The times., 1898-07-04
SOCIAL LIFE IN CHINA.
An Interesting Statement from u
Welt-InfOrmed Missionary

|
Kingdom He has lived and studied
among the Chinese until he thoroughly
understands both them and their Ian
| guage He believes that the time is ap-
| preaching when the Chinese will be bet
| ter understood by the United States and
more friendly and closer, at least, COM
merciaI relationship will exist between
| them.
''We are apt to judge the nation by the
few Chinese we see every day" he said
! to reporter of the Helena Independent,
| when asked to speak of the social side of
[ Celestial life. 1.-THE fact is that only the
more Ignorant classes reach America. as
| a rule. OF course, they have the national
! characteristics to a large extent, but
| through them we see but side. The
| Cinnamon who come to America prin-
| cipally from the peasantry of their native
| country They are not the low class
| you would speak of criminals. for they
are law-abiding and exceedingly indus
| trious, but as a rule they are Chinese
| who have not had the advantages of posi-
| tion or education. The Chinese are a
queer people. viewed from our standpoint
| and yet In their own country they possess
greatness.
| But as TO your question The social life
| of the Chinese is sui generis. There is no
| commingling Of the sexes as with us. AT
| an early age boys and girls are separated
| in the family, and do not sit at the same
| table except among the poor, where lack
| of room makes entire separation impossi-
| BILE. This separate life destroys society
| as we know it :; for under such a regime
| parties. receptions. balls. sociables. sol
( rees are unknown The men have their
social life. which centers about the libra
| ~ or the tea house. the mingling in trade
| and travel and in literary circles.
| The women have a much narrower
social life. always within the home. The
| inability TO read cuts the women on from
| the literary club. The absence OF the
! church. except at certain centers, de-
| prives her of the stimulus given by a
church life. For the temples and shrines,
/ although found elsewhere. in village and
4 town, by the waterway and the path. are
/ not places for assemblies, affording Op-
! portunitieS for visiting and the inter
change of friendly thought and interest.
! There are other places where the gods
/ are always found and where the in
| dividual seeks advice, or pays homage,
as a solitary individual and not as a
member OF a religious society whose ad-
herents are drawn To given place al a
set time. Embroidery, some attention TO
music on the rude stringed instruments
! known, adorning and dressing the per-
son and the hair, listening to the chat
/ ter of servants, or engaging in such gossip
I as may reach the inner circle of the
home seem to be the principal occupations
of those so aptly termed the inner man
There is no concert, no popular lee
| ture, no cooking schOol-it may be almost
| said in vulgar phrase no nothin'' The
/ only exception is the theater. There are
! two sorts. Shanghai has its regular
| Chinese playhouse. Here are TO be found
the trappings of a well equipped rheater
not so elaborate nor so handsome as
! in American or European houses. but the
| purpose is served we'll enough. No wo-
men except of certain reputation are ever
/ seen a the playhouse. II seems TO be
| considered unbecoming for Chinese wo-
men 10 appear upon the stage. OF course,
| such theaters as that in Shanghai have a
scale of prices as in our own.
THE other class of theater is an out
| door play. The company is hired by
some kindiy-disposed man. the stage is
| set up in the open air, admission is free
| and the populace enjoy the fun which
like the brook, goes on forever Any
| women who are allowed outdoors may
witness these. Performances. But again
!
poor people 10 be outdoors. Social life
for the gentler sex Is a barren thing.
| The educated classes make much of
! literary pleasures. The composition of
coupIets in rhyme; antithetical sentences.
| for which there are definite rules of con-
| structiOn; matching sentences; word puz-
zIes, for which the Chinese language Is
I wen adapted; word plays, made the more
| readily because of tonal differences which
/ give different M
DIRE. occupy and delight the Chinese gen.
| tleman- Then there are various games
| in which cards, dominoes, dice and chess
| Chinese chess of course-figure large
| ly. There is also a drinking game in
which each player endeavors 10 make his
opponent drink This is played by two
men who sit opposite each other Then
simultaneously, each thrusts out one or
more fingers of each hand, and a guess
is made. The man who guesses cor
rectly does not drirk.
| 1T is not necessary to describe games
particularly adapted 10 gambling, as they
are more or less familiar or may be read
lily learned if one has the curiosity.
The homes of the people are of all
sorts There is the humble mat or rude
hut, standing under the city wall having
| but one room, a dirt floor and rude fur
niturei then a single room built of brick,
with a brick floor, and no window, all
light coming through the door. and then
large, spacious houses of those who are
more fortunate. In Central China these
larger homes have a solid wall on the
street. pierced by a two-board door
hung in sockets. painted black. provided
with a knocker and fastened with a bar
of wood across the outside. Through
this door the visitor passes into a hall
way, off which is the lodge of the door
| keeper, through a court into the main
| hall, or guest room. Here is a large
room, brick floored, with windows and
doors opening into the court. About the
room stand small square tables known
as tea poys, between fine, large, heavy
chairs. Sometimes there is a table in or
near the center of the room. The visitor
| sits down with his host at the tea pOys.
| Conversation opens, tea and pipes are in
troduced. Past the main hall Is another
court, and beyond it the apartments.
Where the house is two stories, the upper
story Is shut in by a high wall, so that
no one can see in or out What windows
there are open into courts. There are no
windows opening to streets. This
would admit of undue exposure of the
interior of the house. The culinary work
is done by means of brick ranges fitted
with their iron utensils that they may
be heated with the least possible expen-
diture of fuel. In the private apartments
| the furniture will be according to the
purse. A bed may be purchased for 81. 30.
1t Will have a neat stand at each end,
and be provided with a bottom made
of woven cane, from the palm tree. There
are also elaborately carved beds of rich
woods and inlaid furniture of rosewood
and ebony or mahogany, showing skill,
taste and wealth.
II have never seen any stoves or fire.