File:Travels in north and central China (1902) (14782112965).jpg

Identifier: travelsinnorthce00bircuoft (find matches)
Title: Travels in north and central China
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Birch, John Grant, 1846 or 7-1900
Subjects: China -- Description and travel
Publisher: London Hurst and Blackett
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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s of a largetemple two miles from the south gate. At this fairanything and everything is sold. One part of theground was devoted to sellers of ornamental treesand flowering plants, among which I saw many largemagnolias, azaleas, camellias, orchids, solanum,shrub and pot roses, pinks and even ten-weekstocks. Another part was devoted to birds, mostlysongsters ; a large blackbird was one of the com-monest ; there were many blue jays, thrushes,larks, canaries, and a number of birds strange tome. Partridges also, and one of the great white-collared, bronze-green and blue-backed pheasants,which seemed very unhappy in a small cage withouthis three-foot tail. Wood workers had their assigned part, and itwas interesting to note some of the innumerableuses of the wonderful bamboo, which in this countryenters into the composition of almost everything. The interior of one temple and its courts werewholly given up to scroll paintings, mostly modern,very illustrative of the decadent stage of Chinese
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H 6 w Xu HZO fa CHENG-TU—MISSIONARIES, &c. 333 art. They represented impossible monsters, moregrotesque than hideous or awe-inspiring ; warriorsand sages whose passions and sentiments weresuggested by mere distortion ; simpering maidensof expressionless type ; tigers, horses, and otherbeasts portrayed without any attempt at natural-istic effect ; landscapes which were distinguishedchiefly by absence of perspective. Yet through all,the connection with Japanese art was obvious,and one could see the same evidence of the power of line work, which should be great with a peopleaccustomed to write with a brush instead of a pen,and with a free, unsupported wrist. There was,however, no beauty of form or colour, no correct-ness of drawing, no study of nature, no breadth, noperspective, no atmosphere, nor could anythingfavourable be said even from the point of view ofconventional decorative art. On March 18, I found one of my ankles painfullyswollen and tender, owing, as I supposed, to the

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