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 . ence to the calendar. It is customary for wealthy old people,and, in fact, for some persons of all ages and classes, whenthey can afford the extra expense, to eat some particularly re-freshing and invigorating food on the recurrence of these twen-ty-four solar periods, as chicken-broth, or some tonic, as theliquor of ginseng steeped in hot water, or some other strength-ening or stimulating medicine or food. It has
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 . ence to the calendar. It is customary for wealthy old people,and, in fact, for some persons of all ages and classes, whenthey can afford the extra expense, to eat some particularly re-freshing and invigorating food on the recurrence of these twen-ty-four solar periods, as chicken-broth, or some tonic, as theliquor of ginseng steeped in hot water, or some other strength-ening or stimulating medicine or food. It has passed into akind of adage that on the occurrence of the chaik and kheone must eat something strengthening. Many seem to imag-ine that the occurrence of any of these joints and breaths isreally a very trying time for people in poor health. The de-sign of eating something strengthening at such a period isto fortify the system against any unfavorable and unhealthyinfluences which may proceed from changes in the weather atthese times. Procession in honor of the day preceding the solar term called the commence-ment of spring occurs a public procession through the prin-. PROCESSION IN HONOR OF SPRING. 21 cipal streets of the city and the suburbs in honor of some years it falls in the latter part of the twelfth month;on other years it occurs some time in the first part of the firstChinese month. For that day the prefect takes precedenceof all the higher officers in the city, although there are somesix or eight mandarins of higher rank. In accordance withthe customs relating to that single day, should either the vice-roy, or governor, or Tartar general, or the literary chancellorhappen to meet the prefect in this vernal procession, he wouldbe obliged to yield the place of honor to the latter. Such is thetheory; but such a yielding on the part of a high mandarinto a lower one seldom or never takes place, from the simplereason that the higher officials on that day ke
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookidsociallifeof, bookyear1865
