The suburban citizen., 1900-07-21
THE METROPOLIS OF CHINA
An Ancient City That is Nest of Ig
norRnce.


Pekin, the capital and metropolis OF
China, says the New York Press, is
one of the most ancient cities ON the
globe. Practically Ii 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 centre. The same old.style
houses and the same old streets, bad
ly 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 its condition
have been accepted. Lying within the
great walls that encompass 1t, 1t has
slept for years, while the rest of the
world has been taking gigantic strides
to keep up with the march Of progress
and civilization.
Pekin is divided into two great cit
ies-the nothern part being known as
the Tartar City, and the southern as
the Chinese City. The former has an
area Of twelve square miles and the
latter an area Of about fifteen square
miles. The Tartar City is surrounded
by a wall sixty feet high, fifty feet
thick at the base and forty feet at the
top, and the Chinese City Is encircled
by a wall thirty feet high, twenty-five
feet thick at the base and twelve feet
at the top. Outside these walls the
suburbs include, with the cities, an
area Of nearly twenty-five miles in cir.
cumference. Within the Tartar City
lies the Imperial or Yellow City, which
in turn contains the Purple or Forbid.
den City, encircling the Emperor's
palace.
With a population of nearly 1900.
900 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 nee.
essary to the health and welfare Of
a large community, and the conditions
as they exist to-day are unusually
filthy. Standing on an unusually
sandy plain, it has no water supply,
and what water it does get is never
pure. Through many of its streets II
would be impossible to drive a vehicle,
and after nightfall progress is difficult
even for pedestrians, the thorough
fares being lit only by lanterns swung
from the doors of houses.
In dry weather its 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 neces.
saries of life are exceedingly dear, and
the great majority of the inhabitants
are miserably poor. It's manufactures
are trihing and the trade Of the city
is confined principally to supplying
the wants Of its citizens.
PelSin is essentially a domestic city
in that it has no foreign quarters, as
have nearly all of the larger cities of
the world. Its foreign element con-
sists mostly of members Of legations,
missionaries and n few merchants.
The houses of foreigners are nearly
adj In Legation street. one Of the city's
principal thoroughfares, and they are
built some distance from each other.
1t is said that this portion of Pekln is
the cleanest part OF the great city.
Whatever else is permitted to decay
and go 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 might want to attack them.
On the outer faces Of these walls at
intervals OF sixty feet are built square
buttresses and on top of these there
are guardhouses occupied by troops.
Sixteen gates, each surmOunted, by
tall tower, lead into the city. These
towers are built ins tiers or galleries,
and are provided with many lOopholes
from which fire can be directed toward
my quarter.