KUNG-WAH CHIHG-FU.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1368, 20 February 1912, Page 6

KUNG-WAH CHIHG-FU.

"VIVE LA REPUBLIQUE!" CHINESE KEEP HIGH HOLIDAY, i ■S IX EASTERN STYLE. "The white star in the middle of Ihr i blue Hag means :i bright sun in a floar ! sky—that all for the future i-; Iα be plain j and stntightforwiird—nothing is to b?' hidden. The. drigun of tlie Manehii :;. , take to mean something else!" | This information—as clear and simple as the design of the banner of the new i

Republic which has come into existence in the Orient—was given to a reporter in response to questions about the {lags which were flying yesterday above the grandstand of the Athletic Park, where

the local Chinese, to the number of.about ICO, kept high holiday in commemoration of the establishment of the Chinese? Jtepublie.

The flags referred to were two in number—a blue with p. white star-liko centre, and below a red tlag with a blue inside quarter, containing the bright sun of righteousness. The "red" was ominous. Its particular .significance was that to ob-tain-.straightforwardness in government the Republicans were prepared to do, and, if necessary, die. Wonderful Unanimity. There appears to be surprising unanimity among the Chinese of Wellington in regard to politics. The Marichu, for instane, is anathema. AVhy? one was asked. "Manchu, he welli bad —take moneo allee time. Take mqnee this and this!" (signifying from this and that pocket). Evidently the local Chinese welcome the triumph of tho Reform party in China. For once they shook off their quaint reserve, and rejoiced with whole-hearted-ness at .the change which has Iwen brought about in China. With their crops of strong, black, straight, pigtail-leis hair standing bolt ■upright all over their hitherto shaven polls, nearly two hundred of them romped and raced about with the. greatest ardour at the park from 10 a.r.i. until 3.30 o'clock in tho afternoon, many of them indulging in physical exercise to which they must have been strangers for many years. Chinese Soccer on the Park. . Tho outing was conducted on European ■lines. As soon, as they reached the iground there was a.long pow-wow as to how they were to put in the time. "Soccer" football was decided on, and to play the game a Rugby ball for children was produced. What did that matter? It was something to kick—in lieu of .■ a ■Mauchu—something to run about -with, and they ran in any direction, without any very definite object. At times they kicked the ball—at others they missed, and fell over shriek'ng with laughter. Ono player protested that the ball was too thin, for his foot—he wanted a fat ■ball, allee same pumpkin. One player collared tho ball and ran round and round with, it, until he became giddy and fell over.

. AVhen a player became exhausted, he simply tat down, and grinned until his .breath became normal. It was not clear ■.who won, as there were no goal-posts, and consequently no attempt to shoot goals.. It will stand as tho funniest game ever played on the park. From a sheet of white muslin was unrolled a bat, wickets, wicket-keeping -gloves, and ball. To quote a bystander, they were wrapped liko frozen mutton." : tfut friend John-makes a poor fist at cricket, and did not persist long at England s-national summer game. The bowlers had some difficulty in getting within Tango of the wicket, and tho batsman Md a vague idea only as to which was the striking side of the bat.

. Valiant Tiig-of-Warsmen. .J, rO, K bly ' H, e ™ost popular form of recreation wns the tug-of-wnr. These conteats continued-off. and on nearly the lv.fi 1, %- aml Provided .vast amusement tor the Chinese spectators in. the grandstand. They amply yelled with laugh "r when one man suddenly released tie mid then pulled him over the line. Mr Lav.- the Chinese Missionary, who. with "? <*"» fbflp, was the director and a s d s °"' °f "!'•' «Ports, proved a -groat ■f«ff, and retired undefeated. \ husky young Englishman was invited to lS ff ?'i n ? los pull "« ai,lst J ' r - Law, • t> l ? Chinaman was too much for him The old men pulled and e b'ys pulled-in singles, doubles, and teams--niid it proved quite the best fun of .the d.ii. lliwc were also numerous foot

Lemonade and Cakes. At 1 o'clock the party took their seats on the forms,of the grandstand, and had a gcod commissariat rwulv. Even in this department there was* nothing very Unnese They had huge boxes of buns tarts,-cakes, and biscuits of European construction, and with this thev took lemonade. There were also two" lar»e tea-pots each holding about four gallon's, from which the mi kless, sugarless fluid was poured into tiny saucer-like cups which held about a mouthful. The meal was as jolly a one as could be imagined. Anyone whp happened to be. standin* ™«nd could have had everything, for tho Chinaman is generous in his hospitality. The Orchestra. Biit what would such a gathering have been without music to shed ifs soft glamour over the scene? If you have never heard a Chinese orchestra, do not pine over it. To bowldcrise "Hamlet," it is "little less than tune and more than nnio! let this band of six players held the audience (or tho Chinese part of it) in a trance. The band consisted o{ two three-stringed hammer-shaped violins, held when played either on or between the knees and bowed like a 'cello. They produce about four or five notes aiid weird squeaks in between. There is a single guitar, with a. body like a bread-platter, and four strings, which are . plucked with a plectrum; a Ion"; banjo with a drum of snako-s&in, which has a penetrating resonant tone, but little range, two bamboo flutes, with the blow-holes half-way down, and fearful and wonderful timpani. One of the drums is a solid piece of shaped wood, over which is stretched a piece of hide, drawn tightly over the block and riveted down all round the (on with broad-headed steel rivets. This arrangement rests on string supnoTts, stretched between bamboo sticks. For all tho tone which tho player gets he might just .as well have tapped over the seat which he sat on. Attached to this paraphernalia was a small hollow box of sandalwood, which acted as a roliof to the moro solid "drum." The noise the Mud mndo had no definite pretension to be classed as music—it was just a weird Ttoiso, with a slight susm'eion of Thythm given out. by the drums hero and thore.

Ou brine pressed, one Chinaman sang to an orchestral accompaniment. If he was the. "star," there is no vocal fntnrn for the emancipated Chinaman. This minstrel crooned in a soft falsetto voice for .1 bar or two at a time, then spelled fis the orchestra played on. It was a sort of "Sivaneo Kiver' to the ' Chinamen round about, end was much appreciated.

Revolution Colours. Somehow one could not dispel the illusion that thrre was somothinp about the gathering reminiscent of the Fiench devolution. The writer, did not for some time j, r ra«» what cave him Ihe imprr-«sion \llitil l'.o (hat. rnt'h Cliiiiaintni w-re red. white, and blue rosettes or colours on the left liroast—the tricolour, of coin-so! Ainonj; tho*" pi-esent Win Jackson freurerentint; the Chinese Cmi-nl). who tool; a groat interesl in Hie gathfriiig. A Meeting. A meeting of Chinese was hold in tlio evening in the Alexandra Hall, Abel Smith Street. There were about ISO prec~t, nearly all of them Mm: youn.!.' men. A few patriotic spooehe* vote delivered by tho=e. most actiwly interested in the revolutionary movement.Ifr. Chow S. Lanclni, Chinese Consul, was onn of the speakers. He has previously declared himself as opposed to the revolutionary movement, and last nijrht he excused himself for fireepring it as inevit(ibl;. by citing tW psamplp of Yii:in-Sl>ih-Koi. formerly a Manchii i':iiti-.nn. but mw the fivrjtc-l: inin.in the rt'puljlitan Goveriunsiit. Mr. Lsnrliu -aid bf V.clitvcd Mip reroluiion'would h a n ;vfi.i! Iliip? (or China, nud teneficiaJ to "foreign Powers

f ilso. Also, he referred to the Manchu ( (ioveniuiuut as an old house tumbling to ! decay. It had been pulled down, and it would 1)0 the duty of every Chinaman to ; :i>.ii>t in fhe rebuilding of a new edifice to ho reared in its stead. l The speeches were all snoken in Chinese, ; mill were mostly received without pro- ! nonnced demonstrations of any kind. AT GISBORNE. MOXEV KATHEK THAN FETES. ' IBy Tcleeraph--Press Association.l ! Gisborne, February 13. I So far a* Uisborne is concerned." there 1 was.no evidence of holiday anion',' the few ' Chinese residents in celebration of the abdication of the Manchu d.vna«lv \ local Chinaman states that the Chinos j talked the matter over, and decided that i while appreciating the gi-e.it burden of I winch their country has been rid of thev ! thought that loyally to the Republican ! cause could not bo more expressively domonstated thoii had already been done The Chinese, of Ciisbornc had sul.tscribed } .£"0 towards tho revolutionary fiinds ! 1 Ins was considered ample evidence of i loyalty to t'ue Republican cause.