[577] See No. XXXII., [note 197].
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[578] An Imperial mandate is always written on yellow silk, and the ceremony of opening and perusing it is accompanied by prostrations and other acts of reverential submission.
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[579] Innumerable pamphlets have been published in China on the best methods of getting rid of these destructive insects, but none to my knowledge contain much sound or practical advice.
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[580] See No. LII., [note 286]. The mules of the north of China are marvels of beauty and strength; and the price of a fine animal often goes as high as £100.
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[581] See No. XL., [note 233], and No. XCIV., [note 489].
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[582] See No. I., [note 39].
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[583] See No. LXIX., [note 393].
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[584] It was the God of War who replaced Mr. Tung’s head after it had actually been cut off and buried.
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[585] See No. VI., [note 51].
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[586] The highly educated Confucianist rises above the superstition that darkens the lives of his less fortunate fellow countrymen. Had such a dream as the above received an inauspicious interpretation at the hands of some local soothsayer, the owner of the animal would in nine cases out of ten have taken an early opportunity of getting rid of it.
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