Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-08-01
SIGHTS IN PEkIN
the WONDERFUL CITY
A. G. Baker, q us About the Many In.
teresth tights in Pekin,
ina.
MOST INTEREsTH< CITY
= THE GLOBE
Visited the Forbidden e Y Built in
141O, Which up to 4 Mo
White Man Had EN
Entered.

What one sees in Pekil the Won
derful city.
At half past five, Sunday the 9Th of
April, We meet our company at Puc-
kow on the north side of the Yangtze
river, where we have a special first
class car for Pekin. AS we have six
teen lower berths, have taken in
Frances Wilson and wife, the actor
of whom many will remember him in
the Merry Widow" The writer we'll
remembers when hayseed taking
stock to Chicago and in the evening
seeing this play at McVickers with
Wilson the leading man.
AS our train speeds north from
Puck0w, we ride by rice paddles and
a very level country, but on the fol-
lowing morning we are in a valley
with high hills on either side ter
raced for rice. The country general
ly very poor, resembling New Mex
leo or Arizona, entirely denuded aof
timber and the dust choking one.
At Using Kiangpu we cross the
yellow river as it once ran but now it
has its main mouth at or near Tient-
sin. We are following the great can
al through which a large portion Of
the products of China reach the coast.
This most wonderful canal was dug
for two purposes to carry of the
foods from the Yellow river and
furnish transportation. 1t has done
wonders but still this river comes
down with such wave of food that it
carries away everything through a
great expanse and often browns thou
sands.
The railroad we are travelling on
was built south Of this river by the
British aad north by the Germans
but now is all under government con-
troll. On our car was written (Schlaf
Wagon) showing plainly its origin.
We reach Tientsin at halt past
four and are transferred to the Pekin
line. We pass out of the city among
fields of graves, then over water on
tressles for about fifteen miles and
then through farming country and
get to Pekin at eight. Since leaving
Shanghai we have travelled in China
over 900 miles.
We are taken by rickshas direct to
the Wagon Lifts Hotel, fine place for
to be found in this far country,
where one expects very little.
On Thursday, April 10, we takeohu-
tos to the summer palace of the
queen dowager Of China, built with
funds that had been appropriated for
to build a Chinese navy.
Perhaps there is no more interest
ing city than Pekin on the globe. As
long ago as 1900 years B. G. there
was city here called Cambaluc.
For over 900 years it has most OF
the time been the capitol city OF
China. During centuries Of imperial
residence it has been beautified by
erecting palaces, temples, affairs typi-
tying the barbaric splendor Of Tar
tar rule of China.
The city entirely walled in from
outside, presents but few buildings
reaching above the walls, 1t is on q
level plain about the same latitude
as Chicago.
Very seldom do they get any rain
between October and April and as the
soil has all accumulated from the
dusts as driven from far interior
China, the desert of Cobb and farther
west the dust is almost unbearable,
often being so thick that they have
to light street lights in the day time. !
wish to say here that all East China
has originated from the dusts as
blown from Central China and ter
ritory many times the size of Iowa
has been built up by these winds
bringing in this dust in the millions
Of years it has drifted to the East.
The city has population of about
100000. Its walls are not as I'M
posing as those Of Nankin but has
heavy wall.
Those of the Tartar portion are
fifty feet high, forty at the top and
sixty feet at the bottom; the walls OF
the Chinese city are thirty feet high
twenty-five feet at the base and nj
teen at top; there are sixteen gates.
During the Boxer revolution much
damage was done tothe city and most
Of the foreign consulates were burned
together with many historic places.
but = those remaining Il was our
.(Continued On Pasa ~ -.