There are numerous fountains in it
also, and lakes full of fish. In the middle is the palace itself, a great
and splendid building. It contains 20 great and handsome halls, one of
which is more spacious than the rest, and affords room for a vast
multitude to dine. It is all painted in gold, with many histories and
representations of beasts and birds, of knights and dames, and many
marvellous things. It forms a really magnificent spectacle, for over all
the walls and all the ceiling you see nothing but paintings in gold. And
besides these halls the palace contains 1000 large and handsome chambers,
all painted in gold and divers colours.
Moreover, I must tell you that in this city there are 160 tomans of
fires, or in other words 160 tomans of houses. Now I should tell
you that the toman is 10,000, so that you can reckon the total as
altogether 1,600,000 houses, among which are a great number of rich
palaces. There is one church only, belonging to the Nestorian Christians.
There is another thing I must tell you. It is the custom for every burgess
of this city, and in fact for every description of person in it, to write
over his door his own name, the name of his wife, and those of his
children, his slaves, and all the inmates of his house, and also the
number of animals that he keeps. And if any one dies in the house then the
name of that person is erased, and if any child is born its name is added.
So in this way the sovereign is able to know exactly the population of the
city. And this is the practice also throughout all Manzi and Cathay.
[NOTE 14]
[Illustration: Plan of the City of SI-NGAN-FU]
And I must tell you that every hosteler who keeps an hostel for travellers
is bound to register their names and surnames, as well as the day and
month of their arrival and departure. And thus the sovereign hath the
means of knowing, whenever it pleases him, who come and go throughout his
dominions. And certes this is a wise order and a provident.
NOTE 1. - Kinsay represents closely enough the Chinese term King-sze,
"capital," which was then applied to the great city, the proper name of
which was at that time Lin-ngan and is now HANG-CHAU, as being since 1127
the capital of the Sung Dynasty. The same term King-sze is now on
Chinese maps generally used to designate Peking.
