Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-09-10
DIRTY SHANGHAI
The Uninviting Appearance and odors
Of the Chinese City.

The Uninviting Appearance and odors
Of the Chinese City.
Baltimore American.
Within the walls of old Shanghai |
What sights and what smells The
narrow streets, more like alleys, are
filled with Chinese men, women and
children, some carrying heavy sacks of
merchandise, and others unburdened
and moving along leisurely, are jostled
roughly by the palanquin carriers who
are carrying mandarin or persons of
lesser note.
The smiths and carpenters are work.
ing at their vices and benches, the beg
gars at every alleyway are crying for
cash, the dogs are barking and the
babble of the buyers and sellers makes
the place perfect Bedlam. The streets
are so narrow that TO make way for a
palanquin a person must either hug
close to the side OF house or lie down
and allow the carriers to step over him.
The many signs that extend across the
streets exclude the rays of the sun, and
in some places the houses are decayed,
the result of continual dampness. No
sanitary rules are enforced within these
walls. The refuse of the shops and
kitchens is thrown into the streets, and
what is not devoured by the many vaga-
bond dogs that infest the place goes to
decay, and in some portions of tho place
the stencil is unbearable.
Turning numerous corners and alleys
and passing a small canal full of refuse
of every description, the guide halts us
in front of dirty building which he
said was tea house. Entering the door
we found ourselves in a small room,
dark and smelling strongly of opium
smoke. Lying around in all shapes and
forms were Chinese of all ages-some
smoking opium, some tobacco and some
slipping tea. The smell arising from the
| opium, tobacco, DC, was too much for
our sensitive nostrils and we fastened
our departure from there. A deluge of
| good fresh water would be of great
benefit to Old Shanghai at present II
is no wonder that so much disease pre-
walls in such small, undrained city.
The river water is fresh, but the natives
do not seem to be over indulgent in
using it for cleansing purposes.
| Passing numerous shoeshops, wooden.
ware and provision stores, we bring up
in front of high joss temple. On
either side the of main entrance were
four large objects, which at first resem.
bled bears, but at second glance we
found they were josses. Arranged in q
semi-circle were all the minor gods; a
god for every i'll and every sin. Chinese,
male and female, of all ages and de.
scriptions, were burning papers, candles
and sticks at the shrine of their favorite
joss. In the centre of the building was
the high altar, ornamented with large
vases, and in the centre of the beautiful
embroidered curtain that formed the
canopy above IL was the usual all-seeine
eye.
Leaving the temple we walk short
distance and halt in front of small
pen in which two Chinese culprits arc
exposed to public view. Sentenced BY
the big mandarin, or total, to one
months imprisonment for pilfering
they are condemned 10 sit here, exposed
to all sorts of weather, chained hand
and foot, and cangued. The cangue i;
a large board resting on the shoulder Of
each prisoner, through which theii
heads protrude, and, with chained
hands, il is impossible for them to feeo
themselves, and ii they have no friends
as has often been the case, they grow
weak and die of hunger. Truly the
authorities have no mercy for wrong
doer.
The many sampan jewellers, OF
tramps, that infest the place render
themselves liable TO punishment for get
ting under the sterns of vessels early il
the morning and crying, "Chow, cholly
chow-choww which means something
to eat