Peeps Into China Part 2

"On our Chinese umbrella that we had in the dining-room fireplace at home," said Sybil, "there was, I remember, a picture of Peking, and some water was close by it, but I cannot remember what river Peking is on."

"It is situated in a large sandy plain on the Tunghui, a small tributary of the Peiho. This city is again divided into the Chinese and Tartar cities, the Imperial city, in which live the Emperor and his retainers, and another in which the court officials have their residence.

"Like all other Chinese cities, they are surrounded by high walls. At the north, south, east, and west sides of towns are large folding-gates, which are often further secured by three inner gates. The one in the south is that of honour, through which the Emperor pa.s.ses, but which is usually kept closed at other times.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CIEAN-MUN, OR CHEAN-GATE AT PEKING.]

"The wall of Peking, which is sixteen miles round, has two gates on three sides and three on the other, of which the princ.i.p.al is Chean-Mun, at the south of the Tartar city. Over the gate is a building occupied by soldiers, who are there for purposes of defence.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHINESE SOLDIER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: STREET OF HATA-MeNE-TA-KIE, PEKING.]

"The streets in Peking are very broad; we shall find them much narrower in the south of China. They are raised in the centre, and covered with a kind of stone, to form a smooth, hard surface. In summer they are often, I remember, very dusty, and during the rainy seasons very dirty. At the end of each street is a wooden barrier, which is guarded day and night by soldiers. The barrier is closed at nine o'clock at night, after which time the Chinese are only allowed to pa.s.s through if they have a very good reason to give for being out so late.

"Order is well kept in the streets of Peking by the soldiers and police, who may use their whips on troublesome customers whenever they think it necessary to do so.

"The princ.i.p.al streets, or main thoroughfares, extending from one end of the city to the other, are its only outlets. Trees grow in several of these streets. Houses, in which the inhabitants live, are in smaller streets or lanes, the houses themselves being often shut in by walls.

"PaG.o.das (which, you know, are temples to heathen G.o.ds, built in the form of towers), monasteries, and churchyards, are all outside the walls, and the city itself is princ.i.p.ally kept for purposes of commerce."

"We know what paG.o.das are like," Leonard said, "because we had two at home for ornaments. I think we know many things through being so fortunate as to have a father who has travelled."

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHINESE BARBER.]

"There is a great noise in some of the streets," Mr. Graham went on: "for instance, in the Hata-mene-ta-kie, where many people are to be seen bustling about and talking very loudly to one another. Tents are here put up in which rice, fruit, and other things are sold, and any one wis.h.i.+ng for a pretty substantial meal can be supplied with it in the Hata-mene-ta-kie, for before stoves stand the vendors of such meals, who have cooked them ready for purchasers. Other tradesmen carry hampers, slung across their shoulders, in which they keep their goods, whilst they call out, from time to time, to let people know what these hampers contain. Carts, horses, mules, wheel-barrows, and sedan-chairs pa.s.s along, the whole place seeming to be alive with buyers and sellers. The cobbler is sure to be somewhere close at hand in his movable workshop, and first here and then there, as may best suit himself and employers, the blacksmith pitches his tent, which sometimes consists of a large umbrella; whilst, again, people can refresh themselves, if they do not care for a heavier meal, with some soup or a patty at a soup stall.

"And the barber does not forget that he is a very useful person. There, in the open streets, he communicates, by the tinkling of a little bell, the fact that he is ready to shave the heads and arrange the cues or pig-tails of those who may require his services; and as one man after another takes the seat that has been put ready for him, the barber not only shaves and plaits, but also frequently paints his customer's eyebrows and gives his clothes a brush."

"Father, why do Chinamen wear pig-tails?" here broke in Leonard, who, with Sybil, was very much interested in what he heard.

"After they were conquered by the Tartars they were obliged to wear them, to show that they were in subjection to their conquerors; but now the pig-tail is held in honour, and the longer it will grow the better pleased is the Chinese gentleman who wears it. Some very bad criminals have their tails cut off as a great punishment and disgrace.

"Well, what should you like to hear now?" Mr. Graham asked, after a little pause.

"What Chinese shops are like, I think," said Sybil.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A SHOP IN PEKING.]

"Most of those in China are quite open in front; where we are going I suppose we shall see very few, if any, shop-windows at all, but in Peking many of the shops have gla.s.s windows. In China there are certain streets for certain shops, where the different branches of trade have generally their own sides of the road. A shop is called a hong. Sometimes the master sits outside, waiting for his customers to arrive.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SIGN-BOARD OF A CUs.h.i.+ON AND MATTING MANUFACTORY.]

"At the door of each hong are sign-boards, upon which are painted in gold, or coloured letters, a motto instead of a name, and what the shop offers for sale.

"I do not think," Mr. Graham then said, drawing, as he spoke, a little representation of a sign-board out of his pocket-book, "that I ever showed you this."

"Oh no!" both the children answered. "And what do those characters mean?"

On another piece of paper Mr. Graham pointed out to them the following interpretation:

=Teen= =Yee= =Shun= Fung Poo Seih Tian =Teen=

[Ill.u.s.tration: A TWO-WHEELED CART.]

"The three first large characters, which form the motto, may be taken to signify that 'Heaven favours the prudent.' The other smaller characters designate the nature of the business, a cus.h.i.+on and matting manufactory; the last character, without which no sign-board is complete, meaning shop or factory."

"I shall like to see these sign-boards very much when we get to China,"

Sybil said. "I should think they must make the streets look very pretty."

Mr. Graham had ill.u.s.trated several things which he had told the children by some pictures which he had brought on board with him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A YOUNG FARMER AND HIS PARENTS.]

Leonard was now looking again at that of Chean Mun, or Chean Gate, for Mun means gate.

"I have been noticing, father," he then said, "that all the carts in this picture have only two wheels."

"I never saw any in China with more," was the answer. "Both shut and open carts (the latter being used as carriages) have all two wheels.

Those in common use are made of wood, the body of the cart resting on an axle-tree, supported by the wheels. Horses and mules are very little used in China, except for travelling and for conveying luggage long distances. I remember also noticing that horses and ponies require very little guiding in China. Sometimes they go without reins, when their masters will perhaps walk beside them, carrying a whip. I have also seen very polite drivers, who, whenever they met a friend, jumped off their carts and walked on foot to pa.s.s one another.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A CHINESE JUNK.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FLYING KITES.]

"Government servants generally use ponies, but as China is so densely populated--having, it has been estimated, about four hundred million inhabitants, and people find it so hard to obtain enough to support themselves and families--they keep as few beasts of burden as possible.

The farmer employs the bullock a great deal, and in the north of China the camel is also much used.

"Much trade is carried on by boats, and where there is no water, and farmers are without other conveyances, they will sometimes push their wives along the roads in wheel-barrows, sons giving their parents similar drives. There are but few carriage-roads in many parts of China."

"I wonder the Chinese do not make more, then," said Leonard.

"They cannot afford to do so, because to make them bread-producing land would have to be done away with."

"What a number of rivers and bays there are in China!" said Sybil, who was again examining her map. "And I see the Great Wall crosses the Hw.a.n.g-ho."

"And that's the fifth largest river in the world," Leonard answered.

"Only the Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, and Yantze-kiang are larger; and the Grand Ca.n.a.l in China is the very largest ca.n.a.l in the world."

"I learnt once, too, that Hw.a.n.g-ho meant 'Chinese sorrow.' Why is it called that?"

"Because it has altered its course, which has caused great loss and inconvenience to the Chinese."

"And what does 'Yantze-kiang' mean?"

"The son that spreads; this is their favourite river."

Geography was one of Leonard's favourite studies.