A cycle of Cathay, or, China, south and north . country palace. From the former the tour-ist could take in at a glance a scene of marvelous beauty—two seas, whose shores are fringed with the airiest forms of Ori-ental architecture. From the latter he looked down on a charm-ing lake and around on ruins of sumptuous edifices wrecked byAnglo-Gallic vengeance. In each of these picturesque spotsthe Dowager Empress Tzehi has built a palace for gratify her desire for privacy a central thoroughfare wasclosed, the people of the one side being obliged to make halfthe circuit of the city to re
A cycle of Cathay, or, China, south and north . country palace. From the former the tour-ist could take in at a glance a scene of marvelous beauty—two seas, whose shores are fringed with the airiest forms of Ori-ental architecture. From the latter he looked down on a charm-ing lake and around on ruins of sumptuous edifices wrecked byAnglo-Gallic vengeance. In each of these picturesque spotsthe Dowager Empress Tzehi has built a palace for gratify her desire for privacy a central thoroughfare wasclosed, the people of the one side being obliged to make halfthe circuit of the city to reach the other. For her alone thelotus is to bloom; and for her, pagoda and pavilion mirrorthemselves in the placid waters. What matters it to her if thefinest views are wiped from the map of the capital? Whatdoes she care if the disappointed tourist does go away lament-ing that he was born too late—or perhaps too early, say atrifle in advance of the adoption of regulations hke those thatopen to the public the abbeys and palaces of England?. GREAT WALL AND SACRED PLACES 245 Even the city wall suffers from an intermittent once heard a Chinese minister discourse to Mr. Burlingameof the change that had come over foreign life in China. Formerly, said he, you foreigners were oppressed, but nowyou enjoy more privileges than the natives. For instance, nowoman is allowed to walk on the city wall, but we know thatwhere you go your wives must. Your ladies make it a prom-enade, and we say nothing about it. While Hengki lived there was no cjuestion of access to thewall; but when the office of vice-governor fell to another, anorder was posted at all the guard-houses, saying : Foreignershave been seen walking on the wall and studying the topog-raphy of the city, a practice not on any account to be per-mitted. To me this was not pleasant reading, but to most for-eigners it meant nothing; and to the guards it only meant thatthey might demand a larger douceur for opening the st
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