Flowers of all the varieties which grow in the “Flowery Kingdom” form an important and pleasing feature of the entertainment. They are made into shapes of men or birds, and their delicious odors pervade the whole place. The walls of the different pavilions are gayly painted. On them pictures in water-colors are hung, as well as scrolls bearing the writings of celebrated men. Under these are placed, in rows, fine flower pots crowned with the choicest flowers of the season. Dwarfed trees too are placed beside them. There are platforms in every good-sized pavilion where the musicians sit and discourse music for the pleasure of a most attentive audience. There are drums, kettledrums, immense cymbals, gongs, cornets, flutes, castanets, two-stringed fiddles and I don’t know what else besides, and when they are sounded together the effect is overwhelming on ears unaccustomed to such strange symphonies. The flutist first blows his flute, then the cornetist joins with his toot, and then the kettledrum man strikes up, which is a signal for the cymbals to clash and the gong to raise its hoarse cry, while the shrill fiddles may be distinguished in the din like the witches’ voices above the storm in _Macbeth_. Worse still follows, when the musicians turn from instrumental to vocal music, and one of them gives you a solo with that falsetto-pitch which is meant to imitate a female voice. While the crowd of people are enjoying the different sights and sounds in the pavilions, inside the temple various ceremonies are going on. The temple itself, entirely new, is finely decorated with both permanent and temporary ornamentations. Among the first are frescos and wood-carvings and figures in bas-relief; among the second, banners, flower-baskets and pictures. Buddhist priests are praying to Buddha in the central hall, while in the back hall, where the shrine of the chief deity is situated, flocks of worshipers flit to and fro making offerings of food, lighting candles, and burning incense. There is no scene in China more animated. Everybody who has any religion in him comes to worship and to ask some favor of the god, and each person leaves more or less money with the keepers of the temple. In my native city festivals similar to this occur two or three times in the week in different parts of the town. Of course the schools are kept open on such festal days, otherwise little study could be accomplished. Schoolboys go to the shows in the evening and girls too, sometimes, go by themselves to enjoy the sights. But there are holidays which may be called national, since they are observed all over the country.