, 1900-10-10
THE PRIDE OF CHINA.
NANklNO.THE SEAT OF ANCIENT
DYNASTY.
A City Which Embodles the Traditions
OF Chinese Supremacy Over Tartars
and Their Hope for Future Iudepend-
ence.

One Of the most interesting cities in
China Is Marking. the ancient capital
OF the empire before the time of the
present Manchu dynasty. While Pc
kin In the pride of Manchu, Marking
Is the chief center of attraction for
the Chinese. The Cinnamon form
70 per cent of the teeming millions OF
the empire, and are held down by only
Zo,O00. 900 Manchus. Marking. for the
Chinaman. Is the great Past. 1t en-
bodies the glorious traditions Of Chi
nese supremacy owe the Tartars. 1t
Is also the Future. Around it hovers
chinese hope for independence from
Manchu oppression. 1t is the literary
and commercial capital of the empire.
Marking is the Yangtse-Kiang Valley.
and the Yangtse-Kiang Valley is
China. Marking under different
names has been sacked and burned
over and over again, only to rise. like
the Phoenix, from its ashes, more ac-
tive and more beautiful.
The first Emperor of the Ming
eA ny nasty, Il buuuulSl DTltSl,
inc the son of a Chinese laboring
man, Choo Yuen Chang, chose Nan
King for the seat of his imperial court
(l36S-99 A. d.. He gave Marking the
honorifc name of Ying-Keen. His sec
ond successor deserted Marking for
Pekin. The Manchu rulers have fur
Their lowered the city to the official
name of Kiang-Ming, but the popular
fancy still calls the city of Marking or
the southern capital. A few years ago
Marking wrenched the imperial crown
once more from Pekin and held it for
twelve years. Hung Seu Tseuen, q
convert to Professionalism, echoing the
popular cry for reform and Selling on
the universal longing for the return
Of a Chinese dynasty, proclaimed him
self as sent by heaven to drive out the
Tartars and restore in his own person
the succession Of China. OF the nine
teen provinces Of China thirteen rec
ognized the sway of Marking. But the
lmperialists, led by Chinese Gordon,
captured Marking in July, 1864. The
king persisted in the flames with his
household; his followers were scat
tered all over the country, and the
magnificent palaces Of the city were
reduced to ashes; what ruins have es-
capped the flames stand still unrepair-
ed, for the most part, as a warning
against rebellion.
Marking has a population of 10000
inhabitants. 1t is a treaty port in
virtue Of a treaty made with France in
1858, in which England participated
under the most favored nation
clause, but the slow-going Chinese
have not had time to open it until the
present. The chief products Of Nam
king are satin, crepe. nankeen cloth,
paper, pottery. and artificial flowers.
1t has also been one Of the best arse
nails Of China, superintendent by Eu-
ropeans. where and warships
Of the latest types are made. On the
hills near Marking coal, plumbago,
iron ore and marble are found. The
city is surrounded by a wall ninety
six II (~thirty-tWo miles) in circumfer-
ence. The section Of the Marking city
wall on the inside is larger than the
great wall Of China. 1t is about fifty
to 100 feet high, and about the same in
thickness (the gateways being 200 to
300 feet thick, and about 100 feet
high. 1t is built of large bricks and
is kept In good repair. A second wall
existed, encircling the north, east and
south sides of the city proper, forming
the inner city, nominally inhabited by
the Manchu garrison only. The Chi
nese cities are supposed to lie four
square, but the walls show deliberate
curves and irregularities eXacted by
the superstitious laws OF Tung-Shui.
The gates are never opposite one an
other, a preventive from evil winds
and spirits making a dash through the
city and carrying everything in their
destructive currents. 1t Is hard to
decide the mooted question whether
Marking Is not the ilthiest city in the
empire, for every other city in China
is Jealous of its pre-eminence in Of
fensiveness to the senses. The Of
fcials entrusted with public sanitation
look upon their office as a lucrative
and exclusive monopoly. They de-
fend their forbidden ground inch by
inch against the intrusion of citizens
upon their prerogatives, and will not
allow any encroachment of private mi
tiative on the premises Of their of
flee.