190 



DISCOVERY 



closely interwoven with each other This is known 

 as the Pa Kiia, or Eight Diagrams. It, also, is used 

 for frightening away evil spirits. These diagrams are 

 said to have been invented two thousand years before 

 the Christian era by the Emperor Fu Hsi, who copied 

 them from the back of the tortoise. Each diagram 

 represents some power in nature, such as fire, water, 

 etc. The centre of the circle is known as the Ying 

 Yang, and is supposed to represent the primeval 

 forces from which all things have been produced. 

 Pieces of board on which are painted these diagrams 

 are often to be found over the doors or on the walls 

 of houses, and are supposed to have a beneficial 

 influence on the household by warding off all evil. 

 At New Year time many of 4hese diagrams are sold, 

 and they are also to be found on the other pictures 

 of gods and men. 



The favourite goddess of the women in China is 

 Kuan Yin or, as she is sometimes called, Kuan Shih 

 Yin, the " Goddess of Mercy." She is the deity who 

 is supposed to be always on the lookout for people 

 in circumstances of trouble and suffering, and evcr 

 ready to hear the cry of the oppressed. She is 

 specially popular with the women, as she is supposed 

 to respond readily to the appeal for sons which Chinese 

 women alv\-ays make, as daughters are of little account 

 in that land. In the temples Kuan Yin is sometimes 

 represented as having a thousand arms, each arm 

 being stretched out to succour the unfortunate. 

 Closely allied with Kuan Yin is the figure of the 

 Buddha, which is also a popular one. There are many 

 representations of this deity as he is supposed to 

 appear in different forms. 



Amongst the numerous pictures exposed for sale at 

 the New Year, one would naturally expect to find an 

 almanac, seeing the Chinese are so advanced in the 

 study of astronomy and astrology. There arc many 

 kinds to be bought, from the elaborately prepared 

 book down to the simple sheet. The almanac holds 

 an important place in China. It is annually prepared 

 at Peking under the direction of a bureau attached 

 to the Board of Rites, and the issue of any counterfeit 

 or pirated edition by others is a penal offence. Of 

 course this only refers to the subject-matter, that is, 

 the settled feast days and days that are auspicious or 

 otherwise. A popular kind of almanac published is 

 known as the " Spring 0.x." This has reference to 

 one or more customs prevalent amongst the Chinese, 

 one indeed being confined to the Imperial Court, 

 discontinued since the revolution. This last-men- 

 tioned is the ceremony of ploughing by the late 

 Emperors of the Manchu Dynasty in a field adjoining 

 the Temple of Agriculture at Peking. This took place 

 on the day fixed by the astrologers as the beginning 

 of spring. Another custom, also in honour of spring, 



referred to is that of the prefect of the city with his 

 subordinate officials, accompanied by citizens, going 

 outside the city walls to burn a paper buffalo or ox. 

 This custom varies with the people of different 

 provinces. 



There are many more mottoes and pictures to be 

 seen at New Year time than have been mentioned 

 here, but a description of a few of the most popular 

 has been given to manifest a phase of Chinese life 

 about which little has been written. The Chinese are 

 known as a literary nation, but it is not often realised 

 how deeplv the cult of the pen in writing and in 

 pictorial art has taken hold of the people of the 

 Celestial Empire. 



Reviews of Books 



ARCTIC EXPLORATION 



The Friendly Arctic. The Story of Five Years in Polar 

 Regions. By V. Stefansson. filacmillan & Co., 

 Ltd., 30s.) 



In this volume Mr. Stefansson tells the story of the 

 Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1914-IQ18 which was sent 

 out by the Canadian Government to explore the Beau- 

 fort Sea and incidentally to lay claims to any new lands 

 discovered. It was a large expedition with a staff of 

 no less than fifteen scientific specialists beside a number 

 of assistants and natives. A great deal was accom- 

 plished, but not so much as Stefansson liad hoped, largely 

 because the Karlitk, his chief ship, with most of the 

 scientific staff, was nipped in the ice and crushed after 

 a long drift. A few new islands were added to the 

 Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and though circumstances 

 prevented a penetration of the Beaufort Sea, it was 

 shown that the existence of land in that region is 

 most improbable. The book is long and full of detail, 

 but never wearisome, for there was much variety and a 

 good deal of adventure, and Stefansson takes his readers 

 into his confidence by discussing all his difficulties as they 

 appeared at the time. The ordinary reader who is not 

 versed in the details of Arctic topograghy may find the 

 greatest appeal in the book in the idea conveyed in 

 the title which challenges the popular conception of 

 Arctic regions. Nine or ten years' experience of this part 

 of the Arctic has convinced Stefansson that it is a verv 

 pleasant place where man can live well and easily and 

 suffer no privations or even undue discomfort. He 

 combats the prevailing ideas of hunger, cold, heroic 

 struggles and grim defeat — all this is quite unnecessary. 

 His method of exploration is to live as the Eskimo live 

 by hunting seals on the ice or caribou and musk-oxen on 

 the land, to use blubber for fuel, and to live in snow 

 houses. Even when he started with food on his sledges 

 he was indifferent to the rate at which it was consumed. 



