Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-09-03


1t was a modern. up-to-date street
that we found ourselves following
clean, well-paved. lined. with four
story stone buildings, and not at all
Chinese-looking. Gradually Il
dawned on us that Hong Kong is not
Chinese city, but an English one.
the ground 1t stands on-victoria
Island-being English soil and no
part of China proper. A journey OF
several blocks brought us to our no
tel. neat two-story stone structure.
where we handed our coolies a few
cents each and dismissed them. The
proprietor. dark-complexioned lit
tie fellow-a Portuguese-who
spoke both English and Spanish, flu
emily. informed US that the rates
were SO day; but that II we in
tended to stay week 1t would be
$3.50. We stayed, and while there
was nothing American about the
place but the name, 1t proved very
atisfactOry-abOut like a So a day
house in the States. Many Ameri-
cans are surprised at the hotel rates
here as they have an impression that
living is cheap in China. Well, so ii
is If you want to live like China
mana handful of rice and dried
fish. But he who would sleep in n
bed In private room, and eat what
he Is accustomed to eat at home will
pay higher for 1t in Japan, China,
and India than he does in the states;
there are very few places in those
countries under $3.50 day. Hong
Kong's swell hotel, the king Ed
ward. has rates from SIS day. up.
Our first stroll about Hong Kong
showed 1t to be city of two sec
tions-a Chinese, and an English
one. The English district is quite
similar to an American city as far as
streets and buildings go; but there
the resemblance ends, for there is
nothing American about the popula-
ton. Chinese there are in plenty
riksha men, chair bearers and labor
ers-still, a decided English air per-
vades the streets. On every hand
are English business houses with
English clerks; English soldiers and
sailors swarm in the streets; Eng
lish children skip along to school
with English books under their arms
and the unmistakable English accent
is in the air. On the corners stand
tall, black-bearded Hindu policemen,
brought by the English government
from india. The streets bear such
names as Queens Road" and Ice
House Street." and on the sides OF
the buildings the signs read, stick
No Bills"
We boarded a trolley car without
knowing where it would take us and
were carried out beyond the city
limits for several miles along the
shore of the bay-about the only
place there was enough level ground
for the track to run. Great gangs
of coolies-by the way, a coolie Is
simply Chinese laborer-were
working along the route-men and
women working together with picks
and shovels. In one place dry
dock big enough to hold battle
ship was being gouged out of the
solid rock; farther on, a hill was
being graded down, for level ground
is at a premium here. Groups OF
Chinese children were playing in the
streets, apparently as happy and GER
tainly as dirty as SO many American
youngsters. One boy in Mapping gar
ments ran along beside our car. turn
ing handsprings and holding out his
hand to us. We tossed him a few
cents. whereupOn he transformed
himself into a veritable eart-wheel.
not forgetting to shove his grlmy
hand out between turns.
On arriving back at the city we
started on a trip that all visitors to
Hong Kong make-the trip up to
the Peak" This is a health resort
though Hong Kong itself is healthy
-perched far up on the mountain
side. and can be reached in three
ways-by walking. by chair carried
by coolies. or by rail. We began the
journey on foot, walking up a hno
shady. cement road that winds up
ward through the European resi-
dence section. These residences
equal those of an average American
city, being built of stone and sur
rounded by fine grounds with trees
and shrubbery. Some Of them might
almost be called castles. One par
tIcularly fine one we learned after
ward was the home Of Sir Ralph -
f-.v,.. sn-.akSarn q rfah DaNuaa n.