Travels on horseback in Mantchu Tartary: being a summer's ride beyond the Great Wall of China. With a map and numerous illustrations

Front matter

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Preface

. >:-&.< T)ARTLY to while away the tedium and monotony of a long sea voyage from China to England, and partly to redeem a promise made before leaving that country, the following narrative of a somewhat novel ride through one of the most distant regions of the great Chinese empire was written for publication. Much as its southern portion has been explored and de scribed, little in reality is known regarding the far north, more especially of those hitherto inaccessible districts which border on, or lie beyond, that marvellous monument of human industry — the Great Wall, in its course along the eastern margin of Old China. It is therefore hoped that an attempt to describe the general features of the countiy, and the special charac teristics of the northern Chinese — differing as they do very -widely from their brethren of the south — together with the incidents inseparable from the wanderings of two adventurous Britons travelling in their proper costume, for nearly seven hundred miles, among a people to whom the

PREFACE.

. existence of such a place as Great Britain was unknown — may prove in some degree interesting. It may be a long time before Europeans will again venture so far as from the vicinity of Peking to the birthplace of the Mantchu dynasty, and journey unscathed through the fair pro vinces that exist between the two capitals, inhabited by thousands of an industrious race, to whom rebellion and its attendant horrors are unknown. So, until a more leisurely survey can be made of this extensive tract by those who care to travel such a distance, and do not object to very unpleasant fare and very bad accommodation — for the country is not quite adapted to the thousand and one desires of dilettante tourists — these notes of a holiday pilgrimage the author hopes will not be unacceptable to the general reader. Woolwich : May 1863. CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Summer at Tien-tsin — Extremes of Temperature in North China — Ask Leave to Travel in the Country — Difficulty of obtaining Permission — Our Passports — Official and Non-Official — Our travelling Equipment and ' Mount ' — Dislike of Chinese Interpreters to Travel, and our Juvenile Bargain ........... PAGE 1

Chapter II

Fugitive Sinologues — ' Have Whilo ' — Start without Interpreters — Our Chinese Groom — The ' Heavenly Ford' — Its Streets, Shops, and People — The Peiho — A melting Sentry — The open Plain — Our First Attempt at the Flowery Language — ' Pigeon English ' — Sight of the Western Mountains — The Village of Te-tau and its Inn — A Restless Night and a Mosquito Entertainment ........ 14

Chapter IV

Long Bills — Mosquito Tactics — Raised Villages and lonely Country — A watery District — Military Station — Chinese Soldiers, their Qualities and Traditions — Endurance of Pain — The Number-one Doctor — Ma-yuen, a Chinese Warrior — Discipline, Fidelity, Cruelty towards Prisoners — Death before Dishonour — The Aversion of the People to bear Arms — Imperial Armies — Military Institutions — Our Co-travellers — Great Thirst — Heads of the People — Beggardom — Heartless Pilferers . 49

Chapter V

The Hundred-spirited Bird — Anci-mt Rustic — Inexpensive Costumes — The Inn at Che-tur — Mid-day Halt — Tartar Ponies — Superiority of Mules — Mandarin's travelling Equipage and Escort — Non-observance of Sunday in China — The Western Mountains ..... X CONTENTS.

Chapter VII

Village of Tchung-wah-kow — River Pehtang — Unpleasant Reminiscences — A Disagreeable Immersion — Adventures of a Night — A Dreadful Dormitory — Hard Times — Town of Qui-toosa — Inn at Fung-tai — Bad Accommodation — Fellow-Lodger's excessive Curiosity — Refreshing Sleep page 89

Chapter VIII

The Town of Fung-tai — An improving Country, and the Thrift of its Inhabitants — Its Agriculture — Recollections of Home — Grain-fields — Gardens — Agricultural Industry — The Grave-yards — Wayside Wells The Village Patriarchs — The Hamlet of Hanchung — Our Reception ' Men of the Great English Nation ' — Autograph-hunters — Fan inscribing ........... 103

Chapter IX

Cultivation of Indigo — Bed of the Tau-ho — Manufacture of Pottery — A Chinese Doctor — An Orator — New Door-fastening — Efficacy of Flagellation — A Row — Bad Water and worse Tea — Repulsive mode of serving up Poultry — Chinese Minstrel — Recollections of Celtic Music — Chinese Singing — Native Fiddle . . . . . .119

Chapter X

An Uncivil and Extortionate Landlord — A Row — Presents — Advantages of being without an Interpreter — Ill-feeling between Northern and Southern Chinese — Peking and Canton Coolies — Three Roads — The Happy Medium — Market-day at Coo Yuh — Butcher's Meat — Pork — Cattle — Lively Road — Family Groups — A Tien-tsin Merchant — Poverty in a Sandy Region — Respectful Recognition — Birds — 'The Bird of Joy,' and its Tradition ....... 137

Chapter XI

The Town of Lanchow — A Natural-footed Beauty — Native Merchant — Eating-Houses — The Lan-ho — An Arcadia — Beautiful Landscape — Travelling Soldiers — Greedy Boatmen — A Beau Sabreur — His friendly Interposition — The Snug Inn at Shih Mun — North China Dwellings, and their Peculiarities — Gardens — Stone and Brick — Absence of Monuments and Paucity of Sculpture ....... 158

Chapter XII

Superstitious Fancies — The Horse-shoe — Words of Good Omen — Chinese Lares and Penates — Household Furniture — Use of the Kang Hot CONTENTS. XI Air — The Domestic Hearth — Preference for an English Fireside — A Chinese Armoury — Use of the Bow — Muscular Developement — Throwing the Stone — A Pleasant Reflection — Chinese Respect for Age — A Night Storm — Our Arms page 187

Chapter XIII

A miserable Morning — A Rainy Day in China — Glimpses of Sunshine — A Thunderstorm and a thorough Soaking — Chinese Thoroughfares after heavy Showers — Being Half Drowned — Bad Roads — Management of Animals by the Chinese — Chang-le-tow — Its Defences — Hostile Preparations — Roadside Scenery — The lost Cart — Chinese Sign-board for an Inn 26 9

Chapter XIV

Old-fashioned Town — Mutilated Feet of Chinese Women — An Inspection and its Result — The Deformity considered a Proof of Gentility — Chinese Dogs — Town Scavengers — Losing our Way — Change in Costume — Comfortable Dress — Warm Clothing — Enormous Boots — A Chinaman's Wardrobe — Chinese Pigs and their Treatment — Singular Delicacies — A suspicious Inn, and its Occupants — The Opium-smoker — Use of that Drug — Its Effects exaggerated ..... 227

Chapter XV

Early Rising in Chinese Inns — The Ferry at the Yang-ho — The travelled Florin — Flooded Roads — Fear and Curiosity — Travellers on the Highway — Tubercles of the Water-lily, and its Uses — Arrowwort — A Marshy Region under Cultivation — A Chinese Albino . . .262

Chapter XVI

Bird Slaughtering — Water Fowl — Masked Batteries — Gathering the Nelembium Root — Fishing — Roadside Sanctuaries — The Sea — Sandhills — Midday Inn — First Peep of the Great Wall — Village Urchins — ' No Tails ' — A Female Equestrian — The Gathering at Shan-hai Kwan — An Inhospitable Hostelry — The Value of our Passports — Sorry Quarters ........... 274

Chapter XVII

The Spy System — The Police — The Frontier Guard-room — A Polite Old Soldier — French Polish at the Great Wall — The Thumb-mometer — Official Objections to our ascending the Mountains — A Conference — Woo-shi — A sultry Morning — I attempt the Ascent alone — Staveley Peak — Taking Bearings — The End of the Great Wall — Its Present Condition and Wonderful Course — Accounts of Travellers — A vast Conception and a Monument of Industry ...... CONTENTS.

Chapter XVIII

History of the Great Wall of China — Its Character as a worthy National Trophy compared with some other Works of Antiquity — A hot Descent and a lost Outlet — Fearful Midday Heat — Impending Sunstroke and its Sensations — A hard Day's Struggle — Merciful Fountains — A happy Resurrection and friendly Peasantry page 335

Chapter XIX

Accommodation Gratis — Leaving the City — Chinese Civility — Good-bye to the Hill-sea barrier — The Punishment of the Cangue — The Coreans, Japanese, and Chinese — Our Consort — Beyond the Great Wall — Coast Line of Defence and Probable History — Grand View of the Wall — Father Verbiest — Hunting with Hawk and Hound — Hun-chow — A Tartar Caravansary — Rustic Theatres — Roadside Companions — The Village Blacksmith — The Shoeing Smith and Farrier . . . 370

Chapter XX

Pastoral Life — Industry — Yellow-skinned Vulcans — M. Abel Remusat on the Influence of Asiatic Ingenuity on the Nations of the West — Horse-shoeing in China — Farrier's Instruments — The Chinese Veterinary Surgeon — Horse-flesh — Chung-hue-soh . . . . . .392

Chapter XXI

Sunday Morning — Lonely Scenery — Beggars — Ruins of Ning Yuen Chow — Grain Wagons — Mantchurian Li — Stupidity of the Country People — Shin Shan — A Pastoral Picture — Convoy of Cattle — The Flocks — Pack Saddle Transport — The Approach to Kin Chow — Kin Chow — The Market-place — Meat and Fruit — Good Humour of the Chinese . 410

Chapter XXII

Rabid Curiosity — Filthy Habits of the People — Their Indifference to the Pro* erties of Soap and Water — She-tsou-tang at Tien-tsin — Steaming Chinese — Cost of Vapour Bath — Physical Superiority cf the Men of North China — Good Service — Ignorance of the Great English Nation — Cultivation of Tobacco — Wells of Ta-ling — Mantchu Horses — Suspicious Characters ........... 426

Chapter XXIII

Early Hours — Granite Houses — Carriers' Carts — Fear of Highwaymen — Marshy Country — Salt Manufactories at Ten-sha-hor — A Funeral Party — North China Song-birds — Their Capture, Treatment, and Qualities — Trained Falcons for Bird-catching — The Pe-ling — The Wha-mi — A Fixture and its Consequences ....... CONTENTS. XIII

Chapter XXIV

Pastoral Country — ' Koong-shi ' — Farm-houses — Profitable Employment of Sewage — Ignorance of Dairy Produce — Humble Dormitory — A Young Mandarin — Banks of the Liau-ho — Boat Voyage — Arrival at Newchwang — An unfriendly Reception — Inhospitable Landlord . page 463

Chapter XXV

A welcome Halt — Approach to the New British Settlement at Ying-tsze — Mr. Meadows the English Consul — Enjoyment of English Comforts — Shock of an Earthquake — Sentiments of a Comprador respecting the unprofitableness of British Travellers — Trade at the New Port — Character of the People of this portion of China — Native Ships — New Passports ..... ...... 480

Chapter XXVI

Our New Attendants — Precautions — Indisposition — Newchwang again — Our Conductors — 'Tea is not Tea, and Rice is not Rice' — A 'Sovereign' Remedy — The Village School-room — Shu Shan — The Mountains — A distant View of Liau Yang — Orchards — Harvest-time — Disagreeable Spectators — The City of Liau Yang in the Early Morning — Tradesmen and Mechanics — Northern and Southern Pagodas — The Taitse-ho — The Liau — Highways — The People 493

Chapter XXVII

Elevation of the Land — Town of Pay-ta-pu — Games of Chance — The Huin-ho — Curious Monument and Llama Priests — Suburbs of Moukden — The Police and their Commander — Clearing the Way — The Streets and Trades and the Crowd — A Fat Boniface — Condition of the Capital — Tartar Traces — A Bird's-eye View 516

Chapter XXVIII

History of Moukden — Account of it by Father Verbiest — Kien-lung's Eulogium of the Tartar Capital — The Pen and the Ke — Popular Excitement at our Appearance — A Moukden Merchant — The Tartars at a Discount — Our Visit to the Palace prevented — The Water-gun — Lower Temperature at Moukden — Chinese Artist — Return Journey — Lord John Hay — Doing the Dragons — On Board the ' Odin ' — Revisiting the Wall ......... 536