China is the most populous country in the world; it is supposed to contain at least two hundred and fifty millions of human beings. Of these, more than two millions live in boats on the rivers, and a very large number have been enrolled as soldiers. At the present moment, China is undergoing a great revolution (of which I shall have something to say before I have done), and the religion of Jesus Christ is making progress. The end of this will probably be the opening of the whole of the Chinese empire to European commerce, which will be of great advantage to the whole world.
No country abounds like China in towns and cities, which in some of the provinces are so thick and close to each other, that the whole seems but one continued town swarming with inhabitants. Their roads are generally crowded with passengers. Some cities are purely military, and are inhabited by soldiers, of which there are said to be not less than five millions in the empire.
The most wonderful things in China are the canals, especially the Great Canal, as it is called, which is an uninterrupted communication of nearly seven hundred miles of water, between Pekin and the great central stream of the Yang-tse-Kiang. In connection with the rivers, it opens a communication between Canton and Pekin, by means of a thousand miles of navigation.
The Great Wall of China has always been considered one of the wonders of the world. It was erected three hundred years before Christ. It is in length one thousand miles, and it passes over hills, vallies, rivers, and mountains which are in some places more than five thousand feet high. Its height is thirty feet, and it is very broad. The towers, which are at short distances from each other, are forty feet high. This Wall is no longer of much use as a fortification, and is now regarded more as a curiosity. The mass of materials used in its construction would be sufficient to build a thick wall, six feet in height, all round the globe. China is also famous for triumphal arches, erected to the memory of their heroes; it is said that there are from six hundred to seven hundred in the empire. It is customary for persons travelling to pay their adoration at these arches, as well as at the tombs of their ancestors, whom they regard with the greatest veneration.
Most of the Chinese cities have large bells set up in their high towers, by which notice is given of the different watches of the night. The first watch is denoted by a single stroke; the second, by two; the third, by three; and so on. Some of the Chinese bells are very large, and weigh upwards of one hundred thousand pounds. Their clappers are of wood and not of metal—the former being thought to give a softer sound.
The city of Pekin has been the fixed capital of China ever since the expulsion of the Moguls; and, although situated on the Northern confines of China Proper, it is central with regard to the whole empire. It is surrounded by a wall, flanked with high towers, each containing accommodation for a hundred men. Within this wall are the Emperor’s palace and gardens. These are surrounded by another wall, the enclosure being called the Sacred City. The two cities are not less than twenty-five miles in circumference.
The Imperial Palace is situated in the heart of the city, and has a prodigious number of courts, squares, ponds, parks, and edifices. The apartments are spacious and healthy, and the whole is adorned with gardens, baths, and pleasure terraces. There, is, in the midst of one of the principal gardens, an artificial lake of about a mile in extent, surrounded by stately trees, and gorgeous temples, and fine statues.
The Great Hall of Audience is a lofty building, one hundred and thirty feet long, and nearly of a square form. Its ceiling is of carved work, garnished with green, and adorned with gilt dragons in bas-relief. The pillars which support the roof are about seven feet in circumference, and are embellished with raised works of fruits and flowers. The pavement is covered with a rich carpet; the walls are polished white, and without hangings, mirrors, or any kind of ornament. The throne stands in the centre of the hall, and consists of a lofty alcove, but has few ornaments or inscriptions; it, however, bears the words “Reason’s glory,” the name assumed by the present Emperor.