Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-21
THE ANCIENT CITY OF PEKIN
DESCRIBED AS THE PALACE OF
"DIRT. DUST AND DISDAIN.''
1t is the Imperial Capital. the Seat of
the Manchus and Man
darins.


II W. Lawson in the London Telegraph.
Pekin lends itself to nickname and allit-
Grafton. An English minister described 1t
as the place of dirt, dust and disdain."
Others have found it, like Lord Amherst, a
city of despair. Mr.. Henry Norman says
that the two moments when appre-
ciates 1t are the first sight of its frowning
gates and the last Whatever it is or Is
not to the men of long VIEWS It must al
ways be one of the nerve centers of human
interest and international relations. Dur
Ing the dynasty of those Mngs whose name
was the war cry of the Taipings, and is to-
day in the mouths of many of the secret
societies that form the great difficulty of
Chinese rule and management, 1t was city
of but second rate Importance.
Their attention was given to the embel-
ishment of the now half wasted city Of
Nankin. often called 1.-The national capital y
but Pekin has been the imperial capital
since the Ia Tsngs seized the throne. and
those who are qualified to speak are of
opinion that any notion of degrading it
from its pride of place to suit the con-
venience of European diplomacy IS fore
doomed to failure. 1t Is not only the cap
ital of the Manchus. 1t is the capital of the
mandarins. The official world Is of the
Pekinese stamp. and the Pekinese is the
official language, the tongue of the grad
udle ana educated man. 10 the ear 1t has
pleasanter and softer sound than the
rough dialects of the provinces, and 1t has
been developed and nodded to the elabora te
and ornate phrases of polite society. The
sh is often heard instead of harder and
more uncouth conjunctions.
In the four cities which make up the
capital, and particularly in the imperial
city, live most of the leading and opulent
class. and. therefore. the houses are of
more important and solid appearance than
Is the rule elsewhere. High brick walls
with a single stone entrance. surround a
multitude of courts. fianked by tile rooted
dwelling rooms. 1t is a curious and uniS
EerSal custom among the Chinese to put up
Immediately facing the outer door stone
or BRICK screen, bearing tablets or painted
scrolls, inscribed with the names of an
ceStors or classical texts The object ac-
cording TO time honored superstition is to
ward off evil spirits. for the demon on en-
tering knocks his head against the obstacle
and being devoid of all sense but an eIe-
mentary hatred of mankind. is repulsed
and goes away sorrowful. Why the afore-
said demon should have the cleverness to
turn in at the gate yet not sufficient to
wheel round the screen Is difficult for the
uilnitiated to understand.
No Attempt at Comfort.
There is no attempt at ostentation. or
even of decent comfort. about these DWELL
Ing places. Within they are mere RAM
shackle bungalows, with stone tagged
floors and paper windows, Realistically cut
up by wooden partitions, and papered with
out taste or cleanliness. The furniture is
OF polished wood made in the stiff. square
style that Is not unfamiliar. Ornaments
are rev, and of the commonest foreign
make; whilst the bronze vessels to be seen
are all modern and coarse in workman
ship. Chinese window is quaint SUBJ
terfuge for ohscurng the light of day. 1t
Is an intricate pattern of woodwork in
straight lines with pieces of glass stuck
on the surface. and filled up with strong,
yellowish paper. Its principal use is In
sealing up an apartment against any in
rush of fresh air by normal ventilation.
The tiles used for roofing are rounded and
we'll made, of various colors-yellow for
the emperor. green for the gods. blue and
red for the rest-the ends are capped with
a fiat, embossed circle and crested with
mythical animals and horned heads.
When the Chinese discover the cheap
and congenial hideousness of corrugated
iron, the one attractive element in Chinese
architecture is doomed to disappear White
paint IS generally put on to cover up the
mud, with an occasional contrast of coral
red. In the summer months European off
Gals who are obliged to remain within
reach and the students from the legations
hire temples at the western hills from
the priests, suspend the religious services,
and use them as fixed camps They bring
in their train their own households and
their own furniture. and very pleasantly
do these temples serve their purpose. OF
late years foreigners who are able to go
further afield spend the summer by the
seaside at Peitaiho but these are the lucky
seniors of the community. In Pekin itself
the same system is pursued of letting out
temples for private occupation. The only
difference is that, when wealthy natives are
the lessees, the religious services for fes-
t1vals and funerals are continued In the
forecourts where the josses are planted.
Such are the practical uses of eastern re-
ligionS.
Four Cities of Pekin.
the Tartar, the Imperial and the Forbidden.
Each Is quadrilateral and marked off by
a wall, from outside the center in the order
given, save that the Chinese city is an ex-
crescence and joins, but does not encircle,
the remainder. Originally the Chinese had
to be kept at a safe distance in subsection
to the Manchu conqueror. but such a pre-
caution is now superfluous, although there
survives a perceptible variety Of type. in
spite of the mixture of blood. and the Man
chu women dress their hair in different
fashion, secured a the back by long bar
that is turned down after marriage. Within
the Chinese city Is vast open space. the
two great enclosures of which are green
with trees and dedicated respectively on
the north and south to the Temple of Agri-
culture and the Temple of Heaven In the
Middle Kingdom there are three great sys-
osophy working together in harmony with
government which patronizes and con-
forms to each without friction and without
fusion.
OF all three the founders lived about the
sixth century B. c., but Taoism has had
the popular advantage of being able to
identify itself with every object Of the won
der or veneration of Pnen. II the official
mainly Confucianist-that is to say, agnos-
tic, in their intellectual 'sympathies-that
does not absolve them or their imperial
master from the regular and elaborate OBJ
servance of the great state services of the
year The mighty spirits of earth and heav-
en- are invoked by the emperor without The
Intervention of ecclesiastic, and by deputy
province. To the powers of earth and
heaven he processes himself subject. He
styles himself son of Heaven by imperial
aid,' of the Imperial spirits of earth and
heaven" by sacrifice and oblation.
In Sir A. I4yall's words. he is the high
steward of the mysteries" Once year.
L., In cnAlar