STORIES AND STORY-TELLERS.
The Chinese are passionately fond of stories and story-telling. On the
public streets and squares, professional story-tellers congregate from
noon to midnight, going over the achievements of a hero or portraying
the despair of a lover. They recite with a dramatic power not to be
expected from their sluggish movements and stolid countenances.
All classes indulge in this favorite pastime. The dignified scholar
relishes a good story as much as a child in the lap a fairy tale.
Story-books in the language can be counted by the tens of thousands.
The subjects are historical or romantic; of war, of love, of magic
and enchantment. Some of the legends are really beautiful and are as
interesting as a good English novel. There is one book which is the
unfailing delight of all classes; I mean the _History of the Three
Kingdoms_. It is an historical novel in twenty volumes, illustrated
with wood-cuts. For arrangement of details, delineation of character
and elegance of diction, I have found few books in English its equal.
It is, in one sense, an epic in prose. When a boy, I used to enjoy
hearing passages of it read or explained.
Books of ballads are to be found in every household. Our ladies take
great delight in learning to sing them to their own music, music which
is not printed in the books, but suggests itself as they recite or
sing. Ballad singers are found on all the public squares where they
earn their living by passing around the basket at each crisis of the
story. The spectators are eager to hear the rest, of course, and so
will be more easily induced to pay.
There are no story-books which children can read and enjoy, since it
takes them so long to learn the characters. But picture books are
sometimes given to children. Still they are not made specially for
them as they are in this country; and colored pictures are too costly
to be put into children’s hands because they must be drawn by hand,
painted by artists. So Chinese boys and girls lack those facilities for
enjoyment in picture-books which American and English children have in
so great abundance.
To give an idea of the stories which are most eagerly listened to,
let me tell you one myself which may be taken as a fair sample of
the shorter ones. It has the advantage of being true and every whit
reliable. For want of a more appropriate title I will call it:
SOLD.
My fellow-townsman Chang was a scholar, who, having obtained his M.
A. degree, took up the profession of law, for his success in which he
was disliked by his neighbors in Fragrant Hills. The time came when
it behooved him to go to Pekin for the purpose of passing examination
for the doctor’s degree. Accordingly, with three hundred dollars in
his three trunks, many books and “skinning papers,” he went to Canton
to obtain documents of identification. Pending the issue of these, he
stopped at an inn, resolved to set out to Pekin by steamer as soon
as possible. In the next room, separated from his simply by a wooden
partition, lodged two gentlemen, who, by their Northern dialect,
declared themselves strangers, and who appeared to be on the same
errand as himself. He overheard them more than once quarrelling about a
rich widow who had ended the prescribed twenty-seven months of mourning
and was taking active measures to change her lonely condition. Filled
with curiosity, Mr. Chang panted to know more; so dropping into their
room one day, after duly introducing himself, he said, “For days I have
heard you disputing over a marriage affair. Pray, will you enlighten my
understanding by telling me the interesting facts in the case?”
“With pleasure, sir,” answered the elder of the two; “you see there
lives near here a pretty widow whose husband, a trader from Kiang-si,
had the bad taste to leave her an immense fortune at his death. Now, as
she has no children, she is anxious to marry again. But she will marry
none except a scholar of distinguished merit, a man of fine character
and suitable age, money being evidently no object to her. When we
learned that, we both wanted to offer ourselves and that explains
why we have disturbed your serenity in such an unseemly manner. But
yesterday we heard from a go-between that she had set her heart on
marrying a native of this province. So we are out of the race.”
“Such a man,” said Chang, “is not hard to find. I know one now, not
a _li_ from here, who can fulfil these conditions. Do you think
there is any chance for a worthless person like me?”
“You do yourself injustice,” said the younger man. “I am sure she ought
to feel honored by an alliance with a scholar of your blooming talent.
If you wish to try your luck, I can tell you where the go-between
lives. Will you have the goodness to precede us?”
Arrived at the entrance of a cottage, the two took their leave. Mr.
Chang knocked at the door. It was opened by the matchmaker herself. She
was a woman of the poorer class, dressed in home-spun linen, having
feet that had evidently borne the tortures of binding in vain, for
they were still as large as Nature could have made them.
Mr. Chang stated the purpose of his visit; upon which the woman
confirmed what he had heard, moreover, adding that the lady was
fastidious and would want to see him before consenting to marry him.
Chang said he was glad of an interview. He agreed to reward the
matchmaker richly in case of success. After appointing the next morning
for the ordeal, he wended his way back to the inn, feeling decidedly
elated with his diplomacy.
The next morning saw him dressed in his best silk gown and adorned
with a beard trimmed for the occasion. The wily matchmaker was waiting
for him, and soon started with him on their errand. A little after,
they paused at the door of an elegant mansion, which by its size and
decorations, gave evidence of the wealth and rank of its occupants.
A servant ushered them into the reception-room and went in to announce
their arrival. While waiting, Chang feasted his legal eyes on beautiful
pictures, mahogany furniture and costly curios, while his ears were
charmed with the musical “clink, clink, clink,” of the silver dollars
which were being weighed in the next room. Servants flitted to and fro,
carrying receipts or bags of money. Our lawyer’s heart ordinarily would
have softened at the sight of money, but on this occasion it fairly
melted. His love for the pretty widow increased in warmth with every
bag of money added to the pile.
In the midst of his enchanting reverie, the lady entered supported by
two servants. He was more than surprised by her appearance. Her face
was full and round and she had the daintiest little feet you ever saw.
He had been led to expect good looks, but not beauty like this. Meeting
his eye bent on her in admiration, she looked down in modesty, and,
having presented him a cup of tea, she withdrew, not having uttered a
word, according to etiquette.
The go-between followed her and after a little while, which seemed a
cycle to the expectant lover, she reappeared, beaming with smiles,
announcing their success. In a word, the lady was so pleased with
Chang’s appearance that she had decided to accept him. She begged him
to move into her house that he might superintend the preparations for
the wedding.
He readily assented; then hurried back to the hotel with a heart full
of love for the beautiful widow and benevolent intent towards her
silver dollars. To say that he trod on air is to speak within bounds.
His soul was electrified with joy.
The hotel bill paid, his effects were carried “to his house.” An
elegant room was given him for his temporary occupancy. A delicate
lunch of sweetmeats and pastry was served, after which the lady sent
word to ask if he would condescend to buy a fan for her. It was only to
be had in one place.
“Certainly,” said Chang, and set out in search of the store. But it was
a search for the “blessed isles.” After beating around the dense city
for some hours, he returned hungry and crestfallen.
But greater disasters awaited him. He found to his dismay the door of
the house locked from the outside. “What does it mean?” he muttered.
He knocked, pushed, kicked; but in vain. All was still within. Now
thoroughly frightened, he inquired at a store opposite. “Why, sir, this
house was rented together, with its furniture, by a family named Low.
They moved off this afternoon. Nothing bad has happened, I hope?”
“No! no!” said Chang, his head all in a whirl, and staggered out.
That night he spent at the old inn minus three trunks, three hundred
dollars, many books and “skinning papers.”
The next morning he found the two strangers. On seeing them, the
potential energy of his pent-up rage became kinetic. He could have
kicked the two M. A.’s ten feet with an initial velocity of one hundred
and fifty pounds per second, but he did not, for he was a lawyer. So he
gave vent to abusive epithets and terrific denunciation. They declared
their innocence and advised him to open the flood-gates of his wrath
upon the go-between.
Chang saw that he was only wasting words on them, so he went off to
seek that worthy person, having no idea of finding her at home. But she
was, much to his surprise, and coolly inquired how he liked his new
home. “New home! You wretch! A fine match you have made for me! I will
have you arrested. I will have you punished for conspiracy.”
She asserted her innocence. Indeed “she hoped to be
_thunder-struck_ if she had done wrong in procuring for him a
pretty wife and a big fortune.”
Words ran high; neighbors rushed in, to whom both the belligerents
appealed. Chang then began a recital of his wrong. He was interrupted
by the matchmaker. “Oh, is that all!” said she, “why, now I remember
what Lady Low said the other day—that her father was sick and she was
liable to be summoned to his bedside at any time. If you wish it I’ll
take you to your father-in-law’s; but I must have ten dollars for my
trouble. As soon as you see her, you are to give me the money, do you
promise?” Chang groaned assent, seeing no better mode of procedure.
She led him into the audience hall of a large house and pointed to an
elegantly attired lady in the women’s apartments. “There she is! See
her?”
Sure enough, it was the modest Lady Low. Chang handed the matchmaker
the money, with which she walked off. He hesitated what to do next.
There was no servant near to whom he could speak. Just then the lady
caught sight of him and smiled. Oh that smile! It was worthy of the
Sirens. Just as he raised his hand to beckon to her, an old gentleman
came out of an adjoining room. “What is this?” he cried. “Are you
addressing my wife? Help! thieves! robbers! murder!”
Out rushed a troop of servants. Now fly! Chang, fly for your life! Yes,
he flew, nor paused till he got to the inn where he learned that his
neighbors had set sail. He also found the cunning matchmaker absent.
Now realizing how completely he was sold, and that the offenders
could not be punished, while he himself was liable to be arrested for
trespassing in a man’s house and attempting to destroy his domestic
happiness, he sailed for Fragrant Hills in a state of mind far from
tranquil.
The story got abroad and the whole town grinned from ear to ear, while
even his own friends enjoyed his discomfiture.