Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-06-13
eIInpsEs OF TIE oREEST.
]. E. Nisslsy Writes interestingly Of
China.


For the Reflector.
HoNG Kong, May l0.-A great
many things in China are intensely
interesting, amusing and Otherwise
mostly otherwise; and confess that
after one weeks visit with Mr.. John
Chinaman ! am quite ready to leave
We have not ventured into the In.
terror, therefore what say will be
confined to the two principal ports Of
the Shanghai and Hong
Kong
Shanghai is on a small river, the
Woosung, about IA miles from its
confluence with the Yangtse Kiang
river. The Hong Kong Maru Jour
steamer) anchored about IA miles
from Shanghai and delivered us with
one Of the company's launches, .being
a ride OF y hours.
Shanghai is known for the distinct.
lively foreign settlement and her ma
tive or walled city. We visited both.
In foreign Shanghai you get the i'm
preston Of being in quite a modern.
lied city, large buildings, wide
streets, horses and carriages and
many other evidences Of goth century
progressiveness. In the walled city
are small, dingy, dirty buildings,
narrow streets averaging probably s
to 10 feet in width; no sewerage,
filthy, ragged, iorlorn looking, almost
naked people, fakirs, storytellers,
jugglers, peddlers, beggars, all sorts
Of humanity.
We were told that to see old Shang-
hal is practically to see China 1000
miles inland. Whether that is fact
or not our curiosity is satisfied SO far
as real typical Chinese life is con-
cerned.
At 8 o'clock on the morning Of the
9TH Zone day ahead Of our schedule)
our Chinese porter boy raped on the
door and said, 400 minutes be in
Hong Kong" Hurriedly we got up
and out on deck to catch the first
glimpse OF the entrance to this i'm.
portant harbor Heavy clouds capped
the mountains on our left, struggling
sanpans leisurely skim along over the
calm waters Of the bay; thousands Of
masts and spars lowered heavenward
as far as the eye could see; Cinnamon
from out Of the Asiatic Storage quar-
tiers OF our boat came on deck by the
hundreds to once again look upon
their beloved native shores; such were
the surroundings for our introduction
to this far Eastern metropolis at such |
an early hour and with perspiring
sense Of having woke up in the tropics.
Hong Kong has population Of
100000 Of which number a goodly
portion are floating, that is on the
water. lam told that many families
are born, live and die right on the
water, having as their only place Of
abode the little sanpon (boat) proba-
bly, 10 feet long and feet wide. On
one OF these boats we saw grand
mother, a mother and father, five
children ranging in age from 8
months to 10 or u years, a cat and a
brood OF chicks that we're 6 or 5 days
old. This have no doubt is q sam.
pie OF thousands Of others. For a
livelihood they transport freight and
passengers from shore to shore and
boat TO boat and fish at odd spells
their odd spells being many and Of
long duration.
In alll our travels thus far Hong
Kong has the least horses OF any
place we have yet visited. During
the first day | failed to see one, but
since then several ponies and inferior
horses have come to our notice.
Hong Kong has no street cars,
jinrickshas and sedan chairs being
used. There are two reasons for this
One Is the convenience Of
the hills in sedan chairs
and the other the economy Of dis.
pensing with the luxury Of horses
and electric cars. 1t costs $500 Q
month to keep a horse, besides, you
need driver, . place to keep him
and q considerable investment, es-
pecially II 1t be a well bred animal.
A coolie can be hired for from $500
to $500 per month and boards him
self. No investment, no care, and
always at your service. All labor Is
cheap and it is the
ovnantion mt q rule IN havp all