Letters from the Far East . e hundredyears old, in which were numerous gilt idols in a goodstate of preservation; while beyond, were many smallrooms, in which were placed coffins of the wealthydead, awaiting a lucky day for burial. Some of thesecoffins had already been there several years, and wouldprobably remain as much longer as the priest in chargethought he could get money from the relatives topay the monthly rental of the room. In front of these coffins were placed the offeringsof food and wine, with the burning joss or small oillamp. We saw one coffin which had been brought fromAmerica,
Letters from the Far East . e hundredyears old, in which were numerous gilt idols in a goodstate of preservation; while beyond, were many smallrooms, in which were placed coffins of the wealthydead, awaiting a lucky day for burial. Some of thesecoffins had already been there several years, and wouldprobably remain as much longer as the priest in chargethought he could get money from the relatives topay the monthly rental of the room. In front of these coffins were placed the offeringsof food and wine, with the burning joss or small oillamp. We saw one coffin which had been brought fromAmerica, containing the body of a man who had diedmore than two years previous. In front of the coffinwas a large portrait of the dead man. We picked up a number of things which had beendiscarded in a room where the burial had alreadytaken place. These included a vase, which had heldthe joss-sticks, old wine-cups, some ornamental lions,and an ancestral tablet. The priest said we mighthave them, and washed them for us. He was very54. Homes of Boat People, Canton
Size: 2068px × 1209px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorevansali, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1919
