Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-02-17
CHINESE sHOp-KEEPERs.
Sleek and Placid Mon Patiently
Waiting for Customera
An English Member of Parliament Gives
Graphic Sketch of street Scenes
In canton-NoSci Effects
In Color.

In an interesting paper in Century
many graphic sketches of Chinese life.
Mr.. O'nriscoll says:
The shops were of all sizes. Some
were seven or eight feet square, with
the back premises closed from sight;
some were twenty or twenty-five feet
wide, reaching back thirty or forty
feet. Perhaps an nverage-sized shop,
in q fashionable neighborhood, was
about fourteen feet wide and twenty
two feet deep. 1t was open, of course,
to the street, with no shop-front, but
generally there was n counter along
one side, and another ut the back.
There was almost invariably an oblong
opening through the roof, to admit
light and mir, uncloscd to the sky in
summer, but with provision for glazed
light in winter. In the poorer class of
houses this slsylight could be shut by
'rawing cover over 1t.
TO n certain extent the wares wys
.isplaycd, but not rs in our winlc;. e.
ottcry and hardware had better d..-
81 lay than soft goods; food was cXhib-
cd in open trays, or was hung up.
nc goods, as n general rule, were
iadc in the shops where they were
I'D. and workmcn were to be seen
lshioning the articles in all the stages
Z their manufacture. There were
ONE shops where no worlsmcn could
- seen, and in their place n staff of
.lcrlss sat ready to wait upon custom
RS; these were not numerous, and
rcrc rs rule shops relying chiefly
'pon tourist trade. The Cantonese
L.
ally fat, sleek, pot-bellied gentle
'cn. Commonly the only articles of
thing worn either by them or by
Ivir assistants were loose Chinese
nvcrs fastened round the hips. In
inter- they don n soft, warm, padded
use. Placid, notwithstanding
liz were they, taking life coolly, sit
x thus naked to the waist, ceaseless-
waving their fans while they waited
/ custom, for which, however, they
i not appear to tout.
''igns of all colors, sizes and shapes
lung out from the shops; from board
N or twelve inches wide and six or
even feet long, hanging vertically to
little strip of wood or paper of
bout the same proportions in inches.
nc lettering of these signs was
HrEcous-gold letters on crimson
round, vcrmilion on black ground,
'luc on white, or some other striking
ntrast. Bright-colorcd lanterns hung
II across the shop-fronts and around
ne walls, or were suspended in the
ENTER. They were bamboo construc-
siunS covered with tough, oiled paper,
and painted with signs apd hiero-
glyphics-quite unlike the flimsy for
.:CIicS sold in Europe rs Chinese Ian
terms. At night these were lighted,
the Chinese being very fond of illumi-
nations. All sorts of oils were used
fish oil, taliow, vegetable oils, icro-
scnc, of which last over one million
gallons of the American variety are
burned yearly in the city. At the time
Of my visit the authorities were intro
ducing electric lighting for their streets
and for the better class shops and
houses.
When everything was we'll alight
the sight was very fine. Even in the
daytime the effects of color were
novel, pleasing and warm. Black and
brown lacqucrcd-worlS cabinets, metal
bound: ebony tables inlaid with ivory,
m.rblc and motherof-pcarl; deep blue
and maroon colorcd pots, gray and
gold ware, yellow and green; gold
dragons embroidered on blacl, satin
gowns, blue and silver wraps, and
cloalis of vcrmilion and purple; richly
cut carvings in quaint fantastic shapes
"A blaze of color that was bewildcr-
ing, variety that was endless
In the less fashionable quarters the
trades were generally somewhat cen
traliacd: five or six fish shops stood
close together: and so IL was with
bakers, ironmongers, glass-blowcrs,
silk wcavcis, carpenters, cabinet
makers, coflin-buildcrs, blacksmiths.
fruit shops, restaurants. Where one
Of trade was located there werc gen.
orally found several follows.