The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-05
DIcal Palaces Occupied by the
Foreign Representatives.
Queer Customs of Succession to the
Dragon ThrOne-HOnses of the En-
Things That Helped in the De-
fence of the Ministers Residences.

| for the succession the one who would
make the best Emperor and give his peo-
| pie the wisest and most peaceful rule.
/ Should the Emperor die without making
| any selection the princes of the family,
| being the brothers or uncles of the En-
| peror just deceased, meet and from the
| generation succeeding that of the late En-
| peror. select some one of the family to
| occupy the throne. For those members of
| the family who are not so fortunate as to
| be selected for the succession great ducai
palaces are selected for royal residences.
The Forbidden City, in the heart of the
city of Pekin, is the residence of the EN-
peror himself. and to this city is brought
the member OF the family who is selected
as the heir apparent. But outside of the
Forbidden City, Peldn is dotted with the
great parks or compounds 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.
The Chinese have always been opposed
to any hereditary nobility. and while
these ducal palaces are assigned as i'm
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 descendants lose
one degree in ram. with each generation
until the third, been reduced to the level
of the common people. the palaces shall
revert to the crown for reassignment to
sons of the then reigning 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 their
grandchildren in succession after them;
then the palaces are vacated and reas-
signed to princes of the reigning 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
descent. 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
Offices seeking the humbIest employment:
others are the scribes and teachers. and
even servants may be found wearing the
yellow girdle.
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 Tlentsin to Pekin, the line of
travel was up the river TO Tung Chow, and
thence into the capital through the eastern
one of the the southern gates of the city,
Entering Pellin through this gate, the For
hidden 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 toward the palaces 1t so
happened that this street had been for
centuries the quarter in which lodged the
ENJOYS from the tribute-payng neighbors
of the Chinese Empire. Koreans MoBgois,
Tibetans. and Indo- Chinese. and the street
which is known among the foreigners as
Legation Street is called by the Chinese
the Street of Tributary Nations. The fact
that the foreigners established themselves
in this quarter has In a large measure
Influenced the Chinese in their treatment
of them, and while mistake was made in
this respect. still the early Ambassadors
chose wisely in selecting for their resi-
oences the handsomest of the then unoccu-
pied palaces belonging to the Crown.
The English selected a large palace
which lay along the west side OF a canal
that drains the lakes within the Forbidden
City and lies Just north OF Legation Street.
The quaintness and Oriental magnifcence
of these ducal palaces have been largely
preserved by the legations that have oc-
cupied them. The massive entrances stand
unchanged; the open pavilions with their
lacquered pillars and rich carvings are
used as ball rooms. The courts and ar
bors and walks with their rookeries and
terraces still stand; but the details of the
dwelling houses have been changed to suit
the requirements of modern comfort, and
there is little comparison between the
severely simple furnishings Of the former
Chinese occupants aad the luxuriously fur
nished salons of the modern Ambassadors.
Glass windows and tight doors have re-
placed the old Chinese fretwork and paper I
windows. while chlmneys have been built !
in every available corner The winters in
Pekin are cold, and where the Chinese find
comfort in wearing additional suits Of
clothes. the white man insists on his fires
TO keep warm, and the many chimneys
built in these old palaces have so disturbed |
the spirits of their former occupants tina. !
they have caused more disc Ission than az |
fairs Of state
The heavy walls which surround these !
legations have proved effective means of !
defence. while the Chinese method OF
building houses up against one another |
and their numerous alleys and courts and |
narrow passages ans their many back |
gates offer facilities for secret communi |
cation that can be found in ether city |
in the world. The British Legation. in |
which a small band of marines has been |
able &c defy Chinese mobs numbering tens |
OF thousands. is adjoned on both the north |
and south by the compounds Of friendly |
Chinese. At the northwest corner were |
the imperial carriage yards; on the west |
were still other enclosures of friendly Chi
nese. while the stable gates at the south
west corner of the legation opened into Il |
large Chinese market. The walls around
the legation. almost three feet thick, have
been cut through into the compounds of
the friendly Chinese. and through them
and from the Chinese market 1t was an
easy matter to smuggle supplies and pro-
mobs around them. These legations are.
in fact, little cities within themselves.
The English Legation has on its premises
no less than eight or ten different walls
and covers an area of about six acres.
There are separate establishments for the
Minister and for the First and Second Sec
retaries of Legation, extensive quarters
and barracks for consular students and
military escorts, private stables for the
Minister and general stables for others of
The legation a doctors house and hos
pital. parsonage and a chapel. a school
and homes for teachers, besides extensive
quarters for servants.
The other legations, except the Amer
lean. are maintained on the same general
plan. though none of them on so elaborate
a scale as that maintained by the English.
The American Legation occupies the most
humble quarters of any foreign mission. On
4 sNa..nt f ha