Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-04-18
A FLOATING POPULATION.
sanpan Life at Hong Kong-Children Who
Take to the Water Like Young Ducks.

/
Kong, as it is called, numbers some
Straightforward souls. Ihey aresa BUSY
! and energetic community, as distinct
from the Chinese on shore as though
they belonged to a different race.
never could understand how they man
age to exist. They seem 10 be a sort of
mutual aid association, each supplying
! the wants and needs of the other. They
maintain some little trade among the
shipping in the harbor. though. for all
l could see, the majority OF them had
no business whatever.
1t would be hard to fancy several
generations of Europeans passing their
lives within the confines of small
boat, scarcely seventeen feet long
fathers, mothers, children and grand
parents live together like animals in a
cage, never leaving their homes, yet
seemingly as happy as g listless exist
ence and no responsibility could make
them.
OF course some are busy. very busy,
and paddle about all day long. crying
their various wares. with yells at once
discordant and unbearable to ears not
accustomed to their sound. The others
seem to fish, and by whatever means
they always appear to have a we'll
stocked larder of such simple viands
as they are accustomed to.
To describe IA sanpan, one has only
to imagine long, clumsily Construct
ed boat with n matched roof over the
center and divided into three compart-
ments. They are propelled somewhat
after the fashion of the Venetian gon-
dola. The children occupy one end,
the old folks the other, while the CEN
ter is devoted to cooking purposes.
Our first experience as we steamed
into Hong Kong harbor was with
large Chinese junk. The wind was
blowing ut n lively rate and the junk,
with great sails of mating spread,
tried to cross our bows. A collision
seemed inevitable. We were going at
a very slow rate of speed and the cap
tain, swearing blue streak ut the
Chinaman, signaled to stop.
1t was close shave, and the China
man at the rudder post grinned as he
witnessed the anger of the captain.
The grin of the Celestial was changed
to look of dismay a moment later,
however, as his hat. curious and
large-proportioned affair, blew off his
head into the water. There was mo-
ment of INDIGESTION. and then, ne
gecting the rudder, the man dove over
board after his hat. We were nearly
mile from shore. and i naturally en-
pecsed the other Cinnamon in the junk
to bring it about and rescue the man
in the water.
"But they didn't. One of them took
up the steering gear and the man
overheard was scarcely given thought.
Don't you think we ought TO rescue
himP" | asked the captain.
What, him?" he replied. mot
much, he's all right; they swim like
sea offers, those fellows"
And so it seemed, for the man on re-
covering his hat struck out for the
nearest point of shore rs unconcerned-
ly as if he were merely starting for a
walk.
We were soon among the sanpans,
and greater opportunity for the study
of human nature could not well be inn
agined. saw one youngster scarcely
two years old thrown into the water
one morning. and instead of being
frightened the child seemed to enjoy
it. The morning ablution for every
member of the family, it might be
mentioned, consisted in plunge over
the side and scramble back into the
boat. They were then dressed for the
day, their clothes soon drying in the
sun.
On one occasion, donning bathing
suit. swan over to a large sanpan
some one hundred yards or so distant
from the ship and invited myself
aboard. was Hospitality received
and as we'll as signs could convey the
invitation. was pressed to stay to din
ner. This consisted of large ball of
what looked like pot cheese. to be
washed down with lukewarm brackish
water. ] tasted some of the stuff. 1t
was enough for me, and l signified
that having just dined was not hum
CRY.
As left the boat by simply diving
overheard, was accompanied back TO
the ship by boy and girl. the one
about IA years old, the other ~, and,
while 1 had always prided myself on
my swimming. must confess these
two Chinese youngsters swan all
around me with ease.
l visited this family quite frequently
after this, and we all became firm
friends, and when left the port gave
my bathing suit, fashy affair of blue
and red, to the young lady, Miss All
Hoy. which, | am satisfied she after
wards wore on state occasions, to the
lasting envy of her lady friends and
the admiration of her suitors. y.
Herald.