C H 
certainly cramp the general growth, and injure the con- 
ftitution of thofe who have been fubjefted to it. Some 
of the lowed: claffes of the Chinefe women, of a race con¬ 
fined chiefly to the mountains and remote places, have 
not adopted this unnatural cultom ; but the females of 
this clafs are held by the reft in the utmoft contempt, 
and are employed only in the moft menial domeftic of¬ 
fices. So inveterate is the cuftom, that if of two lifters, 
otherwile every way equal, the one had thus been maim¬ 
ed, while nature was flittered to make its ufual prog refs 
in the other, the-latter would be confidered as in an ab- 
jeft ftate, unworthy of affociating with the reft of the fa¬ 
mily, doomed to perpetual obfcurity, and to the drudgery 
of iervitude.” 
With refpeft to education, the Chinefe book of cere¬ 
monies directs, that at the age of fix, if it be a male, he 
is to be made acquainted with the numbers moft in ufe, 
and with the names of the principal parts of the world. 
At eight he is inftrufted in the rules of polit'enefs. The 
calendar becomes his ftudy at the age of nine,‘and at ten 
he is lent to a public fchool, where he learns to read, 
write, and calculate the Sliwan-pan, or abacus of the 
Chinefe, and by which they calculate nearly all their 
operations in arithmetic. From thirteen till fifteen he is 
taught mufic, and every thing which he lings conlifts of 
moral precepts. When boys have attained to the age of 
fifteen, the)'-are taught to handle a bow and arrow, and 
to mount on horfeback. At twenty they receive the firft 
cap, if they are judged to deferve it, and they are per¬ 
mitted to wear filk drefles, ornamented with furs ; before 
that period they have no right to wear any thing but 
cotton. 
As it is confidered of great advantage to the Chinefe 
literati to be able to write their characters weli, they on 
this account bellow particular pains in forming the hands 
of young people. A neatnefs in characters is made of 
the utmoft confequence in thofe examinations, which 
ftudents undergo before they are admitted to the firft 
degree. A deficiency in this refpeft often occafions them 
to be rejected. Of this F. Du Halde gives the following 
inftance: “ A candidate for degrees,' having, contrary 
to order, made ufe of an abbreviation in writing the cha¬ 
racter ma, which fignifies horfe, had the mortification of 
feeing his compoiition, though in other refpeCts excel¬ 
lent, rejected merely on that account, befides being fe- 
verely rallied by the mandarin, who told him that a horfe 
could not walk unlels he had all his legs.” When a fcho- 
lar is become raafter of a fufficient number of characters, 
lie is permitted to compofe. In this exercife a kind of 
competition is eftablilhed. Twenty or thirty families, 
all of the fame name, and who confequently have only 
one hall for the manes of their anceftors, agree to fend 
their children to this hall twice a month in order to com¬ 
pofe. Each head of a family in turn gives, the fubjeCt of 
this literary conteft, and adjudges the prize. 
Europeans can fcarcely conceive how far the fove- 
reigns of China have carried their attention, in order to 
promote and encourage learning. In every city and town, 
and almoft in every village, there are mailers who keep 
.fchools for the purpofe of teaching thofe fciences with 
which the Chinefe are acquainted. Parents poffeffed of 
a certain fortune, provide preceptors for their children 
at home, who endeavour to form their minds to virtue, 
to initiate them in the rules of good breeding and the 
accultomed ceremonies; and, when them age admits, to 
make them acquainted with the laws and hiltory of their 
country. The education of the females is confined to 
giving them a tafte forTolitude, and a'ccuftoming them 
to modelty, and even to filence. If their parents are 
rich, they are alfo inftrufiled in fuch accomplifhments 
as may render them agreeable and pleafmg. The duties 
of women in China, as in other Aiiatic countries, are 
merely of the paflive kind. 
With refpeft to the drefs of the Chinefe, it is almoft the 
■fame among people of either fexj but certain appen- 
Vol. IV. No. 21x* 
I N A. 461 
dages, or ornaments, diftinguiih the rank and dignity of 
thole who wear them, and levere cliaftifement would be 
the confequence to any perfon who Ihould venture to af- 
furrie a drefs not authorifed by the law. The Chinefe 
drefs, in general, conlifts of a veil, which reaches to the 
ground, one part of which folds over the other, and is 
faftened by four or five gold or filver buttons. The 
lleeves terminate in the form of a horfe-lhoe, covering 
the hands, and leaving nothing to be feen bu«t the ends 
of the fingers. Round their middle is tied a girdle of 
filk, the ends of which hang down to their knees. From 
this girdle is fufpended a Iheath, with a kind of knife, 
together with two final! fticks, which they ufe at their 
meals. Under this robe both men and women wear a 
pair of drawers or trow fees, fuited to the feafon. In dim¬ 
mer they have their necks always bare, and in winter 
-they wear a collar, made of fillc, fable, or fox’s (kin, joined 
to their robe, which is then trimmed with Iheep’s lkin, or 
quilted with filk and cotton. That of the mandarins and 
people of quality is lined throughput with (able brought 
from Tartary, or with fox’s lkin, trimmed with fable. 
In fpring it is lined with ermine. Above thtfir robe, they 
wear alio a kind of furtout, with wide lleeves, but very 
fiiort, which is lined in tiie fame manner. .The emperor' 
and princes of the blood alone wear yellow; certain 
mandarins are permitted to wear fattin of a red ground, 
upon days of ceremony, but in general they are clothed 
in black, blue, or violet. The colour to which the com¬ 
mon people are confined, is blue or black; and their 
drefs is always Compol'ed of plain cotton cloth. In at¬ 
tending funerals, and for mourning, they wear white. ■ 
The Chinefe lhave their heads, but they have not been 
always accultomed to do this; they formerly employed 
great pains in preferving their hair; but tSie Tartars, 
who fubdued them, compelled them to cut it after their 
manner. This revolution in drefs was not effefted with¬ 
out bloodlhed ; and it was neceffary to employ force, be¬ 
fore they could be induced to imitate the Tartars. It 
appears lingular, that the conqueror of China Ihould re¬ 
quire this trifling mark of fnbjeftion, when he adopted 
their laws, their manners, and their conftitution. The 
finall portion of hair which the Chinefe preferve on the 
tops of their heads, or behind, is all that is allowed by 
cuftom ; it is generally very long, and they plait'it in the 
form of a tail. In Cummer they wear on their heads a 
kind of pyramidical hat or cap, lined with fattin, and 
covered with ratan, or cane, neatly wrought. To the 
top they fix a large tuft of red hair, which falling down 
covers it to the brim. There is another kind of head- 
drefs, which the mandarins and literati only have a rmht 
to wear: it is a cap of the feme form as the preceding; 
but lined with red. fattin, and covered on the outfide 
with white. A large tuft of the fineft red filk is fixed 
over it, which is l'uffered to hang down, or wave with 
the wind. 
People of condition when they go abroad wear boots, 
of fattin, filk, or cotton, but always dyed. Thefe boot9 
have neither heel nor top, and they are made to fit the 
foot with the greateft exaftnefs. When they travel on 
horfeback, they have others, made of cow or horfe leather, 
prepared in fuch a manner, that it is very loft and pliable. 
The boot-ftockings which they wear in winter, are of 
quilted (luff, lined with cotton : they reach above the^top 
of the boot, and are ornamented with a border of velvet 
or cloth. For fummer they have a cooler kind ; and in ' 
their houfes they wear a fort Of flippers, made of filk- 
ftuff. Tii-e common people are contented with a kind 
of flippers, made of black cotton cloth. A Chinefe, 
drefled according to rule, would confider it as great an 
omiflion to forget his fan, as it would be to forget his 
boots. 
The drefs of the Chinefe women, in its lhapeand form, 
feems to have been dictated by modelty, feconded perhaps 
by jealoufy. Their robes are clofe at top, and very lono-. 
With regard to the colour of their drelfes, it is entirety 
6 -B arbitrary. 
