In one corner of the
shop, a narrow staircase leads up into the dwelling-house above.
Here, as in Turkish towns, the same regulation is observed of each
trade or calling having its especial street, so that in one nothing
but crockery and glass, in another silks, and so on, is to be seen.
In the physician's street are situated all the apothecaries' shops
as well, as the two professions are united in one and the same
person. The provisions, which are very tastily arranged, have also
their separate streets. Between the houses are frequently small
temples, not differing the least, however, in style from the
surrounding buildings: the gods, too, merely occupy the ground
floor, the upper stories being inhabited by simple mortals.
The bustle in the streets was astonishing, especially in those set
apart for the sale of provisions. Women and girls of the lower
classes went about making their purchases, just as in Europe. They
were all unveiled, and some of them waddled like geese, in
consequence of their crippled feet, which, as I before observed,
extends to all ranks. The crowd was considerably increased by the
number of porters, with large baskets of provisions on their
shoulders, running along, and praising in a loud voice their stock
in trade, or warning the people to make way for them. At other
times, the whole breadth of the street would be taken up, and the
busy stream of human beings completely stopped by the litter of some
rich or noble personage proceeding to his place of business. But
worse than all were the numerous porters we met at every step we
took, carrying large baskets of unsavoury matter.
It is a well known fact, that there is perhaps no nation on the face
of the earth equal to the Chinese in diligence and industry, or that
profits by, and cultivates, as they do, every available inch of
ground. As, however, they have not much cattle, and consequently
but little manure, they endeavour to supply the want of it by other
means, and hence their great care of anything that can serve as a
substitute.
All their small streets are built against the city walls, so that we
had been going round them for some time before we were aware of the
fact. Mean-looking gates or wickets, which all foreigners are
strictly prohibited from passing, and which are shut in the evening,
lead into the interior of the town.
I was told that it has often happened for sailors, or other
strangers, during their walks, to penetrate through one of these
entrances into the interior of the town, and not discover their
mistake until the stones began flying about their ears.
After threading our way for at least two miles through a succession
of narrow streets, we at length emerged into the open space, where
we obtained a full view of the city walls, and from the summit of a
small hill which was situated near them, a tolerably extensive one
over the town itself. The city walls are about sixty feet high,
and, for the most part, so overgrown with grass, creeping plants,
and underwood, that they resemble a magnificent mass of living
vegetation. The town resembles a chaos of small houses, with now
and then a solitary tree, but we saw neither fine streets nor
squares, nor any remarkable buildings, temples, or pagodas. A
single pagoda, five stories high, reminded us of the peculiar
character of Chinese architecture.
Our road now lay over fertile eminences, varied with fields and
meadows in a high state of cultivation. Many of the hills are used
as cemeteries, and are dotted over with small mounds of earth,
walled in with stone flags, or rough hewn stones two feet high,
frequently covered with inscriptions. Family tombs were also to be
seen, dug in the hill, and enclosed with stone walls of the shape of
a horse-shoe. All the entrances were built up with stone.
The Chinese do not, however, bury all their dead: they have a
remarkable way of preserving them in small stone chambers,
consisting of two stone walls and a roof, while the two other sides
are left open. In these places, there are never more than from two
to four coffins, which are placed upon wooden benches two feet high:
the coffins themselves consist of massive trunks of trees hollowed
out.
The villages through which we passed presented an animated
appearance, but appeared poor and dirty. We were often obliged to
hold our noses in passing through the lanes and squares, and very
frequently would fain have closed our eyes as well, to avoid the
disgusting sight of people covered with eruptions of the skin,
tumours, and boils.
In all the villages I saw poultry and swine in great numbers, but
not more than three horses and a buffalo-cow; both the horses and
the cow were of an extremely small breed.
When we had nearly reached the end of our excursion, we met a
funeral. A horrible kind of music gave us warning that something
extraordinary was approaching, and we had hardly time to look up and
step on one side, before the procession came flying past us at full
speed. First came the worthy musicians, followed by a few Chinese,
next two empty litters carried by porters, and then the hollow trunk
of a tree, representing the coffin, hanging to a long pole, and
carried in a similar manner: last of all, were some priests and a
crowd of people.
The chief priest wore a kind of white {110} fool's cap, with three
points; the other persons, who consisted of men alone, had a kind of
white cloth bound round their head or arm.
I was lucky enough to be enabled to visit some of the summer palaces
and gardens of the nobility.
