TO CANTON UP THE PEARL RIVER.
_Sails of silk and ropes of sandal_
_Such as gleam in ancient lore,_
_And the singing of the sailors,_
_And the answer from the shore._
_Tuesday, February 27th_.--Until half-past ten we were occupied in the
pleasant task of reading news from home--all good this time, I am
happy to say. At 10.30 we landed and went up the hill to breakfast
with Sir Arthur and Miss Kennedy, and heard a good deal about the
colony. It is wonderful to think that thirty years ago it scarcely
existed, and now it is a large and flourishing place, with splendid
houses, institutions, roads, and gardens. We were also most agreeably
surprised by the beauty of the scenery. It is really lovely, and,
though the hills around are barren, wherever cultivation has been
attempted, vegetation appears to flourish luxuriantly. The climate
cannot be very bad, judging by the healthy look of the residents and
troops. Typhoons seem to be the greatest drawback. They come without
any warning, and it is impossible to guard against them and their
disastrous effects. Thousands of lives, and millions of pounds' worth
of property, are destroyed in a few hours. We have been shown some of
the effects of a very severe typhoon that occurred in 1874. It seems
almost incredible that the mere force of the wind can snap iron posts
in two, break granite columns, and blow off heavy roofs.
After breakfast the ceremony of presenting the departing Governor with
a State umbrella took place. It was a token of respect from ten
thousand Chinese inhabitants of Hongkong, and is the greatest
compliment that can be paid to any official. It arrived in a large
camphor-wood box, and the address, beautifully embroidered in gold
thread and silk, was enclosed in a magnificent sandal-wood box about
four feet long, covered with the richest carving. Precisely at twelve
some forty vermilion-coloured visiting cards were handed in, with the
name of each member of the deputation written in Chinese and English
characters. The visitors were all received in a large drawing-room,
whilst we ladies observed the proceedings through the doors leading
from a smaller room. It is not considered etiquette by the Chinese for
ladies to appear at these public ceremonies.
[Illustration: Chinese Visiting Cards]
After it was all over, a stroll through the town, and a look at the
shops, filled up the rest of the time in the morning, until we went on
board to fetch the children for an expedition up the Peak to the
signal station. As usual many visitors came on board the yacht, and it
was later than we had intended before we could make a start. I had to
be carried up the steep ascent in a chair, but the children and dogs
thoroughly enjoyed themselves scampering about. The little ones picked
heaps of flowers and ferns. The dogs had not been allowed to land
before, as everybody told me they would be sure to be stolen directly.
We returned on board before sunset, and had time for a little rest
before some friends arrived to dinner. We have shipped two Chinese
boys here to work in the pantry and kitchen. They are excellent
servants as a rule, but how they will get on with the others, and how
they will like the sea-life, remains to be proved.
_Wednesday, February 28th_.--I was up and off at half-past six to the
market, and returned to a late breakfast on board; after which a large
party of China merchants came as a deputation to invite Tom to fix a
day to dine with them. I think they proposed to pay him what is for
them an unusual compliment, partly because they were pleased with some
remarks he made yesterday at Government House, and partly because they
think so much of his enterprise in making a voyage round the world in
a yacht with his wife and family. They examined everything on board,
and seemed to be specially interested in Tom's Board of Trade
certificate, which one of their number translated in full for the
benefit of the rest.
The Chinese part of the town stands quite away from the foreign
settlement. It is dirty and crowded in spite of its wide streets, and
the large, gaily coloured houses have the names and advertisements of
their proprietors painted all across them. The theatre is in the
middle of the city, and was densely crowded. A box had been reserved
for us, for the ordinary seats are like a carpenter's bench. On the
floor of the house men and women sat together, but in the galleries
the men sat apart, and there were separate boxes for the women. The
acting was rough, and accompanied by the most discordant music. The
scenery seemed of an excessively rudimentary description, as you may
imagine when I tell you that a steep hill up which the hero and
heroine climbed with great difficulty was composed of five kitchen
chairs arranged in a pyramid on the top of three kitchen tables, held
in position by men in their ordinary dress. The fugitives were
supposed to be a Tartar general and his wife, escaping from their
enemies after a great battle. The fighting was renewed at intervals
with great noise and spirit. Some of the costumes were very fine, and
cost from 30_l_. to 40_l_. apiece.
[Illustration: On the Pearl River.]
From the theatre we drove to the Chinese hospital, and thence to the
Chinese recreation ground, where we saw sundry itinerant quacks and
vendors of all sorts of rubbish. As we were walking along, having left
our chairs for a few minutes to look at the Chinese shops, a man
picked my pocket of a one-dollar note. Mr. Freer and the Doctor saw,
pursued, and caught him. He vehemently protested his innocence, but to
no avail. They proceeded to strip him, found the note, gave him a good
shaking, and told him to go.
_Thursday, March 1st_.--A most lovely morning ushered in the new
month, which having come in like the most peaceable of lambs, will, we
hope, not end like a roaring lion just as we expect to be in the
middle of the Bay of Bengal. We left the yacht at 7.30, and went on
board the 'Kin-Shan,' which is a regular American river steamer with
beam engines and many deck-houses, which are painted white. The lower
deck is crowded with the most inferior class of Chinese, some eight
hundred of them being on board. It gave us rather a turn to see them
all padlocked in under the hatchways and iron gratings. At each
opening is posted an armed sentinel, ready to fire among the crowd in
case of any disturbance. In the saloon, also, is a stand of pistols,
and rifles with fixed bayonets, ready for the European passengers to
defend themselves with, in case of emergency. These are very necessary
precautions, on account of the numerous pirates who occasionally ship
in disguise among the crowd, murder the passengers and crew, and take
possession of the steamer. Not quite two years ago a vessel belonging
to this same company was assailed in that way. Every one on board was
murdered, and the ship taken to Macao.[19] But this voyage was more
prosperous, the captain was most kind and polite, and the boat clean
and comfortable. An excellent breakfast and an elaborate tiffin were
served at noon, all for the sum of four dollars a head, including
wine, beer, and spirits _ad libitum_.
[Footnote 19: I have since been told that only the captain and one or
two passengers were killed, and the vessel run ashore near, not at
Macao.]
On first leaving Hankow the course lies between islands and through
fine mountain passes. Later on the country becomes flat and
uninteresting till the Bogue Forts are reached. Here are to be seen
the remains of the old forts knocked down by the French and English
guns.
[Illustration: Bogue Forts.]
About one o'clock we reached Whampoa, the leading port of Canton. The
Pearl River is too shallow for large steamers to go up any higher; so
we stopped here only a few minutes to disembark some of the Chinese
passengers, and from this point the interesting part of the voyage
began. The river, as well as all the little supplementary creeks, was
alive with junks and sampans--masts and sails stuck up in every
direction, gliding about among the flat paddy-fields. Such masts and
sails as they are! The mandarins' boats, especially, are so
beautifully carved, painted, and decorated, that they look more as if
they were floating about for ornament than for use. Just about two
o'clock our large steamer was brought up close alongside the wooden
pier as easily as a skiff, but it must require some skill to navigate
this crowded river without accident. On the shore was an excited,
vociferating crowd, but no one came to meet us; and we had begun to
wonder what was to become of us--what we should do, and whither we
should go in a strange city, where we did not know a soul--when we
were relieved from our embarrassment by the appearance of the
Vice-Consul, who came on board to meet a friend. He told us that,
owing to an expected ball, all the houses were unusually full, and
that not one of the people who had been written to could take us in.
This was rather bad news, but we felt sure that something would turn
up.
[Illustration: Chinese Pagoda and Boats.]
We landed, and, after proceeding a short distance along the dirty
street, came to a bridge with iron gates, which were thrown open by
the sentry. After crossing a dirty stream we found ourselves in the
foreign settlement--Shameen it is called--walking on nice turf, under
the shade of fine trees. The houses of the merchants which line this
promenade are all fine, handsome stone buildings, with deep verandahs.
At the back there are compounds with kitchen gardens, and under the
trees dairy cows are grazing. Every household appears to supply itself
with garden and farm produce, and the whole scene has a most English,
home-like appearance. We went first to the Vice-Consul, and then to
the Jardine Hong. All the business houses retain the names of the
firms to which they originally belonged, even when they have passed
into entirely different hands. After a little chat we went on to the
Deacon Hong, where we found they had just done tiffin, and where we
met some old friends.
By the kindness of various people, to whom we were introduced, we all
found ourselves gradually installed in luxurious quarters. As for us,
we had a large room comfortably furnished in English fashion, with a
bath-room attached. All the houses are very much alike, and are fitted
up in an equally comfortable style.
About three o'clock we started in five chairs, with Man-look-Chin for
our guide. Tom vigorously protested against not being allowed to use
his own legs, but everybody assured him that it was impossible in the
crowded streets of the city, so he had to submit to being carried. No
Chinaman, except those employed by foreigners, is allowed to cross any
of the bridges over the stream, which completely surrounds the foreign
settlement, and makes the suburb of Shameen a perfect island. There
are iron gates on each bridge, guarded by sentries. The contrast in
the state of things presented by the two sides of the bridge is most
marvellous. From the quiet country park, full of large villas and
pretty gardens, you emerge into a filthy city, full of a seething,
dirty population, and where smells and sights of the most disgusting
description meet you at every turn. People who have seen many Chinese
cities say that Canton is the cleanest of them all. What the dirtiest
must be like is therefore beyond my imagination. The suburbs of the
city, where all sorts of cheap eating-shops abound--where the butchers
and fishmongers expose the most untempting-looking morsels for sale,
and where there are hampers of all sorts of nasty-looking compounds,
done up ready for the buyer of the smallest portion to take home--are
especially revolting. The Chinese, however poor, like several courses
to their meals, which are served in little bowls on a small table to
each person, and eaten with chop-sticks, as in Japan. It is to gratify
this taste that what we should think a very minute fish, or a tiny
chicken, is cut up into half-a-dozen pieces and sold to several
purchasers.
The Chinese are very fond of fish, and are most ingenious in
propagating, rearing, and keeping them. The dried-fish and seaweed
shops are not at all picturesque or sweet-smelling, especially as all
the refuse is thrown into the streets in front. Men go about the
streets carrying pails of manure, suspended on bamboo poles across
their shoulders, and clear away the rubbish as they go. I was very
glad when we got through all this to the better part of the town, and
found ourselves in a large shop, where it was cool, and dark, and
quiet.
The streets of the city are so narrow, that two chairs can scarcely
pass one another, except at certain points. The roofs of the houses
nearly meet across the roadway, and, in addition, the inhabitants
frequently spread mats overhead, rendering the light below dim and
mysterious. Every shop has a large vermilion-coloured board, with the
name of its occupant written in Chinese characters, together with a
list of the articles which he sells, hung out in front of it, so that
the view down the narrow streets is very bright and peculiar. These
highways and byways are not unlike the bazaars at Constantinople and
Cairo, and different wares are also sold in different localities after
the Eastern fashion. This is, in some respects, a great advantage, as,
if you are in search of any particular article, you have almost an
unlimited choice of whatever the town has to offer. But, on the other
hand, if you want a variety of articles, it is an inconvenient
arrangement, as you have to go all over the place to find them, and
probably have to visit the most opposite quarters. We saw thousands of
china vases, and bowls, and tea and dinner services, some very
handsome, but many extremely poor. There were a few specially made for
the French Exhibition next year, which were exceedingly handsome. We
visited an ivory shop, and saw some splendid specimens of carving. One
man had been for fifteen months employed in carving on one side of an
enormous elephant's tusk the representation of a battle scene, and on
the other that of a thanksgiving procession. It will take him at least
another year to finish the job. It is for the Paris Exhibition. It
will be quite interesting to look for our old Japanese and Chinese
friends and their products on that occasion.
From ivory carving, we went to a black-wood furniture shop, where we
saw some very handsome things, by no means dear considering the amount
of time and labour bestowed upon them. We finished up with the Temple
of the Five Hundred Genii, whose five hundred carved wooden statues,
thickly gilt, all very ugly, and all in different attitudes, stand
round the statue of a European in sailor's costume, said to be meant
for Marco Polo, but, whoever it may be, evidently considered an object
at least of veneration, if not of worship.
We now returned through the dirty city to Shameen, and the relief,
after crossing the bridge into an open space where one could breathe
freely and see the blue sky, was indescribable.
_Friday, March 2nd_.--Before we had finished breakfast the other
gentlemen strolled in from their various quarters, and the drivers and
guides arrived from the Vice-Consul's. A long morning's work had been
mapped out for us--thirteen sights before luncheon, then a visit to
the French Consulate, followed by eight more objects of interest to be
seen before we finally crossed the Pearl River to visit the Honan
Temple. Quitting the pretty cool suburb by another bridge, we passed
through streets quite as dirty as those of yesterday, until the heart
of the city had been reached. We went first to the wedding-chair shop,
where they keep sedan-chairs, of four qualities, for hire whenever a
wedding occurs. Even the commonest are made gorgeous by silver gilding
and lacquer, while the best are really marvels of decorative art,
completely covered with the blue lustrous feathers of a kind of
kingfisher. In shape they are like a square pagoda, and round each
tier are groups of figures. The dresses are also made of expensive
feathers, but then they last for generations. There are no windows to
these strange conveyances, in which the bride is carried to her future
home, closely shut up, with joss-sticks burning in front of her.
Recently there have been two sad accidents. In one case the journey
was long, there was no outlet for the smoke of the joss-sticks, and
when they arrived and opened the chair, the bride was found dead from
suffocation. The other accident occurred through the chair catching
fire while it was passing through some narrow street under an archway.
The bearers became frightened, put down their burden, and ran away,
leaving the poor bride locked up inside to be burnt to death.
From the chair shop we went to the embroiderers, to see them at work.
Their productions are exquisite, and it is a pity that better
specimens are not seen in England. The process of lacquer-making, too,
is very interesting. We had, however, to go from house to house to
witness it, as only one portion of the process is carried on at
each--from the gradual coating of the roughest wood with three
coatings of varnish, until it is finally ornamented with delicate
designs, and polished ready for sale. In appearance, price, and length
of wear there is a vast difference.
The next thing to see was the weaving of silk, which is done in the
most primitive manner. One man throws the shuttle, while another forms
the pattern by jumping on the top of the loom and raising a certain
number of threads, in order to allow the shuttle to pass beneath them.
Then came a visit to the Temple of Longevity, a large Buddhist temple,
with a monastic establishment of about ninety priests attached to it.
It contains three shrines with large figures, but nothing specially
interesting. There is a large pond in the midst of the garden, covered
with duckweed, and full of beautiful gold and silver fish of many
kinds. The Chinese certainly excel in producing gold and silver and
red fish; they are the pets of every household, and are of all
colours, some being striped and spotted, and boasting any number of
tails from one to five.
Outside the temple stands the Jadestone Market, where incredible
quantities of this valuable stone change hands before ten o'clock
every morning, both in its rough and its polished state. The stalls
are the simplest wooden stands, and the appearance of the vendors is
poor in the extreme. The contents of the stalls, however, are worth
from 500_l_. to l,000_l_. (not dollars), and there are hundreds of
these stalls, besides an entire jadestone street which we afterwards
visited. We saw several of the shops, and asked the prices, as we
wished to take home a small specimen; but they had no good carved
cups, which were what we wanted, and for what they had they asked an
enormous price. Jadestone is a material very difficult to work, and in
many cases the result attained is not worth the labour expended upon
it. It is more a _tour de force_ than a work of art. For a good stone,
green as grass (as it ought to be), they ask from 2,500 to 3,000
dollars; for a necklace of beads, 5,000 dollars; a set of mandarin's
buttons, one large and one small, 50 to 150 dollars.
After looking in at the goldbeaters at work, we next made our way to
the temple of the Five Genii who are supposed to have founded the city
of Canton. Being a Tartar temple, all the gods have a totally
different cast of features, and are represented as Tartars with long
beards. It is much frequented by women of all classes, and up and down
the numerous flights of steps leading from one shrine to another, poor
little women tottered and tumbled on their crippled feet, holding on
to one another, or leaning on a stick. This temple is interesting as
having been the head-quarters of the allied forces during their
occupation of Canton from 1858 to 1861. The great bell in front of its
principal shrine has been broken by a shot.
We then went to see the Flowery Pagoda, built A.D. 512, but now
deprived of many of its decorations. The Brilliant Pagoda too, so
called from having once been covered with snow-white porcelain, is now
only a tall brick-pointed tower nine stories high.
By this time we all felt hungry, and began to wend our way towards the
_yamun_. On the outskirts may be seen prisoners in chains, or wearing
the _cangue_, imprisoned in a cage, or else suffering one of the
numerous tortures inflicted in this country. I did not go to see any
of these horrors, neither did I visit the execution ground; but some
of the party did, and described it as a most horrible sight. Skulls
were lying about in all directions, one of which had been quite
recently severed from its trunk, the ground being still moist and red.
Whilst luncheon was being prepared we were taken over many of the
rooms and through several of the enclosures within the fortified gate.
The meal was excellently served by Chinese servants in a charmingly
picturesque Tartar room, and after it we wandered about the park,
looked at the deer, and admired the Nagasaki bantams. Then it was time
to start on a fresh sight-seeing expedition, armed with fresh
directions. We set out first to the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha,
where there is a large, fat, reclining figure; then to the Temple of
Horrors--most rightly named, for in a suite of rooms built round three
sides of a large yard are represented all the tortures of the Buddhist
faith, such as boiling in oil, sawing in pieces, and other horrible
devices. The yard itself is crowded with fortune-tellers,
charm-sellers, deputy prayer-sayers, beggars, and all sorts of natural
horrors, exhibiting various deformities. Altogether it is a most
unpleasant place, but still it is one of the characteristic sights of
Canton.
We saw the hotel to-day for the first time. It certainly looks very
hopeless. We were anxious to get in there if possible, as we were such
a large party, but everybody assured us it was quite out of the
question. One gentleman told me he never could fancy using his
portmanteau again after even laying it down on the floor for a few
minutes. The absence of a decent hotel renders Canton an inconvenient
place to visit. The European inhabitants are so very kind, however,
that you are sure to find somebody who knows somebody else who will
hospitably take you in.
[Illustration: The French Consulate, Canton.]
From the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha we went up the height to
breathe a little fresh air, and to see the five-storied pagoda at the
spot where the allied forces had encamped, the Chinese groves in the
White Cloud Mountains beyond, and to gain a general view of the
densely crowded city beneath. It is all too flat, however, to be
picturesque. The three _yamuns_ at our feet, with their quaint towers,
grand old trees, flags, and the broad Pearl River on the other side of
the city, are the only elements of positive beauty in the landscape.
We soon descended the heights again, and, passing the Cantonese
Viceroy's _yamuns_ paid our promised visit to the French Consul. His
residence is, if possible, more quaint and beautiful than that of the
English representative. The trees are finer, especially one grand
avenue leading from the outer gates to the private apartments. We were
most kindly received, and shown a wonderful collection of embroideries
and china. It was a delightful visit, but we could not remain so long
as we wished, for we had to see the water clock. The tower in which it
stands is approached by a flight of steps, and was built between the
years A.D. 624 and 907; but it has been repaired, destroyed, and
repaired again, several times, having suffered in the bombardment of
the town by the allied fleets in 1857.
In the next street, Treasury Street (said to be the finest in Canton),
you can buy burning-sticks measured to mark the time. They are
extremely cheap, but perfectly accurate, and there seems little doubt
that they have been used by the Chinese for thousands of years before
the Christian era. Here, too, were the large spectacles so much worn;
opium pipes, with all the paraphernalia for cleaning and smoking them;
water pipes in pretty little shagreen cases, and many other curious
articles in common use, of which we purchased specimens.
In the Feather Street are innumerable shops containing nothing but
feathers of all kinds for mandarins, actors, and ordinary mortals; but
the great ambition of every Chinaman is to have a feather from the
Emperor. They are all called peacocks' feathers, one-eyed, two-eyed,
or three-eyed; but, in reality, many are pheasants' feathers. Some of
these are from six to eight feet in length, beautifully marked. I
bought two pairs over seven feet long. They are rather rare, as each
bird has only two long feathers, and these are in perfection for but
one month in the year. In this part of the town stands a Chinese
restaurant where only cats' and dogs' flesh is served.
We passed through innumerable streets, and at last reached the site of
the old factories, now only occupied by a large and comfortable
house. We were to have embarked in the Consul's boat to visit the
Temple of Honan across the river, but it was getting late, and every
one felt tired; so we went back through more crowded streets to rest
awhile, before dressing to go out to dinner at eight o'clock. The
dinner was quite English in its style, and the table looked bright
with tea roses, heliotrope, and mignonette. The tables had been
charmingly decorated by the Chinese servants, and even the _menu_ had
been arranged by them. They seem to save their employer all trouble,
even that of thinking, provided the services of really good ones can
be secured. We have had one for only a few days, and he does
everything for Tom and me. He appears to know exactly what we want to
do or to wear, and to foresee all our requirements.
But to return to this famous repast. It began with mandarin
bird's-nest soup, with plover's eggs floating about in it. This is a
most delicious and dainty dish, and is invariably given to strangers
on their first arrival. I had no idea how expensive the nests were--54
dollars a 'pice,' weighing something under a pound, and it takes two
or three ounces to make enough soup for ten people. We had a very
pleasant evening, talking over our experiences, and exchanging news as
to our mutual friends.