The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-10
Strange Customs Always Meeting
 In Shanghai

Shanghai, China, April 10 - The sharp contrast of the customs in daily life of the Orient and Occident
 are brought out every day in Shang- ing in strange ways and yet a son o6 Fair Cathay who spends years in America being educated at the best
 American colleges, and one or two
 years more in foreign travel. returns
 to China fundamentally a son of Cathay.
 He brings customs of America with
 him-introduces them into the fam fly life to a limited degree-but very very seldom does he give up alto gether the tradition, religion and cus- toms of his ancestors.
 The two gerat lanterns at the en- trance of the carved doorway were glowing with a soft red light as we arrived at the palatial home of the wealthy Chinese factory owner who had invited a party of Americans to the wedding reception given in honor of his seventh son-a Harvard gradu- ate-and the fair daughter of a prom 1nent Chinese family of a distant province.
 The shriu wall of the flutes. the clash of the cymbals, the deep, vii orating note of the drums greeted us and announced our arrfval-as we entered the first courtyard.
 Lighted Veranda with Song."
 Twelve little boys, wearing eiabor- ately-embroidered satin costumes, sat around a great caponied table hung with lanterns and picturesqueIy called the "yang-de dan tsang," or the lighted veranda with song.' The piercing strains of the strange music followed us as we walked through room after room, courtyard after courtyard, of the ancestral home, which is a city block in depth.
 Festivity was in her glory. The red wedding scrolls of heavy satin, with the gold wedding characters, hung on the walls.
 Hundreds of men, laughing and chatting, smoking their long water pipes and foreign" cigarettes and the most part-long satin skull hats, sat around tables in each room Servants rushed back and forth, carrying trays of steaming food.
 The wedding feast for the foreign CTS" was at it's height when we arrived at the dining hall We were greeted by four sons of the fami1y-an Ameri- evening dress
 Shook Hands With Himself
 The Chinese host-father of 14 sons was a gentleman of China's old school and although he spoke English ne wore. his native costume. Instead of shaking hands with the American md English guests, as did his sons 1 le clasped his own hands together and | shook them. That was to congratu- | ate himself on meeting us.
 There was not a Chinese woman | present. The bride and groom were | lot in the dining room nor the sisters | 'f the groom or his mother. I felt l or few minutes as if I might be in | he right church but the wrong pew The other women, English and Amer can, all wearing formal evening dress, were perfectly happy. so I decided | O await developments
 We found our places at the tables |, " American Kewpie-don place cards examined the table with interest 'here was no tab1ecloth, serviette, l. ewildering array of silver or row Of rine glasses The place cards were racing a table set with chop-sticks IL owls, porcelain spoons and "Samshu" rine cup at each place, and a num- CT of dishes of strange food in the entre of the table We sat on carved {, hairs. Ii Whether it is polite to discuss Chi ese food with the host, according to -hinese\ custom, I did not know, but v ever fo4eign woman at the table vast