A cycle of Cathay, or, China, south and north . under-god. While I was there a poet of local repute com-posed a commentary on the ritualfor his service—as an expiationfor the crime of publishing im-moral verses, and to ward off hisdreaded ^olts. In all the cities of China ex-cept Peking, idol processions arefrequent, and sometimes they aresplendid and costly. In the cap-ital they are forbidden, throughfear that they might be madeto cover an insurrection. Else-where they are occasionally pro-hibited, but for the most part they are encouraged by theofficials, as gratifying a taste for spectacles
A cycle of Cathay, or, China, south and north . under-god. While I was there a poet of local repute com-posed a commentary on the ritualfor his service—as an expiationfor the crime of publishing im-moral verses, and to ward off hisdreaded ^olts. In all the cities of China ex-cept Peking, idol processions arefrequent, and sometimes they aresplendid and costly. In the cap-ital they are forbidden, throughfear that they might be madeto cover an insurrection. Else-where they are occasionally pro-hibited, but for the most part they are encouraged by theofficials, as gratifying a taste for spectacles and tending todivert the public mind from politics. At Ningpo the mostpopular is that in honor of the dragon. An immense effigy ofpainted silk is borne by hundreds of men, whose heads are con-cealed beneath its scaly folds as they wind through the narrowstreets, presenting more the aspect of a huge centipede thanthe flying monster it is supposed to represent. This is followedby a troop of fairies floating in the air; each fairy being a liv-. THE THUNDER-GOD HURLING DEATH-BOLTS. 72 A CYCLE OF CATHAY ing girl, often of great beauty, and gorgeously attired, supportedby a framework of wires so contrived as to be invisible. Theseare followed by all sorts of objects, rare and strange. In oneinstance a pair of turkeys, borrowed from the British consul,were seen in the parade. By these shows the gods are thoughtto be propitiated, as also by theatrical performances. Everytemple is provided with a stage directly in front of the idols,which are regarded as the chief spectators; though as themeats offered to them provide a feast for the people, so theat-ricals given to the gods are enjoyed gratis by the populace. Spectators are expected to stand, as there are seldom anyseats in a temple. Whether they hsten depends, therefore, asmuch on their muscular endurance as on the drawing-powerof the troupe. Whether sung like an opera or declaimed, asusual, in a strange dialect, the play would be
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