,illustration3 ,,the ,,costume of ,,china by ,w4 ,alexander ,f4,s4,a4 c4 ,,china--,,plate #a ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,picturesque ,,representations ,,of ,,the ,,dress ,,and ,,manners ,,of ,,the ,,chinese4 ,,illustrated ,,in ,,fifty ,,coloured ,,engravings1 ,,with ,,descriptions4 --------------------- ,,by ,,william ,,alexander4 --------------------- ,,london3 -------------- ,,printed ,,for ,,john ,,murray1 ,,albemarle-,,street ,,by ,w4 ,,bulmer ,,and ,,co4 ,,cleveland-,,row4 #ahad4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,list ,,of ,,the ,,plates4 --------------------- ,plate #a ,the ,title4 ,a ,stand of ,arms4 #b ,kien ,lung1 the ,emperor4 #c ,fishermen4 #d ,man ,servant4 #e ,mandarin in his ,court ,dress4 #f ,young ,bonze sacrificing4 #g ,juggler4 #h ,children collecting ,manure4 #i ,watchman4 #aj ,lady and her ,son4 #aa ,bonze4 #ab ,lantern ,seller4 #ac ,soldier with his ,matchlock4 #ad ,porter carrying ,goods4 #ae ,mandarin in his ,common ,dress4 #af ,boat ,girl4 #ag ,a common ,sedan1 or ,chair4 #ah ,mandarin's ,servant on ,horse-back4 #ai ,an itinerant ,musician4 #bj ,ensign of the ,bowmen4 #ba ,mendicant4 #bb ,barbers champooing1 c4 #bc ,bookseller4 #bd ,soldier of ,infantry4 #be ,a ,raree ,show4 #bf ,mandarin's ,page4 #bg ,a travelling ,smith4 #bh ,mourners at a ,tomb4 #bi ,vender of ,rice4 #cj ,female ,comedian4 #ca ,sedan ,bearer4 #cb ,a man selling ,betel1 c4 #cc ,a ,horse and ,cart with the ,driver4 #cd ,seller of ,pipes4 #ce ,waterman4 #cf ,tradesman reckoning on his ,swanpan4 #cg ,women winding ,cotton4 #ch ,soldier of the ,cavalry mounted4 #ci ,punishment of the ,cangue4 #dj ,groupe of ,children4 #da ,chairman with a ,sedan4 #db ,vessels near a ,town4 #dc ,a ,lady of ,rank4 #dd ,nursery ,maid and ,children4 #de ,stage ,player4 #df ,trackers regaling4 #dg ,mandarin's ,officer4 #dh ,punishment of the ,arrow4 #di ,woman selling ,chow-chow4 #ej ,groupe of ,soldiers4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,plate ,i4 ,,frontispiece4 ,,exhibiting the various kinds of weapons1 offensive and defensive1 in use among the ,chinese infantry1 cavalry1 artillery1 and bowmen1 arranged on a stand or frame of wood4 ,one or more of these frames are commonly to be met with at the military posts and at the depts of arms and guard-houses1 close to the gates of their walled cities4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #b ,plate ,,ii4 ,,kien ,,lung4 ,,kien ,lung was the fourth ,emperor of the ,tartar dynasty1 which now possesses the throne of ,china4 ,when the annexed ,sketch was taken he was eighty-three years of age1 but had all the appearance of a hale1 vigorous man of sixty4 ,indeed his whole life had been spent in the active discharge of public business1 and in the violent exercise of hunting and shooting in the wild regions of ,tartary1 which he continued with unabated zeal almost to the period of life above mentioned4 ,he always commenced public business at two or three in the morning1 and gave audience to foreign ambassadors at that early hour1 whether in winter or summer1 and he generally retired to rest at sunset2 and to this invariable habit of rising and retiring at an early hour1 he attributed much of his healthy and vigorous constitution4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #c ,plate ,,iii4 ,,the ,,fishing ,,cormorants4 ,,the ,leu-tz1 or fishing cormorant of ,china1 is the pelicanus sinensis1 and resembles very much the common cormorant of ,england1 which1 we are told by naturalists1 was once trained up to catch fish1 pretty much in the same manner as those of ,china are4 ,they are exceedingly expert in taking fish1 and pursue them under water with great eagerness4 ,they are taken out1 on the rivers and lakes1 in boats or bamboo rafts2 and though sent on the chace after long fasting1 they are so well trained that they rarely swallow any of the fish they take until they are permitted to do so by their masters4 ,many thousand families in ,china earn their subsistence by means of these birds4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #d ,plate ,,iv4 ,a ,,man ,,servant4 ,,we have little to observe on this figure4 ,his dress is pretty nearly that of the class of people to which he belongs4 ,the ,chinese are excellent domestic servants1 and when honest1 which is a quality not common among them1 they are invaluable4 ,they are rather slow1 and do not like to be put out of their way1 but they do their work well and neatly4 ,every ,european resident at ,canton and ,macao has ,chinese servants1 which on the whole1 are preferable to any other race of ,orientals4 ,they are sometimes brought over to ,england1 but are seldom happy till they get back to their own country1 which has the same kind of charm to them as the vallies of ,switzerland had to the natives of that once happy country4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #e ,plate ,v4 ,a ,,mandarin ,,in ,,his ,,court ,,dress4 ,,all officers of state1 whether civil or military1 from the highest to the lowest1 have been named by the early ,portuguese writers mandarins1 from a word in their own language1 mandar1 to command2 and this name1 improper as it is1 has preserved its ground ever since4 ,the figure of a bird on the embroidered breast-plate of the annexed figure points him out as a civilian4 ,a military officer wears the figure of an animal resembling the tiger4 ,the degree of rank1 whether civil or military1 is marked by a small globe on the top of the cap1 opake red coral distinguishing the highest1 and brass the lowest rank3 the intermediate colours are transparent red1 opake and transparent blue1 opake and transparent white4 ,as a mark of imperial favour1 one1 two1 or three feathers from the tail of the peacock are appended to the back part of the bonnet4 ,all officers1 whether civil or military1 invariably wear thick-quilted boots1 and1 when in their court-dresses1 embroidered petticoats4 ,most of them wear chains of coral1 or agate1 or coloured glass round the neck1 as in the annexed figure4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #f ,plate ,,vi4 ,,an ,,offering ,,in ,,the ,,temple4 ,,the figure kneeling before the deities mounted on pedestals is a priest of the sect of ,fo4 ,he is burning incense1 or rather paper that is covered over with some liquid that resembles gold4 ,sometimes1 in lieu of this1 tin foil is burnt before the altars of ,china1 and this is the principal use to which the large quantities of tin sent from this country is applied4 ,on the four-legged stool is the pot containing the sticks of fate1 and other paraphernalia belonging to the temple1 and behind it is the tripod in which incense is sometimes burned4 ,these superstitious rites are performed several times by the priests every day1 but there is no kind of congregational worship in ,china4 ,the people pay the priests for taking care of their present and future fate4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #g ,plate ,,vii4 ,a ,,juggler1 ,,performing ,,tricks ,,with ,,jars4 ,,this engraving exhibits a posture-master balancing two large ,china vases1 and throwing himself into most extraordinary attitudes2 he exhibited a variety of curious postures before the ,ambassador1 at his lodgings opposite to ,canton1 and played with the large jars precisely in the same manner as the ,indian jugglers1 in ,pall-mall1 toss about the large round stone of twelve or fourteen pounds weight2 but those who have seen both are inclined to give the palm to the ,chinese4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #h ,plate ,,viii4 ,,children ,,collecting ,,manure4 ,,the collecting and preparing of manure of various descriptions1 and making it up into cakes for sale1 occupy a very considerable population of the lowest class of society1 and for the most part is the employment of the aged and children4 ,no agriculturists1 perhaps1 understand the value of manure better than the ,chinese1 and certainly none are so well skilled in the economical distribution of it4 ,it is quite ridiculous to see the avidity with which young children follow a traveller on horseback for the chance of catching what the animal may emit1 which is immediately caught up1 and thrown into the basket2 and if the traveller himself should contribute his portion1 it is considered as more valuable than that from the animal4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #i ,plate ,,ix4 ,a ,,watchman4 ,,the police is so well regulated in all the large cities of ,china1 that disturbances rarely1 if ever1 happen during the night4 ,the watch is set at nine1 and continues till five in the morning4 ,a gate is placed at each end of the cross streets1 which are all streight1 and at right angles with the main streets2 from each gate a watchman proceeds till he meets his brother watchman about the middle2 at every half hour he beats the hollow bamboo tube1 in his left hand1 with the mallet in the right1 striking the same number of blows as there may be half hours elapsed from nine o'clock3 the blow gives a dead1 dull sound1 sufficiently audible1 and to a stranger sufficiently disagreeable4 ,each watchman is also furnished with a paper lantern4 ,at the great gates of cities1 and at certain distances in the main streets are guard-houses1 at which a party of soldiers are stationed to aid the police1 if necessary2 but this is rarely the case1 as1 in addition to the common watch1 every tenth housekeeper in every street is made responsible for the orderly good conduct of his nine neighbours4 ,in the day time there is plenty of noise1 and quarrelling and scuffling among the lower orders of the ,chinese4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #aj ,plate ,x4 ,a ,,lady1 ,,and ,,her ,,son4 ,,the annexed print is the representation of a ,chinese ,lady1 and her ,son1 of a certain rank in life1 from which no high ideas will probably be entertained of the taste in dress either of one or the other4 ,our modern notions of a head-dress1 however1 approximate those of the ,chinese2 though it is to be hoped that our ladies will never be brought to imitate the small and mutilated feet of the ,chinese women1 which disqualify them from the free use of their limbs4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #aa ,plate ,,xi4 ,a ,,bonze4 ,,the priests of ,fo in ,china are the same as the priests of ,boudh are in ,india1 from whence their religion passed into ,china in the first century of the ,christian ra4 ,the temples and the monasteries of ,china swarm with them2 and they practice1 ostensibly at least1 all the austerities and mortifications of the several orders of monks in ,europe1 and inflict on themselves the same painful1 laborious1 and disgusting punishments which the faquirs of ,india undergo1 either for the love of ,god1 as they would have it supposed1 or to impose on the multitude1 as is most probably the real motive4 ,in ,china1 however1 they are generally esteemed as men of correct morals3 and there is reason to believe1 that the calumnies heaped upon them by the ,catholic missionaries are for the most part unfounded1 and were occasioned by the mortification they experienced in finding their ceremonies1 their altars1 their images1 their dress1 to resemble so very nearly their own4 ,it is scarcely necessary to observe that our umbrellas are borrowed from the ,chinese4 ,the poorest person has one of these machines to keep off the rain2 but in ,china they are made of paper1 and the wood part is entirely of bamboo4 ,the hats of the common people are in fact a kind of umbrella2 they are generally made of rice straw plaited1 and so large that they equally defend the face from the rays of the sun and cover the shoulders from the rain4 ,that which the priest carries under his arm is small in proportion of some of those worn by the peasantry4 ,in moderate weather a ,chinese1 though close shaved1 except as to the little lock of hair growing from the crown1 generally goes bareheaded4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ab ,plate ,,xii4 ,a ,,vender ,,of ,,lanterns4 ,,there is no nation so fond of illuminations and fire-works as the ,chinese1 and no nation has exerted its skill so effectually in the multitude of contrivances to exhibit light4 ,their lanterns are as various in shape as in materials4 ,the most common are of painted paper4 ,the most beautiful and ornamental of silk gauze1 finely painted and stretched on frames that are not deficient in carving and curious workmanship1 and decorated with tassels of silk of various colours4 ,other lanterns are round and cylindrical1 and of one single piece of thin transparent horn1 sometimes of an immense size4 ,at certain times in the year1 but more particularly in the month of ,february1 they celebrate what has been called the ,feast of ,lanterns1 when every body in the street carries some transparency or other made in every possible form3 some of them like fishes1 some like beasts of various kinds1 and others birds4 ,some resemble trees and shrubs1 with flowers and fruits1 each in their appropriate colours4 ,those lanterns borne by the man in the print are of the most ordinary kind4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ac ,plate ,,xiii4 ,a ,,soldier ,,with ,,his ,,matchlock4 ,,the military of ,china differs1 as every thing else differs1 from that of all other nations1 in the nature of its establishment1 its occupation1 and its dress4 ,they have two distinct armies1 if they may be so called2 the one composed entirely of ,tartars1 who are stationed in the several provinces on the ,tartar frontier1 and occupy all the garrison towns of the empire2 the other composed of ,chinese1 who are parcelled out in the smaller towns and hamlets to keep the peace1 by acting as constables1 subordinate collectors of the taxes1 guards to the granaries1 and assisting in various ways the civil magistrate4 ,along the public roads1 canals and rivers1 are placed1 at certain intervals1 small square guard-houses1 at which are stationed from six to twelve men1 who are employed in settling disputes upon the rivers or roads1 and also in conveying the public dispatches4 ,when a foreign ambassador or any of their own mandarins travel1 these soldiers turn out in their holiday dresses with their streamers stuck in the back1 as in the annexed figure4 ,the breast-plate and shoulder-guards are nothing more than cotton stuffed with wadding1 and the helmet1 which looks so fierce1 is made only of paste-board4 ,the ,chinese matchlocks resemble so much the old common matchlock of the ,portuguese1 that it has been supposed these people first introduced them into ,china1 where however it is sufficiently determined1 gunpowder was in familiar use many centuries before any communication was known to exist between this country and ,europe4 ,in some of the larger matchlocks there is a fork to support the piece1 and by sticking it in the ground to give it the degree elevation that may be required4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ad ,plate ,,xiv4 ,a ,,porter ,,carrying ,,goods4 ,,it has long been known that the ingenious ,chinese1 taking advantage of the constancy with which the wind blows in the same direction1 applied a sail to assist the progress of their land carriages2 but the late ,british ,embassy has furnished us with the precise manner in which these sails are applied1 and it appears that they are meant only to aid a sort of wheelbarrow1 different however in its structure2 that in the present drawing resembling very much the same machine which is used in the ,western world1 and differing from that which has already been given in a former volume exhibiting the ,costume of ,china4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ae ,plate ,,xv4 ,a ,,mandarin ,,in ,,his ,,common ,,dress4 ,,the official habits in which all the mandarins are compelled to appear in public being made of the thickest silk1 are exceedingly cumbersome1 and not well adapted for the summer months1 which are excessively hot even in the most northerly provinces2 they therefore in private take every opportunity of throwing off their ceremonial garb1 and assume a thin loose gown1 tied with a belt round the waist4 ,their summer-hat is also made of light rice straw4 ,the head is not encumbered with hair1 which all ranks and ages shave close off1 leaving only a small lock hanging down behind4 ,the use of fans is universal4 ,even the military1 when drawn out on parade-duty1 make use of fans4 ,it will be observed in this figure1 that the spectacles worn by the ,chinese are considerably larger than ours3 they are made of cristal1 glass being a species of manufacture unknown in ,china4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #af ,plate ,,xvi4 ,a ,,boat ,,girl4 ,,on all the rivers and canals of ,china a vast number of families live entirely in their boats1 and the women are generally quite as efficient navigators as the men1 particularly in rowing and steering4 ,their dress differs very little from that of the men1 except about the head1 on which the hair is suffered to grow freely1 and is sometimes plaited behind like that of the men1 as in this figure1 but more frequently tied up in a knot upon the crown of the head4 ,among persons of this description the feet are allowed to grow to their full size1 and they are almost invariably without shoes or other cover4 ,they smoke tobacco and chew the betel and areca nut with as much avidity as the men4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ag ,plate ,,xvii4 ,a ,,common ,,sedan ,,chair4 ,,this is one of the most common of sedan chairs1 used by the peasantry2 though there are others still meaner1 and without any covering over head4 ,the wages of labour are so low1 and the price of provisions so cheap1 that any man above a common labourer can afford to be carried in his chair4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ah ,plate ,,xviii4 ,a ,,mandarin',s ,,servant ,,on ,,horseback4 ,,the annexed is a portrait of a true ,tartar horse1 which seems to be pretty much of the same breed as those of the ,cossacks4 ,the ,chinese horses are precisely of the same kind4 ,in fact1 no pains whatever appear to be taken either for improving the breed1 or by attention to their food1 cleanliness1 or regular exercise1 to increase the size1 strength1 or spirit of the animal4 ,a currycomb1 or any substitute for it1 is unknown in ,china4 ,indeed horses are not much in use4 ,wherever the nature of the country admits of canals or navigable rivers1 travelling and conveyance of every kind are principally performed on the water4 ,a single horse suffices to draw a mandarin's carriage1 which is nothing more than a little covered cart without springs4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ai ,plate ,,xix4 ,,an ,,itinerant ,,musician4 ,,the ,chinese have full as great a variety of musical instruments as most other nations1 but they are all of them indifferent1 and the music1 if it may be so called1 produced out of them1 execrable4 ,the merit of our travelling musician consists in beating a sort of tambourine1 or rather a shallow kettle-drum1 with a mallet held between the toes of one foot1 while he strikes a pair of cymbals with the other1 and1 at the same time plays upon a sort of guitar accompanied by his voice4 ,it would seem also that he is equally skilled in wind instruments1 of which a flute and trumpet make their appearance out of the mouth of his bag2 a pair of rattles connected by a piece of riband lie on the ground1 and near them a hollow piece of wood1 nearly heart-shaped1 which1 when struck with a mallet1 emits a dull disagreeable sound1 like the hollow bamboo carried by the watchman1 for which this is sometimes substituted4 ,a ,chinese band always play in unison1 and never in parts3 this indeed is an art they have not yet reached1 and those few who have heard ,european harmony pretend to dislike it4 ,a ,chinese ear is best gratified with the sounds of noisy instruments1 as gongs1 kettle-drums1 shrill trumpets1 jingling bells and cymbals1 or with the faint and reedy tones1 scarcely audible1 of a little bamboo organ1 which swell and die away not unlike those of an ,eolian harp4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bj ,plate ,,xx4 ,,an ,,officer ,,of ,,the ,,corps ,,of ,,bowmen4 ,,the original weapon of the ,chinese1 which by the way seems to be the offensive arms of most savages1 is the bow4 ,it is still preferred by them to the matchlock2 and the ,tartars are so fond of it1 that it forms an essential part of the education of the young princes of the blood4 ,their bows are large1 and require a considerable degree of strength1 as well as a peculiar knack to string them4 ,even the ,emperor wears a ring of agate on the right thumb for the string to press against in drawing the bow1 which is the weapon he uses every summer in hunting tigers and other wild beasts in the forests of ,tartary4 ,when the troops are drawn out on parade-duty1 not only the superior officers carry colours1 but a small flag is stuck on the back of every fifth1 seventh1 or ninth man4 ,the characters on the flag generally designate the rank of the bearer and the name of the corps4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ba ,plate ,,xxi4 ,a ,,chinese ,,mendicant4 ,,begging is by no means a profitable trade in ,china1 and few therefore pursue it except the monks of ,fo and ,tao-tz1 and a few impostors who go about pretending to foretell events and predict good or ill fortune4 ,the annexed is the representation of a beggar of a different description4 ,the piece of hollow wood in his hand is struck to draw attention1 and the label on his back describes his condition1 which is not exactly such as in other countries would excite much compassion4 ,it states his unfortunate situation1 as having no children to take care of him1 to console him in affliction1 to give him food when hungry1 or medicine when sick4 ,the want of children is considered in ,china as the greatest of all misfortunes1 and is in reality so1 as by the moral precepts of that nation1 which have all the force of law1 filial piety is looked upon as the first of moral virtues2 and1 however poor a child may be1 he is bound to share his earnings with his aged parents4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bb ,plate ,,xxii4 ,,chinese ,,barbers ,,champooing1 c4 ,,throughout all the ,east1 in ,india as well as in ,china1 the luxury of champooing is enjoyed by all ranks of men2 it consists of pulling the joints until they crack1 and of thumping the muscles until they are sore2 it is generally an operation performed by the barbers1 who at the same time cleanse the ears1 tickle the nose1 and play a thousand tricks to please and amuse their customers1 to whom and the surrounding audience they tell their gossiping stories4 ,of their merit in this respect we have abundant information in the ,arabian ,nights ,entertainments4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bc ,plate ,,xxiii4 ,a ,,bookseller4 ,,in so arbitrary a government as that of ,china1 it would scarcely be supposed that the press should be free2 that is to say1 that every one who chooses it may follow the profession of a printer or a bookseller without any previous licence1 or without submitting the works he may print or expose for sale to any censor appointed by government2 but then he must take his chance to suffer in his person all the consequences that may result from the impression that may be made on the minds of the civil officers as to the tendency of the work4 ,a libel against the government1 an immoral or indecent book1 would subject both printer and publisher to certain punishment both in his person and purse4 ,the ,chinese have not made any great progress in literature1 and still less in the sciences3 they most excel in the history of their own country1 in morality1 and in practical jurisprudence4 ,their dramatic works are constructed on the same model as those of the ,greeks1 to which it is hardly necessary to add they are infinitely inferior4 ,their novels and moral tales are better2 but the works in most esteem are the four classical books supposed to be written or compiled by ,confucius4 ,their printing is not performed by moveable types1 like ours1 but by wooden blocks the size of the page2 and this mode appears to have been in use long before the ,christian ra4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bd ,plate ,,xxiv4 ,a ,,soldier ,,of ,,infantry4 ,,the annexed figure1 either from the striped dress1 or the furious looking head painted on the shield1 has been called a tiger of war2 but he is not so fierce as he appears to be1 or as the name would imply2 indeed the ,chinese admit that the monstrous face1 on the basket-work shield1 is intended to frighten the enemy1 and make him run away2 like another ,gorgon's head to petrify those who look upon it4 ,this corps of infantry1 in its exercise1 assumes all kinds of whimsical attitudes1 jumping about and tumbling over each other1 like so many mountebanks4 ,indeed the whole of the ,chinese military tactics are as absurd as they are ridiculous4 ,when an army is drawn out1 it must represent the heavens1 or the earth1 or the moon1 or the five planets1 or the five-clawed dragon1 or mystical tortoise4 ,pre ,amiot1 a ,french missionary1 has been at the trouble of collecting or composing the military tactics of ,china1 which fill a large quarto volume4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #be ,plate ,,xxv4 ,a ,,raree ,,show4 ,,there is every reason to believe1 that ,punch and his wife were originally natives of ,china2 and that all our puppet-shows were brought from that country4 ,the little theatre1 above the head of a man concealed behind a curtain1 is precisely ,chinese4 ,les ombres ,chinoises still bear the name of their inventors2 but the annexed representation of a puppet-showman is somewhat different from both1 and is the simple origin of the ,fantoccini1 which consists in giving motion to the puppets1 by means of springs attached to particular parts of the figures4 ,these little dancing puppets are not merely exhibited for the amusement of children2 they furnish entertainment for the ,emperor and his court1 and more especially for the ladies who1 from their recluse mode of life1 are easily diverted with any kind of amusement1 however childish4 ,we find from ,mr4 ,barrow1 that a puppet-show was one species of entertainment given to ,lord ,macartney and his suite at the ,emperor's palace of ,gehol in ,tartary4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bf ,plate ,,xxvi4 ,a ,,mandarin',s ,,page4 ,,we have not much to observe with respect to the annexed figure4 ,he is the page or body servant of a mandarin1 to carry his papers1 his writing apparatus1 the cushion on which he sits1 or lays his head2 he takes care of his areca-box and his tobacco pipe1 attends him on all occasions1 fans him while asleep2 and1 if report speaks truth1 serves him for other unworthy purposes4 ,every mandarin has one or more of these kind of boys whom1 even in public1 they treat with a familiarity which is not quite decorous4 ,the upper vest1 worn by the person in the annexed figure1 is of fur1 which in all the northern provinces is found to be absolutely necessary in the severe cold of the winter months4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bg ,plate ,,xxvii4 ,a ,,travelling ,,smith4 ,,it is a peculiar feature in all the ,oriental nations1 that the most beautiful specimens of workmanship in the various arts are made with the most simple and at the same time most clumsy tools4 ,the artificers moreover are rarely fixed1 or settled in a workshop convenient for their purposes1 but generally travel about the country carrying their shop and apparatus with them4 ,the annexed figure represents an itinerant smith1 who has more tools than almost any other artificer of ,china1 and yet performs his work the worst4 ,their cast iron is light and good1 but their manufactures of wrought iron are very indifferent3 they can neither make a hinge1 nor a lock1 nor even a nail that can be called good4 ,the bellows of the smith is a box with a valvular piston1 which1 when not in use1 serves as a seat1 and also to contain his tools4 ,the barber also makes a seat of his basket2 the joiner uses his rule as a walking-stick1 and the same chest that holds his tools serves him as a bench to work upon3 such are the expedients which thousands resort to1 both in ,india and ,china4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bh ,plate ,,xxviii4 ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,grave ,,of ,a ,,relation4 ,,filial piety in ,china extends beyond the grave4 ,every year at certain periods dutiful children assemble at the tomb of their parents or ancestors1 to make oblations of flowers1 or fruit1 or pieces of gilt paper1 or whatever else they consider as likely to be acceptable to the manes of the departed4 ,their mourning dress consists of a garment of ,nanquin cotton1 or canvas1 of the coarsest kind4 ,some of the monuments erected over the dead are by no means inelegant2 like their bridges and triumphal arches1 they are very much varied1 and made apparently without any fixed design or proportion4 ,the semicircular or the horse-shoe form1 like that in the print before which the mourner is kneeling1 appeared to be the most common4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #bi ,plate ,,xxix4 ,a ,,seller ,,of ,,rice4 ,,almost every necessary of life1 and many articles that are not of that description1 are carried about the streets for sale1 and the invariable mode of bearing burthens of this kind is in baskets or boxes suspended from the two extremities of a bamboo lath1 swung across the back part of the shoulder4 ,if a ,chinese should only have one basket to carry1 he is sure to get a log of wood1 or a large stone to counterpoise it at the opposite end1 thus preferring to carry a double weight rather than place it on the head1 or the shoulder1 or across the arm4 ,the ,chinese are in appearance far from exhibiting any signs of great muscular powers1 but in lifting1 or carrying a load1 they are probably not excelled by the porters even of ,ireland4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #cj ,plate ,,xxx4 ,a ,,female ,,comedian4 ,,it is1 perhaps1 more proper to call the annexed figure1 the representation of a person in the character of a female comedian1 than 8a female comedian10 as women have been prohibited from appearing publicly on the stage since the late ,emperor1 ,kien ,lung1 took an actress for one of his inferior wives4 ,female characters are now therefore performed either by boys or eunuchs4 ,the whole dress is supposed to be that of the ancient ,chinese1 and indeed is not very different from that of the present day4 ,the young ladies of ,china display considerable taste and fancy in their head-dresses which are much decorated with feathers1 flowers1 and beads as well as metallic ornaments in great variety of form4 ,their outer garments are richly embroidered1 and are generally the work of their own hands1 a great part of their time being employed in this way4 ,if it was not a rigid custom of the country1 to confine to their apartments the better class of females1 the unnatural cramping of their feet1 while infants1 is quite sufficient to prevent them from stirring much abroad1 as it is with some difficulty they are able to hobble along2 yet such is the force of fashion1 that a lady with her feet of the natural size would be despised1 and at once classed among the vulgar4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ca ,plate ,,xxxi4 ,a ,,sedan ,,bearer4 ,,whenever the ,emperor of ,china goes in state to transact public business1 to receive ambassadors1 or to hold a court1 he is carried in the same kind of a sedan chair as are commonly used in ,europe1 and which1 as well as umbrellas1 have obviously been first introduced from ,china4 ,the soft luxury of an ,indian palanquin is unknown to the ,chinese4 ,by means of poles attached to each other the ,emperor's chair1 on grand occasions1 is carried by eight pair of bearers1 sometimes by four pair1 but on ordinary occasions he has no more than two pair4 ,they are generally the stoutest and tallest men that can be found1 and are dressed in a long yellow vest1 which is the colour assumed by the imperial family4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #cb ,plate ,,xxxii4 ,a ,,man ,,selling ,,betel1 c4 ,,the practice of smoking tobacco is not more common1 at least in the southern provinces of ,china1 than that of chewing the areca nut1 mixed with chunam1 or lime made of shells1 and wrapped up in a leaf of the betel pepper4 ,indeed this compound masticatory is in universal use throughout all ,india1 the ,oriental ,islands1 ,cochin-china1 and ,tonquin4 ,in addition to the little purse which every ,chinese wears suspended from his belt as an appendage to his tobacco pipe and to hold the ingredients for smoking1 whether tobacco1 or opium1 or both1 he generally carries another to contain areca nuts broken into small fragments3 the other materials1 the betel leaf1 and chunam are to be met with in every little eating shop1 and on almost every stall in the bazar1 or market1 and are among the most common articles carried about the streets for sale4 ,the areca tree is one of the palm tribe1 with a tuft of leaves surmounting a stem as straight and beautifully shaped as the shaft of a ,corinthian pillar4 ,it requires a warm climate1 and grows freely in the southern provinces of ,china1 but is common in every part of ,india and the ,oriental ,islands4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #cc ,plate ,,xxxiii4 ,a ,,chinese ,,carriage4 ,,this machine1 like a baker's cart1 is the kind of wheel carriage which is most common in the country1 and such as even the high officers of state ride in1 when performing land journies in bad weather1 and the driver invariably sits on the shaft in the aukward manner here represented4 ,they have no springs1 nor any seat in the inside1 the persons using them always sitting cross-legged on a cushion at the bottom4 ,in these carts the gentlemen of ,lord ,macartney's embassy who had not horses1 were accommodated1 over a stone pavement full of rutts and holes4 ,when ladies use them1 a bamboo screen is let down in front to prevent their being stared at by passengers1 and on each side1 the light is admitted through a square hole just large enough for a person's head4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #cd ,plate ,,xxxiv4 ,a ,,man ,,with ,,pipes ,,for ,,sale4 ,,the very general use of tobacco throughout the whole extensive empire of ,china1 and the still more extensive regions of ,tartary1 would seem to contradict the commonly received opinion1 that this herb is indigenous only in ,america4 ,one can hardly suppose that the ,chinese1 who are so remarkably averse from the introduction of any thing novel1 would1 in the course of three centuries1 have brought the custom of smoking into universal use2 yet so it is2 men of all ranks and all ages2 women1 whatever their condition in life may be1 and children even of both sexes of eight or ten years of age1 are furnished with the necessary apparatus for smoking tobacco4 ,in walking the streets1 in almost all the occupations of life1 the tobacco pipe is seldom out of the mouth4 ,when not in use it is placed in a small pouch suspended from the girdle2 and another appendage is a small silken purse generally attached to the pipe for containing opium1 areca nut1 or some other masticatory4 ,the tube of the pipe is generally made of bamboo1 and the cap or bowl of the metal called tutanague or porcelain4 ,the shape and structure of this machine are strongly marked with originality1 being unlike those in use among any other people2 but the plant itself is1 we understand1 of a different species to any of those found in ,america1 which is perhaps the strongest proof of all1 that the custom of smoking has existed in ,china from time immemorial4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ce ,plate ,,xxxv4 ,a ,,waterman ,,in ,,his ,,barge4 ,,some millions of ,chinese live entirely on the water1 in boats and barges of various kinds1 some occupied in carrying articles of provisions and merchandize1 others in conveying passengers1 some in feeding and rearing ducks1 and others in fishing4 ,some of these vessels have masts and sails1 others are forced forwards with large sculls or pushed on with poles1 some are dragged along by men1 and others1 but very rarely1 by horses4 ,near the head of each vessel is suspended in some convenient place1 one of those noisy instruments well known in this country by the name of gong1 which is used to regulate the motions of the trackers1 and to give notice to other vessels of the approach and intentions of the one that beats the signal4 ,where a large fleet is about to come to anchor or make fast for the night1 there is a tremendous crash of gongs from all quarters2 the meaning of each of which is distinctly understood by the ,chinese1 from the peculiar mode in which each is struck4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #cf ,plate ,,xxxvi4 ,a ,,tradesman ,,with ,,his ,,swan-,,pan4 ,,the ,chinese merchants and tradesmen are most expert and ready reckoners2 but they perform all arithmetical operations mechanically1 by means of a table divided into two compartments1 through which pass iron wires2 and on these wires are strung in one compartment five1 and in the other two1 moveable balls4 ,the principle is something of the same kind as that of the abacus of the ,romans1 and is with some little variation still made use of in ,russia4 ,it has been observed1 that in weighing several thousand chests of tea1 or bales of goods1 at ,canton1 the ,chinese accountant can invariably name the sum total long before the ,european can cast up his account4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #cg ,plate ,,xxxvii4 ,,female ,,peasant4 ,,blue or brown cotton frocks with green or yellow trowsers are the ordinary dresses of the female peasantry1 all of whom1 except such as labour in the field or the fisheries1 have the vanity to cramp their feet1 in imitation of their superiors4 ,those in the print are employed in winding cotton yarn4 ,they are1 in general1 ill featured1 and their countenance void of expression4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ch ,plate ,,xxxviii4 ,a ,,tartar ,,dragoon4 ,,of the ,tartar horse another specimen has been given in this work4 ,this represents a ,tartar dragoon armed with the common instruments1 the bow1 and a short sabre4 ,this corps is probably of little use beyond that of carrying dispatches1 and assisting in the imperial hunts in the forests of ,tartary4 ,all the cavalry that were seen by the ,british ,embassy had a mean1 irregular1 and most unsoldierlike appearance4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ci ,plate ,,xxxix4 ,,punishment ,,of ,,the ,,tcha1 ,,or ,,cangue4 ,,the punishment of the cangue may be compared to that of our pillory1 with this difference1 that in ,china a person convicted of petty crimes or misdemeanours is sometimes sentenced to carry the wooden clog about his neck for weeks1 or even months2 sometimes one hand1 or even both hands1 are inserted through holes1 as well as the neck4 ,the annexed representation is not a common one1 and far less painful than the plain heavy tablet of wood1 the whole weight of which must be supported on the shoulders2 whereas in this it is mere confinement1 without the person being compelled to carry a heavy load4 ,the nature of the offence is always described in large characters1 either on the edge of the cangue1 or1 as in the present instance1 on a piece of board attached to it4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #dj ,plate ,,xl4 ,,children ,,eating ,,their ,,meal4 ,,among the peasantry and labouring people of ,china1 all are cooks4 ,a little earthen-ware stove and an iron pan is all that is required4 ,rice is their principal food1 which is simply boiled1 and then a little fat of pork or a salt fish put into the pan to mix with it and give it a relish2 they drink little else besides water1 which is usually carried about in a gourd slung on the back2 and they require no table nor chairs4 ,each person has his bowl and his chop-sticks1 and squatting down on his haunches before the pan1 he makes a hearty and contented meal4 ,it is quite gratifying to see a party of youngsters making their dinner in this way in the open air4 ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #da ,plate ,,xli4 ,a ,,sedan ,,chair4 ,,the vehicles of this description are nearly as various in the different provinces of ,china1 and among the different ranks of inhabitants1 as their boats and barges are4 ,the one here engraved belongs to a person in a certain rank of life1 probably an inferior mandarin4 ,it will be observed that1 instead of carrying the poles in the hands1 as we do1 the ,chinese carry the chairs on the shoulders by means of a cross-bar fixed to the poles by straps3 but different kinds of chairs are carried in different ways4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #db ,plate ,,xlii4 ,,view ,,on ,,the ,,great ,,canal4 ,,the grand canal of ,china1 or rather the water communication between the northern and southern extremities of the empire by a succession of canals and rivers1 is certainly the first inland navigation in the world4 ,the multitude of vessels1 of every size and shape1 is not to be estimated4 ,the large one in the print is one of those which carried the ,british embassador and his suite up the ,pei-ho to the neighbourhood of ,pekin1 which were in every respect comfortable and commodious4 ,on passing bridges1 which are very frequent in the neighbourhood of all towns and villages1 the masts are usually lowered down2 but many of the bridges are lofty enough to admit the smaller kind of barges to pass underneath with their masts standing4 ,the bridges are almost as various in their shape and construction as the barges1 and some of them by no means destitute of taste4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #dc ,plate ,,xliii4 ,a ,,chinese ,,lady ,,of ,,rank4 ,,if we except the unnatural custom of maiming the feet1 which swells and distorts the ankles1 and wrapping the latter up in bandages1 the dress of ,chinese ladies in the upper ranks of life is by no means unbecoming4 ,in the head dress1 in particular1 they sometimes exhibit great taste1 and great variety2 and the materials of which their garments are made1 and especially those parts of them which consist of their own embroidering1 are exceedingly beautiful4 ,confined by education in their mental acquirements1 a great part of their time is employed in works of this kind1 in looking after and cultivating plants growing in pots which decorate their apartments and inner courtyards1 and in attending to birds1 which are either kept for singing1 or some particular beauty of form or plumage4 ,the buildings in the back ground form part of a view of ,pekin1 near one of the western gates4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #dd ,plate ,,xliv4 ,a ,,nursery ,,maid ,,and ,,two ,,children4 ,,the annexed are portraits of a female servant1 and of a male and female child1 which will give a tolerably correct idea of the dresses worn by them respectively4 ,that of the maid servant differs in nothing from her mistress1 but in the materials2 the latter generally wearing silk1 and the one in question cotton4 ,a ,chinese woman of the meanest condition would feel herself degraded if not allowed to mutilate her feet4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #de ,plate ,,xlv4 ,a ,,stage ,,player4 ,,by the military emblem on the breast-plate1 the annexed figure of a stage player must be intended to represent a great general or some military hero famous in the annals of ,china4 ,noisy music and extravagant gestures are the characteristic features of the ,chinese stage1 of which it would lead us into too long a detail to convey any intelligible account2 and we prefer1 therefore1 to refer to the curious and interesting descriptions which have been furnished on this subject by ,lord ,macartney1 ,sir ,george ,staunton and ,mr4 ,barrow4 ,we have only to add1 that the figure was sketched from the life4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #df ,plate ,,xlvi4 ,,trackers ,,regaling4 ,,there is little to observe on the annexed engraving4 ,it represents a groupe of the common peasantry of the country eating their rice4 ,the particular employment of these1 here designated1 is that of tracking barges on the canals2 the pieces of wood lying by them being those which they place across the chest to drag forward the vessels4 ,it will be seen from the other prints1 that the common mode of carrying burthens is that of swinging baskets from the two extremities of a bamboo1 which is laid by the middle across the shoulders4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #dg ,plate ,,xlvii4 ,a ,,mandarin',s ,,officer4 ,,this gentleman is a sort of appendage to a man in power4 ,some half-dozen of them generally precede a mandarin of rank when he goes in procession1 but more especially when he attends a tribunal of justice4 ,their peculiar province seems to be that of keeping off the crowd4 ,the feathers they wear in their tall conical hats are from three to six feet in length1 and are apparently the tail feathers of a peculiar species of pheasant1 which is represented as very scarce4 ,some of them wear the tail feathers of the argus pheasant4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #dh ,plate ,,xlviii4 ,,punishment ,,for ,,insolence ,,to ,a ,,superior4 ,,piercing the ear with various sharp instruments is among the punishments of the ,chinese4 ,a man who had been insolent to one of the suite of ,lord ,macartney's embassy1 was sentenced to receive fifty strokes from the pant-zee or bamboo1 in addition to having his hand pinned to his ear by an iron wire1 which was said to have been inflicted immediately after the bastinade4 ,the middle figure is an inferior officer of the police1 who holds a painted board on which the crime is exhibited to spectators2 the other personage is a mandarin reproving the culprit4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #di ,plate ,,xlix4 ,,woman ,,selling ,,chow-,,chow4 ,,there is little more to be observed of the present engraving than this3 that whatever wares1 goods1 or merchandize are exposed to sale in the open air1 which in the open plains1 as well in the broad streets of cities1 is very much the case1 the vender and the articles themselves are1 during the summer months1 protected from the rays of the sun by a large umbrella1 which is generally square1 like that in the print4 ,some hundreds of similar stands and umbrellas were displayed on a plain near the spot where the embassy disembarked1 within the mouth of the ,pei-ho2 the little booths1 if they may be so termed1 being generally well stored with sweet-meats and sliced water-melons laid upon ice4 ,the poorest peasant in ,china carries an umbrella1 either to defend him against the rays of the sun1 or heavy rains4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration3 ,,china--,,plate #ej ,plate ,l4 ,a ,,military ,,post4 ,,at certain distances1 more or less remote according to the nature of the country1 along the roads1 and the banks of the interior navigations1 are placed small parties of soldiers from five or six to a dozen1 and sometimes more4 ,they are employed in conveying the public dispatches1 and in assisting the magistrates to quell disturbances4 ,the immense army of ,china is for the most part parcelled out in this way4 ,near each of these posts is a tall wooden building from whence they can see and communicate by signals with the next stations4 ,the men till the ground1 and perform other kinds of labour2 but are always expected to turn out in their holiday dress when an embassador or any of their ta-zin or great men happen to pass the station1 on which occasion they generally fire three little petards stuck into the ground with the muzzle upwards as a salute4 ---------------------- ,london3 ,printed by ,w4 ,bulmer and ,co4 ,cleveland-row1 ,st4 ,james's4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected4 ,typographical errors were silently corrected4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant form was found in this book4 ,text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores 7italics74