The Middle Kingdom, Volume 1 (of 2): A Survey of the Geography, Government, Literature, Social Life, Arts, and History of the Chinese Empire and its InhabitantsWilliams, S. Wells (Samuel Wells)
History
The Middle Kingdom, Volume 1 (of 2): A Survey of the Geography, Government, Literature, Social Life, Arts, and History of the Chinese Empire and its Inhabitants
Williams, S. Wells (Samuel Wells)
China
drive out the British forces, in December, 1856, and every trace of
this interesting spot as it existed for so long a time in the annals
of foreign intercourse obliterated. Since the return of trade, a new
and better site has been formed at Shameen, west of the old spot, by
building a solid stone wall and filling in a long, marshy low-tide
bank, formerly occupied by boats, to a height of 8 or 10 feet, on
which there is room for gardens as well as houses. This is surrounded
by water, and thereby secure from fire and mobs to which the old
hongs were exposed. Residences are obtainable anywhere in the city by
foreigners, and the common sight in the olden times of their standing
outside of the _Great Peace Gate_ to see the crowd pass in and out
while they themselves could not enter, is no longer seen. A very
good map of the enciente was made by an American missionary, Daniel
Vrooman, by taking the angles of all the conspicuous buildings therein,
with the highest points in the suburbs; he then taught a native to
pace the streets between them, compass in hand (noting courses and
distances, which he fixed by the principal gates), until a complete
plan was filled out. When the city was opened four years afterwards
this map was found to need no important corrections.
The trades and manufactories at Canton are mainly connected with the
foreign commerce. Many silk fabrics are woven at Fatshan, a large
town situated about ten miles west of the city; fire-crackers, paper,
mat-sails, cotton cloth, and other articles, are also made there for
exportation. The number of persons engaged in weaving cloth in Canton
is about 50,000, including embroiderers; nearly 7,000 barbers and 4,200
shoemakers are stated as the number licensed to shave the crowns and
shoe the soles of their fellow-citizens.
~ENVIRONS OF CANTON.~
The opposite suburb of Honam offers pleasant walks for recreation, and
the citizens are in the habit of going over the river to saunter in
its fields, or in the cool grounds of the great temple; a race-course
and many enjoyable rides on horseback also tempt foreigners into the
country. A couple of miles up the river are the Fa tí or Flower gardens
which once supplied the plants carried out of the country, and are
resorted to by pleasure parties; but to one accustomed to the squares,
gardens, and esplanades of western cities, these grounds appear mean in
the extreme. Foreigners ramble into the country, but rowing upon the
river is their favorite recreation. Like Europeans in all parts of the
East, they retain their own costume and modes of living, and do not
espouse native styles; though if it were not for the shaven crown, it
is not unlikely that many of them would adopt the Chinese dress.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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