The carriages of a funeral procession rolled along the maloo of
modernized Shanghai. The mourners in the first carriage played cards
and laughed. Every one else in the procession joked and smiled. I
asked my Chinese humorist to explain the astonishing incongruity and
he replied: “Why shouldn’t everybody be happy when everybody is deeply
satisfied? Hop Long’s enemies believe that he has descended below to
get at last the many punishments that are coming to him, and Hop Long’s
friends just as confidently believe that he has ascended on high to
receive his richly merited rewards; therefore, you see, all are joyful.”
The landlord made an agreement with the tenant that when the rice was
harvested, he should receive one-third. Harvest was long past in its
pale and sickle moon, and the landlord, receiving nothing, accosted
the tenant: “Look here, thou Choi, didn’t we make an agreement that I
should receive one-third of that rice?” Choi, nothing daunted, replied:
“Yes, Laoye, but there was no third; there were only two baskets of
rice and they are both mine.”
Two Chinese youths were discussing their ambitions. One said: “When I
grow up I want to belong to a theatrical company.” His brother replied:
“Humph, not I. I want the theatrical company to belong to me.”
The Chinese do not raise milch cows or goats. The following aged milk
joke accordingly has been trotted out before every mess table of Treaty
Port China, and been made to blush as a novice for the entertainment
of every griffin. It seems that the new China hands insisted on having
fresh milk in their tea. For the sake of peace the Number One boy at
last procured it. The new hands said: “Of course it’s not like the June
grass milk at home, but it will do in a pinch.” The Number One boy
smiled blandly. At last the milk ceased and the new hands demanded an
explanation, which the Number One boy gave as follows: “No molo milkee;
that piecee olo pig have now got litter of lil pigs; that piecee bucket
whitewash now makee finish.”
III
INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL CHINA.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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