CHINESE HOME LIFE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2862, 20 January 1909, Page 87

CHINESE HOME LIFE.

Owing to the fact that it is extremely difficult for a foreignei- to gain access to the exclusive social circles in China, outside knowledge of the home life of the denizens of the Celestial Empire h very meagre. What enabled Profoor Kligen Schroeder to make a study at elo c c range of the habits and custom.- ob.*ei-ved in the private life of the Chinese w?s a chance acquaintance which he made un the t-lcam-phip CeciJio while en route from New York to Shanghai. This yoim^ man. a membtr of the highest aristocracy, had spent some time in Euiope and America, studying these countries with the intention of usm^ the knowledge thus gained in bettering the condition of his countrymen. The long voyage jl»vs the professor)

afforded me many opportunities for intimate intercourse with thi* young man, who was certainly the most amiable Chinese I ever had met. As he had learned to appreciate the progress in foreign countries, he home with a good idea concerning the defects of the great empire. Before continuing our journey to Shanghai we jonchided to stop at Hongkong, where my friend had' relatives with whom foe wished to make me acquainted. Nothing could, be more charming thaai the manner in which I was received by these amiable, and, to me, highly interesting persons, and it was here that I was destined to become the preserver of my friend's life. — Sees Life in Oriental Home. — During a stroll just beyond the city limits we suddenly encountered a- maniac, armed with a knife. We were just about to turn a corner when we almost came I in collision with the infuriater creature. Halting before my friend, he was about to plunge his knife into the latter's body, when I found time to draw my revolver and ehoot down the frenzied wretch. Although I take no credit to myself for my act, as anyone would have done the same in similar circumstances, this little episode naturally had the effect of cementing our friendship, and so when my friend proposed that I prolong my stay in Shanghai so that he might make me acquainted witih the members of his family who lived in the outskirts of the town, I readily acquiesced. i In his home I found the long-wished-for opportunity to make a personal study of life in Chinese families, as well as the customs and habits of the general public. Thus I was indebted to the accident for affording to top this most welcome opportunity of gaining insight into the life of this highly -interest ing people. ' — Chinese Conception of Beauty. — The Chinese conception of beauty is- certainly peculiar in many ways. The young men pull out the hairs of their gi owing , beaxds by the roots, but when they reach the mature age of 40 they permit their hirsute ornament to grow quite long, as this is supposed to give an air of wisdom and dignity. The familiar braid of hair grown on the crown of the head dates back to the time when the Tartars com- ' pelled tlie Chinese to fahave the rest of their heads. i While obesity is considered a mark of ! beauty in a man, it is looked upon as a great defect in women, who strive by every means in their power to preserve their sleuderness of figure. Men of hi' h I rank and scholar* cultivate enormously i long finger nails to -hew that they are not engaged in nunual labour. i Chinese women of nuik are seldom seen by foreigners. At home they amuse themselves by adorning their hair with artificial flowers and gold and silver chaplets, a^ well as chain-!. Their hair is ■either confined in a net or allowed to hang loose. A large percentage of Chinese make their home entirely upon the water, many of thf-m being fkherm^n. The latter are clad merely in cocoa nut leaves, one of these l>eing tied on the back, thu? serving a? an iirnbirlia ■without hindVring them in their woik. The fashion of curving fans, so univeisal throughout China. ha< been adopted bj otl' p r countries. Dres.« to .some extf-nl js l^gnl ited by law, certain colour.- 'V.-igiiat'i I,'1 ,' t li<~ r;mk or -ocial station of th« ivm't. Th i- tlia ncjit to wear yellow belongs r K<.!u->vely to tli ft emperor and ptih'c^. a'i<l miain nvuidaims are the only persons eiuitk-d to wear garments of r-ed satin, but only on ceitaiu ocpasions. White is the colour of mourning, and cannot be too much soiled, in order to show how indifferent the- mourner is to personpl appearance »od that all his '

' thoughts and feelings are centred in his grief for the departed. The colours worn by the populace are blue and black. — Great Respect for Aged. — The Chinese show great respect and d-eferenoe for the aged, and- are as a "rifle, of humane anJ gentle disposition. Themerchant is thoroughly honourable iif'hie dealings, and, above aft, invariably -keeps has word. Tie honesty of the Chinese" laundresses is beyond question ; everything is returned without exception, even neatly mended. The so-called "washer girls" live in little boats, called "sampans," that usually house several families ; men, women, children, and household utensils ajl beimsc crowded together in a small space, and one often sees the fat father smoking ard loafing in comfort while his wife propels all alone the heavy craft with a single paddle, sometimes -with a baby strapped on her back. Courtship and marriage ceremonies differ essentially from ours. In the first place the young people have nothing at all to do with the arrangements, their respective parents settling everything. Contrary to European and American customs, the parents of the girl are not expected to give her s marriage portion, but the . prospective bridegroom is required to pay to them a stipulated sum, which, is x itenk expended in purchasing the bride's wardrobe, etc. All the preliminaries concluded the marriage ceremonies may proceed. First of all the relatives and friends send congratulations in the shape of presents and cards, at the same time inquiring after the names of the prospective bride and bridegroom. This is, of couroe, a mere formality, as they have usually known them for a long time. Alfter this the relatives di&cuss the date of the wedding, and, being very superstitious, they consult the almanac so that a lucky day may be chosen. In the meantime the young man occasionally bestows coetly presents upon his future wife, whom he has never seen. This, at least, is the custOßp in well -to-do families. — Ceremonies on Wedding Day. — When the wedding day arrives the bride is handled into a sedan chair, which is magnificently adorned ■with garlands and artificial flowers. This is followed ,by the 1 servants bearing her balomgings, whioh consist of clothing, ornaments, and jewels. Some of the servants carry lighted torches, though the hour may be high noon. The sedan is preceded by a band of musicians, followed by the relatives and 1 guests. The nearest relative of the bridegroom holds in his hand the key of the sedan, which is locked, the windows being grated. j When the bridal party readies the house | it is met at the door by the bridegroom, who, tipon receiving from his relative the key, unlocks the door of the sedan, and now for the first time beholds the bride chosen for him. It is not difficult to picture to oneself the eager expectatior with which the young man opens the door of the sedan that holds her with whom he is destined to live the rest of hie life, and once in a while it happens that he is so disapj pointed at the sight of the woman chosen for him that ho slams the dooi of the sedan and sends back the undesirable bride to her parents. Such cases are rare, however, as the bridegroom forfeits the money paid to the parents and the presents bestowed upon the girl. When the bride-to-be alights her future lord takes her by the hand and leads her into the hall. Through the kind offices of my Chinese friend I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to a wedding, w-hich I ! esteemed a high favour, as foreigners are rarely admitted to such exclusive ! family affairs. In the hall a special table was reserved for the bridal couple, the iguests ■fcaJng seated at small tables— the men in one room aaid the women in another. Before talcing their seats the youug couple bowed four times profoundly to an j imaginary spirit, Tien, supposed to preside over heaven. When they finally sat dowji they each lia<l to pour a glass of wine on wie floor before they weae allowed to eat. A plate of food was also set aside for their gods. As soon a^ they had tasted the viands the bridegroom arose and invited his j bride to drink, in response to which she j also arose, returning the compliment. Two goblets of wine were now brought in, trom which both brid-egroom and bride drank alternately, pouring the remainder on the floor. This last ceremony made them husband and wife. After a while the newly-made wife joins the women, whil-e her husband invites the men to another apartment, where he entertains them. In China it would be just as preposterous for a bride to wear white jn it would be in other countries were she to appear in black at the altar. A wne who deserts her husband is sentenced to be flogg<>d, and may be regained as a slave of her husband ; but if slie marries the man with whom she t. lopes her former hugband can have her .strangled. Grounds for divorce include a violent temper, a vicious tongue, disobedience or theft. Al-thougli .divorce is aiithori"-e*l by law, it is rarely ever appealed to by the better class. Chinese hueband.s are so extremely watohful that the wife is not allowed to speak to any man, not even to a near lelative, except m the presence of her hu.->band. Ihe different branches of * family usually keep house together under the .same loof ior reasons of economy. For poor per-ontj, who live entirely on vegetables, this joint housekeeping means a great saving. — t/ot is a Sad One. — The lot of the peasant women is indeed a sad one, Tlie toen tyrannise over them, keeping them in constant subjestion.

When a husband thinks lie has reason U be displeased with his wife or there ha* been a quarrel, be compels her to stand behind his ohair meals and wait oa kirn. Bcsideds this, she is made to eat with the servants. The. older women always live - together with the young onesj in. order to njip in ' the- bad any sfiow of- tetaper,> and implicitr" obedience ,"is <demTnd<ed. T" In every. hous« a set of rules for moral- guidance is" hung up in tlw common hgHT x where- the mal« members of tfoe fatttily assemble -from tinw to time. A characteristic trait «f" the Chinese, ia their clannishness, and family teunions • are encouraged by periodical visits ,sa, tha_ graves of "their ancestors. A genealogical tablet is found in every house, and in conversation irequent reference is made-^tQ , 'the deeds of the departed. To work for their parents is the duty oi the children, and if any of their brothers or sisters should be in trouble they must go to theii- assistance. There is no written law to this -effect, but non-fulfilment xA this sacred filial du.tjy would entail such lasting disgrace upon, the offender that no one would dare to evade it. Funeral solemnities in China are worthy of observation. When a person of rank ! dies the body is embalmed, and enveloped in costly robes, after which it is placed in a costly coffin, in whkib it lies in. state on a catafalque, surrounded with lighted, torches and i profusion of 'beautiful llowers. Here the women, relatives, and friends prostrate themselves, touching the ground with their foreheads, while the air is filled with clouds of incense. I wil l here remark that the Chines* make provision for their coffins during lifetime, even the poorest finding ways and means to prepare for their last resting place, for a Chinese coffin is very costly and a magnificent affair, as. anyone who has ever seen a funeral will kno-w. In order to show his filial respect, a son will often keep the en&almed body of bis father in the house lor two or three years. Tke father exercises authority over ' all the son possesses, including Ms children, whom, if they offend him, he may , sell. — Veneratkm for the Dead.— [ A funeral procession is always preceded | by a larg* number of persons bearing | little pastAoard figures representing slaves, camels, and horses. The departed is supposed to meet spirits who have the power of imbuing these 'figures with life, so that they may both serve and entertain him. Then follow the daughters, the wife, and other relatives, all in «edan chairs. These women fill the air with howls and lamentations, so that if they cannot be seen they certainly make themselves heard. The tomb is divided into several compartments. The Chinese -have euch an extraordinary veneration, ior the dead that they have notkinij bat contempt for the foreigners vho allow the graves of their relatives to fall to decay after a certain lapse of time. In every home I visited in China I found a tablet inscribed with the names of the great-grandfather, the grandfather, and, if he is dead, the father. Before this tablet the relatives drop on their knees and bum. incense. Tf the eon dies tb» great -grandfather's name is ©Tased and that of the eon substituted. Ceremonious behaviour pPpart of Chinese nature, for the law distinctly prescribes the various degrees of ceremony to be observed in intercourse with people of rank. When calling on a titled psrsonaige the visitor hands the servant his card, which must set forth his rank, title, and otber attributes. ; X host and visitor are of equal rank the former, accompanied by two servants I holding fans over his head, receives his guest in the hall. The. servants now step b. 2 hiTkd the visitor, *h<t exchanges ceremonious bows with his host, both complimenting each other on their titles. The | guest is now led to the reception room, | each party making endeavours to honour the other by offering him the right hand. Finally, when the truest is seated, the object of his visit is brought forth, but real convention dees not begin until after tea has bsen served. The same ceremonies are gone through when host and guest take leave of each other. When a mandarin of high Tank celebrates his birthday the members of the Chines*' "400" assemble in sections and repair to the official's residence, where they line up in the hall. Then one oi them, presenting a glass of cordial to tb« mandarin, cays: 'Behold the wine; may it bring the* joy!" Another presents him with candies, say* ing ■ "We bring tbee the sugar of long life! 1 * and then the rest follow suit. The offerings consist for the most part of candies a»d such things. When one mandarin meets another of high rank he at once stops his sedan and salutes his colleague with profound bows. When two of equal rank meet they, salute each other ir their sedans by crossing their hands upon the chest and bowing, which they continue as long ad they can see each other. — Spiders Served at Banquet.— I never had had. ar opportunity to attend any of the large dinners of state given from time to time by high officials, and must say some of tlie ianpressioEß I received at this function were anything but agreeable. Small tables, one for each guest, had been set in the spacious hall, but as more guests ippeaved than expected it became necessary to feat two perr-ons at 6»me of the tables. The guerta all sat facing one another, and the hall was beautifully decorated \vith flowers, costly va&es, jardinieres, and Chinese bric-a-brac. There were no tablecloths, but a scarf of richly embroidered red silk was laid across the table in front of the guest. Orjj my table I found several platters of meaty already carved and arranged in the fofffljl of pyramids, pTettily decorated wltffl flowers and lemons. I vas assured, and am willing to believe, that sonw of wm

courses were great delicacies, but to me they did not look inviting. The Chinese may be great epicures, but it would take an American stomach a hundred years or more before it could learn to relish such things as silk/worms, the larvae of the sphinx moth, earthworms, and jellyfish. The remainder of the guests all seemed to revel in the luxuries, and evidently could not understand why I failed to appreciate the delicate seasoning. Another delicacy much prized by the Chinese is a species of giant spider. They care very little for milk,- cheese, and butter ; neither do they eat much beef, veal, or lamb. Towards the close of the banquet our host led the way into the garden. In ■the meantime the servants cleared the tables and carried water, for on our return to the hall there was a general washing of hands, one of the servants holding the bowl, while anothei poured the water. This ceremony performed, we sat down to enjoy really delicious fruit, winding up vith tea and cigars. But there was still another surprise in store for me. At the end of the feast the servants went around among the guests taking up a collection for the benefit of their master in ordesr to defray the cost of the banquet. Other countries, other ways ! And yet the CBinese think their habits and customs so perfect that they look down on all foreigners as being far behind in civilisation. At least this wag the case until a few years ago.