The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-12-27

bN GON6luAhthb 4Edlus
A special train was furnished by the
government to convey the party to
Ranking, distant from Shanghai about
two hundred miles Stops were made
at Soochow, where a banquet was ten.
dered, and at Wusih and Chang Chow,
at each of which places reception was
held, committees from the chamber of
commerce being lined up to receive the
party, as well as great crowds of the
populace, at each station, to get a view
of the visitors.
The commission was much surprised
and very favorably impressed with the
excellent railway service of the Shang.
hai-Nanking railway. The cars are up
to date and the road well ballasted
Our visit to Marking was most interest.
ing from many standpoints. 1t was our
first real sight of rural inland China
although with the immense mileage of
natural and artificial canals one never
appears to be very far inland. Nan.
king is one of the oldest cities in China
and was formerly the capital.
Approaching by the train, the walls
of the city look very formidable, but
upon our entering the city at night the
sight which greeted us made it very
hard to believe other than that we
were approaching great exposition in
a modern city. OF course, this applies
only 20 the exposition grounds, the mum,
berless buildings of which were bril-
liantly lighted by thousands of electric
lights-making veritable fairy land.
Nanyang Exposition.
The Nanyang Industrial Exposition is
the first exhibition ever held in China,
and marks a great step in the forward
movement of the Empire. The build
ings were of modern architecture, we'll
arranged, and the exhibits from all the
different provinces of China, besides
great many foreign exhibits, were very
creditable.
Notable among the many entertain
ments at Marking was the banquet Civ
en- us by the Viceroy, and l must not
forget the reception rendered the ladies
of the party by the wife of the Niceroy,
Lady Chang, who not only speaks ex-
cellent English, but is In every way
thoroughly accomplished.
From Marking the party went by
train to Chinkiang, by which time the
commission were getting accustomed to
looking forward to a banquet at each
stopping place when travelling by sedan
chair and when travelling by rail, about
three banquets each time the engine
had to take water. In this respect we
were not disappointed when we reached
Chinkiang, and among other entertain
ments at our disposal was beautiful
launch and house-boat ride to the Col
den Island Monastery, in connection
with which is one of the most stately
paeodas we saw in China. Nearly all
J "A Nv hul ot
priests.
Great River Trip.
Chinkiang lies at the Junction of the
Grand Canal and the Yangtse River,
and it was here that we boarded the
steamer Kiang Hsin, which steamer was
not only put at the disposal of the
commission for the trip to Hankow, but
was remodeled and painted throughout
especially for the comfort Of the party.
This steamer is the fastest of the line,
and the China Merchants Steam Navi-
cation Company have the gratitude of
each one of the party for the comforts
attending the six hundred-mile trip up
the Yangtse River to Hankow.
The river runs through a wonderfully
fertile country, most of the land lying
fiat, with just enough occasional hilly
landscape to break an otherwise pos
sible monotony. The principal crops
through this section are cotton, rice and
corn, and not one square inch of the
land but what is utilized. Even hills
which in any other country would be
toe steep to consider cultivation pos
sible are terraced to the top, and are
reputed as having been cultivated IN
this manner for the past two or three
thousand years.
On the way to Hankow, stops were
made at Wuhu, Tatung, Nganking, Kin.
: kiang and Suiyou. Each of these places
is large trade center, with popula.
| tons running from seven hundred and
fifty thousand 20 a million or more. The
i manner of landing at each of the river
ports is by means of hulks, mostly old
{ sailing vessels of large type, anchored
from two hundred to three hundred or
: more feet from the shore. The trans.
ferring of freight and passengers is
= done by the junks and seows, and the
river up as far as Hankow can accom-
, modate vessels drawing twenty or more
/ feet.
Wages of Miners.
At Suiyou we took the train for the
great Tab Yeh mine, which is about
sixteen miles from the landing In
place of seeing underground workings
as we had expected, we found large
hills, almost mountains, of solid ore
which runs sixty to seventy per cent
pure. At this place l enquired par
, ticIlarly as to the wages paid q
labor, and found that the eight to ten
year-old boys carrying dirt and ore fol
about six hours per day received TWEEN
ty cash, or about nine tenths of cent
gold, per day The men were paid at
the rate of fifteen cents "mex,' OF
seven cents gold per day.
For the luncheon provided by the
] management for our party, large cor
ngated iron building had been special
~ erected and profusely decorated with
flags and foliage, and IL kept large
, guard of soldiers busy in their efforts
> TO keep back crowd of thousands Of
the curious popllaee, ALI Of whom ap
: peared TO be in the best of humor over
tho event
Arriving al llankow with the usuaI
comment aa 10 first impression " that
wr were In the thirHga ~ China l