menu_book Chapter 12

CHAPTER VIII. CHINA. PART I. Macau. Hong Kong.

Victoria. Voyage on board a Chinese junk. The Sik Yang. The Chinese. The Chinese.

The Chinese Junk. The Sik Yang. Called also the Tigris. Huang Po. Canton.

Or Guangzhou Fu. Mode of life pursued by Europeans. The Chinese manners and customs. Criminals and Pirates. Murder of怒 Vis.

Promenads and Excursions. A year before my arrival in China it would have seemed hardly credible to me that I should succeed in taking my place among the small number of Europeans who are acquainted with that remarkable country, not from books alone, but from actual observation. I never believed that I should really behold the Chinese with their shaven heads, long

tails, and small ugly narrow eyes, the exact counterparts of the representations of them which we have in Europe. We had hardly anchored before a number of Chinese clambered up on deck, while others remained in their boats, offering for sale a variety of beautifully made articles, with fruit and cakes, laid out in great order, so as to form in a few seconds a regular market

round the vessel. Some of them began praising their wares in broken English, but on the whole they did not drive a very flourishing business, as the crew merely bought a few cigars and a little fruit. Captain Gerianci hired a boat, and we immediately went on shore, where each person on landing

had to pay half a Spanish dollar, two shillings, to the Mandarin. I subsequently heard that this imposition was shortly afterwards abolished. We proceeded to the house of one of the Portuguese merchants established there, passing through a large portion of the town on our way thither. Europeans, both men and women, can circulate freely without being exposed to a shower of

stones, as is frequently the case in other Chinese towns. The streets, which are exclusively inhabited by Chinese, presented a very bustling aspect. The men were in many cases seated out of doors in groups, playing at dominoes, while locksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, and many others were either working, talking, playing, or dining in the numerous booths.

I observed but few women, and these were of the lower classes. Something surprised and amused me more than the manner in which the Chinese eat. They have two little sticks, with which they very skillfully convey their victuals into their mouths. This process, however, cannot be so successfully practiced with rice, because it does not hold

together. They therefore hold the plate containing it close to their mouths, and push it in by the aid of their sticks, generally letting a portion of it fall back, again, in no very cleanly fashion, into the plate. For liquids they use round spoons of porcelain.

The style in which the houses are built did not strike me as very remarkable. The front generally looks out upon the courtyard or garden. Among other objects which I visited was the grotto, in which the celebrated Portuguese poet Camoens is said to have composed the Lusiad. He had been banished, A.D. 1556, to Macau, on account of a satirical poem he had written,

Desperates no India, and remained in banishment several years, before receiving a pardon. The grotto is charmingly situated upon an eminence not far from the town. As there was no business to be done, the captain resolved to put to sea again the next morning, and offered in the most friendly manner to take me as his guest to Hong Kong, as I had only agreed for a passage as far as Macau.

I accepted his invitation with the greatest pleasure, as I had not a single letter to Besides which, it is very seldom that there is an opportunity of proceeding to Hong Kong. On account of the shallowness of the water, our ship was hove too, at rather a long distance from the shore, where it was exposed to an attack from the pirates, who are here very daring and numerous.

In consequence of this, every precaution was taken, and the watch doubled for the night. As late as the year 1842, these pirates attacked a brick that was lying at anchor in the Macau roads, murdering the crew and plundering the vessel. The captain had remained on shore, and the sailors had carelessly given themselves up to sleep, leaving only one man to keep watch.

In the middle of the night a champaign, which is the name given to a vessel smaller than a junk, came alongside the brig. One of the rowers then came on board, pretending he had a letter from the captain. And as the sailor went near the lantern to read the letter, he received from the pirate a blow upon his head, which laid him senseless on the deck.

The rest of those in the boat, who had hitherto remained concealed, now scaled the side of the brig, and quickly overpowered the slumbering crew. In our case, however, the night passed without any incident worth noting, and on the morning of the 10th of July, having first taken on board a pilot, we proceeded to Hong Kong, a distance of 60 nautical miles.

The voyage proved highly interesting, on account of the varied succession of bays, creeks, and groups of islands which we had to pass. The English obtained Hong Kong from the Chinese at the conclusion of the war in 1842, and founded the port of Victoria, which contains at present a large number of palace-like houses built of stone.

The Europeans who have settled here, and who are not more than two or three hundred in number, are far from being contented, however, as trade is not half as good as they at first expected it would be. Every merchant is presented by the English government with a plot of ground, on condition of his building on it.

Many of them erected, as I before mentioned, splendid edifices, which they would now be for half the cost price, or, even very frequently, to give the ground and foundations without asking the smallest sum in return. I resolved to stop only a few days in Victoria, as it was my wish to arrive at Canton as soon as possible.

In addition to the greatest politeness he had previously shown me, Captain Gerianci conferred another favor, by allowing me, during my stay here, to live and lodge on board his ship, thereby saving me an expense of sixteen shillings, or twenty-four shillings, a day. And besides this, the boat, which he had hired for his own use, was always at my disposal. The expense of living at an hotel in Macau, Victoria, and Canton, as from four to six

dollars a day, sixteen to twenty-four shillings. I must also take this opportunity of mentioning that I never drank, on board any other vessel, such clear and excellent water, a proof that it is not only so easily spoiled by the heat of the tropics, or a protected period, as is generally imagined. It all depends on care and cleanliness, for which the Dutch are especially celebrated.

And I only wish that every Captain would, in this respect at least, imitate their example. It is rather too bad for passengers to be obliged to quench their thirst with thick and most offensive water, a disagreeable necessity I was subjected to on board every other sailing vessel in which I made a voyage of any length. Victoria is not very pleasantly situated, being surrounded by barren rocks.

The town itself has a European stamp upon it, so that were it not for the Chinese porters, labourers and peddlers, a person would hardly believe he was in China. I was much struck at seeing no native women in the streets, from which it might be concluded that it was dangerous for a European female to walk about as freely as I did. But I never experienced the least insult, or heard the slightest word of abuse from

the Chinese. Even their curiosity was here by no means annoying. In Victoria I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with the well-known Herr Gutzloff, and four other German missionaries. Footnote.

Karl Gutzloff was born on the 8th of July, 1803, at Piritz in Pomerania. As a boy he was distinguished for his piety and extraordinary talent. His parents apprenticed him to a leather seller. In this capacity he was noted for his industry, although he was far from contented with his position, and in the year 1821 he found an opportunity of presenting a poem in which

he expressed his sentiments and wishes to the King of Prussia. The King recognized the talent of the struggling youth, and opened to him a career in accordance with his inclination. In the year 1827 he proceeded as a missionary to Batavia, and, at a later period, to Bentong, where he applied himself with such assiduity to the study of Chinese that in the space

of two years he knew it well enough to preach in it. In December 1831 he went to Macau, where he established a school for Chinese children, and commenced his translation of the Bible into Chinese. He founded, in conjunction with Morrison, a society for the diffusion of useful knowledge in China, and edited a monthly Chinese magazine, in which he endeavored to interest the people

upon history, geography, and literature. In 1832 and 1833 he penetrated as far as the province of Fokin. Gustav's travels made us acquainted with several very important facts connected with the different Chinese dialects, and are also of great worth to other scientific points of view. They are especially useful in enabling us to form a correct opinion as to the merits

of the works that have lately appeared on China, and everyone must acknowledge his rare talent, must value his immovable fixedness of purpose, and must admire his zealous perseverance in the cause of science, and his unshaken belief in the principle of his religion. Dr. Gutsloff died in November 1851. They were studying the Chinese language, and wore the Chinese costume, with their heads

shaved like the natives, and with large cues hanging down behind. No language is so difficult to read and write as the Chinese. It contains more than four thousand characters, and is wholly composed of monosyllables. Little brushes dipped in Indian ink are used for writing. The writing itself extending down the paper from right to left.

I had not been above a few days in Victoria before I had an opportunity of proceeding to Canton on board a small Chinese junk. A gentleman of the name of Proustin, who has settled as a merchant here, and whom I found excessively kind, endeavoured very earnestly to dissuade me from trusting myself among the Chinese without any protector, and advised me either to take a boat for myself or a place

in the steamer. But both these means were too dear for my small finances, since either would have cost twelve dollars, whereas a passage in the junk was only three. I must also add that the appearance and behavior of the Chinese did not inspire me with the slightest apprehension.

I looked to the priming of my pistols, and embarked very tranquilly on the evening of the 12th of July. A heavy fall of rain and the approach of night soon obliged me to seek the interior of the to me on all sides. Every Chinese, rich or poor, drinks neither pure water nor spirit as liquors, but invariably

indulges in weak tea with no sugar. At a late hour in the evening I retired to my cabin, the roof of which, not being completely waterproof, let in certain very unwelcome proofs that it was raining outside. The captain no sooner remarked this than he assigned me another place, where I found myself in the company of two Chinese women, busily engaged in smoking out of pipes, with bowls

no bigger than thimbles, and in consequence they could not take more than four or five puffs without being obliged to fill their pipes afresh. They soon remarked that I had no stool for my head. They offered me one of theirs, and would not be satisfied until I accepted it. It is a Chinese custom to use instead of pillows little stools of bamboo or strong pasteboard.

They are not stuffed, but are rounded at the top and are about eight inches high, and from one to three feet long. They are far more comfortable than would at first be imagined. 13th July. On hurrying upon deck early in the morning to view the mouth of the Sik Yang, or Tigris,

I found that we had already passed it, and were a long way up the river. I saw it, however, subsequently on my return from Canton to Hong Kong. The Sik Yang, which is one of the principal rivers of China, and which, at a short distance before entering the sea, is eight nautical miles broad, is so contracted by hills and rocks at its mouth that it loses one half of its breadth.

The surrounding country is fine, and a few fortifications on the summits of some of the hills give it rather a romantic appearance. Near Ho Mon, or Hoan Pua, the stream divides into several branches. That which flows to Canton being called the Pearl Stream. Although Hoan Pua of itself is an insignificant place, it is worthy of note as being the spot

where from the shallowness of the water all deeply laden ships are obliged to anchor. Immense plantations of rice, skirted by bananas and other fruit trees, extend along the banks of the Pearl Stream. The trees are sometimes prettily arranged in alleys, but are planted far less for ornament than for use.

Rice always requires a great deal of moisture, and the trees are planted in order to impart a greater degree of solidity to the soil, and also to prevent the possibility of its being washed away by the force of the stream. Pretty little country houses, of the genuine Chinese pattern, with their sloping, pointed, indented roofs, and their colored tiles inlaid with different hues, were scattered here and

of shady trees, while pagodas, called taz, of various styles, and from three to nine stories high raised their heads on little eminences in the neighborhood of the villages, and attracted attention at a great distance. A number of fortifications, which, however, look more like roofless houses than anything else, protect the stream.

For miles below Canton, the villages follow one another in quick succession. They're mostly composed of miserable huts, built for the most part on piles, driven into the river, and before them lie innumerable boats, which also serve as dwellings. The nearer we approached Canton, the busier became the scene on the river and the greater the number of ships and inhabited boats.

I saw some junks of most extraordinary shape, having poops that hung far over the water, and provided with large windows and galleries, and covered in with a roof like a house. These vessels are often of immense size and of a thousand tons burden. I also saw some Chinese men of war, flat, broad, and long, and mounting twenty or thirty cannons.

All large vessels have two painted eyes let into the prowl. With these, as the Chinese believe, they are better able to find their way. Another object of interest was the Mandarin's boats, with their painted sides, doors, and their carved galleries, and pretty little silk flags, giving them the appearance of the most charming houses.

But what delighted me most was the flower boats, with their upper galleries ornamented with flowers, garlands, and arabesques. A large apartment and a few cabinets, into which the interior is divided, are reached through doors and windows, which have almost a gothic appearance. Flowers and silk hangings adorn the walls, while glass chandeliers and colored paper

lanterns, between which swing lovely little baskets with fresh flowers, complete the magic scene. These flower boats are always stationary, and are frequented by the Chinese as places of amusement both day and night. Plays are acted here, and ballets and conjuring performed.

Women, with the exception of a certain class, do not frequent these places. Influences are not exactly prevented from entering them, but are exposed, especially in the present unfavorable state of public opinion, to insult and even injury. In addition to these extraordinary vessels, let the reader picture to himself thousands of small boats, champagnes, some at anchor, some crossing and passing in all directions,

with fishermen casting their nets, and men and children amusing themselves by swimming, and he will have some idea of the scene I witnessed. I often could not avoid turning away with terror at seeing the little children playing and rolling about upon the narrow boats. I expected every instant that one or other of them would certainly fall overboard.

Some parents are cautious enough to fasten hollow gourds or bladders filled with air on their children's backs, until they are six years old, so as to prevent them sinking so quickly, if they should happen to tumble into the water. All these multifarious occupations, this ceaseless activity, this never-ending bustle, form so peculiar a feature that it is hardly possible for a person who has not been an

eyewitness to obtain a correct idea of it. It is only during the last few years that we European women have been allowed to visit or remain in the factories at Canton. I left the vessel without any apprehension, but first I had to consider how I should find my way to the house of a gentleman named Agassi, for whom I had brought letters of recommendation.

I explained to the captain by signs that I had no money with me, and that he must act as my guide to the factory, where I would pay him. He soon understood me, and conducted me to the place, and the Europeans there showed me the particular house I wanted. On seeing me arrive, and hearing the manner in which I had travelled, and the way that

I had walked from the vessel to his house, Mr. Agassi was extremely surprised, and would hardly credit it that I had met with no difficulties or injury. From him I learned what risks I, as a woman, had run in traversing the streets of Canton with no escort but a Chinese guide. Such a thing had never occurred before, and Mr. Agassi assured me that I might esteem

myself as exceedingly fortunate in not having been insulted by the people in the grossest manner, or even stoned. Had this been the case, he told me that my guide would have immediately taken to flight, and abandoned me to my fate. I had certainly remarked, on my way from the vessel to the factory, that both old and young

turned back to look after me, and that they hooted and pointed at me with their fingers. The people ran out of the booths, and gradually formed a crowd at my heels. I had, however, no alternative but to preserve my countenance. I walked, therefore, calmly on, and perhaps it is to the very fact of my manifesting no fear that I escaped unmolested.

I had not intended to stop long in Canton, as, since the last war between the English and Chinese, Europeans are obliged to be more careful than ever how they show themselves in public. This hatred is more especially directed against women, as it is declared in one of the Chinese prophecies that a woman will some day or other conquer the Celestial Empire.

On account of this, I entertained but slight hopes of seeing anything here, and thought of proceeding directly to the port of Shanghai, in the north of China, where, as I was informed, it was far easier to obtain access both among the nobility and lower classes. Fortunately, however, I made the acquaintance of a German gentleman, Herr von Karlovitz, who had been settled for some time in Canton.

He offered in the kindest manner to act as my mentor, on condition that I should arm myself with patience until the mail from Europe, which was expected in a few days, had come in. Footnote. There is only one mail a month from Europe.

End of footnote. At such times the merchants are so busy and excited that they have no leisure to think of anything but their correspondence. I was therefore obliged to wait, not only until the steamer had arrived, but until it had left again, which it did not do until a week had elapsed.

I have to thank Mr. Agassi that the time did not hang heavily upon my hands. I was most kindly and hospitably entertained, and enjoyed the opportunity of noting the mode of life of those Europeans who have settled in the country. Very few take their families with them to China, and least of all to Canton, where both women and children are closely imprisoned in their houses, which they can only leave

in a well-closed litter. Besides this, everything is so dear that living in London is cheap in comparison. Lodgings of six rooms with a kitchen cost about $700 or $800 a year, 140 or 160 pounds. A man's servant receives from $4 to $8 a month, and female servants $9 or $10, as Chinese women will not wait upon a European unless greatly overpaid.

In addition to all this, there is a custom prevalent here of having a separate person for each branch of household duty, which renders a large number of servants indispensable. A family of only four persons requires at least eleven or twelve domestics, if not more. In the first place, every member of the family must have an attendant especially for his or her use.

Then there is a man cook, a number of nursery maids, and several coolies for the more menial duties, such as cleaning the rooms, carrying the wooden water, and so forth. In spite of this number of servants, the attendance is frequently very bad. For, if one or another of them happens to be out, and his services are required, the master must wait until he returns, as no servant could ever be prevailed upon to do another's

duty. At the head of the whole household is the compredor, who is a kind of majordomo. To his care are provided all the plate, furniture, linen, and other effects. He engages all the servants, provides for their board and anything else they may require, and answers for their good conduct, deducting, however, two dollars a month from their wages

of each, in return for his services. He makes all the purchases and settles all the bills, giving in the sum total at the end of the month, without descending into the items. Besides these domestic duties, the compredor is also entrusted with the money belonging to his master's firm.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars pass through his hands, and he is responsible for the genuineness of every one. He has persons in his own employment who pay and receive all monies, and who examine and test every separate coin with the most marvelous rapidity. They take a whole handful of dollars at a time, and toss them up separately with the

finger and thumb. This enables them to determine whether each rings properly, and on the coin falling into reversed, they examine the second side with a glance. A few hours are sufficient to pass several thousand dollars in review, and this minute inspection is very necessary, on account of the number of false dollars made by the Chinese.

Each piece of money is then stamped, with the peculiar mark of the firm, as a guarantee of its genuineness, so that it at last becomes exceedingly thin and broad, and frequently false to bits. No loss is, however, occasioned by this, as the amount is always reckoned by weight. Besides dollars, little bars of pure unstamped silver are used as a circulating medium.

Small portions, varying in size, being cut off them, according to the sum required. The counting-house is situated on the ground floor, in the compradors' room. The Europeans have nothing to do with the money, and in fact never even carry any for their private use. The comprador has no fixed salary, but receives a stated percentage, upon all business transactions.

His percentage upon the household expenses is not fixed, but is not on that account less certain. On the whole, these compradors are very trustworthy. They pay down a certain sum, as caution money to some Mandarin, and the latter answers for them.

The following is a tolerably correct account of the mode of life pursued by the Europeans settled here. As soon as they are up, and have drunk a cup of tea in their bedroom, they take a cold bath. A little after nine o'clock, they breakfast upon fried fisher cutlets, cold roast meat,

boiled eggs, tea, and bread and butter. Every one then proceeds to his business until dinner time, which is generally four o'clock. The dinner is composed of turtle soup, curry, roast meat, hashes, and pastry. All the dishes with the exception of the curry are prepared after the English fashion, although the cooks are Chinese.

For dessert there is cheese with fruit, such as pineapples, longan, mangoes, and lychee. The Chinese affirm that the latter is the finest fruit in the whole world. It is about the size of a nut, with a brown, verrucous outside. The edible part is white and tender, and the kernel black. The longan is somewhat smaller, but is also white and tender, although the taste is rather

watery. Neither of these fruits struck me as very good. I do not think the pineapples are so sweet, or possessed of that aromatic fragrance which distinguishes those raised in our European greenhouses, although they are much larger. Portuguese wines and English beer are the usual drinks.

Ice, broken into small pieces and covered up with a cloth, is offered with each. The ice is rather a costly article, as it has to be brought from North America. In the evening tea is served up. During meal times a large punka is employed to diffuse an agreeable degree of coolness through the apartment.

The punka is a large frame from eight to ten feet long and three feet high, covered with white Indian cloth and fastened to the ceiling. A rope communicates through the wall, like a bell-pull, with the next room or the ground where a servant is stationed to keep it constantly in motion and thus maintain a pleasant draught. As may be seen from what I have said, the living here is very dear for Europeans.

The expense of keeping a house may be reckoned at thirty thousand francs, six thousand dollars, twelve hundred pounds, at the lowest, a very considerable sum when we reflect how little it procures, neither including a carriage nor horses. There is nothing in the way of amusement or places of public recreation. The only pleasure many gentlemen indulge in is keeping a boat, for which they pay twenty-eight

shillings a month. Or they walk in the evenings in a small garden, which the European inhabitants have laid out at their own cost. This garden faces the factory, surrounded on three sides by a wall, and, on the fourth, washed by the pearl stream.

The living of the Chinese population, on the contrary, costs very little. Seventy cash, twelve hundred of which make a dollar, four shillings, may be reckoned a very liberal daily allowance for each man. As a natural consequence, wages are extremely low. A boat, for instance, may be hired for half a dollar, two shillings a day.

And on this income a whole family of from six to eight persons will often exist. It is true, the Chinese are not too particular in their food. cats, mice and rats, the intestines of birds, and the blood of every animal. And I was even assured that caterpillars and worms formed part of their diet. Their principal dish, however, is rice, which is not only employed by them in the composition

of their various dishes, but supplies the place of bread. It is exceedingly cheap. The peckol, which is equivalent to one hundred and twenty-four pounds English arboire du poivre, costing from one dollar and three quarters to two dollars and a half. The costume of both sexes among the lower orders consists of broad trousers and long

upper garments, and is remarkable for its excessive filth. The Chinaman is an enemy of baths and washing. He wears no shirt and does not discard his trousers until they actually fall off his body. The men's upper garments reach a little below the knee, and the women's somewhat lower.

They are made of nanking or dark blue, brown, or black silk. During the cold season both men and women wear one summer garment over the other, and keep the whole together with a girdle. During the great heat, however, they allow their garments to flutter unconstrained about their body.

All the men have their heads shaved, with the exception of a small patch at the back, the hair on which is carefully cultivated and plaited into a queue. The thicker and longer this queue is, the prouder is its owner. Both hair and black ribbon are consequently worked up in it, so that it often reaches down to the ankles.

During work it is twisted round the neck, but on the owners entering the room it is let down again, as it would be against all the laws of etiquette and politeness for a person to make his appearance with his queue twisted up. The women wear all their hair, which they comb entirely back off their forehead, and fasten it in the most artistic plaits to their head.

They spend a great deal of time in the process, but when their hair is once dressed it does not require to be touched for a whole week. Both men and women sometimes go about with no covering at all on their head. Sometimes they wear hats made of thin bamboo, and very frequently three feet in diameter. These keep off both sun and rain, and are exceedingly durable.

On their feet they wear sewed stockings and shoes, formed of black silk, or some material like worsted. The soles, which are more than an inch thick, are made up of layers of strong pasteboard or felt pasted together. The poor people go barefooted.

The houses of the lower classes are miserable hovels, built of wood or brick. The internal arrangements are very wretched. The whole furniture consists of a worthless table, a few chairs, and two or three bamboo mats, stools for the head, and old counter-panes. Yet, with this poverty, there are always sure to be some pots of flowers.

The cheapest mode of living is on board a boat. The husband goes on shore to his work, and leaves the wife to make a trifle by ferrying persons over or letting out the boat to pleasure parties. One half of the boat belongs to the family themselves, and the other half to the persons to whom they let it.

And although there is not much room, the whole boat measuring scarcely twenty-five feet in The greatest order and cleanliness is everywhere apparent, as each single plank on board is thoroughly scrubbed and washed every morning. Great ingenuity is displayed in turning every inch of space on board these small craft to advantage, and the dexterity is actually pushed so far as to find room for a tiny domestic

altar. During the day, all the cooking and washing is done, and though at the latter process there is no want of little children, the temporary tenant of the boat does not suffer the least annoyance. Nothing offensive meets his eye, and at the most he merely hears at rare intervals the

whining voice of some poor little wretch. The youngest child is generally tied on its mother's back while she steers. The elder children, too, have sometimes similar burdens, but jump and climb about without the least consideration for them. It has often grieved me to the heart to see the head of an infant scarcely born thrown

from one side to the other with each movement of the child that was carrying it or the sun darting so fiercely on the poor little creature who was completely exposed to its rays that it could hardly open its eyes. For those who have not been witnesses of the fact, it is almost impossible to form an idea of the indigence and poverty of a Chinese boat family.

The Chinese are accused of killing numbers of their newborn or weekly children. They are said to suffocate them immediately after their birth and throw them into the river or expose them in the streets, by far the most horrible proceeding of the two, on account of the number of swine and houseless dogs who fall upon and voraciously devour their prey.

The most frequent victims are the female infants, as parents esteem themselves fortunate in possessing a large number of male children, the latter being bound to support them in their old age. The eldest son, in fact, should the father die, is obliged to take his place and provide for his brothers and sisters, who, on their part, are bound to yield implicit obedience

and show him the greatest respect. These laws are very strictly observed, and anyone infringing them is punished with death. The Chinese consider it a great honour to be a grandfather, and every man who is fortunate enough to be one wears a moustache, as the distinctive sign of his good luck. These thin grey moustaches are the more conspicuous, as the young men not only wear none, but as

a general rule grow no beard at all. End of section 12.