In most parts of China men carry all the burdens, and not horses and
asses.
A gentleman is carried in a chair by two men: and a mandarin by four. Yet
the emperor rides on horseback.
THE THREE GREAT CITIES
Pekin on the north.
Nankin in the middle.
Canton on the south.
Pekin is the grandest.
Nankin is the most learned.
Canton is the richest.
At Pekin is the emperor's palace. The gardens are exceedingly large, and
contain hills, and lakes, and groves within the walls, besides houses for
the emperor's relations.
At Nankin is the China tower. It is made of China bricks, and contains
nine rooms one over the other. It is two hundred feet high, a wonderful
height.
Of what use is it? Of none--of worse than none. It is a temple for
Buddha, and is full of his images.
At Canton there are so many people that there is not room for all in the
land; so thousands live on the water in bouts. Many have never slept a
single night on the shore. The children often fall overboard, but as a
hollow gourd is tied round each child's neck, they float, and are soon
picked up.
For a long while the Chinese would not allow foreigners to come into
their cities. A great many foreign ships came to Canton to buy tea and
silk; but the traders were forbidden to enter the town, and they lived in
a little island near, and built a town there called Macao.
But lately the Chinese emperor has agreed to permit strangers to come to
five ports, called Shang-hae, Ning-po, Foo-choo, Amoy, and Hong-Kong.
Pages:
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74