THE LAND OF PEACH BLOOM 113 



you our humble hospitality; we beg of you that you will 

 deign to accept such entertainment as we can command 

 during your sojourn in our midst. If you will follow us, it 

 will be a privilege to conduct you to the Hall of Harmony 

 where you may rest and refresh yourself in comfort. ' ' Then 

 turning to the group, he added, "Is it not delightful to 

 have friends coming from distant quarters?" 



They all bowed respectfully, and acquiesced in this 

 further quotation from the Analects of the great Sage 

 Confucius. 



The fisherman, only too pleased to have a place where 

 he might rest and refresh himself, eagerly accepted the 

 invitation so generously and spontaneously proffered, and 

 they all repaired in a body to the Hall of Harmony. 



On the way it became evident that the village was well 

 populated and in the highest state of prosperity. In fact, it 

 was more than a village, for it had wide and well-kept 

 thoroughfares and public squares, and the houses were all 

 : n excellent condition. There were shops innumerable that 

 dealt in all manner of things which the people bought and 

 sold by barter. There were agricultural implements all made 

 of bronze; clothing made of curious stuffs; mats, rugs, and 

 carpets in antique designs; household furniture of choice 

 woods, and household utensils of pottery, bronze and gold; 

 but all were quaint in shape, quite different from anything the 

 puzzled fisherman had ever seen in his life. The shop-signs 

 and notices were written in Chinese characters; but charac- 

 ters of a very ancient type and not easy to decipher. The 

 people, both old and young, seemed perfectly happy; not an 

 angry word nor a harsh sound was to be heard; everybody 

 pursued his vocation in the best of humour. The men were 

 courtly, the children clean, and the women unobtrusive, 

 refined, as well as comely. 



It soon transpired, however, that a stranger from distant- 

 parts had arrived, and before long a Crowd accompanied the 

 fisherman to the Hall of Harmony. Everybody was 

 intensively interested, and eager to catch a glimpse of the 

 newcomer. 



On arrival at the Hall of Harmony, a magnificent and 

 stately structure in the temple style, the fisherman was led 

 to the grand reception room which was paved with marble 

 and decorated with elaborately carved wood panels and scrolls. 

 Here the Elder performed a low obeisance in a reverential 

 manner before a tablet of Confucius which stood in the 

 centre of a long altar against the back wall. On the altar 

 were also ranged, on either hand of the tablet, grotesque 

 sacrificial vessels, tripods, urns, and libation cups, wrought 



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