THE VIVID EAST

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 26, 29 June 1907, Page 12

THE VIVID EAST

First Impressions of a Colonial Cleric

By the Rev.

JOSEPH PARKER,

sometime Congregationalist

Minister, Auckland.

HONGKONG, THE WORLD’S MARINE METROPOLIS.

BRITIMI colonist- arc accustomed io "bigness” in more directions i han one. but suielv it is a fact worthy of vmpha-is. that tin* biggest shipping port in the world is within a little over a fortnight's -teaming from Australia. Sime 1905 Hong-Kong lias risen to the proud distinction of being the world's maiine metropolis : there is a larger number of passengers and a greater tonnage of vessels now regularly passing through

il'-tig Kong than in any otaer port in : i<- world. Swinging out of the Lyee Moon Pa-< into 11 ong-Kong Harbour the vi-it«u is astonished at the magnitude and activity of the scene; 25.000 ton liner- lying at their mooring-, -hips ot war of all nations dying their national -\nibols: wnile from all quarters of the jlnur ve-sel- pass and repass and ex i.inge i ie watchword of the .-e*as. \\ o n there i- added to all this shipping ■ ■ o' world the Chinese sampan lite in 11 >iig-l\ong. the -cene -imply beggars de---rip! ion. Never again can some of us . ioa -about Ihi-bane. (Sydney. Mel- ’• i line, and Auckland, with their -hipping. a- Ae om-e did. See H<mg-I\ong - iippiua and then \ on will be ready to -at: If the world aa- anything finer ' ian 'hi- t > - iow 1 don't want to see it. l<>r 1 could n- • ’ ake it in." Il i-> -eld'Hii that our anticipationuiir re di sat ion-. E->r many >• ar- H->ng K<»ng has been to some ■ a as in t'aoiig i: a place of bamboo en- . io-ures. ti.’atche.l hut-, -qualid and tort i i- lam -, miserable and dirty specii * i- • . iniarnty by thousands. I'he luality i- a revelation. ' >n the side- of • he. i k. alii h st a nds as a sentinel over i he ci - ;, oi Vi-toria. are erected build- . j- before a ai t even the American -tands and expresses his surprise ami admiration. W ho fa-iiioiid these stately lonade-; and in what way were these stone- w ii< h form the mas-ive arches o.o.ight into position? The average .. unal out ractoi would look at the -ite and pl*ans of many such buildings and de-pair. By pati ir toil, by brain, and bone, iiid human mu-<T* have these uliinj- Im « n ere rod. whi' h would do

credit to any city in the world. There have been no horses or steam-motors to draw these ponderous weights; the very -and with which the mortar was made, has been carried in baskets on the shoulders of coolie women. Up the precipitous sides of the peak the coolies skip with a piano swung on their shoulders, a- if it were a mere detail compared with their ordinary work. Even the buildings in the distinctively Chinese quarters are -olid brick structures of three and four stories in height. Hovels are fast disappearing under the wise and efficient labours of the city administra-

The illustrations of the Peak Hotel and the tramline to the Peak will show that the Victorian is justified in the question which he loses no time in putting to the visitor; "Have you been up to the Peak?” This is the show place of Hong-Kong; and certainly one of the show places of the world. I have even

heard Canadians ’admit that from the summit of the Peak is obtained the finest view in the world. I have no brief to defend such an assertion or support

such an admission. suffice that when when once seen it will never be forgotten. Rut more -awe-inspiring certainly to me is the view of the Peak be-

night. viewed from the harbour. New Zealand and Australian cities had much to show in the way of nocturnal decoraon ilafeking Day. ami on the first birth-

day of the Australian Common wealth, but I have seen nothing to produce the beautiful -and yet weird effects of the rows of electric lights trailing around

the Peak to its summit, on a dark night in Hong-Kong. It is the one spot on earth where the starlit heavens and the handicraft of man seem to meet in illumination.

A lady who has lived a large number of years in Victoria assured me that she never walked their streets without see-

ing something interesting and strange. X can quite believe it. Halting on the steps leading up to a Chinese Church one Sunday morning, within the length of a pole of me. 1 could see three Chinese cooks preparing dinners for all who would buy. and their united odours produced a result not easily forgotten. Six or eight food vendors in the rough all offered their goods for sale with many an unearthly yell: ’a widow woman with bound feet, sat on a little box repairing old clothes and making new ones, while her children squatted patiently on little mats at her feet: in the same area a man was being treated by the Harber: another man mended old shoes: and to complete the circle, and raised above them all. was a mother actively engaged in *a hunt upon her boy's head with the aid of a fine tooth comb. As there are no horses or cattle of any kind in the streets they are wonderfully clean ami well formed and preserved: rickshaws, chairs, and electric cars afford the maximum of quick and comfortable travelling at the minimum of cost. in the city of Victoria, the majesty of British law is evidenced in several interesting ways. To start with, there is quite a considerable number of policestations distributed through th? city

each one being primarily itsponsble for the maintenance of the law within its radius. It is an interesting sight to see the police mustered prior to their marching out to their respective stations: the uniforms of the Chinese and stalwart Indians are very picturesque, while of course John Bull is in evidence as superior officer. 1 have seen the police in Sydney streets handle some queer customers who wanted to do what they pleased with other people’s goods or money, but it was my good fortune to profit by the misfortune of a Hong Kong criminal to see how H.M. police handle characters of this kind. This particular criminal had stolen some goods from th? front of a shop. Speedy detection followed. and his clothing gave evidence that he did not take arrest in the. quietest way. But in a few moments the contest was over: with handcuffs adjusted the offender was marched into one of the convenient police stations and dealt with without delay: sentence, four months in gaol and four hours in the stocks. So there he sat. as I saw him. by the side ot the street: thousands paused for a moment to read the brief record of his crime and the character of his punishment, and then moved on. After chatting a few moments with

the affable officer in charge of the culprit. I moved on with the reflection that I would sooner have the four months in gaol in the ordinary way. than the four hours in those stocks. Happy Valley, in Hong Kong is a most beautiful spot; the two items of public interest are the racecourse ami the churchyard. These two are closer together in Happy Valley than they are in most places. The one

is an ideal sports ground, with its level space set in nature*- amphitheatre, the other is a spot most conducive to soothing and serious reflections. Happy Valley is conveniently reached by electric car. and daily claims a large number of visitors. It is not an easy thing for the average Australian or New Zealander to associate beauty, cleanliness, and a large measure of attractiveness with ( hinese character our knowledge of the ( hinese

is derived from our occasional contact with the vegetable man, or the hawker. It does not usually dawn non us that these (hinese represent about the poor est and roughest type of Chinese life. There is almost no connection between the Chinaman as we know him in Australia and the educated, silk diressed. alert, pleasant featured men who run the shops and banks in Eastern cities. There are to bi* found in Hong Kong

thousands of well-educated ( him-e young men. hair rut. dressed in European fashion, and their style leasing no thing t<> be de-ired: mans of them arc most courteous ami charming in theii deportment. Many of these ( hinese are i nmeusels rich, and tin s live in homet hat are palaital in appearance and full of cx.mfort. This brings me to the g« n I?r sex in ( hine-e lite in Hong Koirj.

During a stroll around the city for a couple of hours one Saturday night, I

was surprised to notice the absence of women from the st: e:ts. During the whole time that I was out I did not see haif-a-dozen women. The fact is that whatever may be the character of their inner life, Chinese women are most decorous in their deportment. 1 have seen some thousands of sampan women by day and by night, and I have never seen one expose her person in any way approaching the immodest. It is true that all the Chinese women wear trousers, but Over them they wear a long tunic, and the whole makes as pretty, an modest, and as suitable a dress as one could wish 1 to see. Some of these ladies have charming appearances, good complexion. beautiful eyes, regular features, and most engaging expressions. Many of them look as if they had a regular

scrubbing every hour or two, so spotlessly ..clean do they appear. • - • A man might stand all day mid-all night in Queens-road, Victoria, and not be accosted by a woman; it is questionable if this eon hl -be said of any large city in Australia. But the absence of women from the streets in Victoria, Hong Kong, is not evidence that a solution has been found for the social evil. The European population of Hong Kong is largely one of soldiers, sailors and bachelors. So what prevails in all large cities throughout the world is not absent from Victoria, but the whole of the abominable traffic is practically confined to the extreme ends of the city. Under the guidance and protection of a strong American diver 1 made an inspection from the outside of these two ends, East and West. In the West end I found hundreds of shops, each containing from ten women and upwards, while ominous notices in English and Chinese warn the keeper of each house that if his establishment is patronised by Europeans, it will lie closed; and many have been closed. In one street in the East end I counted over 100 places run by Chinese, Japanese, French, American and Portuguese. These are the haunts of the Europeans, and thus an effort is made to regulate that which is the despair of the social economist.