News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-06-15
A CHINESE JUNK VILLAGE.
A Large Portion of the Chinese Live
Upon the Water.

the rivers and harbors OF the Oelestlal
Empire-a population which, 1t is said,
has never been included IN the census,
as it is constantly on the move mere TO-
day, there tomorrow, carrying It's nome
and its belongings up and down the
great waterways wherever the necess1-
ties of trade rlay dictate. In the harbor
of Hong Kong alone there are more than
thirty thousand people who are always
afoat, earning their daily subsistence
by fishing, or attending upon the ships
lying at anchor. IA vessel on entering
the harbor engages boat to wait upon
it during its sojourn in port. 1t serves
as lighter, carrying and bringing
freight, the boatmen are serviceable In
many ways, and the women Go washing
for the captain and officers of the ship.
tits an interesting fact that an act of
dishonesty toward their employers IS
almost unknown among these simple
people.
3 The legend among the Chinese con-
corning this floating population is that
centuries ago, no one knows when,
terrible inundation drove vast numbers
OF people to take refuge in boats. So
long were they compelled to live on the
water that they lost all trace of their
homes, and the people on shore became
strangers to them, and resisted all their
attempts to resume a life on land. Ger
tain it is that from forgotten genera
tions these PEOPLE have lived afoat, the
beat their only dwelling. Whole fam
lies are born, live and die on the water;
but it is a singular fact chat the dead
are always taken on shore for burial.
The life of these people is very simple
Many of the boats are entirely open, an
awning of straw mating being the only
protection against sun and rain and
heavy dews. A small portable furnace,
which is moved about the boat at pleas
ure, makes a kitchen wherever it hap
pens to stand On this furnace large
kettle is placed, in which ahodge-podge
of meat-rat, cat, or anything easily
obtained-and vegetables is always bub-
sbling. The kettle is covered by a
steamer containing rice. This, with
fruit and tea, is the family menu year
in. year out. But the people are happy
in their simple way. The babies splash
about in the water and learn to swim
almost as soon as they can walk, and
generation after generation lives and
dies content, making no effort to change
either habits or home.
These water folk are very shrewd
observers OF the weather. The terrible
ltyphoons which at certain seasons visit
these waters are foreseen with great
accuracy by these native sailors, and
in due time tho whole fleet of small
junks and boats scurries across the
harbor to hide in the sheltered bays and
inlets until the hurricane has blown
itself out.
The men in these boats are hardy,
bronzed fellows, with strength and
daring for any thing their manner Of
life may require. The women are often
graced with considerable beauty. Their
physical development is much superior
to that of the women on shore. Their
feet are never distorted and rendered
diminutive by tight bandaging, and
their life in the open air and their con-
stant exercise-for no boat-woman is
ever idle-epdow them with vigorous
health and strength.
In proceeding up the large rivers OF
China the traveller meets constantly
with these foFtng villages. In some
instances hundreds and hundreds OF
boats are grouped together, and on the
rivers where trade is brisk it is i'm
possible to estimate the numbers. A
traveller on the great Yang tse- Kiang
River once asked native boatman how
many craft were floating up and down.
The Chinaman looked very much
pazzled " Big Million he said
"tousand big million
In the creeks and narrow waterways
a block-np among the boats frequently
z
occurs, and if the water is sluggish and
the wind calm, the dense pack may con-
tinue for a long period of time. But
the Chinese waterman is never in haste.
He comes from nowhere in particular,
and he is going nowhere. His bags OF
rice, if he has any ON board, may be
sold at one landing as well as another,
and in his boat are wife, children, aud
freside, and he is content.
Near Canton. the city of sam pans, or
boats, presents o curious mixture of
flower barges, tea and music saloons,
boats where all Kinds of gay mercha1-
disc may be purchased, such as odd
carvings, elegantly embroidered slip
pers, and silks and figured stuffs of
gorgeous beauty, and queer-looking
clumsy vessels laden with every variety
ofsmarket produce Here, entirely apart
from the dwellers on shore, thousands
and thousands of Chinese families pass
their lives. A boat may be hired at any
ofthe city wharves for O visit to this
floating settlement Many of these small
boats are rowed by Chinese girls, pic
turesque IN the neatest of costumes,
with lustrous eyes, and with raven
tresses adorned with scarlet flowers.
Their arms are strong and they guide
the boat skillfully through the narrow
waterways which form the thorough
fares of this river town. The floating
tea saloons found here are very pretty.
If it be evening. gay-colored lanterns
light up the painting and gliding, and
through the silk. curtained windows and
doors float strains Of music. Go inside,
and gayly dressed Chinese darnsel will
serve You with cup of delicious tea
and silver pipe or hookah.
The boats OF the small merchants are
anchored with THAR bows to the street.
Here the wares are displayed for sale,
while in the stern are the private apart
ments OF the family III trade becomes
dull, the merchant hauls up his anchor
and poles away to another part Of the
tow, or he sets his butterfly sail and
starts on tour in the provinces, where
in the villages along the river he is sure
to find customers for his city wares.
All along the rivers. in the fl 1atiog
villages, and moored in long double
lines to the shore, the dark weather.
beaten hulks of iunks form picturesque