The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-06
Chinese Carvings.


The end-death over flowing tide.
Chinese Carvings.
From the Philadelphia Times
The wood and ivory carvings in the
Chinese section of the main building
win the admiration Of all who see
them. In the amount Of patient labor
required for their execution there are
no carvings at the exhibition that ap-
proach them, and some of them can
scarcely be excelled in beauty by any
in the world. The ivory carvings
merit special attention, and they re-
ceive it, for their location is more
visited than any.other spot in the Sec
ton. They formed part of a collection
of carvings and jewelry exhibited by
Lee Ching. Wac Ching. and Yut Ching
of Canton. In glass showcase will
be noticed an elephants tusk two and
q half feet in length, standing with
the convex side of the tapering end
embedded in q solid mass of ebony
carved into representation of a rocky
eminence rising out Of a bamboo plan
tation, through which Chinese labor
ers 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 con-
cave side to the thicker end is an ivory
city on mountain side, wonderfully
well executed. There are the joss
houses and the palaces, shaded by
tall mulberry trees, military marching
in the streets, pumpkin-headc elestials,
1,o1f i, no
windows to see what is going on, and,
towering above all. the characteristic
landmarks Of Chinese city-pagodas.
In the joss-houses are seen. on their
knees. or Frustrated on their faces,
jossmen and hundreds of women, but
very few laymen, the jossmen having
only Indifferent success in their en-
deavor to instill into the hearts of the
males piety enough to attend worship.
It required the labor of one man for
over three years to execute this cary
ing, and yet it's price in China is only
1920, and for that sum it has been sold
to the Pennsylvania Museum of Art.
Ivory carving is a prominent industry
in China, but it is confined chiefly to
Canton. The workmen are paid Is
cents day and their food. This ex-
plains the reason why an article which,
if made by Americans could not be
sold without sacrifice at less than
$4,000, is offered by Cinnamon at
about one.tenth of that sum. All these
carvings-in fact, all the ARTICLES in
the Chinese section--were executed
by hand, there being little machinery
in China, except that used by Europe
ans.
The second great feature of the ex-
hibit is a perfect pagoda, or Chinese
tower, in miniature, four and half
feet high. It has ten stories, each
story being capped by one Of those Pc
culiar projecting roofs SO we'll known
from tea-caddie art. Pagodas have no
use in China except as ornaments and
observatories for cities. They are, as
far as possible, located on eminences,
and when suitable elevations are not
in a city. the pagodas are built on
hills outside the walls. The number
of pagodas in city depends upon the
size of the latter. Chinese cities are
of four classes. In a city of the fourth
class there are five pagodas =; in one of
the third class, ten; in one Of the
oCCOAO Cl1toS, IL. etIAu Ill Ouc VI Vic Ill ST.
class, 20. The height of these towers
is generally from $50 to 300 feet. The
joss houses are used for worship, but
the costodians of the towers are JOSS
men, to whom small fee is paid by
visitors. The pagoda stands on the
centre of an ivory base representing a
plot of ground enclosed by a fence Of
ivory posts, supporting carvediv PAN
els that must be scrutinized closely to
be distinguished from the finest flower
ed lace. Within this area is the portal.
which would pass as q miniature Of
the one at the western entrance to the
Chinese section. In the plot about the
tower are fourteen trees heavily laden
with fruit,a in their shade Celestials,
young and old, male and female. are
Scampering about and having jolly
time. The Chinese manifest in their
pictures and statues of the human
form either their inability to represent
it or a delight in berlesquing it after
the most outlandish fashion. The
tower is heXagonal and slightly pyra-
midal. At each edge is a round sup
port running from top TO bottom.
These six supports brace the main por-
ton of the structure, which consist of
sheets of carving, having the same
similarity to elegant Belgian lace as
the panels Of the fence. Each story is
encircled, just above the Gaping of the
next lower story, by a railing similar
in construction as the fence. and from
the four corners of each of the ten cap-
pings are supported as many bells.
This pagoda does not, like the city on
the hillside, consists merely Of one solid