The National tribune., 1889-02-14

The diversity of industry in China can no.
where be better seen than in Canton. All kinds
Of goods required by China are turned out
here, and you see pig-tailed, squint-eyed
yellow-faced men in gowns, working at reeling
in one shop. while In the next one there is
blacksmith, and near by silk-store The
trade of Canton is immense, and its stores are
the biggest / have seen. Imagine high walls
running up on both sides of tagged street SO
near together that you dare not poke out your
elbows for fear they will be grazed, and so
bending over at the top that they shut out all
but narrow strip Of sky. This is one of the
main business streets of Canton. Its stores are
all open to the street, and the biggest of them
are not more than Is feat wide. They are long,
deep and narrow, but the ceilings are high
and the walls and back and sides are lined with
shelves filled with goods. There is a cashier at
the back of the store who counts up purchases
on little calculating machine of wooden balls
on wires and the merchant, in black gown,
black skull-cap and cloth shoes with soles an
inch thick. as fat as butter, and with pig-tail
shining like oiled jet, waits upon you. You
step from the street directly into the store, and
you must ask for what you want TO see, for the
Chinese do not display their goods for sale, nor
do the largest of the dry-goods stores have one
man whose business it is to fix up fancy store
windows. Thestores have no windows at least
not on the first story. Many of the finest
goods are kept upstairs, and some of the prod
ucts of Canton are wonders of workmanship
The embroidery is not surpassed any where and
many of the richest bellies of America wear
silk dresses embroidered here. The best
of everything in China, / am told, goes to
New York, and this is the same as TO Japan.
The Chinese and the japanese use but little
Of the best products of their artists, and
you do not see pretty things lying about
loose. As TO Canton silk, twelve aud a
half million dollars worth was sent away last
year, and great part of this was raw silk, of
which a large quantity goes to the United
States. Much of the best mating used in
America comes from here. and we get about
100000 worth OF frecrackers from Canton
yearly. We buy, perhaps half much candy
from her, and among the curious things sent
away is human hair, which is sold to the ex-
tent of nearly 100000 pounds year. Many a
black-haired American who is bald at the
crown wears wig made of the locks of these
rat-eating Chinese, and some of the switches
/ of our most fastidjous bellies come from Canton.
! Il is something of task to get through these
! Chinese streets the people swarm, and the half
/ OF these human beings are loaded. The hats of
most of the men are. SO big that they reach
/ from one side of the street TO the other. and
! have seen some which could be hardly squeezed
! into the ordinary washtub. These hats have a
/ knob as big as your fist on the top and they sit
! Oh the crown of the head just over the roots of
/ the pig tail. The common people dress in cot
/ ton. The men have gowns coming down to
/ their thighs with pantaloOns wider than those
of the baggiest American dude, falling down to