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 . under the wings. In one hand heholds a chisel, and in the other a mal-let. Lightning is represented as awoman, having one or two mirrors inher hands. She, in pictures, is some-times made to hold a round mirrorover her head, steadied by both of thunder and lightning are found in some temples. On the back of thunder there is saidto be « golden thread. The mirror reflects the lightning. Western
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 . under the wings. In one hand heholds a chisel, and in the other a mal-let. Lightning is represented as awoman, having one or two mirrors inher hands. She, in pictures, is some-times made to hold a round mirrorover her head, steadied by both of thunder and lightning are found in some temples. On the back of thunder there is saidto be « golden thread. The mirror reflects the lightning. Western barbarians speak of people being struck dead bylightning, whereas the philosophers of the Middle Kingdomnever make mention of people killed by lightning, but alwayskilled by thunder Good and virtuous people are neverkilled by thunder, according to the Chinese, but only the un-filled, or those who do not use with proper respect the uJivegrains as rice and wheat, or those who, in a previous stateof existence, were guilty of murder, or filial impiety, or someother wickedness for which they have not been already suffi-ciently punished, or those who do not reverence the written. /*=^^-, 302 MISCELLANEOUS OPINIONS AND PRACTICES. or printed (Chinese) characters. They imagine also that thun-der kills certain insects or reptiles which, unless thus destroy-ed in season, would in process of time become human beingsin form, or hobgoblins or elves, but with the powers and de-sires of evil spirits. When any one has been struck dead by thunder, that factis regarded as the best possible evidence that he was really abad person—bad in a Chinese sense, either in the present lifeor in some past state of being, no matter what his reputationor his manner of living in this life may have been. Hisdeath, by such an instrumentality, is viewed as irrefragableproof that he ought not to have lived any longer, and that hewas in heart a very wicked and corrupt man, whom heavenwould not permit to live on
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookidsociallifeof, bookyear1865
