Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-03-22


Flowers, the Street of Ten THOUSAND
Happinesses. Others are more simply
dubbed: Old Clothes street, Physic
street, New Green Pea street. Only
eight or nine feet in width, paved. but
lacking sidewalks, and impossible for
wagons or carriages, these tiny alleys
glow with color, TEEN with busy life,
and to the eyes of a foreign devil offer
innumerable novelties.
The fragility and the insignificance
of most Cantonese buildings make it
difficult to realize that the city dates
back two centuries before the Christian
era. 1t has, to be sure. many times
been almost destroyed by fire, but the
surrounding wall and several of the
pagodas are known to be very old
To all streets in the shop district a
festal air is given by colored signboards
decorated with golden characters.
which, on projecting iron bars. hang
lengthwise. To their somewhat be-
wildering blaze are added the blue of
cotton clothes worn by a hustling,
""SN''i> NipNu, lue NdGltu HutS pI SILKS
in which mandarins are clad, and the
gay banners, flags, lanterns and UNI
brellas held aloft in the procession al
ways escorting the sedan chairs of their
| eXcellencies. These streets, the most
characteristic and interesting in the
city, are lined by two-story buildings.
supporting on their roofs a lattice work
of bamboo poles, on which rest mats
capable of being pushed back and forth
as the weather suggests. Atnight slid
| ing shutters furnish protection, but
while daylight lasts the entire front Of
these doorless, windowless shops is
thrown open. This arrangement adds
gayety to the thoroughfares, and
shops destinations are often doubled by
its having beyond the counter an open
division where the article sold is man
ufactured, In full view men are cary
ing wood, painting fans or lanterns,
weaving on hand looms, working in
metals, embroidering, all of which Is
done with marvelously little elbow
room, the Chinese being remarkable
for their ability to work and live In
very small space.
One does not find all these industries
grouped together. Entire streets are de-
voted to the manufacture and sale OF
a special article There are silk streets,
embroidery streets, fan STREETS, carved
ivory streets. shoe streets, where can
be found all kinds Of foot coverings,
20 NYi nU
sandal to the tiny embroidered shoes
with painted heels destined for golden
lilies, as the compressed feet are called.
There are streets all glowing green
With jade. The prettiest OF all are the
lantern streets. In addition to the
great variety of lanterns used In every
day life by the Chinese, vast numbers
are made for particular occasions and
| festivals. these are sometimes hung
not only beside the shop, but also from
the bamboo trellis work extending
across the street. Besides all the fan
cifully painted lanterns OF continental
shapes there is a gay confusion of
flowers, fruits, birds, insects, dragons,
fishes, which combine to make a very
fair imitation OF fairyand SO beauti-
fully made are these lanterns and so
absurdly cheap are they, that 1t re-
quires self-control to refrain from buy
ing them by the hundreds.
One does not soon tire OF the shops.
but many other things in these streets
attract ones attention. There are the
wise men, or fortune-tellers with their
assisting trained birds seated on the
corners; the itinerant restaurants con-
tanning such a variety Of queer eata-
bles the clever prestldlgitators ready
to squat down and for little cash to
perform wonders; tho migratory dent
list. wearing as "A necklace a string OF
teeth; the barber whose home Is a seat
on his box. ana who, after shaving a
customer, brushing out and plating his
pigtail proceeds In the name OF mas
sage, numerically TO punch and pound
him, winding up the performance by
vigorously driving into his victims
ears a long ivory instrument which an
innocent foreign devil almost expects
to see emerge through tne opposite ORR
htt, Nut ulOHes CHANGERS VINO Slt De-
hind tables to which their strings OF
cash are chained and the members and
vendors of all kinds OF things, who
walk about with trays containing tools
or goods, as the case may be, slung on
their shoulders.
Then there are the professions, such
as funerals, all white scarfs and bowls:
weddings all ablaze with scarlet and a
crackle Of exploding firecrackers: Joss
pidgln professions with their roast
pigs. baskets OF artificial flowers. I'M
earthly so-calied music, and the usual
flags, banners and umbrellas. All these.
as well as the long trains which accom-
pany mandarlns' chairs, belong to
everyday life: but a great many days
during the year have their own special
professions, such, for instance, as the
fisherman's, characterized by its Ian
terms resembling fish; Paak-ta's, dis
tinguished by stuffed birds borne aloft
on poles and trays containing wax
figures representing historical scenes;
the procession in which red Rianta ana