Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-11
(specIal correspondenee.l )

'SpeClai CofrcSponuencc.)
II CAME to Marking in big -iver
steamer. The city lies on the
Yangtse 2OO miles west OF Shanghai
and about 400 miles cast Of Eankow.
II is famous as the old capital OF
China. but TO use q favcrlte expression
of William r. stead ~ now has God
AlmlGhty's boots on and is tramping
nEe1d along the paths OF modern prog
ress. One of the best of the new s--il-
roads now connects it with Shanghai,
another is building toward Pekin and
Tientsln. and others nave been project
cd 10 Canton AID HanEow.
The changes in the place were np-
parent on landing. When l visited the
city Ii years ago had 70 show q Chi
nese passport before l got off the boat
The port Ia now free 20 every one, and
WAS GSle TO so as l pleased Then
rode from the rive to the town on
donkey. and We climbed up hill and
down. half swimming the pools and
wading in mud all the way. My trip
of today was made IN carriage over
well m1cadamlzed road, shaded with
willows The read slopes from the cen
ter and Is perfectly drained. II is
about six miles In length. and Is one
OF the so miles of paved highway which
the city has built within the past three
Or four years.
TIRE NEW NANKING.
! Nanklng lies on creek five miles
back of the Yargtse- Kiang. 1t was
made an open port in 1899. and now has
an annual trade OF 100000 taels
uvely foreign settlement is rising along
the banks of the river and modern
buildings have been constructed all the
way from there to the city. l found
two dozen cabs and many jnrikisnas at
the wharves. and, as l landed, heard
the steam whistle of the engine on the
new railroad, which has just been COM
pleted, Joining the river with Marking.
Shortly after we entered the walls of
the city Dr.. Garritt, the president of
the Presbyterian Theological seminary,
who was with me. began to point out
the new school buildings, erected by
the Chinese government; and, off In
the distance. he showed me the smoke
stack of modern mint. which is now
coming money for the viceroy. When 1
was there last the natives were chop
ping up silver ingots and weighing the
chunks to pay their large bills, and all
retail transactions were in cash. little
round copper coins with hole In the
center of which IT took 1000 to equal
the value of one OF our dollars. AT that
time carried about 10 pounds of coins
with me on my donkey, as l rode up to
the city. Today my cab fare was paid
with a Chinese banknote OF the prov
ince OF Hupeh, lying 400 miles up the
river; and the change I got in return
was In silver coins fresh from the mint.
CHINA'S ANCIENT CAPITAL.
Such things seem strange in this town
OF the ages. Marking is one OF the old
cities of history. 1t was in existence
500 years when Jesus Christ was n
baby. and Its municipal hair was gray
with double that age when Mohammcd.
as boy. was playing on the sands of
Arabia. The wall which now surrounds
II was built century before Shakes
peare wrote the Merchant of Venice"
and It's mighty porcelain tower. which
cost SIS 900, 900. was erected is genera
tions ago. when one of the most pro-
gressIve monarchs of China had his
capital here. That tower was made of
the finest porcelain slabs. and ii blazed
out under the sun. rising to n height
nearly half that of the Washington
monument, II had nine stories, and a
spiral staircase within led from the
ground to the summit. About each