New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-24
WHERE JAPS ARE MARCHING.
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE NORTHERN
PROVINCES OF CHINA
TRAVELLING METHoDs-cELEsTIAL INNs-HUNT-
Frs AND FIsHERs-A STRONG. RUDE

RACE-REIIGIONS-N EWCHANG
The provinces of Northeastern China. into which
49,. Japanese about march form of the
os, interesting parts of the Celestial Empire. The
.,sat provinces of Krin Liao-Tuns. Sheng Ting and
C,,b.le less densely populated than the other
1,vinces and are seldom visited by the traveller
- even the missionary. There Is one treaty port at
yevchang. which has been aptly described
marsh Siding out into the With this excep-
,on hardy a European lives in the two provinces
srst named. in the northeast portion Of the third
:, il a land famous in Chinese history. Across il
.ave marched armies from time im!nemor.a-Corea
and japanese. Sberians and Tartars, Mongos and
'uanchus Chinese and Sushun. L. was much more
oonulous in the old days than present; The climate
was mder. the soil more fertile At time it
VAS series Of powerful princpali,ies which dom
mated Eastern ASIA and from the Sushun came the
Mogu,s. the Mongos and Manchus. who conquered
nearly al! of Asia and tw0-thirds of Europe Even
a. late the ff,h century after Christ the nations
IN this district known by the heroic title 1.-THE
schtng kingdoms" /; would If the bell
lose spirit had cured itself in the natural man
ner By killing off nearly all the capable OF bear
ing arms for in the last three hundred years the
land has been so sparsey populated that the I'm
psr.al Migration Bureau Of the Chinese Government
has sent forward tens of Thousands OF families from
other provinces TO repeope the uninhabited LANDS.
In the last century two hundred thousand per-
sons went under these auspices from Chh-le ShanS-
ruuc and Shansi into Liao-Tung and Kirin. TRAY
cling In these localities has Its advantages and dis
advantages. The roads are extremely bad. In many
cases they paths through forests and shelves cut
in the sides of precipitous mountains The inns are
dirty and infested with vermin, and the means OF
ocomoiion are of the primitive character. The
beasts Of burden are the China pony. the donkey,
buffalo OK. camel and the human being.
You can walk If you TO. but the roadway is
e. rough as TO wear out both shoes and patience in
no time You can ride and be quite comfortable.
The horses jackasses and came!s, from long eX-
perence. are extremely skifuL both in mountain
climbing and In threading their way through seem
ingly impossible marshes. Or you can follow IN the
footsteps OF the Chinese gentleman of leisure and 60
In horse-ltter. This is roomy chair or box. sus-
pended between two long poles OF bamboo or strong
wood. the ends Of which shafts for two
quadrupeds. The pony and donkey take kindly to
this kind Of work. and will travel forty miles day
without much trouble.
or II you in love with the antique customs or
John Chnaman YOU make your voyage In a
ponderous sedan-chair hung from the shoulders OF
four patient and longsuffering coolies. This is the
way the Mandarins travel in this part OF the en-
pire Their chair large that If needs be. they
can use II as bed. The interior OF the chair Is
fitted up like a small-s.zed storeroom, and usually
contains a lamp. candles. pistols dried meats DRIED
fish. extra clothing. a change of boots. fuel cooking
utensils a large ea-caddy full Of hot tea, and any
amount Of small groceries. 1t makes a very heavy
load for the unhappy chair pOrters, but II enables
the traveller be comparatively comfortable in the
widest districts Of the northern forests
The inns and houses Ike those Of Central
China but more strongly built. They have to be
wind and weather tight on account of the fierce
cold of the Monaghan winters. A feature OF the
domestic economy is extremely amusing. Instead
Of stoves they have a brick bench in the main room
OF building, which does double duty in cooking
and in keeping the inhabitants warm the fire is
built at one end and the flame and smoke run the
,hola of no benc before
the chimney or through hole in the roof. on
this bench in the winter nights sleep the family
and all thefguests. The place Of honor IS nearest
the fire. When the nights are extremely cold
sleeping bag is called into use. This is a huge
affair five feet wide and seven feet long, made of
goats skim sheepskn or other hide, with the
woolly side in" The head Of the house. his wife
and all his children, slide into this great bag, pull
the edge OF 1t over their heads and disappear In
the arms of Morpheus An ordinary house has two
or three bags for the family the servants and any
friends relatives who may spend the night
while the inns will have often as many as a
dozen. This little rough upon Anglo
Saxons. -,
In addition TO all ordinary forms OF vermin. this
part Of the Chinese Empire. like Corea. rejoces
In the largest eimex lectuarius known to pug,
cheap Bowery lodging houses is never larger than
a quarter of an inch in diameter, but these In the
far East attain a size sometimes an inch in diam
eter They frightfully predatory, and can. it Is
said. draw half an ounce OF Diood IN re slnge
RELATIONSHIPS of the insect. and impart an odor
TO house that is nauseating TO European ana
The fare n these inns Is much better than in Cen
trail and Southern China Whe inc people Sp ve are
tartan ideas of that religion to the meat eating neces-
d d f fba t about vesxks vegetable and onesxth
animal In the north the proportions are just about
sunny mountains and forest Astounding in game OF
every type and rivers and lakes being full of fish
They eat fox-meat and wolfmeat, and do not mind
a small dog once in while. They draw the line,
however at all members CT the cat family. from
the cave-tiger Of the north down to harmless puss
and tabby. They explain this by the statement that
the meat Of all the members Of the DOG family Is
very palatable and wholesome. while that OF the
cat family rank. musy and productive OF stomach
disorder. While they have good supply OF Ve {
tables, they do not seem to utilize them mnch' put
confne themselves to rice, millet beans and few
other cereals and esculents. ,., ,.
fishers Many of them employ the old Manchurian
bow which is powerful weaP9P VERY nnGn c nhe
fury They also a still more formidable weapon
which they call the tgeT64T b, n d Is aS Sf1 III
takes it's name from being employed TO KIN IN, lne
pounds and will send an arrow through the Dody OF
mails il so great however. that, even with single
arrow through them, they have been known 70 I'VE
prevent this and to make the result doubiy Ger,
tain the tiger-bows are set in series Of three ana
1o SI 50 mat ina sb G in his body Besaes the meat
supply afforded by game. there is a great demand
In the north OF China fur coats are almost heces-
sty. In the south. although the winters are warm
and light clothing be worn the entire year
through. fur-trimmed garments are always fashlon-
past, the southern Chinese having originally come
from the lands which now sum up under the
general term OF Mongolia. -,
To supply this demand. very large numbers OF
people find a livelihood in hunting ana trapping.
Among the animals which they take FOR TINS purpose
are the otter. ermne. fox. marten, squirrel Moli,
bear, tger-cat. sable. wild goat and panther. hcy
also produce some furs which bring enormous prices
In Pekin and the other great cities, but wtlch dIs
unknown 20 civilized life excepting In the case OF
the s0-called Asrakhdn furs-and That Is the skH11
Of unborn animals The squirrel. tiger. blue FOX anu
tger-cat the favOrtcs in this regard Inc prices
brought fOr these goods sometimes fabuIous
mandarins robe Of unborn squirrel brings from
S'W upward. while one OF unborn tiger cub Is worth
almost as much
The The people skilful fishermen and never ex.