E-text prepared by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 39486-h.htm or 39486-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/39486/pg39486-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39486/39486-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://archive.org/details/sidelightsonchin00macgrich SIDELIGHTS ON CHINESE LIFE * * * * * BY THE SAME AUTHOR The Imperial History of China Being the History of the Empire as compiled by the Chinese Historians _SECOND EDITION NOW READY_ Enlarged and brought up to date. Royal 8vo, half calf. L1 1s. net. To be obtained of KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUEBNER & Co., Limited, Dryden House, 43 Gerrard Street, London, W. * * * * * [Illustration: GOLDEN ISLAND (ON THE YANG-TSE).] SIDELIGHTS ON CHINESE LIFE by REV. J. MACGOWAN London Missionary Society Author of "The Imperial History of China," "A Dictionary of Amoy Colloquial," "Pictures of Southern China," etc. With Twelve Illustrations in Colour by Montague Smyth and Thirty-Four Other Illustrations London Kegan Paul, Trench, Truebner & Co., Limited Dryden House, 43 Gerrard Street, W. 1907 [All Rights Reserved] Richard Clay and Sons, Limited Bread Street Hill, E.C., and Bungay, Suffolk CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. THE CHINAMAN 1 II. FAMILY LIFE 21 III. CHILD LIFE 43 IV. RELIGIOUS FORCES IN CHINA 65 V. SERVANTS 94 VI. THE ADAPTABILITY AND TENACITY OF PURPOSE OF THE CHINESE 112 VII. AMUSEMENTS 131 VIII. THE FARMER 150 IX. A RAMBLE THROUGH A CHINESE CITY 175 X. HADES, OR THE LAND OF SHADOWS 201 XI. A CHAPTER ON SOME OF THE MORE SHADY PROFESSIONS IN CHINESE LIFE 224 XII. SCHOOLS, SCHOOL-MASTERS, AND SCHOOL-BOOKS 249 XIII. THE MANDARIN 272 XIV. PEDDLER LIFE IN CHINA 296 XV. THE SEAMY SIDE OF CHINESE LIFE 322 XVI. A TRIP THROUGH THE COUNTRY 346 LIST OF COLOURED PLATES GOLDEN ISLAND (ON THE YANG-TSE) _Frontispiece_