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:
ry man in the neighborhood from trouble and sickness, andinsure prosperity to him in the prosecution of his businessthroughout the year just commenced. In the last month ofthe year, some committees have a ceremony performed beforethe village idol to thank him for his goodness during the yearabout to close. It is expected that every family, some time during thetwelfth month, will make an offering to the Great King, de-signed as a thanksgiving for the mercies of the year. In the country villages it is a universal custom for the vil-lagers to carry an idol of the Great King around the variousparts of the village in a procession during the first month ofevery year. This is attended with great rejoicing and display.In this city, sometimes, instead- ef an idol procession in honorof the neighborhood god, the neighborhood unite in arrangingmany things before his image and in various parts of his tem-ple designed to thank and honor him. At Tientsin, on the birthdays of some popular divinities,
Text Appearing After Image:
WALKING OX STILTS AT TIENTSIN. 249 and on other special occasions, a company of men walk onstilts through the streets in procession. Some of them repre-sent women, and all are gaudily and fantastically dressed.Each holds in his hands some utensil. They go usually in sin-gle file, singing or chanting. Occasionally one performs somestrange act, as kicking out one foot, or jumping up, or whirl-ing around, etc. They train themselves to walk along slowlyor fast with perfect ease and self-possession. The performersoftentimes are themselves members of some club or union, orare hired to perform their part in public by a club or unionconnected with the worship of idols or the practice of super-stition. Frequently immense crowds gather to witness theirperformances in procession. On the birthdays of the divinities worshiped in the neigh-borhood temple, the neighborhood is at the expense of makinga celebration in honor of them, consisting in part of the offer-ing of a large quantity of meats and

Note About Images