South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-04-14
EAST MEETS WEST
IN STRANGE WAYS
AT CHINESE PORT
Students. Trained In L. :. to
American Ways, Are LOYAL
TO Oriental Customs.

Ilt .lI- lN 81 ans. ways ana L0f "a
son OF Fair Cathay who spends years
iu America being educated az 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
family life 10 limited esree-but
very. very seldom does he give up
altogether the tradition. religion
and customs OF his ancestors.
The two great lanterns az tho en-
trance Of the carvE doorway were
glowing with a soft red light as we
arrived at the naIatiaI home Of the
wealthy Chinese factory owner who
had invited "a party Of Americans 20
the wedding reception given in hon
or % his seventh soma Blrvard
sraduate-and the fair daughter OF
"a prominent Chinese family OF a dis
tant prince
The shFiU wall Of the flutes. the
clash Of the cymbals. the deep VI
bratlng note OF the drums greeted
us-aud announced our arrivals
we entered the grst courtyard.
Lighted Neranda With song"
Twelve little boys, wearing elabo-
rately broidered satin costumes.
~ around a great canopied table
'rung with lanterns and picturesque
ly 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 I'm 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
wearing - for the most part - long
satin robes and little black satin
skull hats. sat around tables in each
room Servants rushed back and
forth. carrying trays Of steamirg
food
The wedding feast for the "for-
eigners" was at its height when we
arrived at the dining hall. We were
sreeted by four sons of the family
al American college men-wearing
correct evening dress.
Shook Hands With Himself.
Teh Chinese host-father or four
teen sons-was a gentleman OF Chi
mas old school. and although he
spoke English he wore his native
costume Instead of shaking hands
with the American and English
guests as did his sons. ahe clasped
his own hands together and shook
them That was TO congratulate
himself on meeting us.
There was not a Chinese woman
present The bride and groom were
not in the dining room nor the sis
ters OF the groom or his mother
felt for a few minutes as IL I might
be in the right church but the wrong
pew. The other women. English and
American. all wearing formal eve
ming dress. were perfectly happy so
I decided 90 await developments
We found our places at the tables
by American Kewpie-dolI place
cards / examined the table with
interest There Nas no table cloth.
servisttc. bewildering array of silver
or row of wine glasses. The place
cards We're gracing a table set with
chop sticks bowls. porcelain spoons
and "samshu wine cup a; each
place. and "a number Of dishes of
strange food IN the centre Of the
table We sat on carved chairs
80 Courses Are Spread.
Whether il Is polite 90 discuss Chi
nese food with the host. according
TO Chinese custom. I did not know,
but every foreign woman at the
table was interested in the many.
many courses-at least ffty-which
were served. And every woman
Iongcd to know the secret that
transformed the chicken. duck. cab
base beans fish. eggs into such de-
iicious dishes TIE choice dishes
were birds nest SOUP. with pigeon
og-s. sharks fins. skirt Of turtle and
bears foot
Between the feast dishes OF the
Orient the Jazz OF the Occident was
introduced An orchestra played
All by Myself and we danced the
AiatCst dances with the returned stu
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