We
made quite a procession, with all the servants, bearers, &c., and
excited much commotion in the narrow streets, where everybody had to
make room and squeeze up to the side as best they could. Men ran
before to clear the way for us, shouting, yet we were more than an
hour going right across the city. On our way we passed through the egg
market, saw the pork fat market, and the poulterers' and fowlers'
shops.
We managed to visit several shops for the sale of real Chinese
furniture. It is very handsome, but curious in form, and, unless it is
specially ordered, is made only for native use. Every Chinese
reception-room is furnished in precisely the same manner, with very
stiff high arm-chairs, arranged in two rows. A small four-legged
square table stands between every two chairs, a larger table in the
centre, and at the end an enormous sofa, big enough for six or eight
people to lie full length across. The sofa and all the chairs have
marble seats and backs, and the tops of the tables are also made of
marble, or a sort of soapstone, on which may be distinguished natural
landscapes slightly assisted by art.
In the bird market I saw numbers of little birds for sale, for the
Chinese are very fond of pets, and often take their birds out in a
cage with them when they go for a walk, just as we should be
accompanied by a dog.
Pages:
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516