The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-09-28
MODE OF TRAVEL IN CHINA.

An Interesting Account of the Several
Ways in Which Travel is Managed
in the Celestial Empire.
Correspondence of the Mountaineer.
SooCHow, China, Aug. 10, 1897.
The principal modes Of travel in
Soochow nay be described as follows:
First In Importance is by "house
boat" The house boat is usually,
from fifteen to thirty feet long, varying
In width-generally according to
length-from four to eight feet. The
front part consists of a platform, where
the boatman stands to manage the boat.
when passing through narrow places.
The central part, or body, of the BOAT
Is usually divided into two apartments
in smaller ones, and on larger boats
sometimes you may find six, eight or
even ten, berths, or places to sleep.
The back Of the BOAT is where the boat
men work, eat and sleep. This part Is
usually protected by a mat cover from
the rain and sum-, and in winter the
same kind OF mat protection all around.
They do not propel their Uc..ts with
oars as we do, on the side, but use one,
two, or three long bent ores fastened
generally on the back, and the boat is
propelled by a sculling motion, two or
sometimes fou men vt work on it at
once. Under this part of the boat,
down In the bottom OF the boat, they
do their cooking and in the winter
sleep down there. The whole country
Is cut up by canals, just as our coun-
try is cut by roads You can get one
OF these boats and go to any part of the
Province you please. All of the coun-
try neghborhoods have small canals
Onjnu into fhnOn an =.
lake a trip he calls a BOAT of a certain
size for a certain price for each day,
including q certain number Of wol k
men, clearly stated, If you wish to
travel night and day. Also, it is best
to have it clearly stated how much
wine cash" the workmea are to have,
n when and where it is to be paid,
for after all is clearly written it will
take all your spare time on the trip to
keep them at work and from worrying
you out OF your life toying to get you
to do more for them INC ~oftener than
the agreement calls for. Each traveller
provides himself with a "Pu Kae," or
bedding such as he proposes to sleep
on and under-wrapped in mating and
tied with rope. At night you spread
1T down and siecp; in the morning roll
1T up again that you may have room on
the boat to get about during the day.
The boatmen are fairly reliable about
taking care Of what you have on the
boat, while under contract. The "tug
OF wal" comes when you have come to-
the end of the trip and time ome to
settle, as 1T generally takes at least
n hour to settle and get rid of them
Ihey are never OF the opinion that
you have paid them all you will if they
can JusC manage to worry you enough.
In the last few years small Stup
boats" have been introduced in China,
and now between all the larger cities
in he southern provinces you NAV
most any week get passage on them.
These tug boats will pail from one
to eight, and sometimes ten OF the
"house boats" from one place to an
other. This has greatly facilitated
travel in our part of China. There
now are ting boats" going and coming
from Soocbow to Shanghai, a distance
Of eighty American miles.
Country travelling is confined almost
entirely to boats. The government
couriers travel on horseback along the
canal banks, or tow-paths.
End. Chair travel. The Sedan chair
is made of bamboo and wood. The
chair frame, seat, top, foot-rest and all
are made OF bamboo, covered generally
around with cloth. AT the back and
sides is a small glass window. The TOP
Is covered with oil cloth OF o native
manufacture. On each side are shafts
about twelve feet long. The. chair Is
placed about midway, and these shafts
have q cross piece at the ends, Which
holds them together and by which it
is carried, resting on the shoulders of
the bearers.
An ordinary person Is not allowed to
have more than two bearers. A
mandarin can have four. in MANY re-
spects 4 nightmare" Is preferable to
heTing to settle with these men after
using them. They try 80 hard TO cheat
foreigners. They have no conscience.
shame or %deccncy, but are only inspired
with one motive, and that to gouge
every one who happens to be 80 unfor-
tunate as to have to use them. With
very few exceptions they are misera-
BILE opium smokers.
Bird. Horseback riding is very p
lar In and near the cities. A horse
which costs in the Eastern States $50
to 500 in gold, can be bought for $50 to
$40 now, sometimes more, sometimes
less. a morning or afternoon horse
back ride and horse boy included flor
the chinese are so mean that should
you hitch your horse and 60 In a house
without a boy 10 watch him, you NAV
not find him on your ~return) costs $50
cash, which amounts to about twenty-
five cents In gold. One member of orr
mission keeps a horse at a stable, and
his feed and grooming costs $500,
Mexican, q month, which Is a very
cheap way Of travelling. A horse bow
costs him 5 cents Mexican, or 3 cents
In gold, for ar afternoons service.
4th. Bicycles. When I arrived here
last January two years ago, as fur as
know, bicycles were not known on
the streets, and the missionaries did
not think 1T possible, but as | intro
duced them In Greenville among pro.
fessional men (a!though / was told I
would ride out of my practice) I proved
by actual experiment. that 1t was a
great help to health and patients for
a doctor to have a quick method of
travel; so [ have proven that this
most wonderful and useful invention of
the nineteenth century can be made q
great help TO the missionary In his
laborious work In the cities. Now we
have three active workers on wheels.
and others are speaking of getting
them. j.. r.. WILKINsoN