Folklore of the East.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3442, 12 March 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

Folklore of the East.

Shi Hwangti, the second Emperor of the Ts’in dynasty, was reigning over Old Cathay in 22 B.C. The fame of Shi has come down the ages as the builder of the Great Wall of China, one of the world’s wonders. The fact that he was also the Emperor who destroyed all the classical literature of China, including the books of Confucius, may give himjnotoriety, but does not add to his reputation.

The building of the wall made cruel demands on the manhood of the empire, the more so as no attention was paid to sanitation at the work, and the proper provisioning of the workers was criminally inadequate, so that they died like flies, and more and more requisitions had to be made for labour from the governors of the provinces.

Like many another Asiatic tyrant, Shi craved for long, or even perpetual, life, which laid him open to the machinations of the unscrupulous, and with him schemes were easily worked, because his strenuous life had broken down his nerves, causing him to suffer from that dread disease of power and place, insomnia. Had it not been for the love of his favourite concubine, Tu Chin, the pages of Chinese history might have been very differently written. The love story of Tu Chin and Shi Hwangti is one of the many romances in the history of China, and her loyalty and lack_of self-seeking places her in the ranks with Madame de Maintenon and Mrs Jordan, but Shi fills the role of lover more vividly than either Louis of France or William of England.

One of the oldest families in China is the house of Lui, in Honan, which but a few years after the decease of Shi Hwangti, founded the wonderful Han dynasty, and it was a scion of this house, Lui Chang, who approached Tu Chin with the story that there was to be found away to the east three wonderful islands which had come up out of the sea, and lay in the darkness for 10,000 years, till one day the darkness rolled away, and disclosed an island covered with a green vegetation like nettles, but without a nettle’s sting. This herb was called ling chih (the efficacious herb). Close by was a second island, which was a mountain of jade, and from it there gushed a stream of limpid liquid. This was the waters of life; and a third island lay quite near, and to this island had come more than a thousand years ago, when the darkness dispelled, a race of gods. Because these gods eat of the green vegetation and drink of the waters of life they live for ever. Tu Chin related the story to the Emperor, but he called - it “tales, just tales of the market place,” but that night sleep, as usual, forsook his pillow, and he lay thinking of the stoi’y, and towards morning he dreamt that the gods came to him confirming the story. He was certain that he had not closed his eyes all night, and that the gods had come to him in his full consciousness, so next morning he sent for Lui Chang, who was so convincing that later he sent for his admiral, Hsu Fu, and instructed him to make ready a fleet of junks, and go on a voyage of discovery, and bring back the elixir of life. When the fleet was ready Lui was also sent with it, together with rich and costly presents. With high hopes the fleet was sent sailing down the Hwang Ho or Great Yellow river, and out into the Yellow Sea. Two months later the fleet was discovered coming back up the river. Lui Chang and Hsu were brought into the presence of their Emperor. They had to admit that they had not

HOW JAPAN WAS PEOPLED.

(By Euemeros the Less.)

brought back the Ling Chih, or the Waters of Life, but they had found the islands, which were just as the story stated. The gods, who had supernatural knowledge, knew of all the wonderful work that Shi was doing for his people, and they wished to enable him to continue, time without limit. They thanked him for the presents and his courtesy, which, however, they returned as to obtain so great a gift it was necessary that the people themselves should make a sacrifice for the great benefit they would enjoy by keep.ng for ever so great and gracious a ruler. The gods wished sent in exchange for the elixir 2000 of the most beautiful maidens, and 2000 of the best-davoured youths, and 5000 of the cleverest and most expert craftsmen and women, together with their tools and material, so that these people could build up a service for the gods. Shi Hwangti had received Lui and Hsu in the Great Hall of Audience. As a mark of honour, as being envoys from the Immortal Gods, he had received them sitting on the great carved dragon throne; while he listened he clasped his wrists with his hands beneath his sleeves, to prevent showing the emotion which he felt. After the tale was told he graciously dismissed them, and with them all others; but he sat on alone in deep reverie. The great throne was raised on sixteen steps at the end of the long, dim hall, over 150 feet from end to end. As he sat he thought of many things—how, going on century after century, while others passed away in life’s cycles, he could become the supreme ruler of the world, and as supreme power degenerates sooner or later into self-aggran-disement, there rose in his fancy glorious palaces and wonderful roads stretching from, side to side of the empire. Sitting on and on, building his airy castles, the shadows darkened as it came to the Hour of the Hare.

In the great distance the shadows formed into spectre groups, swirling this way and that, falling into formation of ranks of men, hollow-eyed, little else but skin and bone, crippled by disease, or lamed by accident at the Great Wall; women, from whom the bread-winner had been taken, who in their loneliness had starved and perished, their children crying for food, and sucklings clinging to their mothers’ empty breasts —all marching past him in their tens and hundreds of thousands, beckoning him to join them, ever calling a voiceless summons.

At the further end of the hall a little figui’e had entered and was creeping towards the throne, now crossing the semi-darkness, and again lost in the deeper shadows, until at last it reached the foot of the steps. Quietly ascending, Tu Chin sank at his feet, and leant against his knees, with her hands clasped upon them; then the shadows lost their spectre form, and became just intangible purple depths.

The arrangements were soon in full working order ho get the new fleet away. The Emperor’s couriers had hurried over all the “ public horse great roads,” as the highways are called in China, and the Governor in each province had sent the fairest maids and comeliest youths, together with the cleverest workpeople, for the emigration.

Then the fleet sailed away to the new land, but it never brought back the Ling Shih. or the Waters of Life; hut with China’s youths and ma’dem the new land was populated, and industries smarted, with China’s best workers. And this is how Lui Chang .-.nd Hsu Fu peopled Japan.