St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-15

the sheds, which were built by smaller
peddlers inside the Enclosure of the
South City gate commonly called the
"Ch'en NUM-: the streets were swept
and carefully leveled, while all the
places which looked dirty on the road
were covered by sprinkling fresh yell
low earth on them.
The Stone-paved streets in Fekin were
last repaired in the reign of King Hal of
this dynasty. The funds for the work
were raised by taxing the shopmen of
Picking. This time, however, the money
was paid from the imperial treasury.
Municipal improvements of this kind
are very much needed in the capital,
and L am glad to say that L hear from
reliable quarters that other streets are
in official contemplation for repairs.
The work is a costly one, but there is
so much cart traffic in Picking that any
other kind of roadway would be very
soon worn out, considering that even
these massive stones are so cut up in
course of time as to make enormous ruts
and holes, to which all who have Wis
tied Picking testify from horrible expert
ence.
STREETS OF PEKING.
The main street which led from the
''Ch'ien Num- to the Temple of Heaven
has recently been repaired and renewed
at cost of 10000 tael, the WORKOUT
blocks of limestone which covered the
street until lately having been entirely
replaced by evenly-cut new stones, so
that for the first time after even 200
years the Pekin court could follow their
liege lord in his annual devOtiOnS to the
temple in the Southern city with COM
fort, or rather without being iOlted to
pieces in the agoniZing experience of a
Chinese cart.
OFFICIAL HERALDS AND HORSEMEN.
The attendance of the court on the
emperor in his devotional excursion is a
splendid sight. During the whole night
of May Is people in official robes hur-
ried to and fro, and a little while before
his majesty came out mule carts and
chairs followed by official trains of
horsemen were seen approaching the
temple of heaven. At last heralds came
out calling "T'ow chow (Which un-
had arrived at the first palace>, on which
all the officials, soldiers, etc, who
were to line the streets we're ordered to
stand in their places. After a
short interval other heralds came
out and cried sRr. chow" followed
by others calling ''San chow" which
means second and third palaces; after
this small party OF hOrSemen passed
by, then came some of foot, and so on,
until the imperial chair of yellow satin
itself appeared, bearing in it frail,
pale-lOOklng boy, the sovereign of the
empire. The chair was borne by six
teen men. The emperor looked quite
interested in gazing at all the doors and
windows of the shops, which, unfortu-
nately for his curiosity, were all her
metically closed. Yet he turned his
head in all directions and seemed de-
lighted in seeing the houses in his own
imperial city. l suppose he comes out
so seldom that such an event is quite a
relaxation for him. He was Immediately
preceded by select body guard COM
posed of the highest princes of his
court.
PRINCES ELEGANTLY MOUNTED.
These princes were elegantly mounted
on beautiful ponies and wore buttons of
a transparent red. | was informed that
some of these buttons were real rubies,
which cost fabulous prices. After the
emperor passed by struggling groups of
men which composed the imperial train
of SOme thousands of men on horses
closed the procession. Many eunuchs
also followed. carrying all kinds of
things, for they have to be prepared
with any and everything the emperor
might desire to have. AT the city gate
the Tartar general welcomed the EN-
peror on Bonded knee. He then hurries
forward and greets the emperor again
on his knee at the gate of the Temple of
Heaven. On the way, at each official
yamen, man of rank must kneel as the
emperor passes by; all the meaner and
common soldiers simply stand and line
the streets.
WRITING AND BURNING PRAYERS.
At the temple of heaven the presi-
dent of the board of ceremonies assists
his imperial majesty in writing the
prayers and burning them to watt their
desires and fOrmalitieS to the skies.
The emperor is said to have to kneel
and bow his head so many times to the
ground in this ceremony that the task is
very firing one. The president of the
board of ceremonies, especially if he is
an old man, gets so wearied in ''kow-
towing" that he is laid up for days. In
the present case the emperor stayed
over night at the temple of heaven, as
more ':kOw-towing" had to be done on
the night of May IA. AS, however, L
was tired by whole nights vigils in
waiting for the procession to pass by,
did not care to spend another SleepleSS
night in. seeing the emperor return
hence | cannot say how the homeWard
journey was, but think that the process
sion could not differ much from the ex-
eursion that came out.
An Uncommon Ailment.