WISTARIA AND JADE

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15353, 29 September 1923, Page 15 (Supplement)

WISTARIA AND JADE

We were now approaching Hong i F Kong, the Pearl of the Far East, and t; all during the morning Chinese fishing junks, with their huge sails, could be seen on every hand gathering in their harvest of the sea. As we drew p near to port we must have passed j. hundreds of these ungainly craft with u their high tub-like sterns, broad j i prows, and the whole family busily , a engaged working the vessel. Despite j their seeming top-heaviness, it is said r that these junks are magnifleient sea- t boats and, given plenty of searoom, j will ride out the flerciest of storms. c Support is given to this statement by l; the great distances from their homo : n ports the junks have been known to n sail. I was surprised to see so many t' women on board, as often as not s “manning” the big sweeps and doing p the work of sailormen generally. The j t rate of speed which these lumber- | g some junks cut through the water in . c a fair breeze caused exclamations of \ astonishment from us, accustomed as r we were to the slim, well-cut lines of - our own sailing vessels, \ c Under Grey Skies. , It took us about two hours getting up the great land locked harbour of - Hong Kong, the finest for situation in the Far East. Pride of place as re- 0 gards beauty is also claimed for it, ‘ but in my opinion, it is not comparable wth Sydney. ' .Be it said, how- ‘ ever, I saw Hong Kong under adverse ' conditions; a grey sky, and its famous Peak enshrouded in a cloak of mist. This harbour, as regards tonnage, j; ranks amongst the first ports of the - world. As to the picturesqucnsec of - its waters there can be no gainsaying 3 that this would be hard to beat. Steamers large and small of all na- ' tinalities are cvcry-wherc lied fast 10 wharves or lying out in the stream 1 with strings of attendant lighters. ' Chinese junks of all shapes and sizes, literally by the hundreds, make their 1 way across the harbour or out to sea. ■ Sampans, with perspiring Chinawomen at the oars, are countless and saucy little steam launches by the score noisely nose their way about as if they were the most important shipping in the port. The scene along the wharves baffles description— a regular forest of masts, numberless 1 coolies yelling and gesticulating (for labour being cheap modern time-sav-ing machinery is conspicuous by its absence), and the smells from the junks’ cargoes, like the poor, seem to be always with you in the East. Hong Kong is a small island lying off the South Coast of China, ten miles long, by an average of three miles and a-half wide. Although known as Hong Kong the city’s real name is .Victoria, and the population is said to be over one million. Looking at the city from the sea one would feel inclined to doubt this estimate, but in the Chinese quarters every inch of floor space is us'ed for sleeping purposes, and they lie very much akin to sardines in a tin. In the open streets or the footpaths at night, are stretched sleeping coolies making the air vocal with their snores and thousands of families live on the junks—a floating population in reality. Taking all these in conjnclion, perhaps the estimate may be right. A Rookery of Pirates. Eighty years ago Hong Kong was a rookery of Chinese pirates, mostly Cantonese, and blood-thirsty villains they were preying on peaceful merchant ships and junks, whose crews they murdered with absolutely no mercy. It was very much like Singapore in this respect and occupied a similar strategic position. Britain! Cleaned up these places in jier thorough manner, bringing with her law and justice and thus reaping her reward, for now they are her most important naval bases in the Far East and on Singapore she is spending ten million pounds in bringing the defences up to modern requirements. The town rises fairly sharply in perpendicular green heights to the Peak, about 1800 feet in height, where the residences of the Europeans mostly are, no Chinese being allowed to live there. The Peak is ascended by a funicular railway, and from it a wonderful panoramic view may be obtained. Unfortunately, owing to the mist, this sight was denied us, but we hope to see it on our return journney. As to the Peak’s steepness, the" remarks of an American are very apt: "Goin’ up, you can mighty nigh stand up straight, and bite the earth; cornin’ down, a man wants hobnails on the seat of his pants.” Despite this fact every stick and stone used in the building of the Peak residences was carried up by Chinese women. At night the countless lights of the city ascending right up to the Peak and those of thousands of crafts mirror- , ed in the harbour with the great ocean liners outlined from stem to stern all canopied by the star and moonlit . heavens, make a scene 1 shall not easily forget. Smell 3 of Hong Kong. On going ashore we called up two • rickshas, and set off for the Chinese quarter, where I had to deliver a let- i ter to the cousin of a Chinaman who i lived in Invercargill (I thought there i was nothing like getting local colour as soon as possible—even though it was yellow). We were most courteously received by this old man, who was a dealer in herbs. As lie could . not speak English fluently, he asked I u? to come to another relation of his i and led the way through crowded i streets. I was amused to notice how 1 easily we were falling into Chinese t ways, for as the old man shuffled i along in front, P.11.V. trotted behind 1 him and I brought up the rear. Again \ 1 every attention was shown us, and I we were afterwards taken by j c our guide to a big departmental store c run entirely by Chinese. It was i a very fine building of five storeys, 1 modern, and up-to-date in every re- c spect, fitted with electric lifts, etc. t Everything was sold here and the money represented by the stock car- ( ried must have been a very large sum. i We were taken up to the roof garden I and the tea tables were all of marble, t while the seats were little barrels of i blue porcelain ware. From this van- s lage point we had a fine view of the C Chinese houses and some of them a looked very squalid, almost all of litem y had flat roofs on which we could see s many Chinese with 'little children c romping about . Oh, the smells of f Hong KongU They are said to be as I the odour of a sweet-smelling violet t compared with those of Canton. If a we are not “smell hardened” by the v time we get to Canton it will be a case c for “gas masks out.” If anything c .worse than the smell of the Hong a

A TRIP TO THE EAST. APPROACHING HONG KONG i i (By W. QUINN.) (Copyright.) 111.

Kong fish market exists then it will ] take some smelling. A Chinese Dinner. In the evening we took a car to , Ivenndy Town, and, returning, got out j In the better-class part of Chinatown. Here were the big Chinese restaurants, j imposing and palaial in their appear- , ance, running up to five or six storeys fn height. Each storey was surrounded by a balcony and all along ; this balcony were hung scores of , powerful electric globes of different colours (we only do this in New Zealand when a Prince comes to visit us; here it is a nightly display). As a . number of these restaurants are in this vicinity, and all lit up in the same way, the brilliancy of the illuminations can be imagined. Add to this the rooms and balconies thronged with guests in quaint but beautiful Chinese costumes, the streets below packed with a multi-coloured garbed crowd of men, women, and children, through which tall Sikh policemen make their way, finally the hideous din of Chinese orchestras, composed principally of drums, cymbals and gongs, and you will have a mind-picture of a night street scene in Hong Kong. We were sorely tempted to enter one of these restaurants just to see the entertainments that were going on, but not knowing whether this would be permissible, we refrained. While watching a puppet show on the balcony of the bigger restaurant, we noticed some Aki Maru passengers go in under the guidance of a well-known Sydney merchant. Running across the street we joined them in the lift and were taken to one of the upper floors. The place, which was simply' alive with Chinese, was most beautifully furnished and as brightly lighted inside as out (also as much noise). It was agreed that we should have a Chinese dinner and, after engaging a room, we ordered the meal. We found we w'ere in the “Hotel Australia” of the Chinese. Seating ourselves round the table, and with a Chinaman who spoke English, we waited. A hot towel slightly perfumed was handed to each of us by a boy and it was refreshing when applied to our faces and hands. Then a covered cup, of what we were told was green tea, was served, anr we had to drink the liquid by holding back the little green leaves with the topmost cover. I did not like the decoction, finding it very bitter. During this time, in the next room, which was divided from ours by a thin partition, another dinner party was going on and their entertainers were a Chinese “Symphony Orchestra." Those diabolical instruments, Chinese fiddles, were sending forth a never-ending series of the most ear-splitting sounds, supplemented by tremendous bangs on gongs, drums and symbols, with other noises that only a Chinaman can make. There was as much melody in the performance as might be heard in the grinding of a bone mill. In the double forte passages, with the combination doing their d best (the only fitting word), it was as if 10,000 cats were being slowly strangled. We could not hear ourselves speak owing to the infernal noise. I suggested to our Chinamaii that he should stop the blinking row in the next room, but he gravely shook his head. A celestial Songster. A nice looking young Chinese girl was brought in to sing to us. She was beautiful dressed in black satin trousers, her little feet were encased in white satin shoes), and her jacket was of blue silk. With her glossy ! black hair and slightly coloured lips, she looked so dainty as she sat accompanying her singing on a zitherlike instrument. Whilst our vocalist was singing, “thfe symphony” over the partition, continued with unabated energy, but of this the singer seemed totally unaware and I had to take a seat alongside her to hear what she was doing. Her voice was -thin and reedy and the song was too severely classical Chinese for me to detect any melody at all. A number f of unknown condiments were then’ put on the table and also two chopsticks for each person. We had a "preliminary canter” with these before the first course was served. My sticks kept wandering all over the place and only at odd times could I bring the points together so that they would pick up anything. The courses were served each in turn, the second being boiled skin of a fowl with some kind of vegetable and the third sweet corn boiled in chicken soup. My companion to the right started to sup this with the chop sticks, thinking it was the proper tiling. I thought a miracle was going to happen if he could sup soup with chop sticks for it had taken me all my time ti harpoon a piece of fowl in the previous course. Even the Chinaman laughted and showed us a little porcelain ladic we were to us. The fourth course was roast fowl beautifully tender and brown and then another singing girl was introduced. As the orchestra were having a temporary spell and only shouting in chorus we had a belter chance of hearing the singing in the comparative stillness. I think if anything I liked the second singer tho better of the two, but this is damning her with faint praise. Before she finished the “musicians had .resumed operations. Boiled rice was course number five and to sec our chop sticks in action during this must have caused the Chinaman much inward laughter for there was “many a slip between plate and lip" owing to the nasty habit these sticks have of twirling round in your fingers. Course six was filleted fish so beautifully cooked that I have never tasted any so delicious. A fruit course finished dinner, the most novel one I have ever partaken of. In the room was the opium couch with the little spirit lamp for cooking the opium and as we were being shown through the different rooms afterwards we could see well-to-do Chinese lying down smoking their opium pipes quite openly. ’There is no law prohibiting opium smoking in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong yet in Chinese Canton anyone caught smoking suffers a very heavy penally. Opium smoking is the curse of China and they want to rid themselves of it, yet, while sending missionaries _ to show these people the way to a higher and better life, we permit the degrading vice in the place under the British‘flag which is nearest to them, thereby tacitly approving of it. Example'is better than precept and I wonder what the Chinese think of our consistency. ,1 am afraid it is another case of “rum and religion,” or as they are entitled to say a rummy religion.

Gay Night Life.

way iMiyiiv uuc. As we walked along the corridors. our Chinaman opened little swing" doors to the left and right and we had a glance at gay night life amongst the wealthy Chinese. In one large room lull of men and women a puppet show was going on. The puppets were of a large size and gorgeously apparelled in silks of the most brilliant hues. They moved their heads and arms in a life-like manner, but I could make neither bead nor tail of the performance which had the usual orchestral accompaniment of noise. A Chinese millionaire was giving a big dinner in honour of his mother who had attained the age of 70 and 'had invited one hundred of his friends. By special permission from the authorities he was having a fireworks display. The Chinese think that the noise of crackers drives the devils away. If this is so they must have all scuttled back to Hades to-night in double quick time with their eyes hanging out 'and their tails sticking down for the detonations were like those of bombs. At the sound of the first explosion we hurried out on to the third balcony and saw a big red rope as thick as a man’s leg Ihanglng suspended from the topmost storey to the street. This was all composed of crackers and was on fire at the lower end. Detonation succeeded detonation, with deafening noise as the fire slowly worked its way uwards' (if the Chinese are right Old Nick himself must have been shaking in his hoofs.) The rope was lowered by degrees and just in front of us the fire reached the top where there was a big pagoda in the red paper. For a moment or two it seemed to die away then sputtered into life again. Suddenly a shower of beautiful Chinese lanterns all attached, one below the other, fell. On the four corners of each were different coloured lights and a cracker fizzed in the centre. A final explosion and nothing was left but the smell of gunpowder. I looked about me, the balconies of the surrounding restaurants were packed and were a riot of colour with the gay costumes of the Chinese men and women. The street below was a dense mass of yellow humanity such as the scene from a Chinese Night's Entertainment. Blissfully Unconscious. As we returned to the Aki Maru in the launch, a fellow passenger, who had previously travelled in the East ' and knew Hong Kong well, rather L started me by detailing practically all , our movements from the time we left 1 the Chinamen in the afternoon until we entered the Chinese restaurant at ’ night. In amazement I said: “How ; could you possibly acquire such in- ' formation?” And his answer was: l “You probably have no idea that from the time you changed gold at the L money changers in the afternoon, two ( coolies dogged every step you took j for the purpose of knifing you. They , watched your going back to the steamdr for dinner and returned to Hong Kong with you later. They I did not know two policemen were ! shadowing them, but it is just as well you kept to the open well-lighted j streets in the Chinese quarter, or ( , else the police might have got up too 1 late.” I think the information must have been given to our friend by a y sergeant of police, for the latter pointZ ea us out to him as we were entering j the Chinese restaurant and was told 3 he could withdraw his men, “those fellows are alright and can take care of themselves." We were blissfully g unconscious pf the state of affairs and if attacked could have only have g defended ourselves with our fists as t we were entirely unarmed. I then f realised it was a kindly Providence that had prompted me to say, “We s had better turn" -when we stood on j tlft edge of an ill-looking, badly e lighted, crooked street. Crimes of e violence are rife in Hong Kong and s judging by the newspapers hardly a night passes without a murder being committed, although these arc mostly among the coloured people. - The incident gave us food for reflection, but 3 by the time I had got back to Hong 3 Kong on the homeward journey I had : got used to this state of affairs as re--1 gards risks, so much so that I y started off the night of arrival for the ’ Chinese quarter alone to visualise the scene of our first visit. I walked 7 through the streets we had previously * trodden, coming at last to a stop on 3 the very spot where we had turned 1 our backs on the disreputable street ' and looking round wondered where 3 the two ruffians had been in hiding. 3 The roadways at this time of the night 1 were teeming with Chinese, but no f one paid the slightest attention to me as I elbowed my way in and out amongst the multitude. Retracing 1 my steps I wandered on and one unr til at last I lost myself, and it took me 7 fully an hour or so before I found ? my way out of the “rookery." This 1 J did without speaking to a soul; in { any case it would have been useless 3 doing so, for English would not have ! been understood. The clock in an . adjoining tower chimed half past 1 eleven as I entered the Hong Kong hotel, well satisfied with my night’s 1 peregrinations. ' In the morning we walked through 3 the European business quarter of 3 Hong Kong, and despite the narrow- ' ness of the streets\were very much 1 impressed with the many fine build- ! ings there. i In a Typhoon. After leaving , Hong Kong the Aid j Maru ran into a typhoon, and this has ( already lasted three days. Fortunately for us the storm centre is some ‘ hundreds of miles south, and we are , escaping its full fury, but it is quite • bad enough. With a tremendous | head sea running, our steamer lias j only logged 178 and 191 miles during , the last two days. We passed two | large French battleships this morn- , ing on their way to Ilong Kong, and i they were plunging heavily in the , mighty waves. These are the days when one can be in full accord with | Shakespeare when he writes: “Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long ■head, brown furze; anything whatever.” We arc approaching the Land of the Rising Sun, but I have not caught even a glimpse of a sun cither rising or falling for the past six days. I do not need to come 6000 miles to sec grey skies and blinding showers of cold rain; and as for rough seas, in Foveaux Strait on board the Theresa Ward with a westerly gale blowing will give me my fill (or empty). But enough of this; I am afraid that I am in a “grizzly” mood to-day and will stop writing. Sighting Japan. Bad luck seems to be pursuing us since leaving Ilong Kong. We were supposed to have reached Nagasaki this morning at D o’clock, but owing to a heavy fog tiie steamer could not pick up a certain light and had to retrace her course on a zig-zag in an endeavour to do so, with no success. It was only at 9.30 a.m. that an island looming out of the fog indicated our position. Japan was sighted at 4 o’clock, and at 5 we passed the Nagasaki Headland. The harbour, seen on a bright day, must be beautiful, for even on a drab grey one, such as this,

all Its beauty could not be concealed. The coast Is a rocky one, but every square yard of land that was possible of cultivation was green with crops—our first glimpse of the extensive cultivation of Japan. As we proceeded up the harbour the ■ famous Mitsu Bishi dockyards and engine works appeared on our left. This company is. said to be among the very first of the largest trading concerns in the world, and its ramifications run right through Japan in every department of trade. In the dockyards and works over 10,000 men are employed and they j live in a town owned by the com- | pany. It is here that all the Japanese j battleships 'have been built. As we I passed I could see seven huge stocks, I and on these in process of being built i were a light cruiser, two destroyer, leaders, and a 12,000-ton steamer for the N.Y.K. line. And yet they were complaining of slack times I The control of the company for centuries past has been in the hands of the Mitsu Bishi family. If none of the sons shows promise of ability in keeping up the traditions of the firm, a youth with the requisite brain power i is sought, and he is adopted into the family, the succession passing to him ‘ in due course. In this way a man of brilliant ability and capacity 5s always assured as head of the firm.