A Journey Around the World (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XII CHINA A LAND OF SMILES March 7th Hongkong Harbor presents an interesting and lively sight viewed in the early morning activity. Chinese Junks everywhere--most of them with canvas sails, but many with sails of matting. Their prow sets rather low in the water, but the after-deck is built high, wide, and commodious, comparatively speaking, and is almost invariably the place of abode of the Chinese skipper and his family. The women share with the men the task of operating the craft, sculling with equal effectiveness the long sweeping oar at the stern. Many ships lie at anchor and alongside the docks; for crafts of all nations visit this great harbor, a gateway to East and West. The city of Hongkong (good harbor) is situated on an island of like name and of twenty-nine square miles area. It is mountainous, the granite slopes of Victoria Peak rising 1900 feet above sea level. Although within the torrid zone, and of the same latitude as Havana, Cuba, the winter climate is pleasant, warm, but not hot, and the temperature rarely below 60. The population is over a half-million (535,000), only 13,500 of which are non-Chinese. I read a surprising statement that reports the birth-rate as only one-third to one-fifth the death-rate during the years 1914 to 1917 inclusive (See Glimpse of China by the Taikansha); I had no opportunity to verify this, but it surely seems an error to me. The city extends along the shore of the island for a considerable length, has a splendid group of government buildings and likewise good commercial ones. A large export and import business is here carried on, as it is to a great extent the clearing port for Southern China in its trade with the Occident. We visited the summit of Victoria Peak, where is located...