The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-15
NEW CAPITAL on CHINA.
Si-Ngan-Fn one OF the Mos, Ancient
and interesting cities.

From the Londcn Globe.
-Fu-whithcr the Empress Dow
ager and the Emperor Of China have re-
moved their court and che seat % gov
ernmemt-is one Of the most interesting
and ancient the cities OF China /, Is
known by number Of different names.
or to be more exact. different ways OF
spelling the same name. as Hsignan.
Hsanfu s.anfu. .otc. II lies In the al
most Inaccessible mountain walled valley
of the Wei-Ho. az distance of some so
miles from pckiu and ~ Il distinctly a
novelty 20 be- told that court and official
business can b. transacted more cxpedl-
i0usly there than ~ Tal-Yucn-Fu. which
Is only about a quarter 81 that distance.
u is true. however. that Si-Sgan-Fu g. 10
better ielcnraphlc communication than
Tai-Yuen-f'u with oil the greas provinces
Of China. Thence one telegraph wire
passes via Tal-Yueu-Fuc 10 Pekin; an
other passes northwestward into the
province OF kausu. while third commu-
nlcates. via Kingschaw. with all the
southern. southeastern and southwestern
provinces OF the empire. Sl-Ngan-Fu thus
becomes the heart, as II y the true STRAIT
egic center, Of China.
The first view q Sl-Sgan-Fu after
crossing the mountains o. Shen-Se with
their dangerous and difficult passes, Is
obtained from hight some three miles
distant from che city Thence II Is seen
sloplrg up gradually from thc banks OF
the river. 30 as TO exhibit rs imposing
walls and lofty towers. tie houses and
palaces a. one view. like the interior OF
an amphitheater Tho city is surround
"a BY q crenelated wall. built Of bricks.
and some thirty-sx feet IN hight. and is
total circuit is about nine miles. There
is gate Ia the face Of each wall. ana
thence wide street leads TO tho center
OF the city. where the Yamen. or seat OF
government 81 situated. Here also is the
site or the ancient paMce Of the emper-
ors Of China. Tho population occupies
the entire enccinte. ana presents a hetero-
geneous collection OF Thibesans, Mongois
and Tartara The houses are mostly built
Of wood and 10 order 10 keep out the
god 81 fire" the southern gate Of the city
u kept shut ordinarily There are more
life ard movement IN the Chinese than in
the Manchu cfy-,he laster being largely
occupied hy parks and gardens. Miles
OF faubotirgs extend along the roads and
canals outside the city. Owing 10 IT. POI
sitsan 90 the point o. conveyance Of the
trade routes between Central Asia and
China ana 10 che fertility Of its yellow
earth sl-Nran-Fu for two or three thou
and years has been n city Of the first
importance. both commercially aud politi-
oaliv. ~ the present day S. stores are
filled with precious merchandise II pos
sesses nlso q government arsenal. whence
modern weapons o. war arc turned out.
s-NEan-F'u has been taken and rctaken.
rebuilt and destroyed since rs foundation
In the twelfth century y c., by WI
Wang. the '7Maairal King" but its posi-
ton has assured for u aiways The con
troll OF trade passing between the Fast
and the West when Sian Kwan. In y. G.
40 had rcveuEcd the insults offered by
the Tartars to the Emperor Ping. and for
his COURAGE had been made King % Tsin-
rhaw gl-Ngnn-Fu went by the name Of
Has-Klng II was the metropolis Of shi-
HwanEti Of the rln dynasty tho great
emperor: whose couquests almost inter
secie,i those Of his contemporary Ptolemy
Everretes Under the Han dynasty the
city attained 20 the summit OF ~ splen-
dor and prosperity. and then went by the
name Of Chanz-An. n Is related o. Liu
Tsung. one Of the leaders o. the bnrharic
Huns. who maintained their sway IN
shen-se until A. ~ go that be butt
magnificent palace a. Chang-An. and. hav-
ing summoned an the chief subjects 81 his
kingdom. lived Ia luxury ana fplenaor
hitherto unknown IN China. lie possess
HN a nkfANEMhfA OF shAAAAaAfHs fifANAN-H
dressed many Of whom were good must
clans. who accompanied him wherever he
went when the House u Tang had
firmly established itself in China and TIL
Tsung had mnde his reign famous. the
Greek Emperor The0dosius sent an am
hassa1or to ChanR-Au carrying presents
~ rubics and emcreids. Nesiorinn mis-
slou8rics s.so presented thcm1eiyes AZ this
mouarch's court. and were courtoously re-
ceived by him. We listened TO the load-
lng tenets o. their doctrines. ordered a
temple TO be erected 90 his capital. and
caused some Of their snrred books 20 he
translated The celebrated hilirgual q D.
lei a. sl-NEan-Fu Ia Syriac and Chinese
characteristic mot ancient Christian
writing yet discovered IN Eastern Asia
dates from the time of the Tang dynasty.
and shows that Christianity had made
considerable progress among the Chinese
az that early date.
During the first periods OF the Mongol
snvereigrs OF CHINA Si-NFah-Fu went By
the name q Klns-Tchao-Fu. a name
which Marco Polo corrupted into Ken
jsmfu. and under which name he
describes the city IN terms that generally
would apply 70 It AZ the present day. Not
withstandlns AS antiquity, sl-Nssn-Fa