The morning call., 1893-06-04
HOTEL LIFE IN CHINA.
Inns Where Misunderstanding Clerks
Don't Appear.
Philadelphia Times

Hotels in China are quite uniform archi-
tecturally. They never differ in point Of
cleanliness and other details, but they are
almost invariably built in the form of a
quadrangle inelosing d court. The build
ing is only one story high. In front of the
quadrangle is a space wide enough for
wheeled vehicles 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 further end is
the swell apartment, Intended to be occu-
pied by guests of means and distinction.
This apartment consists invariably of
three rooms, sitting-room in the middle
and bedroom on each side. There is no
hotel clerk with Scintillating diamond in
his shirt-iroDt, the innkeeper fulfilling
that capac ty incidentally TO his other
duties. There are three classes of hotels
in China. To begin with, there are the
business inns, freonented by commercial
travellers, as one might say. They bear a
certain sort IF analogy to the hostelries in
our own country, where agents with grip
sacks full Of merchandise find accommo-
dstion.
To these.inns traders go for the purpose
| OF showing and Gisposing of their wares.
In all Of the large cities there are provin-
cial inns, each OF which is kept up for the
| accommodation Of people from a particular
province. as Canton or SZechuen, receiving
! only guests who come from that province.
| These hotels do considerable postal bust
| ness, transmitting letters through the
hands of the people who enjoy their hos
! pltality, The latter are rot legally respon-
shle for the safe delivery of such mail,
| but it is nevertheless conveyed to the in-
| tended recipients with the utmost regu ar
ty. In this manner letters are sent all the
way from Picking to the border of Burnah,
flA nlrt n on or iUo ho
In addition To the kinds of inns | have
described there are fficial hotels, where
high officials stop on their way through the
country. these esta blishmen do not re-
ceye trsdespeople. The travelling official
often takes the whole hostelry for the
accommodat of himself and his re-
tanners. He occupies the swell apartments
in the rear, while they are quartered in the
little rooms along the sides of the
quadrangle. If he is very ee-
waited parsonage indeed he is likely
to scorn the inn, pIeferring to hire
temple. Such religious edfiees ordi-
narily have rooms attached to them,
! IN when comfortable accomm odatiun
may be found. An essential idea of
the Buddhist doctrine is hospitality to trav-
! elers Some of the most ancient inscrip-
tions which have been discovered in India
were made by native sovereign, waO in
them conveys instruction as to how to pro-
vide for wayfarers, telling what medicines
TO give them, and even giving directions as
to tie planting OF trees along roads for the
| purpose of affOrding them shade. In Mon
golia there are o inns. But mOnasteries
are numerous. and they will always accom-
m0date a Stranger.
AS in France and other European coun-
tries, the inns of China are under police
| control. Each of them keeps record of
its guests for the convenience Of the magis-
trate of the district. ANY suspicious per-
son is subjected to inspection and the pass
port of foreigner is promptly asked for
The noise in Chinese hotel IL deafening.
1t never ceases, day or night. Each guest
yells from his door to The servants for
whatever he wants; the servants shout
back; the cook bawls out names # dishes
as they are ready; the cart-drivers
wrangle; the mules bray and the pigs
squeal TIE first thing every person does
on arriving is to CAL for hot water to make
tea. Every body drinks tea at all hours, s.
that one servant does nothing but carry
hot water for tea. The hotel furnishes
nothing but hot water and oil lamps for
ligh ing; everything else is eharged exl "a.
In North China. where camels are used as
beasts ofiburden, there are special inns
which take carDels. The reason for this
is that mules are afraid of camels. Other
inns advertise to receive pigs. At the
hotels cattle and horses are fed mostly
on sorghum stalks, chopped up and mike d
with bran.