Travels in the Far East Part 16

On Sat.u.r.day morning, the 9th, we were anch.o.r.ed at Wusong, waiting for the arrival of the health officer. Thereafter we took a ride of an hour in the steam launch. Shanghai seemed more European on our second arrival, and the Bund on the front more attractive. We made the Palace Hotel our destination, and learned with regret of the non-arrival of the Trans-Siberian party from Manila. Some steamer friends and other acquaintances were at Shanghai, and the time pa.s.sed pleasantly amongst them.

I attended divine service at St. John's Cathedral on Sunday morning, and in the evening the delayed party arrived; I was so fortunate as to have two home friends among the number.

Monday began by a general tour of sight-seeing for the party; to a certain extent I thus went over the ground again, taking jinrikisha rides through a portion of the European native city, and visiting the entire French concession. French names were on the business houses and on many of the streets. This concession is governed by a munic.i.p.ality of its own.

Four restful days were pa.s.sed at Shanghai, and at ten on the evening of May 12th, we went to our steamer, the _Tuck-Wo_, for a trip on the celebrated Yangtse River. The steamer was large and airy, with pleasant decks; everything wore a thoroughly homelike air. The scenery on the lower Yangtse is rather flat and disappointing, but in the morning there were some vegetation and many agreeable glimpses of life, with vistas of modest homes and little patches of cultivated ground around them. The sh.o.r.es were covered with tall vegetation which, we were told, grows quite tall and is then cut, dried, and used as fuel by the natives. At first, during our trip, there had been only a low fringe of trees in the distant background; now mountains appeared as a striking variation, and thus we had alternating scenes which added to the spatial interest from this time on. There were occasional picturesque points and promontories that jutted out into the sea; cl.u.s.tering around, were many large and smaller craft; once I counted thirty-six in one place.

The steamer anch.o.r.ed at Chang-w.a.n.g-kong on the second evening, and we were permitted to go ash.o.r.e for two hours. We had noticed a brilliantly lighted building, four stories high, every window gleaming and presenting an imposing appearance; we naturally expected some artistic effect in the interior, but, when we came to visit it, the illusion vanished, as the first and second stories were cut up into small rooms, each filled with Chinese folk intent upon securing their evening meal; adjacent rooms were devoted to the culinary operations. Dirt and confusion and odors permeated everywhere, and we declined to ascend to the upper story, where the Chinese game of fan-tan was in progress.

Certain homelike English buildings clung near the water front, and we walked through the usual crowded Chinese streets. The town was laid out in one long thoroughfare, overlooking the water and sloping backward to the lesser mountains. We returned, content with the good cheer aboard our steamer, and were soon sailing on.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Little Orphan Rock in the Yangtse River_]

We pa.s.sed Nanking, formerly the southern capital of China and once a place of great importance--indeed, a seat of learning and of art. Only the distant walls could be seen. A little north of Nanking are located two of the Ming tombs.

The following morning, at eleven, we were again permitted to land, this time at Wu-ho, quite a large town and evidently the centre for several industries. After wandering through a few native streets, we took jinrikishas and visited the heights above. Here was situated a fine garden filled with rose trees all in bloom, the property of the son of the noted statesman, Li Hung Chang. This was said to be one of his many palaces; at present he is Minister to England. The afternoon afforded us a variety of points of interest to seek out; long low islands, boldly defined mountains, an occasional village, and coves filled with shipping of all kinds, from the sampan to the five-sail junk. The sh.o.r.es were clothed with the wonderful green of Spring, which, to my mind, was excelled only by the matchless verdure of Java.

On the morning of May 15th we met with constant surprises; first, there was the boldly defined little Orphan Rock, the seat of a Buddhist monastery which contained, however, only a small retinue of monks. Two hours later, on the left side of the Yangtse River, there appeared for the first time a long avenue of trees near the water's edge, while beyond it was a range of mountains higher than we had seen. Nestling between two mountains which seemed to hug the water was a village with a remarkable wall stretching from one peak to the other, and curving down, thus encircling the town; this wall had a crenellated edge and was perfectly preserved.

The mountain range continued for some time, and then was succeeded by the more prevailing flat sh.o.r.e, which soon merged again into mountains.

Perched high up on a projecting hill, another monastery gleamed white through the encircling trees. We sailed onward toward the right, and the Captain pointed out on our left the entrance to Lake Poyang, which shone in the distance, and rising boldly out of which could be dimly seen the greater Orphan Island, where towered a large paG.o.da said to be two hundred and fifty feet high. From now on, the scenery changed rapidly, and first one side of the sh.o.r.e and then the other side claimed our attention and admiration; the river being very wide, and the steamer also constantly changing its course, we were thus given a fine opportunity for observation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Road to Kaling above Kia-Kiang_]

Our next excitement occurred when we approached Kia-kiang. We first saw a high rocky promontory on which a tall seven-story paG.o.da stood, like a veritable sentinel; rounding the point, a long sh.o.r.e line was protected by a seawall which stretched to the extreme point of land where Kia-kiang is situated. Near the paG.o.da were homes and native buildings, then some business houses; farther back from the sh.o.r.e rose another towering paG.o.da, and farther still another, while a tiny temple was perched on an eminence. Embowered in trees, we also found the white homes of foreign residents, presumably English. There was a great deal of shipping in port which gave evidence of the city's being a business centre. Three hours' time was given us on land, but few availed themselves of the privilege because of a heavy rain. On leaving Kia-kiang a low sh.o.r.e was seen, then a long island, covered with homes of a simple kind, with their little gardens; every inch of ground was under cultivation. The shades of night soon shut off our view, but at 9 A.M. we were again anch.o.r.ed--this time at Wu-such. Only the gleaming lights in the distance were visible. Two more places were to be pa.s.sed during the night, w.a.n.g-tu-kiang and Wen-chou; and Hankow was to confront us on the morrow.

The Yangtse River rises three thousand miles away, near Tibet, and covers the whole of the Empire; thus far we had traversed six hundred miles of it. Despite what we praised, however, we could not help longing to meet with the bolder scenery which a longer trip would have revealed to us. A heavy rain prevented much sight-seeing at Hankow on the first day, which was fortunately Sunday; thus we received our initial impressions of the city from the steamer, a view which took in a long Bund, fronting the water's edge, and filled with fine buildings, evidently of a European style of architecture; we were told that they were the different homes of the English, French, and German consulates, the French even having a special park attached to theirs. At the extreme left were large business houses and a club. Hankow is a great depository for tea, and, with the two adjacent cities of Han-yang and Wu-chang, it has an immense population, reaching into the millions. Many religious denominations are said to be represented in Hankow, but we saw no pretentious churches. The harbor or water-front has a stone embankment; a large amount of shipping is to be seen, many of the boats being of peculiar construction.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Hankow bund_]

The following morning, we had a few hours in which to view the city before taking the train for Peking. We first visited the native quarter.

The heavy rain of the previous day caused a great deal of mud, and as we attempted to drive through the narrow streets and bazars, the dirt floors of the little homes and shops were a sea of mud, while the inmates were preparing breakfast and attending to other domestic avocations in perfect unconcern; it was certainly not an inspiring scene, and the worst native quarter we had visited during our stay in China. We did not extend our observation very far, but turned to the more attractive Bund, which is about three miles in extent. Here we had a nearer view of the consulates, from each of which a street led down to the water's edge. In the French concession we noticed the same naming of streets and buildings that we had seen in Shanghai; this was also true of the German and English concessions, thus making of each a little miniature city. There is a fine English club at Hankow, and a long line of tea factories called G.o.downs; the odor of tea was distinctly noticeable for three blocks. From May to the middle of July the tea industry of Hankow is great, and large numbers of dealers and speculators interested in the business congregate there.

We took the train at 11 A.M. for Peking, with every expectation of arriving there at 4 P.M.

PEKING, _March 18th_: The railway trip from Hankow to Peking is not interesting, for it is largely over a vast extent of plain without foliage or vegetation. Occasionally we pa.s.sed small towns with a few planted trees. The latter part of the way seemed almost like a desert; there being little to observe, one had time to reflect, and, in some inscrutable manner, the immensity of China, its extreme age, its teeming population, and its unreality, judged by Western standards, began to dawn on me. I had previously failed to realize that I was actually in China. Having seen the Chinese at several points before reaching Hong-Kong, that city with its English environment did not impress me greatly. Canton seemed an unrelated place, a kind of a by-play. The Shanghai I knew was modern.

As we approached Peking, we caught a glimpse of the Great Wall, a ma.s.sive gray bulk, with the immense corner tower, which produced a feeling of awe, standing as though it were an entrance into a city of mystery--a walled town of over twenty miles in circ.u.mference which was virtually the product of four walled cities in one. We were housed in the new and s.p.a.cious Grand Hotel des Wagons-lits. Our stay was to cover just a little over a week; hence vigorous sight-seeing was at once inaugurated, and the first impression received was the great age of everything that surrounded us.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Great Wall at Peking_]

Peking was made the capital of the whole Empire by Mongol Kublai Khan, the Wise, a munificent ruler who laid the foundation plan of what we see to-day; but the origin of the city dates back some centuries before the Christian era. The Ming Dynasty extended over nearly three centuries; then China, being threatened by an invasion of the Manchus from the north, was aided in her resistance by the Manchus at home, and, through a peculiar combination, they secured possession of the throne and have held it ever since. The foreign rule is hated by the true Chinese.

The four sections of Peking are: (1) The Forbidden City, called the Purple City by the Chinese because formerly only purple mortar was used.

It consists virtually of a palace and adjacent buildings, and embraces a population of nearly six thousand. This portion of the city has for ages been closed to foreigners, with the exception of a few months immediately after the Boxer trouble in 1900, when excursions to the Forbidden City were made, photographs secured, and also a small guide-book prepared. (2) The Imperial City surrounds the Forbidden City, and is now in great part closed. (3) The Tartar City surrounds the Imperial City, and is called the "city within" because it lies within the walls. (4) The Chinese or Southern City is south of the Tartar City, and extends somewhat beyond it to the east and west.

Next to the Great Wall, the gateways should demand our interest. There are several, and Hata-men is the one which we frequently pa.s.sed through.

It was always thronged. The most densely crowded entrance, however, was the Chinese gate, Chien-men; here, at times, it was almost impossible for the jinrikisha to make a pa.s.sage. The street scenes in Peking are wonderful because of their variety, and the length of the streets adds to their picturesqueness, although they are not quite so spectacular as those of Jeypore, India.

Many different styles of dress are seen. I noticed the long flowing robe of the Manchu women, with the Manchu head-dress and a remarkable arrangement of hair on a frame, spreading at the back with a sort of elongated b.u.t.terfly effect, and held in place by a bright gold hairpin.

The bands of hair are brought over in a way to give the impression of long loops, and they are decorated with bright flowers. The Manchu women are taller than the Chinese women, and walk with a statelier tread, as their feet have never been bound, the present Empress many years ago having issued an edict prohibiting that custom. The edict is, however, evaded, as Chinese fathers and husbands insist that the custom be kept up, seeming to imagine that abolishing it would have some peculiar effect on the character of the wife, perhaps resulting in insubordination. The Chinese women part their glossy black hair in the middle, wear it in smooth bands down the side of the forehead, and dress it in the back in a great variety of low loops. They also wear jewelled and gold hairpins that are really very artistic. Their dress consists of the long black sack coat and loose trousers, much like those of a man. The children of Peking, unlike those of the Orient, where clothes are virtually dispensed with, wear long-sleeved, high-necked garments reaching to the feet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Hata-men Gate_]

The bazars and shopping streets in Peking were interesting, many of the buildings rising four stories in height, and having the same long narrow decorated signs that I described in Canton. At intervals along the way very high poles are erected, and on these are placed different kinds of signs, giving these streets a brilliant appearance. The usual throng of dealers and of diverse nationalities are represented, resulting in a great deal of bustle and activity, a great deal of noise and dirt. The crowds around some of the gateways included rows of vehicles and sometimes a group of camels; but the most individual of all conveyances is the Peking cart; indeed, I have never seen any inanimate object that wore so individual an air, and when viewed in large numbers, their appearance is most peculiar. This cart is two-wheeled, with a roof, and with sides and back enclosed. One horse is used. In the front opening sits the driver, some one usually at his side, while behind him, far in the back, may be seen the faces of the occupants peering out. Many of the carts used by the ordinary people have no windows or openings on the side; others have windows covered with a kind of netting which admits some air.

The Llama Temple is considered to be one of the most important places to visit; it is in the eastern quarter of the Tartar City. The rule has been that just as soon as an emperor ascends the throne, the palace that he had previously occupied shall be changed into a temple. Such was the origin of the Llama Temple, once presided over by three thousand Mongol Llamas, and, at the head of them, a living Buddha. The temple has six parts: first the outside gate, then the entrance gate, then a large hall of very imposing proportions, in front of this a tablet upon which is inscribed the history of Llamaism. Before this tablet rests a bronze incense burner eight feet high, and on the southwest wall of the temple hangs a picture of the universe, upheld by the four-clawed feet of a huge sea-monster with three eyes. There are also three lofty pavilions.

Beautiful silken rugs used to be laid on the floor of the impressive hall, and on the walls were very fine hangings. Many precious articles were carried away in 1900, at the time of the Boxer trouble, and some may still be hidden.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Peking girls_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Llama Temple_]

There is a colossal Buddha here of very evil countenance, towering three stories, and said to be seventy feet high. To those versed in Buddhist lore, these buildings are full of interest; it is only within a few years that the place has been open to the public. The Llama monks present a very impressive appearance at their evening service, with their long gowns crossed over, and their high caps like ancient Roman casques.

In construction, the Confucian Temple, near by, is similar to all Confucian temples throughout China; the hall is eighty-four feet long and the teakwood pillars forty feet high. In front there is a marble terrace, twenty-eight yards long and fifteen feet wide, reached on three sides by seventeen steps. The inscription on the Confucius tablet, written in Chinese and Manchu dialects, says: "The tablet of the soul of the most holy ancestral teacher, Confucius." Other tablets to noted teachers hang on either side. There are rows of cypresses in front of the hall said to have been planted one thousand years ago; and on each side of the court are buildings containing tablets to over one hundred celebrated scholars. A temple court extends in front, with six monuments which record foreign conquests by emperors. In the court of the Triennial Examinations there is a stone tablet to commemorate each session, on which are engraved the names and homes of all students who receive the t.i.tle of Doctor of Literature.

Another unique building, west of the Confucius Temple, is the Hall of the Cla.s.sics. Here there is a richly decorated pailow, with encaustic tiles, chiefly green and yellow; the three archways are lined with white marble. This hall was designed by the Emperor, Chien Lung, to complete the Confucius Temple, in which till then the cla.s.sics had been expounded. It is lofty and square, with double eaves, yellow tiles, surmounted by a specially large gilt ball, and encircled by a fringe carried to the roof and supported by ma.s.sive wooden pillars. In the centre is a circular pool of water, edged by marble bal.u.s.trades, with a bridge spanning it. There is also a remarkable sun-dial. Two hundred upright stone monuments engraved on both sides contain the complete text of the nine cla.s.sics, very finely executed; it was thought thus to preserve the purity of the text. There are also more lists of successful students on stone monoliths.

The Drum Tower was another point visited, one of the most striking objects in Peking; it is oblong and quite Chinese in character, the upper story being of wood, the lower of brick. It is one hundred feet high and about the same in length toward the base. It was built under the Mongol dynasty; a very large drum stands in the middle of the last story, and a climb of sixty-eight steps up a steep Chinese staircase gave us a fine view of the entire city. A short distance from the Drum Tower is the Bell Tower. This is built of brick and stone, ninety feet high, and is also Mongol in origin; the bell weighs twenty thousand pounds and is still used to tell the watches of the night; the drum in the tower is struck at the same time.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A Peking cart_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Confucius Temple_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Temple of Cla.s.sics_]

Some Chinese authority states that there are ten thousand temples in Peking, all built under the Mongol dynasty (thirteenth century), or the Ming dynasty (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries). Of these, the most striking is the Temple or Altar of Heaven in the southern part of the Chinese City, erected by the Ming Emperor, Yung-loh, in 1421; the enclosure, a fine park, measures about six thousand feet around. There are three large, imposing gates,--south, east, and west. To the north, the wall is crescent shaped and is without an entrance. The Altar or Temple of Heaven, open to the sky, is circular and of white marble. It is three stories high; the base measures two hundred and ten feet across, the second story one hundred and fifty feet, the third ninety feet. One large marble slab is in the centre. The white marble bal.u.s.trades are richly carved to represent clouds. In the upper story, there are seventy-two pillars; in the middle, one hundred and eight; and in the lower, one hundred and eighty; thus making, in all, three hundred and sixty, the number of degrees in a circle. It is on the central marble slab that the Emperor stands and prostrates himself, worshipping under the blue arch of heaven. He goes three times a year to this temple, praying before daybreak, and having spent the previous night in the Grand Hall of Abstinence close by.

Between this and the closed Altar of Heaven, there is the small Temple of Prayer, where the ancestral tablets are kept, capped by one of the most remarkable roofs in Peking. This temple is a gem; its bricks and tiles are of the finest porcelain, and everything dates from the best period of Chinese art. The northern Temple of Heaven has a three-fold roof of blue tiles, recently rebuilt, the early one having been burned down. There are magnificent columns in this, and the ceiling is very elaborate. Before leaving the enclosure at the left of the gateway, we went through a large palace not in use at the present time, except on rare occasions; this was not in the itinerary, but our guide secured admission by paying a generous fee. Only a few rooms were furnished, but these were in excellent taste.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Inner Temple of Heaven_]

We next drove to the Altar or Temple of Agriculture. This is where General Chaffee and the American troops were quartered after the relief of Peking in 1900. The hall is the largest in the city, but there is nothing special to see in it. The rites observed here are nearly as important as those at the Temple of Heaven. The enclosure is two miles in circ.u.mference. The first two altars are rectangular; that of the Spirits of Heaven, on the east, is fifty feet long and four and one-half feet high; and the marble tablets therein contain the names of the celebrated mountains, lakes, and seas of China. On the first day of the second period of Spring, the Emperor goes there with three princes, nine great men, and a numerous following, all of them understood to be fasting. After they have worshipped, they proceed to the field which has been prepared; the bullock, the plough, and other accessories are all of Imperial yellow. The Emperor traces a furrow from east to west; returning four times, he thus makes eight furrows. The First Minister of the Treasury stands on the right with a whip, the Viceroy of the Province on the left with the grain, while a third official scatters the seed behind the Emperor. The three Princes each plough ten furrows, and so the work proceeds through all the dignitaries, according to their rank. The afternoon was one of the most interesting we spent in Peking, the temperature being perfect like our own June at home; all Nature was in harmony with the scene.

The Observatory was formerly one of the most distinctive sights in Peking. It affords a magnificent view towards the south of the wall of the Tartar City. The wonderful bronze instruments therein have outlived their usefulness, but their artistic merit makes them a glory and a joy.

The Examination Hall was formerly situated close by the site of the Observatory, but when we were there it was being dismantled. The old method of examination is being given up, and the reform is one of the progressive changes in Peking, upsetting the precedent of ages. The examination of students is now carried on very much as it is in other countries.

Leaving the city, we drove some miles along the outskirts to the Yellow Temple. There are two temples, the eastern and the western; and, in front, are two very beautiful pavilions. Chien Lung repaired the western temple and changed it into a dwelling for Mongol princes, who arrived each year to pay their tribute. This is one of the finest buildings in China; it has great size, beautiful proportions, and a square entrance porch; but, since its occupation in 1900 by some of the Allied Forces, it has begun to fall into ruins. The eastern temple is in good condition, and critics claim that its proportions surpa.s.s those of any temple in j.a.pan. The magnificent white marble monument or paG.o.da was erected by Chien Lung over the grave of the Teshu Llama who died of small-pox while on a visit there. On the eight sides of the memorial are engraved scenes in the Llama's life; these bas-reliefs are very interesting. The great White Temple is the most beautiful monument in the environs of Peking, and it is well worth the long drive to see it.

On our return, we pa.s.sed through the usual number of gates, from the Chinese to the Tartar, and from the Tartar to the Imperial; only a small portion of this latter section can be seen, but we caught glimpses of the many lovely buildings in the Forbidden City, and it was most tantalizing not to be able to enter the sacred precincts. From a sketch taken in 1900, we can form an idea of the many interesting points in this Forbidden City. The Imperial City, enclosing the Forbidden City, is over five miles in circ.u.mference; its walls are eighteen feet high, with four entrances about seventy feet wide. There are three gates, the central one of which is reserved for the Emperor. People are allowed to look in, but not to enter by this southern gate; the northern and eastern gates are open to the public.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Outer Heaven, Temple of Heaven, Peking_]

One view in the Forbidden City is that of the Coal Hall, two hundred and ten feet high. It dates from the Mongol dynasty, when coal is said to have been piled up there as a provision in case of siege, the Ming Emperor having covered it all with beautiful pavilions.

Beyond the wall to the north is the Hall of Longevity, where the Emperor's coffin remains after his death and until his funeral.