[Antithetical Couplets]
Another custom, universally prevalent at this season, and characteristic of the nation, deserves special notice. The entrance to every Chinese dwelling had visibly depicted on the door and door-posts, as well as on the cross-beam above, two or more pair of antithetical sentences, chosen with great care from their approved writings, and generally combining a number of lucky expressions, as well as a neatly-contrived antithesis of ideas and cognate tones. The selection of these sentences requires an amount of classical knowledge and critical acumen such as is only possessed by literary persons. All the teachers of the missionaries petitioned for a short vacation, to enable them to turn to their own pecuniary gain their respective talents in selecting and writing these antithetical sentences. The poor scholars might be seen in all directions standing at a table in some street, or at the entrance of some temple, and selling their writings for a few copper cash, the new year being the annual period for removing the old sentences and substituting new ones in their place. The paper on which they were written was of various colors, the general color, however, being of a deep red. White paper denoted that the inmates had lost a parent during the past year. The second year's mourning required blue for a father, yellow for a mother, and carnation-color for grandparents. A light-red indicated the third year of mourning; after which they reverted to the usual color of a dark-red.

Numerous proclamations, also, from the municipal authorities, appeared at this time on the walls adjoining the gates of the citadel, on various subjects of public exhortation. One of these public notices contained a warning from the district-magistrates, prohibiting constables and other subordinate officials from apprehending individuals on the sanction of old warrants, and thus seeking to take a bribe for their liberation.

Jan. 26tn.-This being the last day of the Chinese year, busy preparations were in progress for terminating business, for laying in a stock of provisions, and for celebrating the superstitious observances of the evening. In all directions companies of cooly-bearers might be seen carrying large packages of new-year presents to the friends of their master. In the various houses which we visited after sunset, the head of the establishment, attended by his sons or his partners, was to be observed balancing his mercantile accounts, and settling the debts of the year. So punctilious are the Chinese in the observance of this commendable practice, that they say they could not enjoy the festive occasion, nor sleep during the night, unless they had previously relieved their mind of this burden. The swan-pwan, or counting-board [abacus] was in constant use; and when the business seemed well-nigh terminated, and the books were about to be closed, a neighbor would hurry into the shop, and pecuniary transactions would again for a season be renewed. While these important matters were in progress, the family were engaged in burning gilt paper, with the occasional discharge of fireworks, and in making preparations for the peculiar annual custom named hwui-loo, or "surrounding the furnace." This is performed by the members of each family sitting down to a substantial supper, with a pan of charcoal placed under the table in the center of the party. The only explanation which they gave me of this odd custom was, that fire is the most potent of the elements, and hence, probably, they derived a notion of its efficacy in averting evil, or in strengthening the bonds of family union. The women observed this custom in an inner room by themselves; while the master of the house, with his sons and his hired assistants, sat down in an outer room. In one of the families, in which we were invited to remain in order to view the detailed observances of the occasion, the proprietor, a man apparently of some little wealth, sat down with his assistants, his younger son, and two little grandsons. The eldest son, a youth of about nineteen, sat near us, attending to our wants, but without partaking of the feast himself. Every minute he was on his legs, attending to the beckoning motions of his father, on whom he waited without the least appearance of its being esteemed unusual. At one time he brought a spoon, or a pair of chopsticks; at another time he fetched a paper napkin for his father's use, or refilled his glass with samshoo. The old gentleman, after a short time became silent and drowsy. But the rest of the party meanwhile increased in mirth, as they rapidly consumed the good fare placed before them. The conversation became increasingly animated, and some of the women soon entered at the farther end, and joined in the subjects of amusement. These were the secondary wives of the household, the proper wife and the daughters-in-law being never permitted to mingle in the free, unrestrained conversation with strangers which is sometimes allowed in the inferior class of female domestics. Great civility was shown to us; but we declined to partake of the feast. It was very melancholy to witness the habit of reckless lying which manifested itself so frequently in their replies, both the old man and the son showing not the least compunction or sense of shame in telling flagrant falsehoods whenever it suited their purpose. In reply to our question about one of the women present, the old man said, first, that she was an acquaintance: then, shortly after, that she was a daughter-in-law; and, at last, the plain truth came out, that she was one of his secondary wives. Not the slightest jealousy appeared to be cherished in regard to the latter class of wives, though the mistress of the family did not once make her appearance. This lower class of women are generally purchased from poor parents as domestic servants, with the liberty of degrading them to the rank of inferior wives, which practice is generally prevalent, and is considered, even by their sages, to be strictly in accordance with moral rectitude, if the proper wife has given birth to no son. The offspring of both classes of wives are considered legitimate, although the sons of concubines, in inheriting the patrimony, receive only half as much as the son of the proper wife, or mistress of the household.

The supper being ended, they next prepared for burning the small wooden frames of the lamps, which are generally kept burning in the dark interior of their houses. From the ashes which remain they profess to derive means of ascertaining the exact period of the rainy and dry seasons of the coming year, the knowledge of which is very important in a land where famine often exposes so many thousands to the danger of starvation, from the destruction of their crops. Three little frames of lamps were brought, and placed ready for lighting on the pavement. The eldest son went forth into the street, and discharged some crackers, to drive away the evil spirits, while some of the domestics folded up about a bushel of gold and silver paper into the shape of lumps of silver. The eldest son soon returned and set fire to the materials, and in about ten minutes the whole was consumed to ashes. The live embers were then carefully distributed into twelve little heaps, answering to the twelve months of the year. They were then anxiously watched, the heap which first burned out showing the most rainy month, and that which last burned out indicating the month in which there would be most sunshine and least rain. Particular attention was directed to the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh months, as the rain, if excessive in those months, would cause mildew and blight of the harvest. Acclamations of joy arose, as the second heap first died out, and predicted the greatest quantity of rain in the month when it would be most seasonable and least injurious. The fifth month was to be clear weather, and without rain. The sixth and seventh heaps, as the partially-consumed embers were left half red-hot and half black, denoted that there would be partly fine and partly rainy weather in the corresponding months. The result of the experiment seemed to give the assembled party great satisfaction, which was only slightly interrupted by our asking whether the next neighbor's heaps of consumed embers would coincide with the favorable prediction. To this they replied by begging us to mark the result in the course of the year; and also by saying that they had nothing to do with their neighbor's house. The samshoo now passed around, and we left them to prolong their festivities for an hour or two, when they retired to rest, till the booming of the midnight watch-gun roused them from their slumbers, and they hastily rose to offer each other their new-year's congratulations, and to renew their feasting.

The next morning the city authorities commemorated the new year, by assembling in a body, at dawn of day, and going forth in procession to an imperial temple in the suburb outside the north gate. There they' made nine ko-tow, or knockings of the head on the ground before a large yellow screen, which, for the occasion, occupied the place of imperial royalty. This custom is renewed also on the emperor's birthday, and denotes the most decided act of submission. It was this ceremony which the imperial officers tried in vain to extort from former British embassadors, as a token of vassalage.

Wishing to obtain a closer view of Chinese domestic life, during this period of universal holyday, I availed myself of the opportunity of accompanying one of the American missionaries on a series of calls at the houses of his more constant hearers. After visiting a few families in the immediate vicinity of our own residence, we directed our steps to the house of the old merchant, commonly addressed by the honorable title of Ta laou-yay. His house, of better exterior and larger size than the generality, enjoyed also the rare distinction of two lofty poles of honor, commonly called joss-poles, and usually placed in front of houses of mandarins and temples of the first order. These were badges of honor ceded to the old man on account of the successful literary career of his son, now absent at Peking. The room into which we were conducted was hung round with pictorial representations of landscapes and fairy scenes, and delicate specimens of calligraphy. Among the latter were two tablets, one of which was covered with the character for ¡°longevity," written in a hundred different modes; and the other with the character for "happiness," written also in several different modes. Both scrolls had a highly ornamented paper as a groundwork, and were sent as presents from Peking by his son. On the table were lying the cards of the city mandarins, sent out of compliment to his rank, and containing the usual good wishes of the season. Close to these was the new-year's state almanac, just received from the capital. On another part of the table lay a number of Christian tracts, and the Ten Commandments, with a commentary, which he said that he daily studied. He took me into an anteroom to view his son's library, consisting of about 2000 thin volumes, and occupying a book-shelf of moderate size. Returning into the larger room, he pointed me to a table at the upper end, occupying the place usually assigned to the family idols and the ancestral tablet, and bade me observe that there were no idols. Two candle-stands and a few incense-sticks still remained on this altar-table, with a cushion placed before it, on which he said that he knelt to pray, and burn incense to the one true God. I reminded him that God was present every where, and willing to receive worship in every place; and that the state of the heart was more important than posture of body or burning of incense. A beverage, made from lotus-seed and a kind of dried fruit, with sweet-meats, was now served round; during which time he made inquiries respecting my visits to the other cities on the coast of China, and the cause of my contemplated return to England. He exhorted me to trust in Providence for the restoration of my health. He passed some high-flown compliments on ourselves, and made some general remarks on the favorable opinion of the mandarins concerning the missionaries, during which he professed to repeat some recently uttered flattery of the officials respecting our integrity and benevolence. A son and a grandson stood at the entrance of the room, but did not utter a word except when the conversation was specially directed to them; whereupon they returned a modest reply, and again resumed their silent, quiet manner. He permitted us at length to take our departure.

Our next visit was to the house of an old man named Lim-pai, who had been recently reclaimed from opium-smoking. The comparative poverty of his present circumstances-the consequence of the late British war-had produced in him a fretfulness and irritability, which he had great difficulty in controlling. He was formerly a land-owner in Koo-lang-soo, and was also the proprietor of some trading junks. The arrival of the British force involved him in ruin, and he had to effect his escape across to Amoy, where, though much reduced in circumstances, he had at this time sufficient means of subsistence-his sons having become boatmen, and contributing to the support of their parent. According to the common custom every where prevalent in China, the whole family, down to the third generation, lived together in one house. Formerly he betrayed great excitement at the remembrance of his misfortunes, bemoaning his fate and the hardship of his lot. Latterly he appeared to have been softened by the exhortations of the missionaries to submit to the will of God; my companion especially, on this occasion, adverting to his own recent domestic affliction in the loss of his wife and two children, and instancing his own comfort and trust in the mercy and love of a chastening Father. The old man's spirits were gradually cheered, and he talked about various matters of local interest. Seeing on the table, at the end of the room, the usual assemblage of those emblems of superstition-the family idols on the right hand, and the ancestral tablet in its corresponding case on the left-I drew his attention to the inconsistency of this fact with his regular attendance at the chapel. I remarked also to him, that Ta laou-yay had put away his idols, and that I could have wished he had done the same. This excited the old man to say some uncharitable things of Ta Iaou-yay; in the course of which he called him an old hypocrite, and asserted that, if we could gain admission into the interim of the house, he doubted not that we should find the idols in some other room. A long conversation here took place, in which a servant who accompanied us earnestly took part, on the difficulties and obstacles in the way of removing the family idols. The old man said that he never worshiped idols, and disbelieved in such nonsense; but grandmothers, mothers, and wives were so superstitious-the members of the family, who had to be consulted and won over, were so numerous-and the domestic disturbance consequent on any rash step of this kind outraging their feelings would be so serious a matter-that he preferred peace and quietness, and was compelled to let the idols remain merely for custom's sake, although he himself never would be so foolish as to worship them.

We next visited Lim seen-sang, a man of some little property, who was engaged as teacher of one of the missionaries. His uncle held office in some distant part of the country, and had purchased for his nephew the literary degree of sew-tsai; but by subsequent perseverance in his studies, Lim had also secured, by his own personal merit, further advancement to some intermediate literary honors beyond the first degree, as about a dozen certificates on the wall intimated. His grandmother having died during the past year, etiquette required that he should remain at home, and make no visits of ceremony at the new year. The new antithetical sentences, affixed to the door-posts and above the entrance, were characteristic of the general thirst for distinction:-" May I be so learned as to secrete in my mind three myriads of volumes!" "May I know the affairs of the world for six thousand years!"

We afterward walked within the citadel, and soon arrived in a close, narrow lane, in which was situated the house of another of the teachers, Tan seen-sang, whom we found at home awaiting our visit. He had, much to our regret, incurred the expense of a little feast, to do honor to the occasion, of which we were compelled to partake. Several neighbors, chiefly women, were congregated in the court, and our host appeared rather proud of our visit.

We were introduced separately to all the denizens of the little street, who came to present their congratulations. The wife came out after a little time, and having modestly paid her respects at a distance, soon retired into an inner room. The old mother was, however, more officious, and brought out her two young grandchildren, smartly attired. She seemed to be the presiding authority in the family; and it was pleasing to observe the extreme deference universally paid to this elderly class of females. All the inmates of each family appeared to be united in the closest bonds, and to bring together their earnings to a common fund, from which they defrayed the expenses of supplying their daily wants. The old lady of the household acted in the useful capacity of nurse, housekeeper, and adviser, and exercised over the members of the family a general control, which was never resisted. Her word was law, and her influence appeared to be paramount. The teacher was a poor man, earning only six dollars a month from tuition.  He seemed, however, contented; and the old lady especially thanked my companion for his kindness to her son. When a grandmother dies, the wife then comes into her full share of influence; and the position which she holds in the family circle presents the social condition of females in China, as an anomalous spectacle of mingled degradation and independence.

A triumphal arch, under which we passed on our return, was erected by command of one of the emperors, and was inscribed with an imperial edict, instituting a certain reward or bestowal of rank on the families of widows who remained unmarried. Only the richest families are said to benefit by this act of imperial favor.

On our way we experienced some difficulty in threading our course through the crowds attracted by the feats of jugglers and mountebanks, or assembled in more orderly rows on benches to hear a public novel-reader explaining, in the vulgar dialect, from a written book in his hand. Fireworks were to be heard bursting and dispersing their smoking contents in all directions. The whole population seemed to divide their employments between feasting, firing, and gambling on this universal holyday, celebrated by one third part of the human race. For the next half month gambling, however, appeared to be the principal business. The laws being in abeyance, and their penalties ostensibly relaxed for five days against this vice, whole streets might be seen covered with gaming tables, which were kept, in some cases, by mere children, a small percentage on the stakes, or a payment according to time, being received as hire. Noisy quarrels, comparatively unusual at other times, were now to be heard in all directions. Even the temples were not exempt from the prevailing passion of the season. Long rows of gambling-stands, within the sacred precincts and close to the idols, were occupied by noisy disputants, angrily shaking their fists or exercising their voices as the falling dice disappointed their eager hope of gain.

Very different was the scene which I was privileged to witness on the afternoon of this day. I attended the service at the American missionary chapel, at which seventy persons were present, when the teacher, Tan seen-sang, read Milnes's tract on the new year, and expatiated on it with much energy, after previous preparation and instruction by a missionary at his own house. He sometimes hazarded comments of his own, which were of a rather equivocal tendency. Eyeing with great earnestness a native doctor and a Budhist priest, who bad been attracted thither by curiosity, he related to them the doctrines taught by the missionaries, and the effect produced by them on his own mind. He said that ten of his friends had banded together with himself, for the purpose of attending to these doctrines, and of worshiping God. He said that they had persevered in this course for some time, and that God had blessed them during the whole period. As an instance and proof of the latter, he mentioned that one of their number, a very old man in the city, though previously childless, had now two children by his wife, both sons. The missionary, in his turn, addressed the people, previously to inviting them to join with him in a prayer to the Almighty. At the close of his address a well-attired man entered into conversation with him, expressing his satisfaction with the doctrines which he had just heard, but saying that his mind was confused by the perplexing variety of religions, viz., the Budhist, the Taouist, and the Roman Catholic religions. He especially inquired whether we practiced fasting; in reply to which he was informed that our mode of fasting consisted not in mere abstinence from particular food, but in abstinence with a view to prayer, humiliation, and meditation, the moral state of the heart being the matter of essential importance. He was encouraged to renew his visits, and reminded of the unreasonableness of expecting to obtain an intimate knowledge of all the doctrines of the Gospel in a single hearing.

The initials
L. M. S. = London Missionary Society.
A. B. C. F. M. = American Board for Conduction Foreign Missions
A. B. B. F. M. = American Baptist Board for Conducting Foreign Missions.
Am. Ep. Ch. = American Episcopal Church
A. G. A. B. = American General Assembly¡¯s Board
C. M. S. = Church (of England) Missionary Society
E. B. M. S. = English Baptist Missionary Society.

A Narrative of an Exploratory Visit to each of the Consular Cities of China, and to the Islands of Hong Kong and Chusan, in Behalf of the Church Missionary Society, in the years 1844, 1845, 1846, by the Rev. George Smith, M.A., of Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and Late Missionary in China

New York, Harper and Brothers Publishers, 52 Cliff Street, 1847

Scanned by Dr. Bill Brown Xiamen University MBA Center

Please Help the "The Amoy Mission Project!" Please share any relevant biographical material and photos for the website and upcoming book.  All text and photos will remain your property, and photos will be imprinted to prevent unauthorized use. 

TRAVEL LINKS Favorite Fujian Sites Fujian Foto Album Xiamen Gulangyu Fujian Guides Quanzhou Zhangzhou Longyan Wuyi Mtn Ningde Putian Sanming Zhouning Taimu Mtn. Roundhouses Bridges Jiangxi Guilin Order Books Readers' Letters      New: Amoy Vampires!      Google Search

Readers'Letters

Return to Main Page

   Back to Top