Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-07-16
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Tho anricpt capital, oe, Nnfthe-a
China, three days jonrnoy ron, Iha
G!cni Wall, on the S,her,a,, pord, u',-
ears itseif from n h,dcOus. seeming.
" bnuud'sss plain OF dus', sstrewu
with remnants Of old br,b.inrs, anl
all kinda at dishcartrni.s rnbbishS
There Is perhaps no portion CT tho
narth's suriar. uu wGicii tho Euro
pean fecls more l,opelcssiy far away
from every familiar place and person,
than when trsversin9 this great dcs.
crt plain hcaped with the dust OF
sgcs. A few crumhiing villages break
the monotony; and then comes q VAL
of immense length, brown, crenula.
TED, pierced III trc centrr by n mag.
nificent portico, the fuest "gate'' in
all the Celestial Empire. II Is like
,hc Scripture picture Of the walls cf
Babylon, and the formidable RAM
parts OF Nineveh. a lofty tower Is
!urmountcdb by n roof, consisting of
i've stages OF green tiles, pierced by
five ranges Of holes, through which
grin huge cannon. mo mouths, very terri.
bic, until one learns that the guns are
wooden. Far out Of sight on right
| and left stretches the wall, partly Of
granite, partly OF huge gray bricks,
and at its foot opens . deep vaulted
passage, through which pours .
tide of Chinese, Mongols, and Tar
tara, strings of blue carts, flies OF
black mules, caravans OF dun-cclor.
ed, heavily-ladcned camels; for, this
| is the entrance TO tho Chinese town:
Tho ancient city is divided into three
sections--tln Chinese. the Tartar. and
the Imperial, and each has q perfect
ly distinct physiognomy. The majes-
tic beauty OF the ''gate" passes like
4 dream, and the traveller fnds its
stafcliness utterly reversed by the
scene which it incloscs. Waste land;
tumblc-down huts, sinuous ways
half paved with enormous blocks Of
stone, half left in yawning gaps a
couple of feet dcep-dirt, poverty.
dcsolation through these ono strug.
giles on until second wall stops the
way. II is still more majestic and
Babyloniar; 1t is sixty feet high, and
forty f. ct wide, and it divides the
Chinese from the Tartar city. On the
other side is kind OF circus without
benches, which is formed Of gigantic
walls protecting the principal gute,
md IT is very like q spacious bcar-pit.
Nobody is permitted 20 pass through
the central aperture except the cmpc.
ior; SO the traveller passes under tho
great arch at the side, and ia general
iy instructed by his guide 10 asct nj
soEe steps to the top Of the wall
from whence he can command a view
OF all Pekin. a wonderful sight,
Grand, melanchols, ard sugge, tive.
Three eonccntric cities, divided from
each other by inner walls; fret, tho
Tartar city, which is the largest, AMI
mas upon 1t the wsrlike stamp OF tlie
col quering race: then the Imperial
city-with the palaces of the manda-
rms, each consisting of nearly hun
ared kiosks; and finally the forbid
ucn city, with its thousands of roofs
in imperial yellow, and its Mechan.
the SdcrOsanctum Of the Celestial Em,
pire. Forming the vast mysterious
inclosure of the forbidden city are
walls, on whose SUBMITS four car
r.ascs might be driven abreast; the
countless roofs OF tho mandarins'
palaces are bright green, the domes of
the temples are dark blue there are
great spaces paved with pottery, and
there are marble bridges. But all this
splendor is set In frame work Of
crumbling dusty ruin. EVERYTHING
Is extraordinary in tins, wonderful
place, which is an cpitome of decay.
Fhcbrs, Memphis. Carthage, Rome.
arc III ms which tell OF violent yicis.
situ' Q, Pckin is II skeleton droppiuy
into 4ust. Tho ravlnc.like streets
are knec.dccp In every sort of rub.
bish; the moats, the canals, and the
rivers. are all, ana always dry; tho
formal parks, the once marvellous
ponds, arc turned to desert places,
| Friumphal arches stand side 6y side
with wrctched tumble.down booths,
surinounted by u forest of little poles,
whence paper "sigps" dangle in
the air, and uniformity IL lent 10 nil
by the thick layer OF evil.smcilipv
dust which lies upon them, tho sa,no
iust that Is always whirling around,
hurting tho eyes aud offending the
nostrils.. This great city In which
nothing Is ever repaired, and " hore
1t Is penal to pull down anything,
Is dropping to pieces; aud Il is tho
opinion Of NJ. 1 Ito Beauvoir, tho
French traveller, to whoa we owe
tho best aud most picturesque account
of fekin yet gwen to tho western
world, that In u century Il will hnvo
been abandoned aud lavo ceased 10
exist. a poetic element rcigps st
Pekin, with all Its dust aud 1naiut.
ness, making one SEQ the soul OF that
vcritlcaticn In life, and on n hugo
scale, OF tho designs on ,crcens NSl
plates with which every one Ia fami,.
lar. The Imperial city is n vast as.
SnmblaSo of tho turrotP, tho bclfrics.
the steep bridges, tho balconies, and
tho kiosks, which We have seen a thou.
'ahd ti,ncs IN lacquer. But they are
reached through tho Gates al Virtu.
aus Victory, of Great Parity, of tho
Temple OF lleavo,,, Of Gen u :, Of tho,
Lightning, aud Of tho Bright Mirrcr
"r tho Mind Every year The Enpc.
ror, arrayad ~ n country costume.
with u straw hat a yard In clrcumfcr.
ence (altcrwards hung up iu tho tom.
ple), drives a golden pioughshara
through field. that tho tracing OF tho
h,rrow may call down the blessing of
Buddha uaun tho seed timo and
tho harvo I. Every six months thn
emperor burns u number Of death
warrants IN bronze braz.crs. ramSci
under a roof of dark.bluo porcelain.
b tween curGle chairs Of ninks mar.
0ie, In trout OF which nre Ilramons
and rags IN tho rarest china. perrhcI
columns ofcarved wood, A llttlo
o>yonu tho temple where these Ger.
smonies tako place, thero stands,
oaiit upon tho wall, magnificent
observatory, s7S years old. The gi-
santic bronze instruments, cur,uusly
wrought, rest upon the outspreaI
wings OF flying dragons; q celestial