The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-09
The Globes ltfome Study Course

his harcm and royal relatives; the Chi
neseh holy of holes, into which no foreign
devil is allowed to enter on any pretext.
The imperial city is about two and one
fourth miles around and is occupied by
the royal palace and other fine buildings
From this distance it looks like bit of
fairy land, chapter from the Arabian
Nights. Its palaces appear EMPOWERED in
trees through whose abundant foliage
the yellow porcelain tiles of the roofs
CLEAN like gold
The outer city, on the wall of which we
are standing, is called the imperial or
Tartar city. Within are barracks for
troops, government buildings, temples
gardens, small lake and many private
residences of the wealthy. These latter
were originally all Tartars or Manchus
for they were the ancient conquerors of
the country and have been for centuries
the hereditary aristocracy But during
the go years of their supremacy many of
the wealthy Chinese have succeeded in
gradually insinuating themselves within
the charmed circle of yellow exclusive
ness and now have their residences also
in the Tartar city.
Here, too, the view gives no hint of
fifth and squalor. Trees and gardens
seem to be everywhere and if we leave
Pekin without taking any nearer view we
should denounce all the reports of the
city's nastiness as base ISLANDERS. The
fact IS that this is city of extremes
and it is perfectly possible for the most
conscientious observers to contradict each
other fatty if they happen to have made
observations from different points of
view
But what we have seen so far is less
than half of Pelkin. Look now to the
south and see another city adjoining the
. "a yta oil hI1t Iar
real Chinese city, the city of the con-
quered. and of course it has a lower wall,
and the three gates connecting the two
cities are strong and closely guarded.
1. covers an area of fifteen square miles,
partly occupied by shops and inferior
dwellings,, besides many tracts of unoc-
cupied land, some of them under cultiva-
ton.
The circuit of the whole combined Chi
nese Tartar city is about twenty-four
miles, and the top of the walls afford a
fine promenade with charming views in
all directions, a promenade of which the
inhabitants themselves make no use But
if they had any ambition to come up out
of their dusty streets and filthy novels,
they might from here overlook beauti-
full outside landscape stretching away to
the mountains and the great wall on the
north and west, including the hunting
forests of the emperor, and innumerable
temples. gardens and summer residences.
But the point which interests us most,
which holds the eye of every European
or American visitor, is that green tiled
roof which is barely visible among the
trees over there, a. little southeast of the
wall of the imperial city. Many of the
porcelain tiles are knocked off, and alto
gether it seems to be in rather poor re-
pair. That is all right. Every white
mans eye regards that ragged roof with
pride, for that is the roof of the British
legation, where about 800 Caucasian men
defended their wives and children and
thousands of native Christians for nearly
two months against the utmost efforts
of the Mongol to destroy them. 1t stands
as one more proud monument to race
of men who never turn back.
So much for the general view of Pekin.
Now let us descend into the enchanted
city of bowers and palaces. and see if
any worm turks beneath the leaf.
Copyright, 1909