The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-09-26
NA CHINESE PAGOpA.
Viewing a Once Great City from an Outiooli
n Thousand Years Old.

Now that the Porcelain Tower at Nan
king exists no more. having fallen
victim 10 the madness of the Tai-pings,
the Pih-she-t'ak at SOochow enjoys the
distinction of being the largest pagoda
in China. 1t is a fine specimen Of this
curious species Of edihce, and, Of course,
A magnet 10 the traveller in this part Of
the world.
The city of Soochow, where this
pagoda is situated, is about seventy-tiye
miles distant in northwesterly direc-
ton from Shanghai, and Is reached after
a twepty-four or thirty hours sail along
the many canals that intersect the whole
region hereabouts, and form the univer-
sal means of communication, The city
has long been famous for It's wealth and
splendor, the people having a proverb
that " Heaven is above and Soochow and
Hangchow beneath" u Vas deprived,
however, of much of its prosperity and
beauty by the rebels, who laid perhaps
the larger part in ruins. Known among
foreigners as the "Paris of China" it
has felt as severely as Paris has the
savagery of fananticism and mob mis-
rule. The population has declined from
a reputed two millions to barely one
fourth os that number, and weed-gfown
mounds, breaking the monotonous level
in every direction, are mute but signiti-
cant testimonies to tie horrors of the
Tapping occupancy. The ground is
sowed with ruins, 50 that the proprietor
who wishes to improve his plot of land
has first to remove the debris of tiles,
bricks and mortar.
There are five pagodas within the
walls of Soochow, but the glory of the
town ia the great Pih-she-t'ah, which
raises its ambitious top as if, needless 81
Babel and her fate, 1t was striving to
reach the heaven overhead.
Arrived at the goal of our pilgrimage,
an arduous task still remained-to gel
into the pagoda without the payment OF
such fee as would entail the loss of oul
self-respect as well as our coin. The
native pays generally seven cash, or {
little more than half a cent, for admis
sion, but tourists, who occasionally pene
trate as far inland as Soochow, and ex
cursionists from Shanghai have so spoil
the custodians of the pagoda that for
eigners now run the chance of an outra
geous squeeze. In the present instance
a dollar was demanded for each of The
party. A twenty minutes parley, in the
midst of gaping, rude, insulting crowd
brought the charge down to dollar fol
the whole group, but further than this
he of the keys would not retreat unit
our spokesman had recourse to device
ludicrous and audacious, but effectual
every good" he said. eve are in NJ
hurry. We have nothing to do all day
Consider our offer, and meanwhile We
will rest ourselves in your temple" NJ
sooner said than done. We entered the
sanctuary and seated ourselves in the
chief seats, the whole rabble at oul
heels. The priests were at their wits
ends, futtering about like birds whose
| nest is menaced by snake. Too polit,
to forbid our invasion, and too feeble t.
prevent the vulgar herd from following
and overrunning the place, they sool
showed disposition to compromise, an,
ultimately let us IN for fee which
though still exorbitant, was only one
tenth of the original demand.
We were now ushered into the oC
tagonal tower and left free to explore il
The internal plan is simple and effective
The structure is double, the inne
column being filed with inches wher
idols sit and accept the incense of tn
devout The staircases wind, in cas-
and comfortable stages, between the tw
divisions, and opening at every story t
the galleries, afford light and air. Th
floors, like the walls, are of larg
black brick, very hard and serviceablt
and, in the more frequented passages
taking a glossy and almost porcelai
polish from the friction of numberles
sandals. Projecting from the tower, 6
every floor, is wooden gallery shade
by the peaked roofs, bell hung, whic
distinguish this curiosity of architecture
From these verandas extensive views {
the city and environs are obtained, SON
very beautiful.
But the galleries are shaky things, an
it is safer to leave them and their view
and content ourselves with furth,
examination of the pagoda. Arrived
} the eighth story-there are nine in all
{ we notice the immense beam that, foundt
in the solid masonry, rises far above ii
/ tent-shaped roof. The spaces on ii
upper story are occupied by the nam
Y of some of our predecessors, this scri
: bling habit being as popular, it seem
4 with the Chinese as with us.
s From the ninth story to the paveme
of the court we counted two hundred al
e thirty five steps. Estimating these at
= average height of eight inches, we 6
e an elevation of one hundred and fit
+ seven feet to the floor of this stor
u which, with the dome-like roof and t
IS spire which surmounts it, must add fro
1T fifty to seventy feet more, so that t
s total height cannot differ much from til
g of the Porcelain Tower at Nankin
d which measures two hundred and thirt
IS six feet. The diameter, as paced on
n first floor, few feet above the level
J. the court, was found to be about si1
n feet. This dimension gradually a
g, symmetrically lessons as we ascend, un