The Long White Mountain : or, A journey in Manchuria; with some account of the history, people, administration and religion of that country . nst thedynasty. When visiting Canton I saw a number ofthem practising with the bow. But they are a survivalof the past, and the Tartar general has as little realpower over Canton as the Constable of the Tower overLondon. The figures I have given do not include the banner-men still living at home in Manchuria and Mongolia,who form a reserve, to be called out in emergenciesThe official numbers of the Chinese and Manchu bannermen in Manchuria are—in Feng-ti
The Long White Mountain : or, A journey in Manchuria; with some account of the history, people, administration and religion of that country . nst thedynasty. When visiting Canton I saw a number ofthem practising with the bow. But they are a survivalof the past, and the Tartar general has as little realpower over Canton as the Constable of the Tower overLondon. The figures I have given do not include the banner-men still living at home in Manchuria and Mongolia,who form a reserve, to be called out in emergenciesThe official numbers of the Chinese and Manchu bannermen in Manchuria are—in Feng-tien, 56,000 ; in Kirin,(10,000 ; and in Hei-lung-chiang, 67,000 ; in all, 183, these statistics are very untrustworthy. Only asmall proportion of these are in active employment, 118 THE LONG WHITE MOUNTAIN the rest being militia, only called out for training atintervals. The banner corps are to this day as distinct from theChinese regular forces as the yeomanry cavalry is, orused to be, from the army in England. Their originalweapons were swords, long spears, and bows. Thelast is the Manchu weapon par excellence, and the use of. A MANCHU BOW AND ARROWS. it is still kept Many of the archers are mounted,and it is a picturesque sight to see a squadron chargepast wearing their round Tartar hats with strips offur hanging behind, their bows at their backs andquivers at their sides. The banner-men are looked upon as the flowerof the Chinese army, but on the Governments ownshowing they are, or were till a few years ago, asa force inefficient, and as an institution corrupt to adegree. The Peking Gazette of March 30, 1883,published the report of an officer charged to revisethe organisation, which in the candid Chinese fashiondiscloses the following defects. First, Chinese are in 1 The Manchu bow resembles the bow of Ulysses, which Homer callsttoKlvtovov t6£ov—that is to say, when unstrung, it springs back till the insideassumes a convex shape, which proves it a powerful w
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1888
