CASE VIII.

THE PAVILION.

THE INTERIOR OF A CHINESE GENTLEMAN'S SUMMER RESIDENCE.

SEVERAL FIGURES, REPRESENTING THEIR MODE OF PAYING AND RECEIVING

The

THIS is a large apartment, forming the termination of the saloon, from which it is separated by what may be called a species of carved net-work. The carving penetrates entirely through the wood (laurus camphora, camphor wood,* called by the Chinese "cheong muh"), and represents figures of animals, birds, flowers, fruits, &c. colours of this open work are as gay, rich, and even gorgeous, as gilding and paint can make them; yet so skilfully are they disposed, so well do they blend and harmonise, that their effect is altogether agreeable. The room thus enclosed is a perfect fac-simile of an apartment in a wealthy Chinaman's dwelling.indows satäi a beauté.

In either opposite corner of the apartment is placed a large square carved table of hard wood, with marble tops, and hangings of embroidered velvet, on which a servant has placed some fruit for the refreshment of the guests. On the right of these stands a long high table similar to our sideboards, for the reception of ornaments, upon which rest ornamental stands and fruit. On each side of the apartment are chairs of a corresponding style and make, alternately arranged with small tea stands, with a footstool for each chair, besides flower-pots, cuspadors, porcelain seats, embroidered silk lanterns, &c., &c., while at the extreme end of the apartment is an aperture in the wall, of an oval form, surrounded with a carved and gilt fretwork, corresponding with the exterior; through this doorway is seen a perspective view of Chinese scenery. Doorways of this description are common in China—and are of different devices, some being circular, others oval, while some are in the form of a mulberry leaf, with the stem resting upon the ground. On each side of this entrance is a superb china vase, about seven feet high, including the stand, which is also of hard wood, and richly carved. They are of a size and beauty such as we rarely meet with in this country. They are covered with a profusion of characteristic figures,

*The camphor tree grows to a large size in the province of Keang se.

among which the imperial dragon holds a distinguished place. In them are placed a variety of their favourite flowers and a large fan of peacocks' feathers.

The walls are hung with a variety of decorations, chiefly long silken scrolls, with maxims; and the tables are covered with a profusion of ornamental articles.

There are six figures in the pavilion, intended to represent the mode of paying and receiving visits. Visiting is conducted by the Chinese with great formality, blended with much urbanity. Tea and pipes are always served on these occasions, and frequently sweetmeats or dried fruits. The common mode of salutation is to join the closed hands, and lift them twice or thrice towards the head, saying, "Haou-tsing, tsing;" that is, "Are you well?-Hail, hail!" and at other times, the words "Soo yang fang ming," or, "I have heretofore thought with veneration on your fragrant name;" the latter said to persons of whom they have before heard, on first meeting them.

The ceremony attending an invitation to dinner is somewhat formal, and may be interesting to many readers. The invitation is conveyed some days before, by a crimson coloured ticket, on which is inscribed the time appointed, and the guest is entreated to bestow "the illumination of his presence." At other times the phrase, "I have prepared pure tea, and wait for your company to converse."

The following description of a Chinese dinner, from the pen of Captain Laplace, of the French Navy, although rather a long extract, is given with so much of the characteristic vivacity of his countrymen, and so well conveys the first impression of a scene not often witnessed by Europeans, that it is introduced without further apology :-"The first course was laid out in a great number of saucers of painted porcelain, and consisted of various relishes in a cold state, as salted earth-worms, prepared and dried, but so cut up, that I fortunately did not know what they were until I swallowed them; salted or smoked fish, and ham, both of them cut into extremely small slices; besides which, there was what they called Japan leather, a sort of darkish skin, hard and tough, with a strong, and far from agreeable taste, which seemed to have been macerated in water for some time. All these et cæteras, including among the number a liquor which I recognised to be soy, made from a Japan bean, and long since adopted by the wine drinkers of Europe, to revive their faded appetites or taste, were used as seasoning to a great number of stews which were contained in bowls, and succeeded each other uninterruptedly. All the dishes, without exception, swam in soup; on one side figured pigeons' eggs, cooked in gravy, together with ducks and fowls cut very small, and immersed in a dark-coloured sauce; on the other, little balls made of sharks' fins, eggs prepared by

heat (of which both the smell and taste seemed to us equally repulsive), immense grubs, a peculiar kind of seafish, crabs, and pounded shrimps.

"Seated at the right of our excellent Amphitryon, I was the object of his whole attention; but, nevertheless, found myself considerably at a loss how to use the two little ivory sticks, tipped with silver, which, together with a knife that had a long, narrow, and thin blade, formed the whole of my eating apparatus. I had great difficulty in seizing my prey in the midst of these several bowls filled with gravy; in vain I tried to hold, in imitation of my host, this substitute for a fork, between my thumb and the two first fingers of the right hand; for the chopsticks slipped aside every moment, leaving behind them the unhappy little morsel which I coveted. It is true that the master of the house came to the relief of my inexperience (by which he was much entertained) with his two instruments, the extremities of which, a few moments before had touched a mouth, whence age, and the use of snuff and tobacco, had cruelly chased its good looks. However, I contrived to eat, with tolerable propriety, a soup prepared with the famous birds' nests, in which the Chinese are such epicures. The substance thus served up, is reduced into very thin filaments, transparent as isinglass, and resembling vermicelli, with little or no taste. At first I was much puzzled to find out how, with our chopsticks, we should be able to taste of the various soups which composed the greater part of the dinner, and had already called to mind the fable of the fox and the stork, when our two Chinese entertainers, dipping at once into the bowls with the little saucer placed at the side of each guest, shewed us how to get rid of the difficulty." (We confess we were never witness to this slovenly manœuvre, as the Chinese tables are generally supplied with a species of spoon, of silver or porcelain, sufficiently convenient in shape.)

"To the younger guests, naturally lively, such a crowd of novelties presented an inexhaustible fund of pleasantry; and, though unintelligible to the worthy Hong merchant and his brother, the jokes seemed to delight them not at all the less. The wine, in the meantime, circulated freely, and the toasts followed each other in rapid succession. This liquor, which to my taste was by no means agreeable, is always taken hot; and in this state it approaches pretty nearly to Madeira in colour, as well as a little in taste; but it is not easy to get tipsy with it, for in spite of the necessity of frequently attending to the invitations of my host, this wine did not in the least affect my head. We drank it in little gilt cups, having the shape of an antique vase, with two handles of perfect workmanship, and kept constantly filled by attendants holding large silver vessels like coffee-pots.

"After all these good things served one upon the other, of which it gave me pleasure to see the last, succeeded the second course, which

was preceded by a little ceremony, of which the object seemed to be a trial of the guests' appetites. Upon the edges of four bowls, arranged in a square, three others were placed filled with stews, and surmounted by an eighth, which thus formed the summit of a pyramid; and the custom is to touch none of these although invited by the host. On the refusal of the party the whole disappeared, and the table was covered with articles in pastry and sugar; in the midst of which was a salad composed of the tender shoots of the bamboo, and some watery preparations, that exhaled a most disagreeable odour.

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Up to this point, the relishes of which I first spoke had been the sole accompaniment of all the successive ragouts; they still served to season the bowls of plain rice, which the attendants now, for the first time, placed before each of the guests." (It must be remembered that this was a formal dinner; rice forms a much more integral part of an every-day meal.)

"I regarded with an air of considerable embarrassment, the two little sticks, with which, notwithstanding the experience acquired since the commencement of the repast, it seemed very doubtful whether I should be able to eat my rice, grain by grain, according to the belief of Europeans regarding the Chinese custom. I therefore waited until my host should begin, to follow his example, foreseeing that, on this new occasion, some fresh discovery would serve to relieve us from the truly ludicrous embarrassment which we all displayed; in a word, our two Chinese, cleverly joining the ends of their chop-sticks, plunged them into the bowls of rice, held up to the mouth, which was opened to its full extent, and thus easily shovelled in the rice, not by grains, but by handsfull. Thus instructed, I might have followed their example; but I preferred making up with the other delicacies for the few attractions, which, to my taste, had been displayed by the first course. The second lasted a much shorter time; the attendants cleared away everything. Presently the table was strewed with flowers, which vied with each other in brilliancy; pretty baskets, filled with the same, were mixed with plates which contained a vast variety of delicious sweetmeats as well as cakes, of which the forms were as ingenious as they were varied. Napkins steeped in warm water, and flavoured with otto of roses, are frequently handed to each guest by the servants in attendance. This display of the productions of nature and of art, was equally agreeable to the eyes and the tastes of the guests. By the side of the yellow plaintain was seen the lichi, of which the strong, rough, and bright crimson skin defends a stone enveloped in a whitish pulp, which, for its fine aromatic taste is superior to most of the tropical fruits; when dried, it forms an excellent provision for the winter. With these fruits of the warm climates were mingled those of the temperate zone, brought at

some expense from the northern provinces; as walnuts, chesnuts, apples, grapes, and Pekin pears, which last, though their lively colour and pleasant smell attracted the attention, proved to be tasteless, and even retained all the harshness of wild fruit.

"At length we adjourned to the next room to take tea,—the indispensable commencement and close of all visits and ceremonies among the Chinese. According to custom, the servants presented it in porcelain cups, each of which was covered with a saucer-like top, which confines and prevents the aroma from evaporating. The boiling water had been poured over a few of the leaves, collected at the bottom of the cup; and the infusion, to which no sugar or cream is ever added in China, exhaled a delicious fragrant odour, of which the best teas carried to Europe can scarcely give an idea."

Other visits of ceremony are conducted with much pomp and formality. When a gentleman proceeds in his sedan to pay a visit, his attendants present his ticket at the gate, consisting of his name and titles written down the middle of a folded sheet of vermillion coloured paper, ornamented with leaf gold; and sometimes there is enough paper in one of these to extend across a room. According to the rank of the parties, the visiters and his host begin bowing at stated distances; though, among equals, the ordinary mode of salutation is to join closed hands. Only mandarins or official persons can be carried by four bearers, or accompanied by a train of attendants. Soon after visiters are seated, an attendant brings in porcelain cups with covers, with a small quantity of fine tea leaves in each, on which boiling water has been poured, and the infusion is thus drunk without any other addition; fruits are also brought on beautifully japanned trays. In some Chinese apartments there are broad couches, called "kangs," as large as a bed. In the .centre of these, small tables are placed, about a foot in height, intended to rest the arm upon, or place tea-cups. On the conclusion of a visit

the host conducts his guest to his sedan.

Here terminate the cases that contain representations of men and women, except those at the silk mercer's shop at the commencement of the saloon. The figures are modelled out of a peculiar species of clay, admirably adapted for the purpose. They are highly creditable to the taste and ingenuity of the Chinese, who, though not good sculptors, are excellent modellers, and they afford specimens of a style of art altogether novel to Europeans. The attentive observer will have noticed a remarkable sameness of feature and expression running through the whole collection, though all are accurate likenesses of originals, most of whom are now living. High cheek bones, flat noses, small black eyes, a yellowish complexion, and a rather dull, heavy expression of countenance, are the general characteristics. Chinese physical nature is said to be