, 1883-12-15
How China's Emperor Lives.

The rulerof the $50, 900, 900 Of whicl
the Chinese nation probably consist
is now within five years Of his ma
jorlty (the age Of Is years., and is an
occupant, while yet a minor, Of the
same apartment in which lived the
Emperor who preceded him on the
Dragon throne. There, says the
North China Hcrdid, he eats with
gold-tipped chop-sticks Of ivory,
There he sleeps on large NingpC
bedstead, richly carved and 0rna-
mented with ivory and gold-the
same on which the noble-minded
EmperOrs Kang Hsi and Chen Lung
used to recline after the days IA
tigue last century and the century
before. Like one Of those living
- Buddhas who may be seen in lam
asery on the Mongoliln plateau, .he is
knelt to by all his attendants and
honored as a god. The seclusion in
which he is kept is far more COM
plete than that of the gods. The
building in which the Emperor re-
sides is called Yang Hsin Tien, and
is little to the west Of the Ch'ien
Ch'ien Meu in the middle Of the
palace. At the back Of the central
gate, on the south side, is the great
reception hall. When Ministers of
State and others enter for an aud
ience, at 4, or in the morning, ac-
cording to custom, they have to 60
on foot to the centre of the palace
over half mile, If they enter by the
east or west gate and when they
. get on in years they can appreciate
the EmperOr's favor, which by a de-
cree allows them to be borne in a
chair instead of walking. The rooms
OF the Emperor consists of seven
compartments. They are provided
with the divan, or a k'ang, the pecu-
liar institution Of North China. The
Hangs are covered with red felt of
native manufacture, and the floor
with European carpets. The cush-
ions all have embroidered on them
the dragon and the phoenix. Pretty
things scattered through the room
are endless in variety, and are
changed in accordance with the wish
expressed by the Emperor.
The rooms are all thirty yards
long by eight to nine yards deep,
and are divided into three separate
apartments, the Throne-roOm being
the middle one. Folding doors, ten
feet in hight, open into each Of these
apartments to the north and south
in the center of each. The upper
part u these doors is in open work
in whictsHASiOus suspicious charac-
ters and flowers are carved. These
doors remain open, even in winter,
because during that seas0na. thick
embroidered curtain of damask is
hung in the doorway, which, by its
weight, keeps its place close to the
door posts, and keeps the cold air
from entering. In summer this is
replaced by curtain admitting the
breeze, on account Of its being made
of very thin strips Of thin bamboo.
These are of various cOlors, and pass
ing through the whole texture Of the
curtain from top to bottom, are very
agreeable to the eye. These sum
mer and winter curtains are rolled
up to give air to the rooms when re-
quired. The Hoppe who lately re-
turned from Canton gave the En-
peror present valued at 5000. 1t
consisted of chandeliers holding 800
wax candles each. His Majesty has
also some electrical machines and
numberless foreign curiOsities.
The Emperor was vaccinated
when an infant, before his high des-
tiny was thought Of, otherwise it
would have been difficult to vacci-
nate him, for, his person being sacred
when Emperor, no lancet can touch
him. His mother, the Princess Of
Dh'un, goes into see him once a
month, and kneels when she first
speaks to him, but rises afterwards.
His father does 50 too. The Emper-
or studies Chinese daily for an hour
and half, and Manchu also for an
hour and a half. He sDends two