In Eastern Seas: Or, the Commission of H.M.S. 'Iron Duke,' flag-ship in China, 1878-83Smith, J. J.
History
In Eastern Seas: Or, the Commission of H.M.S. 'Iron Duke,' flag-ship in China, 1878-83
Smith, J. J.
Iron Duke (Ship); Voyages and travels
This was but the first part of the entertainment; a far prettier was yet
to come. Starting from the various Chinese guilds, and uniting in front
of the governor's house, a grand procession, over a mile long, commenced
the perambulation of the streets of the city. Each man bore on his
shoulders exaggerated representations of all the domestic and food
animals used in the Chinese menage, principally fish, fowls, and pigs,
constructed of bamboo framework covered with tinted gauze, and illumined
from within by colored candles. Illuminated shops, trophies, interiors,
representations in character from the sacred books, the figures being
real and resplendent in the most beautiful silks, were amongst the most
important objects in the ceremonial. Bands of music--save the
mark!--filled up the intervals. Towards the end of the procession came
two dragons--a gold one and a silver one--of such a length that each
required somewhere about thirty pairs of bearers. They were divided into
sections, to every one of which a pair of men was attached, illumined
from within, and covered with a rich scaled brocade, in which the
bearers themselves were also enveloped, their legs and feet appearing
from underneath like the legs of a huge centipede.
Whilst on the subject of dragons I may just mention a curious ceremony I
witnessed, during the earlier part of the day, in connection with one of
these--the gold one--in the present ceremonial. The occasion was the
instillation of life into the legendary monster. He was conducted by his
bearers to the largest temple in the city, where a yellow-robed bonze
was in waiting to receive him. On the huge head being brought to the
door the farce commenced. Taking a live cock in his hand, the priest
pricked its comb in three several places, and with the blood proceeded
to mix some vermilion paint, in a small china vessel. With this pigment
he now described three cabalistic signs on a piece of yellow paper,
which he stuck on the monster's forehead, at the same time touching with
his brush the eyes, the cavernous jaws, and horrible fangs of the
animal. This completes the business, and the dragon proceeds on its
sinuous way amidst the howling and contortions of a superstitious and
excited mob.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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