The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-26
LEGATION LIFE IN CHINA.
HOW A FEW SIARINEs COULD KEEP
BACK THOUSANDS.

queer HhF'SSSASAA ~
the Dragon Throne--NO Nobility
After Third GeneraaiOn-Ihe DucaI
Palaces, Taken by the Foreigners
For Their Legations, Towns in
Them SeIves-How Marines Defend
ed Lives Of Ministers.
The succession TO the Dragon Throne
of China is hereditary, but 1t docs not,
however descend 20 any particular son
Of the rc.gulns Emperor. The choice
usually fails on the oldest son, but the
Emperor is supposed to carefully watch
and judge the abilities OF his different
sons and choose for the succession that
one which would make The best Emperor
and give his people the wisest and most
peaceful rule Should the family. how
ever, ole without making any selection,
the princes Of the family, being the
brothers or uncles of the Emperor just
deceased, meet together. and. from the
generation succeeding that Of the late
Emperor, select some one Of the family
20 occupy the throne. For those members
OF the family who are not so fortunate
az TO be selected for the succession great
ducal palaces are selected. and assigned
10 them for royal residences. The for
hidden city in the heart of the city of
Pekin. is of course, the residence of the
Emperor himself, and to this city is
brought the member of the family who is
selected the heir apparent. But out
side of the forbidden city Pekin is dotted
with the great park or compound that
surround these royal ducal palaces. The
grounds usually range from two to five
acres In area. and are surrounded by high
brick walls of great strength, cutting them
of completely from the sound and smells
Of the city outside.
No Hereditary Nobility.
The Chinese have always been opposed
to any hereditary nobility, and while
these ducal palaces are assigned i'm
pertal residences to sons of the reigniug
monarch, it is always with the provision
that when the family OF the occupant
has, by the operation Of Chinese law
(Which provides that imperial descen dants
lose one degree in rank with each genera
ton until the third, been re-
duced to che level of the common people,
the palaces then revert to the crown for
reassignment to sons of the then reign
ing monarch. 1t is on account of this
peculiar law that the palaces
of Pekin are occupied by an
ever changing population, first princes
of the blood, then their children
and grandchildren in succession after
them, then the vacation of the palace and
its reassignment again to the princes of
the reignlnR family.
The fourth generation from the royal
family have no official title or rank, still
all persons of royal descent. to the re-
hottest generation, are allowed to wear the
yellow girdle indicative of their royal de-
scent. These yellow girdle men, or Huang
Dallas, are one of the features of Pekin.
Many Of them have inherited wealth from
their royal ancestors, and are prominent
men in their community. But others have
Jared differently with fortune Some hang
around the imperial officers seeking the
humblest employment; others are the
ecribes and teachers, and even domestic
servants may be found wearing the yellow
girdle.
Ducnl Palaces for Our ENJOYS.
The treaty which closed the French and
English war in 1860 first granted to the
Powers the right to maintain their en-
bassies In the Chinese Capital In the
early days, before the building OF the rail-
road from Tien Tsin to Pekin, the line
of travel was UP the river to Tung Chow,
and thence into tine capital through the
east one of the southern gates of the city.
Entering Pekin through this gate. the
Forbidden City, with its imperial palaces,
lay TO the west and it was but natural
that the first ENJOYS should turn up the
first street leading towards the palaces
1t so happend that this street had been for
centuries the quarter in which lodged the
envoys from the tribute-paying neighbors
OF the Chinese empire, Coreans, Mongols
Ttbetans and Indo-Chinese. and the street
which is known among the foreigners as
Legation street is called by the Chinese
ct If tr.h,
that the foreigners established themselves
In this quarter has in large measure In
huenced the Chinese in their treatment OF
them, ana while a mistake was made in
this respect. still the early ambassadors
chose wisely in selecting for their resi-
dences the handsomest of the then unoc-
eupisd pa faces belonging to the crown.
The Fine English Legation.
The English selected a large palace
which lay along the west side of a canal
that drains the lakes within the Forbid
den City and lies just north of Legation
street. The quaintness and oriental mag
nihcence of these ducal palaces has been
largely preserved by the legations that
have occupied them. The massive en-
frances stand unchanged; the open pavil-
ions with their lacquered pillars and rich
carvings are used as bathrooms The
courts and arbOrs and walks, with their
rockeries and terraces, still stand; but the
details OF the dwelling houses have been
changed to suit the requirements of mod
ern comfort, and there is little comparison
between the severely simple furnishings
OF the former Chinese occupants and the
luxuriously furnished salons of the mod
ern ambassadors. Glass windows ard tight
doors have replaced the old Chinese fret
work and paper windows, while chimneys
nave been built in every available cor
ner, The winters in Peldn are cold and
where the Chinese find comfort in wearing
additional suits of clothes the white man
insists on his fires to keep him warm. and
the many chimneys built in these old
palaces have so disturbed the spirits OF
their former occupants that they have
caused more discussion than affairs of
state.
How Legations Were Defended.
The heavy walls VIII Ell surround these
legations have proved effective means of
defense, while the Chinese method of
building houses up against each other and
their numerous alleys and courts and
marrow passages, and their many back
gates offer such facilities for under
ground" communications as can be found
in no other city ia the world. The British
legation In which such a small band Of
marines has been able TO defy Chinese
h"rdes numbering tens of thousands, is
BdJulncd on bO n the north and south nv