Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1900-06-28
The City Of Pekin.

! Iehln, the CaplIAI ana metropolis OF
China, says the New York Press, is
one of the most ancient cities on the
globe. Practically il is in the same
condition now as it was hundreds of
years ago, no progress having been
made by the Chinese either in modern
izing the.city or developing it as A
trade center The same o!d.style
houses and the same old streets, badly
laid out and wretchedly paved, bear
silent witness to the backwardness OF
the Chinese nation.
While other cities in the Far East
have taken steps to keep pace with
the times, Pekin has lain dormant
No foreign capital has been permitted
within its walls, and no suggestions for
the amelioration of It's condition have
been accepted. Lying within the great
walls that encompass it, it has slept
for years. while the rest of the world
has been taking gigantic strides to keep
up with the march Of progress DnI
civilization.
Pekin is divided into two great
cities-,he northern part being known
as the Tartar city and the southern as
the Chinese city. The former has an
area of - square miles and the latter
an area of about Is square miles. The
Tartar city is surrounded by wall
| 90 feet high, 80 feet thick at the base
and 10 feet at the top, and the Chinese
city is encrcled by a wall 80 feet high,
% feet thick at the base and - feet
at the top. Outside these walls the
suburbs include, with the cities, M
area OF nearly % miles in circumfer.
ence. Within the Tartar city lies the
Imperial or Yellow city, which in turn
contains the Purple or Forbidden city,
encircling the Emperors palace.
With population Of nearly l,5O0,-
600 and growing fast Pekin has plod-
ded along on the same old antiquated
lines for centuries. 1t has not even
made provisions for sanitation, so nec-
essary to the health and welfare OF a
large community, and the conditions
as they exist today are unusuallyhlthy.
Standing on an extremely sandy PLAIN,
it has no water supply, and what WA
ter it does get is never pure. Through
many of its streets 1t would be impos-
sible to drive a vehicle, and after
nightlall progress is difficult even for
pedestrians, the thoroughiares being
lit only by lanterns swung from the
doors of houses.
In dry weather it's streets are GOV.
cred with dust, and in rainy weather
they are knee deep in mud. The
houses are Of brick. usually one story.
and are rooted with tiles. All the
necessaries Of life are exceedingly dear
and the great majority Of the iDhabi-
tants are miserably poor. Its manu-
factures are trAing and the trade Of
the city is confined principally to sup
plying the wants Of its citizens.
Pekin is essentially domestic city
in that it has no foreign quarter, ~
have nearly all Of the larger cities Of
the world. Its foreign element consists
mostly Of members Of legations, mis-
sionaries and few merchants. The
houses Of foreigners are nearly oil IN
Legation street, one Of the city = prin-
cipal thoroughfares, and they are built
some distance from each other. II il
said that this portion Of Pekin is the
cleanest part Of the great city.
Whatever else is permitted TO decay
and 20 to waste in Pekin, the walls
surrounding the city are kept in good
repair. They were built, tradition
has it, to keep out invaders, and to this
day the inhabitants believe that be-
hind these massive piles Of brick and
stone they are safe from any enemy
which may want to attack them.