File:From western China to the Golden Gate; the experiences of an American university graduate in the Orient, with thirty illustrations (1911) (14591636739).jpg

Identifier: fromwesternchina00spra (find matches)
Title: From western China to the Golden Gate; the experiences of an American university graduate in the Orient, with thirty illustrations
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Sprague, Roger, b. 1869
Subjects: China -- Description and travel
Publisher: Berkeley : Lederer, Street & Zeus
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
l China as the land of clouds.Behind the city, a temple-crowned height risesthree hundred feet above the narrow streets,from which a winding path leads to the sum-mit. On its other sides, the summit is inacces-sible, for a cliff drops sheer and perpendicular.The temple is a place of pilgrimage for theBuddhists of western China, and every yearthey come there in thousands, to worship at theshrine of the Bright-eyed Goddess. As theywind their way up the steep slope and throughthe low mounds of the cemetery which lies onthe hill-side, they must pass the foot of a fan-tastic wooden pagoda, situated about half wayup the ascent. It is right at the base of thetower, and in the midst of the burial ground,that the residence of the American mission-aries is located. There they live and moveand have their being. From there theylook down on the sea of gray tiled roofs andthin curling columns of smoke, lying twohundred feet below. From there they de-scend to hold the services in their little church
Text Appearing After Image:
THE LONELY MISSION STATION. Sprague, photo. 46 tucked away in a crowded corner of the city,which even from a Chinese point of view isexceedingly crowded. A bridge over a shallowdepression connects the foot of the hill withone of the citys narrow side-streets. It isprobable that in summer, during the rainy sea-son, a stream flows under the bridge, and con-sequently a custom has grown up of throwingthe garbage of the city from it. In winter, thechannel is dry, but the custom is kept up not-withstanding. The result is that the atmos-phere in that locality can neither be describednor imagined. And when the bridge has beencrossed on the way citywards, conditions arevery little better, for the way lies through thenastiest, the filthiest, the vilest smelling streetthat I remember having found in all thatcountry. Such are the surroundings of the mission-aries. Their home is a low, unpretentiousstructure of what Conan Doyle would call thewattle and daub type of architecture. Yet itis neat and

Note About Images