The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1852-05-25

Shans hai, Feb. IL 1852.

~. ..t.-.lifrt, Shanghai Feb. IL 1852.
Chinese .Nsw Ysar--.Making CdHs-Sending
Presents-Fireicoyks-- Gods--For-
eign Charity to Natire Beggars-Somp Es-
tablishment- Distribution Of Tiekets-G Gipsies.
We are just on the eve of the Chinese new
year. It begins with the first day of the first
moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which oc-
ours this year on the Goth Of February. IL is
general holiday of the Chinese people, and
so far as cessation from labor is concerned, it
may be called their annual Sabbath, fori II is
the only season in the whole year in which the
shops are closed and business of all kinds is
universally suspended. II does in fact impress
you strongly with the idea of a Sabbath in a
Christian land, until you come TO one Of the
numerous temples and shrines when the iu-
sion, If you were induging il, is at once dis
PEELED by the painful sight Of multtudes pros
trating themselves before the hideous images
Of clay and wood, and burning Incense sticks,
wax candles, and gilt or tin-soiod paper to
propitiate these imaginary deities. a'
Tne practice of making New Years calls is
carried on as extensively throughout this en-
pire as it is by the good people Of Gotham, and
can boast an antiquity of some thousands of
wears. 1t has, however. different name. Ii
is called "worshipping the year." On this oc-
cason, when Chinaman meets friend, either
at his own house or in the streets, each clasps
his own hands, instead of the others, and bows
his head nearly to the ground, very slowly and
| tremendously, number of times. As this OPP
| Grafton must always be performed with due
precision and solemnity, wherever one chances
to meet his friends, thensrrow streets are some
times quite obstructed, when two scrupulously
polite personagos fall in each others way on
the public thoroughfare.
1t is also great occasion for sending pres
ents-very often, know from personal obser-
vation-fOr tho express purpose of getting ono
of greater value in return. For instance, a
Chinaman sends you ham or shoulder of
mutton, fowl or two. and some vegetables
and fruit. You may be sure he has his eye
upon something of yours, and if you are at oil
slow in taking the hint ho begins to admire
your watch, porchance, and intimates in no
unequvocal terms, that il would be aocepta-
bic as return for his present. This polite
way of begging is. perhaps more extensively
practised in their intercourse with foreigners,
than among themselves; though it is by no
means certain that it does not prevail as wide
ly in the native circles.
This season is also tho "Fourth Of July of
Chinese boys, aud for several days preceding
and following tho first day of the new years,
the ncessant popping of fire crackers, "double
headers ct id genao Omne, would almost make
the Fourth" if he could only shut his eyes
to the scenes around him. The nights, too are
illuminated by sky rockets. Roman candles
miniature volcanoe, and the like; but all far in
ferior to the displays ofpyrotcchny in the Uni
ted States.
Tho twenty-third of the last month in the
year is an important day among these idolaters
In every house there is placed over the cook
ing range a rude figure coarsely painted on a
bit of paper. This is called tho Kitchen god.
and is set up at the beginning of each year,
| and Is supposed TO take cognizance OF every
thing that passes in the family during the year.
| Then at its close the paper kitchen god is ta-
ken down from his niche in tho wall and pla-
ced on table, more frequently, though allow
| ed to remain i'm his customary place, and feas-
ted upon small balls made of rice, -four, oran-
ges, walnuts, and some other products of the
vegetable kingdom, but neither fish, flesh nor
| fowl.
| In addition to these very adhesive kind of
candy, is placed before his godship, made in
| the form of Spanish dollars and Jumps Of Sy-
| Geo silver. The design of this shape is to pro-
mote tho increase of wealth in the family, and
tho design of the sticking quality of the candy
is to seal the lips ofthe god when he is sent up
to tho chief of the Chinese celestial deties to
report the conduct of the different members of
tho family during the past year; so that when
ho Is questioned, he cannot open his lips to
relate the deviations from recttudc no may
have observed, but can only nod his head,
which is taken is siguifying that all have be-
haved well i'm the family where he presided
But how is no sent up to heaven: After hav-
ing been duly toasted and worshpped, hc is
put into kind of pan, with some incense sticks
| and gilt paper, and the whole is set on fire.
When all is consumed the kitchen god is sup
posed to have ascendcd to the skies to the
presence of Yuh-,cang Shdng-tu. Co render in
his account with tens of thousands of his com
rades from the swaning families of this vast
empire. Truly, sad picture of heather de-
gradation and supersttioss credulity.
For the last two or three winters, some of
the benevolent foreigners at this place have
| got up Subscriptions TO establish and sustain
'soup Kitchen" from which hundreds ofbeg-
| gars and destitute poor of the native popula-
ton receive bowl of rice soup, or congee,
every morning. Tickets are distributed to
| them on bridge over canal not far from the
! Kitchen: and each one receiving his ticket can
pass over the bridge and get his bowl of con-
gee. Strange as it may appear to you, kind
| of brokerage is carried on with those tickets,
and many, particularly opium smokers, who
| prefer few "cash" to lay out i'm the purchase
| of this pernicous drug, will sell their tickets
at half their value, even while they are almost
starving for food. So invcterate is the grasp
by which the destructive o habit holds its victims,
Such an assemblagc of squalid wretchedness
as congregates each morning at the bridge be-
fore mentioned. to receive "tickets for SOUP
you certainly, think, never saw and would
find it difficult to imagine. Beggars from evo-
ry possible description, from decrepid age to
pra,tlng infancy---many clad in mats of straw,
with not even rag Of cloth, literally speaking
to screen them from the cold TO hide their
nakedness---whie othors. a little better of, are
supplied with rags, and that is all. - 20 D.
There is class who correspond to the char.
acter and habits Of gipsies in Europe, and who
flock to Shanghai in winter, and disappear
with the return of warm weather With those,
as with vast number of constant residents
here, beggary is regular business, and they
seom to thrive on IT, for fatter, healthier look
ing set Of people never saw. They come a