Evening star., 1900-09-29

the commissions after giving the empress
the lions share.
/ have heard of Pi Tsiau Ii getting a
hundred thousand dollars for sng,c office,
and when he died only a few months ago,
1t is said that his estate amounted TO
thirty-eght million tae.s, or more than
thirty million dollars in gold. A pretty
good fortune for & shoemakers son!
Grew Rich From rribes.
Soon after Pi Tsiau Ii was taken into the
palace his father was given government
position. and all Of his relatives got PAGES.
This took bribes from all classes. lie
had a wonderful memory for those who
sent him presents. and it became the
fashion with every one who wished any
thing OF the government TO send a present
TO Pi Ts.au Ii in order that ne might not
be forgotten.
When this eunuch died he had about ten
million dollars in portable securities, while
his landed estates spread over three prov
irCes Chihli, ShanSi end Honan. He
owned wh0.e streets Cf houses II Pekin as
well real estate IN other cities. He was
a lover Of the fine arts. and he had
bronze which cost him abOut a hundred
thousand dollars 1t was an urn. five feet
high. Another bronze vessel. made it is
said, about 2HoD =. g. was seven feet high.
1t cost enormous sum.
Pi Tsiau Ii not only accepted bribes for
the securing OF Offices. but he sod pardons
as well. one official paid him $4,000 to be
freed from arrest. This was Ching kuan.
a member of the board OF revenue al
Pekin. who had deficiency of more than
half a million dollars in his accounts.
The Wealth of the Empress Dowager
The empress is very rich and she prob
ably has some millions of dollars worth Of
diamonds and pearls sewed into her clothes
She had vast amount Of silver and gold
in the palace, but whether this has been.
b1Iri ipl il III he
ported. She deals in millions. just about
the time of the Chinese-Jananese war ner
sixtieth birthday occurred. 1t was planned
that the celebration on that occasion should
cost about So HN ,Gist. The Cd woman had
already received great part Of this at the
time the war broke out, but she rcmitted
another part in order that X might be de-
voted to the expenses of the war.
The empress dowager's latest extravaganza
has been on her tomb She has planned a
nausoleum which with its surroundings
is to cost something like sl00DIuo. Many
Of the Chinese officials considered this an
extravaganza. but they did not dare to
object she has also been collecting funds
for the restora ton Of the summer palace
and undoubtedly has great treasures stored
up somewhere.
At the same time the old lady under
stands how TO play to the galleries. Not
long ago when there was a famine in one
part Of her empire she had ii published in
the Pekin Gazette that she could not bear
were starving. and that she had cut off
her allowance of fresh pork for week
Some Imperial PerGuisites
The imperial perquisites come from many
sources. Every industry in China has an
imperial branch or factory. Here you find
| the most skilled of Chinese workmen, who
are supposed TO labor only for the en-
| peror and his court. Porcelain is made
| by the thousands of plates. Tea cups are
turned out in vast quantities and there are
| thousands of magnificent jars urns and
vases AT Nanking J visited the imperial
| looms where the finest of velvets and silks
| are made, and in other cities have seen
! imperial factories for em5roderies and
| laccs. All these are supposed to be run
exclusively at the exnense CT the govern
ment. and it is against the law for the
managers of the factories TO sell the impe-
rial ware. The managers. however, make
double the amount of the orders sent them
They store the surplus. and after their
| term of Office Is over surreptitiously sell It,
l heard today of one man who was re-
Gently the head of the imperial porcelain
| works further up the Yangtse who has
$4,000 worth of China hidden in his own
| house and in the houses of his friends
Nothing could be sent TO the empress dow
ager except pieces absolutely perfect so
when one thousand pieces were ordered he
made five thousand pieces, for fear four
/ thousand might turn out bad. While he
was making five thousand he thought he
might as well make ten thousand. and so
! the empress for the one thousand pieces
| she received paid the cost Of the ten thou
sand Out of the sale OF the remaining
| nine thousand the official was able to give
away enough to keep himself solid with
! the powers that were. and to sell enough
| 10 make his family rich thereafter You
| find much Of this imperial china scattered