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CHINA

A HISTORY OF THE LAWS, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE

\iii, li.

CHINA

A HISTORY OF THE LAWS, MANNERS, AND CUSTOMS OF TOE PEOPLE

JOHN HENRY GRAY M.A. LL.U.

ARCHDEACON OF HONOKONG. EDITED BY

WILLIAM GOW GREGOR

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. ri

WITH ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY ILLUSTRATIONS

M A C jMI L L A X A X U CO.

1878

[The Riijht (if Translution amJ Reprodudion is Reserved]

LONDON : :. CI.AV, SONS, .\ND TAYI.OK. PRE AD STREET HILF., E.C.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XVII.

VAC.F.

ASTROLOGERS AND FORTUlvK-TKLLKRS 1

CHAPTER XVIII.

BENRVOLKNT INSTITUTIONS AND BEfiGARS 46

CHAPTER XIX.

HOTELS, INNS, AND RESTAURANTS G4

CHAPTER XX.

I'AWNSHOPS 7!)

CHAPTER XXI.

PAGODAS i^7

vi CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXII.

PAOK

IIIUIIU.WS ANU IIUIDGKS 99

CHAPTER XXIII.

AiiKICl'I/rrUK ARAULK FARMS ... l(t()

CHAPTER XXIV.

AORICULTURE- STOCK FARMING 151

CHAPTER XXV.

GARDENS 193

CHAPTER XXVI.

TEA 204

CHAPTER XXVII. SILK 218

CH.APTKH XXVIIT.

I'OTTERIES 231

CHAPTER XXIX.

snii's 246

C'ONTENTS. vii

CHAPTER XXX.

USHINO liOATS AND FISHERY 288

CHAPTER XXXI.

ABORIGINAL TRIBES 3(»2

CHAPTER XXXII.

IMIVSICAL FEATURES •314

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

A PHYSIOGNOMIST . A BLIND MINSTREL

FEMALE ACROBAT . . A MESMERIST AT WORK

To face page 2

3 4

A ROPE-DANCER

FORTUNE-TELLING BY MEANS OF WORDS 6

A FLOATING KITCHKN

VOL. II. ^

RECEPTACLE FOR CRIMINALS' HEADS AT CANTON 14

16

49

A TAOUIST FRIEST EXORCISING .

A BILL-POSTER

COLD TEA PROVIDED FOR POOR WAYFARERS 58

A CHINESE BEGGAR CUTTING HIMSELF TO EXCITE COMPASSION . . 62

A DINNER PARTY 66

A RESTAURANT "^^

A poulterer's SHOP ~'J

78

LIST OK 1LLUST1;ATI()NS.

To face jitirje

A r.wvNsnoi' . . 80

A 5IONKY CIIANGKU ... h:i

A HANKurn's siior 84

TAOUIST I'RIEST.S liXORCISINU : 91

WORSHIPPING THE IMPERIAL TAIiLKT itli

KOONO-YUNE ; OR, M.A. EXAMINATION HAM 9('>

SAKYAMI'NI !''^

A POOR WOMAN RIDING IN A BASKET 1<K)

CHINESE CONVICTS lo]

CARRIERS l"2

A BRIDGE K'o

A BRIDGE Ift4

BRIDGE WITH PAGODA 105

BUILDING A HOUSE , .' 113

DRAWING WATER 114

A CARPENTER 115

A PAPER BUFFALO BEING CARRIED AT THE SPRING FESTIVAL . . 116

A WATER- W^HEEL llTl

A THRESHING-FLOOR 127

TREADING OUT THE CORN 12S

WINNOWING 12!'

POUNDING RICE 132

CRUSHING BEANS 135

CRUSHING BEAN CAKES ]'.)('<

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. xi

Tu face jiayc

BKAK CAKES 137

GRINDING PEA-NUTS 138

CRUSHING THE SUGAR CANE 139

A DISTILLERY 1-1^*

CARDING COTTON l-i2

A DYE-HOUSE 1-14

MAT-MAKING li''^

CALENDERING 147

PREPARING REEDS FOR PIPE STEMS 148

CHINESE PIPES 145»

WASHING WOOL 160

FEEDING PIGS I(j7

PLANING TOBACCO IGS

TIIR PIG-MARKET AT CANTON 109

CARRYING PIGS 1"0

A farmer's wife riding TO MARKET ON A WHEEL- BARROW . . . 172

A LADY ON HORSEBACK 17G

CART OF A CHINESE NOBLEMAN 177

A WORKER IN METAL 192

WATER-CHESTNUT GATIIERKRS 194

SELLING FLOWERS 19G

A STREET CONCERT 197

CHINESE PLAYING AT SHUTTLECOCK 202

MAKING INCENSE STICKS 200

xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

To face page

KI.YlNtl KITKs 2U8

KI.YI.NC! KITI'.s 214

WINDING ANU WBAVIXG .SILK 22S

WKAVIXG ^2'.)

DLASS-BLOWINO '^•^'•'

AKHXINO HANDLES OR SPOITT.S .... ... 2:5"^

POTTERIES. -•»"

BAKING rOUCELAlN " . 242

A POTTEUY KILN 243

THE rOTTEll's WHEEL 244

CANDIDATES FOK MILITAHV DEGREES 24^

A PASSENGER BOAT 2;)8

A SLIPPER BOAT 2G5

A PASSENGER BOAT 2fo

TOWING A BARGE 271

A MAT THEATRE . 273

WEDDING GIFTS . . 283

FISHING BY NIGHT 293

DIP-NET 296

FISHING WITH CORMORANTS 297

SPEARING FRESU-WATER TURTLES 2! 18

CHINA.

CPIAPTER XVIL

ASTROLOGERS AND FORTUNE-TELLERS.

In their knowledge and practice of the various illusory arts for the discovery of tliings hidden or future, the Chinese are not behind the most superstitious of Asiatic or African races. They have always manifested great anxiety to find out the course of fortune, and to forecast the issue of their plans. There is scarcely a department of nature not occasionally appealed to as capable of affording good or bad omens. Their daily conduct is shaped by superstitious notions in the most momentous as well as in the most ordinary occurrences ; and physiognomists, diviners, or soothsayers, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, astrologers enchanters, exorcists, spirit-rappers, witches, or consulters with familiar spirits, necromancers, rhabdomancers, or diviners by rods, belomancers, or diviners by aiTows, serpent charmers, are daily, one might say hourly called upon to exercise . their delusive arts. These impostors either station themselves at the gates of the most frequented temples, or occupy houses or stalls, in streets or very crowded thoroughfares. At Tan-yang Hien, on the banks of the Grand Canal, I saw a fortune- teller plying his trade in a tea saloon, in one corner of which he had his table. He was regarded by the people throughout the neighbourliood as pre-eminently learned in his profession, the proprietor of the tea saloon being equally famous for the excellence of his tea and cakes. Each brought grist to the other's mill ; for VOL. n. B

2 CHINA. [fHAP.

those who came to have their fortunes told remained to drink tea, and those who came to drink tea remained to have tlieir fortunes tokl.

The physiognomist, who is always surrounded by numbers anxious to ascertain their destiny, suspends a large white clotli or sheet witli painted representations of the human countenance, in front of the entrance of his house, or from a w^all near which he has placed his table and chair. Some of these likenesses are sup- posed to be expressive of rank and station, others of contentment and quiet, of affluence and power, of poverty and shame, or of crime and disgrace. Chinese physiognomists, however, do not confine themselves to a study and knowledge of the human countenance only. They profess to be also able to predict the future welfare or misery of persons of all conditions, and of botli sexes, from the formation and appearance of each member of the body. The following particulars, gleaned from the elaborate treatises written by the professors of the art, will give the reader some idea of Chinese physiognomy.

A round head, with hair gTOwing well from a higli forehead, eyebrows thin and of equal length, large and thick ears, the upper parts of which extend above the eyebrows, a large mouth in the male and a small one in the female, a large chin, a high and firm nose, high cheek bones, a silky beard, a dark moustache with a tendency to curl upwards, a large neck, a powerful voice, and eyes long and angular, and with much expression, are regarded as most favourable indications. Where such features are wanting, various degrees of trouble and misery are predicted. Thus, a person whose head is not round, or whose eyebrows are thick, is told that he can never attain to celebrity, but must remain in a subordinate position all the days of his life. One whose forehead is singularly low is likely to suffer punishment from the magistrate, and is invariably advised to turn monk and seek the retirement of a cloister. A man -whose ears are neither large nor thick is told that he will die at an age varying from fifty to sixty years, and that, should he continue to attain a good old age, he will die in a state of destitution. One with a small chin will be overtaken by dire misfortunes should he reach old age ; and a woman with a large mouth has a life of shame

4 CHINA. [cHAi'.

under the care of others of the calling, and commit to memory from their lips several volumes regarding the mysteries of their trade. They are well versed in the ancient history of China, and can give the exact date of the accession of all the emperors, and tell with great exactness the principal historical events of each reign. They are chiefly called into dwelling-houses where the inmates are in perplexity through domestic afHiction. The soothsayer having tuned his instrument, and learned the cause of their anxiety, breaks forth into singing, accompanying himself upon his harp. Throughout his song he throws light upon the originating cause of the trouble which has befallen the family, and thus, by his prophetic aid, raises their hopes, or increases their sorrows and fears. Such soothsayers have had a place in the empire from its earliest commencement. All blind Chinese musicians, however, are not soothsayers. Many pretend to no prophetic power, and traverse the streets, like men of a similar class in England, to obtain a living by playing on the violin, the lute, or the harp. One of the most remarkable of these strolling musicians with whom I came in contact, was a native of the city of Tien-tsin. Passing along one of the principal streets of this city in 18G5, I was surprised to hear someone playing "God save the Queen" upon a violin, and on turning aside I fouud that a blind Chinese fiddler was the performer. As I was walking away from him, he commenced to play the " British Grenadiers," and subse- quently I heard him playing the " Dead March in Saul." On inquiring, I was told that he had picked up these airs listening to the bands of the English regiments which during the late war with China garrisoned the city of Tien-tsin.

The fortune-tellers who draw oracles from words form another important class of those who obtain a living by the practice of superstitious arts. Their method of proceeding has been described as follows, by Archdeacon Cobbold in his graphic " Pictures of Chinese " :

"A number of important and significant words are first selected ; each of these is then written upon a separate slip of thin cardboard which is made up into a roll like those very tiny scrolls of parchment, inscribed with a verse of Scripture, which are used in the present day by the Jews in their

xvn.] FORTUNE-TELLING BY WORDS. 5

phylacteries. These slips of cardboard, amounting altogether to several hundreds, are shaken together in a box, and the con- sulting party moved pei-haps with solicitude to know the result of an intended expedition or coming engagement in business repairing to the fortune-teller who is always to be found at some convenient corner of the street, puts in his hand and draws from the box one of these scrolls of paper. The mysteries of the art are now displayed ; the fortune-teller, writing the signiticant word on a white board which he keeps at his side, begins to discover its root and derivation, shows its component parts, explains where its emphasis lies, what its particular force is in composition, and then deduces from its meaning and structure some particulars which he applies to the especial case of the cousulter. ISTo language perhaps possesses such facilities for diviners and their art, as the Chinese, and the words selected are easily made to evolve under the manipula- tion of a skilful artist, some mystical meaning of oracular indefiniteness. Some faint notion of this method of divination may be gathered from remarking the changes of meaning which in our own and other languages arise from the transposition of letters forming a name or sentence. For instance, the name Horatio Nelson becomes by a happy alliteration. Honor est a Nilo. Again Vernon becomes Kenown, and Waller, Laurel.

O ...

Or in the remarkable instance of Pilate's question ' Quid est Veritas,' which by transposition gives ' Est vis qui adest' .... The diviner and his stall," adds the Venerable Archdeacon, " are also sure to be seen at any great fair or religious festival, wherever experience has taught men that the trade might be profitably plied. It is astonishing what a number of persons gain a livelihood by an occupation of which we should think every day's events would prove the fallacy. No one lifts up his voice against it. The Confucianist thinks it may be neces- sary for the rude uneducated miud. Both the Buddhist and the Taouist encourage all feelings of dependence on the unseen world, as it is sure to bring a reverence to their monasteries. The state religion does indeed ridicule all such superstitions, but it is powerless to keep the people from practising them, nor do any of the influential men of the country see any sufficient reason to interfere. It is not (say they) a question of good government, or good morals, it concerns a man's own mental convictions, and we may safely leave these to take their own course. A very favourite expression of theirs is, if you believe, these things have reality ; if you believe not, they have none. By which is meant that every person must be guided by his own convictions ; the great matter is sincerity and earnestness,

r. (11 IN A. [lhai-.

iiiul a false creed lieaitil}" eiubraced, wlitiii it does not oppose inoiality, will be of more use to restrain and govern than a barren orthodoxy."

Another class of fortune-tellers use birds in their divining operations. Seated in front of a table, with a cage on it con- taining a bird not unlike an English l)ullfinch, the fortune- teller i)resents a pack of cards to his client, who selects one. Upon some of these cards sentences are written in- dicative of very good, or good, or indifferent, or bad, or very bad fortune. Having selected a card, and noted the sentence on it, the client replaces it in the pack, which generally consists of a hundred cards. "When the fortune-teller has shuffled them with an appearance of great thoroughness, and placed them upon the table, the bird hops out of its cage, and is told to select one, in order to see whether the client has chosen the very card Avhich it was decreed he should select by the gods, or fates, or stars. If the bird pick out the card he drew, the client is assured that the prediction especially refers to him. The bird, of course, never fails to select the card. I have occasionally seen hens, generally white ones, made use of in this way.

There are, also, female fortune-tellers who predict the future of females only, making use of tortoises instead of birds. The method these impostors adopt is as follows : Around the sides of a large bamboo tray are neatly arranged, a number of envelopes, probably a hundred, each containing a card upon which words of good or bad import are written. The client, having selected and noted one of the cards, replaces it on the tray. A tortoise is then placed on the tray, and selects the client's card, as in the former instance. Fortune-tellers of this class are generally the wives of itinerant tinkers, and are mostly found in villages and hamlets. Houses called Poo-Shek-Men, are also kept by women for the superstitious of their own sex. In each house of the kind there is a shrine in honour of an idol, before which the female wishing to learn the issue either of a present or contemplated scheme, kneels and performs certain devotional exercises. She then makes known her desire to the idol, kneeling and gazing intently upon a stone placed on a tripod. After a little she is supposed to see on its surface a figurative or

KuRTirxr.-TF.LLIXG BY MEANS OF \VOl;nS.

XVII.] GEOMANCERS. 7

pictorial representation of the event which awaits her. 1 visited a house of this description in the Kwong-how-kiu street of the old city of Canton, and found an old lady in a state of great distress, in consequence, she informed me, of having seen a green field in the centre of which was a coffin.

Geomancers constitute, as my readers may suppose, a very large class. Diviners of this kind visit the hills and mountains almost daily in search of lucky places for tombs, and they are always ready, on receipt of the customary fees, to direct the attention of clients to suitable burying-grounds. Should the inquirer on examining the spot be dissatisfied, he usually fees the geomancer handsomely to take some pains to find a more auspicious site. Geomancers are sometimes received into the houses of wealthy and influential citizens, and treated with the greatest kindness. Of course, they are expected to be very careful in selecting for their patrons the best places possible for family tombs. The great anxiety of the Chinese gentry on this score arises from their genuine belief that should members of their families be interred in places the geomantic influences of which are bad, direful effects would ensue. The word geo- mancy is a compound from two Greek words, namely, 777, the earth, and fiavra, a diviner. It probably owes its origin to the fact that in ancient times it was customary to scatter stones or marbles upon the ground, and to form opinions of the issue of certain events according to the arrangement which they pre- sented. In course of time, instead of this plan, dots were made at haphazard, or, it may be, according to astrological considera- tions, on a sheet of white paper, and good or bad omens drawn from the various shapes or figures wdiich they presented. Poly- dore Virgil says that geomancy is a species of divination effected through the medium of fissures made in tlie eartli. He con- siders that the Magi of Persia were its first professors. To the geomancers of China these two methods are altogether unknov/n. Each Chinese geomancer is provided with a compass to ascer- tain the position of the neighbouring and distant hills in rela- tion to any plot of ground which he may think of selecting for a tomb. He is very particular in his examination of the soil. Should it be dry, and of an auburn colour, it is

8 CHINA. [C1IAI-.

pronouuceil good. Slioulil it be damp and .stony, it is at once condemned. Ground toward-s which a stream of water flows, or which is encircled by a stream, or which commands an extensive view of hill, dale, and water, is supposed to possess very great advantages.

It would be an endless task to attempt to dwell on all the particulars which a geomancer must think of in selecting propitious sites for tombs. The introduction of geomancy in China is attributed to a person named Kwok Pok, who flourished during the Tsun dynasty, and wrote a work named " Tsong-King " ; or, the Burial Classic. The Emperor Wu-tai, who was the sixth sovereign of the Hon dynasty, and who flourished B.C. 140, was a great upholder of these principles as well as of the superstition which taught that certain plants and stones had the power of imparting immortality to man. In the Tang dynasty, however, Tai-tsung, who ascended the thrown of China a.d. 627, was very much opposed to them, and em- ployed a literate named Lu Tzo to write a treatise setting forth their absurdity. It failed to check the growing superstition. In the Sung djTiasty, A.D. 960, a memorial was presented to the throne for the suppression of geomancy. The two ministers of state to whom the Emperor referred the matter advised his Majesty against the memorial, observing that, if the soil is soft and of a good colour, and the grass and trees growing on it are bright and green, all plots of ground ought to be regarded as suitable for tombs, provided that they are never likely to become either sites for cities, towns, or villages.

We now come to interpreters of dreams a class of men who have from the very earliest times held a place in almost all Asiatic countries. The Chinese have always been very earnest believers in dreams, and in the pages of tlieir ancient books certain dreams are recorded which are said to have been fulfilled, a fact which has no doubt greatly helped to strengthen the national faith. "When ]\Ioo-ting, the twentieth sovereign of the Shang dynasty, who lived B.C. lo2-4, was mourning for his deceased father upon whose wisdom he had greatly relied, he dreamed that he saw the gods of heaven presenting to him a faithful minister of state. On awakeninfj he found that the

10

CHINA.

[chap.

with an old fisherman, whom he discovered to Ije a man of profound learning. Keong Tai-koong was invited hy the vice- roy to his palace, and was of great service to him. In a revolu- tion, soon afterwards, Chow-man Wong was enabled through the wisdom of Keong Tai-koong to ascend the throne of China the first emperor of the royal house of Chow.

Another well-known dream is that in which Confucius is sidd to have received an intimation of his coming death. In his sleep he saw the summit of a high mountain in the province of Shang-tung falling to the earth. On awakening, he inter- preted his own dream by observing that his death was at h^nd. He died during the course of the same year.

Being earnest believers in dreams, the Chinese pay great attention to their interpretation ; and that the reader may be able to judge of their ingenuity, I venture to place some of its results before him in a tabular form. The interpretations of dreams here given are those of Chow Koong, a very distin- guished interpreter in his day, and Avho is now regarded as the greatest authority upon such matters.

HE WHO DREAMS

tl)at heaven's gates open to receive

him, of good weather, in sickness of a bright light from

heaven shining on him, that the heavens are bright red, that he looks towards the sky, of riding heavenwards on a dragon, of flying heavenwards, that he is commissioned by the gods

to undertake importaut duties on

earth, of the heavens parting asunder, of the sun or moon setting, tliat the sun or moon is ob.scured, that he sees the sun and moon coming

together, that he sees the sun falling, that he .sees the moon falling, tliat he sees the stars falling, of the sun or moon setting behind a

mountain.

MAY EXPECT

good fortune, and is blessed ;

immunity' for a season from all sorrows; to recover ;

war to break out ;

wealth and distinction ;

official rank ;

good luck in his labours ;

great happiness here and hereafter ;

the empire to be divided ; his father or mother to die shortly ; a son distinguished for his abilities ; his wife to conceive and bring forth

a son ; a son ; a daughter ;

sickness and judicial punishment ; his servants and slaves to revolt ;

XVll.]

DKEAMS.

11

HE AVHO UKEAMS

tljat he hears lond peals of thunder,

oi death hy liglitiiiiig,

of bright clouds,

of dark clouds,

of nuich rain and wind,

of a fall of snow,

of an earthquake (if a mandarin),

of an earth(|uake (if non-official),

of the earth opening,

of carrying pebbles in his hands,

of a mountain falling,

of carrying a large package to the top

of a mountain, of being in a large and b^-autiful

garden, of a large, spreading tree,

that he is planting a tree,

that he is climbing a tree,

that he sees a tree falling,

of a dead tree bringing forth leaves,

of a tree heavily laden with ripe fruit,

of the Lan-Fa flower,

that he is sweejnng the ground,

of excrement,

that he wears white clothes,

that he is shaving or washing,

that he is in a profuse perspiration,

that his body is covered with insects,

that he is bound by cords,

that he has been condemned to wear

the cangue or be put in irons, that he is fat, that either his teeth, or hair, or eyes

are falling out, that he has wounded himself with a

sword or knife, that he has wounded a fellow-man with

a sword or knife, of sweet music, of seeing the empress, of visiting the palace, of visiting a temple, of being in a v.ine house, of gold, silver, or precious stones, that he is in the act of going to bed, that he is crossing a high bridge, or

walking along a good road, or at a

well attended market,

MAT EXPKCT

misfortunes unless he vacate his house ;

rank and wealth ;

good fortune ;

sickness j

a member of his family to die ;

to wear mourning soon ;

promotion ;

great happiness ;

great evils ;

much happiness ;

calamities ;

that his wife will conceive and bear a

son ; to be unsuccessful in life ;

more of sweetness than bitterness in

life's cup ; great riches ;

much honour and renown ; death, or sickness, or serious accidents : members of his family to be successful ; his descendants to become rich ; a long and illustrious line of posterity ; his family to be unfortunate ; to become wealthy ; to be injured by bad men ; sorrow to depart from his family ; bad fortune ; freedom from sickness ; to attain to a good old age ; severe sickness ;

to be unsuccessful ;

that one of his family is near death ;

to be fortunate ;

to be unlucky ;

friends from a distance to visit him ;

to be unsuccessful ;

to be very fortunate through life ;

to be fortunate through life ;

to be successful ;

to be prosperous ;

to be unsuccessful ;

to accumulate a fortune ;

12

CIIIXA.

[riiAP.

HK WHO DIIKAMS

that his clotlies are on (iif (if a man dariii),

of losing his clothes (if a maudariu),

of being well-di'esscil, of being badly dressed, of wearing a rain-coat,

of wearing broken shoes,

of wearing another man's shoes,

that he sees a man holding an umbrella

over him, of corpses, tombs, or funeral pro- cessions, of idols, or priests, of nuns,

MAY KxrrcT

misfortune unless he is removed to another sphere of duty (a mer- chant or shopkeeper having such a dream must change his house or shop ; and a farmer his farm) ;

to lose his rank (of a non-ofiicial who has such a dream, it is pre- dicted that he will lose mouey) ;

to be fortunate ;

to be unlucky ;

to receive great favours at the hands of his superiors ;

to fall sick ;

his wife to prove uiifaitliful ;

to be forsaken by his relatives and friends ;

to be [)rosperous ;

to be fortunate ;

to lose all the goods that he is pos- sessed of.

This list might be extended if we were to give, for example, those dreams which relate to articles of dress. Of this kind is a mandarin dreaming that his clothes are on lire, which betokens that he ought to seek removal to another s^jliere of duty ; or a man dreaming that he wears broken shoes, whicli is a sign of coming sickness. Probably, however, my reader has had enough of these

" Children of an idle brain. Begot of nothing but vain fiinttusy."

Fortunately, when a man has dreamed a bad dream in Cliina, he need not despair ; for an interpreter of dreams is ready to supply him, should he desire it, with a mystic scroll, which will avert the impending calamity. It is written on red or yellow paper, and the interpreter rolls it up in the form of a triangle and attaches it to the dress of his client. The dreamer is then made to look towards the east, with a sword in his right hand and his mouth full of spring water. In this position he ejects the water from his mouth, and beats the air with the sword, repeating in an imperative tone certain words of which the following is a translation : " As quickly, and with as

XVII.] ASTROLOGERS. 13

much strength as rises the sun in the East, (k) thou, charm or mystic scroll, avert all the evil influences which are likely to result from my had dream. As quickly as lightning passes through the air, 0 charm, cause impending evils to disappear,"

The charms which are given vary according to the days of the month on which the dreams are dreamed. One charm is given for a bad dream dreamed on a day of the month called Tsze, or snake ; another for one dreamed on a day of the month called INIow, or rabbit, and so on. The science of astrology, which was received and cultivated by almost all the nations of antiquity, has been perhaps more universally studied in China than in any oiher country. The Chinese apparently do not believe that the planets are the instruments by which the deities, forming their pantheon, direct and control the course of events in this sublunary world, but that the heavenly bodies themselves are the only agents by which the course of man through life is shaped. Herodotus (2 c. 82) states that the Egyptians regarded each day as being under the influence of some star, and that the fortunes, character, and hour of death, of each man would be according to the day on which he first saw the light.

The system of astrology taught by the astrologers of China seems, therefore, to bear on the face of it its own refutation. If the position of the heavens at his birth establishes the character and fortune of a man, all persons born on the same day must have before them a similar career. Yet all those who are born in the large city of London on a certain a day in a certain year do not attain the same eminence or have the same career.

Despite, however, the manifest absurdity of this pretended science, the Chinese invariably seek to ascertain their future by a reference to astrological predictions. Astrology in China, as in ancient Egypt and Chalda3a, concerns itself with the determination of lucky and unlucky days, and great attention is paid to this branch of the so-called science (cf Job iii. 8, and Gal. iv. 10). Astrologers in cities and towns form a very large class, who are never without occupation. No mar- riages are celebrated, nor voyages commenced, no journeys entered upon, nor works of any kind undertaken, until the astrologer has decided by a reference to the aspect of certain

14 CHINA. [cum:

stars and planets, what mouth or what day of tlie mouth in the year is most propitious. The horoscopes of parties wishing to contract a marriage are carefully examined. The hour, and the day, and the mouth, and the year, in which each of them was born, are noted and, by two signs apportioned to each of the periods in question, the desirability of the intended union is determined.

Each day of the lunar month has its appropriate name, and in the official almanac, published annually at Pekin, the days which are deemed propitious or iinpropitious for the observance of certain rites and for the performance of certain duties, are recorded by the astrologers. Take as an example, the day which is nJed by the constellation Kok-Sing, wdiich consists of seven stars arranged to resemble a dragon. To enter upon any im- portant commercial transactions, to lay the foundation stones of new houses, to give daughters in marriage, to purchase lands, or to attend literary examinations on this day is to be very fortunate. But children who bury their parents, and all who repair tombs on this day, must expect evil to befall them in .some shape or another before the expiration of three years.

The day of the month which is ruled by the constellation Kong-Sing is said to be unlucky. This constellation consists of seven stars placed so as to mark tlje outline of a long-tailed dragon with a general named N'ghon on his back. To purchase lands or rank, or give daughters in marriage, or celebrate the funeral obsequies of parents on this day, will certainly entail evil consequences.

The day of the month wliich is ruled by Tai-Sing is very un- lucky. This constellation consists of six stars, which mark the outline of a camel, near which stands a general named Ka- Fuh. To enter upon commercial transactions, or to commence to plough fields, or to begin to delve gardens on this day, is to be unlucky in business, or to reap bad crops. If children bury their parents on this day, a member of the family will, ere long, commit suicide; if shipbuilders lay the keels of ships, or merchants permit their ships to go to sea, shipwreck will follow; and the brides of men who marry on this day, will, before many months have elapsed, prove unfaithful. Similarly,

xvii.J COMETS AND ECLIPSES. 15

each of the other days of the hmar mouth is ruled by a con- stellation, and each constellation has its own special influences. Nothing under the stars is beyond the reach of their Iiyper- physical control. Events in social and official life, commei-ce, shipbuilding, silk-culture, cattle-rearing, fuel-gathering, digging, draining, building, laying foundation stones, literary competi- tion, ploughing, travelling all are witliin the scope of their action.

The appearance of comets, eclipses of the sun or moon, earth- quakes, and all other unfrequent and extraordinary occurrences, exercises, in the estimation of the Chinese, a good or bad in- fluence on empires and kingdoms, on emperors and kings, and even on ordinary individuals. During an eclipse of the sun or moon, the people, as I have stated in a previous chapter, go to the tops of their houses, and beat gongs and tom-toms to frighten away the heavenly dogs by which they think the sun is about to be devoured. Comets in particular are regarded as harbingers of woe. In 1858, when Chinsse and foreigners alike had every reason to conclude that a treaty of lasting amity and peace had been agreed upon between Great Britain and France on the one hand, and China on the other, the appearance of a most brilliant comet at once dispelled from the minds of the Chinese all expectation of the blessing so long wished for. So well per- suaded were they that hostility would be renewed, that at Canton they began, once more, to remove their families, chattels, and household goods to a place of security. The board of astrologers at Pekin is regarded as a very important department of the central government of the empire. The duties which devolve upon its members are, I apprehend, very similar to those which occupied the attention of the monthly prognostica- tors of the new moon amongst the Chaldeans, to Avhom reference is made in the prophecy of Isaiah (xlvii. 13). The board are the almanac-makers of the country, and, like the monthly prog- nosticators of Chaldtea, publish statements of the important events which may be expected to occur in each succeeding month. The result of their labours is embodied in an almanac published annually at Pekin. For its republication in each pro- vincial capital of the empire, a certain sum is advanced by the

IG CHINA. [ciiAV.

treasurer of cacli province. The copied so pi'oviJed, however, are iuteuded more particuhirly for the service of the officials. The i-epublication of the alinauac for the ensuing year takes place towards the close of the ninth month, and on the firs.t day of the tentli month the copies intended for the officials of the city are placed, at the government printing office, under a rich, carved pavilion of wood, and a procession, headed by banners and bands of music, conveys them to the residence of the viceroy, or, in his absence, to that of the next highest official. All the civil and military officers of the city assemble to receive the procession on its arrival, and range themselves, the civil mandarins on the east side of the grand entrance of the Yamun, and the military officers on the west side. The pavilion with its contents is carried with much solemnity through the avenue of human beings, and placed in the centre of a large hall. All the mandarins then front towards the north and perform the kow-tow, after which the distribution of almanacs takes place. A great many copies of tlie almanac are published for the service of the peo[)le. Each copy has to bear the stamp of the astronomical boai'd at Pekin. Although each chief official and the people in general have almanacs, the members of the astronomical board at Pekin usually call the attention of the chief rulers of the provinces, prefectures, and counties, to an approaching eclipse of the sun or moon. These officials some- times warn the people by means of proclamations. In May, 1872, the chief ruler of the county or district of Shanghai issued a proclamation, informing his people tliat on the sixth day of the following month there would be an eclipse of the sun. He further informed them that, at Soo-chow, the sun would be eclipsed seven digits and thirty-two minutes, and that the eclipse would commence at 9.29 am., reach its height at 11.37, and terminate at 12. 5G. lie concluded his proclamation by earnestly calling upon his people to beat their gongs and tom- toms loudly during the time of the eclipse, with the view of preventing the Tien-How, or heavenly dogs, from devouring the sun. It seemed absurd enough tiiat he should do so, knowing as he did that all would end well.

At the time when the Jesuits had acquired great power over

XVII.] ENX'HANTKliS. 17

the meinhers of tlie royal family of China, the court devoted inuoh attention to the study of astronomy. The Jesuits, who were their teachers, were very assiduous, and succeeded in establishing an observatory, the remains of which, in the form of several magnificent astronomical instruments, are still to be seen. This observatory was erected during the reign of Kam-hi, who ascended the throne of China a.d. 1662. The Jesuit fathers were commended to Kam-hi, in 1688, by Louis XIV. of France, in a communication which runs as follows : " Most high, most excellent, most puissant, most magnanimous prince. Our dearly beloved good friend, may God increase your grandeur with a happy end. Being informed that your majesty was desirous to have near your person and in your dominions a considerable number of learned men, very much versed in European sciences, we resolved some years ago to send you six learned mathemati- cians, our subjects, to show your majesty whatever is most curious in sciences, especially the astronomical observations of the famous academy we have established in our good city of Paris."

Besides physiognomists, fortune-tellers, geomancers, and astrologers, there is a numerous class who attribute sickness to the action of spirits, and profess to control these by charms and incantations. Let us suppose that a person is sick, and has recourse to an enchanter. Should the illness have seized him on the first day of the month, it is declared to have come from a south-easterly direction. The enchanter adds that the malady has been caused by the genii of trees, who, on the first day of each month of the year, often send emissaries to and fro to afflict all those with whom they may come in contact in their wanderings. The emissaries are said to be souls of men who have died from home, and who, in consequence, have not received from their friends or posterity that meed of homage which they are supposed to regard as their due. Should the sufferer complain of either fever or ague, or head- ache, or bodily weakness, the enchanter seeks to restore him to health by inscribing a mystic scroll with a new vermilion pencil upon two pieces of yellow paper, cut in the form of cash. One of the charms is burned, and the ashes having been placed in a

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18 CHINA. [cHAi'.

ciij) of eolil wator, are given to the sufferer to swalloAv. 1'he other is eventually placed above the door of tlie patient's dwell- ing-house. The enchanter then takes in his hand five yellow casli, and, having walked forty paces in a south-easterly direction, commits them, as an offering to the imps, to the flames of a sacred fire, saying in imperative tones: Begone! Begone ! Begone !

Should a person complain on the second