Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-07-30
A Chinese Dea th.City.

As THE cheerful subject of cremation
| is just now paramount in mems minus,
every mortuary item that can be CLEANED,
| from whatever source, is matter OF the
liveliest interest. This continual dis
cusssion of graveyard topics gives to cur
rent literature quite funeral aspect.
AS contribution to the popular sub
| iect, a writer in late number of Temple
| Bar furnishes curious account OF a
visit to one of the weird and ghostly
cities of the dead that are built by the
| Chinese in the neighborhood OF the cues
of the living. The one described was
situated just outside of Canton, on hill,
side, in full exposure to the breeze ana
the sunshine. The Chnaman, with a
staunch belief in immortality, thinks
more of death than he does OF life, anG
expcnds a greater amount of thought ana
care on the way his body shall be pre-.
served after il has become a mere clod
than while it is susceptible OF happiness
and misery. Cherishing the ancient
superstition of worshiping his ancestors,
| il is q chief object with him that families
shall he united in the grave, generation
after generation. 1t is to carry out this
purpose that the death-cities are built,
where, in houses exactly like those occu-
pied by the living, the coffined dead lie
| until all their relatives are gathered
about them and can be consigned to the
| nth together.
| At first sight the death-city presents
| the same appearance as any other, save
| that there Is an absolute silence and alb
| sence of movement, while a heavy, stag
| nant atmosphere pervades it. There are
| the same narrow, ZigZag streets, paved
| with cobbIestones, and intersectlng each
other at all sorts of angles; the same
quaint little square houses, with the
| elaborate screen serving to close the
doorway: and the same little latticed
windows, from which the Chinese woman
peeps to see what goes on In the
outer world. Here and there are
patches of garden ground, in when
cadaverous flowers struggle for breath,
and a few dwarfed shrubs stand languid-
Iy up at distant intervals. But there Is
| no sound and no movement, no amman
life of any sort. Not so much as rat,
a flea, or a mosquito strays into this hab-
| itation of death and interrupts its Cypress
i've stiffness. Drawing aside the screen
| at the doorway and entering one OF these
| silent dwellings, one finds himself In the
ordinary Chinese parlor, or receiving
room, furnished with the usual ebony
| chairs and teapoys; with the gaudy PIC
lures, lacking perspective, on the walls ;
with the altar and JOSS, or idol, at one
end, and the brass urn, containing smoi-
| dering incense, on either side, and cups
| of tea and samshoo in front. In the cen
| ter of the room stands divan covered
| with the quilted silk counterpart, such
1 as is used on Chinese beds. Turn IL
down, and there lies disclosed the inhab-
| liant of thes house, sealed in his coihn.
Other chambers in the same dwelling are
similarly furnished; but on the dlvan In
some of them rests an empty casKet,
showing that the individual for whom ~
is intended still abides in the home OF
the living. The yeranda about the house
is provided with seats and vases OF now
ers. The travesty of life is perfectly
sustained in death.
/ Enter another door, and the sign, 10
Let Unfinished" meets the eye III ~
waiting for tenants, for these houses are
only rented until such time as an entire
family shall have assembled together
within it's walls. They then are depos-
tied in the tomb, and their vacant place
above ground is ready for successive oc-
cupants.
The wealth and rank of the dead are
shown by the elegance of their surround
ings. The house of high mandarin 10
j rich in gliding and vermilion, with costly