Chap. XII. 



CHINESE THEATRICALS. 



257 



remain for a great length of time I was content to 

 take my place in the " pit," which I have already 

 said is free to the public. But the parties who 

 had given the play were too polite to permit me 

 to remain amongst the crowd. One of them — a 

 respectable-looking man, dressed very gaily — came 

 down and invited me to accompany him to the 

 boxes. He led me up a narrow staircase and into 

 a little room in which I found several of his 

 friends amusing themselves by smoking, sipping 

 tea, and eating seeds and fruits of various kinds. 

 All made way for the stranger, and endeavoured 

 to place me in the best position for getting a view 

 of the stage. What a mass of human beings were 

 below me ! The place seemed full of heads^ and 

 one might suppose that the bodies were below, but 

 it was impossible to see them, so densely were they 

 packed together. Had it not been for the stage 

 in the background with its actors dressed in the 

 gay-coloured costumes of a former age, and the 

 rude and noisy band, it would have reminded me 

 more of the hustings at a contested election in 

 England than anything else. But taken as a 

 whole, there was nothing to which I could liken 

 it out of China. 



The actors had no stage-scenery to assist them 

 in making an impression on the audience. This 

 is not the custom in China. A table, a few chairs, 

 and a covered platform are all that is required. 

 No ladies are allowed to appear as actresses in the 

 country, but the way in which the sex is imitated 



