The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-11-19
Chinese AIillIonaire's Home.

IL was my fortune 20 cali on one OF
the richest men in China, g merchant
prince OF Foo Chow. Mr.. Loen or.
dered tiny cup Of tea for us without
delay, and after that was disposed of
showed az over his establishment,
Next to the reception room was his
bedroom, which was largely occupied
by q huge bed, beside which the four
poster Of our grandmothers would have
looked Insignificant. Elaborately
carved and inlaid with ivory, the bed
is little room in itself. Outside the
bed proper is an ante-room, big enough
to hold small table and chair, but ell
inolosed within the bedstead. Then
you come to the couch, wide enough
to hold four people, but hard as a
board, and the pillows are simply
pieces Of wood, slightly followed in
fhc middle. If two or more people
occupy it, they sleep head to feet. In
the norti fire would be built under
the bed in winter, but in Foo Chow
the mild climate makes this unneces
sary. Beside his bed were his books,
Chinese classics in several large vol
umes, suggesting the thought that MIR.
Leon ;ndulged in the habit Of reading
himself off to sleep. Surely the Chi
nese classics are proay enough to act
as soporifo.
In a cupboard protected by glass
doors were several cracked and disrep-
usable china bowls, very precious in
their owners eyes, for they were 300
years old and went back to the Ming
dynasty. Not unlike other connois-
scurs in China was Mr.. Leon after all,
for the older and uglier the more pre-
cious seems to be the rule the world
over.
In another room were Mr.. Leonss
ancestral tablets, black slabs of wood
about two feet high, ou which were
engraved the names Of his ancestors,
with quotations from the classics to
keep the names company. Before
these tablets on certain occasions Mr..
Leon burns incense and worships their
names. In,o other rooms he took US,
but they were mainly repetitions of
the first with slight variations. All
we're substantially furnished; all from
an Occidental point of view were dirty
and confortless.
In one part Of his establishment Mr..
Leon had an extensive rockery, where
our pictures were taken together. In
another was grove of small bamboos.
In still another was fish pond, in
which gold fish and silver fish lazily
swan TO the surface to accept crubs
from our hands. But all were in
closed by the walls of his house.
Going to the roof Of one of his houses
we were able to survey the whole es-
tablishment. From this coign of van
tage we counted no less than thirty
five roofs belonging to the household
establishment OF this one mllllopalre,
and all inclosed within the family
compound.
But Mr.. Leon needs large house,
for he has eight wives, eight sons and
six daughters. and several Of the sons
are married and live with their wives
and children under the parental roof.
When We came away the whole
family followed us to the 1ter door,
where the sedan chairs were awaiting
us. and with many bows and shaking
Of their own hands hade US adieu.
For our part. we went on our way
pleasantly impressed with the unas-
Stunning oordiality and modest hospi-
tality of one of China's millionaires.
Washington Star.