Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-16

started life as a beggar, but he organized a
rebellion, which enabled him to conquer
CHINA and to establish his descendants on
the throne. He was the founder of the
Ming dynasty. the one which ruled China
before the family of the present emperor
came into power, and under which were
accomplished the greatest things that the
Chinese have ever done in architecture and
public improvements. 1t was this man who
built the wall about Marking and estab-
ished the capital here. The dragon, you
know, Is the imperial animal of China
You see it on every Chinese flag, and ii is
supposed to bring luck or the reverse to
every ruler According to them, a dragon
can do anything. 1t can make itself as big
as an elephant, or as small as q gnat 1t
can build up empires and throw down kings
and when there was an eclipse Of the moon
here, about month ago, l saw 1t soberly
announced In the Peking Gazette that the
noise on the night Of the eclipse, as 1t was
said that the dragon would then try to
swallow the moon, and he should be scared
away. Well, the country here at Marking
Is shaped just like a great dragon, and the
emperor said: IF can build my capital on
the dragons back it will last forever" The
result was that he moved to Marking and
made 1t for time the greatest city of
China. He planned to build a wall outside
OF the present one, which should be ninety
miles long. but he got no further than the
first pillars of this before he died.
The Famed Porcelain Tower.
1t was this mans son who built the
famed porcelain tower Of Marking, putting
1t up in NOR of his wife. This tower cost
more thu three million dollars; 1t was
built of the finest Of glazed porcelain slabs,
and it blazed out under the sun Of the
valley of the Yangtse Kiang, rising to a
height nearly half that CT the Washington
monument. 1t was octagonal In form, with
a base about half the Size Of that of the
monument. and this base rested on a foun-
dation of brickworl ten feet high 1t had
nine stories, and spiral staircase within
the tower led the visitor to the summit
ne top or II was a great basin Of IRON and
the Colors of it's brick were green, red vel
low and white At every one of the nine
stories roof of green tiles tutted out and
TO the corners of these roofs were hung bells
whlch tinkled when swayed by the wind.
1t took nineteen years to build this tower.
anG IT was kept in good condition till about
forty ODD years ago. when another beggar
got up rebellion ard took Marking He
had the Idea that the tower was hurting his
luck, and had it blown up. Its every brick
has since disappeared, and when I visited
its site yesterday the only vestige of 1t re-
manning was the great iron basin-like dome
which crowned its top. This has been plac-
ed upon a foundation of marble 1t is a
hollow mass of iron big enough to cover the
top Of the largest haystack you have ever
seen. 1t would make a bath tub for an ele-
plant. And 1t would today be called a fine
specimen of artistic casting. When it COW
cred the tower il was plated with gold, and
could be seen for miles up and down the
Yangtse valley. 1t must weigh several tons
and how the Chinese with their rude modes
of labor were able to poiSe 1t on the top OF
the tower. 261 feet above the earth, Is q