66 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. V. 
To vary the monotony of the scene, as well as to warm 
myself, I used frequently to take a stroll down the main 
street. The Chinese, as a nation, are great gamblers ; 
even the poorest of them cannot resist the temptation, 
and in this street after nightfall there used to be nu- 
merous stalls of oranges, sweetmeats, and trifling curiosi- 
ties, at each of which there were dice of some kind, and 
a " wheel of fortune," surrounded by the Chinese in great 
numbers, trying their luck with a few copper cash, and 
evincing by their looks and language the most intense 
interest in the stopping of the wheel or the throwing of 
the dice. 
Besides the shops already noticed for the sale of 
clothes and skins, there are many others worthy of our 
attention. There are a number of excellent silk-shops 
and warehouses a little off the main street, which, like our 
old-established houses at home, have but little external 
show to attract notice. Here, too, are large quantities 
of that beautiful northern embroidery which is so much 
admired by all who have had an opportunity of seeing 
it. It is entirely different from that commonly procured 
at Canton, and much more elaborate and expensive. A 
considerable demand for articles of dress which would be 
fashionable in England has induced the Chinese to get 
them made, and they are now exposed for sale in all the 
towns in the north frequented by the English. Ladies' 
aprons, scarfs, shawls, work-bags, and many other articles 
made up in the English style, and beautifully embroi- 
dered, are the things most in demand. 
The Chinese estimate their celebrated jade-stone very 
highly, and here there are numerous shops, both for 
