Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1922-05-18
cH1NA's CHICAGO.
Streets Of Pel1ing Laid Off Like
Those of American City.

Peking, to which American ma
riiies and military forces of other
Western nations have been rush
ing to defend their national in
terests, threatened by Chinese
civil warfare, is, the subject of
the following communication to
the National Geographic society
from one of it's writers: ..
AS one passes within the walls
of Peking he expects to find, as
in other Chinese cities, the BAN
nered signs Of shopkeepers throw
. ing gay canopies across narrow,
tortuous, huddled streets; but be-
hold! broad avenues three miles
long, crossed by other broad av-
enues three miles long, making
squares as regular as those Of a
checkerboard.
"The visitor wonders whether
the builders of this city saw in
prophetic vision the streets of Chi
cago, Denver and Philadelphia.
Then he begins to suspect that
Pcking is the one spacious Chi
nese city because it is not a Chi
nese city at all, but a Tartar city,
built by adventurous barbarians
of the north, men who lived in
the saddle, upon steppes and
plains, whose feet were set in a
large room.
Wonder does not stop with
the length, breadth and regular
ity OF the streets. The traffic
upon them is equally unexpected.
: In the cities of southern China
sedan chairs edge their way with
difficulty through the crowds of
pedestrians and carrying coolies,
who JOstle each other in the mar
row lanes. In Peking every
street is alive with beasts and
vehicles.
Down the smooth, tree-lined,
macadam-center roads autos, bi.
cycles, cabs and frickshaws speed
past slow moving funeral process.
sions and wedding parties. On
each side, between sidewalk and
trees, along highway of turf,
go men mounted OH mules. sold
lers on sturdy Manchurian po-
MES, triplets of donkeys hauling
lumber, brick, coal and crockery,
portly old men stradding dimm-
utlve asses, blue canopied Pc
KING carts and caravans of cam
els out OF the north.
almost as fascinating as the
camels are the carts Of Picking,
or rather the little beasts which
pull them, ponies, donkeys, mules
ard nondescript, elusive Great
ures that are neither horse. mule
nor ass, but subtle, indistinguish-
able mixtures. H. ~y.' .
II streets and traffic, carts
and camels are unexpected, no
less SO are the buildings. The
traveller who has seen pictures of
the majestic temples and palaces
OF Peking enters the imposing
South gate prepared for architec.
tnral raptures. But he finds the
broad, straight highways of the
city lined with insignificant one
story shops or with equally in
significant gray, windowless, one,
story house walls, or long, un-
lovely stretches of dull red plas-
tered fence walls.
The streets of Peking have
neither skyline nor cOrnices.
We're it not for the muititudinous
traffic upon them they would re-
mind the traveller of the sprawl
ing, God-forsaken streets of an
American mining town, infinitely
4 extended. The trees which line
the central roadways are all of
such recent planting that this
city Of the centuries suggests the
latest offspring of an energetic
J. real estate agent.
As soon, however, as the trav-
eler enters gateway, through
I one ofsthe gray or dingy brick
S-red walls he coiaes suddenly ana
s4l,Eexp pectedly upon a. palace, si-;
lent in the sun, vet shouting
aloud in the barbaric brilliance