Chap. XVII. 



KICHNESS OF THE SHOPS. 



353 



I now walked round the ramparts from the 

 north to the east gate, and then crossed the town 

 from east to west in the same leisurely way I had 

 done from south to north. A fine broad stream, 

 or rather canal, crosses the city from south to 

 north, and forms the chief highway for the boat- 

 traffic, for boats are the carriages in this part of 

 China and canals are the highways. This stream 

 was crowded with boats of all sizes ; some were 

 discharging goods and passengers at the jetties 

 on its banks, while others were hurrying onward 

 deeply laden with goods and passengers for other 

 parts of the country. 



The city near the south gate by which I entered 

 had rather a poor appearance, but the centre, 

 and particularly the northern side, appeared rich 

 and densely populated. Many of the shops were 

 crowded with articles of great beauty and value. 

 The fronts of Chinese shops are not shut up as 

 ours are ; the interior is fully exposed to passers- 

 by, so that I got an excellent view of their con- 

 tents without the inconvenience of going inside. 

 The silk fans struck me as being more gorgeous 

 and handsome than any I had seen in other towns. 

 Manufactured crapes and silks were also plentiful, 

 and judging from the dresses of the people of both 

 sexes, these goods must be in great demand. I 

 have visited many Chinese towns, and I must say 

 I never saw the people as a whole better dressed 

 than those of Hoo-chow. Every person I met 

 above the common working coolie was dressed in 



