Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-11-17

7, the heart Of China, seven hundred
miles from Shanghai, on the banks OF
tba Hoang-ho or Yellow river. live sew.
%, Families Of Chinese Jews-the sole
remnant Of seventy clans. five thous-
and strong. who came into the celestial
l,rgdom al the time Of Ming-te II, who
relpned about $40 a, d.
These seven families represent what
OF one time was "a power In CHINA
civ of Jews. 50 wealthy and esteemed
th5f AN emperor built a magnificent
synagogue for them and made one Of
tiafp The treasurer Of a great province,
snother "a general IN the imperial army
and honorcd them I'm various other
Vc,ys Then In the golden age Of
Judaism I'm China these Chinese Jews
yTospered 10 SO great an extent that
tbey grew careless in their worship
and neglected the God OF their fathers.
To-day their synagogue is a mass of
minis most of a sold 10 furnish food
for the seven surviving families, and
gbiect poverty reigns among them.
Thor sacred books have been sold.
their religious rites forgotten. thcii
language has become "a mere memory
and their origin one of the mysteries
OF the mysterious Orient
The existence N Chinese Jews has
long been q mystery, for although their
presence and existence have been es-
tablished beyond doubt yet so much
Of their history is speculative that the
most profound scholars ans students
OF Jewish and Oriental history have
been at variance as 20 their origin.
The survivors and those seen and
spoken to during the last two hundred
and nifty years all bore the unmis-
taxable facial imprint OF the jew.
There could be no doubt on that score
Not only that, but they observed most
OF the customs Of their ancestors and
worshiped In the orthodox manner. The
fact of their Hebraic origin and de-
scent has not been IN dispute. but the
why and the wherefore Of their pres
ence In China has caused considerable
controversy among those Interested in
such matters
Some have held that they We're the
lost tribes Of Israel, but this is wild
speculation especially as China was re-
ferred TO only In the Bible when
Isaiah ti9. i2) says "Behold-and these
from the land OF Sinim (Chinl)" At
the time OF Isaiah 40 3 c.. Tiglath
Pileser ILL., a contemporary of JerO-
boam IL, ruled Egypt and the Jews
were even then renowned traders,
whose voyages extended into the far
thest East II the Chinese Jews had
been the lost tribes Chinese history
would IN an probability have referred
10 them and their own history would
have done likewise. Neither Is the
case.
Chinese history asserts that the Jews
came TO china during the reign Of
Ming-te II Of the Han or Tsim dy-
nasty, about 3l9 The history Of the
Jews themselves declares that they
came into China 22i A. ID. from Them
Chuh (CabuD. Their leaders were the
heads OF the Yen, lie, Gae Kaou
Chaou Kin. Chow. shin Hwang. Nee
and Tso families. They brought with
them tribute OF Isl yang pu'-cloth
from the western ocean. This might
serve as q clue as 10 their origin. but
Il Is doubtful as to which ocean Is
meant 1t may be the Indian ocean
the Red sea. the Mediterranean or even
one OF the inland seas OF Asia
In the days Of Ming-te H. China was
the NEST highly civilized nation in the
world and all the world traded with
her Half a dozen caravan roads led
across Asia TO the marts Of China and
The Jews following their occupation Of
traders, travelled over them repeat
rdly. II took 2j0 days 10 travel from
Syria 10 China IL Is probable that
Inc Jewish traders. finding the country
fertile and the people friendly. adj
ylsed their brothers 10 emlgrate. SO
B huge caravan was made up and
seventy clans or families started for
their new home In China. They left
Yew-tae Gudea) I'm 22i A. d. and tray
lied by easy stages across Asia. With
hem went rabbis and learned men,
who carried holy books with the say
ngs OF the prophets. Finally after
year OF wandering. the caravan arrived
II Peen on the Hoang-ho the Kali
ung-fu Of today, situated 70 the south
VI Pekin. No sooner had the caravan
,rrived than the Chinese bestowed q
name upon them-the followers Of the
ellglon which enjoins the extraction
" the slnew-T iau-kin-k This re-
erred 10 the Hebrew custom OF ex-
racting the slnew or nerve Of flesh
ised for food.
For many years, nearly six hundred
he settlement az Kai-funE-fu pros
'ered and gradually Jewish traders
penetrated 10 all parts Of the empire
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