Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-26
.S|DEL|GHTS ON ORIENT
Descriptive Letter From an
American Traveller.
COOLIES AND JINRICKSHAS
Very Crooked River Between Taku
and Tientsin.
EXTENT OF THE CULTIVATION
Large Camels Convey Freight to and
From the North Section-Through
Inland Sea.

Gently by Col. VI. u hnliilil, pTeSideHt VI
the Takoma Park Citizens Association
from an old friend of his and former
Washingtonian, Dr. J. T. Craig. DR.. Craig
starts his story from Hongkong.
THE city commonly called Hongkong."
says he, rs really Victoria a beautiful
modern city with six-story and seven
story business blocks of iron and granite. A
total of sOO.oOO Chinese and about 5000 for
eigners reside there. The city is on the
side of a mountain, and the trees, shrub
berry, vines, flowers and walks or streets
make the city look like one vast park
When viewed from a ship in the bay at
night and the electric lights burning 1t
looks like a mountain set with diamonds.
Kowloon is across the bay from Hong
kong. more Chinese than European. and Is
notable for being the battle-ground of the
first conflict of the Boxer war
Canton Is typical Chinese city, with
streets four to six feet wide, houses two
to four stories high projecting so that you
may pass from one to another across the
streets a. the second or third story, which
makes the city one vast eXpanSe covered
as by one roof and gives color to their
statement that the city contains 500oNo
people. although the census says much
less. But n correct census cannot be taken
of such community. Five hundred thou
sand of these people live in boats on the
never been off these boats. If child falls
overheard it browns before their eyes. They
say Joss wants it, and think it would be
wrong to save it. If an adult should have his
life saved by another, the one saving the
life must support the other or be dis
graced
Stores containing the finest embroidery,
silks and curios are usually between two
fish and meat markets, and for foul smells
and revolving sights Canton is only exceed
ed by Picking.
New York of the Orient
AT Shanghai the Yangsti Kiang has been
throwing mud for all the centuries until
bar stops the large steamers fifteen miles
out at sea, and a steam launch took us to
the city. Americans call Shanghai the
New York of the orient and that is not
a bad way TO represent Its many beauties
and remarkable features. The foreign part
of the city is similar to Hongkong, but
the Chinese are more advanced in adopt
ing European ways and plans and are quite
American in many business methods. They
are a larger, stronger people than the
Cantonese.
The coolies carry immense loads on their
shoulders and their truck wagons-mostly
one-wheel rigs-are held upright by two
men and pulled by others who have long
ropes attached Then there is another
wheelbarrow sort of concern for carrying
passengers. The wheel is In the center, is
boxed over and there is a platform on each
side One or two Cinnamon will sit on
each side of the wheel. and perhaps one on
the front then the coolie holds the handles
and has a rope or strap fastened TO eacn
handle and running across his shoulders
and behind his neck, this to support the
weight while he trotS along at ABOUT the
gait of a slow horse trot. instead OF aito-
gether a human load / have seen the man,
wife and child on one side of the wheel,
the household goods on the other and a
suuealing pig thrown on top.
"The jlnricksha men are wonder one
afternoon 1 rode from to $50 o'clock
in a ricksha when the thermometer stooo
at o. +. the coolie trotting as fast as an
ordinary buggy horse would go, ana ne
was not as tired as q horse Would nave
been and l weigh 20 POUNDS
City of Tientsin.
.'Tientsin is about twenty-five miles from
Taku. but the river is so crooked that II
makes the distance by steamer seventy
miles The turns are so abrupt that the
how of the steamer Will strike one SIDE "hlle
the screw marks the bank or the other,
and the standing Joke is that a snake Will
get the backache from so much tWlsIhs
and turning in following its course. me
river is quite deep, however, ana any snip
that can pass over the bar can navigate II.
All along the shore of the river every foot
of ground is cultivated down 10 the water ;
edge and appears to be so as far PACK
over the valley as the eye can reach.
Every two or three miles there is httle
CITY of sun-dried brick houses mostly, ana
some of them are very nice and artistic,
hut built almost as close together as they
can stand. and from these houses Will
emerge hundreds of children perfectly
nude who scamper into the spray and
waves that the ship throws over the low
shore-line. Many adults are usually watch
ing their sport.
"If any OF the little fellows are sucked
into the stream by the return flow as the
steamer passes on, they can usually swim
out, no matter how small they may be; but
If they don't return, l understand they are
not searched for nor mourned, but the
parents say the Joss wants them, which
is equivalent to the Lord has taken them
to Himself in our country. Every mile or
so YOU will see patch of round knobs like
anthills in the Philippines, three to ten feet
high and four to ten feet in diameter at the
base; these are graves.
II arrived at Tientsin about 8 pm, and
took the ever-present ricksha for the As
tor House Hotel. a splendid modern hotel
In every way. After d good dinner l Wis
tied a Masonic lodge where l saw a con-
gregatlon of people from all the white ma
TONS working. strange to say, under a Ma
sonic charter from the state of Massachu-
sets L. s. 4.
Beautiful Valley