Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-03
LETTER FROM CHINA.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS CON
CERNING THE CAPITAL CITY.
blind Leaders of Blind-Public Beg
gars-Chinese Printers-HOnam
Temple-Flower-bo

CANTON, November "a 1884.
4 brief description of this city and vi |
oinity will not be without interest to your
readers, although as a general proposition
California has more of the people from the
Flowery Kingdom than they know what to
do with This city occupies tract of land
two miles across, and essentially square,
surrounded by brick wall twenty feet in
thickness, and from twenty five to forty
feet in hight. There are the southern and
western suburbs, which lie outside of the
wall, and are very populous. The city
itself is divided into two portions, known
respectively as the Old and the New, which
are separated by wall with four gates
The new city is simply slice of land
parallel to the river, which was added to
the municipality after the first wall had
been built. Twelve gates lead into the
combined cities. Every night all these
gates are shut at 10 o'clock, and in view of
the present unsettled state of things, are
carefully guarded The outer gates are
iron, while at certain intervals in the
streets are wooden ro'e-gatts which are
also closed at night to prevent the accumu-
latiOn of deliberatiVe assemblies. Some of
these gates are provided with exceedingly
pretentious and santimonious names. As
For instance. the Gate of Eternal Purity,
the = Gate of Benevolence and Love, etc.
At present it is reasonably safe to 90 about
in the walled city and have made several
trips the entire length of the place in COM
pany with missionary, and have not Suf-
fered molestation. 1t is always easy to tell
when you are near one of the city gates,
because of the crowds which line the
streets, sometimes rendering progress next
to impossible. Canton is the
MOST ELEGANT CITY
In the empire-the representative city OF
all China. Its streets are excessively mar
row. but they are tolerably clean-rery
clean from a Chinese standpoint and evil
dences of wealth abound on many of the
most important thoroughfares. Perhaps
the average width of street is from four
to six feet; but | measured one which was
only two feet six inches from wall to wall
Il was barely possible for the line of pedes-
trianS going one way to pass the line GO
ing the other way, and that was by means
of siding process When coolies met
wearing the flat brOad-brimmed hats which
are so common with the working classes,
they would be compelled to remove their
headgear altogether. OF course no wheeled
vehicle of any sort can get inside of the city
proper; much less could it move were it
once landed in the streets by some impOssi-
bic squeezing process. All travelling is done
on foot or in chairs, and when chair is
encountered, everybody going in the oppo-
site direction is compelled to step into the
front of some shop (the fronts are all open,
without windows, doors or any partition)
and wait until it has passed. In order TO
conceive accurately
THE MULUTUDINoUs LIFE
That animates these narrow streets, the
reader has only 10 reflect that considerably |
over a million people are cooped up in an !
Enclosure two miles square, BlOckades |
are not very common in the streets. and |
Yet do not understand how they are pre-
vented. for the streets always swarm with |
humanity A funeral or a wedding pro |
cession takes up the entire highway, and |
passing fire department crowds everybody |
into the store-tronts. People must mind !
their own business on the street in order |
70 avoid collisions, and the narrOwness of |
the pathway both tends to hide the passer- !
by and to prevent the accumulation of a |
mob.
Occasionally We heard disrespectful Ian |
guage behind our backs, but we paid no |
attention to it. Children, and occasionally |
men, would cry out FankwciW as we |
passed by, and once we heard that word |
ychich is still less agreeable to the ear, |
pronounced in low, sullen, kissing tone, |
that signifies in the Cantonese dialect on |
with his head One of the strangest |
sights witnessed on the streets was that of |
the
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND.
The blind are wont to form coalitions for |
their mutual benefit and may be seen |
moving cautiously along in Il procession |
! have counted as many as eleven in pro- |
cession. Each person takes hold Of the |
garment Of the person in front of him |
with the left hand, and with the right |
keeps bamboo pole moving about on the |
ground, so rs to prevent misstep which |
those in front of him may have avoided |
simply through good fortune In this way
The pitable little band picks its way along |
The crowded streets, turning corners and |
ascending and descending steps with |
wonderful ease. The principal response |
Ji!ity dcvolves upon the leader.
THE BEGGARLY ELEMENT
Bes-ars are not near aS common here
Is in Shanghai. where they infested
tac streets as rats DO a wharf In
China. paradoxical as the statement may
sound. person may be too poor 70 be a
hegrar. that Is too poor TO pay the initia-
ton fee which admits him to the beggars'
union. In this case he simply lies around |
anywhere. making himself as offensive as
possible. and even inhicting torture upon !
himself, in order to wiring pity from the |
crowd This afternoon | passed by such |
a one He was an old man, barred to the |
waist, and as ! went by he knocked his |
head against the tile pavement, thereby |
producing an audible report which made |
me shuddcr As he raised his head from |
the ground ! noticed that long practice of !
this sort had produced large lump upon |
his Selln.