934 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Some of the caskets in these recep- 

 tacles were elegantly finished in highly 

 polished lacquer and cost $i,ooo each. 

 The object of leaving the remains in this 

 place is to insure the happiness of the 

 one of the three spirits of the deceased 

 supposed to remain in the bones by pro- 

 viding for it food, drink, and shelter. 



One of the peculiar beliefs regarding 

 the dead is that, if the soul of the de- 

 ceased does not rest comfortably, the 

 relatives will be correspondingly un- 

 happy. The expense of storage and at- 

 tendance often becomes very burdensome. 

 We were told of an instance where the 

 cost for the storage of the remains of a 

 woman had used up the entire property 

 of her husband, and that then the former 

 servants of the family had voluntarily 

 come forward and were then defraying 

 the entire expense. 



One of the minor penalties inflicted on 

 a person convicted of crime is to lock 

 the cangue, or board collar, on his neck, 

 which he is sometimes compelled to wear 

 several months. This implement of tor- 

 ture is constructed of boards 3 inches in 

 thickness and 3 feet square, weighing 

 from 30 to 100 pounds. In certain cases 

 the culprit is chained on the street, and, 

 with his ofliense written upon the cangue, 

 is exposed daily to the view of passers-by. 

 The victim is dependent on his friends, 

 owing to the width of the collar, which 

 prevents him from feeding himself. 



While in the city of Shanhaikwan, 

 and wishing to obtain a picture of one 

 of these unfortunates, a prison was vis- 

 ited in company with an interpreter. 

 The amount the jailer required for pro- 

 ducing a prisoner wearing the collar 

 seemed a little excessive. But when, 

 according to the habit acquired in the 

 shops of the country, an offer of one- 

 half the price asked was made, the sub- 

 ject was at once forthcoming. The back- 

 ground of the picture includes the rack 

 holding the staves for use in administer- 

 ing the punishment decreed by the mag- 

 istrate, or for forcing a confession from 

 an accused prisoner. 



In some parts of China it is the custom 

 to exhibit through the streets prisoners 

 who have paid the penalty of their 



crimes and are about to be released. 

 This permits the people to^ become fa- 

 miliar with their faces, so as to recognize 

 them thereafter. In the case of serious 

 offenses, one of the first acts of punish- 

 ment administered to convicts is cutting 

 off the queue, considered a mark of deep 

 disgrace. 



So unique are the methods of this old 

 empire in the administration of justice 

 that the entire subject is one of deep 

 interest ; for where the world over is 

 "such a vast population kept in orderly 

 control by the minimum police and mili- 

 tary force? 



A tourist, when visiting Northern 

 China, does not feel he has lived up to 

 his opportunities if he neglects to visit 

 the "Ming Tombs." The Ming rulers 

 were the last strictly Chinese dynasty, 

 which terminated about 500 years ago, 

 when overthrown by the Manchus. 



The burial place of these monarchs is 

 located about 50 miles from Peking and 

 7 miles from Nankou. The only means 

 of transportation from the latter place to 

 the site is on the backs of the frisky 

 donkeys or in sedan chairs. 



The monotony of the several miles' 

 ride by this slow manner of locomotion 

 through the plains begins to tell on one 

 when, as if to dispute the way, there loom 

 up ahead an avenue of ghostly figures. 

 On approaching, these are seen to be 

 great stones which have taken on the 

 forms of mammoth mandarins, lions, 

 elephants, camels, unicorns, etc., to the 

 number of 48, and stand on either side 

 of the path about 300 feet apart. The 

 effect of meeting these silent figures, 

 which seem to gaze on one as he pro- 

 ceeds through the solitude of the lonely 

 place, is quite impressive. 



The accounts that travelers and writers 

 give of conditions and experiences within 

 this vast empire sometimes seem very 

 conflicting. However, customs are so 

 radically different in the several prov- 

 inces that only a short visit is necessary 

 to convince one of the probable truthful- 

 ness of the statements, as well as the fact 

 that the half has not yet been told of this 

 people, so wonderful, so ancient, and so 

 unique. 



