In a plate attached to next chapter, I have drawn, on a small scale, the
existing cities of Peking, as compared with the Mongol and Chinese cities
in the time of Kublai. The plan of the latter has been constructed (1)
from existing traces, as exhibited in the Russian Survey republished by
our War Office; (2) from information kindly afforded by Dr. Lockhart; and
(3) from Polo's description and a few slight notices by Gaubil and others.
It will be seen, even on the small scale of these plans, that the general
arrangement of the palace, the park, the lakes (including that in the
city, which appears in Ramusio's version), the bridge, the mount, etc., in
the existing Peking, very closely correspond with Polo's indications; and
I think the strong probability is that the Ming really built on the old
traces, and that the lake, mount, etc., as they now stand, are
substantially those of the Great Mongol, though Chinese policy or
patriotism may have spread the belief that the foreign traces were
obliterated. Indeed, if that belief were true, the Mongol Palace must have
been very much out of the axis of the City of Kublai, which is in the
highest degree improbable. The Bulletin de la Soc. de Geographie for
September 1873, contains a paper on Peking by the physician to the French
Embassy there. Whatever may be the worth of the meteorological and
hygienic details in that paper, I am bound to say that the historical and
topographical part is so inaccurate as to be of no value.
NOTE 14. - For son, read grandson. But the G. T. actually names the
Emperor's son Chingkim, whose death our traveller has himself already
mentioned.
[Illustration: Yuan ch'eng]
NOTE 15. - ["Marco Polo's bridge, crossing the lake from one side to the
other, must be identified with the wooden bridge mentioned in the Ch'ue
keng lu. The present marble bridge spanning the lake was only built in
1392." "A marble bridge connects this island (an islet with the hall I-
t'ien tien) with the Wan-sui shan. Another bridge, made of wood, 120
ch'i long and 22 broad, leads eastward to the wall of the Imperial
Palace. A third bridge, a wooden draw-bridge 470 ch'i long, stretches to
the west over the lake to its western border, where the palace Hing-sheng
kung [built in 1308] stands." (Bretschneider, Peking, 36.) - H. C.]
[1] Some years ago, in Calcutta, I learned that a large store of charcoal
existed under the soil of Fort William, deposited there, I believe, in
the early days of that fortress.
["The Jihia says that the name of Mei shan (Coal hill) was given
to it from the stock of coal buried at its foot, as a provision in
case of siege." (Bretschneider, Peking, 38.) - H. C.]
CHAPTER XI.
CONCERNING THE CITY OF CAMBALUC.
Now there was on that spot in old times a great and noble city called
CAMBALUC, which is as much as to say in our tongue "The city of the
Emperor."[NOTE 1] But the Great Kaan was informed by his Astrologers that
this city would prove rebellious, and raise great disorders against his
imperial authority. So he caused the present city to be built close beside
the old one, with only a river between them.[NOTE 2] And he caused the
people of the old city to be removed to the new town that he had founded;
and this is called TAIDU. [However, he allowed a portion of the people
which he did not suspect to remain in the old city, because the new one
could not hold the whole of them, big as it is.]
As regards the size of this (new) city you must know that it has a compass
of 24 miles, for each side of it hath a length of 6 miles, and it is
four-square. And it is all walled round with walls of earth which have a
thickness of full ten paces at bottom, and a height of more than 10
paces;[NOTE 3] but they are not so thick at top, for they diminish in
thickness as they rise, so that at top they are only about 3 paces thick.
And they are provided throughout with loop-holed battlements, which are
all whitewashed.
There are 12 gates, and over each gate there is a great and handsome
palace, so that there are on each side of the square three gates and five
palaces; for (I ought to mention) there is at each angle also a great and
handsome palace. In those palaces are vast halls in which are kept the
arms of the city garrison.[NOTE 4]
The streets are so straight and wide that you can see right along them
from end to end and from one gate to the other. And up and down the city
there are beautiful palaces, and many great and fine hostelries, and fine
houses in great numbers. [All the plots of ground on which the houses of
the city are built are four-square, and laid out with straight lines; all
the plots being occupied by great and spacious palaces, with courts and
gardens of proportionate size. All these plots were assigned to different
heads of families. Each square plot is encompassed by handsome streets for
traffic; and thus the whole city is arranged in squares just like a
chess-board, and disposed in a manner so perfect and masterly that it is
impossible to give a description that should do it justice.][NOTE 5]
Moreover, in the middle of the city there is a great clock - that is to
say, a bell - which is struck at night. And after it has struck three times
no one must go out in the city, unless it be for the needs of a woman in
labour, or of the sick.[NOTE 6] And those who go about on such errands are
bound to carry lanterns with them.
