Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-05-19
IN THE LAND OF PIG-TAILS
A FEW GLTMPSES OF A GREAT
CHINESE CITY
Harry Pulver Writes of His Voyage
to China-Shanghai; the College
People and Their Customs

/
neerlng, relates many things that will
prove interesting to home folk The
CENSOR is privileged to make extracts
from the same, the first of which was
written from SLangna., February 10.
i am located in Shanghai all safe and
sound and am feeling good. | had a
very pleasant day in Honolulu and en-
joyed it. Honolulu is very nice city.
Most of the people / saw were Ameri-
cans and IL seemed to be like an Amer
lean city except for some tropical plants.
The homes are very nice, neat and clean
and well kept. A party of us took an
auto ride out to the Poll, which is a hin
ending in an abrupt cliff about 200 feet
high. We had fine view there of a
part of the island and the ocean. Then
We rode around the city and took din
ner at one of the hotels out at Walahi
beach. After dinner we watched the
people in swimming and went back to
the boat, which sailed at five. The
weather was rather rough from Homo
lulu to Yokohoma, but | was not sea-
sick at all. We did not meet any war
ships OF any kind at sea, though there
was a German gunboat tied up at Hon.
olulu together with eight or nine Ger
man merchant ships.
At Yokohoma spent half a day
ashore riding around in a riesha. Went
all over the interesting parts of the city
including the foreign settlement. The
city was not so much different from an
American city except the signs and peo-
pie and roofs of houses. OF course in
some OF the native parts the houses
were small and close together. The
Japanese are very neat and clean, even
more so than Americans. | did not 90
up to Toxic, as the weather was bad.
1t was cold and rained part of the time.
| did not go ashore at Kobe, and we
did not stay at that portlong. The sea
trip through the inland sea was very
nice, even if the weather was cool and
windy. Left the PERSIA" at Magas-
aki and transferred to Japanese steam
er "Omi Nam" for Shanghai This
ship appeared to be about two-thirds
as large as the Persia" and was a
new boat built in England about two
years ago. There were three Ameri-
cans, ore other foreigner and some Jap
anese and Chinese passengers The
boat was very clean and the food and
service was very good, and perhaps as
good as on the Persia" II took two
nights and day to get TO Shanghai
and we arrived about 1890 a. m. Mr..
Sheldon met me at the dock and locked
after me until / got out to the college.
There is a vacation now and school
starts Tuesday, so | have a little time
to get settled
Shanghai has about %, 900 foreigners
and over a million Chinese, 1t seems
like ar European city of about 400, 900
people as to buildings, street cars, ETC.,
except there are some sections Of all
Chinese houses of an old style. The
college is about five miles out from the
center.
March Spring is coming along in
| great styls. The people have already
set out their gardens and the trees and
/ bushes are budding and some showing
green. notice a peach tree in full
bloom. We are month or two ahead
of Wisconsin. The weather here is
variable. We have two or three days
of wet weather and then as many days
of nice warm sunshine. Mort of the
homes have no stoves or furnaces.
They get along with fireplaces the whole
| winter.
Shanghai is big city Of about 20, 900
| foreigners and over a million Chinese.
/ In the foreign concessions (which take
about half Of the ethyl most of the build
1 ings are built foreign style | have
| passed many big residences, lots of
/ them very modern and nice and much
| more elaborate than any have seen in
/ Lacrosse or Madison. The college has
two large buildings and several other
ones These large buildings are three
story brick and the Others are one md
two story bricks. Six Of US have 1.-TWO
story brick house furnished us With
lights, but we have 20 furnish servants,
hoard, etc. We keep five servants ard
/ have very good beard 1t ali costs us
about S45 tmex) q piece per month and
we i've very we'll We eat four meals
day here, breakfast, tiflin, tiunch)
tea, and dinner at 7:30. We have prae-
ticaiiy the same things to eat as III the
u s.. but the cooking is not quite as
good However, its better than lots of
boarding houses have tried
March Ia Have been getting along
all right so far ard don't notice much
difference between living here and in
an American city Some things are as
expensive as at home, but most things
are cheaper. Underwear, shirts, socks.
and shoes cost az much, suits cost only
half as much and you can get them
made much quicker People wear dress
suits very much Was down to Mason
ic lodge the other night and everyone
wore dress suits except they wore Tux
edo coats instead OF swallow tails
School kids here are about the same
as they are at home. These students
like to learn things better but the Amer
leans work problems better. The Chi
nese have about as many different types
of features as Americans. / hardly
ever notice the slant of their eyes but
often notice that their noses are small
and often fiat Have not seen any good
looking ones according to American
standards The fellows here are anice
crowd. There are five of US from Wis
consin and two from Cornell. OF course
there are number of Chinese teachers
and most of them have been educated
in America or England. The school has
good buildings and good grounds and it
is getting all of its departments well
equipped. In four or five years think
it will be as good as most of the engi-
neering schools in America. There is
not more to do here for amusement
than there il in Viroqua. We go to
lodge, go calling, and on Sunday after
moons we go down town to the band
concert. There are quite few movie
theatres.
Think you would be interested in the
clothes here All of the women wear
trousers and short coats, mostly of silk
with cotton batten or fur Innings in cool
weather. They wear their hair plaster
- I..s.s L. n 4.