New-York tribune., 1879-11-14
CHINESE CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.


CURIOsITIEs OF TRADE AND RELIGION.
THE CoMPRADoRs AND THfIR EMPLoYrRs-"FU FUNG-
sBUI" IFS SOCIAL, MORAL AND LEGAL lNFLU-
SNCE.
,rRou Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
NANKING, China, Sept .3O.-A Cinnamon VIII
learn TO make himself understood III almost Euro
mean tongue I'm less than onetnrd the time IL requires
The average European American 10 make himself un-
derstood in Chinese. Chinese coole servant VIII
learn TO speak pigeon English before his English or
American master ask for glass OF water IN the ma
tive dialect They readily acquire a smaterng OF our
language. but IT Is with the greatest dculty that we
learn anything OF theirs This disparity in the relative
use Of dioms produced many curious anoma
lies Even the open ports, trade Is st carried on ny
means of mIddlemen or agents. These middlemen aro
called compradors a term borrowed from the Portu-
gncse II foreign merchant wishes to buy tea or SIR
or porcelain or other native product, he must do
80 through the cOmprador II he wishes TO
sell any gwen article of foreign manufacture he must
reach the customer through the same channel. Ihe
comprador employs all the servants aoout the house,
he xes salaries and responsible for their honesty
He even keeps bank account ana supcrintends the
shipping Practically. though mere servant, he Is the
head OF the house He ia invariably clearheaded.
shrewd fellow who watches his masters interests (and
bis own with careful eye. His own Interests, one may
be well assured sGTer for want OF attention He
has certain legitimate squeezes." called IN local
lance, nearly every thlng nOugnt anu rou. c haS
commission the servants lie employs on the provi-
sons he buys and all the other general expenses Of
the house. You can therefore at glance his great
vantage ground i'll transactions with naive merchantS
A thousand chests OF many packages Of SILK
or crates of porcelain could pay him ever so smal
squeeze " and the aggregate would be considerable
In this way by attention to business and those
frugal habits for which he famous he to
save 20 900 or $4,000 out of salary OF $1,000
Nobody seems TO care If he does Nobody could help
II II he did care John Comprador" is a necessity. He
is the Old Man OF the Sea whom foreign merchants can
not shake of Let suppose for instance that mem
Der of an oldesablished American English hong has
acquired sufficient knowledge OF the language to con-
verse with the natives ordinary topics
what is always probable, that In every Chinese
hong there : member of the firm who can speak
English. IL to the foreign merchant that ms
business is much in the hands OF natives. He dis
misses the comprador and gOe, in person TO native
merchant and asks for tea samples lie shown them'
and then asks the price OF thousand chests. d" Not
have got" is the replyi " no can catchee" The mer
chant goes another and another, with The same re-
suit Not one has a pound Of tea to sell him. The guild
mas dered it, and until the foreigner deals through
comprador do nothing IN tea or silk or porce-
lain or wax or Chinese product Let him send his
comprador and gets the market quotations at once
SO il with all that foreigners buy sell so IT is with
all dealings between foreign aud native mei chants
The Chinese guilds and trade combinations sur
pass any of European or American origin.
Those of Holland and Finland in the sixteenth century
were trivial affairs compared these. They the
comprehensive aud effective In their operations OF
all have ever or heard OF III auy part oi tue
world.
OF civilization has failed To- break down the barrier be-
Chinese a people % themselves tl'-suiicleht'
bgocd supcrcilous joalons-and seem likely 30 to re-
main for some tiuc 20 come. merchant may 1--we
fu decade one oi their treaty ports. ana sun
know very little of the country "A DOoh-nakei, as
Wendell Philips would say. might visit these ports
dozen times. ind vet know mos nothing OF the ihte
rior Empire, or oi the social and domestic haDts
No peop e. 1t has been said has been found which
dld not plOe,a svh' Ina ol IciSi"' i'v i M "a, .'
aud the most civilized are alike found searching OUT IN
essential facts connected wih tH'ir origin ana
destiny. Tne Chinese have tncIr deii es ais0 hut II
wouid ne difficult tuan most pcopc imagine 10 say
Conmcius form the basis oi their national l'sprudccc
but 1t can hardly be called religion since II does NOT
ncucate the worship of GOd Thelr Iaoui-t iah Is
Rndbs is Syidcntly The religion OF the masses in the
interior provinces but generally low character Of
it, thood, and the dapdaicd condition of It's tenn
pies impre> sye story oi tr growing indifference
Of the educated aud influential classes. Tne Mdnomri-
ans are much less numerous i'll this section OF the Em-
pre. but possibly more intelligent Hud better class of
men, The mandarin or governing class especially those
| In actual commission. are Ccnfuclans. Of course.
In dul fled sense, most Cinnamon are s1riiualisis
belief in the supcrnai uial Is entertained BY al cas
from the coolie TO the district mael.iric. few even
! ings since observed that the Ianrlze River wRs
lghted mp tor miles by means oi sihI h"iiing tapels
aud was Informed that 1t for he ben, o; tno,c
who had been drowned; the "a'eI vas ihhiOitei oy
myrads unfortunate sp,rl's umab. 10 orcapr. ami
month July ast local magistrate, hi2n In authority
remnrKcd that such weather, though bs no means
usual would probably no. long continue. they had b.
gun pray Tor ram; that l., 10 ciN chh Joss Tor
/ change Of temperature
Most persons who have travelled III China or know
anything Of the country are aware of The Importance
attached by the natives 20 Tie doctrine 81 FGhgshui,
the spiritual influence oi wind and water II trayersng
! this portion OF the Empire, ono sees pi-ohlhs, oc-
| tneuuai In shape and ui enormous height, and
ON inquiry To their Oricin aDd tile l. told that
reference 70 Funs.Shu 10 the inquiry what Is Fung-
Shui" clear satisfactory answer j. likely TO
lac given possibly the fact tna most Chinese them
s-Ve. aprcgr To nave rather notions the sub
feet. The term literally translated, i wind tand)
water but "A. an expression conveying idea fr0t
mil. Of one pcTsuu tO
entirely f~ literal e1gHucaiDn aud j.
sive only o IN rart idea There i something about
rbiq so-ced sclenre--iOr II Is practsed IN China as
scence-neaIly related 10 geOnancy; but neither ge1
,naurv ur t.r1.strnl m, g.tism df may coin tarrl
will Gntc the idea 1ntcIdrd by the term Fung-
Shui Its real basis MS To be about this Heaven and
earth counierparis of each other, aud hru.e
heavenly favor often depends the conformation Of
the earhs surface. The outline Of hi, for Instance.
l. fancied resemble dragon or tortoise. AMI there
uck from some supernatural caute. through
the medium Of conspicuous objects Two eXacy opposite
doors straight walls are supposed TO induce pale
ful uiu nccs. 4 tall house stecple, railway may
be supposed interrupt The transition OF spirit niu-
emces hence all IN that Vicinity Is unlucsy. That
preference which persons sometimes nave Tor given
locality, position. person or thlnEi without The
OF reason for sucI preference O,
IL Is their pleasure 10 entertain III M Illustration OF
| what Chnauan would call fung shut. The OF
! the late A. L Stewart and the apple-wOmaD Tor
ample, would ~ Cnlna nave been an instance OF Euug
shut Most people. IN more civilized countries,
have their Fung-shuls they smile at them, bat
though they believed In them. provided 40 expenditure
money thereby called for. Some OF the Chinese
smile ~ theirs hut always attend To them
al cost OF money. Instances have come within
knowledge OF judicial decisions having been rendered by
Chinese magIst ates not TO conflict with tine pOp
lar belief FunGShui IL is. Ia fact. part OF the
written law Empire, and cannot be very well dis
| regarded Dy the clNil magistrate
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