Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-03-29
AQUATIC LIFE AT CANTON. CHINA
Pearl River and Its Picturesque
Boats.

The Pearl river, crowded with boats
OF many different shapes and sizes,
some stationary, others moving. is
highly picturesque Most conspicuous
are the great Enthusiastically carved and
painted junks, with high stern and big
eyes staring on the bow, for, as the
Chinese express it in pidgin English:
Suppose no got eye, how can see?
Suppose no can see. how can walkee ?"
Very snowy, too, are the mandarins
houseboats of dark vanished wood
made gay by floating flags and dang
ling lanterns; the joss pidgin boats car
rying decorated affairs and long-robed
attendant priests, their banners and
lanterns always suitable in color to the
special service held. On day when
prayers for the dead are recited, these
are blue and white, but if some joss
pidgin, to insure the happiness of a
newly married pair, is performed, all
are scarlet. On the famous flower boats,
or floating restaurants, through the
cabins wide doors, one catches as they
pass a glimpse of deliberately embrold-
cred hangings, and beautifuliy-dr dressed,
paint-bedaubed sing-song girls, trained
entertainers, who, together with the
boat, are hired for the day or evening
In addition to these restaurants the
river boasts OF plenty of hotels, which
however, Always remain anchored
These are very necessary, for if travel
ers arrive at night after O'Clock, when
the city gates are closed, they are not
allowed to enter. Vast numbers of odd
looking craft bring natives from the in
terror to China's Paris, for, as canals
closely intersect the whole country,
while all roads are atrocious. little
travelling on land is done. Noticeable
among this class are fast slipper boats,
and others with immense copper-col-
ored sails, looking when outspread like
the wings of some gigantic butterfly.
And from time to time shoots rapidly
va long, narrow, sharp-bowed revenue
carrying on eitner side a row of shields
painted with tigers heads, floating a
yellow-dragon flag, and rowed by 80
men. Fishing boats of many different
kinds, also pass, and duck-boats, on
which big outstanding platforms house
at night the quacking cargo.
Then crowding both sides of the
river, as well as all adjacent creeks,
are boats on which thousands Of the
poorer classes spend their lives. These
remaining permanently moored, form
regular sheets; and 1t is easy to step
from the high platform on the stern OF
one boat to that OF its next door neigh
Dor. The occupants Of these aquatic
homes argue that boat, while cheaper
10 build than a house, Is quite as COM
Portable. pays no ground rent, and run;
less risk of being burned or robbed
Many, indeed. most Of them, contain
three generations OF a family, and the
toilets of all. as well as various Other
domestic operations, are publicly per-
formed.
It rather astonishes one to find thai
among these very poor people, not onl,
do the men hire barber, but all tn'
women as well employ bair-dresser
However, although this nair-dressine
IS job occupying fully one hour and
half, the artist only demands lev
cents in return for her services, AM
the elaborate hirsute construction WI
carly called a teapot when finished AM
coated with a vegetable gum, lasts
week or more. Then the chow-chow q
these people, at least as regards guam
tity and variety, seems really rattle
luxurious. Each person has prlVat
howl containing rice, and Ii the eente