The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-06-15
HOTEL LIFE m CHINA.
Business, Provincial and Ohhcial Inns Where
Demonstrating Clerks Don't Appear.

Business. Provincial and Ofncial Inns Where
Demonstrating Clerks Don't Appear.
Hotels in China are quite uniform
INTELLECTUALLY They never differ in
point of cleanliness and other details,
but they are almost invariably built in
the form of quadrangle inclosing q
court. The building is only one story
high. In front of the quadrangle is q
space wide enough for wheeled ve-
hicles to drive in. The front part of
the structure is occupied by the kitchen
and the restaurant, if there is any.
Along the sides of the quadrangle are
many small rooms. At the farther end
is the swell apartment, intended to be
occupied by guests of means and dis
tinction. This apartment consists in
variably of three rooms--a sitting-room
in the middle and bedroom on each
side. There is no hotel clerk with a
scintillating diamond in his shirt-front,
the innkeeper fulfilling that capacity
incidentally to his other duties. There
are three classes of hotels in China. To
begin with, there are the business inns,
frequented by commercial travellers, as
one might say. They bear certain
sort of analogy to the hostelries in our
own country, where agents with grip
sacks full of merchandise find accom-
mediation. To these inns traders go for
the purpose of showing and disposiug
of their wares. In all of the large
cities there are provincial inns, each of
which is kept up for the accommodate
ton of people from IA particular prov
ince. as Canton or Szechuen, receiving
only guests who come from that prov
ince. These hotels do a considera BILE
postal business, transmitting letters
through the hands of the people who
enjoy their hospitality. The latter are
not legally responsible for the safe de-
livery of such mail but it is neverthe-
less conveyed to the intended recipi-
ents with the utmost regularity. In
this manner letters are sent all the way
from Pekin to the border of Burmah,
the journey requiring four or five
months
| In addition to the kinds of inns I
have described there are official hotels,
where high officials stop on their way
through the country. These establish
ments do not receive tradespeople.
The travelling official often takes the
whole hostelry for the accommodation
of himself and his retainers, He occu-
pies the swell apartments in the rear,
while they are quartered in the little
rooms along the sides of the quad
rangle. If he is a very elevated per-
sonage indeed he is likely to scorn the
inn, preferring to hire temple. Such
religious edifices ordinarily have rooms
| attached to them, in which comfortable
accommodation may be found. An
essential idea of the Buddhist doctrine
is hospitality to travellers. Some OF
the most ancient inscriptions which
have been discovered in India were
made by native sovereign, who in
them conveys instruction as to how to
provide for wayfarers, telling what
medicines to give them, and even Civ
ing directions as to the planting oi
trees along roads for the purpose OF
uffording them shade. In Mongolis
there are no inns. But monasteries
are numerous and they will always
accommodate stranger.
AS in France and other European
countries, the inns of China are under
police control. Each of them keeps {
record of its guests for the convenience,
of the magistrate of the district. ANY
suspicious person is subjected to in
spection and the passport of foreigner
is promptly asked for. The noise in {
Chinese hotel is deafening. 1t never
ceases, day or night. Each guest Yell
from his door to the servants for what
ever he wants; the servants shout back
the cook bawls out names of dishes al
they are ready; the cart driver
wrangle; the mules bray and the pig
squeal. The first thing every person
does on arriving is to call for hot watel
to make tea. Everybody drinks tea a
all hours, so that one servant doe
nothing but carry hot water for tea
The hotel furnishes nothing but no
water and oil lamps for lighting; every
thing else is charged extra. In Mort
China, where camels are used as beasts
of burden, there are special inns which
take camels. The reason for this il
that mules are afraid of camels. Othel
inns advertise to receive pigs. At the
hotels cattle and horses are fed mostl,
on sorghum stalks, chopped up ant
| mi vad with hiram --ph 1adalnhia Tim