THE CHINESE IN CHINA.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 29, 12 February 1879, Page 3

THE CHINESE IN CHINA.

. DEATH AND TUB Git ATE. Some of tha queerest of the many queer costoms are connected with death the grave. W,hen a person is dying, and given up by t he- doctor, , you would fancy they would try 'to make his last hours quiet and peace-, f ul. Nothing of the kind ! They send for a band r which make3 as much noise a3, its* musicians possibly can to scare away the goblin that is. coming to take the soul of the' dying man! .The inconvenience to the patient, !is quite a , secondary consideration, and of .cbur.3e he is fTequently killed by the highly proper attention..; Scarcely le3s singular is a custom they have of making people they esteem the present of a coffin. A son of a filial turn of; mind, will cheer tho heart of His ancient parent by. a gift of this sort, and the parent will be delighted at the evidence, of affection thus given. When a man is very ill j and a doctor is called in, he submits the prescription to the patients, who frequently strike out anything they think too expensive, the patient himself sometimes joining in the effort to abate the bill.. Cases have been known where it has; been concluded that it would be better to save the medicine .money to buy them a handsome comn — all with .the acquiescence of a dying man. Talking of, doctors, I. must ; not omit -to mention that tjibße attached to' the court are only paid while, the Emperor is well ; their salary stops 'as soon as hebecome3 sick and" you may imagine the zeal displayed to amend the Imperial health under such'cir<?umstance3.. I may wind up this super6cial allusion to Chinese coritrarietie3, by mentioning '^jat so, ; ■determined are they tcr walk backwards that ■ they sayj " Gee. wo" " to a howe,ta. make hint stop ; instead pf putting , the candle into, the candlestick, they put the candlestick into the candle., the latter having a hole fitting over the pointed end of the ■former.. Coming now to the social cha'racteri^ties it ishatural to say a few wordsj in the fir3t place* of jihetr personal appsarance;- There* is. an, old saying in Europe, that " thetailpt makes thp man." In China we almost say "the barber niake.3. the man ;" for the diffe lrence between an unshaven and a properly_ shaven man arid a properly shaved Chinaman is absolutely ludicrous; 'Everybody knows that he shaves the top of his head, and wears a pig taitf. They don't like . that word at all. I may "observe that they call it a pientzu or " queue ; but niany; people dbn?t' know why they do so. Long hair; worn just as we wear itj without a* partings was the fashion in Chinauntil two nundred years ago, whetiihe neVr' fashion was ; ihbrodueed. by the. Mantc'hoo dynasty on its taking 'possession of the throne. Two centurleV j£ave reconciled the natives of China to this badge of allegiance, and at the present time it has become more/th'an ever the destinction be- J: tween royal and reb.eli - : V .• „; thelusb of thb pia tail. , ;- , The only conceivable use I have been able to see for the pig tails is the use they afford a police in catching a thief. In Hong Kong you willisometimes sec a stalwart colored; poHcemah, withv half. a4ozen culprits; each witti'tne <; : eO-^^^jii^^i^ :^6(fo\iM< ■•mill's iandsj needing^ their way;toithe.magis-* away Hrlim •igp^ltonjjitmubf: the tail'i« taken,. and-'a-stiddea' pull will throw the owner' on his iacltjn. the. "most charming, manner ; so'they dbfi't always fight. A' very " , common thieves'- trick is to plait fish-hooks and needles into, the tail, so that . the first one who cateKes Hold of it is a great deal more anxious to drop his prize than to secure him. Bad charactera. luive their tails cut off; in prison, although, they. always affix a false one the .moment they are out, .of. gaol. Guardians of the peace are pften " sold V by. this, the appendage remaining in th^ "seizer's hands,, wiile tne sleJ4dorly.at- . taehbdrowner bolts ashardas hecan^ .'' ■••"._!