CHINESE ARCHITECTURE—BOERSCHMANN. 545 
Domestic wars and insurrections have repeatedly mixed the people 
of different parts in Chinese history, which in its vicissitudes equals 
our own. The migratory instinct has also contributed to this unifica- 
tion. According to Chinese records, the Province of Szech’uan was 
decimated at the beginning of the present dynasty to such an extent 
that only 1 in 10 survived, and it is now inhabited for the most part by 
settlers of other Provinces. Here one finds a greater variety in the 
styles of club buildings than anywhere else, with the possible excep- 
tion of the Province of Kuangsi, in the capital of which, Kueilinfu, 
nearly all the inhabitants are foreigners. During the period im- 
mediately before the New Year festival I daily passed small mer- 
chants, mechanics, and day laborers traveling to. their homes in 
Hunan for the festival weeks. This custom prevails throughout 
China, and similar scenes are witnessed everywhere. In Shantung 
the people constantly travel to and from the Liaotung Peninsula, 
along the seacoasts and on interior highways. The trains on the 
recently built railroads are always overcrowded, and the two small 
steamers which ply between Shanghai and Ningpo daily transport 
several thousand Chinese. 
The merchants of the Shensi Province have a monopoly of banking 
silver and copper throughout a greater part of the Empire. They 
travel everywhere and finally in their old age return to their homes 
with their acquired wealth. One particular city in Chekiang usually 
furnishes the subaltern officials for the mandarins of several Proy- 
inces. Other well-known towns, often inconsiderable in size, furnish, 
in addition, singers, actors, certain classes of artisans, and tradesmen. 
These all leave their homes to travel and usually return later. 
The ancient decree forbidding the appointment of higher officials 
to offices in their native Provinces, not to mention their native cities, 
was for the purpose of making the Government independent of per- 
sonal influence and of attaining uniformity. 
Traveling is habitual in China. Car drivers, muleteers, boatmen, 
and carriers readily contract to start immediately on long journeys 
requiring months of travel. A journey to remote Turkestan or Tibet 
is regarded as a most commonplace undertaking. The Government 
requires this readiness to travel of all officials. A high official in 
Ch’éngtu received orders to proceed to Tibet for a long period of 
years and departed within five days. 
The ancient classical examinations, which have now ceased, prob- 
ably forever, also contributed to this traveling instinct. Hundreds of 
thousands of students annually traveled to the examination halls of 
their districts and the capital cities, while thousands of them went on 
to Peking. In weary journeys they learned the country; they acquired 
strange customs here and there and diffused them abroad. 
38734°—sm 1911——35 
