. An American engineer in China . untries, to which we ap-ply the term civilized. On my inland journey,when approaching a town or city, I was invaria-bly met, at some distance outside the walls, by asubofficial representing the chief magistrate, whohanded me the latters card and bade me Chinese card is a piece of thin red paper, aboutsix inches long and three wide, with the nameprinted in bold, black characters. There arefashions in cards in China as in Europe. Somehigh officials affect large cards as indicative ofrank. Other persons, when leaving cards on per-sons of position, use c
. An American engineer in China . untries, to which we ap-ply the term civilized. On my inland journey,when approaching a town or city, I was invaria-bly met, at some distance outside the walls, by asubofficial representing the chief magistrate, whohanded me the latters card and bade me Chinese card is a piece of thin red paper, aboutsix inches long and three wide, with the nameprinted in bold, black characters. There arefashions in cards in China as in Europe. Somehigh officials affect large cards as indicative ofrank. Other persons, when leaving cards on per-sons of position, use characters of microscopicsize as suggesting great inferiority on the part of 146 An American Engineer in China the caller, a very pretty compliment, but onewhose sincerity, like other compliments, is opento question. Mourning is indicated by a smallcharacter in an upper corner. On reaching myquarters, usually a temple, the local officials im-mediately called, those of junior rank merelyleaving their cards without troubling me, and. General Liu Kao-chao at Tiffin those of higher rank sending in their cards andwaiting for an interview if I desired one. Theetiquette of leaving cards and immediately re-turning calls is more rigorous than with us. Onfirst meeting with an official, conversation wasnaturally formal and stilted, but on subsequent oc-casions small-talk would flow as easily as the limi-tations of interpreting both ways would permit. Chapter IV: My Chinese Impressions 147 In some cases, where acquaintance was developedby being fellow-travellers, we found among thosepeople precisely the same spirit of companionshipthat existed among ourselves. External appear-ances and differences in environment do not affecthuman nature. General Liu Kao-chao, militarycommandant of Chang-sha, who journeyed with usfor three hundred miles, by his genial and whole-souled character caused us to part with him withdeep regrets, and his evidently unfeigned delightin his midday tipple of Scotch whi
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