Child life in Chinese homes . some quiet corner, wisteria, jessamine and chmbingChinese roses grow luxuriantly ; and in the autumn, the sweet scentof the Kwei-wha, or flower of the fragrant olive, is borne onevery breeze. We have stopped in our description of the house to talk aboutthe garden, which would be quite out of place if it were in England;but in China, as I said before, it is different, for houses there areoften built round the garden, instead of the garden going round thehouse. Passing on into the principal room of the mansion, which iscalled the guest hall, we find it furnished vdt
Child life in Chinese homes . some quiet corner, wisteria, jessamine and chmbingChinese roses grow luxuriantly ; and in the autumn, the sweet scentof the Kwei-wha, or flower of the fragrant olive, is borne onevery breeze. We have stopped in our description of the house to talk aboutthe garden, which would be quite out of place if it were in England;but in China, as I said before, it is different, for houses there areoften built round the garden, instead of the garden going round thehouse. Passing on into the principal room of the mansion, which iscalled the guest hall, we find it furnished vdth a large oblongdais or couch, vdth a low stand in the centre. It is placed near tothe wall of the apartment, just opposite the door. Large illuminatedscroUs are suspended on the wall in pairs, having selected passagesfrom the Chinese classics written upon them. If there is no hallset apart for the ancestral tablets, they are usually found in this either side we see elaborately carved chairs, placed in pairs opposite. 28 CHILD LIFE IN CHINESE HOMES. to each other, with a tea-stand between each. All Chinese roomsare furnished in exactly the same fashion, and when a visitor entersthe house he knows exactly in what light you regard him by theworth of the seat you press him to take. The seat of honour ison the left hand of the host. There is no fire-place in the apartment, for the Chinese have nostoves for heating rooms, though in the northern parts of the empirea broad hollow bench of brick is erected and heated by flues. Beingwithout glass windows, even on a bright day the room is dull; butwhen the handsome lanterns which are suspended from the ceilingare lighted up, it has a pretty effect. A side door, often screened bya curtain, leads into the apartments of the women, which are alwayssituated at the back of the house. Chinese doors and windows rarelyfit very closely, and the only arrangement the people have for keepingthemselves warm is to heap on jacket after jacket, a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectchildren, bookyear188
