The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-05
CHINA'S WOMAN
 TO BUILD NEW
 FORBIDDEN CITY

TO BUILD NEW
 FORBIDDEN CITY.
 Recent letters from the Orient state that China's imperial court will never | return to the purple forbidden city in Pekin-at least not during the life of the willy Empress oowagnr. Although 1t has | been announced by the venerable lady" that sho would take the son Of heaven back to the palace quarters desecrated by the entrance of the, forces of the l powers, indications point to the possi- hility of K'ai Feng-fu. in the province Of Ho-nan, becoming the capital
 The Empress Dowager is smart; there Is no denying it. First she gave. out that the court woull return to Pekin in September. then several postpone ments were announced. under more or less plausible excuses. What did tt mat flu. and if the foreign ministers at Pekin did not like it they had the alternative of doing the other thing What more did
 But now she had actually started, not, however. by the road which she patron lzed before, for at that time she was Tn somewhat Of hurry, but by the more indirect road through the province of | Honan, and she Is proceeding leisurely. So much so, indeed. that prediction is made that, after she arrives at K'ai Fsng-fu, the balance of her well-spent life will prove insufficient to bring her to the gates of PelNn.
 | Will Build New City.
 For several months past large sums have been spent in K'ai-Feng-fu in erect | ing an extra reproduction of the purple l forbidden city desecrated by the admit tance of barbarians and the different ya- | men of Pekin. These yamen or central offices of the various department are finished and there Is one destined for to these indications of permanent resi- 1 dence a staff of telegraph operators has arrived and some of them admitted be- ing under contract to remain two years | in K'ai-Feng-fu.
 Moreover. barracks have been con- structed for the Husheng army-the glo- rihed ugers-2o000 strong, under the im- mediate command of Yung Lu, one of the leaders in the attack upon the lega- 1 tions. and whose head remains upon his shoulders owing to misplaced leniency, This force is increased to 25,ooo or SO.ooJ drilled Chinese soldiers, who are sup l posed to be willing to stand fire. These, too. have barracks erected just outside the city.
 the colleague of Ii Hung Chang in the recent negotiations, has arrived in K ai- ! Feng-fu, where the prince has bought an expensive residence which he has newly
 From Chinese point of view. the re- l turn of the court to Pekin is an im- possibility. if the dynasty would last. | Legation streets are still a bee hive | in the construction of edifices bearing strong likeness to fortresses The l Germans have a guardhouse upon the city wall. This alone would affect the 1 Feng Shui of the palace. superstition which no Chinaman. not even Wu Ting fang. would dare brave let alone the old woman whose woes are ascribed to | the violation of this air and water spirit 1 The French are putting up church close | to their legation. and their missionaries arc erecting large international hos 1 pital opposite the American quarter. The Methodist Episcopal mission has secured mora extensive grounds along the city wall, not far from the legation.
 1 Carries Away Much Plunder. | When Her Majesty decamped from the capital in August of last year sixty carts 1 We're quito sufficient to carry the per- sonal effects of herself and suite. But when she decided to depart 1t was de- cided that 3,0OO carts would be necessary And to make this procession more im- | posing 1t was thought best to send off l fifty wagons at a time The last fifty carts left Hsian-fu on September IA. The order of march was such that the least important members of the court went in the first carts.
 l On the 30th of September General Ma. protege of the notorious Yung Lu, left K'ai Feng-fu, and escorted 700 covered carts filled with pure Sycee silver. How did the Dowager get it? Well, loyal high provincial authorities contributed their
 
 strong hint; officials dismissed for too l fragrant peculation brought in similar 1 manner their mlsfortunes under Her Matesty's favorable notice. and wealthy land owners aspiring to a high-prized 1 button insinuated their desire by this time-honored method of application. | conservative estimate places the value Of the widows little nest egg under Mas protection at 1C,00G,Goo taels, or about 1 $T. 800, 900.
 In Hsian the people were exceedingly anxious to witness the departure of the unbidden visitors. l. is very doubtful if the court paid anything for its own sup port, but there Is ID doubt whatever 1 that the courtiers and their attendants | paid nothing at all They took whatever | they fancied and woe betidc, the mer- chant who demanded pay. He was very l lucky if he escaped with q goodty mum ber of blows and was not tortured into at all anxious 10 retain the honor of keeping Her Majesty,
 Great Rejoicing in Province.
 There was great rejoicing In Hsian-tu on one of the first days of November. when 1t was announced that the Empress | Dowager and her sublime son, with the court which remained in the city would
 The Feng- shui men had been consult ed and decided not only upon lucky ! day. but also upon the route to be foi- 1 lowed The east gate was the most al,
  that the south gate should be taken there was nothing for 1t but to make the
 Everyone acquainted with China will admit that either the United States or Great Britain could rule the middle kingdom through the court and without any trouble if either government would quietly Pension dozen a,s0,an; Sf the best of China. Let one of them decide that it Is demanded by the Teng-shui that a railroad be built If he be confirm d by will work on that road and not re't until 1t is constructed; and if the combination of soothsayers should declare 1t to be necessary that the Dowager herself should work an hour each day on the , road in order to propiti4te the Feng-Shut you might see the old lady shoveling dirt for dear life. Such Is China. An appropriation of $5OO0OO year would accomplish it!
 To make up for the unceremonious haste which characterized her arrival, Old Buddha as she is known among