A Yankee on the Yangtze - being a narrative of a journey from Shanghai through the central kingdom to Burma (1904) (14598494127)

Identifier: yankeeonyangtzeb00geil (find matches)
Title: A Yankee on the Yangtze : being a narrative of a journey from Shanghai through the central kingdom to Burma
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Geil, William Edgar, 1865-1925
Subjects: China -- Description and travel Yangtze River (China)
Publisher: London : Hodder and Stoughton
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



Text Appearing Before Image:
A GROUP OF I.oCAL DIETIES, CALLED TU—TI PUSA. The Birthday of this;od occur*, on the sixth of the sixth Moon, when, as in the present instance, the idols anBrought out of their temple, placid on .1 dais on the street, and Theatricals played befonhem, and in their honour. Stii-Fu, Western China xli.
Text Appearing After Image:
E x J - dii. BEGGARS IN CHINA 125 calls to an idol and announces the name of the en-quiring woman, saying, Certain, certain, come back ;that is, she is calling back the soul. The old hagthen uses paper money, wraps it around an egg, liftsit up and down, making grimaces and uttering weirdand uncanny groans, moans, and hysterical exclama-tions ; and then throws the egg into the fire. When,after a time the egg bursts, the witch takes it out andlooks at the shape of it. If it resembles a pig she says, Your soul has already gone into a pig, but has nowreturned in this shape. The sick person eats the egg,and the soul is back in the body again ! Nothingcould be simpler than that. The Chinese say thateach person has three souls, and when one is lost heis only one-third dead ; on the return of that soul heis complete again. When I had an opportunity of visiting the Fatherand Mother of the city, and the prisons, I hadwith me Mr. Forest-of-Righteous-Fields, who is aBachelor of Arts, occupies a p