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This little book is the outcome of talks with Mrs. Bishop over some of the photographs which were taken by her in one or other of her journeys into and across China. Some of the photographs have already appeared in her published works, “The Yangtze Valley and Beyond” and “Korea and Her Neighbourhood” (2 vols., Murray). The notes were, in substance, dictated by Mrs. Bishop. It is hoped they contain some real information on the people, their surroundings, and habits which, though slight in form, may be helpful to a better understanding of a very difficult problem.

According to our newspaper press to-day, the Chinese are simply cruel barbarians. According to Mrs. Bishop, when you know them they are a likeable people—and she has formed this opinion in spite of the fact that, in their deeply-rooted hatred of the foreigners, they twice attacked her with violence. A real understanding of the people is for us, with our different modes of thought, most difficult to arrive at; but we shall not advance towards it by accepting all the evil reports and shutting our ears to the good ones. That the problem of China is, and will for some time continue to be, the most interesting question to the rest of the world is certain. The future of its people is all unknown, but there are in it possibilities which make it a terror to all other nations.

The illustrations on p. 79 and p. 81 have been transposed. The former represents “The Tablet of Confucius,” the latter, “The Altar of Heaven.”

Chinese Pictures.

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[Transcriber’s Note: this error has been corrected.]

	PAGE
The Private Entrance to the Imperial Palace, Peking	8
The Entrance to the British Legation	10
Entrance to the College of the Student Interpreters	12
The State Carriage of the British Legation	14
The Great Imperial Stone Road from Peking to Chengtu, the Capital of Sze Chuan	16
A Mule Cart	18
A Manchurian Family Travelling	20
Carriage by Bearers	22
A Traveller Arriving at an Inn in Manchuria	24
Carriage of Merchandise	26
The Mode of Carrying Oil and Wine	28
Wheelbarrow Traffic on the Chengtu Plain	30
The Wheelbarrow of North China	32
A Small Houseboat on the Yangtze Kiang	34
A Foot Boat Found in Central China	36
Hsin Tan Rapid on the Yangtze River	38
A Boat on the Min River, Used for Running the Rapids	40
Part of a Fringe of Junks or River Boats at Wan Hsien	42
The Bridge of Ten Thousand Ages, Foochow	44
A Bridge at Wan Hsien of the Single Arch Type	46
The Bridge of Mien Chuh Sze Chuan	48
A Simple Country Bridge	50
A Dragon Bridge	52
The Zig-zag Bridge of Shanghai	54
The Garden of the Guild of Benevolence, Chung King	56
A Burial Charity	58
A Baby Tower, Foochow	60
Bottle Seller and Hospital Patient	62
The Dying Coolie	64
The Mode of Sepulchre throughout Southern China	66
Coffins Kept Above Ground	68
The Temple of the God of Literature at Mukden	70
The Temple of the Fox, Mukden	72
Wayside Shrines	74
The Ficus Religiosa	76
The Altar of Heaven	78
The Tablet of Confucius	80
A Porcelain-fronted Temple on the Yangtze	82
Child Eating Rice with Chopsticks	84
Fort on the Peking Wall	86
Another Fort on the Wall of Peking	88
Colossal Astronomical Instruments on the Peking Wall	90
Chien Mun Gate	92
The Gate of Victory, Mukden	94
The West Gate of Kialing Fu	96
The West Gate of Hangchow	98
The Gate of a Forbidden City	100
Silk Reeling	102
A Typical Entrance to a House	104
The Guest Hall in a Chinese House, Wan Hsien, Sze Chuan	106
A Chinese Village	108
A Farmhouse in the Hakka Country, Southern China	110
A Market Place or Market Street in Sze Chuan	112
The Cobbler	114
Carrying Liquid Manure to the Fields	116
The Marriage Chair	118
Mode of Carrying Cash and Babies	120
A Pai-fang, or Widow’s Arch	122
Two Soldiers of Sze Chuan	124
Opium Culture Encroaching on the Rice Lands, Sze Chuan	126

A subject of considerable interest, owing to the mystery surrounding the members of the Imperial Family. The photograph was taken from the wall of the Purple or Forbidden City, in which only the Imperial Family and their entourage have the right to dwell. The building in the centre, which is roofed with yellow tiles, is supposed to be the residence of the Emperor, but where he does actually reside remains a mystery. The entrance to the Palace is through the arches in the building on the left.

The Legation is a fine old palace, which formerly belonged to a member of the Imperial Family. The photograph shows the entrance to the first courtyard. The Legation compound is very extensive, and contains several courtyards with buildings round each. It is very highly decorated, the designs shown in this picture being elaborately wrought in lacquered work of gold and colours. This is the building recently attacked by the Chinese in their attempt to destroy all foreigners, including the members of the various European Legations who took refuge with Sir Claude Macdonald.

Student interpreters are young Englishmen who enter the College to prepare themselves for the Consular Service. At eighteen they have to pass their entrance examination. They receive given posts in connection with one of the various Chinese Consulates. All our Chinese Consuls are drawn from this College. It stands within the grounds of the Legation, which is the building shown on the right of the picture.

There are practically no carriage roads in China, so that there is virtually no carriage traffic. This rough, springless cart is the only carriage drawn by animals at the disposal of the Legation.