St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-13
HOTELS IN CHINA.
All Under Police Control, and
Quiet a Thing Unknown.

Philadelphia Times.
Hotels in China are quite uniform
architecturally. They never differ in
point of cleanliness and other details,
but they are almost invariably built in
the form of quadrangle, inclosing a
court. The building 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 Quad
rangte are many small rooms. At
the farther end is the swell apartment,
intended TO be occupied by guests of
means and distinction. This apartment
consists Invariably of three rooms-a
sitting room in the middle and bed
room on each side. There is no hotel
clerk with a Scintillating diamond in
his shirt front. the innkeeper fuiulling
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 CONNER
clal travellers, as one might say. They
bear certain sort of analogy to the
hostelrleS in our own country, where
agents with gripSacks full of merchan-
disc find accommodation. To these
inns traders 20 for the purpose of
showing and diSpOSing of their wares.
In all of the large cities there are pro-
vincial inns, each of which is kept I'D
for the accommodation of people from a
particular PROVINCE, rs Canton or SZach-
uen, receiving only guests who come
from that province. These hotels do a
considerable postal business, transmit
ting letters through the hands of the
people who enjoy their hospitality. The
latter are not legally responsible for the
safe delivery Of such mail, but it is
nevertheless conveyed to the intended
recipients with the utmost regularity.
In this manner letters are sent all the
way from Pekin to the border of Bur-
man, the journey requiring four or five
months.
In addition to the kinds of inns | have
described there are official hotels where
high officials stop OH their way through
the country. These establishments do
no receive trades people. The travel
ing official often takes the whole hos
terry for the accommodation of himself
and his retainerS. He occupies the
swell apartments in the rear, while
they are Quartered i'll the little rooms
along the sides of the quadrangle. Ii he
Is very elevated parsonage indeed he
is likely to ScOrn the inn, preferring to
hire temple. Such religious editices
ordinarily have rooms attached to them.
in which comfortable :cOmmodatiOn
may be found. An essential idea of the
Buddhist doctrine is hospitality to
travellers. Some of the most ancient
Inscriptions which have been discov-
cred in India were made by a native
sovereign, who in them conveys InStruc-
lions as how to provide for wayfarerS.
telling what medicine to give them, and
even giving directions as to the plant
ing of trees along the roads for the pur-
pose of atfording shade. In Mongolia
there are no inns. But monasteries are
numerous, and they will always accom-
mOdate a stranger.
As IN France and in other European
countries, the inns of China are under
police control. Each of them keeps a.
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 yells
from his door TO the servants for what
ever he wants; the servants shout back:
the cook bawls out names of dishes as
they are ready; the cart drivers
Wrangle; the mules bray and the pigs
squeal. The first thing every person
does on arriving is to call for hot water
to make tea. Everybody drinks tea at
all hours, so that one servant does moth
ing but carry hot water for tea. The
hotel furnishes nothing but hot water
and oil lamps for lighting; everything
else is charged extra. In North China,
where camels are used as beasts of
burden. there are special inns which
take camels. The reason forthis is that
mules are afraid of cameIs. Other inns
advertise to receive pigs. At the hotels
cattle and horses are fed mostly on
with bran.