CHINA. 



The Chinese printers have no notion of a real 

 printing-press; and besides, their paper is M> thin 

 that it could not resist a hard pn^Miiv. The 

 printer holds two very fine brushes in his right hand, 

 of which one contains ink, and the other is dry. 

 With the former he blackens all the letters ; the 

 latter he passes gently over the paper which has 

 been laid on them. By this process a single man 

 can with great ease print oil" several thousand 

 .-hcets in a day. The (.'liinese paper is so exceed- 

 ingly thin and transparent that it is printed on only 

 one side. Kvrry page is numbered, commonly also 

 the title of the work, or of the book and chapter. 

 Two pages are usually worked together, and the 

 sheet of paper has a black line down the middle as 

 a guide to the bookbinder, who folds it double, and 

 fastens the open leaves together. Every volume is 

 either gummed at the back with a very fine paste, 

 or stitched with silk in a manner peculiar to the 

 Chinese. 



In modern times, improvements in the Chinese 

 language have been few and unimportant. Perhaps 

 we ought to say that it has deteriorated, since its 

 difficulties have been greatly increased by the addi- 

 tion of many arbitrary and complicated characters. 

 It has beauties and excellencies, and is capable of 

 conveying thought with great precision and force. 

 Still, the number and variety of the characters of 

 the language are so great, that very mucji time 

 must be occupied in merely learning their sounds 

 and forms ; this points to the necessity of either 

 simplying the existing language, or of adopting an- 

 other in its stead. The experiment which is now 

 making in India, to express the various languages 

 and dialects of that country in the Roman character, 

 will eventually, we doubt not, be adopted in China. 



The domestic habits of the Chinese are now well 

 known. Their great staff of life is rice, to which 

 may be added millet and the sweet potato. They 

 do not understand how to bake bread. Wheaten 

 flour is principally used for vermicelli. Beans and 

 peas are favourite dishes. Their chief fruits are 

 oranges, mangos, loquats, medlars, and lungyen. 

 Their favourite meat is pork. Very little beef is 

 consumed; but dogs, cats, and horse flesh are not 

 refused. 



The Chinese eat almost everything that comes 

 to hand. In the streets a number of birds are daily 

 exposed for sale, which amongst us have not yet 

 gained much repute for flavour; among others, 

 hawks, owls, eagles, and storks. To an European 

 nothing can have a more laughable effect than to 

 see the Chinese arrive with a carrying-pole support- 

 ing two bird-cages, which contain dogs and cats in- 

 stead of birds. A small thin sort of spaniel ap- 

 pears to be most in request ; they sit quite down- 

 cast in their temporary dwellings when they are 

 brought to market, whilst the cats make a dread- 

 ful squalling, as if conscious of their fate. The 

 flesh of these last, when they are well fed, is much 

 esteemed in China, and they are often seen on the 

 tables of the rich. Other Chinese bring upon their 

 carrying-pole many dozen of rats, which are drawn 

 quite clean, and, like pigs in our country, when 

 they have been opened, are hung up by means of a 

 cross piece of wood through the hind legs. These 

 rows of rats look very nice, but they are eaten only 

 by the poor. The tiger's flesh is much esteemed 

 among military officer? ; its gall and bone being 

 mixed-with their food, in order to inspire their souls 

 with irresistible courage and tiger strength. There 

 are gourmands in Pekin as well as in Paris and 



London: and Choo-fo or Tsingping would prefers 

 bird's nest, or a bicho de mer (a sea slug), to all 

 the turtle soup and venison of my Lord Mayor's 

 dinners. The best kind of birds' nests is very dear ; 

 and a gourmand can with the greatest ease devour 

 at one breakfast the value of as much as might 

 support at least four people throughout the year. 

 Shark's fins, fish maws, cow's sinews, and the ant- 

 lers of deer, are in great requisition for their gela- 

 tinous qualities. Buffalo hides are also boiled 

 down for their jelly. The favourite beverage, of 

 course, is tea; this is drunk out of vessels which 

 are seldom washed, lest the flavour should be di- 

 minished. No wine is extracted from the grape ; 

 but rum is distilled from the sugar cane. Beer, 

 cyder, &c. are quite unknown. Their great enter- 

 tainments last several hours, whilst tea and liquors 

 are served up in the intervals of the repast. If 

 the party is classical and consists of learned men, 

 they amuse themselves with riddles, poems, and 

 satires. They are a cheerful people, and at their 

 meals all is joviality and amusement. They are 

 extremely sumptuous in their parties, and the cere- 

 mony of inviting the guest first by cards, then by 

 importunate messages, and afterwards, when he is 

 come, to sit down to table, is absurd and extrava- 

 gant to a degree. When all are collected, and the 

 host desires them to be seated, a regular scuffle 

 ensues who shall be first at the lowest seat : an affec- 

 tation of humility carried to a length truly pre- 

 posterous. Very distinguished persons have music 

 during the entertainment, and the time is generally 

 spent in witnessing the tricks of jugglers and the 

 performances of comedians. Their houses are for 

 the most part built of brick, which are made in 

 great perfection, and are joined so as to form tri- 

 angles, squares, circles, and figures of flowers, 

 which give to the exterior a very finished appear- 

 ance. At the entrance of a rich man's house, one 

 observes various flower-pots, and artificial rocks, 

 mountains, and gardens. The principal hall is the 

 most ornamental part of the house. The walls 

 are adorned with inscriptions drawn upon a lac- 

 quered plank with golden letters. Most houses 

 are only one story high ; if two, the uppermost is 

 inhabited by the women. The windows are small, 

 and admit but little light, glass being scarce, and 

 paper and shells being substituted. Terraces, as 

 in other eastern countries, are often built on the 

 roofs, where they ascend to enjoy the cool of the 

 evening. The law does not permit a person to 

 deviate from established rules in the architecture 

 of his house. If he ventured to build an elegant 

 or commodious habitation from his own design, hie 

 property would be confiscated and his house pulled 

 down, under the plea of a useless waste of money. 

 The interiors of their rooms possess very little 

 furniture beyond what is just necessary. 



The upper classes, and especially the inhabitants 

 of the maritime provinces, are dreadfully addicted 

 to opium-smoking. The fumes of this pernicious 

 drug are drawn through a peculiarly-constructed 

 pipe, whilst the wretched victim lies down. He 

 very soon falls asleep, and on awaking, takes a cup 

 of tea, and then again repeats the process. When 

 it has become a habit, it cannot be left off, with- 

 out the wretched being falling into a premature 

 grave : it, of course, soon destroys the strength of 

 the body and the faculties of the mind. All his 

 powers are consumed in procuring means to attain 

 this delicious poison ; and thus he frequently be- 

 comes a gambler, thief, and robber. 



