[284]An official who flourished in the eighth century of our era, and who, for his devotion to the Taoist religion, was subsequently canonized as one of the Eight Immortals. He is generally represented as riding on a crane.return to text[285]That is, by means of the planchette-table.return to text[286]Our author was here evidently thinking of his own unlucky fate.return to text[287]SeeNo. CXXXI.,note 252.return to text[288]SeeNo. LXXV.,note 71.return to text[289]Literally, “golden oranges.” These are skilfully preserved by the Cantonese, and form a delicious sweetmeat for dessert.return to text[290]A.D.1573–1620, the epoch of the most celebrated “blue china.”return to text[291]A satirical remark of Mencius (BookI.), used by the sage when combating the visionary projects of a monarch of antiquity.return to text[292]This disgusting process is too frequently performed by native butchers at the present day, in order to give their meat a more tempting appearance. Water is also blown in through a tube, to make it heavier; and inexperienced housekeepers are often astonished to find how light ducks and geese become after being cooked, not knowing that the fraudulent poulterer had previously stuffed their throats as full as possible of sand.return to text[293]This was the man whose destiny it was really to die just then, and appear before the Ruler of Purgatory.return to text[294]The city of Canton boasts several “cat and dog” restaurants; but the consumption of this kind of food is much less universal than is generally supposed.return to text[295]Not in our sense of the term. It was not death, but decapitation, or even mutilation, from which the trader begged to be spared. SeeNo. LXXII.,note 59.return to text[296]The Chinese dog is usually an ill-fed, barking cur, without one redeeming trait in its character. Valued as a guardian of house and property, this animal does not hold the same social position as with us; its very name is a by-word of reproach; and the people of Tonquin explain their filthy custom of blackening the teeth on the ground that a dog’s teeth are white.return to text[297]A celebrated scholar and statesman, who flourished towards the close of the Ming dynasty, and distinguished himself by his impeachment of the powerful eunuch, Wei Chung-hsien,—a dangerous step to take in those eunuch-ridden times.return to text[298]Mr. Yang was a man of tried virtue, and had he been able to tolerateoculo irretorto, the loss of his money, the priest would have given him, not merely a cure for the bodily ailment under which he was suffering, but a knowledge of those means by which he might have obtained the salvation of his soul, and have enrolled himself among the ranks of the Taoist Immortals. “To those, however,” remarks the commentator, “who lament that Mr. Yang was too worldly-minded to secure this great prize, I reply, ‘Better one more good man on earth, than an extra angel in heaven.’”return to text[299]Alchemy was widely cultivated in China during the Han dynasty by priests of the Taoist religion, but all traces of it have now long since disappeared.return to text[300]SeeNo. XXII.,note 143.return to text[301]These are used, together with a heavy woodenbâton, by the Chinese washerman, the effect being most disastrous to a European wardrobe.return to text[302]For thus interfering with the appointments of Destiny.return to text[303]To provide coffins for poor people has ever been regarded as an act of transcendent merit. The tornado at Canton, in April, 1878, in which several thousand lives were lost, afforded an admirable opportunity for the exercise of this form of charity—an opportunity which was very largely availed of by the benevolent.return to text[304]For usurping its prerogative by allowing Chia to obtain unauthorized wealth.return to text[305]SeeNo. XIV.,note 97.return to text[306]SeeNo. LIV.,note 293.return to text[307]The God of Literature.return to text[308]SeeNo. LXXVII.,note 76.return to text[309]SeeNo. XXVI.,note 182.return to text[310]A fleshy protuberance on the head, which is the distinguishing mark of a Buddha.return to text[311]The eighteen personal disciples of Shâkyamuni Buddha. Sixteen of these are Hindoos, which number was subsequently increased by the addition of two Chinese Buddhists.return to text[312]Literally, “wind and water,” or that which cannot be seen and that which cannot be grasped. I have explained the term in myChinese Sketches,p.143, as “a system of geomancy, by thescienceof which it is possible to determine the desirability of sites,—whether of tombs, houses, or cities, from the configuration of such natural objects as rivers, trees, and hills, and to foretell with certainty the fortunes of any family, community, or individual, according to the spot selected; by theartof which it is in the power of the geomancer to counteract evil influences by good ones, to transform straight and noxious outlines into undulating and propitious curves, and rescue whole districts from the devastations of flood or pestilence.”return to text[313]As a rule, only the daughters of wealthy families receive any education to speak of.return to text[314]A reprehensible proceeding in the eyes of all respectable Chinese, both from a moral and a practical point of view; “for when brothers fall out,” says the proverb, “strangers get an advantage over them.”return to text[315]Chinese tradesmen invariably begin by giving short weight in such transactions as these, partly in order to be in a position to gratify the customer by throwing in a trifle more and thus acquire a reputation for fair dealing.return to text[316]It was only his soul that had left the house.return to text[317]SeeNo. LVI.,note 322.return to text[318]SeeNo. CXXIII.,note 234.return to text[319]A common saying is “Foxes in the north; devils in the south,” as illustrative of the folk-lore of these two great divisions of China.return to text[320]In no country in the world is adulteration more extensively practised than in China, the only formal check upon it being a religious one—the dread of punishment in the world below.return to text[321]The text has here a word (literally, “mud”) explained to be the name of a boneless aquatic creature, which on being removed from the water lies motionless like a lump of mud. The common term for a jelly-fish isshui-mu, “water-mother.”return to text[322]SeeNo. LXXIII.,note 62.return to text[323]There is a widespread belief that human life in China is held at a cheap rate. This may be accounted for by the fact that death is the legal punishment for many crimes not considered capital in the West; and by the severe measures that are always taken in cases of rebellion, when the innocent and guilty are often indiscriminately massacred. In times of tranquillity, however, this is not the case; and the execution of a criminal is surrounded by a number of formalities which go far to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. TheHsi-yüan-lu(seeNo. XIV.,note 100) opens with the words, “There is nothing more important than human life.”return to text[324]SeeNo.LXVIII.,note 30.return to text[325]This story is inserted chiefly in illustration of the fact that all countries have a record of some enormous bird such as therocof the “Arabian Nights.”return to text[326]SeeNo. XXXV.,note 217.return to text[327]The term here used refers to a creature which partakes rather of the fabulous than of the real. TheKuang-yünsays it is “a kind of lion;” but other authorities describe it as a horse. Its favourite food is tiger-flesh. Incense-burners are often made after the “lion” pattern and called by this name, the smoke of the incense issuing from the mouth of the animal, like our own gargoyles.return to text[328]The Law of Inheritance, as it obtains in China, has been ably illustrated by Mr.Chal.Alabaster inVols.V.andVI.of theChina Review. This writer states that “there seems to be no absolutely fixed law in regard either of inheritance or testamentary dispositions of property, but certain general principles are recognised which the court will not allow to be disregarded without sufficient cause.” As a rule the sons, whether by wife or concubine, share equally, and in preference to daughters, even though there should be a written will in favour of the latter.return to text[329]This has reference to the “seed-time and harvest.”return to text[330]SeeNo. I.,note 36.return to text[331]Clouds being naturally connected in every Chinaman’s mind with these fabulous creatures, the origin of which has been traced by some to waterspouts. SeeNo. LXXXI.,note 84.return to text[332]“Boat-men” is the solution of the last two lines of the enigma.return to text[333]The commentator actually supplies a list of the persons who signed a congratulatory petition to the Viceroy on the arrest and punishment of the criminals.return to text[334]When the soul of the Emperor T‘ai Tsung of the T‘ang dynasty was in the infernal regions, it promised to send Yen-lo (the ChineseYamaor Pluto) a melon; and when His Majesty recovered from the trance into which he had been plunged, he gave orders that his promise was to be fulfilled. Just then a man, named Liu Ch‘üan, observed a priest with a hairpin belonging to his wife, and misconstruing the manner in which possession of it had been obtained, abused his wife so severely that she committed suicide. Liu Ch‘üan himself then determined to follow her example, and convey the melon to Yen-lo; for which act he was subsequently deified. See theHsi-yu-chi, SectionXI.return to text[335]As the Chinese believe that their disembodied spirits proceed to a world organised on much the same model as the one they know, so do they think that there will be social distinctions of rank and emolument proportioned to the merits of each.return to text[336]A dying man is almost always moved into his coffin to die; and aged persons frequently take to sleeping regularly in the coffins provided against the inevitable hour by the pious thoughtfulness of a loving son. Even in middle life Chinese like to see their coffins ready for them, and store them sometimes on their own premises, sometimes in the outhouses of a neighbouring temple.return to text[337]SeeNo. LXXIII.,note 62.return to text[338]The Chinese distinguish sixteen vital spots on the front of the body and six on the back, with thirty-six and twenty non-vital spots in similar positions, respectively. They allow, however, that a severe blow on a non-vital spot might cause death, andvice versâ.return to text[339]Certain classes of soothsayers are believed by the Chinese to be possessed by foxes, which animals have the power of looking into the future,&c.,&c.return to text[340]TheYü LiorDivine Panorama.return to text[341]The Divine Ruler, immediately below God himself.return to text[342]SeeNo. XXVI.,note 182.return to text[343]SeeAuthor’s Own Record(inIntroduction),note 28.return to text[344]The three worst of the Six Paths.return to text[345]That the state of one life is the result of behaviour in a previous existence.return to text[346]Lit.—the skin purse (of his bones).return to text[347]Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.return to footnote anchor 347return to footnote 398[348]Violent deaths are regarded with horror by the Chinese. They hold that a truly virtuous man always dies either of illness or old age.return to text[349]Good people go to Purgatory in the flesh, and are at once passed up to Heaven without suffering any torture, or are sent back to earth again.return to text[350]The Supreme Ruler.return to text[351]SeeNo. I.,note 36.return to text[352]Supposed to be the gate of the Infernal Regions.return to text[353]Hades.return to text[354]Literally, “ten armfuls.”return to text[355]To Heaven, Earth, sovereign, and relatives.return to text[356]Held to be a great relief to the spirits of the dead.return to text[357]It is commonly believed that if the spirit of a murdered man can secure the violent death of some other person he returns to earth again as if nothing had happened, the spirit of his victim passing into the world below and suffering all the misery of a disembodied soul in his stead. SeeNo. XLV.,note 267.return to text[358]A very common trick in China. The drunken bully Lu Ta in the celebrated novelShui-husaved himself by these means, and I have heard that the Mandarin who in the war of 1842 spent a large sum in constructing a paddle-wheel steamer to be worked by men, hoping thereby to match the wheel-ships of the Outer Barbarians, is now expiating his failure at a monastery in Fukien.Aproposof which, it may not be generally known that at this moment there are small paddle-wheel boats for Chinese passengers, plying up and down the Canton river, the wheels of which are turned by gangs of coolies who perform a movement precisely similar to that required on the treadmill.return to text[359]In order that their marriage destiny may not be interfered with. It is considered disgraceful not to accept the ransom of a slave girl of 15 or 16 years of age. SeeNo. XXVI.,note 185.return to text[360]The soil of China belongs, every inch of it, to the Emperor. Consequently, the people owe him a debt of gratitude for permitting them to live upon it.return to text[361]Do their duty as men and women.return to text[362]A Chinaman may have three kinds of fathers; (1) his real father, (2) an adopted father, such as an uncle without children to whom he has been given as heir, and (3) the man his widowed mother may marry. The first two are to all intents and purposes equal; the third is entitled only to one year’s mourning instead of the usual three.return to text
[284]An official who flourished in the eighth century of our era, and who, for his devotion to the Taoist religion, was subsequently canonized as one of the Eight Immortals. He is generally represented as riding on a crane.return to text
[284]An official who flourished in the eighth century of our era, and who, for his devotion to the Taoist religion, was subsequently canonized as one of the Eight Immortals. He is generally represented as riding on a crane.return to text
[285]That is, by means of the planchette-table.return to text
[285]That is, by means of the planchette-table.return to text
[286]Our author was here evidently thinking of his own unlucky fate.return to text
[286]Our author was here evidently thinking of his own unlucky fate.return to text
[287]SeeNo. CXXXI.,note 252.return to text
[287]SeeNo. CXXXI.,note 252.return to text
[288]SeeNo. LXXV.,note 71.return to text
[288]SeeNo. LXXV.,note 71.return to text
[289]Literally, “golden oranges.” These are skilfully preserved by the Cantonese, and form a delicious sweetmeat for dessert.return to text
[289]Literally, “golden oranges.” These are skilfully preserved by the Cantonese, and form a delicious sweetmeat for dessert.return to text
[290]A.D.1573–1620, the epoch of the most celebrated “blue china.”return to text
[290]A.D.1573–1620, the epoch of the most celebrated “blue china.”return to text
[291]A satirical remark of Mencius (BookI.), used by the sage when combating the visionary projects of a monarch of antiquity.return to text
[291]A satirical remark of Mencius (BookI.), used by the sage when combating the visionary projects of a monarch of antiquity.return to text
[292]This disgusting process is too frequently performed by native butchers at the present day, in order to give their meat a more tempting appearance. Water is also blown in through a tube, to make it heavier; and inexperienced housekeepers are often astonished to find how light ducks and geese become after being cooked, not knowing that the fraudulent poulterer had previously stuffed their throats as full as possible of sand.return to text
[292]This disgusting process is too frequently performed by native butchers at the present day, in order to give their meat a more tempting appearance. Water is also blown in through a tube, to make it heavier; and inexperienced housekeepers are often astonished to find how light ducks and geese become after being cooked, not knowing that the fraudulent poulterer had previously stuffed their throats as full as possible of sand.return to text
[293]This was the man whose destiny it was really to die just then, and appear before the Ruler of Purgatory.return to text
[293]This was the man whose destiny it was really to die just then, and appear before the Ruler of Purgatory.return to text
[294]The city of Canton boasts several “cat and dog” restaurants; but the consumption of this kind of food is much less universal than is generally supposed.return to text
[294]The city of Canton boasts several “cat and dog” restaurants; but the consumption of this kind of food is much less universal than is generally supposed.return to text
[295]Not in our sense of the term. It was not death, but decapitation, or even mutilation, from which the trader begged to be spared. SeeNo. LXXII.,note 59.return to text
[295]Not in our sense of the term. It was not death, but decapitation, or even mutilation, from which the trader begged to be spared. SeeNo. LXXII.,note 59.return to text
[296]The Chinese dog is usually an ill-fed, barking cur, without one redeeming trait in its character. Valued as a guardian of house and property, this animal does not hold the same social position as with us; its very name is a by-word of reproach; and the people of Tonquin explain their filthy custom of blackening the teeth on the ground that a dog’s teeth are white.return to text
[296]The Chinese dog is usually an ill-fed, barking cur, without one redeeming trait in its character. Valued as a guardian of house and property, this animal does not hold the same social position as with us; its very name is a by-word of reproach; and the people of Tonquin explain their filthy custom of blackening the teeth on the ground that a dog’s teeth are white.return to text
[297]A celebrated scholar and statesman, who flourished towards the close of the Ming dynasty, and distinguished himself by his impeachment of the powerful eunuch, Wei Chung-hsien,—a dangerous step to take in those eunuch-ridden times.return to text
[297]A celebrated scholar and statesman, who flourished towards the close of the Ming dynasty, and distinguished himself by his impeachment of the powerful eunuch, Wei Chung-hsien,—a dangerous step to take in those eunuch-ridden times.return to text
[298]Mr. Yang was a man of tried virtue, and had he been able to tolerateoculo irretorto, the loss of his money, the priest would have given him, not merely a cure for the bodily ailment under which he was suffering, but a knowledge of those means by which he might have obtained the salvation of his soul, and have enrolled himself among the ranks of the Taoist Immortals. “To those, however,” remarks the commentator, “who lament that Mr. Yang was too worldly-minded to secure this great prize, I reply, ‘Better one more good man on earth, than an extra angel in heaven.’”return to text
[298]Mr. Yang was a man of tried virtue, and had he been able to tolerateoculo irretorto, the loss of his money, the priest would have given him, not merely a cure for the bodily ailment under which he was suffering, but a knowledge of those means by which he might have obtained the salvation of his soul, and have enrolled himself among the ranks of the Taoist Immortals. “To those, however,” remarks the commentator, “who lament that Mr. Yang was too worldly-minded to secure this great prize, I reply, ‘Better one more good man on earth, than an extra angel in heaven.’”return to text
[299]Alchemy was widely cultivated in China during the Han dynasty by priests of the Taoist religion, but all traces of it have now long since disappeared.return to text
[299]Alchemy was widely cultivated in China during the Han dynasty by priests of the Taoist religion, but all traces of it have now long since disappeared.return to text
[300]SeeNo. XXII.,note 143.return to text
[300]SeeNo. XXII.,note 143.return to text
[301]These are used, together with a heavy woodenbâton, by the Chinese washerman, the effect being most disastrous to a European wardrobe.return to text
[301]These are used, together with a heavy woodenbâton, by the Chinese washerman, the effect being most disastrous to a European wardrobe.return to text
[302]For thus interfering with the appointments of Destiny.return to text
[302]For thus interfering with the appointments of Destiny.return to text
[303]To provide coffins for poor people has ever been regarded as an act of transcendent merit. The tornado at Canton, in April, 1878, in which several thousand lives were lost, afforded an admirable opportunity for the exercise of this form of charity—an opportunity which was very largely availed of by the benevolent.return to text
[303]To provide coffins for poor people has ever been regarded as an act of transcendent merit. The tornado at Canton, in April, 1878, in which several thousand lives were lost, afforded an admirable opportunity for the exercise of this form of charity—an opportunity which was very largely availed of by the benevolent.return to text
[304]For usurping its prerogative by allowing Chia to obtain unauthorized wealth.return to text
[304]For usurping its prerogative by allowing Chia to obtain unauthorized wealth.return to text
[305]SeeNo. XIV.,note 97.return to text
[305]SeeNo. XIV.,note 97.return to text
[306]SeeNo. LIV.,note 293.return to text
[306]SeeNo. LIV.,note 293.return to text
[307]The God of Literature.return to text
[307]The God of Literature.return to text
[308]SeeNo. LXXVII.,note 76.return to text
[308]SeeNo. LXXVII.,note 76.return to text
[309]SeeNo. XXVI.,note 182.return to text
[309]SeeNo. XXVI.,note 182.return to text
[310]A fleshy protuberance on the head, which is the distinguishing mark of a Buddha.return to text
[310]A fleshy protuberance on the head, which is the distinguishing mark of a Buddha.return to text
[311]The eighteen personal disciples of Shâkyamuni Buddha. Sixteen of these are Hindoos, which number was subsequently increased by the addition of two Chinese Buddhists.return to text
[311]The eighteen personal disciples of Shâkyamuni Buddha. Sixteen of these are Hindoos, which number was subsequently increased by the addition of two Chinese Buddhists.return to text
[312]Literally, “wind and water,” or that which cannot be seen and that which cannot be grasped. I have explained the term in myChinese Sketches,p.143, as “a system of geomancy, by thescienceof which it is possible to determine the desirability of sites,—whether of tombs, houses, or cities, from the configuration of such natural objects as rivers, trees, and hills, and to foretell with certainty the fortunes of any family, community, or individual, according to the spot selected; by theartof which it is in the power of the geomancer to counteract evil influences by good ones, to transform straight and noxious outlines into undulating and propitious curves, and rescue whole districts from the devastations of flood or pestilence.”return to text
[312]Literally, “wind and water,” or that which cannot be seen and that which cannot be grasped. I have explained the term in myChinese Sketches,p.143, as “a system of geomancy, by thescienceof which it is possible to determine the desirability of sites,—whether of tombs, houses, or cities, from the configuration of such natural objects as rivers, trees, and hills, and to foretell with certainty the fortunes of any family, community, or individual, according to the spot selected; by theartof which it is in the power of the geomancer to counteract evil influences by good ones, to transform straight and noxious outlines into undulating and propitious curves, and rescue whole districts from the devastations of flood or pestilence.”return to text
[313]As a rule, only the daughters of wealthy families receive any education to speak of.return to text
[313]As a rule, only the daughters of wealthy families receive any education to speak of.return to text
[314]A reprehensible proceeding in the eyes of all respectable Chinese, both from a moral and a practical point of view; “for when brothers fall out,” says the proverb, “strangers get an advantage over them.”return to text
[314]A reprehensible proceeding in the eyes of all respectable Chinese, both from a moral and a practical point of view; “for when brothers fall out,” says the proverb, “strangers get an advantage over them.”return to text
[315]Chinese tradesmen invariably begin by giving short weight in such transactions as these, partly in order to be in a position to gratify the customer by throwing in a trifle more and thus acquire a reputation for fair dealing.return to text
[315]Chinese tradesmen invariably begin by giving short weight in such transactions as these, partly in order to be in a position to gratify the customer by throwing in a trifle more and thus acquire a reputation for fair dealing.return to text
[316]It was only his soul that had left the house.return to text
[316]It was only his soul that had left the house.return to text
[317]SeeNo. LVI.,note 322.return to text
[317]SeeNo. LVI.,note 322.return to text
[318]SeeNo. CXXIII.,note 234.return to text
[318]SeeNo. CXXIII.,note 234.return to text
[319]A common saying is “Foxes in the north; devils in the south,” as illustrative of the folk-lore of these two great divisions of China.return to text
[319]A common saying is “Foxes in the north; devils in the south,” as illustrative of the folk-lore of these two great divisions of China.return to text
[320]In no country in the world is adulteration more extensively practised than in China, the only formal check upon it being a religious one—the dread of punishment in the world below.return to text
[320]In no country in the world is adulteration more extensively practised than in China, the only formal check upon it being a religious one—the dread of punishment in the world below.return to text
[321]The text has here a word (literally, “mud”) explained to be the name of a boneless aquatic creature, which on being removed from the water lies motionless like a lump of mud. The common term for a jelly-fish isshui-mu, “water-mother.”return to text
[321]The text has here a word (literally, “mud”) explained to be the name of a boneless aquatic creature, which on being removed from the water lies motionless like a lump of mud. The common term for a jelly-fish isshui-mu, “water-mother.”return to text
[322]SeeNo. LXXIII.,note 62.return to text
[322]SeeNo. LXXIII.,note 62.return to text
[323]There is a widespread belief that human life in China is held at a cheap rate. This may be accounted for by the fact that death is the legal punishment for many crimes not considered capital in the West; and by the severe measures that are always taken in cases of rebellion, when the innocent and guilty are often indiscriminately massacred. In times of tranquillity, however, this is not the case; and the execution of a criminal is surrounded by a number of formalities which go far to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. TheHsi-yüan-lu(seeNo. XIV.,note 100) opens with the words, “There is nothing more important than human life.”return to text
[323]There is a widespread belief that human life in China is held at a cheap rate. This may be accounted for by the fact that death is the legal punishment for many crimes not considered capital in the West; and by the severe measures that are always taken in cases of rebellion, when the innocent and guilty are often indiscriminately massacred. In times of tranquillity, however, this is not the case; and the execution of a criminal is surrounded by a number of formalities which go far to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. TheHsi-yüan-lu(seeNo. XIV.,note 100) opens with the words, “There is nothing more important than human life.”return to text
[324]SeeNo.LXVIII.,note 30.return to text
[324]SeeNo.LXVIII.,note 30.return to text
[325]This story is inserted chiefly in illustration of the fact that all countries have a record of some enormous bird such as therocof the “Arabian Nights.”return to text
[325]This story is inserted chiefly in illustration of the fact that all countries have a record of some enormous bird such as therocof the “Arabian Nights.”return to text
[326]SeeNo. XXXV.,note 217.return to text
[326]SeeNo. XXXV.,note 217.return to text
[327]The term here used refers to a creature which partakes rather of the fabulous than of the real. TheKuang-yünsays it is “a kind of lion;” but other authorities describe it as a horse. Its favourite food is tiger-flesh. Incense-burners are often made after the “lion” pattern and called by this name, the smoke of the incense issuing from the mouth of the animal, like our own gargoyles.return to text
[327]The term here used refers to a creature which partakes rather of the fabulous than of the real. TheKuang-yünsays it is “a kind of lion;” but other authorities describe it as a horse. Its favourite food is tiger-flesh. Incense-burners are often made after the “lion” pattern and called by this name, the smoke of the incense issuing from the mouth of the animal, like our own gargoyles.return to text
[328]The Law of Inheritance, as it obtains in China, has been ably illustrated by Mr.Chal.Alabaster inVols.V.andVI.of theChina Review. This writer states that “there seems to be no absolutely fixed law in regard either of inheritance or testamentary dispositions of property, but certain general principles are recognised which the court will not allow to be disregarded without sufficient cause.” As a rule the sons, whether by wife or concubine, share equally, and in preference to daughters, even though there should be a written will in favour of the latter.return to text
[328]The Law of Inheritance, as it obtains in China, has been ably illustrated by Mr.Chal.Alabaster inVols.V.andVI.of theChina Review. This writer states that “there seems to be no absolutely fixed law in regard either of inheritance or testamentary dispositions of property, but certain general principles are recognised which the court will not allow to be disregarded without sufficient cause.” As a rule the sons, whether by wife or concubine, share equally, and in preference to daughters, even though there should be a written will in favour of the latter.return to text
[329]This has reference to the “seed-time and harvest.”return to text
[329]This has reference to the “seed-time and harvest.”return to text
[330]SeeNo. I.,note 36.return to text
[330]SeeNo. I.,note 36.return to text
[331]Clouds being naturally connected in every Chinaman’s mind with these fabulous creatures, the origin of which has been traced by some to waterspouts. SeeNo. LXXXI.,note 84.return to text
[331]Clouds being naturally connected in every Chinaman’s mind with these fabulous creatures, the origin of which has been traced by some to waterspouts. SeeNo. LXXXI.,note 84.return to text
[332]“Boat-men” is the solution of the last two lines of the enigma.return to text
[332]“Boat-men” is the solution of the last two lines of the enigma.return to text
[333]The commentator actually supplies a list of the persons who signed a congratulatory petition to the Viceroy on the arrest and punishment of the criminals.return to text
[333]The commentator actually supplies a list of the persons who signed a congratulatory petition to the Viceroy on the arrest and punishment of the criminals.return to text
[334]When the soul of the Emperor T‘ai Tsung of the T‘ang dynasty was in the infernal regions, it promised to send Yen-lo (the ChineseYamaor Pluto) a melon; and when His Majesty recovered from the trance into which he had been plunged, he gave orders that his promise was to be fulfilled. Just then a man, named Liu Ch‘üan, observed a priest with a hairpin belonging to his wife, and misconstruing the manner in which possession of it had been obtained, abused his wife so severely that she committed suicide. Liu Ch‘üan himself then determined to follow her example, and convey the melon to Yen-lo; for which act he was subsequently deified. See theHsi-yu-chi, SectionXI.return to text
[334]When the soul of the Emperor T‘ai Tsung of the T‘ang dynasty was in the infernal regions, it promised to send Yen-lo (the ChineseYamaor Pluto) a melon; and when His Majesty recovered from the trance into which he had been plunged, he gave orders that his promise was to be fulfilled. Just then a man, named Liu Ch‘üan, observed a priest with a hairpin belonging to his wife, and misconstruing the manner in which possession of it had been obtained, abused his wife so severely that she committed suicide. Liu Ch‘üan himself then determined to follow her example, and convey the melon to Yen-lo; for which act he was subsequently deified. See theHsi-yu-chi, SectionXI.return to text
[335]As the Chinese believe that their disembodied spirits proceed to a world organised on much the same model as the one they know, so do they think that there will be social distinctions of rank and emolument proportioned to the merits of each.return to text
[335]As the Chinese believe that their disembodied spirits proceed to a world organised on much the same model as the one they know, so do they think that there will be social distinctions of rank and emolument proportioned to the merits of each.return to text
[336]A dying man is almost always moved into his coffin to die; and aged persons frequently take to sleeping regularly in the coffins provided against the inevitable hour by the pious thoughtfulness of a loving son. Even in middle life Chinese like to see their coffins ready for them, and store them sometimes on their own premises, sometimes in the outhouses of a neighbouring temple.return to text
[336]A dying man is almost always moved into his coffin to die; and aged persons frequently take to sleeping regularly in the coffins provided against the inevitable hour by the pious thoughtfulness of a loving son. Even in middle life Chinese like to see their coffins ready for them, and store them sometimes on their own premises, sometimes in the outhouses of a neighbouring temple.return to text
[337]SeeNo. LXXIII.,note 62.return to text
[337]SeeNo. LXXIII.,note 62.return to text
[338]The Chinese distinguish sixteen vital spots on the front of the body and six on the back, with thirty-six and twenty non-vital spots in similar positions, respectively. They allow, however, that a severe blow on a non-vital spot might cause death, andvice versâ.return to text
[338]The Chinese distinguish sixteen vital spots on the front of the body and six on the back, with thirty-six and twenty non-vital spots in similar positions, respectively. They allow, however, that a severe blow on a non-vital spot might cause death, andvice versâ.return to text
[339]Certain classes of soothsayers are believed by the Chinese to be possessed by foxes, which animals have the power of looking into the future,&c.,&c.return to text
[339]Certain classes of soothsayers are believed by the Chinese to be possessed by foxes, which animals have the power of looking into the future,&c.,&c.return to text
[340]TheYü LiorDivine Panorama.return to text
[340]TheYü LiorDivine Panorama.return to text
[341]The Divine Ruler, immediately below God himself.return to text
[341]The Divine Ruler, immediately below God himself.return to text
[342]SeeNo. XXVI.,note 182.return to text
[342]SeeNo. XXVI.,note 182.return to text
[343]SeeAuthor’s Own Record(inIntroduction),note 28.return to text
[343]SeeAuthor’s Own Record(inIntroduction),note 28.return to text
[344]The three worst of the Six Paths.return to text
[344]The three worst of the Six Paths.return to text
[345]That the state of one life is the result of behaviour in a previous existence.return to text
[345]That the state of one life is the result of behaviour in a previous existence.return to text
[346]Lit.—the skin purse (of his bones).return to text
[346]Lit.—the skin purse (of his bones).return to text
[347]Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.return to footnote anchor 347return to footnote 398
[347]Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.return to footnote anchor 347return to footnote 398
[348]Violent deaths are regarded with horror by the Chinese. They hold that a truly virtuous man always dies either of illness or old age.return to text
[348]Violent deaths are regarded with horror by the Chinese. They hold that a truly virtuous man always dies either of illness or old age.return to text
[349]Good people go to Purgatory in the flesh, and are at once passed up to Heaven without suffering any torture, or are sent back to earth again.return to text
[349]Good people go to Purgatory in the flesh, and are at once passed up to Heaven without suffering any torture, or are sent back to earth again.return to text
[350]The Supreme Ruler.return to text
[350]The Supreme Ruler.return to text
[351]SeeNo. I.,note 36.return to text
[351]SeeNo. I.,note 36.return to text
[352]Supposed to be the gate of the Infernal Regions.return to text
[352]Supposed to be the gate of the Infernal Regions.return to text
[353]Hades.return to text
[353]Hades.return to text
[354]Literally, “ten armfuls.”return to text
[354]Literally, “ten armfuls.”return to text
[355]To Heaven, Earth, sovereign, and relatives.return to text
[355]To Heaven, Earth, sovereign, and relatives.return to text
[356]Held to be a great relief to the spirits of the dead.return to text
[356]Held to be a great relief to the spirits of the dead.return to text
[357]It is commonly believed that if the spirit of a murdered man can secure the violent death of some other person he returns to earth again as if nothing had happened, the spirit of his victim passing into the world below and suffering all the misery of a disembodied soul in his stead. SeeNo. XLV.,note 267.return to text
[357]It is commonly believed that if the spirit of a murdered man can secure the violent death of some other person he returns to earth again as if nothing had happened, the spirit of his victim passing into the world below and suffering all the misery of a disembodied soul in his stead. SeeNo. XLV.,note 267.return to text
[358]A very common trick in China. The drunken bully Lu Ta in the celebrated novelShui-husaved himself by these means, and I have heard that the Mandarin who in the war of 1842 spent a large sum in constructing a paddle-wheel steamer to be worked by men, hoping thereby to match the wheel-ships of the Outer Barbarians, is now expiating his failure at a monastery in Fukien.Aproposof which, it may not be generally known that at this moment there are small paddle-wheel boats for Chinese passengers, plying up and down the Canton river, the wheels of which are turned by gangs of coolies who perform a movement precisely similar to that required on the treadmill.return to text
[358]A very common trick in China. The drunken bully Lu Ta in the celebrated novelShui-husaved himself by these means, and I have heard that the Mandarin who in the war of 1842 spent a large sum in constructing a paddle-wheel steamer to be worked by men, hoping thereby to match the wheel-ships of the Outer Barbarians, is now expiating his failure at a monastery in Fukien.Aproposof which, it may not be generally known that at this moment there are small paddle-wheel boats for Chinese passengers, plying up and down the Canton river, the wheels of which are turned by gangs of coolies who perform a movement precisely similar to that required on the treadmill.return to text
[359]In order that their marriage destiny may not be interfered with. It is considered disgraceful not to accept the ransom of a slave girl of 15 or 16 years of age. SeeNo. XXVI.,note 185.return to text
[359]In order that their marriage destiny may not be interfered with. It is considered disgraceful not to accept the ransom of a slave girl of 15 or 16 years of age. SeeNo. XXVI.,note 185.return to text
[360]The soil of China belongs, every inch of it, to the Emperor. Consequently, the people owe him a debt of gratitude for permitting them to live upon it.return to text
[360]The soil of China belongs, every inch of it, to the Emperor. Consequently, the people owe him a debt of gratitude for permitting them to live upon it.return to text
[361]Do their duty as men and women.return to text
[361]Do their duty as men and women.return to text
[362]A Chinaman may have three kinds of fathers; (1) his real father, (2) an adopted father, such as an uncle without children to whom he has been given as heir, and (3) the man his widowed mother may marry. The first two are to all intents and purposes equal; the third is entitled only to one year’s mourning instead of the usual three.return to text
[362]A Chinaman may have three kinds of fathers; (1) his real father, (2) an adopted father, such as an uncle without children to whom he has been given as heir, and (3) the man his widowed mother may marry. The first two are to all intents and purposes equal; the third is entitled only to one year’s mourning instead of the usual three.return to text