St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-25
A VISIT TO YANGCHOW.
Concluded.
A WONDERFUL woMAN.

There once dwelt in this city a wem-
an whose fame has never been known
to theW Western world, and whose state
craft at that early period has never been
appreciated. She was the renowned
Empress WI, who invented Woman's
Rights. She is mentioned by Giles in
his delightful book. Historic China and
other Sketches. and he relates
that her first great achievement
was to usurp the throne, which she
did successfully by a brilliant coup
d'etat. Then she inaugurated the preg-
nant. political event of her reign, which
was her doom. She was a woman with
much actual ability. and with a body of
iron. Thinking that other women were
in like manner endowed, she established
examinations for women with the view
to selecting the successful candidates
for posts in the service of the state,
which had hitherto been confided to
men-a policy which gave immediate
and u%nbounded offense to all ranks and
classes alike, and led to the speedy
downfall of this daring queen.
THE STREETS
of the city are remarkably clean for a
Chinese city. They are paved with flag
stones. and present an appearance of
business activity. The people are better
dressed than elsewhere. and have a we'll
fed, prosperous look about them. Chairs
with liveried coolies. bearing master,
or mistress, are met at every step,
and they display no vulgar curios.
ity at a sight of a foreigner. The shops
are very attractive, particularly those
of silks, furs, porcelain, lacquerware.
etc. A curious lacQuerware is made
here from old. broken, kiln-burnt tiles,
by being ground down and worked up
with some other materials. The lacquer
is %skillfully inlaid with mother-o'-pear
and made into pretty boxes, trays and
what not, which sell for a very moderate
price. 1t is noted also for the manu-,
facture s,Of delicate sweetmeats, which.
enter so much into the food Of the
wealthy; and an Oil for the hair, beau
tifying face powder, scented beads, and
thumb rings are manufactured here,
the city being a profitable market for
these popular articles of the toilet
which with Chinese ladies is SO very
elaborate. The principal manufacture,
however, is the costly and handsome
black wood Chinese furniture. for the
high and wealthy classes. 1t is made
generally after one heavy pattern, but
with much beauty of design and finish.
l saw a state Dedstead of this black
wood work. 1t was beautiful, costly, of
vast dimensions, Inc seemed meet for
the repose of a giant king. l visited
two large flower gardens in which were
for sale every variety of flower and
plant peculiar to the country. The cam
ella and chrysanthemum are extensive
ly cultivated here. as also many varie-
ties of the hyacinth. The market places
abounded with game, such as wild
geese, ducks, pheasants, woodcock,
snIpe. and especially fine poultry. Fish
are not of much variety o excellence in
the interior of China, but vegetables of
unknown name and quality seemed
abundant. Of fruit, there were oranges,
apples and pears, and preserved and
dried fruits. The sweet potatoes grown
here are very fine. The whole city, i'll
fact, had to me
AN AIR OF PLENTY
and prosperity about it that was par
ticularly pleasing. The ordinary people
were comfortably dressed. cheerful and
polite. The residences of the mandarins
and wealthy merchants are many and
spacious, Enclosed III extensive gardens.
entered the residence of one of
the principal merchants, and
was profoundly astoniShed at the
magnificence Of the rockwork of the
garden. 1t covered at least two acres of
ground, and was a maze of labyrinthine
walks. grottoes and kiosks, with a tiny
lake here and there, and plants and
ferns growing out of every crevice of
the rocks. 1t was with difficulty L
found my way out of it again. l en-
countered III my walks through the
city several large open squares,
which presented quite a fete-like ap-
pearance, with g~ay-colored booths, con
tanning light articles for sale, tents or
awnings under which jugglers were
performing. numerous games going on
in the open air, story tellerS in full
voice. pedlers offering their wares, bar
bers plying their trade, gymnastS per-
forming their antIcS-everYthing, in
fact, that is to be found at a country
fair; and in front of the many tempo
rary eating houses were little tables
| crowded With people waiting for their
midday meal. With all this mOtieys
%concourse of people good humor and
perfect order reigned. Leaving these
1 went to the {
TEMPLE OF TEN THOUSAND GODS.
This is a large and improved ediice,
built OF the site of an emperor's palace.
1t was built in the usual manner of
Chinese temples, with high pitched
roof, graceful and picturesque, and
deliberately carved archirrave and fig
ured corniceS. The interior, which Is
devoted TO the gods, is spacious, light
| and airy, and The wood carvings through
out the lofty ceiling are very curl
The ten thousand gods-gilded, from
one to three feet in height, nude, and
In standing postures-are surely all
there, in bewilderlng numbers. They
are ranged along the walls i'll shining
rows, one above another. The temple
is Buddhist, and the $1,000 GODS are all
BuddhaS-10,0 600 BuddhaS. In two small
er connecting apartments. leading from
this main one, are two life-SiZed Bud
dhas. They are nude and represented
as sleeping. These sleeping Buddhas
are visited and prayed to by Chinese
ladies who desire offspring.
POLITE, BUT CURIOUS PEOPLE.
The foreigner generally. wherever he
goes i'll the interior of China, is greeted
with the epithet of ''foreign devil"
shouted after him in Chinese. This is
mostly done by the children, who, per-
haps. know no other term of
designation, and mean no dis
courtesy. At Yangchow, however,
wherever l went, to my qualification, /
was treated with great civiIity, and was