File:Social life of the Chinese - with some account of their religious, governmental, educational and business customs and opinions, with special but not exclusive reference to Fuhchau (1865) (14596474909).jpg

Identifier: sociallifeofchin02dool (find matches)
Title: Social life of the Chinese : with some account of their religious, governmental, educational and business customs and opinions, with special but not exclusive reference to Fuhchau
Year: 1865 (1860s)
Authors: Doolittle, Justus
Subjects:
Publisher: New York : Harper & Bros.
Contributing Library: Princeton Theological Seminary Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Princeton Theological Seminary Library

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:
ence to the calendar. It is customary for wealthy old people,and, in fact, for some persons of all ages and classes, whenthey can afford the extra expense, to eat some particularly re-freshing and invigorating food on the recurrence of these twen-ty-four solar periods, as chicken-broth, or some tonic, as theliquor of ginseng steeped in hot water, or some other strength-ening or stimulating medicine or food. It has passed into akind of adage that on the occurrence of the chaik and kheone must eat something strengthening. Many seem to imag-ine that the occurrence of any of these joints and breaths is really a very trying time for people in poor health. The de-sign of eating something strengthening at such a period isto fortify the system against any unfavorable and unhealthyinfluences which may proceed from changes in the weather atthese times. Procession in honor of Spring.On the day preceding the solar term called the commence-ment of spring occurs a public procession through the prin-
Text Appearing After Image:
PROCESSION IN HONOR OF SPRING. 21 cipal streets of the city and the suburbs in honor of spring.On some years it falls in the latter part of the twelfth month;on other years it occurs some time in the first part of the firstChinese month. For that day the prefect takes precedenceof all the higher officers in the city, although there are somesix or eight mandarins of higher rank. In accordance withthe customs relating to that single day, should either the vice-roy, or governor, or Tartar general, or the literary chancellorhappen to meet the prefect in this vernal procession, he wouldbe obliged to yield the place of honor to the latter. Such is thetheory; but such a yielding on the part of a high mandarinto a lower one seldom or never takes place, from the simplereason that the higher officials on that day keep at home, notdaring to venture abroad, lest they should meet the prefect!It would not be seemly, in the estimation of the Chinese, forthe greater in rank to stand one side or stopsociallifeofchin02dool

Note About Images