The daily sentinel., 1913-07-30
PEKING STILL SEAT Of
MkHCHU GOVERNMENT
Associated Press

Peking, July 30.-Contrary to dec
larations made at the time the throne
abdicated in favor of the republic. I6
months ago, the court OF the old Man
chu rulers of the Chinese empire still
remains at Peking.
The terms of the final agreement
with the representative of the new
republican government provided that
the Manchu mobiles, including all the
members of the reigning family.
should retain their hereditary titles
and be literally pensioned, and that
the young emperor, after his abdica-
tion, should be accorded in China the
donors given visiting foreign sover-
eign. These stipulations have been
carried out. At the same time IL was
declared that the court would eventu-
ally move away from the forbidden
city; but no steps in this direction
yet have been taken. There has not
even been an exodus to the Summer
palace or to the ancient palaces at
Jehol, which were mentioned at the
time of abdication as places of possi-
BILE retirement. Some minor Manchu
princes and officials have deserted
their residences in Peking and moved
away, generally to the foreign settle
ments at Tientsin, or to Manchuria,
where they can obtain Japanese or
Russian protection if occasion arises.
But the ex-prince regent and Pe-Yi.
the boy emperor (now years old,
still reside in the palaces occupied
by the reigning family for 26S years
and imperial guards still forbid en-
trance to their palace compounds.
The Manchu troops continue in
arms and obey the instructions Of
President Yuan Shih-k'ai in all mat
ters that do not affect the safety of
the court. Should there be a conflict
OF authority between the president
and the court, it Is believed they
would stand by the Manchus: but the
interests of the republican president
and those OF the forbidden city"
have not conflicted. Indeed, it is be-
lieved in the legation quarter that
they are closely allied. 1t is thought
among foreign observers that the
court depends on Yuan Shih-k'ai for
a regular payment of its pension from
the republic, and, on the other hand,
that Yuan may be compelled at a
moments notice to re-establish the
dynasty and proclaim himself regent
in order to give his orders the weight
Of imperial authority At present.
with hostile parliament, presiden-
tial orders which are essential to the
maintenance of the government do
not receive the sanction of any organ
lied body of lawmakers.
A question, interesting to old OBJ
servers who knew China under the
/ dynasty, is whether the empress dow
ager. who recently died, will be the
last empress OF China. If the repub-
/ lie succeeds there will probably be
no other.
| Two striking changes have taken
place in the appearance of Peking as
a result of the revolution. One is
considered disfigurement the other
an improvement and a great advant-
/ age. The Disagreement is the dis
appearance of the Manchu cart,
which an American lady of literary
gifts once characterized as Portals
| Casket on Wheels" The brilliantly
colored Sedan chair, borne high on
the shoulders of four or eight coolies,
disappeared to large extent after
the Boxer Rising of 1900. and has
since been used only at funerals and
weddings, and by a few ultra-smart
foreign legation ladies, who adopted
the old when the Chinese began
adopting the new.
Now the Peking cart is being rap
idly displaced by the European car
riage. Only the poorer classes are
still riding in these little blue-cov-
cred springless carts with huge brass
studded wheels. Along with the
adoption of the brouglman the Chin
ese outriders of this new official We
hicle are adopting European saddles
for their ponies in place of the gay
caparisons in use under the dynasty;
and inctaad nf ftnutnD nf
white or light blue, with red stream
ers to their hats, the sombre garb of
the west is being affected by these
outriders in imitation of their repub-
! lican masters.
On the other hand the Peking of
the people has been made much more
beautiful by the opening up of sew
eral roadways through the Forbidden
City, and also by the breaking of sew
eral new gates in the wall of the I'M
perial City. AS is known to all Am
orleans who have visited Peking, the
city is place of walls within walls.
The Forbidden City, where the court
resides. is within the Imperial City,
which in turn Is within the Tartar
City. surrounded by the great Peking
wall. Again the Legation Quarter,
the Southern City, and the Winter
/ TdldCe, WHtTe the great ClHpIesS Do-
wager lived. and which Yuan Shih-
k k'ai, the president, now occupies, are
enclosed within their own piles of
masonry. Under the Manchu regime
the entire extent of the Forbidden
| City and that of the Winter Palace
were guarded by Imperial troops, who
refused passage to all but privileged
officials and foreign diplomatists
when they were honored with audi
ences at court. As these extensive
palace enclosures lay directly across
the center of Peking traffic was bad
| ly impeded and had to make long
detours round them.
But now two main gates have been
cut in the walls of the Imperial City.
and the great wide park in front of
the Forbidden City, together with
the roadway behind it, which runs
along side the moat, covered with
! 1T c,,y