Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-07-28
THE GATE TO HEAVEN.
1ien-Tsin, the Third Commercial
Seaport Of China.
PEI-H0 MEANDERINGS.
Extraordinary Skill shown BY the
Inhabitants in Modelling
Small Figures.

certain grim humor in the very name of +
Ilen Tsn-The Gate To Heaven. Ii is /.
q modern name, having been conferred /
apal a small fishing village and trading /
center at the time when kuhla Khan es-
t0bliShed his court at Pekin in l2G4 !
Prior to that period the chief city of the
great state Of Chi Ii had been paotmg
Su, which was situated southwest Of the /
capital on the imperial post road which
runs from Moukden 10 Iekin, and thence
southwark 10 the great cities OF the en,-
pire.
Meauderings of the Pci-Io.
Tien Isin is the third commercial sea
port, being surpassed only by Shanghai
and Canton. Its trade during the pas
year, al least that part OF il which came
through the customs, was about $50 900,
uuo, and the tonnage of It's shipping was
over l,oOO.UOU. The rate of growth IN
population is about ) per cent. year,
IN shipping 4 per cent, and in trade :
per cent. The city has four hrst-easS
banks, branch offices of five European
banks, and some thirty native banks.
The progress of the city is all the more
wonderful when its disadvantages are
taken into consideration. The Pcl-h0 or
Peh-ho, sometimes callen the Iicn Tsin
river rs one OF the most unruiy streams
known to commerce From Tieu Tsin to-
va tAlOutl III Adhu X Is SHINY iAiltS lOu8-
although the distance between the twv
points IS but twenty-five miles. In this
pref space the river turns and bends in
a way warranted to arouse the iudcna
ton and profanity OF any sea captain
It's channel changes from day to day, now
running close to one bank and then leap
ing over to the other Boats in ascending
and descending this body of water touch
the banks every few miles. Luckily there
are not many stones and no reefs. The
shores and bottom are of soft mud, which
while it may hold ship, seldom iniiicts
any serious damage. Large ocean steam
ers cannot go up the Pei-ho. The com
meree, is confined to junks and light
draugEt craft.
The river at Tien TSin is narrow and.
thanks 10 the merchants, is kept in good
condition for commerce. There is buua
or river street as in nearly every Chi
nese city, where cargo is collected and
discharged. and which is a busy place
while the river is open. In winter every
thing is frozen up. and for three months
at least Tien Tsn and the surrounding
country are imprisoned in a vast stuIct-
ure Of ice and snow. Formerly the win
fer was very dull and uneyentful, but the
Introduction Of the telegraph brought il
into communication with the rest OF the
world, and of late years the opening of
the railway service to pekin on the one
side and Taku and Shan Hal Kwan on
the other have enlarged the opportunities
of the population. Telegraph tolls are
very low, and the Reuter- Press sends
brief but comprehensive messages Of MI
that IS transpiring in other lands. The
imperial post, now under the control cf
the imperial Chinese customs, gives n
service which will compare favorably
Nth that Of our own country.
WESTERN aud Ufienrd1 Views.
A visit to Tien Tsn shows that the
city is not handsome from a European
viewpoint. Compared with municipali-
ties in the Western world it is very dir
~ even filthy, but when contrasted with
such cities as Annoy, Flu Chan aud Can
ton it is a miracle of cleanliness. Al
though there are no sewers. the natural
drainage is excellent. The land is flat,
sloping slightly 10 che various waterways
and the soil is largely sand and gravel,
which enables the surface water to drain
off rapidly. The streets are wide from
the Monaghan point OF view and the
houses small, strongly built. and wind
and water tight. There is little prctcn-
SION 70 architectural beauty. nearly all
the cdificcs being square brick structures
mrelieved by color or by ornament. The
charm OF the place lies in its industrial
features. 1t Is the fagorlte market Of
the breeders of the stanch little Chinese
pony. These wonderful brutes are about
the size Of the EXmoor pony. and are no
table for their strength. speed and en-
durancc. They are popular throughout
China. and are exported 10y horse lovers
to Japan, the Philippines aud over TO
Java and the Strait settlements. No
prettier sight can he seen than on a
market day at Tien Tsin, when "A dozen
horse breeders come in from the country
each with his little flock OF ponies, which
are vigorous and playful aud nearly All
4 t,44s
bite. kick. charge and scream Ike de
mons. Chinese experts and English
amateur racing men 20 from herd to
herd aud horse 10 horse picking ont the
seeds which are tn compete in th" races.
Another pleasant feature Of Iicu Isin
life Is the imrIue market The lien
Tsin figures OF fguriucS are famous
throughout the far East, They are made
of gray clay about intrrm"6Iat" ia
quality between the Milwaukee clay ana
the North Carolina kaolin, tnbakcd and
baked the clay is Of q delicate gray "1'Dg.
very much like the fashionable shade OF
gray SUICIDES The artists mould Ties"
into little figures. ranging from one tG
ten inches in length Their fayoyitr sub
iects are the characters Of daily life. The
beggar. tine opium icnd. the lrprr gam
bier. hcrdsmau. dotard, soldier sniluf.
farmer and fisherman. The modelling Is
admirable and the mimicry Is reinforced
by the liberal use Of color aud of cloth,
silk. and other materials 10 form the
clothing. The best quality are startling
III their fidelity to nature. The hguru"s
are made hy u guild which claims ~ -.
1000 years old. and which IS certainly
more than 1000 years old. in the studios
one can sec three generations working
together upon Tho liitle modelling tables,
In general the men mould thu i-aTes
and the women. whose skill j, c&traor
binary make fine cloth