462 c H 
arbitrary, and depends upon choice; but black or violet 
are generally adopted by thofe advanced Jn life. Their 
general head-drefs confifts in arranging their hair in feveral 
curls, among which are interfperled imall tufts of gold or 
filver flowers. Young ladies wear alfo a kind of crown or 
bonnet made of pafteboard covered with fine Huff or filk ; 
the fore-part rifes in a point above the forehead, and is 
covered with pearls, gold,, diamonds, and other coftly 
ornaments, in proportion to their rank and fortune. The 
relt of the head is decorated with flowers, either natural cr 
artificial, among which are often interfperled fmall dia¬ 
mond pins. 
The drefs of a Tartar lady is fomewhat different 
from that of a Chinefe. The robe of the former is equal¬ 
ly long ; but the veil which covers it, does not defcend 
fo low. This robe is alfo clofe at the top ; and the Tartar 
ladies wear, belides,.upon their breaks, a very large band. 
Their ufual head-drefs is a hat, ornamented according to 
the fancy of the wearer. 
The. drefs of a villager differs from that worn by thofe 
who live in towns. It confifts of a coarfe linen frock, 
over which is thrown a cotton veft, that defcends to the 
middle of his thigh. He has a pair of large drawers, or 
trowfers, that rile to his girdle, and reach as far as the 
ancle, and his flippers, or rather wooden fltoes, terminate 
at the toe in a lharp point, which is turned backwards. 
The drefs of the females among the peafantry, is much 
like that of the men; they wear fimilar cane hats, a 
cotton veft, and large trowfers. They are much accuftomed 
to fpin; and, being fubj'edled to the fame labour with their 
hulbands in tilling the ground and getting in the har- 
veft, they appear equally coarfe and ill attired. 
The Chinefe buildings, even public monuments, and 
the emperor’s palaces, itrike more by their extent than 
their magnificence. Many of the imperial palaces may 
be compared to cities, and thofe of the princes, principal 
madarins, and people of great fortune, are very extenfive. 
The apartment where they entertain theirintimate friends 
is plain, neat, and Ample. With regard to thofe fet 
apart for their women and children, they are inacceffible 
to every ftranger, were he even the deareftand moft inti¬ 
mate friend of the mailer of the houfe. Their gardens 
are laid out in fuch a manner, as to particularly attraft 
the attention of an European. In thefe gardens are leen 
groves, ponds, mountains, natural or artificial rocks, 
and winding alleys, which conduct to different points of 
view, each of which prefents a new objedt. When the 
ground is of fufficient extent, part of the garden is form¬ 
ed into a park, in which Hags, does, and other w'ild ani¬ 
mals, are kept. Fifties and aquatic birds are alfo bred in 
ponds and canals made for the purpofe. The Chinefe 
are fond of every thing gigantic. According to them 
the beauty of a column confifts in its lize and height; 
and that of a hall, in its great extent. Its ornaments 
confift of large lanterns, made of painted filk, which 
are fufpended from the ceiling; alfo tables, cabinets, 
fcreens, chairs, and abundance of vafes of porcelain. 
The furniture is covered with varnifli fo tranfparent, that 
the veins of the wood may be leen through it, and fo 
bright and Alining, that it llrongly refiefts different ob- 
jefts, and its fplendour is not a little heightened by thofe 
figures which are painted upon it, in different colours, or 
done over with gilding, 
Befides the feftivals and ceremonies above deferibed, 
performed in the perfon of the emperor, the Chinefe 
have alfo two other feftivals, which are celebrated with 
great fplendour. One is the commencement of the year; 
the other the feaft of lanterns. During the celebration of 
the firft, all affairs, whether private or public, are fufpend¬ 
ed ; the tribunals arelhut; the polls are Hopped,; prelents 
are given ar.d received; the inferior mandarins go to pay 
their refpefts to their fuperiors, children to, their parents, 
and fervants to their mailers. This F. Du Halde fays is 
what the Chinefe call taking leave of the old year. All the 
N A. 
family affemble in the evening, and partake of a grand 
repall. To this no ftranger is admitted; but they be¬ 
come more fociable on the day following, when they 
indulge in plays, diverfior.s, and feafting, which is con¬ 
cluded in the evening by illuminations. 
The feaft of lanterns , is fixed for the fifteenth day of 
the firlt month : but it begins on the evening of the thir¬ 
teenth, and ends on the fixteenth. It is ealierto deferibe 
this feltival than to difcover its origin, or the period at 
which it was at firft celebrated. It is univerfal through¬ 
out the empire ; and all China is illuminated on the fame 
day, and at the fame hour. Every city and village, 
the Ihores of the fea, and the banks of rivers, are hung 
with lanterns, of various lhapes and fizes. Some of them 
are even feen in the windows of the poorelt inhabitants. 
The abbe Grolier afferts, that rich people fometimes ex¬ 
pend eight or nine pounds llerling for one lantern ; and 
that thofe which the emperor, viceroys, and great manda¬ 
rins, order to be made, colt an hundred or an hundred 
and fifty pounds each. Thefe lanterns are very large, 
and fome of them are compofed of lix wooden frames, 
either painted or neatly gilt, and filled up with fine 
tranfparent filk, upon which are painted flowers, animals, 
and human figures ; others are round, and made of a 
blue tranfparent kind of horn. Several lamps, and a 
great number of wax-candles, are put into thefe lan¬ 
terns ; to the corners of each are fixed taflels, or ltream- 
ers of fattin and filk of different colours ; and a curious 
piece of carved work is placed over its top. F. Du 
Halde obferves, that, “ they caufe ftiadows to appear, 
which reprefent princes and princeffes, foldiers, buffoons, 
and other characters, the geftures of which are fo con¬ 
formable to the words of thofe who put them in motion, 
that one is almoft induced to believe that they fpeak in 
reality.” This is the origin of the Ombres Cbinoifes, or 
magic lanthorn ; for which fee Chinese Shades. The 
Chinefe fireworks, fo juftly celebrated, are difplayed in 
all their varieties during this feltival; and a large one 
is then exhibited in each city. 
On the day correfponding to our firft of March, it is 
ufual, according to ancient cullom, for dramatic pieces 
to be performed on ftages in the principal ftreets of the 
different towns throughout the empire, for the amufe- 
ment of the poor people, who are not able to purchafe 
thofe pleafures. This beneficent aft continues for a fuc- 
ceflion of feveral days, at the expence of the emperor; fo 
that every morning and evening, during this period, the 
lower dalles of his l'ubjefts enjoy a favourite pleafure with¬ 
out coll, and blefs the hand which bellows it on them. 
Yet, as the Chinefe employ moll of their time in at¬ 
tendance on their duty as members of fociety, they be¬ 
llow very little on amufements. Naturally a grave people, 
they feldom affume an air of gaiety, but in compliance 
with fome ellablilhed cullom. They have indeed thea¬ 
trical pieces, both comic and tragic; but they have no 
public theatres authorifed by government, and their aft- 
ors, like thofe of the Tartar nations, are Itrollers, who 
attend the lioufes of thofe who are able to pay them. 
Hunting and filhing is confidered by the Chinefe ra¬ 
ther as an objeft of indultry than amulement. In their 
great filheries, they ufe nets ; but private people employ 
a line. They ufe alfo for this purpofe, in certain pro¬ 
vinces, an aquatic bird, which is trained to catch fifh, 
almoft in the fame manner as dogs are taught to purfue 
game. The bird principally ufed in thefe filheries, is a 
ipecies of corvorant, though we are informed that dome 
of the colymbus genus are educated for this purpofe. 
In China there are no difputes concerning rank and 
precedency; every individual knows the titles he mull 
give to others, and is always content with thofe due to 
himfelf. A common falutation in China confilts in join¬ 
ing both hands together before the breaft, moving them 
in an affeftionate manner, bending the head a little, and 
reciprocally pronouncing tfin-tfn, a complimentary word, 
which. 
