MEETINGS MANCHU PRINCESS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10594, 25 October 1910, Page 6

MEETINGS MANCHU PRINCESS.

ETIQUETTE" OF A CALL IN THE IMPERIAL CITY.

At the invitation of a young Chinese woman X went early the other alteinoon to Teturn her call. The heat- was blistering, for in spite of the fact that we are in the so-called rainy season we had' had no rain for a fortnight and the thermometer registered 103 degrees in tlie shade. The street had a drowsy appearance. Everything and everybody at the hour seemed in a state of torpor. With no more exertion on inv part tlian ' that necessary to hold a parasol I relt myself sweating at every pore, and had it not been that I knew my boy to be gifted with more than ordinary powers of endurance I should have feared his dropping dead in the shafts. ,' As we skirted the high yellow tiled "wall of the Imperial City we overtook and- met a succession of those uncomfortable, spnngless mule caits vluch until a few years ago were practigaUy the onlv animal-drawn vehicles m the city Long blue linen awnings ottered shade to the flopping cared mule and its driver, but the unfortunate traveller had no alternative but to sit on .tlic; opposite shaft to the driver or .to squat , cramped up on a mattress - screened from the world .by the ..bmpk* gauze - windows and . £iray blue xovcz ing of the little box-like cart. Is ow _ and apram we passed the cart - of a UignÜborn- Celestial 'which ■ in -,true : Oriental; fashion >as followed by a motley retimie'of 4 servants in long blue or yellpw liiien coat?, wearing a' queer assortment'' of liats —-soft* felts, 1 anamas,, sailors, and white,' conical shaped straws, adoined "nith long crimson tasselseach man' carrying a fail stuck into his collar "arid flicking his mule or EQny v ith , a horse ,tail ,mosguito whisk \Vc turned sharply around a corner; i into tlie'niain street of-the western city, and barely avoided v,colhsion ; J witk a small sweating, coobe ... man Cully struggling '' with' ;bonesliaking vTicksha-w,•„ Whose occupant with difficulty maintain-, ed the equilibrium of his,- bird cages, which he was supporting with some .dig-? nity' and much -care.-, -The house of, my. Chinese friend; was.~;only. a short ride.j from,here, v>e fouricl. later, but- it ivaSj floy'ri..,ohg -.of "fclic - sids alleys. an(i. very,] difficult'to., find. ; Consequently wej "Wasted a great, deal of time m ,ex-| ploration, for -.these alleyways all alike'. : There are the: same lumps .and;: mounds ot dusty earth or pools and, lakes of dirty u ater after a iamy.mg.ht,' there is the festering dirt pile., the bar-; 'racklike : wd}f"lonreithet: -the', manv doorways-'tlia-t look so- weather-; wlirn and bare of paint and the few . that look so glaringly new>by contrast... Women -of -the household watching the antics of their youngsters stood fanning themselves m some of the rdoorways, but tliercy was noneataong them that could direct us. As we were leaving one of the alleys, after.;.several vain.- inquiries we met an intelligent-looking youth who directed- us to-a door, at the .further end of the same alley, and .' even went out 'of-his way to conduct us safely there. . . . ■ ■ . "Wengoo mang yi shea ?" I. inquired of the, sleepy individual who came to tire Moor struggling with his shirt. "Paper,!' was.-liis.replyjn,.Qhiuese. '■' Il.'tfl -I mot been)' caught- in - a;' similar fashion on a former occasion I should ; bn ve- '-be6Tt - nonplussed to produce- the oo a ntcrsign.. As it. was, I. knew it ciiiiply-.meaiit: .v-'Yoaiiv cArdj' s ;rJ)lease." jFoiv tlionglijyou have been'- invited -to tea' you are. expected to give your hostess time to"; add a .few additional touches to her already overtinted lips and .-checks; you ; must r 6end in yoiuvcardwliile.yoii wait: outside in your little carriage. I alwavs feel that the Chinese servant despises me lor my inferior looking piece ot white paMeboard, for as Compared with, the crorceously: glaring 9 ,by 5 inch piece of pink paper ...used by his master it is insigurhcant indeed. . . . The man took my card. In-,a- few minutes-he returned to .fetch .me, having put a lew additional.touches..to his toilet meantime. We passed through: the bare outer yard into a court that was filled with.. small. ; trees and. flowers in pots;: On eacli side was a lo\V-l)uilt house, . Vrhicli .was raised a;, couple of steps: from' the level, of the. yard on acr:aur!t of t]ie watcr which is said to collect a reed sereejv. before one of the dobrs the-man -motioned me to r enter. __

. .Originally tlie ..apartment.;iad been two very small rooms, but the thin par-tition-between them had been removed and- the room was now furnished* in ."purely European'-style," as iny little 'friend confided -to me -later--on with great pride: On the walls was a paper whose stiffly arranged impossible roses .trailed over a white ■ and hcl.d the eye in spite of'all efforts todesert- them. On the floor"'ii brilliant

blue and red carpet clashed, painfully. With the roseS; v ®he ■ And paper, were not made to open, and the only air waf that which - filtered through tlie reed screen or finely netted gauze. At regular jnteryals around the room were placed blackwood narrow seated, low.-backed chairs, the acme of: discomfort. ,A couple of: small .round tables of similar wood stood in the cientre of ' the room, with mats and Chinese cloisonne vases, while several photographs fofi Chinese students abroad completed; "the "European" furnishing. I had- just finished a survey of the : coom and- selected the least uncomfortable of the chairs when the screen lifted and my friend came noiselessly into the room, followed- by a -black Pekinese poodle ; In spite of. her three years education abroad and a pronounced American accent ' outwardly I could see no difference between mv, friend; and every other Chinese girl. She looked such a child, i notwithstanding a . self-contained, dig- [ nihed manner, that I was amazed when with Chinese politeness-I- inquired her i age at our -first meeting and she informed i ma -that -.she-.'was verjiold;. yery - old." "Then-"she added: "I am 29 by our reckoning,, that is,2B by.yourSj.and not vet'marned,* though I am going to i be shortly.". Js T ow . as;;I- looked at'dier i clear sallow skin, small squashed nose and bright black eyes. I. still found it difficult to. believe that this small per-, sonage -of: five short feet, .could:sbe' ; >so "very old." " Her fine, glossy■ black ■ liair - was plastered to her liead and fastened . with 'many ■■ ornamental- pins ; into a . bird's tail at, the nape of the neck. She wore a short, loose sleeveless jacket -of transparent black; silk over a' "pink and white cot£on shirt, and the high - stand-up collars of both garments gaped wide 'open<.at-,the neck. A skirt of transparent black gauze showed : the-, tight .silk -trousers underneath, while a pain, of spotless white- stockings' and small black satin shoes .with r felt soles peeped out. from below. : -

. . .. At her heels . came, a servant. bearing tea - which.- she told me" sire - carefully" made '.a •into each ,cup with a. couple of orange blossomsjatheri boiling ;water- was- pouiv ed ; on .andi it was"Jeft tobrew. - I- found' the drmfang-!<)tot'?n6'-easy:matter-j paitfc--lv: from'. partly;'from the undue .length--of my -nose. • flow?, everv^anyi.littlevJio'ste^sr:was too;polite v -to' ■laughmtViffy-awkwardness...- =She showed' me : howdii; shouldi the >grace!fally ~ cbnK ' : "off'its-.'srtf'er stand she* placed her first finger liglitly <onl -- the"; furtfier v side- : of- .the' inverted .saucercthat'senved'-tor CpVer-and to-keep back ,the' leaves.:. "Iliis raised-'the"saucer slightly:;'-' then as she put the cup , to. her hps she: was able to drinlf the?!iquid .without getting tea leaves as well. It required: on;.my .part. ■■First I-stupidly pressed too heavily"lipI on . the lid and consequently , got .. my I mouth . full of large flat leaves, then I i got mv nose caught- on the rim of . the inverted saucer and was unable to get inv mouth to .the cup. As the- first servant retired another came in with dishes of cakes, sweets, chocolates and dates. He placed them silently on a- table near us and withdrew -onlv to return in a moment with ioc cream in little china bowls. All these things my hostess told me were .foreign. Though she had often longed for. some real Chinese chow when over in America, she had learned to like some of the foreign dishes and her friends were beginning to like them too.

AYhen I. saw another servant appearing with a tray I began to wonder what other innovation we were to have next, but it proved to be only a huge red t isiting card. Excusing herself to me

hurriedly, my friend went out, returning shortly with some. one I at first took to be "Charley's aunt from Brazil

where the nuts come from" or. a comedian - masquerading as Cinderella's mother. It looked more like a man than a woman. I think I was never lucre surprised than when- this stumpy,

f square faced," "bKlliahily!' painted and heavily powdered person was introduced to me as a Manchu princess. In contrast to my Chinese friend she wore her hair like every other Manchu, dragged up over a high crossboard at ; tho back and decorated in front with spravs of pink and yellow flowers. Her long* coat was of gauzy cream-colored silk edged with black and she. carried, a p-igantic white ostrich feather fan. As she sat at the extreme edge of one, of the high-seated chairs with her small feet dangling she fanned herself i. nce . s " santl.v and now and then, when I did not appear to be looking, produced a powdered paper from uiider nor loose coat and wiped her face with it. After several polite minutes had passed in which she inquired niv age and how much money my husband earned, and investigated my family history, she told me if I had not already done so it was very important to, choose a good Chinese-name,, a; name that would bring plentv of happiness and good tomine. 1 asked her, Highness ii she would no choose a name lor me, but it seems that the choice of a name is not a thing to be decided offhand, it rcqunes great consideiation. . . ~ , T She paid so lengthy a visit that i was I beginning to wonder whether 1 could' •with&aw without 'committing an unpdrclbnable breach of etiquette, when she "fortunately saved mp from any such calamity by rismg and talang lcave of •us A few minutes later I too saia good-bye, and as my little hostess accompanied me to the outer J'ard she tlranked me very much For • coming to oee her. "Chinese ladies," she said,, hen they go call.ng have nothing to sav They sit and smoke and eat melon or 'sunflower seeds. Europeans are so different. ■ They talk and have plenty to say. Perhaps one day Chinese .guls will be different too." ...