Visit to the Temple of Honan—Colossal figures—The
priesthood—Votive offerings—Mummery—Holy pigs—Their
corpulency—The hall of the factory—Duck-boats—Alabaster—Chinese
snake—Leave Canton and return to Macao—Visit the Lappa
Island—Hill-pines—Mass of granite rocks—Their sonorous
qualities—Tanka-boats—Chinese burial-grounds—Cassilhas
Bay—Manufacture of ropes—Portuguese ladies at Macao—Origin of
that name—Another temple near Macao.
I visited one evening the Temple of Honan, situated a short distance on
the opposite side of the river to that on which the factories are built.
Having crossed, with my companions, in a boat, we proceeded a little way
down the river, and landed at a dirty causeway near some timber-yards,
in which a quantity of fir-timber, of China, of various dimensions, was
piled with an extreme degree of regularity. The entrance to the temple
or temples, and extensive grounds about them, was close to the landing
place; and passing some miserable fruit and eating stalls adjoining, we
noticed a large, clean, open space, planted with trees, and having in
the centre a broad pavement of granite, kept very clean. The quietness
that reigned within formed a pleasing retreat from the noise and bustle
without.
This paved way brought us to the first portico; here we beheld, on huge
granite pedestals, a colossal figure on each side, placed there to guard
the entrance to the Temple of Buddha; the one on the right in entering
is the warrior Chin, ke, and on the left is Ching, Lung.[41] After
passing these terrific, colossal guards, we entered another somewhat
similar court to the first, also planted with trees, and a granite
foot-path, which led to one of the temples. At this time the priesthood
were assembled, worshipping, chanting, striking gongs, arranged in rows,
and frequently performing the _ko-tow_, in adoration of their gilded,
senseless deity, of which a number of small and colossal figures, of the
god Buddha, decorated a very handsome temple.
The priesthood performed their devotions by themselves, for there was
not a Chinese present at the worship; indeed the Chinese seem to have
but little regard for religion; they visit the temples early in the
morning to make their offerings before the idols, and perform the usual
religious ceremonies at sunset, but apparently more as a custom, than
from any sincere religious devotion. I have seen the parents visit the
temples at an early hour in the morning, bringing their family to adore
the idols with them, each carrying tapers and offerings. The ceremony
of prostration, &c. was gone through in so mechanical a manner, as to
leave but little or no doubt in the mind of the spectator, that it was
observed rather as a custom descended to them from their forefathers,
than as arising from any sense of religious feeling towards a superior
and benevolent Deity.
During a visit I made in company with Mr. Fearon to that picturesque and
beautiful temple,[42] which is a subject of so much admiration, from
its romantic situation, to all persons visiting Macao;[43] a parent
came with a lad six or seven years old, and a tottering infant, with
offerings, which being arranged in one of the small temples before the
idol, the father performed the ceremony of prostration; the lad followed
the example of his parent seemingly as a matter of course; the young,
unexpanded mind of the infant did not understand the meaning of it,
but stared at us, and then at its parent; the silence that prevailed
corresponded with the solemnity that reigned in this sacred, romantic
spot. I could not avoid reflecting at the time, that this infant would
be brought to go mechanically through the pagan worship, to gaze on the
tinsel and gaudiness of the temple and the gilded figure, before its mind
had dawned; it would awake in fetters, and follow implicitly the custom
of its forefathers, satisfied with their blind superstition and pagan
ignorance.
I must apologize for thus digressing, and return to the chanting priests
in the temple, who, with shaven crowns, and arrayed in the yellow robes
of the priests of Buddha, appeared to go through the mummery with
devotion. They had the lowering look of bigotry, which constant habit
had at last legibly written upon their countenances. The priests were
evidently, in characteristic features, a distinct race from the Chinese,
and came at the introduction of the Boodha religion into China, from some
other parts of Asia, probably the Birmah empire.
As soon as the mummery had ceased, the priests all flocked out of the
temple, adjourned to their respective rooms, divested themselves of
their official robes, and the senseless figures were left to themselves,
with some lamps burning before them; and the silence of the temple was
a type of that portentous spectre, superstition. Another large and
handsomely-adorned temple was situated beyond this, as well as numerous
others, of smaller size, within the inclosure, all kept in a very neat
and clean state.
Being soon satiated with the sight of gilded gods, and fanatical priests,
mingled with all the gaudy paraphernalia of superstition, we adjourned
to view the fat pigs which saluted us by their effluvia some time before
we attained their dwelling,—where we beheld them luxuriating in a bed
of filth, having nothing to do but undergo the laborious occupations of
eating, drinking, sleeping, and getting fat: before them were sacred
buckets, which had been probably filled with food, but were now empty.
They were enormously fat, and seven or eight in number. Some persons
informed me that they were kept until they died suffocated with fat; but
others said that they formed an annual sacrifice to the gods, during
the grand festivals. These huge, filthy creatures, are so gross as to
cause the mouths of the Chinese who behold them to water with delight,
in anticipation of the splendid dishes their carcases would afford, to
gratify their mortal appetites, exciting deep regret that they are to be
devoted as ideal feasts only for immortals.
After wandering over this extensive inclosure, in which we met with no
hindrance or molestation, I returned to Canton much gratified by the
visit.
The hall of the factory of the Honorable East India Company, as well as
the whole range of buildings, is very elegant. At one end of the large
room in the building is a magnificent portrait of his late majesty George
the Fourth, by Sir Thomas Lawrence; and opposite to it, an accurate
full-length portrait of Lord Amherst, by the same artist. On ascending to
the terrace, above the building, a beautiful panoramic view of the city
of Canton is obtained. The winding river crowded with boats; numerous
pagodas, as far as the eye could reach; a fine view of Whampoa, and some
of the shipping; the number of paddy fields in the vicinity; interspersed
with habitations and plantations, with hills in the distance,—formed a
scene both novel and interesting. I afterwards visited, in company with
my friend, Mr. Whiteman, the extensive tea hongs of Kingqua, and other
of the hong merchants, which are well worthy the notice of a stranger.
Among the Chinese novelties to be seen in the vicinity of Canton, but
more especially about Whampoa, are the _duck-boats_, used as residences
for the owners and their families, as well as for their numerous
feathered charge. The fledged bipeds inhabit the hold of the boat, and
the human bipeds, or keepers, the upper accommodations of the vessel.
These boats are most abundant about the rice-fields, near the river, soon
after the harvest has been gathered in, as at that time the broad-billed
animals glean the fields, and have a better prospect of a supply of food
than at any other period. The owner of the boat moves it about from place
to place, according to the opportunities that may be offered to him of
feeding his flock.
On the arrival of the boat at the appointed spot, or one considered
proper for feeding the quacking tribe, a signal of a whistle causes the
flock to waddle in regular order from their domicile across the board
placed for their accommodation, and then rambling about undergo the
process of feeding. When it is considered by their keeper that they
have gorged sufficiently, another signal is made for the return of the
birds: immediately upon hearing it, they congregate and re-enter the
boat. The first duck that enters is rewarded with some paddy, the last is
whipped for being dilatory; so that it is ludicrous to see the last birds
(knowing by sad experience the fate that awaits them) making efforts _en
masse_ to fly over the back of the others, to escape the chastisement
inflicted upon the ultimate duck.
A large quantity of a kind of alabaster or gypsum is brought down from
the northward in large junks to Canton; it is called in the Chinese
language _Shek, oo_, and is used by them, as well as by Europeans, in
a pulverized state, as a dentifrice: it is also employed and highly
esteemed by the Chinese as a _tisan_, for the purpose of allaying the
ardent thirst in fevers, and is considered by them _nourishing_ as well
as cooling. It is pulverized and used in the adulteration of powdered
sugar-candy, to which it bears in appearance a very close resemblance;
indeed, it is (except by the taste) not easy to distinguish one from the
other.
Dr. Cox presented me with a specimen in spirits of a very venomous snake,
which is not uncommon in China; this one had some time since bitten a
Chinese servant in the Dutch Hong, and occasioned his death in a few
hours. The head of the reptile in this specimen had been cut off by
the Chinese who first arrived to the assistance of the wounded man, who
having bruised it, had applied it as a poultice to the bitten part; from
which a query may arise, whether the poison mingled with the mashed head,
being applied to the bitten part, may not have served to hasten the fatal
termination.
This venomous reptile is called _white and black snake_, from its
colours; by the Chinese, _Pak, y, hak_, (pak signifying white, and hak,
black). The largest size it has been seen to attain, has been three feet.
The colour of the reptile is a bluish white, with black, circular, broad
rings, around the body. The head (which I had an opportunity of examining
in another and unmutilated specimen) was broad, flattened, with ten broad
scales upon the upper and lateral parts; and around the body, from one
extremity to the other, there were forty-nine circular rings. The length
of my specimen is nearly three feet.
The Chinese, just mentioned as having been bitten by this reptile, was
described to me as being a stout, robust, and healthy man. The part of
his body wounded, was on and about the little toe. He was bitten at
eleven P.M., and in the space of an hour was quite senseless. Before
this, he described the pain as ascending rapidly up the body. It appears
that when first bitten, he thought his assailant was a rat, and, kicking
the reptile, he was rebitten; and, altogether, was wounded three times:
he expired a little before four A.M. This snake is said to be used by
the Chinese as a medicine, being dried, pulverized, and administered as
an internal remedy. During floods, these reptiles are very commonly seen
about the houses, coming from the creeks up the drains into the kitchens:
they very probably inhabit marshy places, and are often brought down
during the freshes of the river, among the weeds, rushes, &c., and at
that time may be descried sporting and swimming about the multitude of
boats in the river. They are killed in numbers by the boatmen. During
the late floods which prevailed at Canton, a number of these venomous
reptiles were destroyed.[44]
I availed myself of the kind offer of Mr. Davis, and left Canton with him
at daylight of the 28th of October, in the Company’s yacht for Macao,
where, after a long, but agreeable passage, we arrived on the evening of
the next day.
During my further stay at Macao, I visited one evening, in company with
Mr. Davis, a place called the Lappa,[45] situated on the opposite side
of the peninsula, upon which the city of Macao is erected, in the inner
harbour. The lofty hills have a barren and uninteresting appearance; and
there is nothing attractive in the aspect of that part of the country,
until, on landing, a pathway leads to a delightful, picturesque, and
fertile valley, smiling with the cultivated plantations of rice, yams,
sweet potatoes, and interspersed by rural cottages, peeping through a
dense crowd of bamboo, pandanus, and plantain trees. Near the beach was a
cluster of wretched-looking huts; but the features of the country, both
in its natural state, as well as improved by art, were pleasing as we
advanced further up this pretty, sheltered valley.
The declivities of some of the hills on the inner or sheltered side
towards the valley, were covered by the Hill pines, or Shan, tchong[46]
of the Chinese, the _Pinus sinensis_ of botanists, of which I collected
a few specimens in a state of fructification. Rivulets meandering
through the valley, irrigate and fertilize the soil; and their banks
are covered with a profusion of wild plants, a number of ferns, Myrtus
tomentosa, Sida, Urtica, Melastoma quinquenervia, (or Kai, chee, neem,
of the Chinese,) and a multitude of others. From the cultivated, we
came upon a wilder, more stony, and less beautiful part of the valley,
among scattered masses of granite rocks, about which a wild and profuse
vegetation was lavished.
At one part, my attention was directed to a mass of granite rocks,
appearing as if they had been huddled together by some convulsion of
nature, and many of them were found to be moveable, when trodden upon.
Some of these were described as being sonorous; and as they were regarded
as one of the Macao _lions_, they were of course well worth seeing, if
it was only for the pleasure of relating to every one that _you had seen
them_. The first, and by far the most sonorous, was partially excavated
underneath; and by striking it upon the upper part, a deep sound like
that of a church bell was produced. The battered appearance of the stone
above, bore several proofs of how many visitors had made this _lion
roar_. Many of the other rocks were also sonorous, but not so loud as the
first; and from their situations, (although moveable when trodden upon,)
it could not be seen whether they were naturally excavated similar to the
preceding. The Lappa is a place to which the residents of Macao resort,
forming pic-nic parties for the purposes of enjoying a change of scene in
their limited place of residence, and deriving a gratification from the
natural and cultivated beauties of this pretty valley.
We returned late in a _Tanka_ boat. These boats, from their bearing
some resemblance to a section of an egg, are called egg-boats, or egg
people boats; tan signifying an egg, and ka, people: they are principally
navigated by women. The egg-boat people, both males and females, are only
permitted to intermarry among themselves. Some of the females have often
a little claim to personal beauty.
The Chinese burial-grounds are never inclosed, and are usually seen
situated on the slopes of the hills. The graves never being opened a
second time, the burial-grounds take up a large quantity of land. I
believe the handsome and extensive vaults are sometimes re-opened for
the interment of a second corpse: the graves of the poorer class have
merely a headstone, upon which Chinese characters are engraved, giving
the name, family, &c. of the individual, whose mortal clay reposes
beneath.
One of the promenades in the vicinity of Macao, is to a sandy bay, called
Cassilha’s Bay,[47] in which there was nothing to excite interest, having
merely barren hills about it, and a distant view of islands. The only
benefit derived from a visit to it, is the exercise of walking.
I remarked some Chinese one morning near Macao engaged in making some
very durable ropes from rattan: the process of manufacture was but little
different from that of hemp. The rattans were split longitudinally,
soaked, and attached to a wheel, which one person was keeping in motion,
whilst another was binding the split rattans together, adding others
to the length from a quantity he carried around his waist, until the
required length of the rope was completed.
The Portuguese ladies at Macao are, for the most part, possessed of but
few attractions. The dark-eyed, beautiful damsels, the destroyers of so
many hearts in Lisbon, are here seldom to be met with. The lower class
may be seen covered by their mantilla, walking at a funereal pace to mass
or confession; the only duties for which a Portuguese female considers
it worth while to take exercise. The higher class are carried from one
street to another by negroes, in clumsy and tawdry palankeens.
I have before observed that Macao signifies in the Portuguese language
a mallet, and the name has been given to it from the resemblance of
the peninsula to that instrument; the sandy isthmus which runs out,
connecting the elevated spot upon which Macao has been erected to the
main land, resembles the handle. At the distance of about half-way across
this sandy neck of land the Chinese barrier is erected, beyond which no
European is suffered to pass.
The morning previous to my departure from Macao, I visited another
Chinese temple, situated near the sandy isthmus. It had nothing to
recommend it for picturesque or romantic beauty; its interior was more
extensive than the one I had previously visited. Passing through the
temple, numerous granite rocks were scattered about the brow of a hill
in their natural state, and upon many of them were Chinese inscriptions,
probably moral sentences, which the Chinese are so fond of teaching,
but never trouble themselves about practising. Near the road side, and
upon the summit of the hill, on the brow of which the inscriptions on
the granite rocks just mentioned were remarked, were several small
cone-shaped buildings, resembling somewhat the eastern Linguams. For what
purpose they had been erected, I could not gain any information; there
were three a short distance apart, close to the road side, and another of
large size situated in a very conspicuous spot upon the summit of a hill.
The Linguams, if they may be so named, are rather more than five feet
high, and constructed of brick plastered over; in one the plaster had
fallen off, leaving the brick exposed, evidently showing that not much
attention was paid to them. At the base of the cone was a small square
hole. The one situated upon the lofty summit of a hill, looked like a
white conical land-mark; I did not ascend to examine it.