondescript dish of 
pigs' brains, with chickens' wings sticking out all ov^r 
it, giving it a hedgehoggy appearance; carp with 
onions ; a variety of vegetables ; tit-bits mostlv coo- 



A CHINESE CAB. 179 

diments in small saucers ; ham sliced ; soup of chicken, 
flavoared with sorrel. 

I was careful to get the bill of fare. That was not 
a despicable dinner for a country inn ! 

Bills all settled, purses all put up, guests crawl into 
their carts. Only one lady in Peking has the credit of 



entering a cart with great dignity. Smacb ! crack ! go 
the whips, as the carters gather up the reins. With an 
effort round go the heavy wheels, and out of the inn-yard 
they drive in most gallant style. As the carts pass my 
window I see that some of them are quite handsome, 
hnving coverings of blue cloth with arabesques of black 



i8o CHINESE GALLANTS, 

velvet relieved by white, decorated with a scarlet-and- 
white triangular flag. They are all armed. Two of 
them are particularly warlike, having each a ten foot 
spear, lashed obliquely to the side of the cart, and 
projecting over the heads of the animals. This spear 
has an old world look, with its lancewood shaft iand 
glittering steel point. Just where the steel is inserted 
there is a long fringe of crimson silk, meant to represent 
dripping gore. In spite of the petticoats the men wore, 
the whole cavalcade had a martial look. We were 
constantly meeting such groups of travellers, varied 
occasionally by groups of officials. The latter are more 
imposing, but they usually have such a set of villainous- 
looking ragged followers that they are not so interesting 
as the every-day travellers. 

After the departure of these gallants, silence falls 
on us. Every one has a siesta. Even our mules are 
nodding in the sun. 



^ i8i 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The' famine districts in Chih Li — Sad stories — A good dog story — 
The departmental city of Ho kien foo — Boman Catholic 
establishment and Church of England mission — The ruins of 
old and handsome bridges — An inn three storeys deep — Sing- 
song girls — A specimen of their musical recitations — Tune, 
Madame Wang — Great distributing city of Ma Chow— A great 
wholesale fair — Sign-boards and advertisements — A miserable 
inn — The merrymaking of the fair — Canals and junks. 

For two days we travelled over a district that had 
suffered severely from famine. The tale was told in 
roofless and doorless houses. All the woodwork had, 
in many cases, been torn out and sold for food. The 
millet stalks in the roofs had been taken and chewed, 
to stay the pangs of hunger. In some villages many 
houses were untenanted, and many fields around them 
were untilled. The remaining inhabitants, were finding 
that in self-defence they would have to till these weedy 
fields, as the seeds from thence were spoiling their good 
crops. I asked where the people had gone from the 
locked-up houses. 'Went away at the famine time, 
and have not come back.' That was the invariable 
answer. Still, the empty house is no proof that the 
former inmates are dead ; for they may have wandered 
away, and found employment. Some day they may 
return, and claim their houses and lands. In the ham- 
lets, where the population was certainly greatly dimin- 
ished, those that remained had a sturdy, healthy look. 



1 82 FAMINE DISTRICTS, 

In some places they offered their ground for sale at 
about ten shillings an acre. The soil had always been 
poor and dry. 

Fever, too, had decimated these places. One great 
pile was shown where a whole family had died of fever. 
They had no one to bury them. A neighbour who had 
recovered from this famine fever went to see how they 
fared, and if he could do anything for them. He found 
the old grandmother seated on the doorstep, trying to 
call to some one who was staggering through a field. 
She entreated the neighbour to go and bring the man, 
for he was her youngest son. * The rest are all dead,' 
she said, pointing to the two inner rooms. * The baby 
was the last that died ; it stopped crying this morning. 
I haven't yet gone in to see. I brought my darling boy 
out here, and now he has got up, and I can't follow 
him.' The man asked if she had food, ' Oh, yes ! ' she 
said, ' we have food, but we have fever too.' This kind 
neighbour went to get help, hoping to remove the old 
woman to a shed near. He returned with two men ; 
but she would not let them come near till they went 
after her son. In a field at no great distance they 
found him, and carried him to her ; he was dead. When 
she saw this the poor old woman gave one cry, and threw 
herself backwards over the door-sill. In a short time 
she also was dead. 

It was evening when these two men left this sad 
house and went home. Next morning they reported 
the affair to the mandarin, who sent orders to have the 
house pulled down over the dead bodies. The men 
who had to fulfil the order stopped up their noses,^ lifted 
the recently dead, and threw them beside the others. 
^ This is a common Chinese practice to avoid infection. 



SAD STORIES. 183 

Then they pulled out all the large timbers, and pushed 
the whole structure in, and covered the corpses. This 
sad house-grave was shown to us. It stands on a little 
height outside the village. Near it, on the level road, 
was a well, nicely paved round. By order of the mandarin 
it had been filled up. Grass was plentifully growing from 
its mouth, which the paving stones defined. The whole 
story was sad and tragic. Such a story might be told 
of many villages, for ^ The famine was sore in the land.' 
Travelling on westwards, we passed a small planta- 
tion of trees. A good dog story is associated with 
it : — Many years ago, during the autumn, a pedestrian 
courier left Tsi-nan-foo on a journey to Peking. He 
had frequently made the journey to convey letters 
and money. On this journey he was entrusted with 
some small gold ingots. These were sewn into various 
parts of a wadded belt. He had agreed to reach Peking 
in a specified time under penalty for each day's delay. 
The man had a hardy collie dog as his companion in 
these journeys. Everything went prosperously until 
he reached this neighbourhood. In the evening, on 
arriving at one of the small inns, he missed his dog. 
He whistled, called, all in vain. He recollected that 
at a certain grove of trees where he had rested and had 
* forty winks ' his dog was with him. He had started 
up hurriedly, thinking he had lost time, and his dog 
was forgotten. Could doggie also have had 'forty 
winks' too many? The courier went to bed hoping 
that ere morning the dog would turn up. Morning 
came — no collie. On a former occasion the dog had 
hurt his foot, and of his own accord had gone straight 
home. So the man concluded that this time, also, on 
missing his master he had returned to his home. 



1 84 A GOOD DOG STORY. 

Without his companion he felt lonely, but his letters 
admitted no delay. So on he trudged to Peking. 
When he reached the city his wadded belt was undone, 
one ingot was missing. How could this be ? In every 
direction the belt was felt, and finally cut to pieces. 
The place where the missing ingot had been was plainly 
seen. A defect in the seam of the belt showed where 
it had slipped out. The man's honesty was undoubted, 
evidently he had lost the gold. So he gave a mortgage 
on his farm in Shan-tung for the amount. 

A storm of snow prevented his immediate return, 
so he took a position as a workman with the man 
whose money he had lost. When the severity of the 
winter was past he started homewards. On reaching 
this grove, a particularly lofty tree recalled it to his 
memory. Association of ideas made him look towards 
the tree under which he had slept. There was a heap 
of something. The fallen leaves had been whirled about, 
and in that place they made a little mound. The man 
walked straight over to the tree, kicked the leaves 
aside, and disclosed the remains of his lost favourite. 
' Can he have become sick, and been unable to foUow 
me ? ' said the man to himself. Immediately the lost 
ingot occurred to him. He removed the dog, and there 
lay the gold ! Gratitude and sorrow together made 
him go down on his knees and wail as one wails for an 
only son. He laid his dog in the centre of a triangle 
formed by three lofty trees, heaped a mound of earth 
over him, and half-grieving, half-joyous, retraced his 
fcteps to Peking. 

The merchant whose gold he returned presented 
him with money enough to put up a tablet to com- 
memorate the faithfulness of his canine friend. He 



HO KIEN FOO. 185 

also got imperial permission to erect the stone. The 
weather was too wet for me to hunt up the stone, even 
had I known the spot where to look for it. 

Thirty li from Shen Kia Lin we reached Ho kien 
foo. The only interesting part of the road between 
the two places is that which lies along the new canal 
that has been dug to drain away the overflow of the 
waters of ^China's Sorrow.' The people repeatedly 
asserted that the seventy thousand men engaged in this 
work were fairly well paid. They further said that 
these workmen did not plunder, but paid for all they 
got. Their chief food was rice, brought along the canal 
in imperial junks. A great many soldiers were stationed 
at various points, to keep these navvies in order. 

The wall of Ho kien foo is fine, and in thorough 
repair. The gateways are lofty, with a quadrangle and 
interior gate. In passing through to reach our inn at 
the western suburb, we found that the city looked deso- 
late. Large portions of it were uninhabited. . All the 
houses have flat roofs. Towards the western portion 
of the city we passed a lofty crenelated wall enclosing 
a good space of ground, with fine trees. We saw no 
buildings in the enclosure, but the people told me it 
was a idang shu tang, or * expounding books hall,' 
the name they usually give to a Christian temple. It 
was a Roman Catholic establishment. Both priests and 
converts were well reported of by the people. 

In this neighbourhood, about two miles from the 
city, there is a station of the English Church Mission. 
The cook at the inn did me not a few kindnesses, 
because he said the Rev. W. H. Collins, of the Church 
Missionary Society, had cured his mother of ague, from 
which she had suffered for several years. 



1 86 A'6^/iV6' OF BRIDGES, 

JuHt outHidt5 the weHt gate we croHHed the Voo too 
ri vtT. The brid^c^, a handHome one, Heeined very ancient, 
and on the four buttreHHes neareHt tlie banks repoHed four 
frogH in granite, with outKj)read feet, and a horrible grin, 
or leer, on tlieir faces. On the east side of the bridge were 
the heads of two imix^ial tortoises. The slabs they had 
once supported were nowhere to be seen. The tortoises 
themselves wtjre now under a mass of mud bricks en- 
closing a manure heap ! A magnificent liQiAAxw lay in 
ruins. Tim blocks of stone were immense. The carv- 
ings in relief had b<»en fine. The square columns had 
tracery exc(^e.dingly like that on some of the old pillars 
represented by Squire * as having been found in the 
land of the Incas. At the foot of those pillars had stood 
the usual grotesque representations that would craze 
the most enthusiastic student of natural history, and 
perplex the most inveterate unraveller of heraldic mys- 
t(Ties. Small respect had been paid to fallen greatness, 
for I noticed more than one doorstc^p adorned by a slab 
from the monument. There are Goths and Vandals in 
all lands. 

We put up at a pretty inn ; in Chinese parlance — 
three storeys deep, that is, having three sets of rooms in 
three courtyards. We occupied the innermost one. 
The innkeeper was very busy. 

'J'here were numbers of sing-song girls going about. 
All the evening there was a constant twanging of a 
kind of guitar, as an accompaniment to a most un- 
pleasant screeching. However, as I listened and got 
interested in the story the singer was telling, I found 
it less unpleasant than it secerned when first it caught 
my ear. Unlike most of their songs, it was in the 

< Bquire'g I'eru, pp. 385, 880. 



SING-SONG GIRLS, 187 

colloquial dialect, and was quite intelligible to me. 
One singer^ whose voice was not disagreeable, sang a 
verse, and at the end of each verse the whole company 
sang the chorus. The chorus after each verse was 
different, but at the last line there always occurred an 
expression equivalent to our 'Oh, dear! oh, dear ! alas!' 
Between each verse was a part spoken by another voice 
in good contrast to the screaming treble. 

It may interest my readers to have a rough transla- 
tion of the song, which is very popular. It is called — 

Madame Wang. 

Sah tBwong, sab tswong, wei ah ! 

Ling shae ur kaw ting dang, 
Eao or, wan shing shuae ah. 

Ling shae ur, Wang Ta Niang. 

(Spoken) Wang Ta Niang Tsing mun dzo dsieh lian, kao tang 

shang liao. 

(Chorus) Yih whoa, yih whoa, Heigh ! 

Dzoong yang ie, puh tao woa te ku fang te shang liao. 

Yih whoa, yih whoa, Heigh I 

The translation of this verse is : — 

Outside of the gauze-covered window a neighbour tapped, 

The maiden within said, * Who is there ? * 
The voice replied, * It is your neighbour, Wang Ta Niang.* 

(Spoken) Madame Wang came in and sat on a high stool, Heigho ! 
You are unkind not to come often, Heigho ! 

(Chorus) Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh I 

Madame Wang opened the damask curtains. 
Inhaled the fragrance of the toilette perfumes. 

Turned down the red damask coverlet. 
And saw that the girl had wasted to a shadow, alas ! 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh ! 

Well, miss, how have you been ? 

I have no strength or spirit, and cannot take my rice or tea, alas ! 

Yih whoa, yih whoa, Heigh I 



1 88 A CHINESE SONG. 

Bhall I call a doctor ? 

Oh no, do not call him, I don't want him, 

He will feel my pulse and sonnd me, 
I am afraid of feeling and sounding, alas ! 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh ! 

Shall I invite a Buddhist priest? 

Oh no, a Buddhist priest will only be jingling and banging, 
I am afraid of jingling and banging, alas I 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh ! 

Shall I send a Lama priest for you ? 

Oh no, a Lama will only sing and chant, 
I dislike singing and chanting, alas ! 

Yih whoa, yih whoa, Heigh I 

You don't want this, and you don't wailt that. How did you 
become so ill ? 

In the third month, in the third month. 

At the birthday of the flowers. 
When peach-blossoms open and willows are green, 

I met a young student taking a stroll. 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh I 

Spring stroll or not ! What has that to do with you ? 

He loves me, for I am beautiful, 

I love him, he is young and a student, 
And we exchanged a few words of love. 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh I 

Love or not love, are you not afraid your parents will know ? 

My father is seventy-eight, my mother is deaf, and her eyes 

are blind, 
I am not afraid of either. 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh I 

Well now it is all told out, what is it you wish me to do ? 

Oh, my godmother, Madame Wang I 

I kneel for you to arrange this matter, 
I am not betrothed, he is not betrothed. 

If you cannot betroth us, I shall die. 

Yih whoa, yih whoa. Heigh ! 



TUNE, MADAME WANG, 
Madame Wang. 



189 





^[^^ 



*Hi^ 



Master Chang. 



ffis 



s p:;j^n^ 




^^ 



This song is popular, and, it is supposed, was written 
to show that even in China betrothal is often at the 
wish of both parties. 

There is a corresponding song, in which a sm art 
young bachelor tries to cast ridicule on their system of 
betrothal. In this song the intended bridegroom, in a 
most comical style, gives a list of his possessions, and 
at the close of each verse the chorus is, 

* Yet my friends desire to betroth me.' 

His possessions are enumerated : 

* An inkstone with the comer broken ; a teapot with a vagrant 
lid and an abbreviated spont ; a hat with the crown worn out ; a robe 
with abnost all the sleeves gone ; shoes with the toes destroyed, (&c. 
<J^o., these are all I possess. 

* Yet my friends are bent on betrothing me.* 



■90 CITY OF MA CHOW. 

Next morning we ijushed on to JIa Chow, where 
annually in the foarth month a great market is held. 
. We found the place as gay as rose-pink paper and 
he&ntifully written Chinese characters could make it. 
Every few feet along the pavement, there was firmly 
planted in the street a red board, intimating the locality 
from which the merchant had come, and the goods he 



had for sale. This advertisement was generally supple- 
mented by a model of the particular commodity to be 
found within. On all sides were gigantic fans blazing 
with gold ; umbrellas in gorgeous scarlet ; bales neatly 
done up in matting ; all sorts of signs, reminding me of 
what was the admiration of my childhood — the gilded 
lamb that used to be displayed over the hosier's shop- 



THE MARKET, 191 

door, or the gilt pot of the apothecary. Here also the 
medicine man had a gilded or brilliant pewter pot to 
tell his story. Advertising even at home could scarcely 
outdo this ; all the old jpei-lows in the centre of the 
town were placarded with crimson bills, some of them 
high up over the lintels of the great structure. There 
were ' Immense sacrifices,' ' Grand clearings out,' 
' Must be sold off this month,' just as at home. One 
man intimated that his fans must all be sold off, as he 
must return with an immense variety of other goods. 
The word that we are so fond of using, as our most 
convenient generic term for articles of merchandise, 
things,' is translated by the Chinese tooiuj si, i.e. 
* easts and wests.' 

In the centre of the town, our books were, as usual, 
laid down, and our cavalcade went in search of quarters, 
which were not easy to find, as all the better inns were 
full of traders and their goods. 

The market here is very old. Small shopkeepers 
from long distances come to it to buy from the traders. 
These traders bring their wares from great distances to 
this place, which seems to have been chosen as a market- 
place because of the water communication to it from 
many parts of the empire. 

The market had all the characteristics of such a 
market at home. There were the amusements which 
delighted our rustics some thirty years ago. The most 
popular were merry-go-rounds, loaded with laughing 
fliers, ' snatching a fearful joy,' and rejoicing in their 
flight. I heard one lad say as he dismounted, * It is 
better than having wings.' ' I don't know that,' said 
his companion, and at once gave proof that his flight 
had not agreed with him. There were conjurors 



I 92 A WHOLESALE FAIR, 

spinning basins on the points of chop-sticks, and making 
children disappear from under baskets, and a flower 
grow up instead. There were Punch and Judy shows, 
exactly like our own, where a Chinese Punch was 
administering marital chastisement, and a Toby in a 
frill barked defiance at the crowd. There were wrestlers 
with immense muscles, wandering minstrels, and the 
much-patronised story-teller. There were the usual hub- 
bub and noise of a fair, but not the rude jostling or horse- 
play that our rustics are apt to treat their neighbours 
to on such occasions. Nor was any drunkenness visible. 
Opium-smoking there would be, but that refined vice 
seeks quiet and retirement. All the fun of the fair was 
gradually brought to a standstill. 

When my husband returned from his Bible-selling 
we loaded our mules and set off. Our road lay along 
one of the waterways. A fine embankment, nicely 
planted with willow trees, and a wide expanse of cool, 
clear water made a pleasant landscape. Men were 
tracking their boats by ropes attached to the very top 
of the masts. Some of the boats were of a hundred 
tons. At one point was a bridge ; what is to be done ? 
The bridge is of stone, and, though the arch is lofty, 
that tall mast cannot go under it. 'WiU they stop 
here ? ' thought I. I was speedily answered. The mast 
was lowered by a hinge, and was placed flat on the 
deck. After the bridge was passed, the wind was fair, 
the mast was raised again, the sail was hoisted, and 
their brown wings bore them swiftly on. 

The bridge was fine, and the embankment had great 
piles of wood driven in it to keep the earth from slipping. 
The wheat on either side of this river looked magnificent. 
There were pretty villages along the banks and number- 



FLOATING ISLANDS. 193 

less sails were seen. There must be a great traffic on 
this stream. 

The day was hot, and it was a relief at times to pass 
under the cool cavernous gateways of the cities. At 
some points, where the water had inundated the lahd 
for miles, the people had driven in stakes, and with 
reeds and earth had constructed floating islands, where 
vegetables were growing most luxuriantly. 

All along our route we were charmed with familiar 
birds ; everywhere we met the common house-sparrow. 
After passing the Yellow Eiver, rooks with their bois- 
terous caw entertained us almost every evening. In 
the early morning, we found numerous wood-peckers 
tapping on the trunks of trees ; and in many groves 
the turtle-doves greeted us with their mournful notes ; 
whilst in the villages we found every description of 
tame pigeons. 



N 



194 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

The banks of the T'sing ho — A beautiful walk — Pao Kow ho — 
Origin of the term * Ma ieu ' — Another unruly mob — Origin of 
names of places — Natural hayforks — Lumbermen — The city 
of Tso Chow-^A nation has changed her colours — Death of 
the Eastern Empress — Sign-boards — Pawnbroking — Peripatetic 
kitchens — Magnificent bridge — The tortoise, heraldic emblem of 
China — How Chinese defend their live-stock against wolves. 

Our road lay by the brink of a pretty winding river, 
the T'sing Ho. It was so tempting that I left my 
shendzle, and had a glorious walk by the river-side. 
After the long dusty roads we had traversed, this made 
me think of the River of Life that is in the midst of the 
paradise of God, and of what it will be to us who are 
weary with the heat and strife of this present world ! 

The shelving banks of the river were green to the 
water's edge. As the tiny wavelets rippled along it was 
like the soft murmur of a mother's song in the ear of a 
sleepy babe. The splash and rush of the flat-bottomed 
junks, as they came up from behind and swiftly passed 
with their sails full, were pleasing to the ear. Occa- 
sionally we overtook rafts, some laden with slender 
spars of red pine, and some with naturally grown hay- 
forks of beautiful ash, and as beautifully fashioned as 
though cut out by the hand. Many rafts were con- 
structed entirely of large lumber. Every now and then 



ANOTHER UNRULY MOB. 195 

the river shallows, and an island divides the channel . 
The sun is low and large in the west, and is tinting 
river and sail and raft, and even the faces of the boat- 
men, with a rosy light, and making the eastern hills 
look like gigantic piles o*f crumpled rose-leaves. 

The sun is setting as we enter the busy town of 
Pao Kow ho, and it is a hustling place. It is a Ma 
teu. The term is almost untranslateable. It means 
neither a city nor a town, neither a ferry nor a ford, 
neither a jetty nor a bund, but something of all these. 
The place is in reality an emporium where the merchan- 
dise is chiefly brought by junks. The words * Ma teu ' 
literally mean ' horses' heads,' and the name is thought 
to be derived from the Phoenician vessels, whose prows 
were all adorned with a horse's head. The early inter- 
course China had with other nations is not yet thoroughly 
known, and often the history of a Chinese word leads 
to some long-forgotten facts in their wonderful national 
story. The derivation of this name for these places of 
trade may be fanciful, but is not in the least improbable, 
for the rows of junks moored at such places must have 
borne a striking resemblance to horses' heads. 

We got to a fine inn, built round the sides of 
a space of ground almost as large as a public square. 
It was the hour when the lumbermen and ferrymen 
were leaving their labour, and instead of going home 
they streamed straight into the inn-yard. A wild and 
turbulent set of fellows they seemed. The schools 
were dismissing, and the schoolboys joined the throng 
already in the spacious inn-yard. They were vociferously 
shouting that foreigners had come, and looked inclined 
for some rude horse-play. My husband had not quite 
regained his vigour, and was scarcely able to address 

M 2 



196 ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF PLACES. 

such a mob. There were two immense gates to this 
inn-yard, and so soon as the bookseller could get them 
to reason at one side of the court, a fresh influx at the 
other upset his plans for quietness. Meanwhile my 
husband was busy at the front door selling books as 
fast as he could. I shall not soon forget the sound all 
this mob of men made. 

All at once they left off their noisiness. A mandarin 
of the place, an old friend of my husband, sent his 
servants with his card, and an offer to do anything he 
could for us, also a request for certain books. The 
coming of the mandarin's servants put the people into 
order. My husband's Chinese name ran from mouth to 
mouth. The ofiicial lantern of the great man was 
enough to quiet the crowd, and afterwards only a few 
boys made any attempt to be noisy. 

Here we noticed what is often the case as to Chinese 
rivers. The name given to this river by the towns- 
people was different from the name given to it along 
its course. The boatmen called it the Ta T'sing ho, 
' Great Clear River,' while the townspeople called it 
'White Dog River.' They had some fable about a dog, 
from which they named the part of the stream that 
flowed through the town Pao Kow ho. River and 
town had the same name. 

A quiet night succeeded to a noisy evening. In 
the morning our start was too early for any idlers to 
be about. This time we made a false start, and found 
ourselves about a mile along the highway that leads 
direct to Pao ting foo, the capital city of the province 
of Chihli. Peking is in Chihli, but is the capital of the 
empire. We wished to take a road that would lead us 
through cities my husband had not previously visited. 



LUMBERMEN. 199 

As I was trudging along well ahead of the cavalcade, I 
was startled by a cry to halt. Then the mules were 
driven in an opposite direction. I was not sorry we 
had to retrace our steps, as the new route took us 
through a good part of the town and along the bank of 
the river, amongst the extensive lumber yards. Here 
we saw wood of all sizes, from the enormous log fit for 
the mast of some immense junk to slender spars of 
red pine. There were also piles of bent wood prepared 
in the half-circles that are so much used for Chinese 
chairs, and stacks of hayforks, all of natural growth. 
Our friends the lumbermen were by this time too busy 
to trouble us. The boys were in school. So it was 
pleasant to go along the bank of the stream. Suddenly, 
in the distance, I descry three of my own country- 
men. It must be so, for there they are in kilts and 
Scotch bonnets, hosen and brogues. Genuine Highland 
men they look, each bearing a net on his shoulder. 
A nearer inspection proved them to be only Alister 
MacAlisters in process of evolution. They were clad 
in fishers' garb. The kilt was of rushes ; the wide hat 
had a red topknot. Their legs were bandaged in a 
crossway pattern, and they had coarse untanned pig- 
skin shoes for brogues. 

In the afternoon we reached the city of Tso Chow. 
We were much in need of a little rest and quietness. 
Like all Chinese cities, Tso Chow has a great street 
running east and west, and a corresponding one running 
north and south. It has lofty gates, an outer and 
inner, and is surrounded by great walls. The gates are 
surmounted by temples. The temples over the south 
gate of Tso Chow must have been beautifully decorated. 
Now they are shabby in paint and gilding. There was 



200 DEATH OF THE EASTERN EMPRESS. 

a central temple, in which the great idol sat in state. 
At either side was a shrine surmounted by a canopy 
supported by four massive pillars. It was something 
like the shrine that now covers the Pilgrim Rock at 
Plymouth. This, though smaller, was in form handsomer 
than the memorial of the Pilgrim Fathers. In the 
shrine to the east there hung a magnificent bell. The 
archways of the gates are very thick, strong, and wide. 
This strength is required to support the great mass of 
temple buildings above. 

In the morning we discover that, though the nation 
has not changed her gods, she has changed her colours. 
The Eastern Empress is dead, and the land mourns. 
The last city through which we passed was all gay with 
scarlet. Now Tso Chow is in mourning. The outward 
and visible sign of this mourning is the suspension at 
every shop of two or more squares of blue stuff, satin, 
silk, or calico, according to the wealth or taste of the 
owner ; but all 

* In that deep-blue, melancholy dress 
Bokhara's maidens wear, in mindfulness 
Of friends or kindred dead.' 

The crimson has always a gay and holiday look. The 
blue has a sombre hue, and is rather sad-looking. 

The Empress was but a woman, yet in all this land, 
for a hundred days, while what is called ' heavy mourn- 
ing ' lasts, no man may lift a razor, no man may shave 
either beard or head. During that time the barber's 
ofiice is a sinecure, and he must live as best he may. 
Three days are allowed to prepare, and after that the 
Celestials go about looking simply horribly dirty. All 
officials change their cards, letter-paper, and envelopes. 
For the first twenty-seven days the cards, letters, and 



SIGN-BOARDS. 201 

envelopes are of the c<r>lour of dead gold ; tlie eiivelrip<?K 
having a strip of the melancholy blue, pasted down. 
On this tlie name is written. At the end of twenty- 
seven days the officials change cards again, from old 
gold to a bright yellow, the lett^f^r-paper to green, and 
the envelopes to white with a red stripe. At the end 
of one hundred days the officials may return to the 
usual red card, the har}H*r may again flourish his razr^, 
and every Chinaman go back to his nr;rmal state. This 
mourning is a msitra trial to the Chinese. My servant 
says, *It feels dreadfully uncomfortable to have the 
head unshaven for such a length of time.' The Chin^fse 
have quite a tropical growth of hair — if that term may 
be applied to human heads. 

The ^ Peking (iavjdU*. ' also is in ^ heavy mourning,' 
with blue lines dividing the columns. All over the land 
there may not be any festivities; Any marriage that may 
have been arranged must either take place during the 
three days of preparation, or be delayed till the hundred 
days have expired. 

For twenty-seven months also no theatres are allow<^ 
to be opened, and no plays to be performed in public. 
The religious festivals are not interfered with after the 
twenty-sf5ven days of deep mourning have expirr^d. 

In going through the main stnjet of Tso CTiow, I 
was greatly interested \fy what the shopkeepers do to 
beautify the various devices \)y which they make known 
what they have for sale. A large toljacco pip<fi, elabr>- 
rately carved and gilded, reposing in a gigantic satin- 
lined pipe-case, proclaims the tobacconist. A gilded 
br)ot n(*Aid» no explanation. The money-changer UMh 
his trade in strings of burnished 'cash,' pendant at 
either side of his shop. The mortar and pestle of our 



2oa CHINESE PA WNSHOPS. 

apothecary iii England are represented by a brass can- 
ister with an ornamental lid, which the 'medicine man' 
displays. The three golden balls of Britain, upon which 
we look as the emblem of pawnbroking, are represented 
by a large black character on a white ground. The 
Chinese character iaiu} is quite a handsome one. When 
anything special is going on in a shop, snch as an auc- 
tion, the proprii a tall pole of 



I 






k^ 



black and gold, with beautiful ornamental black and 
scarlet tassels. 

The pawnshop of China is quite a reputable institu- 
tion. It is more associated with banking than anything 
else. Almost all the banks have been pawning places ; 
for as their business transactions increased they allowed 
the inconvenient pawn to lapse, or in most cases they 
limited the articles received to gold and silver and jade- 
stone ornaments. A legal pawnshop has a government 



PA WNDROKING. 203 

licence. On receiving the licence, the owner also gets 
a small sum of money as a loan. The Mont-de-IHeU 
of France more nearly resembles the Chinese mode than 
the British ordinary pawnshop. The government at 
present allows pawnbrokers to charge three per cent, a 
month on small sums advanced, two and four-tenths per 
cent, a month on large sums. This interest varies, but 
the lowest interest allowed to be charged is one and six- 
tenths per cent, a month. Large capital is required to 
carry on this business, and government will not grant 
licences except to wealthy individuals. 

Tlie articles pawned, unless redeemed, are kept, it is 
said, for three years, but actually only into three years — 
that is, for twenty-seven months. They are then sold 
for the benefit of the establishment. A list of the 
articles, with the names of the depositors, is posted up 
some days before the salc^, so that owners may have a 
final opportunity to redeem their pledges. A really good 
pawnshop, careful of its reputation, will give to a de- 
positor any excess realised on the value of the pledge 
he has been unable to redeem, if by any well-known 
calamity, such as fire or loss at sea, he has b(?en driven 
to relieve temporary personal need. 

These auctions are conducted in a most refined 
manner. The Chinese call them 'Dumb Auctions.' 
After the names of the depositors have been posted for 
the legal time the goods are considered * sealed,* and 
cannot on any plea whatever 1x5 redeemed. All the 
goods are laid out in lots for inspection. Intending 
purcliasers go in, examine the goods, and judge what 
they are worth. Each purchaser writes on a slip of 
paper his name and the price he is willing to pay for 
the lot represented by a number. On the aftiernoon of 



204 'DUMB auctions: 

the same day the pawnbroker's assistant reads off the 
numbers of the lots that the head man is willing to 
dispose of. Very many of th^se silent bids are given 
for one article, which the highest bidder gets. If the 
pawnbroker thinks the offers do not come up to the 
value he declines to sell, but in that case there is no 
refusal, and the goods are again bidden for. Family 
valuables are often redeemed in this quiet way when 
some rascally member of the family has pledged them, 
and refused to give up the ticket. 

Thieves and rogues of all kinds have a wholesome 
dread of these reputable establishments. They fear 
detection, and prefer to deal with small shops, whose 
owners are really receivers of stolen goods. Almost all 
these illegal pawnbroking places are in close proximity 
to opium dens. The rate of interest charged in them 
is exorbitantly high, but a great portion of the profit 
goes as bribes to mandarin runners, and constables who 
keep these receivers from being molested. To cover 
their illegal proceedings, these shops often are under the 
name of a widow with a number of fatherless children. 

Sometimes most daring women lend their names, and 
give assistance to rogues generally. Some years ago at 
one of the ports a woman of this description hired herself 
to represent the widow of a man supposed to have been 
shot. Daily she appeared with a retinue all in mourning, 
and howled before the residence of the judge who had 
given an adverse decision. This continued so long that 
the judge got desperate, and ordered a detachment of 
marines to protect his house. The admiral realised the 
joke, sent a detachment of marines with thirty rounds 
of cartridges each, and orders to fire on the first woman 
they saw. Of course the joke was too broad'; but the 



A MAGNIFICENT BRIDGE, 205 

woman became a heroine because she had succeeded in 
causing so much annoyance to the representative of 
British law. 

After this digression, I must return to my post on 
the street of Tso Chow. I observed a great many walls 
with the character iang. These places were surrounded 
by very high and strong walls, indeed there was no 
opening in them save the door, and the walls were 
decorated with placards containing long lists of pledges 
and their depositors. It was very early morning, yet 
the street was full of peripatetic kitchens, and scores of 
men were eating a delicious-looking white soup, into 
which they were sopping hot dough-nuts. 

Outside the north gate of the town is a magnificent 
bridge of many spans. I counted three hundred small 
white marble pillars in the parapet ; these pillars are 
divided by large slabs of stone of different sizes, some 
as large as five feet, while none are smaller than three 
feet. This shows the great length of the bridge. In 
two places it widens out into recesses. At one of those 
recesses were two elephants finely cut in white marble. 
Though under life-size, they were very imposing. 

At the south end of the bridge there was an orna- 
mental pei-low, or rather gateway. It was as brilliant 
as vermilion pillars and green and gold could make it. 
At either side were shrines with tablets standing on 
the imperial tortoise. These were all of very recent 
date. What a fitting heraldic emblem ! While we for 
our royal arms have the fleet unicorn and the strong 
lion, slow-paced China chooses — what ? a tortoise ! The 
tortoise is chosen for its longevity. 

At the north end of the bridge is a handsome canopy 
of wood, which at one time had been rich in colour with 



2o6 SCARING WOLVES. 

lacquer and paint and gilding. South of this canopy- 
are eight immense blocks of white marble, with couching 
lions carved on the top. To the north are two very- 
ancient and large bronze lions ; but the casting is not 
fine, as the bodies are seamed all over like patchwork. 
This whole bridge is magnificent. As you stand in the 
centre, in one of these recesses, and look around, there is 
much beauty in the view. We saw it in the majestic 
glory of a gorgeous sunrise : the western hills tinted 
on one side rosy, and the shadows dark deep blue ; 
whilst the lower hills, which the sun's rays had not 
touched, were dark, almost black. The still, smooth 
water, the vivid green of the banks, and the wheat- 
fields made a wealth of colouring that throws completely 
into the shade all the puny efforts of man. A little 
way off is another bridge older than that already noticed, 
and decayed. At the west end of this bridge stands 
an immense slab of black marble, perhaps over fifteen 
feet high, resting on an imperial tortoise, also of black 
~ marble, the whole very handsome, and worthy of an 
emperor. The temple in which it is enclosed is entirely 
of stone ; even the balustrades that surround the slab 
are hewn in stone. These monuments are mostly old \ 
many of them were gifts of the Emperor Kang Hi. 

The people in this place must be tormented by 
wolves, for I saw in many places their walls marked 
with vivid white circles. They believe that these circles 
scare the wolves. How or when the wolves gave inti- 
mation of their feelings regarding these circles I have 
not ascertained ; but one man told me he lost thirteen 
pigs through neglecting the circles, while not one of 
his neighbours who had the circles lost any — though 
they had more pigs, and fatter ones. 



207 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

How our * walking map ' turned out — Difficulty of governing des- 
peradoes — A run on a bank — The summary punishment of the 
villains — An escape from roughs — A new feature on the * old 
highways * — Camels : their drivers and burdens — Approach to* 
Peking — Bad roads— A Peking street — The walls — Manchu 
women — Origin of the small feet — Bandaging and the pain it 
causes. 

Not long after leaving home we discovered that our 
* walking map ' had made good use of his opportunities. 
In every district through which he had passed he seems 

■s. 

to have acquired any wickedness that might be new 
and fashionable, and he grew especially proficient in 
the art of harassing his unfortunate travellers. He 
was, as all bullies are, a coward, for if we were near a 
magistrate's bureau he was as respectful and honest as 
possible ; but when we came to caravanseries, and where 
the scum of the cities had collected, he was quite un- 
bearable. He drank and gambled, and when anxious 
to show off before the roughs he was something fearful. 
He always carried an open knife in his sleeve, and 
threatened all who displeased him. He was, without 
exception, the worst muleteer we ever travelled with. 

Only the utmost forbearance on the part of my 
husband, and a complete knowledge of the rules of the 
road, enabled us to get along in safety. The roughs 



2o8 A RUN ON A BANK. 

instinctively recognised the man who was neither going 
to be plundered nor frightened. 

Our experiences with that muleteer made me pity- 
mandarins who have to take charge of such ruffians ; 
and one can scarcely be surprised that capital punish- 
ment is so often resorted to in order to keep such 
scoundrels in awe. These villains are not simply 
brutish. They are astute, keen-minded men, and there- 
fore can do much mischief. 

Lately, in a great city, a group of such desperadoes, 
in revenge for some deduction of cash, resolved to harass 
a large and honourable native banking company. They 
laid their plans widely and carefully, and they succeeded 
in making such a run on the bank that the city was in 
danger. The mandarin at once, and most unexpectedly, 
seized one or two of the ringleaders, and, after showing 
clearly that they were the cause of this uproar, decapi- 
tated them. In one hour the town was quiet, and there 
was not a rough left. They saw where the power lay, 
and took the hint to decamp and preserve their heads. 

I once had a long talk with a mandarin on the 
rapidity with which they hurry on trials and inflict 
capital punishment. 

He said, ' These trials are all regulated by law, and 
those men know quite well when they make themselves 
liable to be taken up. Soldiers also know their code of 
military discipline, and it would be dangerous to let 
certain acts pass.' He said further, * We have to rule 
in our own way and with our own weapons, else there 
would be no government.' He said that there is no law 
for a mandarin to decapitate ruffians when they raise mobs 
against foreigners. Hence the Tien-tsin massacre. Had 
the women massacred there been Chinese subjects, H. E. 



CAMELS AND THEIR BURDENS. 209 

Chang-How could legally have decapitated the ring- 
leaders in the street, but he had no law for that case, and 
had to wait instructions from the capital, the complaint 
requiring to be made by the British Minister. 

At a small town forty li from Peking we spent the 
night. Early in the morning we started, and found the 
main street a quagmire, and as the feet of our mules 
dragged through it an almost intolerable stench arose. 
The inhabitants had a most dissipated appearance. 
They looked like the ruffians from a large city. I 
believe they were chased out of the capital, and had 
congregated here. Our muleteers seemed desirous of 
hobnobbing with these fellows. As we were leaving 
the inn there was a very faint attempt at a hoot, speedily 
suppressed by the innkeeper, for which I believe we 
were indebted to the ' walking map.* 

All along the pathway were camels crouching, and as 
we left the street and climbed a bleak and stony ridge, 
we met strings of them moving with a slow, sailing 
motion. Ghost-like they were, with their great spongy 
feet and noiseless tread. They were in a very ragged 
state of coat, and did not appear to be respectable 
members of the animal kingdom. 

These camels are chiefly used for conveying coal 
from the mines, and they must have become perfectly 
acclimatised. We passed hundreds of them. In the 
beginning of June they are driven off to the Mongolian 
plains, where they graze till September, as they cannot 
endure the heat of the city in summer. They are double- 
humped, very large, and shaggy in coat. Each has a 
saddle that goes completely round both humps, with a 
broad portion as a strap between them. They crouch 
to be laden, and the Chinese do not overburden them. 





210 CAMEL-DRIVERS, 

Amongst tlie hundreds we met I did not hear a 
sound uttered. The men who attend them are very few 
compared with those who drive other beasts of burden. 
I do not think the average was two men to twenty-five 
camels. These men usually ride the leaders. The camels 
are attached to each other by a string passed through a 
hole pierced in the nostril. It seemed a cruel fashion, 
but there is a liberal allowance of string, and they walk 
with so much regularity that I do not think they suffer. 
Besides, the end of the string is fastened to a guard of 
fine smooth boxwood. I only saw one camel with his 
nostrils slightly bleeding. The near camel of the string 
has a bell on his neck. This bell gives a hollow tum- 
tum sound, not a tinkle, like the bells on mules or horses. 

In one of the sandy lanes, at a good distance from 
Peking, we met a string of camels carrying grain. They 
were very large, and seemed much better cared for than 
those laden with coal. They had long beards and bushy 
knee-pads. A mass of whity-brown hair on their heads 
reminded me of the Soumalis at Aden. Following this 
string there was a little foal. It was of a lovely fawn- 
colour, smooth and soft. Its little humps were beauti- 
fied with a tiny mop of flaxen hair. As it gambolled 
round its dam, it was in great contrast to the tattered 
coat that she displayed. 

Unused to such sights, our Shan-tung mules became 
troublesome, and one had to have his eyes covered. 
Although we met these camels during part of two days, 
the mules did not get reconciled to them, but always 
eyed them with suspicion, and made ready for a bolt. 

The camel-drivers looked a stupid set of men. Their 
favourite dress was a long ulster, cut from one sheet of 
fine white felt sewn with brown twine, a seam up each 



A * SPILL* 211 

side under the arm and down the sleeve. When it rains 
the camels have each a large sheet of matting girthed 
over their burdens, and almost covering the whole body. 

String after string of camels are seen, more numerous 
and more ghost-like as we near the wondrous city of 
Peking, whose walls loom up before us in the grey of a 
drizzly morning. Grand and imposing the gate looks, 
fit entrance to this city of the Celestials ; but, alas for 
our enthusiasm ! we have to pass over a miry road full of 
ruts, in which the mules find such unsafe footing as to 
render us apprehensive of ^ a spill.' When a shendzle 
falls it is literally a spill, as I once experienced. 
When travelling during the night, the front animal took 
fright at the muleteer striking a match, backed, and by 
his pressure on the long poles threw the hind mule off 
the path. Over went the shendzle, down a deep ravine, 
roll, bump, over and over ; and with each turn a shower 
of books, tins, cups, spoons, and finally a sprinkling of 
such groceries as remained after a long journey, over- 
whelmed the unfortunate occupant. 

The remembrance of that memorable night kept me 
intent upon maintaining the proper balance of the 
shendzle, as I saw a chance of my being upset into 
some odious cesspool, or submerged in a duckweedy 
ditch, half sewer and half canal. 

However, in time we safely passed the ditches that 
abound in the neighbourhood outside the city wall, and 
reached the paved road that leads to one of the western 
gates. A well-paved avenue it had once been, but now 
in some places the immense blocks of stone are worn 
into deep ruts by the ceaseless traffic ; in other places 
the stones have been removed, giving rise to the suspi- 
cion that the neighbouring householders have helped 

02 



212 BAD ROADS. 

themselves to these fragments of imperial property. 
For many of the mud-holes in front of the houses are 
provided with a stone crossing, whose likeness to the 
stones of the avenue is too evident. Along each side of 
this paved way there is a deep fosse, and the remains of 
a row of trees. 

The road presented a curious scene. The middle of 
it was filled with carts of various sizes, some immenselv 
large, drawn by many-coloured teams, consisting of 
from seven to fourteen mules, donkeys, and horses. 
Others were the carts of gentlemen, drawn by one large 
and handsome mule. There were also costermongers' 
carts, wheelbarrows of all descriptions, and our shendzles 
made a picturesque addition to the vehicles. 

The unpaved side-paths are taken possession of by the 
camels, some strings of them laden with coal, others with 
lime, entering the city on the one side-path; while those 
rid of their loads, and returning to the mines or lime 
pits, as the case may be, are filing down the other path- 
way. Pedestrians get along as best they can, picking 
cut the driest stones, and displaying an amusing variety 
of pattern in umbrellas. Here and there boys are 
amusing themselves by splashing in the pools of water, 
others are offering small donkeys for hire to the unfor- 
tunate pedestrians. 

The road is so crowded that we are obliged to go 
slowly, and thus have ample time to see that the city 
lies on a sloping plain, the Si Shan, or western hills, 
forming a fine approach to this side of the city. 

The wall is about 40 feet high, 62 feet thick at the 
base, and 34 feet at the top. Massive buttresses are 
thrown out at intervals. All the wall is crenelated, and 
has a great many embrasures for cannon. Over each 



A PEKING STREET. 213 

gate there is a lofty tower, and as we approached our 
mnleteer declared the tower was a hundred feet high. 
The exact measurement is ninety-nine Chinese feet. 
These towers have a most imposing look, and I do not 
wonder that the Chinese are proud of their capital. 

As we passed through the tunnel formed by the 
gateway we could not but admire its solid strength, 
and the semicircular enceinte adds to the efiFect. As a 
defence, the wall of Peking is not contemptible. It is 
well known that in 1860, when one of the city gates 
was in possession of the French and English troops, the 
officers who examined the massive thickness of the walls 
were not quite certain that they would have been able 
to batter them down ; at least, in their opinion it would 
have been somewhat difficult. 

It was not only in passing through it that we ad- 
mired it, but subsequently, when we walked up one of 
the inclined slopes that lead to the platform on the 
top, we found it well paved, handsome, and wide ; the 
whole in the most perfect order, with abundant gutters 
to lead the water oflT. What a splendid promenade it 
was ! and from it we had a most extensive view of the 
city. The yellow of the imperial roofs, the green-tiled 
roofs of the princes, the number and variety of the 
buildings, and the foliage of the trees, made a most 
pleasing picture. 

In the streets of the city my notice was at once 
attracted to the Manchu women, walking about with 
feet of the natural size. Accustomed to the miserable 
gait of the Chinese women, I could not but admire the 
grace of their movements. So many of these women 
were going about, that it seemed as if we had left ^ little- 
footed China ' outside the walls of Peking. 



214 ORIGIN OF THE SMALL FEET, 

The persistency of Chinese women in cramping 
their feet is a familiar instance of how far fashion can 
make deformity popular. This practice took many 
centuries to gain favour and arrive at its present uni- 
versality. The best authorities state, and all the in- 
formation I can gain on the subject shows, that this 
custom is simply fashion. The practice began A. i>. 501. 
An empress called Pan Fei, to whom nature had 
granted exceedingly small feet, was accustomed to 
show their beauty by walking over a platform covered 
with crimson cloth, embroidered with golden lilies. 
The emperor used to say, ' Each footstep made a lily 
grow ' ; so that the little feet of the women are called 
' golden lilies.' The ladies tried to rival Pan Fei's feet 
by bandaging their own. This fashion took a long 
time to become popular. In a.d. 975, the last empress 
of the famous Tang dynasty, who was the most beautiful 
woman of her time, had clubbed feet. She bandaged 
and ornamented them so successfully that the fashion 
of cramped feet spread through the whole empire. The 
Emperor Kang-Hi, the founder of the present Manchu 
dynasty, in 1662 made a great effort to suppress foot- 
binding. After issuing one edict that proved ineffectual, 
he prepared another, accompanied with most stringent 
and severe penalties ; but his advisers warned him that 
if he persisted it would probably cause a rebellion. 
Thus the conquerors of China were conquered by the 
women of China. They set their tiny feet on princes ! 
On the men he imposed the shaven head and the queue, 
and also the dress they were to wear ; but when he 
tried to suppress this practice the women defied him. 

The fact that all the empresses of the Manchu 
dynasty have large feet is too frequently overlooked. 



BANDAGING. 215 

Another anomaly in this empire, where so many customs 
are contrary to Western lands, is that whereas royalty 
in Europe leads the fashion, here it fails, and the fei 
sing^ the ' hundred families,' carry the day according to 
their own whims. 

A most serious whim this is. The process begins 
in the child's fifbh year. The little foot is taken by the 
mother, the four toes, leaving the great toe free, are 
pressed down completely under the sole : a bandage 
seven feet long and about an inch and a half wide is 
used. This bandage is wound over the toes, and crossing 
the foot is passed round the heel. The strength of one 
woman is not considered sufficient, so another stands 
behind and pulls at the bandage. It is wound over 
the toes and around the heel till the whole seven feet 
of cloth is expended. This bandage is tightened day 
by day till the foot acquires the desired shape and 
smallness. The process is continued for years, and the 
pressure is never relaxed. 

There are three degrees of compression. The first is 
adopted by some of the very poor peasant women, who 
expect their daughters to have hard work, when the foot 
is not quite destroyed. The second degree is most 
common, and in Shan-tung almost every woman of 
the middle class, and many of the poor, endure it. The 
bandage is drawn so tight as to make the foot a shape- 
less mass; the toes are so pressed into the sole as 
almost to obKterate them, unless, indeed, they become 
diseased and require treatment. The third degree is 
not often practised. In this case the foot is desired to 
be so small that the great toe is also curved down under 
the sole. 

This cramping entails great suffering. I have 



2i6 PAIN AND DEFORMITY, 

always found the little feet hot and painful till the girl 
has attained her full growth. While some women 
say that they did not experience much pain, most tell 
me that at intervals it was excruciating torture. I 
have often found young girls rocking themselves to 
and fro, evidently in extreme suffering because of the 
bandage. 

Besides in • many ways destroying the health it 
shrivels the leg, and often produces serious disease in 
the foot itself. Diseased bone in the instep has often 
been treated in the hospital at Ohefoo. Sometimes the 
toes fester. Frequently women would come to the 
hospital suffering so much that they implored me to 
amputate the painful toes. After a while, finding they 
could thus obtain relief from pain, they came in great 
numbers. 

Notwithstanding this pain and deformity, I have 
found it a most difficult subject with which to deal. 
When I have proposed to undo the bandage to give 
relief, even very little girls would refuse, and say, * Oh, 
no ! we could not let you do so. We should not be fit 
to be seen.' Those little feet ! the one vanity of the 
Chinese women. They are not vain of their beautiful 
hair or of their lovely complexions, but these tiny feet 
and exquisitely embroidered shoes occupy their whole 
thoughts. Strange that they should be vain of such 
folly, for as the women get old there is something per- 
fectly repulsive in the look of these cramped, disfigured 
feet. At all times their gait in walking is simply a 
kind of totter. Yet we find it a matter we can hardly 
touch, and as it does not involve a question of morality, 
we must trust to gradual enlightenment and to the 
spread of Christian principles. 



A FUNERAL PROCESSION. 217 

Passing through Peking, we were charmed by the 
gay appearance of everything. We pushed slowly on, 
and after traversing miles of streets, passing legation 
after legation, we arrived at the premises of the National 
Bible Society of Scotland, where we stayed. 



2l8 



CHAITER XXV. 

Peking — Its plan, buildings, and institutions — Its social economy — 
Improvements since 1866 — Railway and telegraph — Journey by 
canal — Infanticide not common in North China — Tien-tsin — The 
Pei ho—The Taku Forts— Chefoo. 

Peking is a twin city: the Tartar portion on the 
north, a square, three miles each side : the Chinese 
city on the south, an oblong, nearly five miles by two. 
Originally it must have been a splendid city, lying 
as it does on a gentle slope, and built upon a most 
enlightened plan. It is a city of parallelograms, with 
spacious streets cutting each other at right angles. It 
has an abundant and never-failing water supply from the 
western hills, large lakes, a canal running through the 
city, and a good system of drainage. Notwithstanding 
its present dust, dirt, dilapidation, and cesspools, it 
might be made one of the most beautiful capitals. 
Were due advantage taken of the several rivers which 
rise in the semicircle of hills on the north-west, avenues 
of trees might shade each side of the thoroughfares, 
and there might be running streams on both sides of 

the streets. 

It is a most interesting city still, with its elegant 
Prospect Hill in the centre, adorned with clumps of 
shady trees and numerous arbours. The imperial palaces, 



PEKING AND. ITS BUILDINGS, 219 

the palatial residences, the handsome legations, the altar 
to the Most High God, on which, every year at the 
winter solstice, a red heifer, without blemish and with- 
out spot, on whose neck the yoke has never passed, is 
most devoutly offered as a whole burnt offering — the 
most ancient and continuously offered religious rite that 
has ever existed in the world — all impress the traveller. 
He gazes wonderingly at the elegant triple-roofed 
dome of glistening blue raised in honour of Heaven, 
with its ancient cult, and within whose glass Venetians 
of sapphire blue there stands no idol, but only a tablet 
to the Supreme Ruler of the universe; at its great 
reception halls, its ornamental gateways, its pagodas, and 
dagobas, bell and drum towers for time and fire signals. 
He meets with much to interest him at the altar to 
Earth, at the temples to the Sun and Moon, and the 
shrine to Agriculture. The Lama University, with its 
four courses of study, and its resident students (Lamas), 
ranging from thirteen to fifteen hundred ; its morning 
devotions, with its gorgeous ritual and wondrous deep 
bass music. Then there are the Hanlin College, or 
Imperial Academy, the College of Medicine, govern- 
ment schools where young men designed as inter- 
preters are taught Manchu, Mongol, Thibetan, Cochin- 
Chinese, Turkish, and, formerly, the Burmese and 
Newara languages. These are now all eclipsed by the 
Tung Wen Kwan (Peking College), where the chief 
European languages are taught, and the various 
sciences of the West. There are also carefully kept 
imperial libraries, the catalogue of one alone occupying 
two hundi"ed volumes. 

Peking also presents a splendid field for the archaeo- 
logist : many of its most famous sacred and imperial 



220 PEKING AND ITS INDUSTRIES, 

buildings being fac-similes of ancient structures dating 
from B.C. 1200 to B.C. 800, abounding in relics of all 
descriptions, such as the stone drums, possessing a 
history of 2,500 years ; the eleven bells of the Chow 
dynasty, B.C. 1200 to B.C. 220; the eighteen tripods, 
the standard measure of capacity, and imperial dial ; 
the famous gallery of portraits of all the emperors and 
empresses, and all the noted statesmen and learned men, 
from the earliest historic times to the present day. 

There are trilingual and tetralingual marble slabs ; 
huge printing offices, where the imperial almanac is 
printed yearly in three languages — Manchu, Mongol, 
and Chinese ; the court from whence the daily newspaper, 
called the ^ Peking Gazette,' has for centuries been dis- 
tributed by swift couriers all over the empire, where it 
is reprinted ; the six boards, dating from a most early 
period : viz. the Boards of Civil Office, of Revenue, of 
Rites, of War,of Works, and of Punishments ; the Tsungli 
Ya Men, or Foreign Office. In addition we have survivals 
of customs of the deepest interest to the antiquarian. 

No less interesting to the student of human nature 
are its varied industries. Its Paternoster Row, where 
there are huge book-stores with books marvellous for 
size ; national histories and geographies, which for ful- 
ness and accuracy entirely eclipse all other nations. 
There are also all the trades necessary to civilisation — 
workers in metal, pewter, brass, iron. There are places 
where carts stand for hire, not unlike the cab-stands of 
London. There are many, objects of interest in the 
social economy of the city — its system of police, its 
system of lighting, perfect in theory, its fire and time 
signal towers ; its clubs, where literary men have their 
wine parties, and wit flashes freely ; its caravanserais, 



Its social economy. 221 

restaurants of wondrous size ; its encampments of the 
various nationalities of the East, such as the Mongol 
encampment, the Thibetan, the Corean, the Loo-chooan, 
the Cochin-Chinese, Burmese, and the Nepaulese, with 
their diverse costumes and equipages which make 
Peking unique among the cities of the East. 

Then there are the tremendous granaries, the resi- 
dences of the Manchus of the eight banners, and the 
various Mongol banners. 

Nor are these people wholly material ; they have spirit- 
ualistic halls, where seances are held, spirit-rapping, 
spirit-writing, volumes of poetry written by spirits, astro- 
logy, divination, jugglery, and all the occult sciences so 
much prized by those whose minds are dark and unrestful . 

There are also benevolent and charitable institutions, 
such as foundling hospitals, asylums for the blind, 
hospitals for the relief of the aged, and a dispensary for 
coffins for the poor. These institutions may not be so 
efficiently carried out as one could wish, but the germ 
is there, and is a proof of the considerate and liberal 
character of the Chinese. 

On this occasion I observed many signs of manifest 
improvement since my last visit in 1866. There were 
gas-works erected by the Inspector-General, which now 
light up the premises of the Imperial Customs. There was 
a brisker trade, and the shops were in better order, both 
as to stock and decoration. There were fewer unin- 
habited houses, and many more dwellings were in pro- 
cess of repair. This process of renovation wiU probably 
go on, and while these pages are passing through the 
press news has reached us of old prejudices giving way. 
Railways have been publicly and officially sanctioned by 
the Government, and there is a probability of two great 



221 W A SEDAN CHAIR. 

trunk lines being laid, one from Peking to Canton, the 
other from Shanghai to North-west China. The world- 
wide network of telegraphy has already thrown its first 
two lines into the city of Peking, one for oflScial de- 
spatches into the Tartar city, the other for business pur- 
poses into the Chinese city. 

We dismissed our shendzles at Peking, and after 
spending some time there, started homewards ria the 
canal and the Pei hoh River. A kind fnend lent me a 
sedan chair, as we had former experiences of the miseries 
of being jolted over the twelve miles of paved avenue 
that lie between the city gate of Peking and Tung Chow, 
where we hired a boat. 

We found the dust a serious inconvenience, but our 
coolies were stalwart fellows, and marched along at a 
rapid rate. These men declared to me, and persisted in 
the speech, that they could walk faster with the chair 
than without it, as the impetus of the chair swung them 
along. Four coolies we had, and they carried by turns. 
They brought two tiny donkeys, and rode them when 
relieved from the chair. 

I was alone, and the coolies made an attempt at 
being most polite and considerate. Wherever they 
stopped to drink tea they invariably brought out in a 
fine porcelain cup tea for the lady, and refused to take 
payment ; so I in my turn invested in some tempting- 
looking cakes for the benefit of the party, and we had 
quite a sociable time. 

We reached the canal, and here left the ^ old high- 
ways.' There was no diflSculty in hiring a boat ; the 
trouble was to get it started. The boatmen promised 
to set off in the afternoon, but by various manoeuvres 
they managed to detain us. There seemed no hope of 



INFANTICIDE. 223 

getting tlie crew together : first one man was missing — 
' Oh, he had gone to purchase vegetables ' ; then another 
went in search of him ; finally the missing man returned, 
but the searcher did not, and a third man disappeared, 
so they detained us till the morning. I did not regret 
the detention, as I made friends with the women and 
children in the neighbouring boats. On very many of the 
boats there were whole families living. Healthy, happy- 
looking children were plentiful, t!i?ir mothers evidently 
proud when the little ones were talked to. Domestic 
discipline also was occasionally administered as the 
bairns refused to go to sleep ; and no wonder, for few of 
them had seen a foreign lady. Infant Celestials are not 
as a rule cherubic, but sunny infancy is sweet all the 
world over. 

I have often been questioned as to the prevalence of 
infanticide. In the north of China I have not found 
any organised infanticide, and I have found parents 
making most heroic efforts to bring up their little ones. 
I have come on cases of mothers dying and leaving in- 
fants who I fear got small chance of living from their 
relatives. Among all the women I have questioned in 
Shan-tung only one confessed to having destroyed her 
infant, a girl, and she did so to leave herself free to be- 
come a wet-nurse. Of the native women admitted to the 
Church, not one had a tale of infanticide to regret, though 
many with tearful eyes spoke of having lost three, four, 
and five children by that dreadful scourge, small-pox. 

The idea of infanticide is developed by the fact that 
the Chinese believe that a child dying young has no 
personal soul, and is only inhabited by a vagrant soul. 
The officers of justice from Hades come and capture the 
runaway spirit; hence when a child dies under two 



224 JOURNEY BY CANAL. 

years of age they take no thought for the poor little 
body ; it is not interred in the family burying-gronnd, 
but generally given to some 'coolie, who for forty cash 
(about twopence English) promises to put it away ; and 
I know of two cases when the faithless, opium-smoking 
fellow laid the little body down on a dust-heap close by. 
Those who have travelled widely and mingled with 
Chinese most intimately in North China, found that it 
was not practised there. It unfortunately existed on some 
parts of the seaboard which were first known to the outer 
world, and hence the idea that the crime was prevalent 
all over China. We all know that it was our blessed 
Saviour who made infant life sacred when ' He took the 
little ones in His arms, put His hands on them, and 
blessed them ' ; and where His love is unknown the care 
for childhood is not very active. The educated Chinese 
are ashamed of infanticide, and in almost every city 
have provided foundling hospitals ; and also to relieve 
the poor of the expense of interment the Government 
provides towers outside of cities where dead infanta 
may be placed. 

Aiter all the infant laughter and tears had been 
quieted we sat on the prow of our boat and enjoyed the 
glorious moonlight; we admired the picturesque groups 
of boatmen seated round their blazing fires, where in 
immense caldrons the supper was being prepared, and 
was ladled out hot and steaming; very palatable it 
looked. A Chinaman is careful to have his meals com- 
fortable, and has a horror of cold victuals. 

In the morning there came the stir of unmooring 
and getting out from the numerous boats around us. 
Those remaining were very apathetic, and not in the least 
inclined to assist those who were endeavouring to get out 
of the maze. Amid many threats by the boatmen to cut 



TIEN'TSIlSr, 225 

ropes unless they were pulled up, and a good deal of 
scolding, we at last got into the open stream, and were 
among the first of a long string of these riyer boats. We 
had the wind against us, so our progress was slow ; how- 
ever, we were repaid for this by being fortunate enough 
to meet a squadron of junks conveying a portion of the 
Government rice to Peking. They passed us at full 
sail, and it was really a fine sight to see the whole 
fleet as we did on that lovely summer day. We glided 
along the canal, made romantic by the name of Kublai 
Khan, and by all the pleasant memories of his capital, 
the old-world Kambalu. It seemed to me, after the 
fatigues of the shendzle, to be almost the perfection of 
travelling, to sit sheltered from the sun, yet able to 
view all that is going on as junk after junk in full sail 
passed, up the river. 

All the way to the city of Tien-tsin these grain junks 
passed as close to each other as they could sail with safety. 

Tien-tsin is a large and very busy city, reported to 
be the refuge of the oflscourings of the capital, scoundrels 
who find it inconvenient to be too near the seat of law 
and order. 

Tien-tsin is also of unenviable fame in regard to the 
sad massacre of the sisters of mercy and other foreigners 
in 1870. Here there is a Chinese arsenal, superintended 
by foreigners, gas-works, &c. It is also the head-quarters 
of his Excellency Li Hung Chung, the most notable 
man in China, the man who best understands the 
strength and the weakness of the empire. 

About a mile from the native city of Tien-tsin is the 
foreign settlement, a pleasant place, well laid out with 
good ro9,ds and a handsome esplanade, or what in China 
is called a ^ bund,' nicely planted with trees. 

p 



226 THE PEI HO, 

We found we were just in time to catch our favourite 
steamer, the Sin Ncm Zing. Here we were in civilisa- 
tion as to the steamer ; but the river is so narrow and 
80 winding that the first thing done after we got on 
board was to turn her round by means of a rope fastened 
to a post on the opposite side of the river ; and funny 
she looked, with her stem and stem straight across the 
stream. Bend after bend we reach in the river, and 
fJways the same process is repeated : by means of a 
rope and a post on shore the steamer is twisted round 
to face down the stream. 

A very little trouble would straighten and deepen 
the Pei ho, but the Chinese know that it is not in 
their interest to render their capital easy of access. 
One high official, a marine mandarin, told me that 
* each bend in that river was worth a couple of ironclads 
to the Chinese Government.' And until justice rules 
the world, or, what will sooner come, until China has 
a navy that can cope with all the Western Powers, 
she wisely keeps her Pei ho's bends and double-bends. 
The ironclads she is rich enough to buy, but what years 
it will take ere she can have sailors and marines with 
bone and muscle hardened, and hearts made brave 
enough to get the title that our seamen rejoice in ! 

The winding course of the river had caused so many 
detentions that we were afraid of being too late to cross 
the Taku bar, where the celebrated fights took place 
in 1858-60. Ultimately the forts were captured by 
the allied forces, but afterwards returned to the Chinese. 
These forts are now repaired, and said to be very strong 
— the best national defences the Chinese possess — of far 
greater importance than the forts of the Min River at 
Foochow, or the Woosung forts near the mouth of the 



APPROACHING CHEFOO. 227 

Shanghai Eiver. Off the Taku forts were lying several 
beautifhl little gan-boats, the first of what is now called 
the Alphabetical fleet, they being named by the letters 
of the Greek alphabet. I suppose these must have been 
Alpha, Beta, &c. They are beautifully fitted, painted 
white, and rested on the water like gigantic sea-birds. 
These vessels are most valuable, as they carry good guns, 
and are in every way adapted for the shallow bays anc' 
rivers on the Chinese coast. 

Passing the Custom House we reached the bar, 
fortunately just in time to get across, although, by the 
mud we stirred up, I believe our worthy captain brought 
his steamer partly over-land. Two larger steamers 
were lying, one outside the bar coming up the river, the 
other inside the bar going down. We left them there, 
smiling at each other like rival beauties. 

This bar is a great grievance to the mercantile com- 
munity in the coasting trade. Very little work, they 
say, with a dredger would keep a clear channel, as the 
bar is only the deposit from the river and the silt of 
sand from the tide. The Chinese, however, are not un- 
mindful that vessels other than the valuable merchant- 
man would find a ready passage ; while with the bar, 
guarded by the Taku forts, nations who are fond of 
removing their neighbours' landmarks would take some 
time for consideration ere they would risk a run to 
Peking. The Mian Tau Islands lay brightened by the 
morning sun as we passed, and Chefoo Bluff looked its 
best as we again neared Chefoo, and recognised the old 
familiar smoke-tower. 



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