, 1876-08-05
CELESTIAL WONDERS,
The Peerless Chinese Carving Evid nee
OF nonSoiIan Patience and XIII, An
ivory City on an Ivory IiiiI,ide, nnd a
Centennial Puzzle OF Ivory.


The wood and ivory carvings in the Chi.
nese section Of the main building win the
admiration Of all who see them. In the
amount of patient labor required for their ex-
ecutiOn there are no carvings at the exhibi.
ton that approach them, and some Of them
can scarcely be exoelled in beauty by any in
the world. The ivory carvings merit sI,-ciel
attention, and they receive IL. for their loca-
ton is more visited than any other spot in
the section. They form part OF collection
of carving and jewelry exhibited by Lee
Ching, Wac Ching. and Yur Ching, of Cam
ton. Ia glass showcase will b. noticed an
elephants tusk two and a half feet IN length,
standing with the convex side Of the taper
iug end enbedied in a solid mass of ebony
carved into representation of a rocky emf
nence rising ont OF bamboo plantation,
through which Chinese laborers are making
/ their way, pushing aside, as well as they
can, the tall and elastic canes. Beginning
at the apex Of the tusk and extending up the
ooncave side to the thicker end Is an ivory
city on a mountain side, wonderfully well
executed. There are the JOS houses and the
palaces, shaded by tall mulberry tees, mili-
tary marching in the streets. pumpkiu-held
Cslestials, with hall their bodies out through
the windows TO see what Is going On, and,
towering above all, the characteristics land
marks Of a Chinese city-phgodas In the
ilss houses are seen, on their knees or pros
tra'ed Oh their faces, jos-men having only iu-
different success IN their endesvor TO instili
into the hearts Of the males piety enough TO
make them attend worship Tt required the
labor Of one man for over three years TO exc
cute this carving, and yet lis price in China
is only $500, and for that sum it has been
sold to the Pennsylvania Museum Of Art.
Ivory carving is prominent industry in
China, but il is confined chiefly to Canton.
The woskmen are paid fifteen cents a day
and their food. This explains Why arti-
Gle which, ii made in America by Asnerieans
could not be sold without sacrifice at less
than $1,000. is offered BY ChiDamen for about
one-tenth that sum All these carvings-in
fact al! he ariic!es in the Chinese section
were executed by hand, there being lit,le
machinery III Chiuu, except that usd by
Europeans.
The second great feature OF the exhibit i
p,rfec' ragoda, or Chinese tower, in mInia-
ture, foar anu a ba!i feet nigh. 1t has ten
stories. each story being caPp-d by one Of
those peculiar IT. j-ctin- roofs 80 well known
from ea-caddle ant Psgodas have no use
in China except as ornaments and Obs rvato-
ries for cities. They are as far IS possible,
io-eted on eruiu Ices, and when Suitable ,le-
va,ions are not IN city, the pagO1as are
bui,t un hills outside the wells. The num-
brr Of rs :olas a q ci-y dep,nds upon the
sizs os \ latter. CAjG2se ci.ies are Of four
cls-s.s. IN a city Of 5Ee fJaF class there
;haTe Gr5 ivs pagol .; IN enc Of the third
c!as=. ter, ia me Ot he second class. fifteen
and in ono Of the f-s; class, twenty The
Th- hei.,ht OF rha-s towers is generally from,
one hundred aud fly 70 three hundred feet.
The - heuses are u-ed for worship, bg, the
custodiuus Of The towers are jossmen 20 whom
a small fee Is paid by visitors. The Pasoaa
stands on the GENRE Of an ivory base r"pr=-
ssnting a plo: OF ground, enclosed by f-uce
cf ivory posts, supporting carved ivory p'n-
els. that must te srru'iuIz-d closely % b.
DISTINGUISHED from The finest lowered lace
Witklu ,he area Is a portal which would pas
As a Initniurs Of 'he one at the western en-
trance TO the Chinese sec ion. Ia the plot
about IL tower are taIr trees heavily laden
with fruit. and IN their shade celestials,
Young and Cd, male and female, are scamp
eripy about aud having jo!ly tifae- Ihe
Chinese maaif 81 II their pictures and stat
utrs OF the human form either their inability
10 accurately represent II or n delight IN bur
laSaueins il after th- most ourlanGi~h fash
ION. The tower Is heXasonsl aud slIs htiy
! pyranIdal 1t each edge Is round support
| rupnIu. from top TO bJrtJIn- These SIX sup
| ports brace the main portion Of the s'rueiGre,
which consists Of sheets Of carving, having
/ the same similarity 10 elegant Belgian lace
as the panels of The fence. Each story Is en-
! circlrd, iust above The ctPp!rg Of the uexr
| lower story, 10y railing similar ~ coas'ruc
! ,ion to ;hv fence, and from the fpur 9OrurrS
of each Of th- ten caPFings are suspended -
many bells This pagoia Goss no', like he
city on the hillside. consist OF merely one
solid mas of ivory, but OF many pieces emu
/ pinsIy ipined together by the overlapping
( aud d,vetaiiing process, VI hour nail, piu or
! cord. If Ameli-.rs had The patience, aud 4
may be added, the skull, 20 execute work
/ like this thy c.mld NOT s-ii IL prUti1.bly for
/ less than $500 The Chinese, however
have marked 4, 5000
/ Bnr the most curious ani 10 most paOp'e
uuzzllnr carvings Of the 10 are the O-Ua-
Z ?
/ inches in diameter, and hzs fourteen circular
/ perforatious, each 'hree-fOgrths Ot an inch Ia
] diameter. Within a hollow sphere are
/ twentv-three o. her similar ones, each moving
Z free OF all the Others SupersItIouS people
ask how the latter got II there, and look
aronni them ia a trigbten-f manner. ~
On the watch for witches The OPERATION l.
very pie bat Il reg uirss irnfn'use patlenee
! TIE ~oli sphere of ivory Is taken and th-
fourteen or other number Of bole- bor-d ua-
I I'll they have reached points, sey halt an
| inch from the centre ! small sharp cary
iu,y instrument, the crtter q which mus; D.
At a sharp an -le vi'h the bandl~, is INTRO
/ duc,d into zach hole. eni ~ careful cutting
/ a small ball NAV b freed in The centre of tn
mass. Il will hardly, however, D. perfectly
/ spherical. This process l. rep-a'ed - oiten
a. Il represented By The nunh-r oI -ph r. 10
b. freed. But the rnvTr criic1te part OF The
work Is to follow, for tn oRtrsds sphere Of
The ball in question b-s been transformed by
the magic touch Of the oriental artist into
forests, cirie- avd groups Of people, aud each
Of the inside cu-s into ivory lace Of the mo-
! fowery aud delicate pattern IL required
tn labor Of one man i0T over year and
half TO carve this tall, and yet 1t y marked
for sale At $500 There EIe dr-gon-bJai-,
fo1rr-bJsis and num-Tous Other articles oi
the same material and wonderful execution
pos-essed by those de-cTIb-d, and 1t = hardly
Dos-ibls that Europeans and Americans Tho
e..,,ir,e tbss. An! tie unsxeelisd wood cary
in, of The suow-eases aud furHifGre Will ever
! .gru u tbs!E nos7s a. John eaiHar'I4F' . -'-i'