The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-17
PART TWO.
THE CAPITAL OF CHINA.
Streets Unpaved and Unlighted-For
eigners' Boundaries

and splendor. A person may live for years
in one of China's well kept foreign settle
,,snts and continue to wonder why rail-
roads are not built why this. that, and
the other is not done. But when at last
Pekin is visited all becomes comprehensi-
HE. For if the capital of the empire is
utterly neglected. if things which the en-
,eror and his closest advisers can see for
themselves are allowed to go to rack and
ruin before their eyes, why should any
thing be done to open up and improve the
rest Of the country?
In giving a traveller the far away"
"having come to the end of the earth
sensation, Pekin is a success. When one
reaches the wall the feeling begins, and
a. grows stronger after the gate is en-
tered Except in being a little lower, the
citv wall is a copy of the Great Wall"
Informed Of this fact, most ''glObe-trot-
ters" take a good look at it, and spare
1 themselves a fatiguing three days jour
new. The city wallis sixteen gates, sur
mounted by brick towers, built with rows
ofportholes, are all locked and barred soon
after dark. Riding over the open country
is one of the chief diversions in foreign
residents monotonous lives, and if a pony
goes lame or the time has been miscalcu-
lated and the gate reached few minutes
late. there is nothing for it but resigna-
lion Brides, threats, promises are of no
avail and the night must be passed in a
dirty inn outside the wall.
Pekin barring its filth and smells, differs
much from other Chinese cities. While
the streets of the great southern towns
often do not measure more than eight
or ten feet across, those of Pekin are
very wide. All are unpaved. and most
+. Of them almost impossible foot pas
Il sengers. Even on pony-back one runs
great danger of being submerged in a
mud-hole. People who cannot ride use
mule-litters, sedan-chairs, or two-wheeled
springless "Pekin carts" which unless
well furnished with mattresses, give their
occupants famous shakings. And these
Il impossible thoroughfares are lined by
fine shops, the entire facades of many
being deliberately carved and entirely over
laid with gold leaf.
In spite of mud-holes, heaps of garbage,
and other things too noisome to describe,
Pekins streets with their golden shops
and picturesque sign-boards, their over
flowing life and gaiety, are fascinating.
Their great width is often practically
contracted to narrowness by tents booths.
1 movable restaurants, annfhilatory BARRIERS
shops. etc. The sides are crowded with
buyers sellers, jugglers. fortune tellers,
doctors and musicians. Through the CEN
ter pass long strings of camels laden
with brick or tea for Russia, or Goals
rum IdTldrYs Mdncnu men ana women
on horseback, and innumerable process
slons-mandarins' chairs, preceded by
twenty or thirty retainers with umbrellas,
flags banners, etc; brides escorted to
their future homes by troops of friends,
small boys who explode firecrackers and
4 men who carry scarlet boxes containing
the wedding gifts and troussea; corpses
4 followed to the grave by bowling white
scarved clan, besides all the elaborate
Joss pidgin" pageants with their roast
pigs gilt paper pagodas, pyramids of ar
uhcial flowers, and other sacrifcial offer
ings
Every morning before dawn carts are
driven about the town in order to take
away children, living or dead of whom the
parents wish to rid themselves. The dead
are thrown into pits without the walls
and covered with quicklime; the living are
taken to the temple of the newborn"
ana cared for at the expense of the state
AT night, as the streets are not lighted
people going abroad must depend upon
their own lanterns. Watchmen pace about
continually beating bamboos, so that no
mel, unless he be stone-deaf, need ever
be caught in the act.
The yellow tiled walls surrounding
Hwang Ching" or Forbidden city"
Where the emperor and court reside, en-
close about four square miles. Formerly
good view of its picturesque buildings,
lakes bridges, and artificial hills could be
obtained from the famous marble bridge
out this foreigners have recently been for
Mdden to cross. ''Ti Shan" or Coal
I'M" lying north of the palace, is how
ever visible from all parts of the city. Its
H'e submits are crowned with as many
temples which the son of Heaven" may
oally watch falling into decay
rev of the celebrated sights of Pekin can
now be seen by travellers. They must con-
tenl themselves by gazing at photographs
taken when, through liberal showers of
ION . cti
c9htrive to pass the sacred portals. The
observatory built under the direction of
jesuit priests is, however, an exception to
me rule. It's instruments, although obso-
lele for practical purposes, are magnifi-
VeHI specimens of bronze-work well worth
d Journey to see. Admttance can also oc-
cdslonally be obtained to the emperor's
pleasure grounds at -Shon-Shang,'
oeyond the walls, where lotus-grown ponds
aTched bridges dainty slets fairy tenn
II pies and pagodas delight the eye.
FOR the cultivation of a meek and hum
Die spirit, residence in Pekin is strongly
4 10 De recommended. Few strangers can,
Il however, avail themselves of the privilege,
LOT as only Chinese merchants are al
lowed to do business there. the foreign pop
ulatlon is limited to the diplomatic circle,
olncals, students connected with the Chi
HeSe customs service, and few missiona-
HeS The diplomatic career is not consid-
eIea conducive to humility, generally hav-
n - iilueeus the contrary erect on JnOSe
. VINO follow it. But in Pekin the diplomats
are lambs. Every year sees the liberties
u foreigners in Pekin further restricted
wen the privilege of walking on the city
wall IS now denied them and as it is not
p9ssloie to walk elsewhere, all who do not
rue must eXercisewithin their own COM
pounds They may skate however, in
"'Hler go to balls, and to plenty of dinner
p"rues where rules of precedence are OBJ
served with great strictness. The real in
crest of Pekin life consists in buying
IuIlos Many residents become ardent col
sctors' for in no other Chinese city can
aNCn me old bronzes, embroideries, por-
eeialns, and enamels be obtained. one
Snould not attempt to buy anything in
una before living there at least two
sears Then, after having learned what is
Bs%ly good, buying is a slow process. In
,eAn' where people have not much to do,
ey warn friends not to interfere and
tenu months in bargaining for a rare
10 IL sometimes happens, however,
s ~ globe-trotter" who has made a
a1uuN Of ''chinoiseries" carries off the
1as