(not dollars), and there are hundreds of
these stalls, besides an entire jadestone street which we afterwards
visited. We saw several of the shops, and asked the prices, as we
wished to take home a small specimen; but they had no good carved
cups, which were what we wanted, and for what they had they asked an
enormous price. Jadestone is a material very difficult to work, and in
many cases the result attained is not worth the labour expended upon
it. It is more a _tour de force_ than a work of art. For a good stone,
green as grass (as it ought to be), they ask from 2,500 to 3,000
dollars; for a necklace of beads, 5,000 dollars; a set of mandarin's
buttons, one large and one small, 50 to 150 dollars.
After looking in at the goldbeaters at work, we next made our way to
the temple of the Five Genii who are supposed to have founded the city
of Canton. Being a Tartar temple, all the gods have a totally
different cast of features, and are represented as Tartars with long
beards. It is much frequented by women of all classes, and up and down
the numerous flights of steps leading from one shrine to another, poor
little women tottered and tumbled on their crippled feet, holding on
to one another, or leaning on a stick. This temple is interesting as
having been the head-quarters of the allied forces during their
occupation of Canton from 1858 to 1861.
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