Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-05-07
THE GAZETTE.
FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 7, 1858
CHINA.


last letter Of the Hong Kong correspondent ot
the London Times:
Cu,xrsE DEMONSTRATING the emree
ocie all China has been exploding crackers,
and Hong Kong has been celebrating Its
"Tstbmisn games" Towards the close of
the three days of festivity. the Chinese boil
day became almost exciting. 1t they bad
kept up half as sharp fire at Canton on the
Doth of December az they did on the 18th OF
February, we should never have got over the
walls with less loss than 500 men. The
streets both of Canton and Hong Kong were
piled with myrads of exploded cracker car
casses. In Hong Kong, where | passed the
last day of these festivities, grave men anu
sedats children were from morning till mid
nigh, hanging strings Of these noisy things
from their balconies, and perpetually renew
in, them as they exploded. The slng-song
women in their rich, handsome dresses, were
scree,hing their sbrill songs, and twanging
their two.stringed lutes on every verandah In
the Chinese Quarter, while the lords Of crea-
ton, assembled at round table, were cram
ming the day-long repast. The women
hired singing women of not doubtful reputa-
tion-in the intervals Of their music, take
their seats at the table opposite the men,
They do not eat, but their business being to
promote the conviyiality OF the feast, they
challenge the men to the samshu cup, aud
drink with them. 1t is astonishing to see
what quantity Of diluted samshu these
painted and brocaded She Celestials can drunk
without any apparent effect Ever and anon
one Of the company retires to couch anu
takes an opium pipe, and then returns anu
recommences bis meal. was Invited to one
of these feasts; the dishes were excellent, Uat
it lasted till l loathed the sight OF food. L
believe the Chinese spend fabulous sums IN
these entertainments; tho sing-song women
are often brought from distances, and are
certainly chosen with some discrimination.
They are On imitation of the Chinese lady,
and, as the Chinese lady has no education
and 90 duties, the difference between the
poor sing-soDg and the poor AFFECT wife Is
probably not observable in appearance or man.
ner. The dress is particularly modest and
becoming. They all have great quantities OF
black hair. If they would let it fall dishev-
eled down their backs, as the Manila women
do, they would be more picturesque, but not
formal and decent, as China is even IN Its
wantonness. The Chinawoman's hair is
gutnmed and built up into structure rather
resembling a huge fiat iron, and the edihce Is
adorned with combs and jewels and flowers,
arranged with certain taste. An em6rold-
cred blue silk tunic reaches from her chin
nearly to her ankles. Below the tunic ap-
pear the gay trousers, wrought with gold and
silver thread. Then, if she be large-footed
woman, as they all are in Hong kong,
we see the instep glaucing through the thin,
white silk stockings, and very small loot
(when left to nature the Chinese have beau
tiful feet and hands, in rich slipper with
tremendous white sole in form of an inverted
pyramid. In these sing-song girls you see
the originals of the Chinese plctures-the
painted faces, the high arched, penciled eye
brows, the small, round mouth, the rather
full and slightly sensual lip, naturally or al
tifcially of deep vermillion, the long, slit
shaped, half.closed eyes, suggestive OF indo'
lence and slyness. What the voluble and Jo-
cose conversation addressed to them by the
men may mean l cannot tell; but their man
ners are quite decent, their replies are short
and reserved and every gesture, or song, or
cup of samshu, seems to be regulated by
known ceremonial.
The CHINESE LANGUAGE AND INTERPRETERS.
In country where the roses have no Ira
GRANGE, and the women no petticoats; where
the laborer has no Sabbath, and the magis-
trate no sense of honor; where the roads bear
no vehicles, and the ships no keels; where old
men fy kites; where the needle points to the
South, and the sign of being puzzled is to
scratch the antipodes Of the head; where the
Mace of honor is on the left hand, and the
seat of intellect is in the stomach; where to
take off your hat is an insolent gesture, and
to wear white garments is to put yourself IN
mourning-we ought not to be astOuished to
find literature without an alphabet and
language without grammar. 1t we add
that for countless centuries the Government
has been in the hands of State philosophers,
md the yernacular dialects have been aban-
doned to the laboring classes am about
in the next few words to call forth the exc
Grafton of every Sinologue in Europe and
Asia)-we must not be startled to find that
this Chinese language is the most intricate
cumbrous, and unwieldy vehicle OF thought
that ever obtuiued among any people.
There are eighteen distinct languages in
China. beside the court dialect, and although
bv a beautiful invention deserving of all
imitation, the written language ls so con-
triyed as to denote by the same character
the sounds Of each of the nineteen dlfer-
ent words, all of which it equally repre-
sents--thjs is of no great use among the
multitude who cannot read. There Is not
a man among our Chinese scholars who
can speak three of these languages with
fluencv and there is not one who can safely
either write or interpret an important State
paper without the assistance OF teacher.
These teachers" are, necessarily, tile
yery scum and refuse Of the Chinese literary
body-,he plucked of the examinations, and
the renegades from justice or tyranny. They
are hired at far lower salary than they
would obtain in their own country as secre-
taries to high official, and if they can write
a fair hand, or speak tolerable idlom' or
pronounce with certain purity OF accent
(although they may be known to be domes-
tic spies, repeating all they see and hear,
thew arc respected and almost venerated by
the English Sinologue who maintains them.
II one of these learned persons should hap
pen also to be son of some small mandarin,
he becomes to bis pupil great authority on
Chinese politics and Petronius o: Chinese
ceremonial. Papers ars indited and EGG
l;sb policy is shaped according to the re-
snonse of this oracle. The Sinologue who
derives his inspirations from this source is
aoa;n taken as an absolute authority by the
moor helpless General, or Admiral, or hm-
.nLo ,h;nko II his duty to adopt