The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-21
TRAVEL IN RURAL CHINA
1T Is ATTENDED WITH MANY IN
PLEASANT EXPERIENCES.
Foreign Guests Are Unwelcome mt the
Inns and Are Treated Rudely-Must
Carry Their Own Food.


PEKING, Nov. 2O.-The traveller in China
who leaves the cities and penetrates the
comparatively unfamiliar regions in the
interior cannot but be impressed with the
tireless. silent industry of the people The
Japanese are also constantly at work, but
they are far less mechanical and more vi
vacious than their Chinese neighbors. They
work. too. like the ant and the bee. which
never seem to soil thir coats; the Chinese
are like the stolid beetle that one sees in
the road covered with dust and trundling
before 1t a bali of that substance which
tertilizes the whole of China, from one
end to the other. and of which one never
loses the sight or smell. at this season
the crops have all been harvested and the
fieIds-baked. like the floor of brick
yard, with four months unbroken drought
ARE being ploughed for the fall planting.
The plough is of the ancient Oriental
pattern-a wooden beam. pointed at one
end. sometimes shod with iron; the COW,
horse or donkey. harnessed with rope to
the beam and guided by the voice. In many
Of the fields where broom corn has been
raised the stalks have been cut to within
twelve OF fifteen inches of the ground;
these stubs are left standing. The Chinese
possible way as food. fuel or clothing.
These short stalks are dug out Of the
ground by men. women and children, who
use small, narrow-bladed hoes. The earth
is shaken from the roots and they are
collected in bundles to be burned through
the winter; grass and weeds are used in the
same way, and. under the rows of willows
which have been planted here and there,
MI oh ho rail-
the leaves as they fall. which are also added
to the store of twigs. grass and fall grain"
roots. Fuel. indeed, is one of the most
serious questions with which the Chinese
farmer has to deal-and this in the vicin-
ity of the richest coal mines on the globe.
The country, except In certain portions in
the northeast west and southwest, is al
most treeless. A few willows. ash and
aspen trees have been planted, but they do
not attain great size. Wood, If 1t is to be
used as fuel. is sold by the pound. and
I'm Picking dressed timber is brought from
q great distance and sawed into lumber by
hand. Brick, either kiln-dried or sun
dried. is utilized for every purpose for
which 1t can be made available.
THE IMPERIAL YELLOW.
All the native houses, even those Of the
wealthy, are one story, of kiln-dried brick,
rooted with gray tiles. The imperial
palaces conform to the same rule. though
there are terraces which correspond to
stories, and the tiles in the palaces of the
Forbidden City are imperial yellow, while
those in the palaces occupied by princes
of the blood within the imperial city, are
green. None but the imperial family can
use yellow tiles. and none but princes can
dwell under roofs tiled with green Much
of the charcoal. which is comparatively
cheap, Is brought from the forests of ST.
IBERIA on the backs of camels. The use of
charcoal, however. is not always safe, and
deaths by asphyxiation are frequent. A
few days ago the cook at one of the lesa-
lions failed to appear when he was wanted
and upon inquiry being made by his mistress
one Of the house servants informed her
that "he was not very we'll" The delay
continuing. the matter was investigated
and the cook was found to De i'll a state of
Inconsistencies, while the sculiion wits sit
ting near him, dead.
To westerner a Chinese house is far
from comfortable. The brick floors are
very cold; the brick bed. the k'ang which
extends across the entire end OF the sleep
ing apartment, Is as hard the pavement,
which it much resembles, and which the
straw mating placed between this and the
mattress or Walden comforter upon which
the family sleeps does not appreciably
soften. The stove is square hole in the
floor. with pipes running under the kahn,
in which there are holes at either erd to
allow the gas and smoke to escape-whch
IL does-into the room. Charcoal is .he
common fuel. and 1t is used very sparingly,
the fire not being considered safe whole
some until 1t has burned red" In most
OF the houses paper window panes are still
In general use, and the windows so papered
extend the entire width Of a room; they
are protected somewhat by the wide. over
hanging caves, but they break into holes
and hang in rags and tatters in a short
time. The best quality is very tough white
paper made in Corea, of which large guam
titles are imported into China. Glass win
dow panes are slowly coming into use; in
the towns and cities adjacent to the ports
they are quite common, and are to be seen
In country inns where foreigners are occa-
sionally entertained. The entire window is
not glazed with glass, but there will be one
or two large panes in the center, surround
ed with paper. In one wretched place
saw two tiny glass panes in a lower corner
OF the SdSns cOnSplcuOuSly outlined WIN
red cloth. lest they should be overlooked,
There was nothing else in the sash, the
paper having been punched into peeplng
holes by inquisitive fingers torn into
shreds by the wind and rain. Fortunately,
since the window was opposite the ksng,
we did not have to spend the niga- there,
In which event we must have curtaiaei the
window. red bordered panes and all, with
our heavy travelling rugs to exclude the
cold.
DISCOMFORTS OF TRAVEL.
The terrible roads. heavy with sand and
dust and tortuous with stones in dry
weather, bottomless sloughs in the rainy
season. with the absence of anything ap-
preaching comfort I'm the native INNS
makes travel in the interior of China
exceedingly hard. The rooms. which are
really rows OF low, connected houses,
ranged round open court of the usual
gray brick, rooted with gray tile, can be
had separately or in suites of three a
reception and two bedrooms on either side,
with door leading to the stone walk
elevated above the courtyard only from
the reception room. In this apartment the
furniture consists of tall, square table,
one or two long-legged stools. a narrow
form or bench without back, and one