Shantung Silk
The next morning we pursued our railway journey as far as Chowtsun, but
we had great difficulty in getting tickets. Before leaving Shanghai we
inquired at the bank what sort of money we should take for Shantung,
and were told that notes would go everywhere, so we accepted what
the bank gave us. On the railway they demurred at every place where
we offered notes, and at Chowtsun they absolutely refused to take
them. In vain I expostulated in German. The Chinaman pretended not to
understand. Nothing would induce him to say a word or give us tickets,
but he said in Chinese that he must have Mexican dollars. Finally, we
left the office, and when the train arrived we had our luggage put
in, and got in ourselves. The man came out of his office, and looked
surprised. He then poured forth a flood of German. I told him that he
would be reported for incivility at the station to which we were going,
and where we would pay for our tickets. He had evidently imagined we
should be intimidated and should produce the dollars. Chowtsun is a
charming place, and we found plenty of the now fashionable Shantung
silk to be bought there, but much finer in quality than one sees
in London shops. We were taken to look at it in an inner room, and
provided with tea. The merchant said that the Shantung silk blouse
which I was wearing was very poor quality, and he showed us some lovely
stuffs, all hand-woven. On the counter were lying Manchester cotton
goods, which are imported all over the Empire. It is interesting to
learn that Shantung has been noted for its silks since 2640 B.C. In the
Chinese classics of that date silk is referred to as being made in the
south-west of the province, where the mulberries grow well.[3] At the
present time the silkworms are fed on dwarf oak in the eastern part of
the province, and pongée is made from their silk; but all the finer
silks come from the west. From the time of Yu (who flourished B.C.
2640) there is continual reference made in the classics to sericulture.
A later writer says that in his time it was forbidden to rear more than
one breed of silkworms in a season, because astrologers had discovered
that horses and silkworms belonged to the same constellation, and
therefore must be of the same origin. Later on, in a classical book
of the Han dynasty (B.C. 204), the ceremonies connected with it are
described, and how the Empress herself took part in it, none of her
ladies being allowed to wear jewelry when picking mulberry leaves to
feed the young insects, and “none dare indulge in indolence”; “lewd
conversation” was said to disturb the worms. From this time onwards
it appears that successive empresses had to take a ceremonial part in
the rearing of silkworms. Silk was the most interesting product of the
province to us, but the main interest of the country to others lies in
its mineral worth. The Germans have got mining rights, and have carried
a branch line of the railway down to the coalfields at Poshan.
From Chowtsun we went on a barrow, through interesting country, to
the town of Tsowping to visit a friend, and as the roads were good
we quite enjoyed our four hours’ ride. Specially careful barrow-men
had been selected, so that we might run no risk, and certainly this
was desirable, as the path often lay along the edge of steep banks.
We found a good mission hospital up there, where we heard astonishing
stories of the recuperative powers of the Chinese. The Scotch doctor
said that when he told them to his friends at home, one would remark,
“I am not a bad liar myself, but I would not dare to go so far as
that.” My own experience at a hospital in China makes me think that it
is impossible to beat the reality, no matter how exaggerated the story
sounds!
From Tsowping we returned by barrow to Chowtsun, and thence by rail to
Tsinan, which boasts three railway stations.
The accompanying illustration gives an idea of what is worn by
officials. The self-complacent pose of a Chinese official’s feet is
eminently characteristic. Much has been written about character as seen
in the human hand, but I think a character study of feet might still be
written, even when the feet are disguised by boots or shoes.
[Illustration: OFFICIAL (COURT DRESS)]