68 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. V. 
is expensive, it is, of course, only used in the houses of 
the wealthy. 
There are some large banking establishments in Ning- 
po, having connection with all the other towns in the 
north, and it is here, therefore, that the value of money 
is regulated, the " stocks " rising and falling exactly as 
they do in England. There can be little doubt that it 
is a place of great wealth. There are a large number of 
retired merchants in the city and suburbs, who have 
made their fortunes in early life, and who now seek to 
enjoy themselves amid the luxuries and retirement of 
Ning-po. But these circumstances, unfortunately, do 
not fit it for a place of active foreign trade ; and hence, 
although it is large, rich, and populous, our merchants 
find the northern port of Shanghae of far greater im- 
portance as regards the sale of European and American 
manufactures, and the purchase of tea and silk, — the 
staple productions of the country. And yet, judging 
from appearances, one would think that a considerable 
foreign trade might be carried on at Ning-po, as it is in 
itself a large town, is in the midst of a populous country, 
and has excellent water-communication with all parts of 
the empire. 
Many of the temples in this town have been much 
admired by foreigners, but I must confess that, to me, 
the very best of them had a childish and tinselly 
appearance, which I could not admire. The one called 
the Fokien Temple is best and most showy. The Con- 
fucian Temple was formerly a large and celebrated place, 
but it was nearly destroyed during the war, and up to 
the time when I left China no attempt had been made 
