The Daily Missoulian., 1913-02-03
The Republic of China
XVlll-Peking, the Wonderful.
BY Frederic J. Haskin

est, most healthful city in China. hav-
ing wide streets, unique foreign con-
cessions and two comfortable hotels
Several hundred foreigners live there
The climate is about like that OF
Ohio.
First to hold the attention of visit
ors to China's capital is the imposing
Tartar wall, along which the railway
runs for about a mile. 1t is 500 years
old and is mighty pile of large, even
gray stones over four miles long and
three miles wide. 1t is SO feet high,
so feet thick at the base and 35 feet
wide at the top. Massive gates topped
by a agaudy pagoda-like structure
pierce the wall at several points. The
Water gate and the Chien-men gate
are of special interest. Through the
former, tourists go into the foreign
legation quarter, which Is backed up
against the big wall for safetys' sake
The latter is about one-hah mile away,
and just to the left of it on the wall
perches an American field artillery
battery. The position commands the
calmorous Chinese city on the outside
and our boys have held it ever since
the Boxer seige in 1900 An interim
nable tide of jabbering pedestrians and
noisy. springless carts bang over the
stones through this gate from morn
ing to night. The legation area is
surrounded on three sides by it's own
wall, from 12 to 20 feet high. Pa
trolling of the three sides is appor-
toned among the British, French,
Italians, Germans, Americans, Japa-
nese and Russians Inside this irregu
lar square each legation is surrounded
by it's own wall. The crudely written
words, Lest We Forget" on the street
side of the British compound are a
grim reminder Of a bloody stand taken
at that point by foreigners, troops and
volunteers alike against a horde of
Boxers who swarmed around with bull
let's and burning brands from June 20
to August IA.
The usual joys of tourists are the
Temple of Heaven and Temple of A Agr-
culture, the Drum and Bell towers,
the Lama temple, Temple of the Sun
in the eastern part of the city outside
the Tartar wall, Temple of the Moon
in the west, Temple of the Earth in
the north, the Imperial city in general,
Hataman street, the legations, the I'M
perial park and Prospect hill Short
out town trips include the palace
of the Yuchr"~ Shan. about two miles
beyond the Sumror palace the Hsil-
ing or Western tombs, the Imperial
hot springs and the Ming tombs, and
NankoW pass and the great wall of
China.
The section of the great wall at
Nankow pass is comparatively new,
being only about 500 years old. The
end of the wall where it runs into
the Gulf of Pechili at Shanhaikwan
marking the boundary between China
and Manchuria, is much more ancient.
Of course, the Forbidden city, where
Manchu royalty disported itself, is the
most mysterious of all Pekings sights,
but entrance there is barred, even in
these days of the republic. According
to reports, the various buildings, in
Guiding the royal palace itself, are
being looted most outrageously by the
eunuchs, while the deposed baby en-
peror, Pu vi, is left alone with his
helpless mother and one or two faith
full old women. The palace was also
sacked in a ruthless and disgraceful
manner by foreign troops and native
Chinese in 1900.
The Temple Of Heaven, Altar of
Heaven and Temple of Agriculture are