Life and sport in China / Second Edition

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of the North," and is so called in contradist

in grandeur that of any other city in the world. That the result, as seen in the city of to-day, is but a mockery of the magnificent idea which possessed the master mind that conceived it, is due to that trait of the Mongolian temperament which exhausts

pretensions that with the exception of a single street it is of but little interest to E

gateways, between which wide boulevards traverse the city from end to end and from side to side, but which, instead of being paved and lighted, are but lanes of filth, ankle deep in dust during dr

ians wend a varied way, avoiding cesspools, stepping over transverse timbers or circumventing squatters

n frames covered with paper instead of glass and placed at intervals of perha

in equality of height and greyness of colour meets the eye, which sameness is mostly due to the facts that but few upper storeys exist, and that the

s glazed yellow and green, is the forbidden city, where the imperial palaces

large enough to admit a donkey, show that formerly a scheme of drainage and sanitation existed although to-day there is nothing of the kind; an insigni

h the legations "happened" from time to time amongst a squalid entourage of native buildings,

This wasted body on a majestic frame carries one back with a single step to civilisation of a thousand years ago. Not the remnants dis

e Conquest of Mexico, might almost as well have been laid in this far-famed capital of the North. Great antiquity, isolation from the Western world, pride of race and empire, veneration fo

ich in other places furnishes the most comfortable conveyance, being here reserved

ront of the wheel, which plays on to them a continuous stream of dirt and dust. In windy weather one must crawl inside and sit on the floor tailor fashion, there being no seat, and then let down the curtain, thus effectually blocking all view but keeping out most of the dust, which,

directions from the wheels, and at each footfall of horse or mule, splattering pede

s that I actually remember a mule being drowned in the shafts by the

d and dust alike are absent and when one can canter noiselessly along the soft, yie

g sights, while through the cloudless sky flocks of pigeons, having whistles of wood or clay fastened

, I might rather say, a passive admission of their right to considerate treatment, and strangely enough animals, both wild and domesticated, appear

bird is attached by a string some four feet or so in length, so that the little prisoner can make shor

containing generally a Tientsin lark or other celebrated songster, and on arriving at some open spot will place the cage on the ground, and

e the bird-fanciers lived, and birds of many different kinds were exposed for sale, not in cages, but quite tame

it this bazaar of an afternoon with the sole object of buying a few of these little birds for two or three cash each and then letting them fly away, a beatific smile betraying the salve to inward feelings ge

ife and death are very

s paramount, the fulfilment of such obligations being enforced both by legal and social pre

ring neither public opinion nor the country's laws have any right of interference. Infanticide can be, and undoubtedly is to

the authors of their being. Filial duty is the greatest of all virtues, and the man who fails

are born, we die, are relegated to

ly, who perform the obsequies with great respect and as much display as is compatible with their station in life. An imposing grave is built in a spot facing a pleasant prospect, while trees are planted, and sometimes even artificial pieces of water made, so that the disembodied spirit may be able to enjoy shady groves and c

rocessions assume g

nd of such barbaric magnificence that they mus

d lanterns of varied size and shape are carried in advance by an army of riffraff. A band of priests chanting, or playing weird dirges on instruments much resembling bagpipes in sound, immediately precedes the catafalque, an immense edifice from ten to fifteen feet in height, containing the coffin and covere

eter frequently falls below zero, but owing to a bright atmosphere the cold is not felt so much as might be expected. At night the stars blink and blaze with intense brilliancy, and the

emperature almost coinciding with that of the open air, albeit a small stove roared in the corner, while steam from the hot water in a wooden bath was so thick as to make the daylight dim. Ablutions were a hurr

thickness of three or four inches, for it would have injured the bath to keep breaking it off, so that, ultimately, I

arms propped out at almost right angles to the bodies, while their heads are enveloped in bright-coloured hoods buttoning tight under the chin. Poor, half-naked beggars, clasping

rkshire pudding with raisins in it, which he had just bought at a wayside cook-shop, when a beggar suddenly seized him by both wrists, an

e total sum probably not exceeding a halfpenny. Naked, hungry and frozen, they watched with tense features a

hands, and on a bitter, windy day I have seen grown-up beggars on a waste patch flying a k

s generally covered with dust, although occasionally at the beginning of

to secure good ice. This rink is a favourite afternoon resort of the European community, but the space is too l

e, on which they propel themselves by striking the ice with the other foot until a certain speed has been attained, when they spread out their arms, bend forward u

in length, come down from Mongolia, bearing loads of meat and furs, together with frozen

le a cord tied to its tail links it with the nose of the second camel, and so on, till the whole team of eight or ten are securely conne

in two immense panniers, and the round, yellow faces of tiny childr

ly cast by the way, being carried in a

housand camels daily pass in and out of the gates of Peking. They are b

several hundreds which were waiting to enter the western gateway. They looked down at me with their patient eyes as

giving them a ragged appearance, and is collec

disappear and go north to seek cool

settled there is solely composed of the corps diplomatique and the legation guards, of the inspector

is naturally of a highly cosmopolitan order, amuses itself by a constant round of dinners, balls and receptions car

Flour Alley, I made an expedition to the Great W

acked into a cart drawn by two mules, we started

light and passed out of Peking, following a wide and dusty road, where we presently met streams of camels, mules, ponies,

business to do more than bestow a cursory glance on passers-by, so that

e refuge in a wayside inn and there discuss an early tiffin. It was now discovered that the supply of bread necessary for our thre

our every movement. This crowd continuing to grow until it consisted of several tens, my friend went out to expostulate with the innkeeper, but fo

ided we continued our journey, arriving by nightfall at

e very near to shuffli

e top is covered with grass matting. During the day a charcoal fire is lighted in this aperture, the hot air from which fills the interior of the structure and gradually warms the brickwork,

before I became conscious of a frightful nightmare. I was very hot and had lost all power to move. My tongue felt swollen and heavy, and my throat so dry and sore that when I tried to cry out it refused to utter a sound. My eyes were smarting, and h

and trickling down my neck and chest, strong arms supporting me and the voice

the cold, thereby causing the mafoo to enter my room for a spare one, which I always carried with me. The following morning

on the fire was the cause of this contretemps, but I was t

ules as being more surefooted, though the high wooden saddles

trewn with rocks and boulders, we reached Nan K'ow

n streams, the swift-flowing waters of which were sweet and clear as crystal. Mountains shut us in on either sid

seen crumbling forts and walls built many centuries ago t

had amongst these rugged hills. After halting for tiffin under a fine archway of Indian architec

ruins, my friend was soon busy with his camera, whilst

irty feet. At irregular intervals there are towers, in one of which was a pile of antique carronades about two feet long, of equal size all the way down and bound round with iron h

s certainly a gigantic monument, well constructed of large bricks, and here, at any rate, in good

t climbs the mountain range until it becomes a mere thread and finally is lost to view in the far distance. Walking along it for some little way I found that it scaled almost perpendicular cliffs,

oads of wild Tartars, who came down in hordes from Manchuria, Mongo

t Wall o

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o the ground, giving means of ingress and exit to defenders, but on the side facing towards Mongolia the wall is crowned with battlem

nd at the date of completion was probably as futile to bar the advanc

menced to get rapidly heavier, until it became almost insupportable, while its constant tapping in the small of my back, caused by the jerky trot of the mule, was well-nigh intolerable. I tried to fasten it to the saddle, but, simple as it may seem, it wou

as it was full moon and we were anxious to be back in Peking early next day,

wever, without our host, for the inn was crammed full and we were obliged to take to the road once more, and that in no very amiable frame of mind. The next inn was if anything more crowded still, and the next, and the next. For five mortal hours we plodded on, more asleep than awake, and I

sly opened a few inches, when with one bound I was inside, and seeing a kang with only one man on it I tumbled him o

one Figures,

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parted with their carts and pack-animals before dawn, so that I had not to face the individual whom I had so unceremoniously dispossessed of his bed,

o go and were easily back

ng dynasty, commonly known as the "Ming Tombs," consisting of several immense temples

ures representing warriors, statesmen, horses, camels, elephant

dispossessed by the present ruling Manchu dynasty, no at

tly registering between ninety and a hundred degrees in the shade, and is rend

bed are never necessary as in the central provinces. Riding outside the city walls in the cool of early

their fulsome wares with iron-pointed sticks, herds of coarse, black swine being bought and sold, while in the shelter of the enormous buttresse

body as well as missionaries migrate during the great heat to temples in the Western Hills, which are about

, and passing unobserved through a gap in the wall made careful inspection of a partially-destroyed pavilion overlooking a lake, interrupted only by a venerable guardian, who hobbled after us mildly requesting that we should depart. This we were preparing to do for another part of the extensive grounds, when suddenly we came into view of some scores of workmen who were engaged on the repairs. They stopped work and gazed at us but made no hostile move, and we could still have withdrawn in peace had not my companion, overcome by a desire to practise his Chinese, and in opposition to my urgent warning, advanced toward

formed either on horseback, by cart along cross-country tracks or via the River Peiho, taking boat at Tungchow, which i

on to a long, narrow cart drawn by two mules, while I and my boy each bestrode a very small donkey, and so I passed out from the mighty cit

hinese characteristic of constructing costly works and the

grinding wheels of heavy-laden carts, however, have worn innumerable ruts seven or eight inches deep into the solid stone, so that in passing over it a springless cart crashes from side to side with great violence, almo

uly, that the river was still open to the sea, so having transferred the baggage to one boat, and embarking with my boy and

r was frozen up. At six o'clock, however, when we had covered about twelve miles and it was quite dark, the boats suddenly crashed into a barrier of ice, which had but just formed, effectually stopping our further progress. By frantic efforts and with great shoutings both craft were warped to within a few feet of the bank,

to Tungchow for carts with which to continue the journey, but to my dismay he r

off the boy, accompanied by another boatman, with instructions to get a conveyance of some sort and at any cost. This attempt was more successful, for at ten o'clock they

king a present of five dollars to the disconsolate boatmen

t the cart far behind, yet dared not lose sight of it for fear of its taking another route

y, open yard, filled with carts and animals, and the home of pigs and fowls, while I found accommodat

was too tired and too disgusted not to sleep, and by three o'clock next morning we w

ved at noon, hungry, footsore and unwashed, at a friend's house in Tient

is the callousness of human nature, only to be routed out at three o'clo

TNO

Nan = South. Kin