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INTIMATE CHINA
The Chinese as I have
seen them. By Mrs.
Archibald Little, Author
of A Marriage in China
With 120 Illustrations
HUTCHINSON & CO.
Paternoster Row, London ... 1899
PRINTED BY
HAZELL, WATSON, AND VINEY, LD.,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
CONTENTS.
PRELUDE. FIRST IMPRESSIONS. PAGE Arriving in Shanghai.—My First Tea-season.—Inside a Chinese City.—Shanghai Gardens.—In the Romantic East at last! 1 CHAPTER I. ON THE UPPER YANGTSE. Boat-travel.—Vegetation.—Trackers.—Terrace of the Sun.—Gold Diamond Mountain.—Meng Liang's Ladder.—Great Szechuan Road.—Steamer Voyage.—Chinese Hades.—Caves 31 CHAPTER II. A LAND JOURNEY. Large Farmsteads.—Wedding Party.—Atoning for an Insult.—Rowdy Lichuan.—Old-fashioned Inn.—Dog's Triumphal Progress.—Free Fight.—Wicked Music.—Poppy-fields.—Bamboo Stream 58 CHAPTER III. LIFE IN A CHINESE CITY. Arrangement of a Chinese House.—Crowd in Streets.—My First Walk in Chungking City.—Presents.—Cats, Rats, and Eggs.—Paying a Call.—Ladies Affectionate.—Shocked at European Indecency.—Cost of Freight.—Distance by Post.—Children's Pleasures.—Precautions during Drought.—Guild Gardens.—Pretty Environs.—Opium Flowers, and Smokers.—Babble of Schools.—Chinese Girl-child 74 CHAPTER IV. HINDRANCES AND ANNOYANCES. Sulphur Bath.—Rowdy Behaviour.—Fight in Boat.—Imprisonment for letting to Foreigners.—Book-keeper in Foreign Employ beaten.—Customs Regulations.—Kimberley Legacy.—Happy Consul.—Unjust Likin Charges.—Foreigners massacred.—Official Responsibility 98 CHAPTER V. CURRENT COIN IN CHINA. Taels.—Dollars.—Exchange.—Silver Shoes.—Foreign Mints 120 CHAPTER VI. FOOTBINDING. Not a Mark of Rank.—Golden Lilies.—Hinds' Feet.—Bandages drawn tighter.—Breaking the Bones.—A Cleft in which to hide Half a Crown.—Mothers sleep with Sticks beside them.—How many die.—How many have all their Toes.—Feet drop off.—Pain till Death.—Typical Cases.—Eczema, Ulceration, Mortification.—General Health affected 134 CHAPTER VII. ANTI-FOOTBINDING. Church Mission's Action.—American Mission's Action.—T`ien Tsu Hui.—Chinese Ladies' Drawing-room Meeting.—Suifu Appeal.—Kang, the Modern Sage.—Duke Kung.—Appeal to the Chinese People 145 CHAPTER VIII. THE POSITION OF WOMEN. Official Honours to Women.—Modesty.—Conjugal Relations.—Business Knowledge.—Opium-smoking.—Typical Women 164 CHAPTER IX. BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MARRIAGES. Missing Bride.—Wedding Reception.—Proxy Marriage.—Servants' Weddings.—Love for Wives.—Killing a Husband.—Wifely Affection.—Chinese Babies.—Securing a Funeral 184 CHAPTER X. CHINESE MORALS. How Chinese look upon Shanghai.—A Viceroy's Expedient.—Method of raising Subscriptions.—Deserving Deities.—Trustworthiness.—Hunan Hero.—Marrying English Girls 197 CHAPTER XI. SUPERSTITIONS. Fung shui.—Devastating Eggs.—Demon Possession.—Sacred Trees.—Heavenly Silk.—Ladder of Swords.—Preserving only Children.—God of Literature on Ghosts.—God of War.—Reverence for Ancestors 211 CHAPTER XII. OUR MISSIONARIES. European Prejudice.—French Fathers.—Italian Sisters.—Prize-giving.—Anti-Christian Tracts.—Chinese Saints and Martyrs 230 CHAPTER XIII. UP-COUNTRY SHOPPING AND UP-COUNTRY WAYS. Buying Curios.—Being stoned.—Chinese New Year.—Robbers.—Protesting Innocence.—Doing Penance.—Medicines
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tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">253 CHAPTER XIV. SOLDIERS. Tiger Soldiers.—Woosung Drill.—General's Gallantry.—Japanese War.—Admiral Ting.—Dominoes with a Sentry.—Viceroy's Review 269 CHAPTER XV. CHINESE STUDENTS. Number of Degrees.—Aged Bachelors.—Up for Examination.—Necessary Qualifications.—Crowding.—Scarcity of Posts.—Chinese Dress 292 CHAPTER XVI. A FATHER'S ADVICE TO HIS SON. Tseng Kuo Fan.—"Neither envious nor fawning."—Repose of Manner.—Cultivation of Land.—Early Rising, Diligence in Business, and Perseverance.—Dignity.—Family Worship.—Reading 317 CHAPTER XVII. BUDDHIST MONASTERIES. Monastery near Ichang.—For the Dead.—Near Ningpo.—Buddhist Service.—T`ien Dong.—Omi Temples.—Sai King Shan.—Monastery of the Particoloured Cliff 327 CHAPTER XVIII. A CHINESE ORDINATION. Crowd.—Nuns.—Final Shaving.—Woven Paces.—Burning Heads.—Relationships.—A Living Picture 350 CHAPTER XIX. THE SACRED MOUNTAIN OF OMI. Luncheon with a Chief Priest.—Tigers.—Mysterious Lights.—The View of a Lifetime.—Pilgrims.—Glory of Buddha.—Unburied Priests 362 CHAPTER XX. CHINESE SENTIMENT. In Memory of a Dead Wife.—Of a Dear Friend.—Farewell Verses.—Æsthetic Feeling.—Drinking Song.—Music.—Justice to Rats 383 CHAPTER XXI. A SUMMER TRIP TO CHINESE TIBET. Drying Prayerbooks Mountain.—Boys' Paradise.—Lolo Women.—Salt-carriers.—Great Rains.—Brick-tea Carriers.—Suspension Bridge.—Granite Mountains.—Tibetan Bridge.—Lamas.—Tibetan Women.—Caravanserai at Tachienlu.—Beautiful Young Men.—Lamaserai.—Prayers?—Fierce Dogs.—Dress.—Trying for a Boat 396 CHAPTER XXII. ARTS AND INDUSTRIES. Porcelain.—Bronzes.—Silver-work.—Pictures.—Architecture.—Tea.—Silk.—White Wax.—Grass-cloth.—Ivory Fans.—Embroidery 425 CHAPTER XXIII. A LITTLE PEKING PUG. Enjoyment.—Anticipation.—Regret 446
PRELUDE. PART I.—GETTING TO PEKING. House-boat on the Peiho.—Tientsin.—Chefoo.—A Peking Cart.—Camels.—British Embassy.—Walking on the Walls.—Beautiful Perspectives 457 PART II.—THE SIGHTS OF PEKING. Tibetan Buddhism.—Yellow Temple.—Confucian Temple.—Hall of the Classics.—Disgraceful Behaviour.—Observatory.—Roman Catholic Cathedral.—Street Sights.—British Embassy.—Bribes.—Shams.—Saviour of Society.—Sir Robert Hart 473 CHAPTER I. THE CHINESE EMPEROR'S MAGNIFICENCE. The Emperor at the Temple of Heaven.—Mongol Princes wrestling.—Imperial Porcelain Manufactory.—Imperial Silk Manufactory.—Maids of Honour.—Spring Sacrifices.—Court of Feasting.—Hunting Preserves.—Strikes.—Rowdies.—Young Men to be prayed for 493 CHAPTER II. THE EMPRESS, THE EMPEROR, AND THE AUDIENCE. A Concubine no Empress.—Sudden Deaths.—Suspicions.—Prince Ch`ün.—Emperor's Education.—His Sadness.—His Features.—Foreign Ministers' Audience.—Another Audience.—Crowding of the Rabble.—Peking's Effect on Foreign Representatives 515 CHAPTER III. SOLIDARITY, CO-OPERATION, AND IMPERIAL FEDERATION. Everybody guaranteed by Somebody Else.—Buying back Office.—Family Responsibilities.—Guilds.—All Employés Partners.—Antiquity of Chinese Reforms.—To each Province so many Posts.—Laotze's Protest against Unnecessary Laws.—Experiment in Socialism.—College of Censors.—Tribunal of History.—Ideal in Theory
AFFAIRS OF STATE.
PRELUDE. PART I.—GETTING TO PEKING. House-boat on the Peiho.—Tientsin.—Chefoo.—A Peking Cart.—Camels.—British Embassy.—Walking on the Walls.—Beautiful Perspectives 457 PART II.—THE SIGHTS OF PEKING. Tibetan Buddhism.—Yellow Temple.—Confucian Temple.—Hall of the Classics.—Disgraceful Behaviour.—Observatory.—Roman Catholic Cathedral.—Street Sights.—British Embassy.—Bribes.—Shams.—Saviour of Society.—Sir Robert Hart 473 CHAPTER I. THE CHINESE EMPEROR'S MAGNIFICENCE. The Emperor at the Temple of Heaven.—Mongol Princes wrestling.—Imperial Porcelain Manufactory.—Imperial Silk Manufactory.—Maids of Honour.—Spring Sacrifices.—Court of Feasting.—Hunting Preserves.—Strikes.—Rowdies.—Young Men to be prayed for 493 CHAPTER II. THE EMPRESS, THE EMPEROR, AND THE AUDIENCE. A Concubine no Empress.—Sudden Deaths.—Suspicions.—Prince Ch`ün.—Emperor's Education.—His Sadness.—His Features.—Foreign Ministers' Audience.—Another Audience.—Crowding of the Rabble.—Peking's Effect on Foreign Representatives 515 CHAPTER III. SOLIDARITY, CO-OPERATION, AND IMPERIAL FEDERATION. Everybody guaranteed by Somebody Else.—Buying back Office.—Family Responsibilities.—Guilds.—All Employés Partners.—Antiquity of Chinese Reforms.—To each Province so many Posts.—Laotze's Protest against Unnecessary Laws.—Experiment in Socialism.—College of Censors.—Tribunal of History.—Ideal in Theory
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href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@43456@[email protected]#Page_532" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">532 CHAPTER IV. BEGINNINGS OF REFORM. Reform Club.—Chinese Ladies' Public Dinner.—High School for Girls.—Chinese Lady Doctors insisting on Religious Liberty.—Reformers' Dinner.—The Emperor at the Head of the Reform Party.—Revising Examination Papers.—Unaware of Coming Danger.—Russian Minister's Reported Advice 549 CHAPTER V. THE COUP D'ÉTAT. Kang Yü-wei.—China Mail's Interview.—Beheading of Reformers.—Relatives sentenced to Death.—Kang's Indictment of Empress.—Empress's Reprisals.—Emperor's Attempt at Escape.—Cantonese Gratitude to Great Britain.—List of Emperor's Attempted Reforms.—Men now in Power.—Lord Salisbury's Policy in China 570
PAGE The Way in Frontispiece Shanghai from the River 1 Shanghai Creek, with Drawbridge 3 Tea-garden in Shanghai Chinese City 7 Porters waiting for Work 11 The Bubbling Well 15 Soochow Creek, Shanghai 18 Guild Garden at Kiangpei 22 Pavilion in Country Gentleman's Garden 25 Street Scene 29 Wheelbarrow 30 Bow of Travelling-boat 32 Entrance to Yangtse Gorges 33 Trackers 36 Poling a Boat up a Rapid 43 In the Niukan Gorge 48 White Emperor's Temple, looking down the Gorge of the Fearsome Pool, or Bellows Gorge 49 New and Glorious Rapid 53 Tree moved 100 Yards by Landslip that formed New Rapid 54 Iron Cover of Bottomless Well 55 At Fengtu 56 Free School 67 Poppies and Terraced Rice-fields 71 Chungking, Commercial Capital of Western China 75 Dinner Party in the Garden of a Member of the Hanlin College,—White Cloth spread in Compliment to Europeans 78 Morning Toilette 80 Outside Governor's Residence in Chungking 83 Country House near Kiukiang
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE The Way in Frontispiece Shanghai from the River 1 Shanghai Creek, with Drawbridge 3 Tea-garden in Shanghai Chinese City 7 Porters waiting for Work 11 The Bubbling Well 15 Soochow Creek, Shanghai 18 Guild Garden at Kiangpei 22 Pavilion in Country Gentleman's Garden 25 Street Scene 29 Wheelbarrow 30 Bow of Travelling-boat 32 Entrance to Yangtse Gorges 33 Trackers 36 Poling a Boat up a Rapid 43 In the Niukan Gorge 48 White Emperor's Temple, looking down the Gorge of the Fearsome Pool, or Bellows Gorge 49 New and Glorious Rapid 53 Tree moved 100 Yards by Landslip that formed New Rapid 54 Iron Cover of Bottomless Well 55 At Fengtu 56 Free School 67 Poppies and Terraced Rice-fields 71 Chungking, Commercial Capital of Western China 75 Dinner Party in the Garden of a Member of the Hanlin College,—White Cloth spread in Compliment to Europeans 78 Morning Toilette 80 Outside Governor's Residence in Chungking 83 Country House near Kiukiang
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href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@43456@[email protected]#i_0101" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">86 A Chinese Country Club, or Guild Garden 94 A Hot Day 95 Market Street outside City 101 The Oldest Official in the Province of Szechuan 105 Giving Evidence in a Court of Justice 111 Chinese Mode of Salutation 123 Chinese Roman Catholics of Many Generations 135 Woman's Natural Foot, and another Woman's Feet bound to 6 Inches 138 Woman's Natural Foot, and another Woman's Feet bound to 4½ Inches 139 Chinese Roman Catholic Burial-ground 146 Family of Literati, Leaders in the Anti-footbinding Movement in the West of China 157 Bridge near Soochow 163 Memorial Arch leading to Confucius' Grave 165 A Country House Party 174 Foot Shuttlecock 175 Wedding Procession 185 New Kweichow, built by Order 193 Memorial Arch 201 Shoes to mend 206 Ichang from the City Wall, Hall of Literature, and Pyramid Hill 212 Monastery 217 The 564 Images of Hangchow 221 Pavilion of the Moon in Grounds of God of War's Temple 225 Missionary Group at our House-warming 231 Soochow, with Mission Church 243 Temple to God of War, Yünyang 246 Colossal Gilded Buddha 248 Punch and Judy 255 Stone Animals at General's Grave. A Peasant seated on one with Straw Hat 259 Entrance to Fairies' Temple, Chungking 261 Play at a Dinner Party in a Guildhall 262 Audience at a Play in a Guildhall 263 Junk 271 Captain of
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Chinese Gunboat 276 Soldier 278 Soldier 279 Gunboat Soldiers 284 Soldiers 287 Temple of God of Literature 294 Map of China, showing Chief Examination Centres 297 Outside Confucius' Grave 303 Approach to Confucius' Grave 307 Fortress of Refuge, Country House, and Memorial Arch 319 Near Ningpo 331 Salisburia adiantifolia 335 Entrance to Monastery 343 Buddhist Images cut in Cliffs on the River Ya 347 At Fengtu, Chinese Hades 351 Begging Priest, once a General 359 Jack (Long-haired Shantung Terrier) 365 Sacred Tiger 367 Great Precipice of Mount Omi 369 Priest and Pilgrims on Edge of Omi Precipice 373 Cloud Effects on Mount Omi 377 Guard-house near the Arsenal 384 Roof and Roof-end at Chungking 387 Bridge at Hangchow 389 Bridge and Causeway on West Lake 395 Sacred Sai King Mountain 397 Brick-tea Carriers on the Great Brick-tea Road 403 Caravanserai at Tachienlu 410 In a Chungking Guild-house 431 Packing Tea 435 Chinese Hydraulic Apparatus 439 Peking Pug (Short-haired) 447 Peking Lion-dog (Long-haired) 451 On a Mountain Road 454 A Wheelbarrow Stand 456
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Interior of Governor's Official Residence at Hangchow 459 Farmer and Water Buffaloes 466 Paper-burning Temples 468 Approach to Ming Emperors' Tombs, Peking 471 Tomb over Banjin Lama's Clothes, built after Tibetan Model of Marble. Bell-like Cupola and Upper Ornaments of Gold. Inscriptions in Devanagari Character, Sanscrit, and Chinese 477 Lotus Pond and Dagoba in Emperor's Garden 483 Mountain Village, with Sham Beacon Fires to Left, Foochow Sedan-chair in Front 489 Shan Ch`ing, Prince Ch`ün, and Li Hung-chang 495 Late Viceroy Tso Tsung-tang 505 Emperor Kwang-shü, 1875 516 Prince Kung 523 The Great Wall 528 Incense-burner 531 Country House in Yangtse Gorges 537 Kiangsi Guild-house in Chungking 540 Downward-bound Cargo-boat 548 Bridge at Soochow 549 Mr. King, Manager of the Chinese Telegraph Company and Founder of High Schools for Girls 554 Wên Ting-shih, the Reformer, Late Tutor to the Ladies of the Imperial Household 563 Head Eunuch of the Empress-Dowager 574 Kiaochou, seized by Germany 583 British and Chinese Flags, June 15th, 1898: Town of Wei-hai-wei in Distance 586 Ferry at Ichang 597 Approach to Ming Emperor's Tomb, Nanking 605 DRY STATEMENTS.
The Chinese Empire is rather larger than Europe. Being on the eastern side of a great continent, it has the same extremes of climate as are to be found in the United States. Fruits, flowers, and crops vary in like manner. Peking is on about the same parallel as Madrid, Chungking as Cairo, Shanghai as Madeira. The population of China is over 385 millions. That of the British Isles in 1891 not quite 38 millions. That of France in 1896 38½ millions. One alone of China's eighteen provinces, Kiangsu, has over 39½ millions. The Russian nation, already extending over one-sixth of the globe, while China only extends over a little more than one-twelfth, musters little over 129 millions, and thus has about one-third of the Chinese population, with about twice its territory to stretch itself in. There is no Poor Law in China. There are no Sundays. It is considered very unwomanly not to wear trousers, and very indelicate for a man not to have skirts to his coat; consequently our European dress is reckoned by Chinese as indecorous. Chinese begin dinner with dessert or Russian sakouska, and finish with hot soup instead of hot coffee. Their cooks are second only to the French; their serving-men surpass the Germans. Chinese love children; are ready to work day and night for their masters; and if occasion demand, to be beaten in their place, or even, if needs be, to die for
DRY STATEMENTS.
(TO BE CARRIED WITH THE READER, IF POSSIBLE.)
The Chinese Empire is rather larger than Europe. Being on the eastern side of a great continent, it has the same extremes of climate as are to be found in the United States. Fruits, flowers, and crops vary in like manner. Peking is on about the same parallel as Madrid, Chungking as Cairo, Shanghai as Madeira. The population of China is over 385 millions. That of the British Isles in 1891 not quite 38 millions. That of France in 1896 38½ millions. One alone of China's eighteen provinces, Kiangsu, has over 39½ millions. The Russian nation, already extending over one-sixth of the globe, while China only extends over a little more than one-twelfth, musters little over 129 millions, and thus has about one-third of the Chinese population, with about twice its territory to stretch itself in. There is no Poor Law in China. There are no Sundays. It is considered very unwomanly not to wear trousers, and very indelicate for a man not to have skirts to his coat; consequently our European dress is reckoned by Chinese as indecorous. Chinese begin dinner with dessert or Russian sakouska, and finish with hot soup instead of hot coffee. Their cooks are second only to the French; their serving-men surpass the Germans. Chinese love children; are ready to work day and night for their masters; and if occasion demand, to be beaten in their place, or even, if needs be, to die for
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them. In fine, although in all details unlike ourselves, a great race, with some magnificent qualities.
7, Park Place, St. James's, S.W.