ASIA 
 
(50tn0ll HntttetBtty ffiihtatg 
 
 Mitata, Htm fork 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 CLASS OF tB76 
 
 1918 
 
Cornell University Library 
 GR 335.D41 
 
 3 1924 023 266 293 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023266293 
 
THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
fBIHTEO AT THE "CHIHA HAIL" OrFIOE, HOHeiONCt. 
 
THE 
 
 FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 AND ITS AFFINITIES 
 WITH THAT OF THE ARYAN AND SEMITIC RACES. 
 
 N. B. DENNYS, ph.d., f.r.g.s., 
 
 U.a.A.S. } AUIHOB OF "A HANDBOOK Or THE CANTON YEKKACDLAIt," &0, 
 
 " Vhus ubrigue errors sed variis illudit po/rtibus" 
 
 — HOEAOB. 
 
 liONDON: 
 
 TKtTBNEK AND Co., 57 & 59, LUDGATE HILL. 
 
 HOISrGKiONG: 
 
 "CHINA MAIL" OFFICE. 
 [All rights Reserved.'] 
 
Entered at Stationers^ Sail. 
 
To 
 REAR ADMIRAL 
 
 The Hon. FRANCIS EGERTON, m.p. 
 &c., &c., &c. 
 
 A SLIGHT TOKEN OP THE EESPECT AND ORATITUDE 
 OF THE AUTHOE, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The following compilation consists of a series of 
 Articles contributed to tlie China Review, and now repub- 
 lished with a few additions and corrections. Of their many 
 defects no one is more sensible than the author, who has 
 moreover necessarily been debarred from access to numerous 
 authorities which a residence at home would have placed 
 within his reach. It is nevertheless hoped that this slight 
 contribution to a better knowledge of Chinese popular be- 
 liefs, arranged as it is in a more compendious form than was 
 hitherto accessible, will find some favour. 
 
 The author desires to express his obligations to the' 
 Eev. J. Chalmers, m.a., and to Mr, Christopher T. Gardner, 
 of H.M. Consular Service, Canton, who very kindly placed 
 valuable manuscript notes at his disposal. Most of his 
 numerous obligations to previous publications are acknow- 
 ledged in the foot-notes. 
 
 N. B. D. 
 
 Hongkong, November, 1876; 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTEODUCTOEY. 
 
 Attention of Late Bestowed on the Study of Folk-lore — China Presents a most Interest- 
 ing Field of Enquiry — Little as yet Done to bring together what is Known upon 
 the SubjS^— Smilarity between Chinese aad" Western ^ BeEgBa-Onr Own Eecent 
 Emancipation ''ftom~Buprstitim — The Myth-making Faculty Common to all Man- 
 kind ^Previous A llnsiona to Chinese Folk-lorlt5Airangementa of Subjects— -Chi- 
 nese Folk-lore ExtenBiv^^SbsWeDerivation from the Cra^e^^rf__a:e__Ar^an 
 Baces — Importance of Popular Beliefs in Chinese Estimation pp. 1-8. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 BIRTH, MARRIAGE, AND DEATH. 
 
 Superstitions as to Day and Hour of Birth— Practices to Ascertain Sex of Expected 
 
 Child — Frightening Away Demons — Three Children at a Birth Binding the 
 
 Wrists — Cutting the Cord of the Feet — Rocking an Empty Cradle — Ceremonies 
 after Birth — ^Worshipping the Measures — Superstitions as to Marriages — Wed- 
 ding Rings — Betrothal Ceremonies — Using the Sieve — Rubbing the Bride's Feet — 
 The Marriage Veil — Worshipping Heaven and Earth — Shears, Honey cfcc. — Bridal 
 Candles — Lucky Numbers at Weddings — Bride Cake or Bread — Touching the 
 Threshold — Shoes — Sitting on the Dress — ^Death — Purchase of Coffins before- 
 hand — Burial Clothes — "Saining" a Corpse — Cash from the Corpse's Sleeve — 
 Reversing the Body — Opening the Roof — White and Black Cocks — Watching 
 Spirits — Watching the Dead — Clothes, Arms, Food, ifcc, for the Dead — Offer- 
 ings after Death. — Throwing Earth upon the Coffin — A Lucky Place for a Grave — 
 White the Mourning Colour — Aversion to Disturbing a Grave, pp. 8-27. 
 
 CHAPTER III, 
 DAYS AND SEASONS. 
 Lucky and Unlucky Days— The Chinese Sabbath— Persian Derivation— Congratula- 
 ting the Moon — Unlucky Days in Each Month— Tabular Arrangement of Ditto- 
 New Year's Day— <rhe "First Foot"— St. Swithun's Day in China— An Ob- 
 scured Moon, PP- 27-32. 
 
II CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, LUCKY NUMBERS, AND DREAMS. 
 
 Upsetting the Oil Jar— Crows, Magpies and Ducks— Dogs and Cats— Crowing 
 Hens— Swallows— Owls— Setting an Even Number of Eggs— Superstitions as 
 to Mirrors— Crooked Paths— Eclipses, Comets, and Stars — Bella — Drawing 
 Water at Certain Hours on a given Date — Omens of Personal Sensation, Itching, 
 Shivering, Sneezing &c.— A Shaky Finger-Trousers— Sitting in a Warm Chair — 
 Meeting a Funeral or Coffin — People with Joined Eyebrows— Itching of the Palm 
 and Specks on the Nails— The First Words heard after making a Resolution- 
 Casting Lots Lucky Numbers, 3, 5, and 7 — Numerical Categories — Even 
 
 Numbers, Lucky — Chinese beliefs as to Dreams — Comparison of Chinese and 
 Japanese Superstitions as to Dreams pp. 33-45. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS, AND DIVINATIONS. 
 
 Attempted Cure of Diseases by Charms and Incantations — Magic Mirrors — Fire- 
 Crackers as Charms — Exorcising the Spirit of an Executed Criminal Firing 
 
 Cannon at the Pei-ho — Shooting Arrows at a Tidal Wave — Iron Plates Sunk 
 as Charms — Anti-Demoniacal Powers of Certain Woods — The Bamboo, Peach, 
 Willow and Plum — Charms Affixed to Buildings — Coffin NaUs — Cats in Clay as 
 
 Charms — Stone Lions — £!oins under Door Sills — Cash Swords — Triangles The 
 
 "Evil Eye" — The Svastica or Thor's Hammer — The Eight Diagrams — Arrows 
 on the Roof — Stone Slabs — Red Cloth — Murderer's Knives, the Classics and 
 Fishing Nets &c.— Drawings of Reptiles or Animals— Taking a Hair of the Dog 
 that Bit You — Lustrations by Spittle — Characts or Written Charms Red and Yel- 
 low, Lucky Colours — Ashes of Burnt Paper Charms taken in Tea, &c. — Amulets — 
 Lucky Cash — Look and Hook Amulets — Bells as Amulets — Divinations — Divin- 
 ing Sticks — Spirit Rapping — Somnambules or Media — Form of Incantation—. 
 Divination by Willow-wood Images — Mesmerism — Chinese Sortes Virgiliance — 
 Divination by Paper Slips — Trained Birds — Chiromancy or Palmistry — Physio- 
 gnomy — Divination by Leaves, pp. 45-63. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 SUPERSTITIONS AS TO VARIOUS SUBJECTS. 
 
 The Hare and Its Attributes— Discovery of Drowned Bodies— Casting Salt into the 
 Water—The last Piece left upon a Plate— Peng-shui— Value of Human Blood and 
 Flesh as Medicinal Aids— CMuese Cannibalism and its Reason— Blood Bread Sold 
 at Peking after Executions- Blood of Unborn Infants— Restorative Propertiea 
 of Human Flesh— Ancient Bain Stones— Gymnastics ; Curious Belief as to Effects 
 of Practising Them— Bridges and the Beliefs Concerning Them— Curing Swellings- 
 How to Prevent Water from BoiUng over and Eggs from Cracking— Cinnebar and 
 Vermilion as Antidotes to Sickness ^uperstitions ".p io t,1"- li ' » m ,.l» " .jn^ip l n ami 
 Silkworms- Signs by Corpses if Dissatisfied pp. 64-71. 
 
CONTENTS. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 GHOSTS, APPiftllTIONS, AND SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. 
 
 Prominent Part played by Ghosts on the Chinese Stage— The False Ghost at Chinkeang 
 
 Chinese Terms for Ghosts ; Their Shapeless Form — Candles Burning Green in the 
 
 Presence of Ghosts— Apparition at Shanghai— The Ghost from the S. S. Fusing 
 
 The Poochow Gnn-boat Ghost— Ghosts of Suicides and of Women who Die in 
 Child-bed— Ghosts of Murdered People— Haunted Houses— Sanding Floors to 
 Detect Ghostly Visitants— Intelligence of Ghosts— Pauper Ghosts- The Shen of 
 Offence— The Ghost in a Chinese Farce— Idol Ghosts— Ghosts Permitted to Re- 
 visit the Earth — Charms against Malevolent Ghosts — Animal Ghosts pp. 71-79. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY. 
 
 ^^ti^uity of Witchc raft in Chmg i— Witches not Persecuted in China — Summoning 
 Genii — Chinese Ideas of Genii — Taoistic and Confucian Opinions respecting them — 
 Celebrated Genii — Isles of the Genii — Clay Images of Persons whom it is desired to 
 Injure— Paper and Feathers as used by Wizards — The Mao-shan and Shan-ching- 
 kwei — Demon Monsters — Taoistic Chiefs of the Genii — People possessed by 
 Spirits — " Devil Dancers " — Reputed Powers of Christian Converts as Exorcists — 
 Charm against Witches — Cats and Witchcraft — Hares, &c. — Tigers — Carp, &c. — 
 Dragons-^Foxes and De monology— Curious Fox Storieg— F"v MyfTm or>.or.j.f^)| |,||p 
 American Indians and Japanese — Stones possessed by Spirits, pp. 79-96J 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ELVES, FAIRIES, AND BROWNIES. 
 
 Chinese Ideas regardingi;,3!SJ4^J^;^=*'^"7 HauntS;;^Storm Fiends — Rip jsa -Wfisfcte 
 LegendB~ainJ>sFairies — The Fairy Home ^Browniea — Jhe Sftan-sao-^Stealing the) 
 Fairy Dress=J'airy Flies and Bees — Chinese Kelpies — The Goddess MTfisTalaoo 
 of the Moon Fairy Tales — The word Shen and its meanings, >..pp. 97-102. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS, AND MONSTERS. 
 
 The Serpent and Universal Legend — Healing Qualities of Serpents' Flesh — Human Bein gs 
 a ssuming Ser peTit form — Britiah Parallels — The Fuhkien Snake Story — Serpent 
 Worship and its Temples — Serpents as River Gods —Precious Stones in the Heads of 
 Serpents — The Snake and the Butcher's Block — Dragons and their Serpent Origin — 
 Serpent Worship in India and China — Five-Clawed Dragons — British Dragons — 
 Chinese Description of the Dragon — River^cagona=JlflmesticJDragon WorsMj— . 
 
 Ah T seung and the Bob-tailed Dra^on- ^Cbiaese V erBionj)f_St^jGeorge and tbn 
 
 Drago&y— The Phoenix and Unicom — The Blood-yielding Baboon — Sea Serpents 
 ^d Strange Fish5^Meimai3s"aiidTIfeSr Original Hfflfi^ — Popular Beliefs respecting 
 the Straits of Hainan, .~..... !^..';.~.T....'..r. pp. 102-115, 
 
IV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE. 
 The Sun, Moon and Stars, and Beliefs regarding them— The Lunar Goddess, Frog, Toad, 
 Hare, &c. — Planetary Influences— Cosmical Phenomena and Native Records — The 
 " Old Man of the Moon"— The Goddess of the Moon— The Lunar Hare and its 
 Legend — The Moon and Tides — The Sun and Chinese Beliefs regarding it — Stars 
 and Planets, Chinese Legends respecting them — The Mirage— Meteors and their 
 Portentous Attributes — Thunder and Lightning — The God of Fire — A Peking 
 Legend — " Fire Pigeons " — Mountains and their Presiding Divinities — Legends 
 respecting the Formation of Islands — The Rain God and his Misdeeds — A would-be 
 " Rain-priest " — Superstitions as to Tides — Earthquakes — Natural Hairs — Blood 
 from the Sky — The Legend of Lake Man — Emission of the Chiao — Blood from 
 the Earth — Dragons and Waterspouts — Human Beings Transformed into Stone — 
 A Fall of Chinese Manna pp. 115-128. 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, <feo. 
 
 Numerous Legends current amongst the Chinese — The Yongtsze and Yellow Eiver-^ 
 
 The Entrance to Purgatory — The Demons of Teng-chow Imprisoned Genii— 
 
 The Golden Cup of Hercules and Pei-tu— The Valley of the White Deer_Spirita 
 of the Gorges— Transformed Dogs— The Source of the Hwang Ho— Mountain of 
 the Genii — The Legend of the Bell— Pro patria mori—A Chinese Ali Baba— 
 The Loadstone — Magic Tombs — Good Deeds Rewarded — ^Words Engraved upon 
 
 the Heart^'unch and Judy Shows and their Origin— legendary Origin of Tea 
 
 Origin of the Cocoa-nut — Mercury and the Philosopher's Stone The Judgment 
 
 of Solomon— Magic Bread— The Swan Maidens and a Lewchewan Legend Use 
 
 of Household Tales and Legends for Comparative Purposes-Chinese Story 
 Radicals, pp. 129-145. 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE. 
 
 Chinese Fables numerous — Absence of Native Collections of Fables — Indo-Chinese 
 
 Fables — Mr. Thom, and his Translation of ^sop The Earliest Chinese Fable 
 
 Comparative Antiquity ofvthe Fable in China and Greece The Cat and the Mice 
 
 Offering a White Pig— Men and Snakes— The Ass and the Oxen— The Tiger and 
 
 the Monkey, Ass, Fox, &o — The Geese and the Tortoise — The Brother's Boots 
 
 The Crows and the Owls— The King and the Mill Horses — Borrowing Trouble 
 
 The Blind Man and the Lame Man — The Folly of Avarice Proverbs, their 
 
 Extensive Use in China— Writings of Messrs. Lister and Scarborough— A Com- 
 parison of well-known Chinese and English Proverbs— The Chinese word for 
 "Heaven" — Conclusion pp_ 14.6-156. 
 
 Ebbatum. 
 In the footnote, page 84, the paragraphs quoted are wrongly attributed to Mr. C. T. 
 Gardner. They are by an unknown writer in a Shanghai journal. 
 
THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 I.— INTKODUOTOEY. 
 
 The fl3()teation which has of late been attracted to the study of European and 
 Asiatic folk-lore happily renders unnecessary any apology for an effort to bring to 
 the knowledge of English readers the vast, and as yet almost unworked, field of 
 which it is the design of these pages to treat. The numerous and in many cases 
 able works recently published have not only placed at the disposal of students a 
 vast mass of facts bearing on the science, but have so fully vindicated its claims 
 to the consideration of the ethnologist and philologist, that any introductory 
 essay in the same direction is unnecessary. The labours of Professor Max Muller, 
 the Brothers Grimm, Baring Gould, Kuhn, Kelly, Thorpe, Dasent, Wilson, Ralston, 
 and Spence Hardy, of Muir, Bleeke, and others, have satisfactorily paved the way 
 for successors in the field. The widespread traditions of the Aryan family, down 
 to the homely superstitions of our own peasantry, the myths of Ooeanica and the 
 popular tales of Scandinavia, have alike received illustration, and often erudite 
 comment from capable pens. In endeavouring to do for the folk-lore of China 
 what has been so well done for that of other countries I shall in one respect enjoy 
 an exceptional advantage. No serious attempt has yet been made to prove its 
 kinship with the familiar beliefs of the Aryan races ; and the following pages 
 may therefore claim, on .the score of novelty alone, an attention which might 
 otherwise be denied them. 
 
 That a population so enormous as that which owns the nominal sway of 
 the Dragon Throne — ^variously estimated at from. 250,000,000 to 400,000,000 
 — shoiild present a field of most interesting enquiry, is less strange than that so 
 few enquirers should as yet have essayed to explore it. The extreme diffloultiea 
 of the language and the fact that few who study it for even conversational 
 purposes do so except for a specific end, and to fulfil some defined duty, have 
 doubtless mainly contributed to this state of affairs. Whatever the cause, how- 
 ever, the fact remains that the folk-lore of the oldest and most populous nation of 
 
2 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 the globe, lioh in the traditions of a period to which modern history is but a thing 
 of yesterday, has been hitherto almost ignored by even the most successful 
 students of Chinese. Those least acquainted with the people and their customs 
 need not be assured that in China, as in most other parts of the world, there are 
 certain subjects regarding which quaint and curious superstitions, beliefs and 
 practices obtain amongst the populace. Unlike the civilized nations of Europe 
 and America, however, China numbers amongst believers in the truth of these 
 superstitions a vast public of some pretensions to education — such as it is — 
 and of social position in the eyes of their countrymen. The doings of every 
 Chinaman, from Emperor to coolie, are affected and guided by astrological 
 portents, divinations, etc., in wliich even the more highly educated, who affect to 
 despise them, place a practical trust. The half-cynical disbelief of the mandarin 
 and literate, becomes iirm conviction in the peasant ; and China presents the 
 now-a-days singular spectacle of an entire nation, numbering over three hundred 
 millions of souls, whose everyday life is framed to meet the exigencies of a puerile 
 system of superstition. 
 
 It must not, however, be supposed that these superstitious beliefs differ to 
 any material extent from those current amongst humanitj- elsewhere. The 
 variations will be found to lie rather in detail than in principle ; and just as 
 white replaces black for the mourning colour, but leaves untouched the custom 
 of adopting a special costume as a sign of grief, so it will be found that a varia- 
 tion or even apparent contradiction in the beliefs we are about to deal with are 
 in like manner the outcome of motives common to the inhabitants of almost all 
 countries alike. Thus, the Scottish custom of opening the windows of the room 
 in which a person has died, to give the soul free egress, is, in some parts of 
 China, paralleled by the practice of making a hole in the roof. The Lancashire 
 superstition as to the "first foot" on New Year's Day finds its Chinese coun- 
 terpart in the dislike expressed to meeting a woman or a Buddhist priest under 
 such conditions. I forbear to here enlarge upon such agreements in superstition, 
 as they will be found treated of at length in the following pages. The one grand 
 distinction between Chinese and European folk-lore lies, as above intimated, in 
 the different powers they exert over the respective communities. In the one ease 
 it is either a matter only of amused indift'erence or of interested research to all 
 but the lowest classes of the population. In the other it represents an all- 
 pervading system of regulations believed in or complied with by liigh and low 
 alike. "We must not, however, forget at how very recent a date we, who now 
 pride ourselves on our civilization and enlightenment, were emancipated from 
 the thraldom of similar and equally oppressive beliefs. To turn foj; a moment to 
 the page of western history, we find that the belief in omens, divinations, &c,, 
 has, ever since the earliest times, influenced communities beside whom we incline, 
 with somewhat undue arrogance, to term the Chinese "barbarous."' St, 
 Chrysostom and many of the early fathers inveighed against popular supersti- 
 tions in no measured way. In the eighth century we find a Council of Church 
 dignitaries. Pope Gregory III., Charlemagne and his successors, and the abbots 
 and bishops of Scotland and France, vehemently denouncing beliefs similar in all 
 
IWTRODUCTOKT. 8 
 
 respects to tliose iu vogue in China. The great Martin Luther himself believed 
 in superstitions as gross as any recorded.* We turn with abhorrence from the 
 story of Matthew Hopkins, the witoh-finder, and cannot forget that, almost 
 within the memory of our own great grandfathers, the Puritans of the New 
 World outvied in their superstitious bigotry the worst absurdities recorded in 
 Chinese annals. It is well to recall these matters to mind, because the enlighten- 
 ment of the present day is apt to sneer too unreservedly at the blind gropings 
 after truth of less favoured races. The popular folk-lore of Norway, Germany 
 and Britanny presents features quite as- quaint as those we shall come across in 
 dealing with their Asiatic congeners. 
 
 Nor, when we leave the domain of what we may tenmi domestic folk-lore- 
 superstitions a« to da3'3 and seasons, charms, omens, lucky numbers, &c., — and 
 ascend to that of myths and legends, is the parallelism between Chinese and 
 Aryan belief less striking and interesting. We miss of course all that can be 
 traced to Christianity; but the powers of nature have appealed as strongly to 
 the wonder and dread of the sons of Han as they did to the races of whom we 
 ourselves are the successors and heirs. " Language," says a recent writer, 
 "in its immature phases, has created, without any conscious exercise of imagina- 
 tion, most of the old-world, pathetic legends, which, different garbs notwith- 
 standing, meet ub like familiar friends in th« early records of nations so widely 
 divergent that it would be hard to discover any other trace of kinship.'' I will' 
 not here pause to ask how fully this applies to Chinese. The myth-making 
 faculty is in any case the common heritage of mankind ; and narrow as are the 
 limits within which it has been exereised by the CMnese, and grotesque as are 
 the forms assumed by its productions, they evidence the same yearning to 
 idealise the mysterious powers of the imiverse, the same poetic faculty, if more . 
 rudely expressed, as has characterized mankind since the Chaldean astrologers 
 kept their lonely vigils, and found in the star-studded heavens materials for the 
 mythic beliefs of the long-forgotten past. 
 
 In view then of the interesting and almost limitless field of research pre- 
 sented by the superstitious beliefs of nearly a third of the human race, it is, as 
 I have said, more than remarkable that no one has yet essayed the task of com- 
 piling some record of their peculiarities. Scattered allusions to them undoubtedly 
 pervade a large number of recent contributions to our better knowledge of China, 
 while certain subjects have been dealt with more at length — in some cases with 
 much ability. Mr. T. Watters has struck a rich vein of curious information in 
 his articles on Chiuese notions respecting Pigeons, Doves, and Foxes ; while Mr. 
 Stent, in bis paper on Chinese Legends, has given some interesting examples of 
 
 , * Luther himself beUeved in the existence pressed his belief in, among other tradi- 
 
 of a stone (the tetita), which superstition tious, the following — that three toads 
 
 gave out was to be found in eagle's nests, spitted on a stick extracte'el poison from 
 
 and which possessed the power of detect- wounds ; that the swan sang sweetly before 
 
 ing thieves ! It is not, we imagine, ge- death ; that the electors of Germany could 
 
 nerally known that Luther was grossly touch for the scrofula, and that the 38th 
 
 superstitious — but he was. It is, we think, year of man's life was one of peculiar 
 
 in the Colloquia MensaWa, edited by Lau- danger to him.— Englishman. 
 terbach, that Luther is said to have ex- 
 
4 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 the romances or tales which are current among the Chinese. As Mr; Stent saysj. 
 almost every place in China has some legend attached to if, the whole constitut- 
 ing a mass of material for collectors of folk-lore; not only interesting from its owns 
 quaintness, but useful for comparison with the legends of other' nations.* Mr., 
 Eingsmill's discussion of the mythical origin of the- Chow Dynasty, Dr; Eitel'S' 
 account of tlie ciwious Budidhist fahle which includes the- Hwang-ho among the- 
 sacred rivers- flo-wdng from the ffinralayao' Lake, and Mr: Mayers's sketch of the- 
 rise and growth of the cult of the- god of Literature in China-, all' contain curious 
 and suggestive- matter on this head. They deal however' onfy -with portions of 
 the subject. 
 
 A writer in the year 1798 remarked that "the'study of popular' antiquities; 
 (of which- folk-lore- is an important bsanch) though the materials of it lie so widely 
 diffused, and indeed seems to obtrude themselves upon every one's attention, does- 
 not appear to have engaged so miuch the notice of enquirersinto human life audi 
 manners as might have been expeetedr" But the- last seventy years- have wit- 
 nessed an activity in this directiott which would allow of the formation of a small 
 library of works dealing, only with such matters. It is time that China were- 
 added- to the list of countries- whose folk-lore has been- recorded- for comparative 
 purposes. And any shortcomings of execution on the part of the present writer 
 'will,, it is hoped,., be condoned- on the bcom of i'bs. being the first attempt to deal, 
 systematically with the vast array of material at disposal. 
 
 Any arrangement of subjects is of course arbitrary ; but I shall endeavour' 
 to follow what seems to me the most natxiral order of sequence; and I must here- 
 be pardoned for devoting a short space to explaining what I conceive that order- 
 to be. The unstudied- arr-angement of many able works on European folk-lore,, 
 although perhaps adding additional charm to their perusal on the- part of the- 
 general reader, somewhat militates against their' use- for handy reference by those- 
 -who care to study themifor the sake- of comparison. It is therefore much to be- 
 desired that some general system* could: be agreed upon by those who caie to make 
 this entertaining subject a matter of serious research. With some diffidence I 
 adopt au arrangement which deals in the fiirst instance with superstitions personal 
 to the individual, such as those relating to birth, marriage and death — .supersti- 
 tions which we find equally disseminated amongst the most degraded and the- 
 most civilized peoples of the earth. To these succeed the beliefs accorded to the- 
 good or evil luck attaching to days or seasons. Next to them^ come the credence- 
 placed in lucky numbers, portents, auguries and dreams, succeeded; by the po- 
 pular beliefs in charms, apelts-and di-vinations. These are followed by accounts; 
 of popular superstitions — such as those relating to drowned men, the last piece of 
 edible left upon a plate, the virtues of hximan blood, &c. Entering the domain- 
 of the more technically snpematuial, hnt stUl dealing -with beliefs immediately- 
 affecting the happiness or misery of mankind, we come to witchcraft and' 
 demonology, — sprites, elves and fairies, such as those who, to quote a native- 
 composition, "come in clouds and go in nrist;" who make use oi "grass that 
 -when cut makes horses, or beans that when scattered become fighting men."t 
 " See Report N. G. B.H.A.S., 1873. + 'Wade's Wen ta pien,. Ch. xviii. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 5 
 
 Ghosts and apparitions are naturally connected with the foregoing. The next 
 section refers to dragons, serpents, fabulous animals, and monsters, which play- 
 as important a part in the popular legends of China as in those of Christendom. 
 Long before our patron saint St. George slew the monster so long depicted on the 
 now extinct five-shilling piece, a doughty Chinese champion (a lady, by the 
 way) had performed a similar feat, and had been also embalmed in popular 
 memory ; while the snake, regarded with not less awe as an incarnation of the 
 supernatural in China than in Europe, figures conspicuously in her legendary 
 lore. Natural phenomena, such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, &c., which I 
 next deal with, have naturally, here as elsewhere, been attributed to supernatural 
 infl.uence from time immemorial. Legends form the next division of our subject, 
 commencing with those of locality ; for the hills and vales of Cathay have their 
 haunted spots, and its cities too have their haunted hou-ses. Legends of Locality 
 and Household Tales conclude this branch of the subject, a selection of the best 
 known, and those of an essentially popular nature, being alone given. Fables 
 and Proverbial Lore complete the series ; but the latter has been too f uUy dealt 
 with in separate works and essays to render more than passing reference to its 
 characteristics necessary. 
 
 Briefly tabulated, then, the Chapters wiU be arranged in the following 
 order : — 
 
 A — SuPERSTITIOIfS AS TO PBESONAl FOKTUNE. 
 
 Birth, Marriage, Death. 
 
 Days and Seasons. 
 
 Portents, Auguries, Dreams, Lucky Numbers. 
 
 Charms, Spells, Amulets and Divinations. 
 
 B^SoT^ESXITIOlfS AS TO VAEIOTJS SUBJECTS. 
 
 C — StJPEESTITIONS INVOLVnfG THE nSTTEEFEBBNOE OE StrPEENATITEAL POWEES. 
 
 Ghosts, Apparitions and Supernatural Beings, 
 
 Witchcraft and Demonology, 
 
 Elves, Fairies and Brownies. 
 
 Serpents, Dragons, Fabulous Animals and Monsters. 
 
 Superstitions regarding the Powers of Nature. 
 
 -D — LEGENBAET FOLK-IOEE. 
 
 Legends of Locality, Household Tales, ^c. 
 E — Fabies and Peoveebiax Foie-ioee. 
 
 That it is difB.cult in all cases to draw the precise line in classification, those 
 who have paid any attention to the subject will readily understand ; and the 
 most that can be done is to adopt some system which, however faulty, is handy 
 for reference. 
 
 The word " Folk-lore " can be applied to many of the domestic traditions of 
 China only as a matter of literary convenience. The word which, according to 
 Mr. Kelly, was invented (or rather first used in its generic sense) by the late 
 
6 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 editor of Notes and Queries* is indeed the only one in the language which 
 satisfactorily expresses the subject of which it treats, and has met with general 
 acceptance. But there is this difference between most of the folk-lore of the 
 Aryan races and that of China. In the former case it chiefly relates to legends 
 and superstitions handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth ; 
 in the latter it necessarily includes much that is to be found in print at every 
 native bookstall. Old Moore's and Zadkiel's Almanacks represent this sort of 
 literature in England, but do not of course contain a tithe of what is current 
 amongst the people. In China such literature flourishes like a rank weed, to the 
 partial destruction of aught else more useful and ennobling. In addition to 
 these native "authorities," a vast amount of material relating to the subject is 
 to be found in the columns of the foreign and native newspapers. The aid thus 
 afforded has been fully availed of in the following chapters, though it must not 
 of course be supposed that there does not also exist a large amount of veritable 
 lore, a knowledge of which has been perpetuated in the ordinary conversational 
 way. The cheapness of the press has indeed proved in China a powerful help in 
 preserving much that might otherwise have died out. The precise form of any 
 superstition can therefore be frequently traced, thanks to this conservative 
 element, and differing versions of popular myths are easily referred to their true 
 origins. 
 
 It do es not appear that the great teachers of China have done much, except 
 in an i ndirect way, to encourage popular superstitions. But faint references — 
 and those chiefly to ceremonial matters — -are to be found in the classics, nor does 
 popular belief credit Confucius, Mencius, Lao-tzii, and others with more than 
 inferential approval of the superstitions current in their own day. The principle 
 of filial reverence for age has probably contributed more than anything else to 
 imbue the aiinds of the people with a respect for anything, from a porcelain bowl 
 to an aphorism or proverb, which savours of antiquity ; and folk-lore shares with 
 ethics the benefits of the national bias. As regards details, the folk-lore of China 
 is much the same as that of Europe, with here and there some unexpected con- 
 tradictions. Many of these superstitions are, and of course must be, equally 
 childish, whether finding their home in a Cornish hamlet or a Chinese town; 
 but it is none the less interesting to find that they often exist in almost 
 identical shape in places so far asunder. To the mind of the present writer 
 they convey faf deeper assurances of a common origin between differing races 
 than the often untrustworthy resemblances of isolated words in their respective 
 tongues. 
 
 It wiU probably be found that the theory which refers the greater portion of 
 the folk-lore of Europe to the Oriental cradle of the Aryan races, from whence 
 it was disseminated by their migrations westward, is equally applicable to the 
 folk-lore of China. The first-named supposition has been ably supported by Kelly 
 and his brother workers, and if, as is believed, equally strong grounds can be 
 shewn for adopting the second, a contribution of some importance to ethnology, 
 
 * Kelly's Indo-European Traditions and Folk-lore, Preface, p. ix. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 7 
 
 and indirectly to philology, will have been made. And it is difficult, when the 
 d omestic sup er stitions jof_ScotlaiuLjaE-tb&-tale8-ttf New Kngland. witchcraft, the 
 drear legends of Iceland or the myths of JThuriagia are found to be almost iden- 
 ticaJ^mtlO'eTiefs TrOStie-known.illiiBaT'^ — when the almond-eyed mother of 
 Kwangtung is found repeating to her offspring the mystic nonsense uttered by 
 her Hindoo or Turkish sister, as she too, under other skies, listens to the prattle 
 of childish tongues — ^it is, I say, difficult to deny that a strong case has been made 
 out for a common fount whence the folk-lore of at least two continents has flowed 
 Eastward and Westward in ever-accumulating streams. I need not here refer 
 to such essentially related peoples as the Japanese, Tibetans, Mongolians, &c., 
 whose superstitions are so analogous to those of the Chinese as to be fairly 
 classed under the same head. Such information as has been available respecting 
 them, wiU be found collated in its proper place. 
 
 I have slightly touched in a preceding paragraph upon the unusually wides- 
 pread belief accorded in China to signs and omens, legends, charms, &c., and a 
 passing remark as to the extent to which this belief obtains may not be out of 
 place. The Court of China, like courts elsewhere, sets the fashion in this as 
 in other matters, and both the marriage of the late Sovereign and the recent 
 accession of the new infant Emperor has afforded an apt illustration of how 
 thoroughly superstition is interwoven with the political system of the country. 
 Thus, at the marriage of Tung-chi with Ah-lu-te, the young lady received 
 amongst the bridal gifts ten pieces of green and white jade called jm-«* — " Heart's 
 delight." They were of mystic import, being supposed to possess the power of 
 conferring joy andhappiness on their owner. t The lucky days for the various 
 ceremonies were fixed by the court astrologers, and nothing was done without- 
 reference to their predictions. Such phrases as "so and so being a lucky day. 
 His Imperial Majesty will proceed &o.," are of constant occurrence in the court 
 circulars. But the burdens laid upon the august inhabitants of the " Forbidden 
 City " are but light compared to those borne by the rest of the people. Whether 
 it be to build a house or assume office, to marry a wife or open a school, to set 
 out on a journey or complete a bargain, nothing can be done by any Chinese 
 without reference to Geomancy. Nor are more homely details less under the 
 control of superstitious belief. Every act connected with birth, marriage or 
 death, the bringing up of children and the enterprises of manhood, are alike 
 referred to some detail of this curiously all-pervading system. The superstitions 
 indeed exist amongst .ourselves, those really affected by them being only the most 
 ignorant of the population. But in China all are, or assume to be, firm believers 
 in the occult influences of the charm or incantation which custom decrees shall 
 be used. The veriest " Lancashire witch'' w as no more a slave to her own 
 belief in witchcraft than are average Chinese to their faith in the virtues of 
 divination. Folk-lore therefore assumes in China a place almost unknown to it 
 elsewhere, and no student of the manners and customs of its people can overlook 
 its influence on their every-day life. 
 
 * «B KT' f*Marriaffe of the Emperor o/China: By L, M. F., p. 25. 
 
THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 II.— BIRTH, MAEEIAGE AND DEATH. 
 
 In China, as throughout the western world, curious superstitions attach to 
 human life in all its various stages. The hour and day of an infant's birth are 
 as much a matter of solicitude to the Chinese female as to the "wise woman" 
 of our own North-country hamlets.* The queer-looking almanacks to be found 
 amongst the stock of every native bookshop or stall, invariably contain a series 
 of figures representing a fanciful deity, whose title may be rendered as that 
 of the Emperor "Four Quarters" or " AU the Year Round," each figure having 
 one of the horary characters placed on some portion of its person. Thus, during 
 the spring quarter the sign for from 11 to to 1 o'clock a.m. appears on the fore- 
 head; that for from 9 to 11 o'clock on the shoulder; that for from 1 to 3 o'clock 
 upon the stomach ; etc. (See illustration). "When a child is born these diagrams 
 are consulted, and according as the hour mark occurs upon the forehead, shoul- 
 ders, hands, legs or other portion of the body, so they augur the future destiny of 
 the chUd. Thus title and degree wiU be the lot of him who is born at noon. 
 The child who makes his appearance between 9 and 11 o'clock will have, in the 
 familiar words of the gypsy, " a hard lot at first, but finally great riches." Toil 
 and sorrow, however, will be the portion of the imlueky baby who first sees the 
 light between 3 and 5 a.m., or p.m., and so on.f 
 
 The following verses have been kindly placed at my disposal by a friend, 
 who has taken the trouble to put into rhyme some of the doggrel that accompanies 
 the diagrams above referred to : — 
 
 THE EHTME OF THE EMPBEOE " ALL-THE-TEAR-EOUND." 
 
 In birth, the Emperor's /ore Aeati shows 
 A fate that never sorrow knows, 
 Plebeians that rich and honoured be 
 And rise to title and degree. 
 The rank they seek is stiJl bestowed ; 
 Nobles that follow a worthy lord 
 And women, chaste and well-beloved, 
 Wed and breed scholars true and proved. 
 
 * Children born between midnight and Friday's child is loving and giving, 
 
 dawn are thought by the North country Saturday's child works hard for its 
 folic to be endowed with a sort of second hving, 
 
 sight, " so that they see spirits," or, as a But the child that is bom on the Sab- 
 nurse puts it, "are bairns that see more bath day 
 
 than other folk."— See Henderson's Notes Isblytheandbonnie.andgoodandgay. 
 on Folk-lore, p. 3. 
 
 t If the CMnese lay gi'eat stress on the O"^- as another version has it :— 
 
 hour of birth, we no less attribute to the Born on a Sunday a gentleman, 
 
 day a talismanio influence over the future Born on a Monday fair of face, 
 
 of the newborn child ; as witness the good- Born on a Tuesday fuU of grace, 
 
 wives' rhyme : — Born on a Wednesday sour and glum, 
 
 Monday's cliild is fair of face, Born on a Thursday welcome home, 
 
 Tuesday's child is full of grace, Born on a Friday free in giving, 
 
 Wednesday's child is full of woe, Bom on a Saturday work hard for 
 Thursday's child has far to go, your living. 
 
BIRTH, MAERIAGE AND DEATH. 
 
 The Emperor's hands in birth portend 
 The gains that handicraft attend 
 
 Abroad^ a ■welcome rich and free, 
 As home, a well-found f amUy ; 
 
10 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 One year shall yield a plenteous store, 
 Next year shall make that plenty more, 
 "Wealth shall flow in on every side, 
 "Wealth -with old age shall still ahide. 
 
 The Emperor's shoulders mean, I trow. 
 An heir to goodly gifts that grow 
 To more and more as years draw on. 
 Grandsons and sons to honour come. 
 Rank comes too when the time is fit. 
 Old age brings fields and farms with it ; 
 If kith and kin at first were cold 
 " Bitter, then sweet," is truth of old. 
 
 "When on the belli/ falls the sign, 
 Shalt have enough, as I divine, 
 Of clothes and food, of acts or arms, 
 Of music and the pageant's charms ; 
 Old age with peace and joy shall crown 
 Mid-age's oflioe and renown. 
 And a delightsome halo spread. 
 Increasing, round thy honoured head. 
 
 If on the loins the sign he found, 
 
 Then rank with wealth and years is crowned, 
 
 "With honour when life's prime is told 
 
 And eld y-hlesaed with yellow gold. 
 
 Yea, though arisen from low degree 
 
 His fate is true riohUity ; 
 
 His scions, an illustrious band 
 
 Who make a name within the land. 
 
 But on the leg — the meaning there 
 Is toil and sorrow, want and care, 
 Nor clothes nor food enough shall be. 
 May all thy kin he kind to thee ! 
 Who day by day must drudge and toil 
 Nor be content for all thy coU. 
 Yet, when thy bitter youth is past. 
 Old age shall bring thee bliss at last. 
 
 The Emperor's /oo< means this — at last 
 Peace comes from vigU and from fast, 
 A life-time of tranqmllity ! 
 Have nought to do with rent or fee ; 
 Widowed — renew not married life ; 
 Widower — seek no second wife ; 
 Thy path a wilderness unblest, 
 Flee to a cell and be at rest! 
 
 The practices resorted to previous to the birth of children, either to secure 
 that blessing or to ascertain the sex of the expected infant, form in themselves 
 a curious chapter. An idea that adopting a girl belonging to another family 
 will increase a woman's own likelihood of having children herself, is based upon 
 the belief that each living woman is in the unseen world represented by a tree ; 
 and that, just as grafting succeeds with trees, so adoption (which represents the 
 
BIUTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 11 
 
 same process in family life) may succeed as regards children. Another supersti- 
 tion is that each woman is represented in the other world by a vase containing 
 a flower. A sorceress is hired to proceed thither and " change the earth." A 
 third way of securing children is to obtain from the temple of the GFoddess of 
 Children a shoe which -has been worn by her. This is taken home and, being- 
 placed beside the image or tablet of the goddess, receives equal worship ; and, 
 should the desired object be attained, a pair of shoes exactly resembling the one 
 obtained must be returned to the temple. Sometimes several are taken from an 
 equal number of temples, and in that case the goddess from whom the last shoe 
 was received is rewarded with most offerings. A flower is in other oases taken 
 from one of the temple vases in place of a shoe, and is supposed to be nearly aa 
 eiflcaoious. 
 
 Shortly before the birth of the child in Puhkien a ceremony is performed by 
 a priest, with the intention of frightening away the demons who are supposed to 
 haunt the mother for the purpose of destroying her life in childbirth. " The- 
 priest recites the classics proper to the occasion. Ten or twenty pieces of a kind 
 of grass cut up about an inch long, and several likenesses of the crab cut out of 
 common paper, are put in a censer and burned. Or sometimes several live crabs, 
 after being used in the ceremony are taken and turned into the street — ^by way 
 of frightening or propitiating the spirits. The reason why crabs are used is that 
 the name of one of these demons sounds like that of crab, in the local dialect."* 
 
 The formula for ascertaining the sex of a coming child is not very far re- 
 moved from the childrsn's amusement of prophesying by buttons, commencing 
 " Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, &c.'' The mother adds to the number of her 
 age in years that of the month, day and hour she was bom : thus if twenty years 
 old and she was bom in the sixth hour of the third day of the second month, she 
 would have a total of thirty-one. She then takes a series of pictures of the 
 thirty-six assistants of the Goddess of Children, sold for fortune-telling purposes, 
 and according to the sex of the child in the arms of the thirty-flrst concludes 
 that her own child will be a boy or a girl. If the number of her age, &c., exceed 
 thirty-six, she commences to count the flrst picture from number thirty-seven. 
 Childless women also resort to a similar process to ascertain whether they will or 
 will not have children. Those curious to ascertain the religious ceremonies made 
 use of prior to birth may be referred to Mr. Doolittle's w^ork on Chinese Social 
 Life. 
 
 It may be noted, in passing, that the Chinese make but little provision what- 
 ever for the birth of female children, which are deemed beneath the notice of 
 augury or portent. At the birth of a child of either sex, however, amongst the 
 boating popiilation, a piece of red coloured cloth is hung from the awning of the 
 sampan in which the birth has taken plaoe.f 
 
 * Doolittle's Social Life of the Chinese, to have had a saperstitions origin quite 
 
 Vol. I., p. 117. distinct from, the practice into which it has 
 
 f The ring of the door is bound with a degenerated in England of " muffling " the 
 
 white linen cloth in HoUan^ — See Brand's knocker, so that its use may not disturb the 
 
 Pop. Antiq., vol. 2, p. 72. This appears mother and child. 
 
12 THE FOLK-LORE OP CHINA- 
 
 A superstition obtains in the soutLern provinces that if three children appear 
 at a birth one of them will eventually become a noted rebel, and it hence becomes 
 a question of "Which is Papa going to keep?" if the luckless father would 
 avoid that direst of Chinese curses, a thoroughly bad son. To decide the question 
 a " wise man " is sent for, by whose directions the three infants are taken into a 
 perfectly dark room. The wise man then takes three pieces of string, each of a 
 different colour, such as white, red and black, and entering the room ties one of 
 these pieces of string round a wrist of each baby. The one that is found when 
 brought out into the light to have the red string on its wrist is drowned like a 
 puppy.* Presuming however that the little one has not had such iU-luck as to 
 be the odd one of three, it still undergoes vrithin an hour or two of birth the 
 ceremony of " binding the wrists." A cash or charm is tied to this part of the 
 arm by means of red cords, which are not untied for some ten or twelve days. 
 Others attach miniature toys, such as a mallet, drum, bell, &e., the red cords 
 being about two feet long altogether, with one foot of loose string between them. 
 Sometimes, however, the cord or tape alone is used, being replaced when dirty, 
 but worn altogether for several months or even a year.f This of course has re- 
 ference to the dread lest evil spirits should harm the child, and the impelling 
 motive finds expression in other countries in a not quite dissimilar way. Thus 
 the Danish women place amulets (garlic, salt, bread and steel) over the cradle 
 of a new-born infant before depositing it therein ;% while a superstition formerly 
 obtained both in England and the Highlands that a child should not be left alone 
 until it was cliristened lest it should be stolen or changed by f airie3.§ A practice 
 common amongst nurses is to pass a knife edge downward between the feet of 
 a child just as it conxmences to run alone. This is called "cutting the cord of 
 his feet," and is supposed to facilitate his learning to walk.|| 
 
 There is a curious little piece of folk-lore, common alike to the Middle King- 
 dom and our own fatherland, which I lighted upon by accident. A wide-spread 
 superstition exists at home against rocking a "toom," or empty cradle.^ Now, 
 strangely enough, Chinese nurses in the South of China have precisely the same 
 
 * The Bomans aclmired the nnmber 3, enstom to the belief I have stated in the 
 
 and numerous Western superstitions are text, though the Chinese of to-day may 
 
 based on its being regarded aa a " lucky look upon it rather as symbolical than 
 
 number." — See Predictions Realized, by efficacious as regard demons. 
 
 H. Welby, p. 15. t Brand's Pop. Antiq., vol. II. p. 73. 
 
 "I" Doohttle's Social Life of the Chinese, § The modem Greeks entertain a similar 
 
 p. 121. Mr. Doolittle refers the tying of belief refemng to the first eight days of a 
 
 the wrists to a different motive. " It is," child's life. 
 
 he says, " thought that such a tying will || Social Life of the Chinese, vol. I. p. 
 
 tend to keep the child from being trouble- 127. 
 
 some in after life and from meddling with II The first verse of a fragment given in 
 
 what does not belong to it, just as though Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern 
 
 he or she was bound. When boys or girls Counties says : — 
 
 are naughty or troublesome they are often " Oh rock not the cradle when the 
 
 asked if their mammas did not bind their baby's not in, 
 
 wrists 1 Implying that if thcu" wrists had For this by old women is counted a sin, 
 
 been properly bound when an infant they It's a crime so inhuman it may na' be 
 
 would have been restrained from mis- forgi'en, 
 
 conduct in subsequent life." I am dis- And they that would do it ha'e lost 
 
 posed, however, to refer the origin of the sight of heaven." 
 
BIETH, MARKIAGE AND DEATH. 13 
 
 belief. A little four-year old girl, who is a very intimate acquaintance of mine, 
 not long- ago began rocking the cradle in which- her newly-born sister was usually 
 laid to sleep. An amah who saw her, rushed at the cMd, exclaiming "You no 
 makee rock so fashion ! That baby b'long die, s'posie rook," As it happened 
 the infant did die, as was fully expected by the medical attendant ; but of course 
 the amah found in the anticipated fact a verification of her prediction, and farther 
 enquiry has satisfied me that the superstition is identical with and quite as 
 widespread as our own. The resemblance of belief here certainly seems some- 
 thing more than accidental, 
 
 The ceremonies observed shortly after the birth of a child are curious. A 
 package of seed, rush (such as is used for candle wicks), oat's and dog's hair, 
 onions or garlic, a pair of chopsticks, and some charcoal, is iu Puhkien tied up 
 with red string in a piece of red paper and suspended on the oxitside of the door 
 where the mother is lying.* In the extreme South some of these articles are 
 omitted. "A pair of the trousers of the child's father are put on the frame of 
 the bedstead in such a way that the waist shall hang downward or be lower 
 than the legs. On the trousers is stuck a piece of red paper, having four words 
 written upon it intimating that all unfavourable influences are to go into the 
 trousers instead of afllicting the babe. The hair on the package outside the 
 bedroom door is to keep the noises which may be made for eleven days by the 
 dogs and cats in the vicinity from frightening the babe. The coal is to aid in 
 making it hardy and vigorous. The onions are to cause it to be quick-witted 
 and intelligent. The pith (rush) is explained as contributing to make it for- 
 tunate or successful in life." t On the fourteenth day the parcel and trousers 
 respectively are taken away. Odd as the custom above referred to may seem, it 
 is exactly parallelled by those prevailing in both Germany and Scotland. In 
 the former country it is usual to lay in the cradle a package of snapdragon, 
 blue marjoram, black cumin, a right=*hirt sleeve and a left stocking ; while, on 
 the authority of Mr. Henderson, it may be noted that in Scotland "the little 
 one's safeguard is held to lie in the juxtaposition of some article of dress belong- 
 ing to its father." % Of the hair of cats or dogs I shall have more to say in a 
 future chapter. But I may remark that a superstition as to the curative and 
 evil-warding power of hair exists at this day in both Wales and Grloucester. § 
 
 There is a custom called " Worshipping the Measures " frequently performed 
 by Chinese during the eighth month if they have sickly children. The 
 "measures" are two constellations in the Northern and Southern hemispheres 
 respectively. They are generally identified as the four stars a, /3, y, J, in the 
 dipper ( Ursa Major) and ?, :»., ^, f, and r in Sagittarius. For the purpose under 
 notice they are represented as two old men, the " Northern Measure " being the 
 god of longevity, who keeps the book in which is recorded the date of each 
 person's death, whUe the " South Measure" is the god of emoluments. Longevity 
 
 * Social Ufe of the Chinese, Vol. ii. p. t Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern 
 
 120. Counties, p. 6. 
 
 + 11,14 ' § Brand's Popular Antiquities, Vol. 
 
 ^ III. pp. 288-89. 
 
14 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 and riches are tlms to he secured by worshipping them. The legend in which 
 this custom is based is thus given :*— " A long while ago a certain lad on going 
 into the street one day met an old man who proved to be a celebrated fortune- 
 teller named Kwan-lo. He addressed the lad saying: 'You are a fine boy. 
 What a pity that your life is to be so short.' The lad at once asked him how 
 long it was to be, and he told him that he was to die at the age of nineteen. 
 This frightened the lad, who was already near that age, and he went home 
 crying and told his mother what he had heard. She in turn was very sad also, 
 but told the lad to go and enquire further of the fortune-teller. He did so and 
 Was instructed to take a plate of preserved venison and a bottle of wine and 
 carry them to the top of a certain mountaia where he would find two old men 
 playing chess. He was told to place the venison and the wine down by them 
 without saying a word, and then wait patiently tiU they had finished the game, 
 when he might advance and make known his requests. The lad proceeded to do 
 as he was instructed, and was surprised to find two men engaged in a game of 
 chess. After he had silently placed the food and drink by them they kept on 
 playing until they had finished the game without noticing the lad. They then 
 seemed hungry and began to eat of the provisions they saw by their side. After 
 ' they had done eating and drinking the lad advanced and told his story, weeping 
 while talking, and besought them to save him from dying at so early an age. 
 They heard the lad and then took out their records, and found on examination 
 that his life was indeed nearly finished. They however took a pen and inter- 
 polated before the nineteen the Chinese figure for nine, thus making the record 
 read ninety-nine. They then ordered the boy to return home and tell the old 
 man he met in the street that he must not do in like manner again ; that the 
 time appointed by heaven was not to be divulged to mortals. The lad thanked 
 the old gentlemen, who were no other than the ' North Measure ' and ' South 
 Measure,' went home and narrated what h*d occurred." 
 
 The superstitions regarding marriage are as plentiful in China as we should 
 expect to find them amongst a people in which its ceremonies are held in such 
 extreme honour. Of the outward symbols of the married state there is, as we all 
 know, a great importance attaching to the wedding ring. Now it is very certain 
 that the Chinese did not take the idea of wearing wedding rings from us. Yet 
 we find that in certain parts of China, and in Java, the custom of sending the 
 "measure of the finger-ring" previous to marriage is well known. Turning to 
 Chinese aimals we find the preparing of a "united-hearts' finger-riug" men- 
 tioned amongst the preliminary ceremonies to marriage. More than that, just 
 as the purchase of the ring is considered by us as having morally bound the in- 
 tended bridegroom, so in parts of China it aifixes legal responsibility upon him ; a 
 failure to carry out the marriage then subjecting him to the penalties of breach 
 of promise of marriage. f Bearing in mind the symbolic nature of a ring in the 
 western world — that of something without end — it is interesting to find a value 
 attached to it out here similar to that we ourselves endow it with at home. In 
 
 * Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. i, p. t See Notes and Queries on China and 
 
 134. Japan, Vol. iv. pp. 12, 13. 
 
BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 15 
 
 Durham, for inatance, the breaking of the wedding ring forbodes death, and its 
 loss, the loss also of the husband's affection. Not less interesting is it to find 
 that, while our north-country good-wives throw a plateful of shortcake over a 
 newly-made bride as she returns to her future home,* the Chinese go through 
 the same ceremony with rice, which is a sign of abundance. t As regards the 
 lucky day for marrying, the Chinese have numerous portents. The first, sixth, 
 and tenth of the month are laid down in the Imperial almanaeksj as the most 
 suitable, but marriages of course take place on almost all days except those 
 specially noted as "uncanny." 
 
 The ceremonies of betrothal are of course deeply interwoven with superstitious 
 observances. "When children are thus engaged, a pair of fowls, a pair of ducks or 
 geese, and a few pounds of vermicelli, are sent by the bride's to the bridegToom's 
 family, who retain the male birds and return the hens. Widows who''re-engage 
 themselves are prohibited from wearing gaudy — -that is, red or other bright- 
 coloured — skirts, and must confine themselves to black, white or blue. A curi- 
 ous superstition also hinges, in the case of betrothals put an end to by the death 
 of the intended bride, on shoes. The bridegroom goes to the house of mourning 
 and asks for the last pair which she wore previous to death. These he takes home 
 and burns incense to for a space of two years, believing that her spirit will be 
 present, enticed thither by the shoes. In thus doing he acknowledges her as his 
 (intended) wife. As most readers will know, betrothals are managed by go- 
 betweens, who settle the match on behalf of the parents without consulting the 
 principals. The first thing to be examined by the agent is the horoscope of the 
 girl in order to compare it with that of the future husband, and, if all prelimi- 
 naries are happily arranged, certain articles and presents are interchanged which 
 are mostly intended to have a symbolical meaning. If any unlucky accident 
 happens during the three days allotted for final consideration, the negooiation is 
 broken off. If all be right, there are provided, in addition to the betrothment 
 cards, four large needles and two red silk threads, and two of the former threaded 
 with one of the threads are stuck into each card. The red thread is supposed to 
 represent that with which the feet of aU mortals are in the spirit- world tied to 
 those who are fated to be husband and wife — in other words, it represents un- 
 alterable fate. A similar thread is used to tie together the cups out of which 
 the bride and bridegroom drinlt. I am unable in the authorities at my command 
 (some twenty works on the Folk-lore of various countries) to trace any resembl- 
 ance to this custom elsewhere. 
 
 * Henderson's Notes on the Folk-lore of lucky for marriages, and the old Boman 
 
 the Northern Counties, p. 22. Calendars forbade them on Feb. 11, June 
 
 f In some parts of England wheat was 2, Nov. 2, Dec. 1, &c. For much curions 
 
 cast on the head of the newly-made bride. information on this subject see Brand's 
 
 The same practice obtains in Sicily. This Pofular Antiq., Vol. 2, p. 168. 
 was also a Hebrew custom. In Russia, ,, „ . ^ 
 
 when the priest has tied the nuptial knot at 'V 2/0" ™?»-n/ »™ Lent 
 
 the altar, his clerk or sexton throws upon ^"^ «'«" '»«« «" "PS"*." 
 
 the bride's head a handful of hops, wislung says an old English north-country rhyme, 
 
 she may prove as fruitful as the plant thus and numerous are our other sayings about 
 
 scattered. fortunate days for the all-ilnportant cere- 
 
 J Ovjd notes the month "bf May as on- mony. 
 
16 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 A curious ceremony is frequently observed shortly before a marriage takes 
 place. Tke wedding garments of the bride, and in some cases those of the bride- 
 groom, are placed in succession in a sort of bamboo sieve which is then passed 
 over a fire kindled in a brazier. In Euhlden it is customary while this opera- 
 tion is being performed to repeat sentences like the following: "A thousand 
 eyes, ten thousand eyes we sift out; gold and silver, wealth and precious things 
 we sift in."* The ceremony is supposed to have a purifying effect, evil influences 
 being thereby warded off. No female must, however, touch the bride's clothes 
 after undergoing this process until she is married — especially a pregnant woman 
 or one in mourning. Another superstitious custom consists in placing five cash 
 of the reigns of five different emperors under the bed mat, and hanging up five 
 bundles of boiled rice (each bundle consisting of five smaller ones) tied with red 
 string to tile curtain frame. 
 
 Amongst the beliefs which, so far as I can ascertain, are peculiar to the 
 Chinese, is one which relates to the first interview of a bride and bridegroom. On 
 such occasions the bride's assistants often request the bridegroom to rub the feet 
 of his future spouse under the belief that his compliance will prevent her feet 
 from aching in future. f 
 
 The ceremonies which take place after the first meeting of the bride and 
 bridegroom recall in a minor degree certain superstitions which obtain elsewhere 
 than in China. Thus the bride's face is hidden by a long white veU not unlike 
 that worn by Egyptian women when they venture abroad. This points to a 
 motive similar to that inducing amongst the old Anglo-Saxons the use of the 
 "care cloth,'' made of white linen, which was held over the pair as the nuptial 
 benediction was pronounced, to hide the blushes of the bride. If the bride was a 
 widow, this was dispensed with, and similarly in the rare event of a Chinese 
 widow re-marrying she dispenses with a veil. The bride and bridegroom after 
 their first interview go through an act of worship known as " worshipping Heaven 
 and Earth." A table is set out, and on it are placed some lighted candles, a 
 lighted censer, and the following articles : two miniature white cocks made of 
 sugar, five kinds of dried fruit, a bundle of chopsticks, a foot measure, a mirror, 
 a pair of shears and a case containing money scales.! The fruits are frequently 
 placed on a platter of willow wood, which, as every one knows, is supposed to 
 possess supernatural properties in places other than China. The precise significa- 
 tion of the sliears is not very clear to the Chinese themselves, but they regard 
 them as typifying industry. It is odd, however, to find that knives known as 
 " bride knives " formed part of the wedding outfit of our great-great-grand- 
 mothers. Mirrors, says Brand, § "were formerly used by magicians in their 
 superstitions and diabolical operations, and there was an ancient kind of divina- 
 tion by the looking glass." As regards the white cock, I shall have more to say 
 about this bird under the heading of superstitions connected with deaths. When 
 its images made of sugar are used as above described, an attendant breaks off 
 a portion of each and gives them to the newly -married pair to eat. ALL the 
 
 * Social Life of the Chinese, \o\.l.]>. 74. J Social Life of the CAmesc, Vol. I. p. 86. 
 
 t Ibid., Vol. I. p. 94. § Popular Antiquities, Vol. III. p. 95. 
 
BIRTH, MAllRIAGE AND DEATH. 17 
 
 articles displayed are intended to be omens of prosperity and future harmony. 
 Upon the same table as these are shewn on, are placed two oddly-shaped 
 goblets, which are filled with a mixture of wine and honey, of which both bride 
 and bridegroom partake. Honey plays a similar part at Sicilian marriages, a 
 spoonful of the pleasant, but sticky, liquid being administered to each of the 
 contracting parties by two of -the attendants directly the marriage ceremony has 
 been performed. 
 
 The candles placed upon the offering table are speedily transferred to the 
 bride's chamber, where, however, they are shortly replaced by others intended to 
 continue burning during the night. I have not been able to trace any analogous 
 custom at "Western weddings, but the idea underlying the use of candles in this 
 respect by the Chinese is as old as the oldest superstition. It is thought to be 
 extremely unlucky if one or both of these bridal candles be accidentally ex- 
 tinguished, as it would denote the speady death of one or both of the parties. 
 Nor should the wax and taUow of which these candles are made melt or trickle 
 down the sides, the tricklings being an emblem of tears, and signifying either that 
 the husband and wife will not agree together, or that they will have much 
 sorrow. If both candles bum about the same time, it foreshadows the death of 
 the bride and bridegroom at an advanced age within a short period of each 
 other. If one burns much longer than the other, it means that either the wife 
 or the husband will long survive the other. Now all this superstitious respect for 
 flame seems to refer to a Chinese version of the Promethean Legend. It does not 
 indeed say that fire was brought from heaven to animate man, but it makes fire 
 typical of man's vital force, and is doubtless a dim fragment of an older legend 
 identical with that of Prometheus. "Candle omens" of a different sort are 
 familiar in Northern England, and amongst the Greeks the brillianoy or dulness 
 of a candle flame was an omen of good or bad fortune. In like manner the lamps 
 and candles used in the above ceremony, and still more directly the large 
 lighted lanterns carried in front of all Chinese bridal processions, find a parallel 
 in the old Roman custom of carrying torches before a bride. The gypsies of 
 Calabria observe a similar custom, as do also, I believe, the Japanese ; and there 
 is some ground for believing that it was formerly a custom in England.* 
 
 Before leaving the subject of marriage I may note that the number three, 
 usually considered lucky, is expressly avoided in many matters of its ceremonial. 
 At the ceremony of worshipping ancestral tablets and relatives, the latter are 
 invited to bow in return, four times instead of three, as the latter, "being an odd 
 number, is regarded as inauspicious." On the other hand, the bride goes to visit 
 
 * The Jews also used lamps and torches similar custom in vogue amongst the 
 
 in their marriage ceremonies or rather when Egyptians. 
 
 the bridegroom came to conduct home the Apropos of lamps and lanterns, it is in- 
 
 bride by night. See Kitto's Cyclop<sdia teresting to note that the " Feast of lau- 
 
 of Biblical Literature, Art. "Lamp." — terns" is not peculiar to China. The 
 
 Hymen, the god of marriage, was edways Egyptians had a " Feast of Lamps," as 
 
 figured as bearing a torch, and there are had also the Jews. Josephus states that 
 
 numerous references to the use of torches the latter was founded by Judas Mac- 
 
 at marriages in the classical poets. Homer, cabseus in celebration of the restoration of 
 
 Euripides and Virgil refer to itt and Lane the Temple worship. Other Oriental na- 
 
 in his Modern Egypt, I. 201, notices a tious also observe a similar fsstival. 
 
18 • THE FOLK-LOKE OF CHINA. 
 
 her parents three days after marriage, and the bridegroom, who follows lier to the 
 house of his father-in-law, is regaled with three cups of tea and three pipes of 
 tobacco. The sedan, by the way, in which the bride is borne on such visits has 
 painted on it as a charm the image of a Taoist priest who, according to the legend, 
 succeeded by his magical powers in counteracting the powers of the evil spirits 
 who lie in wait on such occasions to harass and make ill the bride. 
 
 The use of bride-cake at weddings appears to be, in some form or other, both 
 of remote antiquity and common to nearly every nation. "The ceremony used 
 at the solemnization of a marriage was called oonfairoation in token of a most 
 firm conjunction between the man and wife with a cake of wheat or barley." It 
 was and is customary in Yorkshire to cut the bride-cake into little square pieces 
 and then throw them over the bride and bridegroom's head. In China a quilt is 
 held in front of the bride's sedan by its corners, and four bread cakes sent from 
 Hie bridegroom's family for the purpose are tossed up in the air in succession and 
 caught in the quilt. In neither case is the omen involved in this proceeding 
 very clear, unless it be taken as an offering to the deities who preside over mar- 
 riages, and in oui' own case retained as a custom which has lost its primary 
 significance. 
 
 The custom of preventing the bride's feet from touching the threshold of the 
 bridegroom's house obtains in China as in Europe. Usually the entrance is 
 covered with red cloth for this purpose. "In some parts of the country she is 
 lifted out of the sedan, over a pan of charcoal placed in the court and carried to 
 her chamber."* Amongst the ancient Romans, "fire and water being placed 
 on the threshold, the bride touched both ; but starting back from the door she 
 refused to enter, till she at length passed it, being careful to step over it without 
 touching it."t (A wedding usage in Yorkshire, by the way, is to pom- a kettle 
 full of boiling water over the door-step just after the bride has left her old home. 
 Without their having any apparent connection the coincidence of usages is cxiri- 
 ous.) The ancient superstition mentioned in Popular Antiquities was that the 
 bride was not to -step over the threshold on entering the bridegroom's house, but 
 was to be lifted over by her nearest relations. J 
 
 One of the most singular coincidences of Chinese with Western intention, is 
 connected with shoes. It is customary at a marriage in South China for the bride 
 to present her husband with a pair of shoes, by way of signifying that for the 
 future she places herself iinder his control. These are carefully preserved in the 
 family and are never given away, like other worn-out articles, it being deemed, 
 that to part with them portends an early separation between husband and wife. 
 Now, in a work published in 1640, mention is made of an ancient custom, 
 "when at any time a couple were married, the sole of the bridegroom's shoe was 
 to be laid on the bride's head, implying with what subjection she should serve her 
 husband." A writer in an old number of the London Notes and Queries (quoted 
 by Mr. Henderson) remarks : — The throwing shoes after the Bride and Bridge- 
 groom ... is usually said to be " for luck," but is rather a symbol of re- 
 
 * Middle Kltipdom, Vol. II. p. 69. * Brand's Pop. Antig., Vol. II. p. 169. 
 
 t Piatt's Custums of Nations, p. 278. 
 
BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 19- 
 
 nunciation of all right iu the bride by her father or^guardian, and the transference 
 of it to her husband. In the Story of Ruth you will reeoUeet that her kinsman- 
 plucked off his shoe^ as a sign of his renunciation of his claim> to marry her. 
 " Oyer Edom.have I cast out my shoe " (Ps. Ix. 8), meaning " I have renouHoedi 
 Edom," is an another illustration. So that the ceremony now observed by 
 Chinese brides has in all probability a reference to that current of old.in.Palestine- 
 and at the present day known throughout England. 
 
 Those acquainted with Scandinavian folk-lore will have noted how many 
 points relating to marriage turn upon the bride's endeavours to get her husband 
 to do something implying future subjection. to her wUl. Thus if a Swedish bride 
 drop her handkerchief, and the bridegroom, from. politeness, stoops to pick it up, 
 his act is regarded as an omen that he will play second fiddle during his married 
 life." Now the Chinese girl does something very similar, when, it being time for 
 the bridegroom and herself to sit down together, she endeavours to sit upon a, 
 part of his dress ; f in which case he may conclude that 
 
 "I'll be no submissive wife 
 
 Nonet I!" 
 
 pretty fairly expresses the brid'e's thoughts. If he sits on her skirt, however, the- 
 omen is reversed, though from what is known. of Chinese brides it may be con- 
 cluded that they do not often succeed in being the "one" into which the two 
 are made. J There is a point about the selection of the husband or wife which 
 1 may, by the way, notice. In China marriages are forbidden.between people of 
 the same family name, even though they are not in- any way connected. Now in 
 Yorkshire it is very unlucky to marry a man wiose name begins with the same 
 letter as the bride' s,§ May not the two ideas have a common origin? — both 
 feeing evidently at one time founded on the idea of blood-relationship. That 
 " Matches are made in, heaven." is a confirmed belief in. China.. 
 
 * Thorpe's Myiliology^ Vol. II. pi 108; saake in the chair. The bride, possibly 
 
 f SoeialLife of the Clnnese,Nol. I. p. 88. thinking they were only in jest, went her- 
 
 X " It's all very well to say that ' the two self andlooked into the chair, and saw, not 
 are made one ' — the questioni is, which a snake, but a large sheathed knife. No- 
 one." — American paper. thing daunted, she took the knife, put it in 
 
 § " If you change the name and.not the the box containing the lighter portions of. 
 
 letter,*^" her trousseaux, and ordered the chair' 
 
 Yon change for the worse and' not for coolies to proceed. The marriage cere- 
 
 the better." ^ monies being in due time completed, the 
 
 Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern: young couple retired, and the bridegroom. 
 
 ComitieSfP. 26. then-, observed that his bride had a moody 
 
 . and terrified look. Questioning her as to. 
 
 As a specimen of the absurds stories con^ the cause, she told him; the incident of the- 
 
 nectedwithweddings which obtain credence chair, the snake and the knife. Headed: 
 
 amongst the Chinese, I copy the following to see the knife : she gave it to. him* He 
 
 from a Shanghai Evening Courier of a few- drew it front its sheathj but he had no 
 
 months back:— In some district of Che- sooner done so than his head: fell off ! The 
 
 kiang, name and time not stated, a bride, bride raised an alarm; the family crowded 
 
 long bstrothedi, on attaining the age of 18 in. She told, what had happened ; they 
 
 made the usual preparations for marriage-. refused, to belief her, and declared that 
 
 At length the bridal chair arrived- to convey she herself was the murderess. The Magis- 
 
 her to her future home. Her friends went trate was sent for ; he came, and on hearing 
 
 before her to open the door of the chair, the bride's story, asked to see the knife, 
 
 but on doing so they starfifed, screamed and, as in the husband's case, when he 
 
 and ran away, saying there was a large drew it from the sheath, his head at once 
 
20 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 Superstitions connected witt death have in all countries obtained credence, 
 and we need not therefore be surprised to iind that China abounds with them. 
 " Born hardly, die hardly," is as much a Chinese as an English saying. Even 
 the strange idea (as we deem it) of purchasing a coffin before death is a [not 
 uncommon practice in many parts of Germany,* and may be found existing, in 
 remote country districts in England, so that the idea of securing a comfortable 
 coffin is not so purely Chinese as some might think.f There is a striking 
 similarity between many Chinese ceremonies and superstitions connected with 
 the burial of the dead, and our own. One peculiar superstition of the Borders 
 is, that for a cat or dog to pass over a corpse is fearfully ominous. The Chinese 
 have a belief that if a pregnant female animal pass over the dead person, the 
 corpse will rise up and pursue those nearest to it, and if it overtakes any one, 
 strangle him. J 
 
 A home belief in the efficacy of burying the dead in woollen clothes, and 
 originating in an Act passed in the reign of Charles II. ,"for the encouragement 
 of the woollen and paper manufactures of the kingdom," has its parallel in 
 China. They here think that every one should be buried in his best clothes, but 
 in some localities except the use of satin or a girdle, on account of the characters 
 which signify those articles being pronounced in the local dialect the same as 
 words signifying "to cut short — sons," and so implying the speedy death of the 
 sons of the family. The usual rule is to select sUk, crape, or the finest cotton for 
 grave clothes,§ care being always taken to put two more articles of dress on the 
 
 fell on the floor. The newly-made widow was buried, and the mistake was only 
 
 was then told to see whether she could discovered after the funeral, which, to the 
 
 wield the knife with safety. She took it, great distress of the family, bad to be re- 
 and approaching a large tree made a cut 
 
 at it. It was out through by that single + Two or three amusing stones are told 
 
 blow, while the woman remained unharmed. of Yorkshire people who kept their coffins 
 
 Here the legend ends abruptly, as inoon- ready for use. One of these relates to a 
 
 sequential in its finish as it is grotesque in man with a projecting Eoman nose, who 
 
 texture. Yet it is astonishing what excite- had a place cut away in the coffin-lid to 
 
 ment was caused in the teashops of the City fit it : and another case was that of an old 
 
 and Settlement for some days by the telling lady who had two holes cut in the sides to 
 
 and hearing of the story. let his Satanic Majesty have free egress 
 
 * A recent home paper contains the f ol- should he happen to get inside, 
 lowing: — In a village not far from Berlin, J A oat was not permitted to come near 
 an old couple lived very quietly upon a corpse in Scotland. Brand's Antiqui- 
 their little property. Both had cavefuUy ties, Vol. II. p. 233. "All fire is ex- 
 purchased their coffins some years ago, as tinguished where a corpse is kept, and it is 
 is often the case among country folks. reckoned so ominous for a dog or a cat to 
 The coffins were placed in a stable, and pass over it, that the poor animal is killed 
 were used as receptacles for different without mercy. — Pennant's Tour in /Scot- 
 things, especially for storing up baked fruit, land. 
 
 and other articles to be kept for winter § We know an old lady, as blithe a body 
 
 use. Not long ago the man died suddenly. as ever lived in this world, who, years ago. 
 
 The son, who was a soldier quartered at prepared becoming garments ready for her 
 
 Berlin, hastened at the summons to pay last journey. David Garrick's widow re- 
 
 the last respects to his father's remains. ligiously preserved her wedding-sheets, 
 
 In the meantime, the mother had, with that they might serve her for a shroud, 
 
 the help of another son who lived with In 1763 a young married lady was, at her 
 
 her, put all the articles together in one of express desu'e, buried in all her wedding 
 
 the coffins, and in the other had duly finery, consisting of a white negligee and 
 
 placed the mortal remains of her husband. petticoats, quilted into a mattress, pillow, 
 
 By some mischance the first-named coffin and lining for her coffin; her wedding-shift 
 
BIlvrB, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 21 
 
 upper than on the lower part of a corpse : thus it will have 3- jackets and 1 pair 
 of trowsers, 5 jackets and 3 pairs trowsers, and so on, the very rich heing huried 
 in as many as nine upper garments. The corpse is- then bound with long strips 
 of cloth, two of which must be white and one red. After swathing, the ends are 
 tied iu an " auspicious knot ;" and as many of these knots are tied at various 
 places on the body as the material used wiU allow. 
 
 I have already alluded to the custom of using lights at marriages and traced 
 a faint resemblance to a European custom in that observed by the Chinese. But 
 as regards burials the parallel is much more exact. In the lowlands of Scotland 
 a candle is waved thrice round a corpse as it is "sained" or blessed. In China 
 candles are kept burning round the coffin after the body has been laid out, " to 
 light the spirit of the dead upon his way," and a similar custom appears to 
 have obtained amongst almost every people in the European world.* As every- 
 body knows, the coffins of those lying in state are surrounded by wax tapers, 
 which are kept burning- until the day of interment. A candle used to be set upon 
 a dead body in Northumberland, and a similar practice prevailed in the Isle of 
 Man ; while the modern Jews set a light at the bead of one recently departed. 
 Still more exact is the analogy between the Chinese custom of carrying torches 
 before the dead at funerals and that which always existed amongst the ancient 
 Jews, and until veiy recent times obtained amongst ourselves. Bi-and, in his 
 Popular Antiquities, Vol. II., p, 276 et seq., gives a long account of the uses of 
 torches and lights in this conBeetion. 
 
 Amongst the curious superstitions attaching to death ia China is one that, 
 if two " cash" be placed in the sleeve of the dead man and then shaken out, the 
 result of the "toss" will signify the feeling of the departed. Thus, if both 
 turn up obverse or reverse, it ia eoucluded that the defunct is perfectly satisfied, 
 while, if one be obverse and the other not, it signifies that something has been 
 wrongly done. These cash are religiously preserved for similar use after the 
 corpse is buried, when a mode of divination by tossing is resorted to, if it b^ 
 desired to learn the wishes of the dead man as to family arrangements, the respect 
 paid to his manes, &c. -It is also customary in China to carefully reverse th& 
 direction of the body before putting it into the coffin — a practice to which I 
 cannot find any "Western parallel. 
 
 was her winding-sheet, and she wore a shoes, black wrist ribhons, and his favorite 
 fine point-lace tucker, handkerchief, raffles, walking-cane. Margaret Cooains, who was 
 and apron, and a lappethead of the same buried in Cuxton Churchyard, Kent, in 
 costly materials. Diamond earrings were 1683, ordered her body to be attired in 
 placed in her ears, gemmed rings on her scarlet satin, put in a mahogany ooffiu 
 fingers, and a valuable necklace round her having a loose lid, and placed upon trestles 
 neck; white silk stockings, and silver- in a vault under a pyramidal monument, 
 spangled shoes with stone buckles com- the glass doors of the vault being covered 
 pleted her costume. A Norfolk gentleman with green silk curtains. Another example 
 preserved such a happy recollection of of vanity strong in death was afforded us 
 matrimonial life, that when, at the age of a few years ago, when a wealthy court 
 ninety-one, he lay on his death-bed, he milliner left strict injunctions beliind her 
 gave instructions that he should- be buried that her body should be enfolded in point- 
 in his wedding-shirt, which he had care- lace. — Chamiers' Jowrnal. 
 fully kept for the purpose ; that garment * Moresin says a candle was an Egyptian 
 being supplemented with his *est suit of hieroglyphic for Hfe. — Brand's Antiqm- 
 clothes, his best wig, his silver-buckled tieg, Vol. II. p. 235. 
 
•■^•2 TtlE FOLK-LOEE OF CHINA. 
 
 During tte Hessing or "saining" of a corpse in Scotland all the windows 
 of the house are opened so as to giro the soul free egress. In. Fuhkien (where 
 the windows are not quite so large as- in European houses) they carry out a 
 similar idea by making- a hole in the roof.* Even the superstitious respect 
 accorded to the cock, as capaHe of being influenced from the unseen world 
 (evidenced by the carrying of a white cook or its paper image on Chinese coffins, 
 so as to allure the soul of the- departed to enter it) finds- a parallel in western 
 Europe. The Isclwrtzi of Ingria (Finland) burn a white- cock on the festival of 
 St. John when they visit the tombs of their departed, friends. A French receipt, 
 by the bye, for raising the devil given by Mr; Si Baring-Oould directs one to go 
 to where four cross-roads meet, with a black cock under your arm; call out Pbule 
 noir ! three times and the devil will come ajad take the cock and leave you a 
 handful of money. Scandinavian lore also is- full of allusions^ to the same bird, 
 
 A superstition prevails amongst the Chinese regarding "watching spirits" 
 to which I am tempted to accord a rather lengthy notice.. The unwillingness- 
 of the natives to help a drowning man, or any one in, absolute peril of life, is. 
 based upon a belief that the ghost of the last mail killed always acts as- w-atohman. 
 of the purgatory into which, according to Chinese beKef, the spirit of the departed' 
 first enter, and from which- he can only be relieved by the arrival of a fresh- 
 defunct. If, therefore, a man's life be saved, the spirit of the person who died 
 last before him is, in a manner, cheated out of his relief, and will assuredly haunt 
 the person whose misplaced humanity has- condemned it to a fresh term of dismal 
 servitude. Now this belief in a "watching- spirit" is essentially Gaelic: and the 
 following extract from a recent issue of the Inverness Cburier shews a parallelismi 
 so close as to be very singular. A correspondent -writes: — "I was sailing past 
 the beautiful island of St. Mungo, in Loch Leven, the burial place for many 
 centuries of the people of Nether-Lochaber and ftlencoe-, when the foUo-wing 
 conversation took place between myself and an old man who managed the sails 
 while I steered. It was all in Gaelic, of course, but I give the substance in 
 English : — 'You were at the funeral on the island the other day, sir ?' interroga- 
 tively observed my companion. ' I was, indeed,' I replied. ' John -,' he 
 
 continued, naming the deceased, 'was a very decent man.' 'He was a fine old 
 Highlander, shrewd and intelligent,' I i-epUed, ' and, what is more, I believe a 
 
 very good man.' ' Donald ,' naming a person we both knew, ' is very ill, 
 
 and not likely to last long.' ' I saw him to-day,' I observed, ' and I fear that 
 what you say is true : he cannot last long.' ' Well, sir, it will be a good thing 
 for John (the person recently buried) : his term of watching -will be a short 
 
 * Middle Kingdom, Vol. II. p. 262. Next" where the spirits, conversing on 
 This superstition appears to be perhaps the their way to the throne of " Micros," re- 
 most wide-spread of any connected with late to each other how th'ey had to wait 
 death. When a death takes place, in many till an open door or window in the house 
 parts of Europe, all the doors and windows in which the death had taken place, en- 
 should be unfastened, as it is thought that abled them to get free from it. There is a 
 the first pains of purgatory are inflicted curious superstition in Devonshire that the 
 by the soul squeezing through the closed departure of hfe is delayed where any look is 
 doors. We have something like this in closed in the dwelling or any bolt shot. 
 Swift's " Journey from this World to the See Popular Antiquities, Vol. II. p. 231. 
 
BlllTH, MAERIAGE AND DEATH. 
 
 2;3 
 
 one.' 'I donH underatand what you mean,' I observed, with some curiosity. 
 ' The man is dead and buried; what watching should he have to do?'' 'Why, 
 sir, don't you know that the spirit of the last person buried in the island has to 
 keep watch and ward over the graves tUl the spirit of the next person buried 
 takes his place?' 'I reaUy did not know that,' I replied. 'Is it a common 
 opinion that such is the case, and do you believe it yourself ?' ' Well, sir, it is 
 generally believed by the people ; and having always heard that it was so, I 
 cannot well help believing it too. The spirit whose watch it is is present there 
 day and night. Some people have seen them ; my mother, God rest her ! once 
 pointed out to me, when I was a little boy, an appearance, as of a flame of light 
 on the island, slowly moving backwards and forwards, and she assured me it was 
 the watching spirit going his rounds.' ' What particular object has the spirit in 
 watching ?' I asked. " Well, I don't exactly know,' was the answer. ' He just 
 takes a sort of general charge of the Island of the Dead, until his successor 
 arrives.' I have since found that a belief in this superstition is common among 
 the old people. The spirit or gho^t is supposed to be to a certain extent unhappy 
 and impatient of relief while in the discharge of this office, and thus, it is 
 considered that the sooner after a funeral there is, occasion again for the opening 
 of a grave, the better it is for the spirit of the last person interred, who then, and 
 not tiU then, passes finally and fully to his rest."* 
 
 * The following extract from the same 
 journal merits reproduction: — "In many 
 parts of the Highlands it is believed to this 
 day that the last person buried has to per- 
 form the duty of sentinel over the church- 
 yard, and that to him the guardianship 
 of the spirits of those buried before is in 
 some degree committed. This post he 
 must occupy until a tenant of the tomb 
 releases him. It is not esteemed an envi- 
 able position, but one to be escape ji if 
 possible ; consequently, if two neighbors 
 die on the same day, the surviving relations 
 make great efforts to be first in closing 
 the grave over their friend. I remember 
 an old nurse, who was mourning the death 
 of a sweet girl she had reared, exclaiming 
 with joy, when she heard, on the day after 
 her funeral, of the death of a parishioner ; 
 ' I thank God my dear darling will have to 
 watch the graves no longer !' A ludicrous 
 but striking illustration of this strange 
 notion occurred some years ago in the 
 
 parish of A . An old man and an old 
 
 woman, dwelling in the same township, hut 
 not on terms of friendship — ^for the lady, 
 Kate Buadh, was more noted for antipa- 
 . thies than attachments — were both at the 
 point of death. The good man's" friends 
 began to clip his nails, an office always 
 performed just as a person is dying. He, 
 knowing that his amiable neighbor was, 
 like himself, on the verge of the grave, 
 roused himself to a last effort and ex- 
 claimed : ' Stop, stop ; you know not what 
 
 use I may have for all my nails in com- 
 pelling Kate Ruadli to k^ep Faire Chlaidth 
 in place of doing it myself.' " In the 
 statistical account of Scotland, xiv., 210, 
 Parishes of Kilfinichen and Kilviceueu, 
 County of Argyle, we read : ' ' The in- 
 habitants are by no means superstitious, 
 yet they still retain some opinions handed 
 down by their ancestors, perhaps from the 
 time of the Druids. It is believed by them 
 that the spirit of the last person buried 
 watches round the churchyard till another 
 one is buried, to whom he delivers his 
 charge." In the same work, xxi., 114, it 
 is said : " In one division of the country, 
 where it is believed that the ghost of the 
 person last buried kept the gate of the 
 churchyard till relieved by the next victim 
 of death, a singular scene occurred when 
 two burials were to take place on the same 
 day. Both parties staggered forward as 
 fast as possible; to consign their respective 
 friend in the first place to the dust. If 
 they met at the gate, the dead was thrown 
 down until the living decided by blows 
 whose ghost should be condemned to porter 
 it." It was the duty of the last person 
 interred to stand sentry at the graveyard 
 gate from sunset until the crowing of the 
 cock every night until regularly relieved. 
 This, sometimes, in thinly-inhabited parts 
 of the country, happened to be a tedious 
 and severe duty ; and the duration of the 
 " Faire Chlaidth " gave the deceased's 
 surviving friends much uneasiness. 
 
24 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 The Chinese idea of watching the dead— a duty which amongst them devolves 
 iipon the eldest son and his brothers until the coffin is removed for interment, 
 finds expression also amongst ourselves. Mr. Henderson, in his Folk-lore of the 
 Northern Counties, says : " The corpse must be watched tiU its btirial by one of 
 its kindred and a stranger, who may be relieved, when weary, by another 
 relation and another stranger." In China the incense stick which is straight 
 (emblematical of the " straight road " which the spirit of the deceased ought to 
 travel) must not be allowed to go out lest the spirit lose its way. With us the 
 " Saining Candle " must be kept burning during the night. 
 
 The idea of furnishing the dead with food, arms, clothing, money, etc., is 
 essentially Chinese, but by no means conliiied to them. Mr. D. Forbes states 
 that the Ajrmara Indians supply the dead with food and clothing.* Horses are 
 sacriiiced at the funerals of the Red Indians, and dogs used to be at the funerals 
 of the Aztecs, while camels formed the funeral sacrifices of the Bedouins. The 
 Chinese, less extravagant, consume paper models of money, animals, and boats, 
 with a similar object ; and the reminder of the Stygian ferry in the use of paper 
 junks is at least odd.f The belief that the spirits of the dead pass over routes 
 used by the living is in like manner a superstition common to both East and 
 West. The ceremonials observed in this country to facilitate their passage, and 
 the beatings of gongs to frighten away evU. spirits are equally observed by the 
 Kasi Indians, who, when the funeral cortege happens to pass a puddle, lay down 
 a straw for the dead man's soul to use as a bridge. An ancient Chinese practice 
 is, by the way, ciu'ious. They used to bury the dead in the same position as the 
 foetus assumes in the womb. I have nowhere met with any modern mention of 
 this custom. According to the Chinese ritual the relations of one deceased 
 assume mourning (made of wliite hempen cloth) seven days after his death. 
 Though in our own case there is probably no superstitious origin in the custom it 
 may be noted by way of coincidence that we usually bury people after the expira- 
 tion of that interval, which is the first time the mourners appear publicly clad in 
 the hahUiments of woe. 
 
 A number of curious practices connected with burial and mourning are 
 without doubt purely Chinese. Thus, on the sixtieth day after death, the family 
 place on a table a number of plates containing offerings of food, &c., accompanied 
 by the never-absent incense. Besides these they place on the table a wash-bowl 
 full of water in which is floating half a duck's egg. A paper and bamboo duck, 
 astride of which is a paper human image, is then placed on the water beside it. 
 The image personifies the deceased, the duck his means of transport and the 
 egg-shell a boat. The use of both duck and boat to cross the Chinese Styx is 
 not very clear, but they are probably intended to give the deceased a choice of 
 conveyance. A yet more inexplicable practice is that of placing a paper image 
 of the departed in a wheeled sedan-chair of similar material, to which is attached 
 
 * Ethnological Review, Vol. II. No. 3, gistan, it is believed that the dead can use 
 
 p. 231. the things destroyed as offerings to their 
 
 t In Madagascar as amongst the natives manes, such as guns, &c., Sea. 
 of the Carribbces, New Guinea and Ker- 
 
BlltTH, MAIUUAGE rUD DEATH. 25 
 
 a paper crane as if in tlie act of drawing the sedan. Ranged in front of the 
 crane are numerous articles of dress, money &c. (all of coxirse in paper), and in 
 some way the crane is supposed to convey both the spirit of the deceased and the 
 goods on their onward passage. 
 
 Our own custom of throwing earth upon the coffin when the solemn words 
 "earth to earth, ashes to ashes" are pronounced by the clergyman, is closely 
 paralleled in China. Directly the coffin has been lowered, tlie sons of the 
 deceased hasten to scatter earth into the grave. This earth they have previously 
 put into the lap of their sackcloth mourning garments, and they manage to shake 
 it out so as to fall upon the coffin if possible."* The idea thus symbolized is in 
 both cases the same. It is, by the way, to be noted that, in China, when 
 husband and wife are buried side by side, the grave of the husband must be on 
 the left side (the place of honour.) The water coming from a hill on which a 
 grave has been dug is esteemed peculiarly lucky for use and is termed " dragon's 
 water " — in reference to the term usually applied to the hill near to or on which, 
 when possible, sites for graves are always selected, f The superstitious aversion 
 shewn in China to permitting a corpse to enter or be buried within the walls of a 
 city has obtained at various times in nlany parts of the Western world. The 
 Moors never bury their dead within the bounds of an inhabited place, and the 
 inhabitants of Thibet used, it was said, to be similarly particular, always 
 exposing them on the tops of nlountains. 
 
 Most who have read anything about China are aware of the great im- 
 portance attached to selecting a lucky place for a grave. Dr. Williams, in 
 writing on this subject, laments the way in which the Chinese are befooled by 
 the doctrines of Fung-shuey in, this regard; but we are not so certain that 
 Englishmen, at best, can afford to look down upon China from any very high 
 elevation. A spot free from water and white ants, and commanding a good view, 
 while at the same time under favorable geomantic influences, is what the Chinese 
 aim at. Our people of the Border counties, more enlightened, (?) prefer the 
 South side of a churchyard as the "holiest ground," reserving the North for 
 suicides and stillborn infants. A rare tract, published in 1589, sneers at a 
 deceased man because he would not belaid East and West "for he ever went 
 against the hair." The 'South wind, says the same authority, ever brings 
 corruption with it.| It is quite Certain that traces of a very widespread super- 
 stition as to the depth, direction and general lucky aspect of graves still exists in 
 England, though now-a-days surviving only in remote districts. 
 
 A native practice universally quoted in Europe as illustrative of the con- 
 tradiction between Chinese customs and our own is that of wearing white for 
 mourning— white being, in China, "an emblem of evil or sorrow." But the 
 practice is not so opposed to European ideas as some may think. At the funerals 
 of unmarried persons of both sexes, as well as infants, the scarves, hatbands 
 
 * For much here given I am indebted to furnished me with several useful notes and 
 
 the Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. I. p. memoranda. 
 
 188 et sea. Mr. Chris. T. Gard^ier, of H. t See Eitel's Fimg-shuei/. 
 
 B. M. Consulate, Canton, has also kindly t Pop. Anttq., Vol. II. p. i8^. 
 
26 THE FOLK-LORE OE CHl^^A. 
 
 and gloves given in England as mourning used always to be white. The 
 Chinese do not present mourners with these adjuncts of the funeral, but give in 
 place of them white " crying cloths" or, as we should say, pocket handkerchiefs. 
 It may be iuteresting here to note also that black is not of universal use even 
 in the West. The Egyptians use yellow, the Syrians, Armenians and Cappado- 
 cians light sky-blue, and the Ethiopians grey. Heni-y VIII. is referred to in 
 Hall's Chronicle as wearing white mourning for the unfortunate Anne Boleyn ; 
 whUe Plutarch (Langley's Translation) writes that, "The women in their 
 mournynge laide a parte all purple, golde, and sumtuous apparell, and were 
 clothed both they and their Idnsfolk in white appareU." * * * "Of this 
 ceremonie, as I take it (adds the translator) the French quenes toke the 
 occasion, after the death of their housebandes, the kynges, to weare onely white 
 elothying." The motives however of the Italians in adopting this colour were 
 diametrically the opposite of those inflxienoing the Ohiuese. — "The white colour 
 was thought fittest for the ded, because it is clere, pure, and sincer, and leaste 
 defiled." 
 
 The student of Chinese folk-lore mil search in vain for any expression of 
 the old superstition regarding female apparitions as harbingers of decease.* The 
 Chinese theory of death is that it takes place in accordance with the reckoning 
 of Heaven, exercised through the power of the God or Goddess controlling the 
 special disease from which the patient sufiers. To this latter, thei-efore, prayers 
 and offerings are addressed, and if they prove unsuccessful the petitioners comfort 
 themselves by remarking that it is the decree of fate. The absence of superna- 
 tural ghostly portents in this connection amongst a people so superstition-ridden 
 as the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom is quite as curious as the existence 
 of its numerous beliefs. 
 
 Finally, it may be interesting to point out that the extreme dislike enter- 
 tained by the Chinese to disturbing a grave, based on the supposition that the 
 spirit of the person buried will haunt and cause ill-luck or death to the dis- 
 turbers, has been felt amongst Englishmen. Aubrey, referring to the disinter- 
 ment of the body of Mary, ftueen of Scots, says, " it always bodes ill to a family 
 where bodies are removed from their graves. For some of the family will die 
 shortly after, as did Prince Henry and I think Q,ueen Anne." The Chinese also, 
 like ourselves, deem certain hours of the twenty-four more fatal to life than 
 
 * Why is Death commonly harbingeved a way of utilizing this weird fancy. Some 
 
 by apparitions in female shape, according " old offenders," in female disguise, go 
 
 to the superstitions of the East and the about the streets of Madras exactly at 
 
 North, as well aa of classical antiquity ? twelve at night and knock at the doors 
 
 The Greeks held that human life was con- of houses inhabited by natives. " There 
 
 trolled by the Fates. The Northmen had is a strange belief among the uneducated 
 
 their Valkyriur, or female choosers of the natives that the she-devil Dengue (the 
 
 slain. The companions of Anastasius in name of the prevailing epidemic) raps at 
 
 the prison at Constantinople saw " the their door at that hour of the night, and 
 
 frightful hag, the harbinger of the plague, that it any inmate opens he will be struck 
 
 hovering with her bat's wings over their dead by her." The unsuspecting natives 
 
 drear abode, and with her hooked talons ■ — forgetting the hour — open, see the omin- 
 
 numbering one by one her intended vie- ous figures, and " many of them drop down 
 
 tims." And now we are told that the in a fainting fit." The visitors make the 
 
 thieves of our Indian cities have found out best of the occasion. — Pall Mall Gazette. 
 
DATS AND SEASONS. 27 
 
 others. Recorded statistics in. England give them as from 5 to 6 a.m., (maximum) 
 11 p.m. to 12 midnight, and 9 to 10 a.m. The Chinese hold that noon and. 
 midnight are the two most fatal periods.* 
 
 III.— BAYS AND SEASONS. 
 
 The •superstitions of the Chinese concerning- lucky and unlucky days are so> 
 numerous that, though they scarcely exceed, they certainly equal those which, 
 some 300 years ago, existed amongst our own ancestors. To commence with 
 those referring to periods rather than dates, we may note that the seventh day is 
 reputed to possess much the same mystic properties by the Chinese as it was 
 by the "Western ancients. This may arise from its being an astronomical period 
 — the moons phases being always spoken of as changing every seven days. But 
 whatever the reason, both the seventh day and the period it begins or terminates, 
 is constantly observed in Chinese ceremonies. Thus, for example, the seventh, 
 fourteenth, twenty-eighth and thirty-fifth days after a person's death are 
 specially set aside for mourning observances. The seventh day is critical in 
 fevers ; and the seventh evening of the seventh month is the great worshipping 
 time for women. But, more than this, we find that the Chinchew edition of the 
 Imperial Almanack invariably marks the Christian Sabbath with a character, 
 signifying "rest or quiet," though simply taken by the natives to mean unaus- 
 pioious for work. Dr. Carstairs Douglas thus wrote on this subject in Vol. 4 p. 
 38 of Notes and Queries on China and Japan: "In the edition of the Imperial 
 Almanack published at Chinchew (Ts'uen-cheu-foo) and at Amoy and all the 
 country round, the Christian Sabbath is invariaUy marked by the character mih 
 (pronounced in Amoy J«i), which means 'secret,' 'quiet' or 'sUent.' .... 
 I have not met with any heathen who can throw any light on th« meaning or 
 history of this remarkable character as it stands in the Almanack, though I have 
 made enquiries both among the literati and at the ofiice in Chinchew where it 
 is published. The only trace of its meaning (excepting of course the plain and 
 unmistakable sense of the word itself) as used by the Chinese at present, is that 
 it is always placed in that part of the page which contains the inauspicious 
 elements of each day, which make it unlucky for doing worii. This seems. 
 clearly to prove that the original use of the phrase was to indicate ' a day of 
 rest.' " Dr. Douglas then goes on to shew that the assumption of its having 
 
 * I find the following paragraph in an in the morning until midnight the deaths 
 
 old newspaper, bat cannot venfy its state- are at or below the mean ; the hours from 
 
 ments : — The least mortality is during the 10 to 11 a.m., 4 to 5 and 9 to 10 p.m., 
 
 mid-day hours, mainly from 10 to 3 o'clock. being minima, but the honr after midnight 
 
 About one-third of the total deatl^ noted being the lowest maximum ; at all the hours 
 
 were children under five years of age, and from 2 to 10 a.m. the deaths are above the 
 
 they show the influence of the latter still mean, attaining their maximum at from 5 
 
 more strikingly. At all the hours from 10 to 6 p.m., when it is 45 j per cent, above. 
 
28 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHIXA. 
 
 been introduced by the Jesuits is scarcely tenable, inasmuch as it is not found in 
 the almanacks published at Peking, where Jesuit influence was greatest ; while if 
 its introduction were so recent it would not probably have found its way into 
 the category of the criteria of lucky and unlucky days, which are always sup- 
 posed to rest on the highest antiquity. The discussion was finally set at rest by 
 Mr. "Wylie, who explained "mih" as being a transcript of the Persian "mttra" 
 for Sunday introduced into the Chinese Calendar through Indian astronomers.' 
 It is noteworthy that the day always coincides with the Christian, and not the 
 Jewish Sabbath. 
 
 The fifteenth day of the eighth moon is a day on which a ceremony is per- 
 formed by the Chinese which of all others we should least expect to find imitated 
 amongst ourselves. Most people resident in China have seen the moon-cakes 
 which so delight the heart of the Chinese during the eighth month of every 
 year. These are made for an autumnal festival often described as "congra- 
 tulating" or " rewarding " the moon. The moon, it is well known, represents 
 the female principle in Chinese celestial cosmogony, and she is further supposed 
 to be inhabited by a multitude of beautiful females; the cakes made in her 
 honour are therefore veritable ofierings to this Queen of the Heavens. Now in a 
 part of Lancashire, on the banks of the Ribble, there exists a precisely similar 
 custom of making cakes in. honour of the "ftueenof Heaven" — a relic, in all 
 probability, of the old heathen worship which was the common fount of the two 
 customs. 
 
 The Chinese carry out the idea of lucky days to a. remarkable extent. 
 While we now saddle only one day in the week with ill luck, they have selected 
 a number of days in each month as uncanny for work, or even amusement.f On 
 
 * Dion Cassins, who wrote in the third I quote the following in full from " Predic- 
 
 ceutury of our era, gives the explanation tions Realized" as giving a good means oi 
 
 of the natnre of the Egyptian week, and of comparison between the belief of " Chria- 
 
 the method lq which the arrangement was tian England " and " Heathen China " in 
 
 derived from their system of astronomy. the 17th century. 
 
 It is a noteworthy point that neither the In an old MS., the writer, after stating 
 
 Greeks nor Bomans in his time used the that the most learned mathematicians have 
 
 week, which was a period of strictly Oriental decided that the 1st of August, the 4th of 
 
 origin. The Bomans only adopted the September, and the 11th of March, are 
 
 week in the time of Theodosius, toward most injudicious to let blood ; and that 
 
 the close of the fourth century, and the philosophers have settled that the 10th of 
 
 Greeks divided the months into periods of August, Ist of December, and 6th of April 
 
 ten days [as the Chinese do also] ; so that, are perilous to those who surfeit them- 
 
 for the origia of the arrangement connect- selves in eating and drrnMng, — continues 
 
 ing the days of the week with the planets, as foUows assigning reasons why certain 
 
 we must look to the source indicated by days should be marked as infelicitous : — 
 Dion Cassius. It is a curious iUustration "I will repeat unto you certain days yet 
 
 of the way in which traditions are handed be observed by some old writers, chiefly 
 
 down, not only from generation to genera- the ancient astrologians who did allege 
 
 tion, but from nation to nation, that the that there were 28 dayes in the yeare 
 
 Latin and Western nations, receiving the which were revealed by the Angel Gabriel 
 
 week along with the doctrines of Chris- to the good .Joseph, which ever have been 
 
 tianity, should nevertheless have adopted remarked to be very fortunate dayes either 
 
 the nomenclature in use among astrologers. to purge, let blond, cui'e wounds, use mar- 
 
 — Contemporary Review. ehandises, sow seed, plant trees, build 
 
 t It must not however be supposed that houses, or taking joumies, in long or short 
 
 in the " Good old Times" our ancestors voyages, in fighting or giving of battaile, 
 
 were one wliit better than the Chinese, and or skirmishing. They also doe alledge 
 
DAYS AND SEASONS. 
 
 29 
 
 the 7th aad other days you must not start on a journey, change your dwelling 
 place, plant or sow, go to school for the first time, repair your house, purchase- 
 landed property, &o. The superstition as to not starting on a ioumey seems to' 
 be common to all nations. We know the origin of Friday being an unlucky day 
 amongst ourselves, as being that of the Crucifixion.* But it is evident, that an 
 older superstition is the basis of the tradition, and a thorough investigation 
 would probably give us some common starting point for both the Aryan and 
 Mongolian families. 
 
 A book in popular circulation in Southern China called the ^^ ^ jj ^^ 
 (hwang-li-tung-shu) gives an exhaustive return of lucky and unlucky days, from 
 which I extract the following information. It must be premised that the 365 
 days of the year are divided into sets of twelve days, each being under the sup- 
 posed influence of a certain planet, a certain zodiacal sign,t a certain terrestrial 
 element and one of the twenty-eight " lunar mansions." There is a further 
 series of twelve terms, expressing the lucky or unlucky characters of given days 
 
 that children who were borne in any of 
 these dayes could never be poore ; and all 
 childi'en who were put to schooles or col- 
 ledges in those dayes should become great 
 schollars, and those who were put to any 
 craft or trade in such dayes should become 
 perfect Artificers and rich, and snch as 
 were put to trade in Marchandize should 
 become most wealthy, the dayes be these : 
 the 3d and 13th of January ye 5th and 
 28th of Feb., ye 3d, 22d, and 30th of 
 March, the 5th, 22d, and 29th of April, ye 
 4th and 28th of May, ye 3d and 8th of 
 June, the 12th, 13th and 15th of July, ye 
 12th of August, ye Ist, 7th, 24th and 28th 
 of September, the 4th and 15th of October, 
 ye loth and 19th of November, ye 23d and 
 26th of December. And thus much con- 
 cerning ye dayes which are by ye most 
 curious part of ye learned remarked to 
 be good and evill." 
 
 In the Book of Knowledge, we find the 
 loUowing " Evil Days : " — 
 
 " Astronomers say that six days of the 
 year are perilous of death ; and therefore 
 they forbid men to let blood of them, or 
 take any drink ; that is to say, Jan. 3, July 
 1, October 2, the last of April, August 4, 
 the last day going out of December. These 
 six days with great diligence ought to be 
 kept, but namely [? mainly] the latter 
 three, for all the veins are then full. For 
 then, whether man or beast be knit in them 
 within seven days, or certainly within 
 fourteen days, he diall die, And if they 
 take any drinks within fifteen days, they 
 shall die ; and it they eat any goose in 
 these three days, within forty days they 
 shall die ; and if any child be bom in these 
 three latter days, they shall die a wicked 
 death. Astronomers and astrologers say 
 that in the beginning of March.ihe seventh 
 night, or the fourteenth day, let the blood 
 
 of the right arm ; and in the beginning 
 of April, the 11th day, of the left arm ; 
 and in the end of May, 3d or 5tli day, on 
 whether arm thou wilt ; and thus, of iJl the 
 year, thou shalt orderly be kept from the 
 fever, the falling gout, the sister gout, and' 
 loss of thy sight." 
 
 A Booh o/Presi<J«Jite (precedents), pub- 
 lished in London in 1616, contains a Ca- 
 lendar, many of the days in which have 
 the letter B affixed : " which signifieth 
 such dayes as the Egyptians note to be 
 dangerous to begin or take anything in 
 hand, as to take a journey or any snch 
 like thing." The days thus marked 
 are : — 
 
 January 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 15, 17, 19. 
 
 February 7, 10, 17, 27, 28. 
 
 March 15, 16, 28. 
 
 April 7, 10, 16, 20, 21. 
 
 May 7, 15, 20. 
 
 June 4, 10, 22. 
 
 July 15, 20, 
 
 August 1, 19, 20, 29, 30. 
 
 September 3, 4, 6, 7, 21, 22. 
 
 October 4, 16, 24. 
 
 November 5, 6, 28, 29. 
 
 December 6, 7, 9, 15, 17, 22. 
 
 * We often hear the warning given by 
 old dames to young people never to go 
 courting on Friday ; but, on the other 
 hand. Good Friday is stated to be the best 
 day in the whole year to begin weaning 
 children. 
 
 + One of the cardinal principles of astro- 
 logy was this : That every hour and 
 every day is ruled by its proper planet. 
 Now, in the ancient Egyptian astronomy 
 there were seven planets ; two, the sun 
 and moon, circling round the earth, the 
 rest circling round the sun. The period 
 of circulation was apparently taken as the 
 
30 
 
 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 which in the eyes of the people emhody the result total of the astrological hearings 
 of any given day. They are thus arranged and named, though it does not follow 
 that the terms wlU in any given month agree with the dates here stated : — 
 
 ^ 
 
 m 
 
 zp 
 
 ® 
 
 ft 
 
 ^ 
 
 « 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 m 
 
 ^ 
 
 m 
 
 1 
 
 13 
 25 
 
 2 
 14 
 26 
 
 3 
 15 
 
 27 
 
 4 
 16 
 
 28 
 
 5 
 
 17 
 29 
 
 6 
 18 
 30 
 
 7 
 19 
 
 8 
 20 
 
 9 
 
 21 
 
 10 
 22 
 
 11 
 
 23 
 
 12 
 24 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 1=1 
 
 1 
 
 If 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 Neither lucky nor 
 unlucky. 
 
 t 
 1 
 
 I- 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Neither very lucky 
 
 nor unlucky, 
 
 rather unlucky. 
 
 1 
 
 53 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 Si 
 
 The foregoing tahle shews the practical application of this system. 
 
 Thus it may happen that in a given month the 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 18th, 
 23rd, and 30th days of a month are very unlucky. 
 
 The 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 12th, 14th 15th, 17th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 27th and 
 29th are neither lucky nor unlucky. 
 
 measure of each planet's dignity, probably 
 because it was judged that the distance 
 corresponded to the period. We know 
 that some harmonious relations between 
 the distances and periods was supposed to 
 exist. When Kepler discovered the actual 
 law, he conceived that he had in reaUty 
 found out the mystery of Egyptian 
 astronomy, or, as he expressed it, that he 
 had " stolen the golden vases of the 
 Egyptians." Whether they had ideas as 
 to the nature of this relation or not, it is 
 certain that they arranged the planets in 
 order, (beginning with the planets of 
 longest period), as follows. 
 
 1 — Saturn, 
 
 2 — Jupiter. 
 
 3— Mars. 
 
 4— The Sun. 
 
 5 — Venus. 
 
 6 — Mercury. 
 
 7— The Moon. 
 The hours were devoted in continnOus 
 succession to these bodies ; and as there 
 were twenty-four hours in each Chaldean 
 or Egyptian day, it follows that with what- 
 ever planet the day began, the cycle of 
 seven planets (beginning with that one) 
 was repeated three times, making twenty- 
 one hours, and then the first three planets 
 of the cycle completed the twenty-four 
 hours, so that the fourth planet of the 
 
 cycle (so begun) ruled the first hour of the 
 next day. Suppose, for instance, the first 
 hour of any day was ruled by the Sun — the 
 cycle for the next day would therefore be 
 the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, 
 Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, which, repeated 
 three times, would give twenty-one hours ; 
 the twenty-second, twenty-third, and 
 twenty-fourth hours would be ruled respec- 
 tively by the Sun, Venus, and Mercury, 
 and the first hour of the next day would be 
 ruled by the Moon. Proceeding in the 
 same way through this second day, we find 
 that the first houi' of the third day would 
 be ruled by Mars. The &st hour of the 
 fourth day would be ruled by Mercury ; 
 the first hour of the fifth day by Jupiter ; 
 of the sixth by Venus, and of the seventh 
 by Saturn, The seven days in order, being 
 assigned to the planet ruling their first 
 hour, would therefore be — 
 
 1. The Sun's day (Sunday.) 
 
 2. The Moon's day (Monday, Lundi.) 
 
 3. Mars' day (Tuesday, Mardi.) 
 
 4. Mercury's day (Wednesday, Mer- 
 credi.) 
 
 5. Jupiter's day (Thursday, Jendi.) 
 
 6. Venus' day (Friday, Veneris dies, 
 Vendi-edi.) 
 
 7. Saturn's day, (Saturday, Ital. il Sab- 
 bato.) 
 
 — Contemporary Review, 
 
DAYS AND SEASOJfS. 31 
 
 The 9th and 21st are rather lucky ; while the 1st, 8th, 13th, 20th and 25th 
 are very lucky. 
 
 From the explanations affixed we learn that the 6th, 18th and 30th of the 
 month shewn, though unlucky in other respects, are lucky for hunting and 
 fishing, calling in a doctor, or pulling down a house. The character Jffif p'o 
 means "to rend," "break," or "take by storm." The 7th and 19th again, to 
 which the character TOJ wei, signifying "danger," ispreflxed are not quite so 
 unlucky as the 6th, 10th, 18th, 22nd and 30th. The 11th and 23rd, unlucky for 
 general purposes, are particularly so to white ants and other vermin, as those 
 days are lucky for their destruction, filling up holes, &c., the character given 
 ^ pi" meaning to "shut," "close," or "obstruct." The 2nd, 3rd, 14th, 15th, 
 26th and 27th are good for meeting friends, and (as well as the 9th and 21st) are 
 peculiarly suitable for taking a baby out for its first airing.* On the 5th, 17th 
 and 29th one e^-n cut wood, hunt, fish, and, if you find them, catch wild animals. 
 Not long since a party of gentlemen resident in Hongkong went over to the 
 mainland to look for a tiger which was reported to have visited the neighbour- 
 hood of Deep Bay, but as they neglected to choose a "lucky" day their success 
 (as the natives observed) was not remarkable. One is hardly prepared to find 
 the 12th and 24th, noted as "neither lucky nor unlucky," recommended as 
 propitious days for worshipping at the temples, making proposals of marriage and 
 moving house. " Cutting out clothes," which is perhaps not a very interesting 
 occupation at any time, is also recommended on these dates. 
 
 The 10th and 22nd in the month above given do not carry an invariably 
 lucky status with them, it depending very much upon the month in which they 
 occur. They are, however, always propitious for hunting and fishing. The 9th 
 and 21st, in addition to being, as above noted, good for babies, are fortunate for 
 building, cutting wood, seeing friends, proposing in marriage, marrying, and 
 making and mending drains — a sufficiently incongruous selection of employments. 
 Finally upon the 1st, 4th, 8th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 25th and 28th, anything can 
 be done, while the 8th and 20th are the luckiest days of all. 
 
 But New Year's day is for certain things the day of luck. According to 
 Chinese belief you may on this date, in almost any year, present religious 
 offerings or vows to heaven, put on full dress, fine caps, and elegant attire ; at 
 noontide one should " sit with one's face to the south ;" may make matrimonial 
 matches, pay calls, get married, set out on a journey, order new clothes, com- 
 mence repairs to a house, lay foundations, or raise up the framework of it ; set 
 saU, enter into business contracts, carry on commerce, collect accounts, pound, 
 grind, plant, sow, &c. Nor are other superstitions connected with this auspicious 
 day wanting. Like our own old women in the more remote country districts, the 
 Chinese attach considerable importance to the "first-foot" or person first seen 
 after the New Year has set in. A fair man is a lucky first-foot in the North, 
 while a woman is peculiarly unlucky. In China a Buddhist Priest is regarded as 
 the most ill-foreboding mortal it is possible to set eyes on as a first-foot. Another 
 
 * In some parts of England certain days Friday is the most unlucky which can be 
 are chosen for cutting a baby's nails; selected. 
 
32 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 similarity is to be found in the common superstition that the first words heard in 
 the year will affect the fortune of the hearer for the coming twelve months. In 
 Lincolnshire they arrange with the "firstfoot" to repeat a lucky rhyme.* In 
 China the women go out secretly and listen to persons talking in the street. 
 The first sentence heard is held to contain a prediction, good or bad, of the 
 listener's luck for the ensuing year. 
 
 Another curious coincidence between Chinese and British belief is afibrded 
 in the fact that the former people have a sort of "St. Swithin's Day."t Our 
 own popular rhyme is sufficiently well known 
 
 St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain. 
 For forty days it -will remain ; 
 St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair. 
 For forty days 'twill rain nae mair : 
 
 and I need not more particularly allude to the legend concerning him — how the 
 violation of his grave was followed by the " 40 days rain.'' A correspondent of 
 the Shanghai Courier and China Gazette thus writes on the 5th March 1875 : — 
 " The first prediction as to the fortunes of the New Year rested on the state of the 
 weather on the fijst day of spring, which coincided with our February the 3rd. 
 ' Heaven grant that it may not rain a drop to-morrow,' said a boatman to me on 
 the evening of February 2nd. ' If it does,' he continued, ' the crops will be below 
 average for a certainty ; and the price of rice will go up.' ' Why so ? ' I asked. 
 ' Don't you know,' he replied, " that if it rains on ' lih ch'ing,' (the first day of 
 spring) ' it will rain more or less for forty days afterwards.' A curious coin- 
 cidence this with our St. Swithin's Day ; and it is observable that the Chinese 
 prophets, as well as the authors of the memorial prophecies of the irate Saint 
 Swithin, make their predictions sufficiently elastic to save their credit — ' more 
 or less for forty days.' " It is noteworthy that the Chinese prediction is seldom 
 verified, and that our own popular prediction is almost equally sure to be false, 
 special observations taken at Greenwich for twenty years having shewn that rain 
 fell in the largest number of days when St. Swithin^s Day was dry ! With 
 amusing agreement there were more wet days than dry ones following the recent 
 3rd February in China, although that day was distinguished by "a bright sun 
 and a cloudless sky!" Weather predictions in either country are evidently of 
 equal value. J The Hakkas (and also many Puntis) believe that if in the night 
 of the 15th day of the 8th month (mid-autumn) there are clouds obscuring the 
 moon before midnight, it is a sign that oil and salt will become vei-y dear. If, 
 however, there are clouds obscuring the moon after midnight, the price of rice 
 will, it is supposed, undergo a similar change. 
 
 * A recent article in a home Magazine t This falls with us on July 15. 
 
 on North Country folk-lore says : — Never } There is a rule generally believed in, 
 
 allow a female to enter the house first on in South Germany, that if no snow fall at 
 
 Christmas Day : it is an ill omen, and will Christmas there will be snow at Easter, 
 
 cause loss and calamity to the family. and vice versa; the rule being " Weisse 
 
 Burn all the Christmas decorations in the Weihnacht griine Ostern, grtlue Weihnacht 
 
 shape of holly and ivy by the twelfth day, weisse Ostern." 
 or your house will be haunted with evil 
 spuits all the year. 
 
PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, &c. 33 
 
 IV.— POETENTS OE OMENS, AUGUEIES, LUCKY 
 NTJMBEES AND DEEAMS. 
 
 Portents or onjens exej-t, as njiglat be expected, a telling influejioe on Chijiese 
 eyeryday life, and implicit belief is placed in the eflfeot ■wbich will follow certain, 
 nnintentioijal apts on the part of any individual. Spilling the salt is held to 
 forebode ill-luck amongst ourselves, and similarly the upsetting of the oil' jar 
 foretells npsfortune to the Chiijaman, The appearance and flight of birds 
 seems, again, to haye beeij regarded as an augury by every nation of whose 
 social life details have conie down to ns, and it is not therefore surprising that 
 the crow should in China be regarded as an omen of evil, just as it is looked 
 upoq an;ongst oiirselyes, Oijr North Country children cry when they see one 
 
 " Crow, orow, get out of my sight 
 Or else I'll eat thy liver aaS Ught ;" 
 
 while a Chinese mutters an invocation against the evil harbinger, its cry being 
 considered so unlucky that when any one about to undertake an affair hears it, 
 he generally postpones action. On the other hand, while our old superstition 
 poncerning magpies is adverse to the appearance of a single bird — 
 
 •^ One for serrow, 
 Two for mirth, 
 Three for a wedding, 
 And four for a birth," 
 
 the Chinese consider the solitary visitor an omen of good luck. A duck quacking 
 as one passes is, they hold, just the contrary. Regarding dogs the agreement of 
 English belief with that of China is sing^ar. For a strange dog to foUow a 
 person is regarded in most parts of our own rural districts as lucky. The Chinese 
 say that if a strange dog comes and remains with one, it is an omen of good to 
 his family and indicates that he vyill becon^e more wealthy.* Cats, on the 
 other hand, are inauspicious beasts, and a display of sudden attachment, such as 
 that just noted, foreshadows poverty and distress. '* May kittens should be 
 drowned," according to English folkrlore ; but I am not aware that the full-grown 
 animal is deemed particularly objectionable except by sailors, who aver that when 
 a cat becomes unusually frolicsome it portends a storm. Hens also come in for a 
 share of the feeling expressed in the distich 
 
 " A whistling woman and orpwing hen 
 Are neither fit for Gods or men." 
 
 " In China the crowing of a hen is considered ominous of something unusual 
 about to happen in the family to which it belongs. In order to ascertain whether 
 this event is propitious or unpropitious, the relative position of the fowl, while 
 
 * Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. II., p. 328. — The .Sitliiopians regarded ths dog an 
 a portentous animal. * 
 
34 THE FOLK-LOKE OF CHINA. 
 
 crowing, is to be observed. If tbe hen crows while her head is toward the out- 
 side, or the front of the premises, it is an unpropitious prognostication, foreshad- 
 owing poverty or ill luck 'of some kind ; whereas, if her head is pointing toward 
 the rear of the premises while crowing, it is an omen of good, indicating a more 
 prosperous state of the family. Few families will keep a crowing hen, even 
 should she betoken future good, as extraordinary omens like this are deemed 
 undesirable. The unfortunate fowl is either sold or killed as soon as possible 
 after she has commenced to crow. It is said that if a cock should crow about 
 ten or eleven o'clock in the evening, he is not allowed to remain on the premises 
 long, being killed or sold, as such crowing denotes future evil to the family of 
 the owner."* A precisely similar belief obtained amongst our own ancestors. 
 "Moresin ranked the unseasonable crowing of a cock amongst omens," says 
 Brand; and in Morier's Journey through Persia, p. 62, we read: "Amongst the 
 superstitions in Persia, that which depends on the crowing of a cock is not the 
 least remarkable. If the cook crows at a proper hour, they esteem it a good 
 omen ; if at an improper season, they kill him. I am told that the f avoxu-able 
 hours are at nine, both in the morning and in the evening, at noon, and at 
 midnight." The flight of birds, more especially swallows, is also an omen in 
 Chinese eyes. Classical scholars do not need to be reminded how often this 
 augury was consulted amongst the Gfreeks and Romans. A Chinaman never 
 wilfully kills swallows. The French of the Mediterranean term them ames 
 damnSes and have also a superstitious regard for them — a queer coincidence, to 
 say the least of it. Bats again in China afford omens of good fortune. The 
 Chinese name of the animal is fuk sA« (in Cantonese) or "Rat of Happiness," 
 and its erratic dashes into a room or. summer-house are held to augur coming 
 luck to the occupants. With us, similar conduct on the part of a robin red- 
 breast is an omen of calamity. 
 
 But these agreements of superstition are not confined to crows, dogs, bats, 
 cocks, and hens. The owl occupies the same position in Chinese esteem as it did 
 in ancient Roman eyes, and as it still does in Great Britain. Pliny called it 
 " inauspioata et funebris avis," while similar epithets are applied to the bird 
 by Ovid, Lucian, and Claudian. Chaucer described it as 
 
 " The Oule eke, that of deth the bode bringoth," 
 
 and Spencer speaks of it as the bird "that whoso heares doth die." Butler,-in 
 his JBudibras, p. 2. Canto rn. 1. 707, refers to the lustration which Rome under- 
 went because an owl had strayed into the capital. Bourne describes it as "a most 
 abomiaable and unlucky bird," whose hoarse and dismal voice " is an omen of 
 the approach of some terrible thing : that some dire calamity and some great 
 misfortune is near at hand." Brand devotes several pages to quotations, ancient 
 and modern, in the same sense, t Now let us see what the Chinese have to say of 
 the bird of Minerva. " The voice of the owl is universally heard with dread, 
 being regarded as the harbinger of death ia the neighbourhood." I shall perhaps 
 
 ' Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. II., p. 328, f Popular Antiquities, Vol. III., 188. 
 
PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, &c. 35 
 
 be pardoned if, for the saJce of making this notice exhaustive, I quote the 
 following from Mr. Doolittle's interesting chapter on this and kindred subjects. 
 
 Some say that its voice resembles the voice of a spirit or demon calling out to its 
 fellow. _ Perhaps it is on account of this notion that they so often assert having heard 
 the voice of a spirit, when they may have heard only the indistinct hooting of a distant 
 owl. Sometimes, the Chinese say, its voice sounds much like an expression for 
 "digging" the grave. Hence, probably, the origiu of a common saying, that when 
 one is about to die, in the neighborhood will be heard the voice of the owl, calling out, 
 "dig, dig." It is frequently spoken of as the bird which calls for the soul, or which 
 catches or takes away the soul. Some assert that if its cry is dull and indistinct, as 
 though proceeding from a dis&t place, it betokens the death of a near neighbor; 
 whereas, if its notes are dear and distinct, as if proceeding fi-om a short distance, it is 
 a sure harbinger of the death of a person in a remote neighborhood — the more distinct 
 the voice, the more distant the individual whose decease is indicated ; and the more 
 indistinct the voice, the nearer the person whose death is certain ! It is a common 
 saying that this bird is a transformation of one of the servants of the ten kings of the 
 infernal regions, i, «., is a devil under the guise of a bird. It is also frequently 
 referred to as a "constable from the dark land." 
 
 To pass from birds to eggs, it may be noted that a Lancashire superstition 
 that to set a hen on an even number of eggs will result in their being addled, or 
 in the chickens not thriving, exists also in South China. 
 
 I have already referred to shoes in connection with birth and marriage, 
 but can find no precise analogy to .the "shoe omens" in vogue in Europe — such 
 as the ill luck which it is feared will befall the person who puts a left shoe on 
 a right foot and vice versa. Mirrors, however, share in China the superstitious 
 respect paid to their preservation at home. To Tireak a looking-glass is in most 
 parts of Europe deemed a very unlucky accident. "When a looking glass is 
 broken it is an omen that the party to whom it belongs will lose his best friend. 
 Grose tells us that breaking a looking-glass betokens a mortality in the family, 
 commonly the master;"* and Buonaparte, having once broken the glass over 
 Josephine's portrait, could not rest till a special courier had informed him of her 
 safety. This belief exists in full force in China. To break a mirror augurs a 
 separation from one's wife by death, or otherwise, and is only second in ominous 
 portent to breaking an oil jar. And this superstition of a connection existing 
 between the mirror and its owner's life is evidenced also by its use in cases of 
 sickness to form the head of a sort of figure made of one of the sick man's 
 coats which, suspended to a bamboo with the end leaves still on it, is carried 
 about in the vicinity of the house in the hope of attracting the departing soul 
 back to its body. Mirrors are also used as charms, under which head their use 
 wiU be described. 
 
 Who has not noticed or heard of the bizarre arrangements of Chinese gardens 
 and rockeries ? The motive for this laying out the pleasure grounds attached 
 to large houses is not simply ornamental. No doubt the Chinaman is one of the 
 most ingenious of landscape gardeners, but the crooked walks and abrupt turns 
 not only economize space but are "lucky," iaasmuoh as they discourage the 
 advent of evil spirits, who like the "broad way" in China much as they are 
 reputed to do in Europe. Now in England, sajrs a recent writer, "Good luck 
 
 • Pop. Antiq., Vol. III. p. 170, 
 
SB THE FOLK-LOilE OF CHINA. 
 
 Seenis to be attached to everjrtliing deformed or crooked. Thus, a crooked 
 sixpence, all England through, is lucky; also placing 'crooked pins -in walls is a 
 very common custom. I never could learn, the reason why, although I have 
 known it extended to highways and lanes, such as being cautioned never to build 
 a house in a straight lane, but always to choose (because lucky) a crooked or 
 lane with niany curves and turnings." It looks very much as if the t*o super- 
 stitions were identicalj but fearful of being too dogmatic I leave readers to draw 
 their bwn ihfereiice; , 
 
 A recent English writer remarks that "throughoiit our history, and even 
 in our own day among the vulgar, every eclipse or comet iS I'egafded as the 
 harbinger of some storm, or inundation, or some contagious disease." ike sen- 
 tence may stand as it is to describe the Chinese sentiment, with the slight 
 omission of the *ords "amongst the vulgar;" for prince and peasant alike 
 believe that the astrologers do not lie. But more astonishing still is it to find 
 that aii able writer. Dr. Porster, in his Illustratidti's of the Atmospherical Origin 
 of Epidemic Disorders, gives tables occupying 40 closely-printed 8vo. pages, to 
 shew that the visits of these scourges have reaUy been concurrent with the 
 appearance and approach of comets. He in fact gravely supports the theory 
 neid by the Chinese (who by the way say, the longer the comet's taU, the greater 
 the disturbance), so far as it relates to disease. The natives consider a comet 
 to portend war also, and as rebel fighting is generally going on somewhere in 
 the Middle Kingdom, have no great difficulty in proving their case. Stars 
 have, since the remotest aiitiquity, been held ty this people to serve as portents 
 or waridilgs, genei'ally on the side of order and good governhient. Sonle eight 
 years ago the Southern i-ebels had advanced fi?om TSao-ehotf to capture Chi- 
 ning-chow, and as the city was badly defended they would have had an easy 
 task, but for one circumstance that intei'vened. Th^y f dncied they saw on the 
 Eastern road " an enormous red star of to inexplicable nature, within which was 
 plainly visible Kwan-ti in armour, and with a helmet surmounting his flery 
 face and mighty beard. He darted about at the head of his legions just as 
 lie is represented as doing in paintings, and the tumult of his innumerable host 
 Vas distinctly heard." The rebels were affrighted and iied, and it was officially 
 i'ecorded that "the spirit of Kwan-ti had preserved the city of Chi-ning-chow." 
 . As regards eclipses, the popular belief of the Chinese in the fact that the sun or 
 moon is then being devoured by a dragon, and the means adopted of beating 
 gongs and firing crackers to frighten the dragon away, have been held lip to 
 Western ridicule ever since books about China have been written. But precisely 
 the same beliefs and practices prevailed amongst the Romans, Macedonians, 
 Modes, Turks, Italians, Irish and Welsh ! I need not here quote tothorities at 
 length, as they will all be found in Brand (Vol. III. p. 152-3.) iSut I may note 
 that the Spartan belief that the appeai'ance of shooting stars signified that the 
 king had otfended the gods is not very far removed from the dhinese idea that an 
 eelipse is an onlen of ill liiok to the reigning empei?or — a belief curiously verified 
 but a few months back when the attack of small-pox from which the young 
 emperorTung Chih died was concurrent with the dccurrenoe of a solar eclipse. 
 
PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, &c. 87 
 
 Superstitions regarding bells may be classed under the heads both of 
 auguries and charms. The two largest bells in the empire — those at Canton and 
 Peking — are held to possess peculiarly portentous virtues. A native account of 
 the City of Canton states that the kin chunff ot "tabooed bell," as it is called^ 
 was oast in the beginning of the reign of Hung-wu (therefore shortly after 
 A. D. 1468, or Ave centuries ago), but in consequence of a prophecy foretelling 
 calamity to Canton whenever it should give forth sound, was deprived of a 
 clapper and the means of access to it removed. At length one day a rash 
 official directed a man to strike it. No sooner had its reverberating boom been 
 heard, than upwards of a thousand male and female infants died within the! 
 city. Some evil spirit had evidently been irritated at the bell being rung, and 
 to ward off his influence infants have, ever since, worn bells upon the clothes. 
 But the prophecy thus vindicated was still supposed to hold good, and advantage 
 was taken of the circumstance by our bombarding force in 1857. It was sug- 
 gested to the commandei? of one of It. M's. slhips to aim a Shot at the bellj and 
 the result was that, as calamity was indeed befalling the haughty city, the 
 unwonted boom was once agaiij heaj-d. A portion of the lower rim was fractured, 
 and the superstition thus recalled to the popular mind undoubtedly contributed 
 to a general belief in foreign prowess. * The belief regarding the Peking bell 
 is less deep-seated, being only to the effect that, if struck by an unauthorized 
 hand, the rain-god will inlmediately visit the offence by sending down unneeded 
 rain. Some yeai?s since, on the writer with a party of friends, visiting the 
 great bell-temple outside the City, the Priests refused to strike the 'enormous 
 specimen therein hung (it is, by the way, the largest suspended bell in the 
 world), lest the rain-god should be offended; A small present from one of the 
 party however induced them to let the visitors draw back the heayy wooden ram 
 which did duty as a clapper. Strangely enough, as the first blow was struck, 
 a heavy rainstorm came on, and the shafen-pated attendants roared out in high 
 glee, "We told you so!" For onOe superstition carried the day. It is unneces' 
 sary to remind at least London readers that grave disaster to the Royal family 
 is believed to follow the unexpected tolling of the great bell of St. Paul's. 
 Bells, especially if blessed by a priest, were formerly thought efficacious to scare 
 away evU spirits. Church bells have eter been regai'ded in a similar light ; and 
 the passing-bell toUed for a dying man waa of old supposed to frighten off the 
 demons who stood at the foot of the bed teady to seize, or at least molest, the 
 departing soul. The latter thus got a fair start, or what sportsmen call "law." 
 "Hence," says the authority I am quoting, "the high charge made for tolling 
 the great beU of the Church," as being more efficacious than smaller ones heard 
 to a less distance. 
 
 A writer ia Notes and Queries states that a Scottish plan for securing good 
 luok, for the space of twelve months at least, is to draw a bucket-full of 
 water from the village well, at midnight, on New Year's eve, and, after 
 throwing a handful of grass into it, to carry it carefully home. If the drawei* 
 
 * See Notes and Queries on China and Japan, Vol. III. p. 22 ; and Treaty Port»t 
 t&e., p. 169. 
 
38 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 be a cow-keeper, he uses part of the water to wash his dairy utensils, and gives 
 the remainder to his cows, in the rather dishonest hope that he will thereby 
 obtain the cream of the cows of such of his neighbors as use the well, and 
 have not been so wise as himself. Now this custom finds an exact counter- 
 part in China. Natives living in the neighbourhood of Canton believe that 
 water drawn on the night, or rather after midnight, of the seventh day of 
 the seventh moon, possesses special efftcacy in the cure of cutaneous diseases 
 or fevers, if used in the cooking of gruel for a patient. It is, moreover, 
 beHeved that such water wiU not get putrid even if- kept for years, its efficacy 
 indeed increasing with age. The date above given is reported to be that of the 
 descent of the female genii of the Pleiades, (possibly because the constellation 
 is formed of seven stars.) 
 
 Omens of personal sensation are as commonly accepted in China as in 
 England. With us bxirning or itching sensations on the body forebode iU luck 
 or calamities ; thus, if you have a shivering fit, some one is walking over your 
 destined grave ; if the right ear burns, you wiU hear good news, but if the left, 
 you are being defamed by an, enemy. The Chinese believe that if one of the 
 eyelids move involuntarily, it forebodes good or evil luck according to the hours 
 at which the sensation is experienced, and the eyelid (right or left) affected. As 
 a rule it is an ill omen. Sneezing indicates that some one is talking ill of the 
 person so relieving himself. Any twitching of the flesh or a jumping sensation 
 in the region of the heart always forebodes serious ill fortune (the latter 
 symptom, by the way, often needs no prophetic interpretation) ; and if a man's 
 second finger shakes, it is a sign that he wiU shortly be invited to a grand feast. 
 Clothes again, especially trowsers, have ominous properties. Our own goodwives 
 tell us that it is very unlucky to sew a button on a pair of breeches while wearing 
 tiiem. The Chinese give a pair of the same indispensable articles of dress to a 
 young girl commencing to learn sewing, her successful efforts to stitch them 
 together foreboding wealth. Our saying that if two men wash in the same 
 bowl they will quarrel before sunset has a Chinese parallel in the belief that 
 sitting down in a chair still warm augurs that you will shortly fall out with the 
 last sitter. 
 
 It has always been deemed unlucky to meet a funeral in most parts of 
 England, and the Chinese entertain an exactly similar idea, especially if the 
 person meeting it is going to a wedding. , In fact, many natives wiU turn back 
 from any business visit they are about tp pay if they come across either a funeral 
 or a coffin. There is a quaint saying at home that " Trouble wiU never come near 
 folks whose eyebrows meet ;'' and it is also alleged that ladies with overmuch 
 down and gentlemen with overmuch hair upon their arms and hands, carry about 
 them Nature's own guarantee that they are born to be rich some day — as rich as 
 those happy individuals whose front teeth are set wide apart. The Chiaese say 
 that " people whose eyebrows meet can never expect to attain to the dignity of a 
 Minister of State;" that "ladies with too much down or hair are born to be 
 poor all their lives;" but that "bearded men will never become beggars." In 
 fact, it is scarcely possible to take up the most ordinary magazine article on 
 
PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, &c, 39 
 
 European folk-lore without noting in almost every paragraph strange coincidences 
 either in actual belief or in the subject of a superstition. Even the appearance 
 of a white speck upon the finger nail or an itching sensation of the palm of the 
 hand (both ominous of coming gifts in England) bear significance in the eyes 
 of this mysteriously isolated people. The Chinese note that both the foregoing 
 are omens of coming evil. 
 
 The first words heard after making a resolution are supposed in China to be 
 ominous. Thus, if a man who has decided to do a certain thing — say, for in- 
 stance, recover a debt — Shears the first person he meets say mei-yu or m'hai 
 (according to the dialect he speaks) he wUl defer his visit. No Chinaman will 
 open a shop, marry a wife, or engage ' in any important undertaking without 
 casting lots to see if the fates are propitious." The method of carrying this 
 out is as follows : Each temple in China has belonging to it about a hundred 
 stanzas of poetry relating to a variety of subjects ; each stanza is numbered and 
 printed on a separate piece of paper ; in addition to this, there are a quantity of 
 lots made of bamboo slips about eight inches long, corresponding to the number 
 of stanzas, and referring to them by number. The individual who wishes to 
 make application to the god presents himself before his image on his knees, and 
 after performing the ko-tow by touching the ground with his head nine times, 
 states his name and residence, the object of his inquiries, and whether on his 
 own or another's aocouiit. He then takes a bamboo tube containing the lots, 
 and shakes it gently before the idol until a slip falls to the ground. He then 
 rises from his knees and picks up this slip, and places it so that the god can see 
 the number of the lot written on it ; he then takes two pieces of wood, each 
 having a round and a flat side. After passing these through the incense, he 
 tosses them into the air before the idol ; if they fall so that both round sides are 
 uppermost, the answer is negative and everything is unpropitious ; if they fall 
 with one round and one flat side up, the answer is in the affirmative, and the 
 man may go on his way rejoicing.f 
 
 A belief in what we term lucky numbers pervades the whole arcana of 
 Chinese life and literature. Mr. Mayers, in the introduction to his admirable 
 Chinese Header's Manual, says : "In obedience it would seem to an impulse the 
 influence of which is distinctly marked in the literary traditions of the Chaldeans, 
 the Hebrews, and the Hindoos, a doctrine of the hidden properties and harmonies 
 of numbers imbues the earliest recorded expression of Chinese belief. So also, it 
 may be remarked, in the teachings of Pythagoras an abstract theory of number 
 was expounded as underlying the whole system of existence, whence the philo- 
 
 * Coufucias himsell was not above his both the good and the evil. So that the 
 
 oountrymen in this respect, for in the Ihte supremely sincere are'eqnal with the gods." 
 
 Medium he remarks : — " The reason of — Middle Kingdom, II. 276. See Ante, 
 
 perfect ones enables them to forelmow page 6. This infereutiaUy encourageB a 
 
 things ; if a nation be about to flourish resort to " wise men " to learn future 
 
 there will be happy omens, and unlucky events, but can scarcely have been intended 
 
 ones if it totter to its fall. These iriU to pass approval on fortune-tellers, 
 
 appear in the divining herb sz', in the 1 1 quote this with some slight alteration* 
 
 tortoise, and in the airs and motions of the from a home magazine article, as I could 
 
 four members. When either happiness or hardly improve on the description, 
 misery is about to come sages will foreknow 
 
40 
 
 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 sophy of the -western -would 'beoome tinged -with conceptions strongly resembling 
 those -which still prevail on the same suhjeot in the Chinese mind." Mr, Mayers 
 has here indicated the common source of many of those -mlgar beliefs no-w kno-wn 
 as mere folk-lore ; and humble as that is in comparison with the more pretentious 
 philosophy which he has so skilfully elucidated, it is not -wholly without interest. 
 It would seem that the popular saying "There is luck in odd numbers" meets 
 -with as much belief iq. China as in England, I have already noted the fact 
 that the number 3 is, -with an odd exception relating to marriage ceremonies, 
 deemed auspicious. Thus they speak of the 3 decades of heat, the 3 powers 
 united in nature [t'ien, yang and yi^), the 3 systems of doctrine, the 3 forms of 
 obedience, the 3 mental qualifications, the 3 powers of natip-e (heaven, earth and 
 man), and so on, to say nothing of the phrases in which the same number is 
 pressed into service to express real or assumed historical, geographical, and other 
 facts, such as the " 3 kingdoms," the "3 armies," the "3 rivers," the "3 
 heroes," &c.* Mr. Mayers's exhaustive "Numerical Categories," giye th§ 
 Ipllowing number of current phrases under the first ten numerals, 
 
 Under number % 
 
 9 phrases, 
 
 „ „ 3 
 
 68 
 
 „ 4 
 
 40 „ 
 
 „ „ 5 
 
 63 „ 
 
 ., ., 6 
 
 38 „ 
 
 „ „ 7 
 
 18 
 
 „ 8 
 
 25 „ 
 
 „ 9 
 
 30 „ 
 
 ., 10 
 
 12 „ 
 
 Many of these have of course a reference to popular superstitions. Five and 
 Seven appear to be the favourite numbers in this respect. AU the forces and 
 phenomena of nature are based upon the number ^ve .• — we have therefore. Five 
 active organs : the stomach, the lungs, the liver, the heart, and the kidneys. 
 Five colours: TeUow, White, Green, Eed, Black, Five varieties of taste: 
 Sweet, Acrid, Sour, Bitter, Salt. Five elements: Earth, Metal, Wood, Fire, 
 Water. Five planets : Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury. Five regions of 
 heaven: Centre, West, Bast, South, North, And so on throughout nature. 
 And similarly as sounds belong to the phenomena of nature, there must be five 
 of them. It does not appear that any partio-ular virtue has ever been held to 
 reside in the number five amongst ourselves. The number seven, however, is as 
 portentous in China as in the Western world. Besides the Sabbathaical use 
 of the number, it enters so largely into the popular sayings of the people that one 
 is tempted to suppose anything but an accidental or independent origin for its 
 adoption. Thus the Chinese speak of the seven passions, the seven spirits ; they 
 -wish a bride seven children ; there are seven lawful reasons for divorce. The 
 " Seven Joys" is a common tea-shop sign. There are the seven Famous Persons 
 of the Bamboo Grove, Seven hands and eight feet is a common expression for 
 
 * Number three is greatly iu favor for 
 luck ; school-boys insist that the third time 
 will be fair, or will result in success. There 
 is an old superstition or maxim, call it 
 which we may, that three handfnla of sand 
 
 on a dead body are as good as a funeral. — 
 Chambers' Journal. — Falstaff, in The 
 Merry Wives of Windsor, is entrapped a 
 thii'd time in the belief that " there is luck 
 in odd numbers." 
 
PORTENTS OR OMENS, AUGURIES, &o. 41 
 
 " too many eooks spoil the broth," and I may note that a jury is commonly 
 termed in Hongkong (when the pidgin English word Ju-li is not used) the 
 " seven strangers." Except to indicate a parallel, I need hardly here specify the 
 part which the same number plays in our own affairs. The Hebrew use of the 
 number is familiar to all. The seYcn wise men, the seven hills, the seven senses, 
 the seven churches, the seven angels, the seven planets, and some thirty other 
 similar expressions are in frequent use amongst us. "We transport rogues for 
 seveii and fourteen years and bind apprentices for seven, and we find that, of 
 old, Selenus the mathematician, and Hippocrates, both held the Chinese idea 
 of the seventh day being critical in diseases. 
 
 Always excepting the tabooed 13, odd numbers have ever been popular in 
 England, in various oiroumstanoes. Thus we hold it lucky for an odd number 
 of people to sit down to dinner. The Chinese incline to an even number, 8 
 being in their estimation the most fortunate. But as already noted they share 
 with us the superstitions as to setting a hen on an odd number of eggs. On the 
 other hand, the hair should not be combed on odd days, more especially the 1st 
 and 15th of a month. (The coiffure of Chinese women being dressed with a 
 glutinous substance, it is only combed out at intervals.) 
 
 Dreams have ever played an important part in the psychological history of 
 the human race, and the belief in their portentous nature is possibly the only 
 superstition common to aU mankind. As Dr. Kitto (Cyclopeedia of Bihlical 
 Literature, Art. Dreams) well observes: — "It is quite clear from the inspired 
 history that dreams were looked upon by the earliest nations of antiquity as 
 premonitions from their idol gods of future events ; . . . . and in order to 
 guard against imposition Moses pronounced a penalty against dreams which were 
 invented and wickedly made use of." It is almost unnecessary to make reference 
 to the belief reposed in these alleged warnings from another world by Western 
 nations. The story of Mahomed's dream is known to all ; and I will merely add 
 that both the Negro and Fijian races believe them to be caused by visits of the 
 souls of deceased friends, while such widely divergent races as the Finns and 
 the Australian Aborigines entertain a contrary belief that the soul of the dreamer 
 leaves his body as it enjoys or suffers imaginary pleasures or pains.* The 
 Chinese refer all dreams to the inspiration of a god or goddess, but frequently 
 use the divining bamboos to ascertain how they are to be interpreted. Many of 
 the principal temples in the eijipire owe their construction to imagiaary instruc- 
 tions received during sleep. A recent visitor to the city of Tai An, sitiiated at 
 the foot of the Tai San mountains in Shantung — one of the five sacred mountains 
 of China — thus gives the local legend: "The common account is, that Chin 
 Tsung, the third Emperor of T'ang Dynasty, was afflicted with a grevious boil, 
 which the Itoperial physicians could not cure. There was a Taouist Priest at Tai 
 San called Yen He, who declared that the Godde.ss of the mountain had appeared 
 
 to him in a dream and directed him to go to the capital and cure this boU for the 
 
 « 
 * The Jaj)anese believe that some women and roam about. It is dangerous to arouse 
 are liable, wWle sound asleep and dream- them till the head returns ! 
 ing, to have their heads leave their body 
 
42 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Emperor, at the same time directing him how to proceed. Ho went accordingly, 
 and gave out that he had come to cure the Emperor's baQ. The Emperor hearing 
 of it, called him in. As soon as he entered the Imperial presence, the hoil 
 called out, ' Yen He has come and my destiny is finished ;' the Priest prescribed 
 treatment, and the boil was cm-ed. The Emperor wished to reward him with an 
 office, but he refused, saying ' Your Majesty has not been cured by my power, but 
 by the efficient power of the God of T^ai San ; you should show your grratitude by 
 repairing the temple at Tai San.' The Emperor assented, made a laj^e appropri- 
 ation, and appointed an officer to have it rebuilt in magnificent style." I 
 might multiply examples of this sort ad libitum. The memorials in the Peking 
 Gazette abound with references to acts done, or crimes discovered in consequence 
 of dreams. Mr. Doolittle notes how dreaming has been pressed into the service 
 of Buddhism at Fooohow by way of enforcing the prohibition against eating flesh. 
 •' A certain butcher one day bought three bufialoes one of which he kiUed. One 
 night he began suddenly to bellow like cattle, and for a whole day remained 
 insensible. His family in alarm called a doctor, who prescribed medicine to 
 revive him. His family, on his recovering his senses, inquired what was the 
 occasion of his acting thus P He answered that he saw in his dream the two 
 buffaloes not yet kiUed suddenly begin to speak like men ; one of them said : 'I 
 am your father;' and the other said: 'I am your grand-father.' In a short 
 time they became In appearance like men, and on looking carefully at them, said 
 he, ' I saw that they were really my father and my grandfather.' The butcher 
 was so painfully affected by these circumstances that he sent the two cattle away 
 to the country, and changed his calling." 
 
 As an iUustration of the every-day belief in dreams which comes under the 
 observation of the least curious foreign resident in Chinese, I subjoin two stories 
 which have within the last few months appeared in a Shanghai and Hongkong 
 journal respectively. The first relates to the old, old subject— the discovery of 
 treasure. "The other night a gentleman named Chang {Anglice Smith) went 
 to bed and had a very remarkabljs dream. He thought that he was in a par- 
 ticular spot at the back of a certain temple in Shanghai city, and that there he 
 came upon a hidden treasure of gold. On awaking he was so much impi-essed 
 with the vivid nature of the dream that he immediately sprang out of bed, 
 shouldered a pickaxe and wended his way to the enchanted spot. Upon reaching 
 his destination he fell to work, and sure enough had not far to dig before he 
 came upon a box containing five hundred taels' weight of gold, and — so runs 
 the story — aU marked with the magic name of Chang ! Of course proprietorship 
 was indisputable, and lucky Mr. Chang trotted home a richer and a happier 
 roan," 
 
 The other story appeared a very short time since in the China Mail, and the 
 facts came within the writer's personal knowledge. Some time ago, a junk sailed 
 from Hoifoong, containing a number of coolies for the barracoons of Macao. 
 Having arrived there, the Jive cargo was quickly disposed of, and the Captain 
 received as freight something over $1,000. This incited the helmsman and some 
 of the crew to league themselves with two piratical junks to attack the boat 
 
PORTENTS OR OMENS^ AUGURIES, &o. 43 
 
 tod to rob the Captain of the moneyi Two or three days after, the junk left 
 Macao on her way back to Hoifooag. On the voyage, near Chang Chow, the two 
 pirates hove in sight, and the helmsman steered closed up to them, when the 
 pirates boarded the jilttk, kiUed the Captain and threw him overboard. Here 
 comes the Mysterious part of the story. The master of the Luk Kee barraooon 
 one night df earned a dream, in which he saw the ghost of the murdered man 
 before him, saying he had been murdered, that he was robbed of his money, and 
 that he wished the barracoon master to complain and try to obtain redress for 
 him, which he thought would not be difficult, as the pirates were sailing off 
 Chang Chow. On the strength of this dream, the barracoon master complained 
 to the Portuguese authorities, who sent out a gunboat, and the pirates were- 
 found at the spot indicated by the ghost. The crew of the attacked junk (who 
 had come to Hongkong since the robbery) immediately went to Macao ; one of 
 them was the brother of the deceased and had been cut in several places. 
 Whether there was any truth in the statement of the appearance of the ghost or 
 not, the facts of the robbery and capture were correct. Here there was nothing 
 mysterious in the fact of a friend of the junk captain dreaming that a very 
 common contingency in Canton waters had acrtuaUy occnrred. Nor was it very 
 strange that he should hit upon the most likely place to find the pirates. The 
 Chinese however, especially in psychological matters, are not very keen in con- 
 necting cause with effect, and the lucky dreamer enjoys to this day the reputation 
 of having been specially :favoured by the Goddess of Sailors, 
 
 It does not appear that Chinese soothsayers, like their Western prototypes,, 
 divide dreams into distinct categories, or, to put it more accurately, that the- 
 fortune-telling books in circulation amongst the people agree in any standard of 
 division. There is, however, a sort of natural order followed, as aU such- 
 warnings may be divided into three classes, — those which portend good fortune, 
 those which portend evilj and those to which no precise signification can be- 
 affixed. A very interesting paper on the subject of dreams' recently appeared in- 
 the Japan Mail i* and from this it would appear that in nskany respects Chinese 
 
 * The following is a resumS of the arti- daily thoughts and events past or present, 
 
 cle in question : — Tbese are Hot real Stsaxas of fancy, but 
 
 Dnring sleep the thoughts wander into merely the thoughts of our waking houT» 
 
 various channels and are not within the continued in sleep. 
 
 control of the dreamer. There is an old Fourth. — Dreams of frnpossibiliti es.- 
 Chinese hoolt called " Shin-rai " wiriob These originate from a wearied mind or 
 contains an aeeouut of an official nafmed bo^ and aire usefess for divination. 
 "Sen mu" who divined fortunes from Fifth. — This class contains misoellkn" 
 dreams, therefore in amcient times dreams ecus dreams, sueh as receiving gifts, out- 
 must have been deemed of importance. witting opponents, of beiilg guilty of 
 
 Dreams are divided into five classes. " sharp practices." 
 
 First, — are dreams of Gfods and Idols, There are variotw spells, charms an* 
 
 Ancients, Ancestors &c., and olden times. other means to arvert the eviV influences of 
 
 Becond. — Dreams of matters unthonght unlucky dreams. One of these is to write 
 
 of in waking hours ; but these cEreams are certain Chinese diaracters on a piece of 
 
 usually compete, aniJ perfectly remember- paper and piaste it on the ceiKDg of a 
 
 ed upon awaking. TWs dass of dreams sleeping room ; Shv; ya jin, the god of 
 
 is that from wMcli fortunes are usuaJfy night, (the Morpheus of Japan)i iB herein 
 
 divined. addressed. 
 
 Third. — Dreams in accordance with The Taipk is said to " eat dreams." If 
 
44 
 
 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 and Japanese beliefs are alike, though the latter people, true to tteit national 
 character, have evinced a much greater talent for clasaification than their older 
 rivals. Amongst good portents, in Chinese belief, are dreams of mounting 
 upwards to the skies, meeting genii, or persons celebrated for their positions or 
 acquirements, and of being present at convivial parties. To dream that one sees 
 bats, turtles or tortoises, or that one is wounded by robbers (provided blood be 
 not drawn) is also of good augury. These are also portents of good fortune to 
 the Japanese ; but while the latter consider that to dream of wearing new clothes 
 or of having ulcers on the face is a sign of prosperity, these are both taken to 
 augur impending Ul fortune in China.* Of evil auguries common to the two 
 countries are dreams of eating fruit, of breaking mirrors, or of seeing ants 
 crawling over the house matting ; to dream of the " sun or moon shedding tears 
 of blood " is a sign of the approaching death of a parent ; while to dream of 
 having one's teeth pulled out implies impending unfriendliness on the part of 
 relatives, and to dream of eating pears is an emblem of family broils. In both 
 countries bad dreams should not be talked about at once — in China, until the 
 morning meal has been taken, and in Japan until the mouth has been rinsed with 
 
 sketched on screens, or on the paper wrap- 
 per of the pillows, or used as a design in 
 the patterns of the bed quilts, dreams will 
 be warded off. Those who awake in a 
 state of fright after horrible dreams are 
 to call out, " Tapir come eat. Tapir come 
 eat." 
 
 The following are of good portent to 
 dream of. Those mentioned in the text 
 are not included. 
 
 A summer scene with green WistMia. — 
 In the first dream of the new year to see 
 a hawk (or falcon) , or to see egg plant 
 {Nasubi.) — To dream of fine weather suc- 
 ceeding a storm. — Placing large stones in 
 a garden. — Climbing cliffs. — To be buried 
 in the earth, dead or alive. — Of planting 
 trees. — Digging drains. — Of land slips. — 
 Of being in a cave. — Trees growing from 
 the mats of a room. — Crossing the sea. — 
 Chewing unboiled rice. — Having one's hair 
 dressed. — Praying at a Shrine. — The hair 
 growing white. — Seeing no bori (flags on 
 bamboo poles.) — Sitting in an elevated 
 room. — One's own body giving forth 
 radiance. — To have side-arms at hand 
 (swords &c.) — Bemoving to a newly-built 
 house. — Wearing a hat of hemp mino gasa 
 or kasa. — Women wearing a sword. — 
 Wearing a Kamori (head dress). — Cleaning 
 out a well. — Of rice bags. — Of spitting out 
 gold and silver. — Seeing a looking-glass. 
 — Of sweeping away cobwebs. — A sWp in 
 
 full saU. — Riding in carriages Travelling 
 
 on a wide road Crossing a bridge. — 
 
 Drinking milk. — Of a funeral. — Of archery 
 (targets, bows and arrows.) — Collecting 
 wild flowers. — Bice raining from the skies. 
 — Drinking water from a valley. — Of Tori 
 
 i (perches at Shinto shrines.) — Of rainy 
 weather. — Receiving a present of a fan. — 
 Being in prison. — Scattering seed, — Climb- 
 ing hills.— Gathering dragon flies. — Being 
 stung by a centipede. — Horsemanship. — 
 Cats and rats.-^Bathiug. 
 
 The following are unlucky subjects to 
 dream of : — 
 
 Frosty weather. — Black lowering clouds. 
 — Mulberry trees broken. — Bating persim- 
 mons. — Giving a friend a sword. — The 
 
 hair falling out. — Perspiring violently 
 
 Catching cold, or coughing. — Eating wheat 
 flour jelly {ame.) — Playing on tsusumi 
 (small drum). — Meeting a crowd of people. 
 — Using a walking stick. 
 
 Females who dream of swallowing the 
 sun or moon bring forth children who 
 become remark able characters in history. 
 The mother of Nichi ren sho nin dreamed 
 she swallowed the sun, hence the boy's 
 name. — The mother of Hideyoshi, when 
 enceinte, had a similar dream, from which 
 the child was named Hideyoshi maro. 
 
 To dream of the Ni-6-son or of folding 
 up screens is a sign of old age. — Dreaming 
 of running water is an emblem of family 
 happiness, (peace between husband and 
 wife.) — If the outer shutters are spKt, it 
 is an indication that the servants are faith- 
 less and will desert the dreamer's service." 
 — To dream of getting wet from a sud- 
 den shower of rain, foretells an invitation 
 to a feast. 
 
 * Amongst the Japanese, in order to 
 produce dreams of an absent friend or 
 lover, it is recommended to turn the 
 sleeves of the bed-quUt to the foot of the 
 bed. 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. 45 
 
 water and ejected facing the Bast, an incantation being at the same time ejacu- 
 lated. To dream of a bear is in China a sign that the dreamer will have a. son ; 
 of a snake that he or she will have a daughter ; while the appearance in a dream 
 of a white mouse indjoates the presence of treasure at the place where the animal 
 is seen. Yet we must not be too hard on our Eastern friends. A half supersti- 
 tious belief in the prophetic nature of dreams lingers throughout Europe, and a 
 few decades will doubtless find China and Japan as generally incredulous of its 
 existing beliefs in such matters as we assume to be ourselves. 
 
 V,— CHAEMS, SPELLS, AMULETS ANB 
 DIVINATIONS. 
 
 The subjects to be dealt with Under the above heading afford an emharras 
 de richesses. Next to the belief in the prophetic nature of dreams none probably 
 is more widespread than that in charms and kindred matters. The ancient 
 British Druids attempted to cure the generality of diseases by charms and 
 incantations,* and the so-called Doctors of modern China follow a similar custom 
 hallowed by a still greater antiquity. But in addition to these, the universal 
 belief in the influence of demons and evil spirits upon the every-day life of 
 mortals has led to the devising of such numerous preservatives that the makers 
 and vendors of such wares find constant employment. I propose to deal in the 
 first instance with charms involving a certain amount of preparation, classing 
 articles worn about the person under the head of amulets. 
 
 The superstitious regard paid to mirrors as regards their preservative 
 qualities has been noticed in a previous chapter. This probably arises from the 
 fact that in China they are regarded as all-efficacious household charms 
 against the attacks of evil spirits. Nor are magic mirrors, similar in their use 
 to the ink mirrors employed by modem Egyptian necromancers, unknown to the 
 Chinese. At Canton, only a year or two since, a native was exhibiting for the 
 smaU sum of 30 cash (about 2Jd.) a jewel stated to, possess magical qualities. In 
 it the curious spectator saw various figures such as a beggar, a mandarin, a 
 woman, &c., and was assured that his or her own future condition would be the 
 same as that of the counterfeit thus seen. There exists a belief in many parts of 
 the Empire that the pointed roof or corner of a house's gable end may exert an 
 unpleasant influence upon the dwelling in nearest proximity. To counteract this 
 therefore a concave brass mirror — those of glass are stUl articles de luxe in 
 most districts — set in a wooden frame, is arranged on the wall or roof of the. 
 threatened building so as to catch and reflect back the evil influences in question. 
 I can flnd no trace of any similar practice in Western countries. Small brass 
 mirrors hung near a bed are also all-efficacious to ward off evil influences. 
 * PopuXhr Antiquities, Vol. III. p. 268. 
 
40 THE FOLK-LORE OP CHINA. 
 
 It is possible, that, though everybody knows how fire-crackeM are used by 
 the Chinese to frighten oiF evil spirits, aU readers are not aware that they are 
 charms pure and simple; the original intention of their manufacture being to 
 imitate the crackling of burning bamboos which were supposed to frighten away 
 a race, of malignant demons called Shan siao-—" beings in human shape, a foot or 
 so in height, and by nature very fearless," or according to another account a bird 
 with a nest as big as a five bushel measure.' Mr. W. F. Mayers, in his inter- 
 esting article on gunpowder and firearms in China, in the Journal of the N. C. B. 
 R. A. S. for 1869-70, ingeniously suggests that these demons are but the embodi- 
 ment of the supernatural agency visible in the attacks of fever and ague to 
 which the inhabitants of the swampy regions of Western China were, and still 
 are, liable. I quote his remarks: "The Chinese themselves do not appear to 
 have pursued any investigation respecting the origin or meaning of the term 
 Shan siao, but, guided by the date of its appearance in literature and its foreign 
 garb, we may with some confidence, ascribe the belief in this demon to an 
 Indian parentage. As regards the myth itself, it may be permitted to hazard 
 the speculation that fever and ague, lurking as it did and still does in the 
 swampy regions of Western China, may, by a very f amUiar process, have become 
 embodied in the conception of a supernatural agency, and that the fires which 
 native wisdom or foreign counsel might suggest as a prophylactic device may 
 have been invested with magical attributes, either by teachers who thought it best 
 to fortify sanitary precautions with a cloak of fetishism, or else by the inherited 
 tradition of succeeding ages. However this may be, the idea of exorcism, dating 
 as far back as the sixth century, has remained inseparably connected with the 
 use of fire-crackers down to the present day." And in a note on the same page 
 the writer adds that subsequently to an execution taking place at Canton in 1868 
 in a public square, the inhabitants of the locality were not satisfied until they 
 had exorcised the ghost of the departed criminal by a protracted discharge of 
 crackers. It is not difficult to trace a similar motive in the custom which obtains 
 of honouring the departure of a popular resident in any place, in a similar 
 manner. The crackers are to frighten away all demons from the traveller. Such 
 a compliment is frequently paid to foreigners by their Chinese acquaintances in 
 Hongkong. It may, I think, be taken as certain that crackers are charms pure 
 and simple to the Chinese, their use as mere noise-producing fireworks being 
 secondary to the idea of exorcism. 
 
 Charms of another sort are sometimes used by the Chinese. It is only three 
 years since that H. E. Li Hung Chang, who is at this moment premier of China, 
 fired cannon at the Peiho to make it cease inundating the surrounding country, f 
 The Eagre or bore of the Tsien Tang river, which flows from the boundaries of 
 Kiang-si, Fuhkien and Chih-keang to Hang-chow Bay, and takes its name 
 " money-dyke " from the amount expended on its embankments, J has been 
 treated with "charms" on several occasions, but as Chinese annals tell us, with 
 
 * Journal of the N. C. B. Royal Asiatic t Journal N. C. B. E. A. S. 1853-54, 
 
 Society, 1869-70, p. 78. pp. 34 et seq. 
 
 t China Mail, Sept. 19, 1872. 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. 47 
 
 very indifferent success. Prince Wu Shu (a.d. 930) made five hundred " daring 
 archers " let fly six arrows apiece at the dreaded tidal wave as it came rolling 
 onwards, and then after praying to Wu Tsz-si, the tutelary deity of the stream, 
 put the key of the dj'ke water gate into an envelope, and threw it iuto the river. 
 Forthwith the waters retired ; but as they would have retired in the ordinary 
 course of events, even the Chinese did not consider the experiment a remarkable 
 success. In 1131 the Emperor Kait Tsung sunk ten iron plates, each weighing 
 over 130 lbs., in the river by way of charming the mischievous spirits of the 
 waters, but charms and embankments were alike carried off by the resistless 
 power of the tide. Experience however was not availed of in a case where 
 superstition had firm hold, and time and time again was a similar experiment 
 tried — ^with, I need hardly say, similar success. Such practices, however, 
 have not been quite unknown amongst ourselves, and even at the present day 
 there are many springs in rural Britain supposed to be guarded by spirits who 
 require charming in a very similar way. The crooked pins cast into St. Wini- 
 fred's well in North Wales, the fourpenny pieces east into that of Gwem Degla, 
 the rags and clothes thrown into these of StrathflUan and Kenethmont in Scotland, 
 and Benton (near Newcastle-upon-Tyne), and the common offering of three 
 stones as a tribute to the spirit of the stream in Unst (Shetland), are, like the 
 nosegays thrown into wells and fountains in honour of their presiding nymphs 
 at the Roman fontinalia, or the cakes of bread-corn similarly offered of old to 
 Juno in Laoonia, evidences of a belief not at all unlike that which prompts 
 Chinese acts of a similar nature. 
 
 The anti-demoniacal power ascribed to the wood and leafy branches of 
 certain trees in our own folklore is matched by a similar Chinese belief. The 
 elder, the rowan, the yew, and the mountain ash of rural England, or the 
 palasa (a species of mimosa) of India, are represented, in the Middle Kingdom, 
 by the bamboo, peach and wUlow, which are regarded as peculiarly powerful over 
 goblins and imps. The dry Bamboo is supposed to attract devils. On the other 
 hand a rod of green bamboo is carried at funerals by nearly-related mourners for 
 a contrary purpose. It is called the " dog-driving rod," and is supposed to be 
 efficacious in driving away evil spirits who might stop the way of the departed. 
 The wiUow is used both to drive away and to raise spirits, but in the former 
 case a twig only must be used. The plum tree is also regarded as possessing 
 mysterious virtues in the same direction, but is not thought equal to the willow. 
 Two other plants are also supposed to be 'efficacious against evil spirits, and 
 one of them the Fo yeimg lak (*^ Jgjij »jj) is at Canton hung over door- ways 
 to prevent them from entering houses. We too, formerly put up hoUy at 
 Christmas with a similar object, though it has now become a mere decoration, 
 and there was a pretty Druidical superstition that the Sylvan spirits would 
 take refuge in the evergreen branches from the chiU winds and snows proper 
 to the season.* It would be interesting to trace the superstitions connected 
 with trees somewhat further, but I have not sufficient authorities at command. 
 
 Of the charms affixed to buildings, etc., the Chinese have a fair variety. 
 
 * Lancashire Folk-lore, p. 256. 
 
48 THE FOLK-LOEE OF CHINA. 
 
 The all-potent horseshoe is indeed not found nailed against doors and gahles ; 
 but, oddly enough, a horse's hoof hung up in a house* has the same preservative 
 virtues in native eyes. Chinese reverence for the dead has prevented the adop- 
 tion of so horrible a charm as that known in France, Grermany, Spain, and 
 Ireland as " the hand of Glory" or dead man's hand, consisting actually of the 
 dried hand of an executed criminal. But a nail that has been used in fastening 
 up a coffin is a sovereign charm. This is sometimes beaten out into a rod or 
 wire, and, encased in silver, worn as a ring round the ancles or wrists. The oat 
 here makes her appearance, a clay image of poor pussy — ^with a bob-tail of 
 course, after the Chinese model, — being frequently placed on the apex of a roof 
 to ward off unpropitious influences. The conspicuous position thus accorded to 
 the cat as a warder-off of evil fortune seems oddly paralleled, though not 
 imitated, by the place accorded to the same animal in popular European folk-lore. 
 I have already mentioned its evil repute amongst the Chinese as a harbinger of 
 ill luck, and this agrees closely vrith the usual "Western estimate, witches and 
 oats being constantly associated, the former indeed being supposed to take upon 
 themselves the shape of the latter at will. The old legend that the chariot of 
 the Goddess f reya was drawn by cats, and that Holda was attended by maidens 
 riding on cats, is referred by Mr. Kelly to a widespread belief in their weatherwise 
 powers. In China the cat is supposed to be in league with the spirits of dark- 
 ness, and as this includes meteorological prescience, it is propitiated accordingly, 
 the cat's image becoming a popular " charm." 
 
 So too those nondescript animals which most people agree to call lions, and 
 which may be seen keeping guard in such disconsolate attitudes on the roofs of 
 most native buildings of importance, are mere charms. The Chinaman in fact, 
 from his cradle upwards, seems to regard himself as ever environed by diabolical 
 agencies, to combat v/hich an all-pervading system of charms and amulets is a 
 prime necessity. While we laugh at this superstition, it is perhaps only a too 
 vivid realisation of the fact of the devil " going about like a roaring lion." It 
 may be interesting to note here that our own custom of depositing coins, papers, 
 &c., in the foundation stones of new buildings is matched by a similar custom 
 in China. I am unable to trace the superstitious origin of the practice in 
 our own case, but the Chinese place coins under the door-sill and under the 
 kitchen fireplace, when building, simply for luck. In some cases, following 
 out the usual notion of contrariety, these and other charms are attached to the 
 ridge pole of the building. 
 
 " Cash-swords," a very common form of charm, are thus -described : 
 " What is commonly called a Cash-sword is considered very efficacious in keep- 
 ing away evil spirits. It is often hung up on the front and the outside of the 
 bridal bed-curtain, in a position parallel to the horizon. About the time of 
 a woman's confinement, a cash-sword is sometimes, taken and hung inside of 
 the curtain. This sword is usually about two feet long, and is constructed out 
 of three kinds of things, each of which is regarded as a- preventive of evil 
 spirits: 1st. Two iron rods, about two feet long, constitute the foundation of the 
 * Chinese Repository, Vol. VII., p. 393. 
 
CHAEMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. 49 
 
 sword. 2d. About one hundred cash, either ancient or modern (if ancient, or 
 if all of the same emperor's reign, so much the better), are ingeniously fastened 
 on these rods, concealing them from view. The rods are placed in the centre, 
 and the coins are tied on the outside in two rows. 3d. Red cords or wires are 
 used in tying on the cash. These three kinds, joined together in the shape 
 of a sword, make a really formidable weapon, of which the maliciously-disposed 
 spirits are exceedingly afraid!"* 
 
 Another charm of extensive use amongst Chinese women is a small solid 
 silver or golden triangle, having two little swords suspended from the outer 
 angles and a trident from the centre of the base ; on the triangle itself lucky 
 characters are engraved. This shape appears to be a favorite one, as women 
 always fold their written charms in a sinulai manner, and sew them up in 
 pieces of cloth of a triangular pattern. 
 
 The idea of an evil eye is no less common amongst the native population 
 out here than it was and still is in Europe ; and this belief, implicitly accepted 
 as regards their own countrymen, is intensified as regards foreigners, owing 
 to the outrageous stories circulated about us during recent excitements. I have 
 often been amused in the North at the request not to stare at any child whose 
 interesting appearance might have attracted my attention. In writing letters 
 the Chinese invoke the person addressed, to cast a glance on the epistle " with 
 the clear part of his eye " (or, as we should say, white of the eye) that is, take 
 a favourable view of the matter talked of. A pregnant woman or a man 
 whose wife is pregnant, is called "four eyed," and children are guarded 
 against being looked at by either, as it is thought the sight would be unlucky 
 to the children and would cause sickness to attack them. The superstition as to 
 the powers of an " evil eye " may almost be deemed fundamental to humanity, 
 as I have yet to read of a people amongst whom it does not find some degree 
 of credence. 
 
 One of the commonest diagrams to be met with throughout China is the 
 mystic smstika or "Thor's Hammer" IJ^ (pronounced icaw in Chinese and given 
 as the archaic form of M). It is all-pervading, meeting the eye in all sorts 
 of places, on the wrappers of medicines and sweetmeats, the stomachs or 
 chests of idols, and the flanks of animals, upon dead walls, coins, etc. Dr. 
 Eitel gives a most interesting account of this symbol in the 3rd volume of 
 Notes and Queries on China and jdpan.\ It is ordinarily accepted as "the 
 accumulation of lucky signs possessing ten thousand virtues, being one of the 
 65 mystic figuresj which are believed to be traceable in every one of the 
 famous foot-prints of Buddha. This of course stamps its Buddhistic origin so 
 far as the Chinese are concerned. Apropos of this symbol, known by us as the 
 fylfot, a recent review of Mr. "Waring's Ceramic Art inMemote Ages says:— 
 «< Another form of the cross which Mr. Waring has collected very completely 
 is the fylfot. By some this is thought to be only a sort of Greek fret or meander 
 
 * Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. II., t Mr. Alabaster, in his work on Siamese 
 
 p. 313. Buddhism, "The Wheel of the Law," gives 
 
 '+ Notes and Queries on China and the number of diagrams as 108. 
 Japan, Vol. III., p. 98. 
 
60 THE FOLK-LOBE OF CHINA. 
 
 pattern; but the evidence of its having been a symbol in past times of mystic 
 significance is too strong to allow of its being reduced to a mere ornament. It 
 has been identified with the Hammer of Thor, the Zens or Thunderer of the 
 Scandinavians. With the Buddhists this cross had the very opposite significa- 
 tion from that of the taa of the Egyptians or the cross of the Christi&s. 
 General Cunningham is quoted, who says : — ' The atheistical Swastikas received 
 their name from their peculiar symbol, the Swastika, or Mystic Cross, which 
 was typical of their belief in Swasti. This term is a compound of ' su ' 
 well, ' asti,' it is, meaning ' it is well ; ' or, as Wilson expresses it, ' so be it,' 
 
 and implying complete resignation under aU circumstances.' 
 
 To Mr. Waring' s collection of facts regarding the Swastika, or fylfot, it may be 
 added that a Hindoo woman, when she cleans out her simple cottage, and washes 
 over the earthen floor with a thin coating of mud and cow-dung — the 
 latter having, as coming from the cow, which is sacred, a highly purifying 
 virtue^she usually forms the figure of a Swastika on the door-step. In the 
 woman's mind it is supposed to be an efflcaoious charm to keep away evil 
 from the house. Along with the fylfot we have the very similar figure of the 
 three legs which we associate with the Isle of Man. Mr. Waring's book gives 
 us many examples of this symbol. In some cases they are legs, but oftener 
 they are merely three obtuse angles, or curves. This is also found in many 
 parts of the world, as weU as some examples which are given with five or six 
 limbs. In such oases it is suggestive of a wheel ; and there are a number of 
 Buddhist symbols not unlilse to these, which are understood to represent the 
 ' Wheel of the Law,' or the Wheel of Buddha. It may be stated that a three- 
 limbed figure of this kind is much used in the Punjaub, and other parts of India, 
 by the Mohajin log— the banking or nioneyed class — as a charm ; they place it 
 in their houses, and generally over the door." But Dr. Eitel makes a yet more 
 interesting contribution to the subject in pointing out that Scandinavians, 
 Danes, Germans and Englishmen still attach superstitious importance to 
 this magic charm of their heathen forefathers, and of the Chinese Buddhists of 
 to-day. To the present time the hammer of Thor is used amongst the German 
 peasantry, and in Ireland, as a magical sign to dispel thunder.* The same 
 symbol was frequently cast on bells during the Middle Ages, and many of 
 them still bear this mark. Dr. E. mentions those of Appleby and Sootherne, 
 Waldingham, Bishop's Norton and West Barkwith in Lincolnshire, Hathersage 
 in Derbyshire, Maxborough in Yorkshire, and many more. That this symbol 
 should thus be common to Buddhistic and Scandinavian mythology argues a, 
 common fount in ages long gone by; before the Aryan races had commenced 
 their Westward wanderings or the Shang dynasty had ceased to reign in 
 China — coeval in fact with Cadmus, the reputed father of Western letters. 
 
 The use of the Pa-hwa or " Eight diagrams " — a collection of strokes 
 
 arranged in hexagonal form and familiar to the merest tyro in Chinese studies 
 
 — as a charm to ward oflp evU influences, is imiversal. It is made of aU sizes 
 
 and shapes, from large ones on boards one or two feet square, down to tiny 
 
 * Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, Art. " Tlior's Hammer." 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. SI 
 
 Baedals for personal wear aot larger than a sixpence. In tlie centre is the 
 diagram of the Yang and Yin (male and female principle), or sometimes 
 a concave metal or glass mirror. Coarsely executed boards of this description 
 are placed perpendicularly on the highest part of the roof. More neatly 
 carved specimens are hung up in rooms. Go where one will, the inevitable 
 pa ktoa, carved, painted or written, is almost sure to ornament some portion 
 of the premises. On some houses again will be seen "three arrows placed 
 in an earthen tube, and laid on the side of the roof, the tube pointing towards 
 some distant object — the arrows being fastened in their places by clay." 
 Sometimes the representation of a lad sitting on a three-legged nondescript 
 animal, with a bow in his hands, as if on the act of shooting an arrow, takes 
 the place of or accompanies the other objects described.* 
 
 Stone slabs or pillars erected near the entrances of alleys leading into 
 a main street, are supposed to ward off the evil influences proceeding from 
 them. Mr. Doolittle states that in Foochow every family on the first day of the 
 Chinese month nails up a few leaves of the sweet flag (acorus gramin- 
 cus) and artemesia on each side of the front doorway. They are . held to 
 represent swords, and so scare away evil spirits! Other charms, not 
 personal, in Chinese use, are ted cloth worn in the pockets, or red silk braided 
 into the hair of children ; a knife that has been used to kill a fellow- 
 creature ; the Chinese Classics placed under the pillow or kept near the owner ; 
 knife-cash cast for the purpose and attached to the ridgepole; pieces of old 
 flshing nets, of which demons are said to be especially afraid as they suppose 
 them to be used by the priests to catch spirits; and gourd shells, which it is 
 supposad will attract to their interior such diseases as small-pox, measles, &c., 
 which might otherwise attack children. Images or drawings of tigers, lizards, 
 snakes, centipedes &c. — the list is almost inexhaustible — have similar virtues, 
 more especially guarding children from colic and other infantile diseases. 
 
 Most people are acquainted with the cant expression about "taking a hair 
 of the dog that bit you," now-a-days applied by those, who have drank too much 
 overnight, to the morning glass supposed to re-steady the shaken nerves, but 
 orio'inating in a superstition common to both Europe and China. The idea on 
 which it is based is that of the sympathy which a part of the body has with the 
 whole. Thus a dog's virus being powerless on its own body, a person will by 
 swallowing one of its hairs enjoy the immunity possessed by the animal it 
 came from. In Devonshire we find the idea oddly reversed, as, when a child 
 suffers from hooping cough, a hair from its head is put between slices of bread 
 and butter and given to a dog, who thereupon, it is believed, gets the cough 
 instead of the child, f In the same country it is supposed that you can give a 
 
 * Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. 2, p. swered me by a gesture of the hand, which 
 
 311. literally means, "Leave it to. m«." The 
 
 + Not long ago a native said to me, next day he secured a bit of the bad man's 
 
 " Would yoa like A to hate B ?" speakiug hair, and sewed it into the coat of the 
 
 of a bad man who had a very evil influence good man. Strange enough, as chance 
 
 over a good honest man. Without think- fell out, that day an event happened which 
 
 ing, I replied, "Ttes; it would be the best opened the eyes of the latter to his friend's 
 
 thing that ever happened.'' He only an- character, and they parted company. Of 
 
52 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 neighbour ague, by burying a dead man's hair under his threshold.* The 
 fact of a dog's hair possessing mystic powers, in Chinese Hakka-j- belief, is 
 illustrated by the following incident related to me by a distinguished sinologue 
 in this Colony. 
 
 WhUe on his missionary tours in the Canton province he was usually 
 accompanied by a powerful dog, at which, in some of the villages he passed 
 through, the children were somewhat frightened and once or twice very slightly 
 bitten. In such a case the mother would run after him and beg for a hair 
 from the dog's tail, as a charm against the evil one. The hair thus obtained 
 would be put to the part bitten in the belief that the spirit which the fright 
 suffered by the child had caused to pass into his person, would thereby be 
 attracted from it. 
 
 My informant used sometimes, jokingly, to say to the applicant, "Oh! 
 take a hair from the dog yourseH," but not liking his looks, this offer was 
 usually declined, and the alternative suggested brings into notice another 
 curiously wide-spread superstition. He was asked to spit in her hand, as a 
 charm against evil. Now the virtues claimed for this not very cleanly proceed- 
 ing by the Chinese found a thorough belief amongst the ancients, which survives 
 to this day amongst the lower classes in England. Brand gives a most 
 interesting chapter on this subject. J The Roman custom of lustrating an 
 infant by spittle on the day of its being named, that of the Mandingoes who 
 spit thrice in the child's face on the same occasion, and the custom of fishwomen 
 at home who still " spit upon their handsel," or the first money they take in the 
 day, all point to the same belief as that entertained by the Hakkas. There is 
 BtUl a rural English belief that spitting three times in a person's face is a charm 
 against the evil eye. The Hebrew belief in the mystic properties of saliva 
 is said to be of considerable antiquity, and we find our Saviour on two 
 occasions (St. John ix. 6 and Mark vii. 33) using it in curing the blind. 
 
 " Characts," or written charms, are as common in China as in Europe. We 
 settle the origin of our own former confidence in their efficacy by a somewhat 
 off-hand reference to the Jewish phylactery — a derivation I am inclined to doubt 
 — ^but we have nothing that I know of to guide us in finding the root of the 
 Chinese superstition. However that may be, the fact that written charms have 
 ever been deemed efficacious, wherever the art of writing is known, is curious. 
 Not a very long time ago the still warm body of a deceased male child was picked 
 up in the streets of Hongkong, having affixed to its cap one of these charms, 
 which had evidently been sold to the parents by one of the itinerant fortune- 
 tellers who infest the city. It was kindly placed at my disposal by the Coroner, 
 and a facsimile of it is given on the opposite page. 
 
 course nothing would persuade the native slip of wood tightly, to cure a relaxed 
 
 that it was not the effect of his charm. uvula, or sore throat. — Correspondent, 
 
 — The Inner Life of Syria, by Isabel Bur- Notes and Queries. 
 
 ton. f The Hakkas are a separate, and it is 
 
 * In France, an old woman told me to belieyed older, race than the Cantonese, 
 
 take a small piece of hair exactly at the They speak a different dialect, 
 
 top of my head and twist round a Uttle J Popular Antiquities, Vol. Ill, p. 259. 
 
^3 T #^^ 
 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 ^ 
 -< 
 
 
34 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 It is almost untranslateable, but if you bear in mind that the Chinese words 
 refer to horary or astrological terms, the following will give you some idea of 
 what it meant. The paper refers to an infant born in the yam shan year (1872), 
 2nd moon, 17th day, at noon; the character for "left" appended to the date 
 signifies that the child is a male, that for right signifying a female. 
 
 " Being born in the yam shan year, Uwai mou month and kap ng hour, the 
 child is subject to the combined influence of these dates. Under yam shan it 
 will be adverse to the influence of koon (officials) [that is an indication of evil], 
 but wiU find powerful friends. He will have brothers who will impoverish him. 
 According to the portents under the character kwai mou, he will always have 
 plenty to eat and great wealth. Under Sun mi he wiU meet with counter 
 influences from an evil spirit. Kap ng indicates that he will meet with good 
 influences indicating wealth and powerful friends, but these good influences will 
 be counteracted by an evil spirit. 
 
 " For 3 years, the first epoch under prediction, his fate is good. Thence to 
 the age of 13, the first five years will be bad, the second five good ; from 14 to 25 
 the 'first five years will be bad, the second very bad ; from 26 to 33, five years 
 will be bad, the latter five very good ; thence to 43, good and very good fortune 
 will be his fate. For five years after this his fate will be good, continuing till 
 his death, which will happen before he is 53. 
 
 " The life of this child indicates purity and prosperity. His good fortune 
 lies in being born at the hour of noon, as this indicates powerful friends and 
 other good influences. His future life will be one of bliss, but he ought to 
 adopt the Kum-fa goddess, in the municipal temple, as his spiritual mother. In 
 selecting a name for him some character should be chosen having To, earth, as a 
 component part. It will then be lucky. The date fixed for shaving the child 
 should be the 18th day of the 3rd moon from 9 to 10 a.m. The child should 
 be a year old before he is vaccinated." 
 
 So much for this written charm; — sad rubbish no doubt, but not much 
 worse than the whining predictions of gypsy crones in enlightened Europe, and 
 harmful chiefly in the widespread belief attached to its value. 
 
 Th6 charm here given was written on red paper, that colour being supposed 
 to be peculiarly obnoxious to evil spirits. Hence the red cloth and silken twist 
 already noted. But charms on yeUow paper are quite as numerous. Yellow 
 is the Imperial colour, one of the five recognized in the Chinese cosmogony, 
 and a superstitious value attaches to its use. "Sometimes a picture of an 
 idol is printed or written upon this paper, or some Chinese characters, or various 
 scroUs, are drawn on the paper with red or black ink. It is then pasted up over 
 a door or on a bed-curtain, or it is worn in the hair, or put into a red bag and 
 suspended from a button-hole, or it is burnt, and the ashes are mingled with tea 
 or hot water, and drank as a specific against bad influences or spirits. An 
 incredible number of these charms are used in the various ways indicated. 
 Many houses have eight or ten or more on the front side or under the eaves. 
 Immense numbers are burnt in idolatrous or superstitious ceremonies."* Similar 
 * Social Life of the Chinese, Vol. II. p. 808. 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. 55 
 
 charms are hung upon bed-curtams, placed upon the ridge poles of houses, and 
 hung over door-ways. The veneration entertained for the written character in 
 China is doubtless partially owing to the superstitious belief in the protective 
 nature of written charms. The Biblical, or at aU events Talmudical, authority 
 for the use of Phylacteries seems to have indirectly produced a somewhat 
 similar effect amongst the Hebrews. Brand gives numerous instances of the 
 beKef in written charms in England, and a gypsy charact, sold within the last 
 few years, has come under the present writer's personal observation. In this 
 case, as in all others, it ma;y be truly said, that the more we enquire the less do 
 we find to be the divergence between Chinese and Western beliefs and 
 superstitions. 
 
 But amulets and charms worn about the person are, perhaps, even greater 
 objects of importance in Chinese estimation than household or other charms. 
 Retaining as we do the words, now applied to harmless trinkets worn on the 
 ■watch-chain,* we are apt to forget the deep significance attached to them by our 
 forefathers, and to somewhat unduly ignore the infiuence which a belief in tKeir 
 virtues once exercised over our own ancestors, and still exercises over people like 
 the Chinese. I may here note that small trinkets, believed to be veritable 
 amulets, are worn by the well-to-do Chinese just as among ourselves. The most 
 popular form of charm is, both in China and England, a piece of money. Most 
 boys have treasured a " lucky fourpenny " with a hole in it, and most Chinese 
 babies have been the unconscious owners of "lucky cash" attached to them 
 by a red string and bearing certain lucky characters inscribed on them. The 
 cash chosen for this purpose are, as a rule, ancient. The older the cash the 
 greater its virtue. Sometimes coins of this sort are tied on the wrists of a 
 new-born child and worn by it for a considerable time. Similarly a number of 
 cash belonging to the reigns of diflferent Emperors are placed under the bed of 
 a newly-married couple. Collectors of old coins frequently come across curious 
 specimens of the nvimismatic art produced for this purpose, metals generally in 
 China being favourite substances for amulets. One of the commonest amulets 
 given to an only son is a small silver look. The father collects a number of 
 cash from the heads of a large number — strictly speaking a hundred — different 
 families, ,and having exchanged them for silver has the latter converted into a 
 native padlock which is used to fasten a silver chain or ring on the boy's neok.t 
 This it is supposed wiU be respected by evil spirits, and will therefore contribute 
 to the boy's longevity. Another popular amulet is made in the shape of a 
 flattish silver hook with some fortunate inscription thereon. But most common 
 of aU are the little bells worn by the Chinese child of every degree in the 
 Southernmost provinces and, more sparingly, used in the North also. The origin 
 
 * Louis Napoleon in his will cmpha- from our midst, and those Latin races 
 
 sizes the solemn declaration : " With re- whose cause he affected to represent, 
 
 gard to my son, let him keep as a talisman whose superstition he certainly shared. — 
 
 the seal I used to wear attached to ray Chambers' Journal. 
 
 watch." This piece of fetishism would f Social Life of the Chinese, \ol. II. p. 
 
 appear to have formed yef another link 314. 
 between the imperial exile that has passed 
 
56 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 of the custom as regards Canton has been already given. But a belief in the 
 occult qualities of bells is so wide-spread* that considerable doubt may 
 reasonably exist whether, even if the legend be true, the Cantonese did not 
 merely amplify an existing practice by way of appeasing the Demon of the bell. 
 It is at all events strange that our own ancestors should have credited bells with 
 possessing occult powers to aid mankind in their combat with the spirits of 
 darkness, while the Chinese propitiate the same enemies by wearing models of 
 bells upon their clothes. But a yet more odd coincidence is found in the 
 sixty-six bells attached to the Ephod of the Jewish High priest when engaged 
 in sacerdotal ministration, t At the present day we give bells to babies mounted 
 on a piece of coral — ^itself a celebrated charm since the days of Pliny, by whom it 
 is iioted as an amulet against fascination and able to preserve and fasten the 
 teeth. Few substances, by the way, except metal are used by the Chinese as 
 amulets, jade being almost the only exception.! It would be interesting to 
 ascertain whether the ear-ring was ever regarded in China, as by the Semitic 
 races, as a sort of amulet or charm. 
 
 Divination is in China as popular as, and probably more respectable than, 
 it was amongst the Israelites in the days of the witch of Endor, and it is not 
 perhaps going too far to say that there is not a single means resorted to in the 
 West by way of lifting the impenetrable veil which hides the future from curious 
 mankind which is not known to and practised by the Chinese. From " Pinking 
 the Bible " to using the Planchette, from tossing for odd and even to invoking 
 spirits to actually speak through crafty media, the whole range of Western 
 
 * A correspondent of the Indian Pioneer and said to M. Thelen, one of the few 
 
 says that, among the articles taken as fines faithful serrants that remained with her to 
 
 from the Dufilas are certain gongs sup- the last — ' Save those papers, but above 
 
 posed to be veiy ancient, and which they all save that casket, and preserve it as you 
 
 appear to regard with the greatest rever- would your own soul.' In that mysteri- 
 
 ence. For the edification of readers curi- ous casket, doubly and trebly locked, the 
 
 ous in such matters, we may observe that Napoleonic talisman lay. M. Thelen had 
 
 gongs, or bells, are also among the holy the boxes and casket thus confided to him 
 
 paraphernalia, or fetishes, of the Neilgherry transferred with all possible speed to the 
 
 Todas. A DofBa Chief would sooner part house of his sister iu one of the quietest 
 
 with half his kingdom thaD with his gong. suburbs of Paris. But the September 4 
 
 + Kitto's Cyclopadia of Bib. Lit., Art. Government soon got wind of the afFair, 
 
 Bell. and their emissaries were not long before 
 
 { While these pages are passing through making a descent at the house of M. 
 
 the press I come across the following para- Thelen's sister. They found and carried 
 
 graph in the Paris correspondence of a off the papers, but the casket containing 
 
 leading London Journal. The rumour it the talisman escaped them. It had been 
 
 gives may be entirely untrue, but I quote concealed in u hole in the wall behind a 
 
 it as a specimen of ordinary newspaper small map representing the seat of war. 
 
 gossip in 1875 on the subject under notice : In due time the talisman was conveyed to 
 
 — " It is now known that the Napoleonic ChUelhnrst, where it now is ; and so long 
 
 talisman is safe ; and, so long as that tabs- as it remains in the keeping of the Im- 
 
 man remains in the Bonapartist family, perial family, it will be safe to bet on the 
 
 the tradition is that, however much the restoration of Napoleon IV. " As the curi- 
 
 eagle's wings may be dipped, the imperial ous reader would, perhaps, Uke to know in 
 
 bird will soar at last. On the afternoon what the talisman consists, I may inform 
 
 of September 4, 1870, as the Empress him that it is a large sapphire which 
 
 Eugenie was flying from her apartments to Napoleon I. cribbed from the crown of 
 
 the dentist's cab which was to take her out Charlemagne when he took the indecent 
 
 of Paris, she pointed to several large boxes liberty of having that monarch's coffin 
 
 containing important papers, and to a opened up at Aix-la-Chapelle." 
 small but extremely heavy metal casket, 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. 57 
 
 superstition in this regard is as familiar to the average Chinaman as to the moat 
 enthusiastic spiritualist at home. The ooinoidences of practice and belief are 
 indeed so startling that many -will doubtless see in them a sort of evidence 
 either for their truthfulness, or for a common origin of evil. Divination by the 
 ka put has been already noted, together with that by bamboo slips. Cash and 
 many other objects are similarly used, the mode of procedure in no way differing 
 fKom our own. Such modes of consulting the gods are, however, every-day 
 matters. It is when we come to the consulting of media, the use of a forked 
 stick, writing on sand, and similar matters that the Chinese practice becomes 
 singular in its resemblance to superstitions openly avowed at home. I would 
 here remark that I am no spirituaHst. But how, without any apparent connec- 
 tion with each other, such beliefs should at once be found in f uU force in the 
 farthest East and the extreme West is puzzling. Is our Western spiritualism 
 derived from China ? 
 
 It is only within the last ten years that the attention of English readers 
 has been markedly drawn to this strange agreement of Chinese with Western 
 belief and practice — ^in the first instance,* by the Rev. J. Doplittle, in a series of 
 papers contributed originally to the China Mail and subsequently published 
 in book form in 1867 ; and in the same and following years, more exhaustively, 
 in Notes and Queries on China and Japan, by the Rev. E. J. Eitel, ph.b., whose 
 thorough and scholarly papers on Chinese matters render him a high authority. 
 Readers of that now defunct periodical wiU doubtless, in consideration of the 
 papers in question being out of print and unknown to the majority of the 
 British public, pardon my here transferring Dr. Eitel's remarks almost 
 verbatim ; the more so as any original account I could give would be but a 
 mere variation in language :— 
 
 "A certain form of spirit-rapping is practised among the officials and literary 
 classes of China. A spirit is sometimes made to appear, to communicate by 
 writing revelations about the future, and questions are answered as regards 
 the lucky or unlucky result of intended transactions, abo'ut success at impending 
 examinations, about progeny to be expected, and so forth. The pencil to be used 
 by the spirit must be made from the twig of a peach-tree. But this twig should 
 be cut off a branch pointing towards the Bast, and before cutting the twig the 
 following magic formula consisting of four lines (with four syllables each) has to 
 be pronounced : ' Magic pencil most efficacious, daily possessing subtle strength, 
 now I take thee, to reveal clearly everjrthing.'f After the recitation of this 
 formula, a compound character is to be carved into the back of the tree. This 
 
 * I speak in the text of writers in the ducing by their invocations the figures of 
 
 English language. But Du Halde gives the Laotseu and their divinities in the air, 
 
 some interestiDg details in his well-known and of making a pencil to write answers to 
 
 work. Colonel Yule, in his Ma/rco Polo, questions without anybody touching it," 
 
 Vol. I., p. 290, draws attention to this fact This is evidently a Chmese version of Mr. 
 
 in a note upon the Taosse (Taoists), whom Daniel Home's alleged powers, and tha 
 
 he defines as " worshippers of the mystic coincidence is more than strange, 
 
 cross Swasti. Apparently they had at j^ /sff @s. ^^ q -jfe. j^ =:j, 
 
 their command the whole encyclopffldia of T ipgg ^^ j^ j^ p 'r ^W W^ 
 
 modern spiritualism. Du Halde mentions ,^k a. -ffit gra m -^ J^ »g 
 amongst their sorceries the* act of pro-. ^Kt "^ •»}* Pr)/TI ^ TH ™" 
 
58 THE FOLK-LORE OP CHINA. 
 
 character is composed of two radicals, of which the upper one signifies water 
 from clouds ; the lower one means demon, which indicates that the spirit to he 
 conjured up resides in the clouds. The other characters* 'the mysteries of 
 Heaven wondrously mastered' refer to the revelations which the pencil is 
 expected to communicate under the direction of the spirit. When this compound 
 character has heen cut into the bark of the peach-tree, a twig from one of its 
 eastern branches, which moreover must have a little curvature at its end in the 
 form of a hook, is cut oflf and fitted into a small piece of wood of about six inches 
 length, which is intended for being laid on the palms of the medium acting at 
 the ceremony. Every one who intends to witness it, has to purify himself by 
 fasting and ablutions and to dress in perfectly clean clothes. In the hall where 
 the ceremony is to take place two long tables are placed together. On the 
 upper table sacrifices are placed, consisting of wine, fruit and and confectionery, 
 whUe the other table is to be covered with fine red sand, which should be roUed 
 even and smooth by a small bamboo-roller, so that characters can be traced in 
 the sand without difficulty. All these preparations shoidd be finished before 
 night-fall, when a petition to the Great Royal Bodhisattwaf is to be written 
 on a card, informing this Deity that sacrifices are prepared, and requesting that 
 one of the great spirits wandering through the clouds J; should be sent to the 
 house of the petitioner whose name and address is mentioned minutely to prevent 
 any mistake. This card, together with a quantity of gold paper, is conveyed to 
 the temple of the abovementioned Deity, and burnt before the idol's shrine. On 
 returning to his own house the petitioner writes his address, as given on that 
 card, on a slip of paper which he pastes on one of the door-posts. 
 
 "Later in the evening two or three of the company assembled go to the 
 door, bm'n there some gold paper and make then an indefinite number of bows 
 and prostrations, receiving as it were the spirit on entering the house. Having 
 conducted him into the haU, an arm-chair is moved to the table whilst incense 
 and candles are lighted. At the same time the medium approaches, the handle 
 of the magic pencil resting on the palms of both hands, but so that the end 
 of the twig touches the surface of the table strewn with sand. He places his 
 out-spread hands near the head of the table and addressing the spirit with 
 becoming reverence says : ' Great spirit, if you have amved, be pleased to write 
 the character " arrived " on this table.' Immediately the magic pencil begins to 
 move and the required character appears legibly written in the sand, where- 
 upon all assembled request the spirit to sit on the large arm-chair, whilst the 
 Deity, that is supposed to have conducted him thither, is likewise politely asked 
 to sit down on another chair. The whole company now bow and prostrate 
 themselves before the seats of both spirits, and some pour out wine and bum 
 gold paper. Then the medium approaches again with the magic pencil on'the 
 palms of his hands, whilst aU assembled say with one voice : ' Great sph-it, what 
 was your august surname, what your honourable name, what offices were you 
 invested with, and under which dynasty did you live on earth?' Immediately 
 
 t(Aiwgi) tmm^km 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND 'DIVINATIOITS. 59 
 
 the magit! pencil is seen moving* and answers to these questions appear written 
 in the sand. After this every one of the assembled may put a question one 
 after the other, but each question is to be written on a slip of paper and burnt 
 together with some gold paper. As soon as each paper is fairly consumed by 
 the fire, the magic pencil writes down the answer to it, generally in poetical 
 form, and each sentence is followed by the character* ' I have done,' whereupon 
 the pencil ceases to move. Then all assembled try to read the characters aloud. 
 If they fail to decipher them, the pencil moves again and writes the same 
 sentence more distinctly, imtil it is intelligible. As soon as one of the assembly 
 succeeds in deciphering a sentence, the magic pencil moves again and writes on 
 the sand the two charactersf ' that's it.' When a sentence is finished in this 
 way, the sand on the table has to be smoothed again with a bamboo-roller, and 
 whilst this is being done the whole company address fiattering speeches to the 
 spirit, praising his poetical talents, to which the magic pencil replies by writing 
 on the table the characters J 'it's ridiculous.' If any one present behave» 
 improperly, displaying a want of reverence, the spirit writes down some sentences 
 containing a sharp rebuke. The motions of the pencil are quite extraordinary 
 and apparently not produced by the medium on whose open palms the handle of 
 the pencil rests, and who merely follows the spontaneous movements of the 
 magic pencil. In this way conversation is kept up without flagging until 
 midnight (when the male principle begins to be active). Then the spirit breaks 
 off the conversation and addressing the whole company writes on the table: 
 ' Gentlemen, I am much obliged for your liberal presents, but now I must beg" 
 leave to depart.' § To this all persons present reply saying: 'Please, great 
 spirit, stop a little longer,' but the spirit jqts down as if in a great hurry the 
 two characters || ' excuse me, I am off.' Then all assembled say, ' If there was 
 any want of respect or attention, great spirit, we beseech thee forgive us this 
 sin.' All walk then to the house-door burning gold-paper, and there take leave 
 of the spirit with many bows and prostrations. 
 
 " I proceed now to poiat out another form of spiritualism by which more 
 especially the lower classes of Chinese society allow themselves to be blinded. 
 There are somnambules in China, 51 and no matter whether they be real clair- 
 voyants under the influence of animal magnetism, or merely clever impostors, 
 they are at least in the South of China everywhere to be found, enjoying the 
 entire confidence of the mass of the people, and holding a position very much 
 like that of the witch at Endor who conjured up Samuel before Saul, or 
 like those priests in the temple of Pluto and Cora at Acharaca, who used to 
 prescribe to their patients the remedies revealed to them .in their dreams ; in 
 some respects also like those oracles which were obtained at the lake Aornos, 
 and in which those consulted called up the spirits of the dead (see Smith, JXct. 
 of Antiquities, on Oracles). The fact is thai, at leaist as far as I am aware. 
 
60 THE 'FOLK-LORE OP CHINA, 
 
 somnambulism in China is generally made subservient to necromancy. The 
 Chinese mind is so deeply impressed with the stability at family ties, that 
 STen death is not considered as separating a man or woman from their respective 
 families, and it is, therefore, the common belief of the people that the 
 ancestors of each family, though living in Hades, are continually watching 
 the interests and welfare of all their descendants that live on earth. Conse- 
 quently if a family be in great distress on account of the severe iUness of some 
 one of its members, or in doubt with regard to the advisability of an intended 
 marriage, or anxious to know if a certain site chosen for a tomb would ensure 
 rest and peace to the soul of a deceased relative, — on each of these subjects the 
 Chinese feel a craving desire to consult the spirits of their ancestors. Now as 
 the Chinese well know that it is not so easy to influence those spirits and to 
 induce them to submit to consultations and cross-examinations, there is a class 
 of people, chiefly women, who make-it their profession to conjure up spirits from 
 the dead, and to act as the mediums in the consultations to be held with them. 
 These women are called shang-p'o in Canton city, whilst in other parts of' the 
 province they are usually known by the name of sin-p'o.* If there be any 
 family in trouble or anxiety for some one or other of the reasons mentioned 
 above, a sonmambule is sent for. No preparations are required, no saoriflces 
 are to be offered, except that some incense sticks are lighted and put into that 
 niche dedicated to the spirit of the hearth, f which may be seen in every Chinese 
 house in the wall over the cooking range. When the sonmambule arrives at 
 the house, she is received by the female portion of its inmates and conducted 
 to some quiet back room. No man is allowed to be present, especially no 
 scholar, and great care is to be taken, that no copy of the Chinese classics, among 
 which the ' great learning ' % is most dreaded by the somnambules, should be 
 left lying about in the room. If any of these precautions are neglected the 
 somnambule will declare it impossible to hold any conversation with the 
 spirits. When all is ready she ascertains first the nature of the difficulty under 
 which the family labours, and the name and sex of the ancestor whose spirit is 
 to be conjured up. As soon as she has learned these particulars she seats 
 herself on a low stool and crouches down on it, so that her head rests on her 
 knees. Then she utters in a low and measured tone the following incantation : — 
 
 ' Te sisters three — ^ye ladies four, 
 
 ' ! lead me now to Hades' door ! 
 
 ' What would ye do in Hades P Speak ! 
 
 ' My kindred only would I seek — 
 
 ' My kindred seek, one word to say. 
 
 ' Then quickly lead me back, I humbly pray.' 
 " This incantation she repeats three times, and soon after she has spoken it 
 for the third time a sudden change seems to come over her body. Her arms 
 drop down, her limbs are one after the other seized by a sort of torpor, convul- 
 sions shake her all over, and cold sweat covers her face and temples. At last 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DlYmATIONS. 6l 
 
 she seems fast asleep and now questions may be put to her. ' What do you 
 see?' she may be asked. 'I see -nothing,' is the answer, 'it is all dark and 
 chilly.' After a while she is again asked, 'what do you see now?' 'Now,' 
 she replies, ' now it is lighter ; yes, at a distance I see pagodas and towers 
 and palaces and houses.' 'Do you see any human being?' 'No, I cannot see 
 distinctly ; yes, now I see them, there are men and women with pale sallow 
 complexions, and one approaches me, speaks to me ! ' ' How is that pejson 
 dressed ? ' Then the somnambule describes the dress and the whole appearance 
 of that person, and her description coincides exactly with all that her employers 
 can remember with regard to the pecidiarities in dress and general appearance 
 of the deceased relative whose spirit is being conjured up. The identity of the 
 person required being thus established, questions may now be put as to the 
 particular difficulties on account of which the family want to consult the spirit 
 of their ancestor. This spirit, however, is not made to appear, but the somnam- 
 bule pretending to see it and to be in conversation vrith it, acts as inter- 
 preter, and answers aU questions in the name of that spirit and with an 
 unnatural shrill voice. "When the curiosity of the audience has been thus 
 satisfied they try to awake the somnambule by shotiting her name three times 
 into her ears. Soon her body begins to tremble, one Hmb after another seems 
 to shake off its torpor, the woman raises herself up, and goes through aU the 
 pantomime of a person suddenly roused from a heavy sleep, expressing most 
 dramatically an immense surprise at finding herself in such a place and in such 
 circumstances. Then the somnambule speedily falls into her professional 
 swagger, asks for her wages, which, according to the means of her employers, 
 vary from five cents to five taels or more, and departs chuckling, I imagine, over 
 the credulity of her deluded victims. 
 
 " In conclusion I may remark that the deity to which the above given 
 incantation is addressed, is supposed to be that popular deity which is commonly 
 called ' the seven sisters.'* By some it is considered identical with the spirit of 
 .the Wega in LyTa,t by others it is identified with the spirit of the Pleiades ; | 
 and this latter explanation I consider to be most plausible, because the Pleiades 
 are in Chinese colloquial called ' the star of the seven ladies.'§ " 
 
 Another mode of divination employed is by means of a small image carved 
 out of willow wood (See supra for qualities attributed to this wood). The 
 medium is in this case also a woman. A recent writer thus describes the 
 modus operandi: "The image is first exposed to the dew for forty-nine nights, 
 when after the performance of certain ceremonies it is believed to have the 
 power of speaking. The image is laid upon the stomach of the woman to whom 
 it belongs, and she by means of it pretends to be the medium of communication 
 between the dead and the living. She sometimes sends the image into the world 
 of spirits to find the person about whom intelligence is sought ; it then changes 
 into an elf or sprite, and ostensibly departs on its errand. The^ spirit of the 
 person enters the image, and gives the information sought after by the surviving 
 
62 THE POLK-LOUE OP CHINA. 
 
 relatives. The woman is supposed not to utter a -word, the message seeming 
 to proceed from the image. The questions are addressed to the medium, the 
 replies appear to come from her stomach ; there is probably a kind of ventrilo- 
 quism employed, and the fact that the voice appears to proceed from the stomach 
 undoubtedly assists the delusion ; any way, there are scores and scores of these 
 mediums implicitly believed in, and widows who desire to communicate with 
 their deceased husbands, or people who desire any information about a future 
 state, invariably resort to their aid." In Kwang-hsi again there are wizards 
 who use a magic water called ku-tu,* They take this medicine and smear it 
 on a grain of rice, which they throw away. The natives gravely believe that 
 if any one is unfortunate enough to touch this grain of rice, he at once 
 grows ill; his stomach swells, and continues to do so for a month or so 
 untU he at length bursts and out gush, not bowels, but unboiled rice. If the 
 ku tu is smeared on straw, the stomach of the person touching it, in like 
 manner, becomes full of straw I 
 
 Mesmerism also has its Chinese votaries. A practice somewhat similar to 
 our mesmerism and used to gain money by exhibitions on the 5th of the 8th 
 moon, is very common in Canton. The performer reads with the person operated 
 on certain incantations, chou,f whereupon the patient falls into a mesmeric 
 sleep. During this sleep, he is able, though never taught the exercise, to go 
 through all sorts of tricks of fence — the native explanation being that the 
 patients' soul having departed from the body, the spirit of a deceased fencing- 
 master occupies the empty tenement. 
 
 Divination by VirgUian, Homeric or Biblical Lots, la which the book being 
 opened at random the sense of the words covered by the thumb is held to be 
 prophetic, finds an exact coimterpart in a Chinese practice. The classical works 
 (an odd coincidence, as the two most celebrated of Western classics give their 
 names to the So)-tes Homerieee and Sortes VirgiUanoe)X are chiefly availed of for 
 this purpose; but the Chinese pay more attention to the lucky or unlucky 
 meaning of the particular characters touched than to the sense of the sentence in 
 which they occur. Any one even but slightly acquainted with the written 
 character of the language will easily conceive the vast field it presents for such 
 purposes. Thus «M,§ a woman, enters into the composition of a large member of 
 characters having an evil signification, and its presence in the word touched is 
 therefore unlucky. The literary section of the community rather discourage 
 frivolous appeals to such divinations, but are not above being guided by them in 
 aifairs which they deem important. 
 
 I have already referred to the omens deduced from bamboo slips selected or 
 shaken out at random from a bamboo box. Fortune-tellers and joss-house 
 
 ^S -f^' T Jf\j- poems of Homer or Virgil. From the 
 
 J Gibbon (Decline and Fall of the fourth to the fourteenth century these 
 
 Roman Empire) says : " This mode of di- sortes sanctorum, as they are styled, were 
 
 vination by accepting as an omen the first repeatedly condemned by the decrees of 
 
 sacred words which in particular oircum- councils, and repeatedly practised by Kings, 
 
 stances should be presented to the eye or Bishops and Saints." 
 ear was derived from the F^ans, and the s -JIf, 
 
 Psalter or Bible was substituted for the -*^' 
 
CHARMS, SPELLS, AMULETS AND DIVINATIONS. 63 
 
 keepers diviae future events for their credulous clients in a somewhat similar 
 way. A number of papers are prepared, marked with characters the same as 
 those on the bamboo slips, but also having short sentences added indicative of 
 good or Ul luck. A slip being thrown out, the paper containing its character is 
 referred to, and the sentence inscribed on it is accepted as the answer. Street 
 fortune-tellers frequently train birds to select one or more from a heap of papers, 
 each marked with a single ominous character. The fortune-teller then proceeds 
 to explain the prophetic meaning hidden in the character thus chosen. Or, if he 
 does not possess a trained bird, the client himself picks out a paper for similar 
 interpretation. A very popular form of domestic divination is that already noted 
 as availed of at the new year — going out into the street and accepting the first 
 words heard as an omen. 
 
 Chiromancy or Divination by Palmistry has its votaries in China as in 
 Europe, the predictions of our English gypsies being arrived at in very nearly 
 the same way. The lines in the palm of the hand known as the " line of life or 
 longevity," "line of fortune," "line of the stomach," bear similar names in 
 the vocabulary of native chiromancers, the same line both in China and England 
 being referred to as that of longevity. A native account says: "The lines 
 indicate whether a man be spendthrift or the reverse ; whether he will be lucky, 
 wealthy, and prosperous, or attain high position ; whether he will have children, 
 their sex, and whether or not they will survive; and finally whether he will have 
 more than one wife." The skin peeling from the palm of the hand (a common 
 occurrence when a person unused to manual labour performs work which abrades 
 or blisters the palms) is looked upon as an unlucky omen. The evU omen 
 attached to white specks on the finger naUs has been already noticed ; but there 
 does not appear to exist any practice of divination by this means such as was 
 formerly practised in England under the name of Onychomancy or Onymancy.* 
 Physiognomy is however much believed in by the Chinese, and auguries from 
 the countenance — a form of divination which we all more or less unconsciously 
 adopt, as witness such phrases as "he looks born to be hanged" &o.— are 
 frequently drawn and believed in. The Chinese have a quaint way of dividing 
 off the facial ages. At 30 years a man is said to have arrived at the epoch of 
 the eyebrows; at 36 at that of the eyes, and so on, at the epoch of the nose, 
 Ups, cheek, bone, chin, &c. 
 
 Finally the "Divination by a green ivie leaf" recorded by an old writer,! 
 in which the health or sickness for the coming twelve months of the party 
 practising it is divined by the green or black appearance of a leaf immersed in 
 water for six days, is faintly paralleled by the ominous virtues attributed by the 
 Chinese to the leaves of the juniper tree and pumelo plant. No doubt a fuUer 
 investigation than the present writer is able to institute would elucidate other 
 points' of agreement in this class of superstitions. But enough has been given 
 to shew that the Chinese mind has for ages been subject to the same influences 
 as obtain amongst ourselves, though happily in our case (with the exception of 
 spiritualism) now only surviving amongst the lowest classes of the community. 
 * Pop. Antiquities, fol. III., p. 350. + Ibid., Vol. III., 357. 
 
64 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 VI.— SUPEESTITIONS AS TO VAEIOUS 
 SUBJECTS. 
 
 There are in China a large number of generally believed Superstitions 
 which it is difficult to class under any of the foregoing heads. The mysterious 
 properties ascribed to the haie are peculiarly interesting. A prejudice against 
 eating its flesh is coeval with Chinese histoiy. In the Erh-ya* we find it stated 
 that the people of Yo-yang "considered the hare to be a telluric genius so that 
 nobody dared to hunt it," and throughout China it has always been looked upon 
 (especially the red variety) as a divine animal, f Albino hares are regarded 
 as omens of good, and their appearance a mark of heavenly approval. In Dr. 
 Eitel's Handbook of Chinese Suddhism, Art, Sakchi, we read, that an unseliish 
 hare who threw itself into the fire, to offer its flesh as food for others, was 
 transferred by Indra to the centre of the Moon.J The superstition concerning 
 hares is common to China and India. Nor, though it does not take precisely the 
 same form, is a belief in the portentous attributes of this animal wanting at 
 home. For a hare to cross a man's path early in the morning is an ill omen 
 throughout Europe. And a Highlander of the 42nd Regiment, in his printed 
 memoirs, notices the same harbinger of evil as having crossed his own path on 
 a day of personal disaster in Spain.§ It ia noteworthy that the Goddess Freya 
 is represented as attended by hares, who act as train and light-bearers. The 
 hare moreover is reputed to be the commonest disguise of a witch in all the 
 Northern Countries of Europe. || 
 
 Equally as widespread as the foregoing superstition is a common belief, 
 that drownedr bodies may be discovered by throwing into the water certain 
 objects which, it is asserted, will stop over the exact spot where the. corpse may 
 lie. The American Indians use a chip of cedar wood. In England a loaf of 
 bread loaded with quicksilver is used, while in Ireland similar use is made of a 
 wisp of straw, bound roimd with a strip of parchment on which some oabalistio 
 words have been written by the parish priest. In Java and in some parts of 
 China a living goat (a sheep, I believe, wiU do as weU) is cast into the water, 
 and its dead body will, as is believed, indicate the resting place of the drowned 
 man. As regards running streams it is easy to account for this common 
 superstition hy natural facts, but the varied forms it assumes are interesting. 
 Another Chinese superstition relates to the use of salt, which is thrown into the 
 water when any one has been rescued from drowning. A few months since a 
 correspondent wrote to a Shanghai newspaper as follows: — "Yesterday afternoon 
 
 Pw TS* § Predictions Bealised, p. 87. 
 
 i N. (& Q. 0. <& J., Vol. 11., p. 69. II Folk-lore of the Northern Counties, 
 
 X Handbook of Chinese Buddhism, p. p. 166 et sea. 
 107. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS AS TO VARIOUS SUBJECTS. 65 
 
 a youngster of the Chinese nationality fell into the water off a pontoon. So his 
 relatives set to work to fish him out, ■which humane act heing accomplished, 
 was followed hy two old women very properly pulling his ears for trying to 
 drown himself, and giving them trouble, while another old woman threw salt 
 into the water at the spot he had fallen in. Can any of your readers inform 
 me what the salt-throwing meant, and whether it is a custom on such occasions 
 to do so?" The q^uery remained unanswered. Nor has subsequent enquiry 
 enabled me to throw any light upon the subject. " It's a local custom," was the 
 only answer I could get. But a reference to Brand gives us some very interest- 
 ing facts in connection with the use of salt for the purposes of lustration.* 
 Flinging salt over the left shoulder to avert threatened calamity is a well-known 
 custom. The Greeks and Romans used it in their lustrations, and Jews and 
 Pagans aUke used it in their sacrifices as a propitiation. The Romans especially 
 designed it as a propitiatory offering to avert the vengeance of Stygian or 
 infernal Gods — an exact parallel to the Chinese custom. In the Isle of Man, a 
 gift of salt is an essential element in numerous transactions. The Scotch 
 used to, and perhaps stiU, put salt in the first milk taken from a cow after 
 calving. That the Chinese should credit salt with propitiatory virtues also 
 is therefore curious. Another item of our own household folk-lore, concerning 
 the last piece of any edible left on a dish, , is purely Chinese. While our 
 goodwives give it the name of the "bachelor's bit," the Chinese call it the 
 "poison piece," — not because it is in itself poisonous, but because he who 
 takes it may fare as badly as if he had been veritably poisoned. The Chinese 
 think it unlucky to have the spout of a kettle, standing on the fire, turned 
 outwards; — a belief I can only match by our superstition that it forebodes 
 ill to cross two knives on the dinner table, being unable to trace the origin of 
 either superstition. 
 
 I can hardly avoid in this place a notice of the sing^ilar geomantio supersti- 
 tions known as Feng-shui, regarding which Dr. Eitel has written so excellent 
 a brochure. That learned writer answers the question "what is Feng-shui?" 
 in the following words: "F^ng-shxii [the words themselves signify wind and 
 water] is, as I take it, but another name for natural science. . . . It is 
 simply the blind gropings of the Chinese mind after a system of natural science, 
 which gropings, untutored by practical observation of nature, and trusting 
 almost exclusively in the truth of alleged ancient tradition, and in the force of 
 abstract reasoning, naturally left the Chinese mind completely in the dark." 
 No more accurate definition for scientific purposes could be given, and to those 
 who feel an interest in the subject I cannot do better than recommend the 
 perusal of his work. But for present purposes, in which the practical rather 
 than the theoretical side of popular belief is necessarily dealt with, the reply must 
 be framed somewhat differently. F6ng-shui, then, is a. system of geomanoy 
 which determines the good or iU luck of localities as regards their occupation 
 for purposes of building, cultivation, burial, etc., etc. By way of illustrating 
 
 * Pbp. Antiquities, Vol. III., p. 160 et. seq. 
 
66 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 this interpretation the folio-wing paragraph from a Shanghai newspaper, written 
 of course simply for "news" purposes, is apposite : — "The general excitement 
 caused in Hangohow, in common, apparently, with the rest of the province, was 
 some weeks ago intensified by a development of the well-known superstition of 
 Feng-skui. A number of people having died in a certain part of the town, 
 enquiries began to be made as to the cause of a mortality somewhat specially 
 localised. But instead of looking, as Westerns almost instinctively would, to 
 the physical conditions and environments of the district, the good folks of 
 Hangohow called in the learning of the geomancers to explain the cause of the 
 'evil influence.' These worthies were not long in pointing to a range of 
 buildings belonging to one of the American Missions, that stood on a hill 
 overlooking the district where the abnormal mortality had prevailed. These 
 buildings, though not high in themselves, were yet elevated by their site 
 above all the surrounding buildings, and thus they interrupted the benign 
 influences of the Feiig-shui. The question then came to be, how the evil was 
 to be remedied. The traditional mode of procedure would have been to 
 organise a mob, raise a disturbance, and during its continuance contrive to 
 pull down or burn the obnoxious premises. But, on the one hand, past 
 experience of foreigners has convinced the authorities that this way of dealing 
 with foreign property is sure to entail serious consequences ; while, on the 
 other, the satisfactory results of diplomatic action as Ulustrated at Peking has 
 gradually inclined them to the suaviter-in-modo policy. Accordingly a number 
 of the gentry were commissioned to proceed to Ningpo and put themselves in 
 communication with the United States Consul on the subject. Arrived in Ningpo 
 they drew up a petition to that gentleman, setting forth the fears and anxieties 
 which were excited among the common people of Hangohow, by the disturbance 
 of the Feng-shut occasioned by the mission premises in question, and setting 
 forth the willingness of the authorities to grant them a site and erect buUdings 
 on some other site to be agreed on between them and the missionaries, or 
 to pay the missionaries a money equivalent for the sui'render of their property. 
 The missionaries, on being communicated with by Dr. Lord, signified their 
 preference of the proposal to grant them an equally eligible site and erect 
 suitable buildings elsewhere, in exchange for their existing property, and 
 this arrangement is now in course of being carried out." No better instance of 
 the difficulties which F^ng-shui presents to foreign missionary and commercial 
 enterprise could be adduced. 
 
 A superstitious belief in the value of human blood and portions of the body 
 as medicinal aids seems to be common to the ignorant classes of many nations. 
 Just two years ago, a number of lepers were reported to have made their 
 appearance at Whampoa and its vicinity, attacking and killing healthy men, 
 that they might drink the blood and eat the intestines of those killed, 
 which, lepers are under the firm belief, will cure them of their loathsome 
 disease. The native residents at Whampoa became very apprehensive about 
 this, and exercised very great caution in their trips into the surrounding 
 country in obedience to the time-honoured custom of worshipping at th« 
 
StJPEESTITIOKS AS TO VAEIOUS SUBJECTS. m 
 
 tomba. A Chinaman, who was employed on hoard one of the river steamers, 
 caught the disease, and, as was currently stated at the time, resorted to the 
 modus operandi stated above. Female lepers, by the way, believe that they will 
 become free from the disease if they communicate it to men willing to live 
 with them, and as some are always to be found suffleifently dead to ordinary 
 feeling to do so, leprosy has by this means been sjaread more than it would 
 otherwise be. 
 
 The idea of cannibalism for other purposes iS' by no means unfamiliar to 
 the Cantonese. When the rebels, called "patriots" by the half -informed 
 enthusiasts of those days, held possession of th« Blenheim Reach Fort, they used 
 to drink the blood and eat the hearts of the Imps, {i.e. foreigners) whom 
 they made prisoners. Colonel Yule, in his exhaustive worii on Marco Polo 
 (Vol. I., p, 2755, devotes a lengthy note to the subject of Chinese and' 
 Tibetan cannibalism. The Arab travellers of 'the 9th century relate that, 
 " In China it occurs sometimes that the governor of a province revolts from' 
 his duty to the emperor. In such a case he is slaughtered and eaten. In 
 fact th« Chinese eat the flesh of all men who are executed by the sword." Dr, 
 Bennie states (and. I can myself coniirm the assertion) that after an execu- 
 tion at Peking certain laige pith-balls are steeped in the blood of the- 
 defimct criminal, and under thenam* of "Hood-bread" are sold as a medicine- 
 for consumption. It is only tc the blood of decapitated criminals that any 
 such healing power is attriburted. "It is asserted that the- executioners of Mr^ 
 de Cbappedelaine, a Romish nrissionary murdered in Yunnan in 1862, were- 
 seen to eat the heart of their victim, and Mr. Cooper, the weU'-known travel- 
 ler, was told by a. Bishop of the sa-rae mission, that he had" seen men in- 
 Yunnan eating the heart and briiins^ of a celebrated robber, who had been- 
 executed." In all these cases the idea underlying this horrible act is, that by 
 eating a portion of the -victim, especially the heart , one acqxiiresthe valour -witb 
 which he was endowed. 
 
 Nor do the Chinese stand al<me in their siUy stories respecting the use 
 6i the children's eyes and blood iat photographic purposes. I note that a- 
 resent report of the Smyrna mission alludes to a superstition amongst the Greek 
 Christians of the Levant curiously similar. They hold that the Jewish ritual 
 enjoins- the shedding of blood at the feast of the Passover, and .that the Jews- 
 annually inveigle a Christian ohUd into their toils, fatten, it up, and thea 
 open its arteries to utilize the blood.* This blood, it is believed, is kneaded 
 into the unleavened bread by the priests, who afterwards distribute this- 
 
 * Alexander, if -we may orecEt the ing host and bread, as well as the bewitch- 
 aoeouut given by Quintus Curtius, was ed bloody milk, severai times in each 
 terrified by blood flowing .from inside his century, gave simjde folk a scare. Bnt 
 soldiers' bread during the siege of Tyre the -riotims of saperstition have the bump- 
 in 332 B.C. His seer, Aristanda, foresaw of casualty remarkably developed, and, in 
 in this crimson efflux of the vital stream 1410, .thirty-eight Jews were burnt to 
 out of the commissariat a happy issue ashes because they had tortured the con- 
 fer the Macedonian ; and the warriors seorated host until it Wed. — Chambers' 
 thus never took Ty^. From the year Journal. 
 1004, tbs alamning spectacle of the bleed- 
 
68 ' THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. ' 
 
 devilish confectionery to their congregations, for a small pecimiary' Cott- 
 sideration.* 
 
 But the superstitions regarding the uses of human Wood or flesh are not 
 confined to the instances above given. It used to be believed at Canton, and 
 perhaps novr is, that the blood of an unborn infant was all effective for 
 magical purposes, f It is used as a charm against husbands by a sect called 
 ^0. P^ ^t' "■ ^®* °^ young unmarried women, comprising a sisterhood 
 who are sworn never to marry. If forced by their parents to do so, they 
 then employ this charm to destroy their husbands in order to remain single, and 
 be faithful to the oaths of the sisterhood. A ease is on record in which a 
 Fokienese' availed himself of this drug to influence a woman for improper pur- 
 poses, and her subseq^uent death in child-birth was regarded as the natural 
 result of her yielding to the horrible charm.. 
 
 More wide-spread is a belief in the restorative qualities of human flesh 
 and blood to the sick. Parents suffering from long-standing or dangerous 
 diseases are frequently offered a decoction of medicine in which is mixed a 
 piece of the flesh of one of their children. It is considered an act of great 
 filial piety to out a slice off one's calf to mix it with medicine for a parent. 
 The practice is still followed even to the present day. Honourable mention 
 is often made in the Peking Gazette of such cases. It has of late been written 
 down by the native press, particularly by the Chinese Mail. A recent issue of 
 the Shanghai Courier and Gazette (November 1875) contained the following 
 paragraph amongst it local items : — '" Two model sons are now living at Sooohow, 
 whose mother was one day taken alarmingly ill. They were very poor ; but 
 medical assistance was urgently necessary, and so the elder brother went to 
 implore the assistance of a celebrated doctor. He was only able, of course, to 
 offer the great man a small fee ; and the great man loftily refused to come. 
 The poor lad threw himself on the ground before him and bumped his head till 
 it ached, but the doctor was quite immoveable. So he went home and- told 
 his younger brother how unsuccessful he had been. The unfortunate woman 
 
 * The object of the ceremony is, accord- will reach the ground first, so as to gain 
 
 ing to the myth, to cleanse the Jewish the coveted prize, the first to shed blood 
 
 race in general, and the participators of of the year. If the weather is unfaTorable 
 
 the rite in particular, from the guilt of for fishing, those in possession of guns^ 
 
 Calvary. It does not appear that the and a great many of the fishermen's 
 
 Chinese Jews have any legend of similar houses possess one — are out, gun in hand, 
 
 import. along the shore, before daybreak, in search 
 
 t A correspondent of Notes and Queries of some bird or wild animal, no matter 
 
 writes ; " Wife-beating, to the effusion of how small, that they may draw blood, and 
 
 blood, may be a novel method of securing thus make sure of one year's good for- 
 
 luck in herring-fishery, but to draw blood tune." 
 
 is practised in some of the fishing vil- W.v.'La.tonaheiD.hiB Tiavels in Portugal 
 
 lages on the north-east coast of Scotland, (1875) narrates a story illustrative of the 
 
 tinder the belief that success follows the national belief in the wehr wolf (loTjis- 
 
 aot. The act must be performed on New homem), in which a Portuguese " wise 
 
 Yeai-'s day, and the fortune is his only woman " is reported as saying that " it a 
 
 who is the first to shed blood. If the lobis hovlem can murder and drink the 
 
 morning of the New Year is such as to blood of a newly born child, the enchant- 
 
 allow the boats of the village to put to sea, meut ceases and she is a lobis-homem no 
 
 there is quite a struggle as to which boat longer." 
 
SUPEUSTITIONS A9 TO VARlOtJS StJBJECTS. 69 
 
 Was dying ; wh^t was to be done ? At length the young boy hit upon an 
 expedient. He out a great piece of fleah out of his left arm, boiled it down to 
 «. broth, and gave it his mother to drink. It is said that she recovered." 
 In May 1874, a memorial in the Peking Gazette records how the Deputy 
 Q-overnor of Honan petitioned in reference to a, dutiful daughter who cut a 
 piece of flesh from her arm, in order to cure -her father of his sicknesa. 
 "In the present Holy Dynasty, filial piety rules the Empire, and this doctrine 
 originates in the female sex. In the district of Chinyang there lived a daughter 
 remarkable for her filial piety, whose name after her marriage, was Mrs. "Wang. 
 In the fifth year of the reign of the Emperor Hfien-fung, this young lady's 
 father became dangerously ill, and his filial daughter, lighting incense sticks, 
 announced (to the gods) her desire to sacrifice her own body for her father's sake. 
 After this announcement, her father's illness increasing, and his physicians 
 being unable to cure him, this filial daughter secretly cut off a piece of flesh 
 from her arm, and putting it into the medicine prescribed, gave it to her father 
 who, on eating it, immediately recovered. Some time afterwards the daughter's 
 female attendants, perceiving the mark on her arm, questioned her as to the 
 cause and learned from her the facts already stated. There was not a single 
 individual of all those who heard the narrative who was not struck with 
 amazement." The young lady in question was shortly afterwards married, but 
 her father dying some ten years afterwards she "pined, away and died for 
 grief." The petition from which the above quotation is made prays the 
 Emperor to order that a Triumphal Arch be erected to her memory, as was 
 usual in cases when extreme filial piety had been displayed, and the petition was 
 of course granted. 
 
 A common saying that "a selfish child will be cut while being shaved" 
 embodies an idea not altogether unfaniUiar to ourselves. But another Chinese 
 superstition, which certainly existed in fuU force at one time, though I have 
 failed to get any positive confirmation of its existence at the present day, 
 oTiliges us to seek its parallel amongst other than" Aryan races. A belief in 
 weather conjuring by means of "rain stones" seems to have been introduced 
 into China from Mongolia, and though it never took extensive root it attracted 
 sufficient attention to induce the Emperor Shih-tsung in 1724-25, to issue an 
 edict on the subject. It is addressed to the Mongolian Banner Corps, and says : 
 "If I offering prayer in sincerity have yet room to fear it may please Heaven 
 to have my prayer unanswered, it is truly intolerable that mere common people 
 wishing for rain should at their own caprice set up altars of earth, and bring 
 together a rabble of Hoshang and Taossa to conjure the spirits to gratify their 
 wishes." Colonel Yule, in his Marco Polo, from which (I. p. 273) I take this 
 reference, gives some long and interesting notes on the subject. Rain stones are 
 used- by the Samoans in the Pacific, and if my memory does not deceive me, 
 by some of the North American Indian tribes also. 
 
 A popular belief exists in Central China that the practice of gjrmnastics, if 
 carried out with sufficient faithfulness, vrill enable the student to avoid the 
 common lot, and pass bodily into a future state "ascending to heaven with his 
 
70 THE FOLK-LOKE OF CUmA. 
 
 fleshly body." That such a belief exists is not unlikely, and it is probably * 
 vulgar super»titioTi based on the nwre reasonable opinion that such exercises tend 
 to extreme longevity. Another queer saperstitiott (the adjective is not classical 
 but expressive) relates to bridges. I have alrea(Jy adverted to the care taken- 
 as regards houses by placing on them charms, &a., to avert possible evil. But 
 bridges, for gome mysterious reason, have occult Virtues and defects of their 
 own. A native account says, " If bridges are ttot placed in proper positions such- 
 as the laws of geomancy indicate they may endanger the lives- of thousands by 
 bringing about a visitation of small-pox or sore eyes- (t).- They materially 
 affect the prosperity of the neighbourhood. There is a legend that during the 
 building of the stone bridge situated near the small eastern gate of Shanghai 
 (i^ ■^ W 'IfS *^6 ' Loh-family bridge,') some difficulty was found in laying 
 the foundations. The builder thereupon vowed to Heaven the lives of two 
 thousand children if the stones coiild be placed properly. The Goddess addressed, 
 however, intimated that she would not require all their lives-, but that the 
 number in question would be attacked by small pox. TWff took place, and 
 about half of those attacked died." Stories- like this circulated amongst coolies 
 and compradores are a fair specimen of popular legendry in this connection. 
 But why bridges should especially require such sacrifices it is difficult to say. 
 
 Amongst what may be termed domestic superstitions is one that, if a 
 person be afflicted with a swelling, touching it three times with the hem of a 
 woman's garment is efficacious as a cure. If, when one is boiling a pot full of 
 liquid, a straw be tied round the neck of the pot, it is believed that the contents 
 will never boil over or get burned. Another piece of cook's folk-lore relates to 
 eggs. As everybody knows an egg suddenly plunged into boiling water will 
 most likely break. But the Chinese cook averts this occurrence by previously 
 describing a circle with the ^g round the rim of the pot, which he believes is 
 an infallible protection against any fracture of the shell. The Japanese, by the 
 way, draw auguries from the noise made by boiling. Over a bright fire, a rice 
 boiler is said to vibrate with such violence at times as to give forth a loud hum- 
 ming noise. If this begins faintly and grows afterwards stronger, it is said to 
 indicate good luck; if loudly, the reverse is predicted, but in such cases it 
 should at once be stopped by enveloping it in the under-clothing of a female (a 
 virgin, if possible.) 
 
 A curious antidote against sickness is very commonly applied by parents at 
 Canton to their infant children on the fifth day of the fifth month. This consists 
 in staining their foreheads and navels with cinnebar or vermilion, leaves of the 
 sago palm and garlic bulbs being at the same time suspended over the entrance 
 doors to prevent the intrusion of evil spirits. A medicated cake prepared at 
 noon oi the day in question, and known as "the noon day tea" ('^BvJF^*) 
 is also in much repute for the cure of diseases, as is also a sort of congee boiled 
 at the same hour with five kinds of pease. 
 
 The all-pervading yang and yi» principle so naturally influences the whole 
 arcana of Chinese belief that it is not surprising to find it appliejl to the care 
 of such useful contributors to the national industries as silkworms. These are 
 
©HOSTS, APPARITIONS, AND SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. 71 
 
 eaid to belong to the yang or male inflnonee and to be under the protection of 
 a special constellation. Anything male, such as men, sunlight, &e., is congenial 
 to them, and anything female deleterious. Hence pregnant women (development 
 of the yin principle) are not allowed to approach them ; and even the presence of 
 a new-born child in too close proximity is thought to be deleterious. 
 
 Finally, I may note that a curious superstition obtains regarding murderers. 
 It is believed that if the corpse of the murdered man lies with its fists closed, 
 it is a sign that the murderer wiU. soon be captured. If, on the contrary, the 
 hands are extended, the omen foretells that he will for at least some time 
 make good his escape. It is strange, by the way, that so widespread a belief 
 as that relating to the bleeding of a corpse when touched by its murderer 
 has not some analogy in China. At least I have failed to find any, though 
 a not quite dissimilar superstitious idea is prevalent, that if a man has 
 died a violent death — either by process of the law, or by the act of a mur- 
 derer — ^and the dead man is dissatisfied, blood will come out of his mouth, 
 eyes and nostrils on the appearance of a close relative. 
 
 VII.— GHOSTS, APPAEITIOJSS, AND SUPEE- 
 NATUEAL BEINGS.* 
 
 No one who has thus far followed my imperfest eflbrts to convey an 
 idea of the popular beliefs of the Chinese wiU be surprised to find that 
 ghosts and apparitions occupy an even greater place in their superstitious lore 
 than is the case with ourselves. In the words of a native friend, " China is 
 fuU of ghosts." There is scarcely a popular play in which a ghost does not 
 play a conspicuous part in aiding to right the wronged or to punish the guilty. 
 The person to whom he appears on such occasions generally counterfeits either 
 §Ieep or insensibility; but now and then while wakeful and active the actor 
 (especially if he be the ruffian of the piece) is soared out of his senses by the 
 apparition in the most approved melodramic style. Many popular stories turn 
 also on the appearance of supposed ghosts, who turn out to be quite bond fide 
 citizens in the flesh, and simply enforce the moral that conscience makes a 
 coward of the wrongdoer. A story of this sort runs to the following effect, and 
 narrates an incident stated by Mr. C. T. Gardner to have happened only some 
 five years ago at Chinkeang. There were two partners, named Chang and Li, 
 on one occasion returning by way of the canal from YangohoW, where they 
 had been collecting debts. Chang saw Li standing on the edge of the boat, and 
 the crime of pushing him into the water, and thus becoming sole possessor of 
 the money, suggested itself. Chang, therefore, pushed Li into the canal. Next 
 year, at the time the murder was committed, Chang fell very ill, and the ghost 
 of Li appeared to Mm in a threatening form, and told him that unless l^e 
 
72 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 paid oyer the Bum properly belonging to the dead man's family, he wonld die. 
 Chang promised to do so, and got well, but his health being restored he broke 
 his promise, and still kept the money. Again, the following year, at the 
 same time, Li's ghost again appeared, looking still angrier. Again Chang was 
 induced to make the promise, and this time he kept it. However, his health 
 seemed permanently to suffer, everything went wrong, business fell off, and he 
 determined to try and change his luck by migrating to other parts ; he conse- 
 quently went to Honan. What was his astonishment when he again saw 
 Li, not now in the middle of the night by the side of the bed where he 
 lay sick, but in broad daylight, and in the street. His terror was extreme, 
 he rushed forward, and made a ko-tow, and said, "I have already done as 
 yoix ordered me, why do you stUl haunt me?" To which Li replied, "I 
 am no ghost; what do you mean?" Then Chang told him how he had 
 twice appeared, and how his share of the money had been paid to his family. 
 Li then said, "So, it was not an accident my falling into the river? I had 
 neglected to pay due respect to the spirit of my father, and when I tumbled in 
 the river, and was nearly drowned, I thought it a punishment for my impiety." 
 
 "The spirits of the dead," remarks Mr. Chalmers, "were perhaps known 
 at first only as objects of superstitious fear under the name Kwei |H 
 ghosts. The top of this character is supposed to represent a human skull. 
 It had from the first an unpleasant association, and hence it is seldom used in 
 speaking respectfully of the dead. In the poetry it occurs only twice, once as 
 our modern Ghost, and once as the name of a place — Ghostland. 
 
 "An interesting statement is attributed to Confucius in the Book of Rites 
 (§ Tan-kung) that in the time of the Hea, the earliest dynasty, they did not 
 sacrifice to the dead, but simply made for them incomplete implements of 
 bamboo, earthenware without polish, harps unstrung, organs untuned, and bells 
 unhung, which they called 'bright implements' implying that the dead are 
 spirits (shen) and bright. There is something really beautiful in this ; and the 
 substitution of ' bright spirits ' or ' spiritual intelligences ' for ' ghosts ' is an 
 euphemism of which we feel the necessity as much as the Chinese ; for who Kkes 
 to speak of his relations as gone to the shades and to the fellowship of ghosts ? " 
 
 One peculiarity of the Chinese belief respecting ghosts is forcibly recalled 
 by Charles Dickens's description of the Ghost of Christmas Past in his famous 
 "Carol." They are frequently seen in shapeless form, i.e. that the head will 
 first be visible and then the feet, then the body, and so on, the various parts 
 appearing and disappearing in swift succession. Another quaint belief is that 
 a ghost has no chin, and to say to a Cantonese " ni mo ha-pa" — "You've no 
 chin," is equivalent to saying "You're a Ghost." Furthermore, the conven- 
 tional white clothing which European superstition bestows on nearly all ghostly 
 visitors is absent from the Chinese idea. A ghost in this country always appears 
 in the dress he was accustomed to wear during Ufe — a very Marley in fact — and 
 conducts himself in a very ordinary way. There is indeed a refreshing absence 
 of the fee-faw-fum element in Chinese ghostology, this eminently practical 
 people taking a most matter-of-fact view of spirit vagaries. They agree with 
 
GHOSTS, APPARITIONS, AND StJPEENATURAL BEINGS. 73 
 
 Us however in allotting the hours of darkness to such visitors, who, as with 
 ourselves, are compelled to disappear as the cook's crow announces the returning 
 dawn. The candle flame, which with us burns blue as the being from another 
 world intrudes himself, is in China alleged to hum green — an odd reminder 
 of the "green fear" of the Greeks. Most Chinese ghost stories turn upon 
 some end to be accomplished by the supernatural visitor ; they retail none of 
 the sprightly f riskiness attributed to ghosts in Western lands, and altogether 
 the Chinese specimen presents, as a rule, an edifying illustration of how to do 
 one's work in the quietest and most straightforward manner possible. It must not, 
 however, be imagined that they are endowed by popular belief with benevolent 
 intentions. On the contrary they are supposed to be maUoiously inclined, and 
 the very fact that the words for "ghost" and "devil" are the same, and form 
 a poriiion of. the objectionable epithets applied to foreigners {Kwd-tsze in 
 mandarin or Fan-hwai in Cantonese) demonstrates the popular belief. To see 
 a ghost is almost always regarded as an evil omen, and a Chinaman is quite 
 as easily scared as a European by the unwelcome sight. One_^ thus visited 
 is described by his pitying neighbours as "down in his luck." As a rule, 
 ghosts in China, it is alleged, most often appear either to intimate friends or 
 relations, or to downright enemies. In the former case it is to request the 
 fulfilment of some unaccomplished duty or to aid virtue in distress,' in which 
 latter case the ghost gives the weaker but upright party material aid in disposing 
 of his antagonist. As an illustration of the first-named- sort of apparition, I 
 quote the following, recently communicated by a resident to the North China 
 Daily News, as told him by his teacher to excuse his non-appearance for some 
 few days : — 
 
 " It happened thus ; three years ago a soldier who lived near our house was 
 ordered to join his regiment, which was about Jo march against the rebels. 
 As he was going to battle he did not wish to take his money with him, and he 
 called on my uncle and asked him to take charge of f 40, the amount of his 
 property, until- his return. My uncle accordingly took charge of the money, 
 and the soUier joined his regiment ; but he must have been killed in battle, 
 as we have never heard from him since. The day before yesterday, my uncle, 
 who has for some time been sufiering from illness, caUed us to his bedside, and 
 told us that he was about to die. The soldier, he said, had appeared to him and 
 insisted -that my uncle should immediately join him in Hades. We asked my 
 uncle whether he had committed any fault with regard to the $40, for which we 
 might make some atonement by punishing him in any way ? He replied that 
 the money was all right, and that we should fijid it in a certain drawer which 
 he pointed out. My uncle died that day, and it was of course impossible, under 
 such circumstances, that4 could come to your Excellency's place to study." 
 
 Among recent stories of ghosts is one related in a native newspaper of a 
 mandarin who met his death in the late collision between the steamers Fusing and 
 Ocean, The unfortunate man was a passenger in the former steamer, which was 
 sunk in the catastrophe, over 60 other people being also drowned. According 
 to the story his ghost appeared to his wife, who was living in Sooohow, streaming 
 
74 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 ■with water from head to foot. He told her that he had unfortunately been 
 drowned and could therefore enjoy no more of her society. He also stated that 
 he had sent by a certain friend of his some money for her use before he took 
 passage in the Fusing, and that the friend would arrive shortly. The wife was 
 left in a state of bewilderment, and did not exactly know what to make of it. A 
 day or two afterwards the friend named actually came with the packet of dollars, 
 his arrival being shortly followed by the intelligence of the Fusing' s disaster. 
 
 Another story relates to a young Cantonese, who was made commander of a 
 Chinese man-of-war belonging to the Fooohow Arsenal fleet. Shortly after his 
 promotion, he was taken ill and died. He was unmarried, as he was very young 
 — only 23 years of age. When he fell siek, he was living at the house of a 
 very intimate friend, a compradore in one of the foreign firms at Foochow. 
 After his death, the friend frequently saw his ghost, and one. night he saw it 
 more distinctly than ever. He was lying in bed half asleep and half awake, 
 when he saw the ghost standing by his bedside weeping. The friend addressed 
 it and said: "Young man, you need not cry, it is your fate; you should be 
 satisfied with it," Thereupon the ghost disappeared, and never shewed itself 
 again to the same party. The ghost appeared however to the men on board 
 the ship he had been commanding, being often seen to pace up and down the 
 deck, as was his wont -at night during his lifetime, and sometimes to place itseK 
 in the attitude of drilling the men. Though the appearance here narrated 
 seems to have been objectless, the story is quoted as being the type of numberless 
 others which flaid insertion in the native prints. 
 
 The Chinese endow certain sorts of ghosts with peculiarly malevolent powers. 
 Thus those of women who die in childbed, or while pregnant, are peculiarly 
 obnoxious, and those of suicides still more so. The ghosts of those who die 
 natural deaths seldom appear to the survivors; as a rule the fact of u, man's 
 ghost appearing implies that he has died by violence.* The commonest type 
 of ghost story to be met with in China is ' that wherein somebody who has 
 been foully dealt with appeals to those who represent his interests to avenge 
 hi^. It would of course be more odd if there were no coincidences pointing 
 to the truth of the alleged appearances than if there were not. But I must 
 confess that in China as elsewhere they sometimes leave a hona fide impression 
 of the marvellous which can neither be explained nor rejected. 
 
 ' * Lady Fanshaw, visiting the head of she had seen he was not at all sm-prised. 
 an Irish sept in his moated baronial "A near relation," said he, "died last 
 grange, was iqade aware that banshees night in this castle. We kept onr ex- 
 are not peonliar to Scotland. Awakened pectation of the event from you lest it 
 at midnight by an avrial, unearthly scream, should throw a cloud over the cheerful 
 she beheld by the light of the moon a reception which was your due. Now, be- 
 female form at the window of her room, fore snch an event happens in the family 
 which was too far from the ground for and castle, the female spectre you saw 
 any woman of mortal mold to reach. The always becomes visible. She is believed 
 creature owned a pretty, pale face, and to be the spirit of a woman of inferior 
 red, dishevelled hair, and was clad in the rank, whom one of my ancestors married, 
 garb of old — very old — Ireland. After ex- and whom he afterward caused to be 
 hibiting herself some time, the interesting drowned in the moat, to expiate the dis- 
 spectre shrieked twice and vanished. honor done to our race." — All the Year 
 When Lady Fanshaw told hen host what Hound. 
 
GHOSTS, APPARITIONS, AND SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. 75 
 
 "When a man has been murdered by another, hia ghost will, it is believed, 
 haunt the murderer wherever he goes, and will only be prevented from doing 
 him a mischief by the want of a suitable opportunity. Thus the presence of 
 idols in the same room completely neutralizes the ghost's power, and it is more- 
 over believed that in any case no vital injury can be inflicted on the guilty 
 party untU the time of hia death, as recorded in the Book of Fate, has 
 arrived. The ghosts of suicides (who are distinguished by wearing red silk 
 handkerchiefs) haunt the places in which they committed the fatal deed and 
 endeavour to persuade others to follow their example ; at times, it is believed, 
 even attempting to play executioner by strangling those who reject their 
 advances. Mr Gardner gives the following story as related to him by a 
 Chinese friend: — "A friend of mine, enticed by low rent, took a haunted 
 house, and invited a guest to stay with him. My friend declares he had no 
 dread whatever, and that his guest did not even know that the house was 
 haunted. In the middle of the night he heard a noise as if of struggling 
 proceeding from the guest's bed. He went to see what was the matter, and 
 found his friend choking in his sleep. Thinking this might be accidental, 
 he invited three friends to stay with him, and the phenomenon repeated 
 itself on all three at the same time. Frightened at this, he made enquiries,, 
 and found a woman had committed suicide in the guest's chamber, and gave 
 up the house." Another story runs as foUows: — "Outside the north gate at 
 Hang-chow there was a house haunted by demons, where no human being 
 dared reside, of which the doors were ever barred and locked. A scholar 
 named Ts'ai bought the house : people all told him he was doing a. dangerous 
 thing, but he did not heed them. After the deed of sale had been drawn out, 
 none of his family would enter the house. Ts'ai therefore went by him- 
 self, and having opened the doors, lit a candle and sat down. In the middle 
 of the night a woman slowly approached with a red silk handkerchief hanging 
 to her neck, and having saluted him, fastened a rope to the beam of the 
 ceiling, and. put her neck in the noose. Ts'ai did not in the least change 
 countenance. The woman again fastened a rope and called on Ts'ai to do as 
 she had done, but he only lifted his leg and put his foot in the noose. Th© 
 woman said ' You're wrong.' Ts'ai laughed, and said, ' On the contrary, 
 it was you who were wrong a long time ago, or else you would not have come 
 to this pass.' The Ghost cried bitterly, and having again bowed to Ts'ai, 
 departed, and from this time the house was no longer haunted. Ts'ai after- 
 wards distinguished himself as a scholar, and some have identified hitli with 
 Ts'ai-ping-ho, the Provincial Chancellor.'' A third tale from the same 
 source illustrates what I have called the practical element in Chinese ghost 
 stories: "At Nanchang, in Kiangsi, were two literary men who used to read 
 in the Polar monastery ; one was elderly, the other young ; they were united 
 by the bonds of closest friendship. The elder one went to his home, and 
 suddenly died. The younger man did net know of it, and went on with his 
 studies at the monastery in the usual way. One night- after he had gone to 
 sleep, he saw his old friend open the bed curtains, come to the bed, and put 
 
76 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 his hand on his shoulder, saying, ' Brother, it is only ten days since I 
 parted from you, and now a sudden sickness has carried me off. I am a 
 Ghost. I cannot however forget our friendship, and so have come to bid adieu.' 
 The young man was so astounded that he could not speak. The old man 
 reassured him, saying, ' If I had wished to injure you, why should I have told 
 you I was a Grhost ; do not fear then. The reason of my visit is that I have a 
 favor to beg of you with regard to the future.' The young man grew a little 
 calmer, and asked ' What can I do ? ' The Ghost replied, ' I have a mother 
 over 70, and a wife not yet 30 ; a few piculs of rice are needed for their 
 maintenance. I beg you to have mercy upon me, and supply their wants. That 
 is my first request. I have also an essay which I have written, which has 
 ■not been printed. I beg of you to get a block cut for it, and print it, so 
 that my name may not utterly die out. This is my second request. Next I 
 owe the stationers some thousands ' of cash, which I have not paid ; kindly 
 settle the claim. This is my third request.' The young scholar assented 
 with a nod. The dead man stood up, and said, ' As you have been kind 
 enough to grant my requests, I will depart.' Saying this he was about to go, 
 when the young scholar, who had observed from what he said that there was 
 a great deal of human feeling in him, and also that his appearance was as usual, 
 lost all fear of the Ghost, and tried to detain him, ' We have been such 
 close friends; will you not stay with me now a. little while?' The dead 
 man wept, and came back and sat on the bed, and having conversed about 
 ordinary topics, again stood up, and said, ' I must now go.' He stood up 
 and did not move, his eyes stared, and gradually his features changed. 
 The young scholar got frightened and said, 'Now you have finished what 
 you had to say, you had better go.' But the dead man stood still, and did not 
 depart. The young man shivered in his bed, and a cold perspiration came over 
 him, but still the guest went not, but stood erect by the bedside. The young 
 man got in a still greater fright, and jumped up and ran away. The Ghost 
 ran with him, and the faster the young man ran, the faster ran the Ghost. 
 After a mile or so of this race they came to a wall, over which the young 
 man vaulted, and fell to the ground. The dead man could not get over the 
 wall, so he hung his head over its ledge, and from his mouth fell some 
 saliva which fell on the young man's face as he lay. At daybreak some 
 passers-by gave the young man some ginger, and he awakened from his 
 trance. Meanwhile the family of the dead man sought the corpse, but 
 could not find it, but when they heard the news of the corpse looking over 
 the wall they took the body and buried it." 
 
 Although as I have said there is a general absence of "friskiness" in Chi- 
 nese ghosts, such pranks as those which have attracted attention at home- 
 throwing down crockery, trampling on the floor, &c.— are not unknown. 
 The only difference is that with us, such annoyances seem usually to be 
 purposeless, while in China they are resorted to attract attention to the 
 ghost's demands. Ghosts, say the natives, are much more liable to appear 
 very shortly after death than at any other period. For the first ten days 
 
GHOSTS, APPARITIONS, AND SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. 77 
 
 after the spirit has quitted the body a ghost .is said to be [eJ ft^ "' ^^^ 
 (iu Cantonese), returning to its former haunts and attempting to pursue its 
 ordinary avocations. In such cases it is supposed to be accompanied by 
 celestial police termed Yen-lo-hwang, who are responsible that it duly returns 
 to Hades. In order to discover whether such a visit has been paid, the hall 
 in which the body is laid out is strewn with «. smooth layer of sand. If it 
 appear clean, or footmarks only are visible, it may be concluded that the 
 deceased is in a state of happiness ; but should the marks of chains or dirt be 
 detected, his fate is supposed to be very much the reverse. I may, by the 
 way, note that to constantly dream of deceased relatives is regarded as a 
 sign that the dreamer will soon die. 
 
 The superstitions as to deceased husbands visiting their wives are peculiar, 
 but scarcely calculated for popular explanation. A somewhat contemptuous idea 
 seems to prevail amongst the Chinese regarding the intelligence possessed by 
 ordinary ghosts. They are usually spoken of as stupid and easily amenable to 
 the control of those who remain self-possessed. The ghostly hierarchy is well 
 marked oflf as to its degrees. Thus, on the 17th of the 7th moon, a ceremony 
 called " appeasing the burning mouths,'' consists in laying out plates filled 
 with cakes and bearing above them invitations to the "Honourable Homeless 
 Ghosts," or those whose relations being too poor to provide for them, leave them 
 to the tender mercies of the general public. Those are the paupers of Ghostland. 
 The writer already quoted, says in his amusing paper : — " Though the invitations 
 are addressed to Ghosts near and far, there seems to be a sort of poor law 
 which practically confines the relief afforded to Ghosts of the parish. Of course, 
 it is only disreputable Ghosts who thus consent to live on charity. These 
 pauper spirits are said to do a great deal of harm, and cause epidemics, but 
 luckily the firing of crackers is a cure for the diseases thus caused, as it drives 
 the hungry Ghosts elsewhere. Besides these low bred and malevolent hobgob- 
 • lins, there are aristocratic and benevolent spirits, one of whom rules the destiny 
 of each of the Chinese cities. These Ghosts are called Chgng-hwang, and 
 receive their appointments in various manners and for various terms. Thus 
 the ChSng-hwang of Chu-chow in ChS-kiang, is the ghost of a man named Shih, 
 who was formerly magistrate of the place, but who died of grief on being • 
 unjustly disgraced. He received his appointment from heaven, and appeared to 
 his successor in office to notify the fact. The Cheng-hwang of Hangchow is 
 the ghost of a censor named Chow, who, being unjustly sentenced to death 
 memorialized the throne to slay his only son, as he feared he would rebel to 
 avenge his father. Both were executed, and afterwards it being found out that 
 the accusation was false, the Emperor, to make amends, appointed his ghost 
 Cheng-hwang of Hangchow in perpetuity, and having executed his accusers 
 man and wife, made stone images of them, kneeling and in chains, which he 
 caused to be placed in the Ching-hwang's temple. The ChSng-hwang of Wu- 
 chang is changed every three to six years, and receives the appointment from 
 the Taoist Patriarch residing at Chang-tien joss-house in Eangsi, and this 
 is notified to the various Taoist priests," 
 
78 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 "The Chinese almanacks describe sixty 'Shin of Offence' or evil ghoste, 
 one of which is abroad on each day of the cycle of sixty. If any one goes out in 
 any particular direction, and afterwards feels heavy-headed or feverish he is 
 supposed to have met this shin. He therefore takes some fruit, rice, &c., and 
 politely hows the creature away in the direction where he met the accident. 
 The shin are pictured in the almanacks as little naked men. When the demons 
 take possession of a, sacrificing witch she talks about happiness and misery. 
 Every time they come she is altogether a shin in her eating and drinking and 
 speaking, and every time they go she is altogether a human being. It would be 
 hard to say whether demons are in the witch or the witch in the demons." * 
 
 In an old Chinese farce said to date from the Sung Dynasty entitled T jM 
 "t *I4 yffs °^ " ^°^ ^^^ Taoist priest Wang exorcised the Ghost," Wang 
 goes to a haunted house with all his spiritual apparatus, full robes, mitre, &c., 
 and a gong big enough and noisy enough to frighten the boldest devU. Not a 
 bit however does the ghost quail in the present instance, but seizes the gong, 
 the cap and the robes of the holy man, and vows he will turn the tables. At last 
 the priest goes on his knees, and beseeches the ghost not to exorcise him, as he 
 only came in order to earn a few cash ; and had he only known beforehand 
 that his Excellency the ghost was really in the house, he would not have ventured 
 to disturb him. The farce ends by the ghost exorcising the priest. 
 
 Ghosts of idols are not unknown to the Chinese. " Ten years ago, when the 
 rebels infested the country and the cities were kept under strict restraint, the 
 people of Canton reported that the idol Kwan-yin's shin, her body dressed in 
 white and in her hand a yak's taU, perambulated the city wall protecting 
 the rampart ; and at San-shuey the common people reported that the rebels saw 
 the shin of the idol Hiun-tan, which is outside the South gate, bodily riding on 
 a black tiger and in his hand a golden whip too awful to be meddled with."* 
 
 Another case of god-ghosts visible to the vulgar eye was gravely recorded a 
 few years since in the Peking Gazette. When the Mahometans were some time " 
 ago besieging the district . city of Chang- wei, they suddenly halted, and ran 
 away. The explanation is that when the rebels approached the temple of Ta 
 pi-peh (god of the star Venus) they saw a terrible vision — " gods clad in golden 
 mail and armed with swords and shields, drawn up in battle array, numerous 
 as forest trees, and all along the top of the city wall innumerable red lamps ; "■ 
 and as a general fire of musketry and cannon from the wall was heard, the 
 assailants were scared, and they abandoned their onslaught on the city. 
 
 The residence of human ghosts in Hades is supposed to be subject to condi- 
 tions very like those obtaining amongst mortals. They sally forth on their visits- 
 to the world at permitted times and are free so long as they behave themselves. 
 But any infringement of the ghostly laws which regulate their conduct is met 
 by prompt punishment and a seolusiou which effectually proliibits their revisiting 
 earthly scenes of pleasure or b&siness. Even when enjoying to the full all 
 the privileges of ghostdom, they are not able at all times to do what they 
 would. Mortals may deter them from appearing by pasting up pictures of 
 
 * Chalmers. 
 
■WITCHCBAFT AND DEMONOLOGY. 79 
 
 Chung-Kwai ^H xsi the Beelzebub of China, on the walls of their rooms. 
 Talismans written in peifeotly unintelligible characters are also in use, and, aa 
 already seen, Taoist priests are credited with the possession of curious powers 
 as exorcists. Pictures of Warriors pasted on the doors of houses are efficacious, 
 as are also the pieces of perforated paper so often seen waving fi-om the lintel^. 
 
 The belief in ghosts d6es not limit itself to those of- mankind only. The 
 spirits of certain animals are also supposed to manifest themselves in a similar 
 way, but this section of the subject wUl be more fuUy dealt with under the head 
 of witchcraft and demonology. As an illustration however of animal ghostdom 
 pure and simple, the following story may be cited : — A resident at Canton named 
 Ling was the owner of a monkey belonging to a species known as yuan, which is 
 supposed to be peculiarly intelligent and possesses an almost human mind. The 
 natives believe that if one of these monkeys has plenty of water given to it, it will 
 attain an enormous size, larger than that of an average man. The monkey in 
 question had been in Mr. Ling's family for some 40 years, but never having 
 been allowed to drink water, was of small stature. One day Mr. Ling's little son 
 was passing the monkey when it put out its hand and snatched away kis cap. 
 The child complained to his father, who thereupon chastised the animal heavily 
 with a whip; upon this the monkey became sulky, refused all food and in a few 
 days died. Shortly afterwards the monkey's ghost began to haunt the house. 
 I'ood placed on the table vanished mysteriously and many of the curious 
 phenomena attributed to ghostly interference took place. At last a fire broke 
 out in the house unaccountably, and Mr, Ling shifted his residence. But the 
 monkey's ghost still followed him and continued its perseoutirfiis. Again he 
 moved house and again the ghost accompanied him, until at length, as a last 
 resource, he took a room in the Temple of the 500 Worthies and finally evaded 
 his persecutor. The monkey ghost did not dare face the gods, and so left bi'm in 
 peace. The party mentioned was but a year ago still residing in the temple. 
 
 The foregoing pages, though by no means exhaustive of the subject, wiU it 
 is thought be sufficient to indicate the agreement of Chinese with Western belief 
 as regards ghosts and apparitions. The line of demarcation between the subjects 
 already treated of, and that of witchcraft and demonology, being somewhat in- 
 definite, those curious in the matter will find additional information in the 
 succeeding chapter under that head. 
 
 VIII.— WITCHCEAFT AND DEMONOLOGY. 
 
 The subject of Witchcraft and Demonology presents as inexhaustible a field 
 of interesting matter as any other in the wide domain of Chinese Folk-lore. So 
 much however has already appeared on the subject of witchcraft that, were not 
 a fuU notice of popular Chinese superstitions in this respect an essential portion 
 of the plan I have proposed, I should soaa-oely venture to deal at length with a 
 
80 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 matter which has already been, handled with considerable ability by other pens. 
 And indeed the following details consist more of a re-arrangement of already 
 accessible information than of much that will be new to students of Chinese social 
 life. 
 
 Thirteen hundred years before the birth of Christ, witches and wizards 
 were familiar objects of Chinese superstitious respect. It is probable that they 
 practised their occult arts at a period long anterior even to this, but the direct 
 evidence to that effect is scanty and unreliable. Suffice it tp say that the office 
 of " Chief Wizard " was at that date a recognized appointment, and that he and 
 his brethren exerted in those early days a powerful influence over the popular 
 mind. They could "call spirits from the vasty deep," avert pestilence and 
 famine and do all that is pretended on behalf of their modern successors. But 
 scant notices of their doings however are to be found in the ancient records of the 
 Empire. Every now and then it is related how some emperor or celebrated man 
 resorted to the wizard fraternity to discover future events, or the means of 
 avoiding some threatened evil. But it was not until about the third century 
 before the Christian era that such notices were at all common. We then read 
 that wizards existed who could summon f amiUars and were often consulted by 
 the reigning potentates. 
 
 It is especially noteworthy that the hatred of witches and wizards cherished 
 in the West does not seem to exist in China. Those reputed to possess magic 
 powers are regarded with dread, but it is rare to hear of any of them coming to 
 untimely end by mob violence. The more educated Kterati ridicule the implicit 
 belief placed in their pretensions by the unlettered mob, but take, no part in 
 exciting it to violence, and the feeling is abundantly evidenced by the tone 
 adopted in popular novels wherein witchcraft often plays a conspicuous part. 
 Besides those who make a living as professed exorcists, the members of two 
 trades — ^builders and plasterers — fall under a suspicion of similarly unholy pro- 
 clivities. Witchcraft has always been deemed a commimicable art in China. In 
 the Suppletnent to the History of the Oenii we read : " Yang T'ung Yew when a 
 child met a Tauist priest who taught him the art of invocation and gave him a 
 celestial writing of the three August Ones, by which he could command and 
 subject aU ghost shen, none of them failing to answer him instantly. Yang 
 went down to the ninth depth of the earth to seek for the ghost of a royal 
 concubine amongst the ghost shen in that quarter." Indeed the power of sum- 
 moning demons is a conventional portion of Chinese supernatural tales. Thus, 
 in a recently published translation of a popular novel entitled The Thunder 
 Peak Pagoda," we find the heroine and her servant (both originally serpents) 
 consulting together as to how they shall raise money : — 
 
 " 'What then can we do ?' says the mistress. ' It will be very easy for you, 
 Madam, to find money,' replied the slave girl, ' for you are possessed of superna- 
 tural powers, and you have only to make use of some spell this evening, to 
 
 * i=BtA,M Maf r..- J- m^ arm . w)in and the White Serpent," Translated 
 
 * a l# ^ i«»->Bif Td, Thimder- ^^^ jj^^ Chinese by H. C., Interpreter iu 
 Peak Pagoda," or " The Story of Han- Her Majesty's CivU Service iii China. 
 
WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY. 81 
 
 enable you to procure whatever sum you may require, and by these means you 
 will prove to him that you are truly of a wealthy family, and that you are the 
 daughter of a high officer.' Pl-chau-niang agreed to what her servant advised, 
 and accordingly that evening, at the third watch, she prepared seven pans of 
 burning charcoal in a circle, and entering therein with a drawn double-edged 
 knife, began walking round and round, muttering incantations ; suddenly she 
 uttered a ^oud cry, and summoned to her presence aU the chiefs of the demons 
 from the four corners of the earth, who instantly appeared and knelt before her 
 crying, ' Your servants are present — In what can the spirits serve their mis- 
 tress ? ' Pi-ohau-niang ordered them to bring her a thousand taels of silver. 
 Hardly had she uttered the words, when the money was before her in twenty 
 ingots of fifty taels each." 
 
 The Chinese idea of genii can best be given in the words of their own 
 writers. A genie, says one of them, will live upon air, or even give up breathing 
 the outer air and carry on the process of breathing inwardly, as they say, for 
 days together as in a catalepsy (like an Indian fakeer buried alive ?). He will 
 become invisible : he will take the form of any beast, bird, fish or insect. He 
 will mount up above the cloudsydive into the deepest sea or burrow into the centre 
 of the Earth. He will command spirits and demons of all sorts and sizes and 
 have them at his beck and call. And finally after living in the world for perhaps 
 several hundred years he does not die (for a genie is immortal, though a 
 spirit may not be so), but he rides up to heaven on the back of a dragon where he 
 becomes a ruler' of spirits. 
 
 The Tauist considers genii as the highest class of intelligent beings and 
 
 places Shen or spirits next below them: the strict Confucianist denies their 
 
 existence — ♦ 
 
 Like onmbrons flesh : but in what shape they choose, 
 Dilated or condensed, bright or obscure, 
 Can execute their airy purposes, 
 And works of love or enmity fulfil. 
 
 Paradise Lost, IL., 24. 
 
 In Kwan-tzu, sec. 14, we find this definition : — " That which when it would 
 be small becomes like -a moth or a grub, when it would be large fills the world, 
 when it would ascend mounts the cloudy air, when it would descend enters the 
 deep — ^whose transformations are not limited by days, nor its mounting or falling 
 by seasons, is called Shen (or spirit)." — The agreement of this with the descrip- 
 tion of genii given in the Arabian Nights is too obvious to need insisting on. 
 Taoist genii ('jjlj KA are thus described: "The genie is a man who had a 
 former existence in the world of spirits, is bom into the world either on account 
 of some indiscretion or for some benevolent object, or simply by way of amuse- 
 ment — ^usually in some lowly situation. He early begins to shew a predilection 
 for things mysterious, to receive visitors from the unseen world, to practice 
 Alchemy and the healing art, to prepare and use certain drugs and charms of 
 which no one knows the use or the virtue but himself, and the more advanced 
 genii from whom he gjets from time to time instruction and assistance ; and then 
 to give up human food and all ordinary human occupation." Aftpr this there is 
 
82 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 scarcely any marvellous thing ■which the human mind can fancy that he will 
 not be found doing. One of the most celebrated genii alluded touin Chinese 
 history is Chang Kwoh, who possessed a white mule which could transport him 
 if required thousands of miles in a single day, and which when he halted he 
 folded up and hid away in his waUet.* Another was Hu Kung, ^g ,^ a 
 magician who effected wonderful cures and was accustomed to retire at sunset to 
 the interior of a gourd hung up at his own doorpost (See Ch. Reader^ Manual, 
 sect. Y.) Many females also are numbered in the list of such beings, one of the 
 most celebrated being Ma E!u ^M •bj^. The seeds of the Che ^T plant were 
 reputed by the Tauist mystics to be the food of the genii, as were also the leaves 
 of the Yoh Wang ^« ^^ tree which grows in the moon. The result of using 
 this food is that the bodies of those who eat of it become peUueid as crystal, t 
 As with the Westerns the genii possess the secret of a magic powder. They use 
 the yellow heron (Hwang Kuh Ko) as an aerial courser. 
 
 The " Isles of the genii " San Shen Shan ^ 'M\ ||j were supposed to 
 lie pretty much where Formosa actually exists, and, like the fabled Atlantis 
 of European superstition,' they have been the subject of actual search. Su 
 Shih or Su Fuh, a necromancer who lived about B.C. 219, announced their 
 existence to the then Ekiperor, and, in accordance with his own request, was 
 .placed at the head of a large troop of young men and maidens, and set out on 
 his voyage of discovery; but the expedition, though it steered within sight 
 of the magic island, was driven back by contrary winds. Mr. Mayers adds 
 to this account in his Manual that it is conjectured this legend has some 
 reference to attempts at colonizing the Japanese islands. If so the parallel 
 between the Isles of the genii and Atlantis is yet more jerfect. 
 
 A very superficial comparison of Chinese and Western ideas on the subject 
 of necromancy demonstrates their identity. The familiar stories of Jane 
 Shore and the Countess of Soissons, accused respectively of making waxen 
 images of the Duke of Gloucester and of Louis XTV. to compass their death ; 
 the less known account of the death of Ferdinand Earl of Derby, whose 
 death by poison in the reign of Elizabeth was by popular credulity attributed to 
 withcraft, " a waxen image with hair like that of the unfortimate earl being 
 found in his chamber and reducing every suspicion to certainty ; " King James' 
 remarks in his Daemonology (Book II., Ch. V.) " that the devil teacheth how 
 to make pictures of wax or clay, that by roasting thereof, the persons that they 
 bear the names of may be continually melted or dried away by continual 
 sickness " ; — ^these and the host of similar stories recorded in our own and 
 continental annals aU find an exact reproduction in China.} There is a 
 well-known legend amongst the Cantonese of a builder having a grudge against 
 
 * Chinese Readers' Manual, p. 6. sor the power of injuriiig the original 
 
 f Chinese Readers' Manual, p. 284. owner. An Indian will pay a large sum 
 
 \ The Aymara Indians believe that to get back hair or other substances, which 
 
 witches make waxen images of those they have thus passed into other hands. See 
 
 wish to injure, and stick thorns in them. Eth. Review, Vol. II., No. 3, p. 236. — 
 
 They dislike any one having in his posses- The Chinese superstition, based on a simi- 
 
 sion a portion of their body, hair, &c., lar heUef, is that amputated limbs, &o., 
 
 such ownership conferring on the posses- should be buried or burned. 
 
WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGT. 83 
 
 a woman whose kitchen he was called upon to repair — (builders, as already 
 noted, are believed to often practice witchcraft.) The repairs were duly com- 
 pleted, but somehow or other the woman could never visit the kitchen 
 without feeling iU. Convinced . that witchcraft was at the bottom of it, she 
 had the waU pulled down, and sure enough there was discovered in a hollow 
 left for the purpose "a clay figure in a posture of sickness." It may be 
 noted that a reflex of the old English superstition that drawing blood from a 
 witch renders her harmless is suggested by the Chinese belief regarding images 
 such as that above described. Builders or plasterers are supposed to cut a gash 
 in some part of their bodies whence the warm blood is injected into the 
 interior of the image thus making it alive ! Nor does Chinese superstition 
 confine itself to clay images only. It is believed that certain wizards are 
 able to endow with life figures cut out of paper with similar efiects. In other 
 cases these paper mannikins become the wizard's familiars and obey aU his 
 orders. There is also a widespread superstition that the feathers of birds, 
 after undergoing certain incantations, are thrown up into the air and being, 
 carried away by the wind work blight and destruction wherever they alight. 
 
 References to necromancers who have at various times enjoyed a large 
 amount of popular reverence abound in Chinese history, though it is somewhat 
 difficult to distinguish between the historical "magician" and the mythical 
 " genie." In Mr. Mayers's very comprehensive Manual are notices of, amongst 
 others, Hsien Yuan chi, who (A.D. 847) played the part of Cagliostro, pretend- 
 ing to the gift of perpetual youth and the power of transforming lovely damsels 
 into wrinkled harridans and mce versa; of Li Shao kun {Circa B.C. 140'), 
 who professed to know the secrets of transmutation and immortality ; of Lu-Fan, 
 the patron saint of Carpenters, who carved a genie which of three years 
 inflicted drought on the people of Wu ; of Lu Yen (A.D. 755), who for 400 
 years wielded a magic sword with which he traversed the Empire, slaying 
 dragons and emulating the deeds of the knights of Western chivalry; of T'u 
 Yii and Yii Lui, renowned for their magic control over evil spirits ; and of 
 Tso-Tzii, who in the second century practised magic. It is noteworthy 
 that throughout all this mass of legend there runs the- same vein of search after 
 the elixir of youth and the philosopher's stone which forms so prominent a 
 feature of our own mediseval history. " Men of the four seas are all brothers," 
 says one of the tritest of Chinese apothegms; and so it would seem. 
 
 The vast extent of the Chinese Empire has allowed the natives to allot 
 a portion of its territory to a tribe of magicians called mao shanr and it 
 is to this country that those desirous of acquiring magical arts proceed, to 
 place themselves under the instruction of its diabolical inhabitants. Adepts 
 in their lore can, it is asserted, make fowls which, being- placed outside houses 
 it is desired to rob, will during the night open its doors so as to admit the 
 robbers. Another belief refers to the existence of invisible necromancers called 
 shan ching kwet |^ ^ ^. People who have been deeply wronged and are 
 unable to otherwise avenge themselves can by practising certain speUs become 
 shan ching kioei. The most efficacious way is to dig up a cofSn, and, after 
 
S4 tHE I^OLK-LOllE Of CfllNA. 
 
 femoving the body it contains, to sleep in it for several nights hi sttdcessioflj 
 At the end of so many days the sleeper becomes invisible untU davra, and can 
 thus gratify his revenge without fear of detectioni 
 
 A belief ia demon nlonsters aomewhatresembling the genii M the Arabian 
 Ifights exists in fuU force in China and dates back to respectable antiquity^ 
 One of the Emperors who flourished about 700 A.D., having been taken ill, 
 dreamt he saw a blue half-naked devil coming into his palace^ He stole the 
 empress's perfume bag and also the emperor's flute Which -w^as made of precioils 
 stone, and flew ofi' with them to the palace roof. Suddenly there appeared 
 another blue devil, but of giant stature, having a black leather high boot on 
 one foot, the othei* being bare. He had on a blue gown. One Arm was like 
 his foot, bare, with which he Wielded a massive, sword. His motith was like 
 that of a buU. This fierce looking monster seized the little one and with a 
 blow made an end of him. The Emperor asked this monster demon what 
 his name was. He said his name was Tsung Kwei, and that he was a military 
 M.A. when in the body, but that now he had become a sort of colonel- 
 commandant over aU imps, ogres, wraiths, hobgoblins and the like under 
 heaven. The emperor was greatly flattered at being visited by such a dis- 
 tinguished although unearthly personage, and waking up found his illness gone. 
 He called a painter to paint for him what he had seen in his dream ; and it 
 was executed so faithfully that the emperor ordered two hundred ounces of 
 gold to be given him and that copies of the painting should be distributed 
 throughout the whole empire, so that all the people might know and pay 
 due respect to this blue buH^headed demon. To this day he holds a conspicuous 
 place in the temples of the people. 
 
 * "Although this monster demon ranked high, he Was low when compared 
 either to the ancient or present head of the vast host which abounds in the 
 air, the earth, or the infernal regions. All mermaids of the deep, all satyrs of 
 the forest, all needle-necked starving ghosts, the weak and the strong, what- 
 ever forms they take, whether birds, fishes, beasts or men, or a combination 
 of some or aU of them, make nondescript monsters of demons. AU are said to 
 have existed in the time of Fuhi, and immediately after that time under the 
 rule of the harpy Nii-kwa ^ ^j^. She had a human face with the body of a 
 bird. It was she who mended the visible heavens for us, but unfortunately it 
 was not completed. There is a little hole in the north West corner, and to 
 this day the wind from that quarter is colder than any other. 
 
 " The present head of the demons was a Tauist priest named Chang Tau Ling, 
 who lived when the kingdom of Wei was powerful. At sixty years of age, he 
 ate the piUs of immortality, after which, Lautsze, the founder of Tauism, 
 appeared to him and gave him supreme power over all demons. When he was 
 thus appointed to be the modern head of the demon kingdom, Lautsze gave bim 
 a book of charms and spells together with two magic swords. Chang Tau Ling 
 lived to the age of 123 years, when ho ascended in the light of day to his onerous 
 
 * The quotations wliioli here foUow are ever taken the liberty of occasionally altor- 
 from Mr, Gardner's article. I have how- iug the text. 
 
WlTCHCHAFT AND DEMONOLOdY, 85 
 
 duties of ruliag the devils. After this many of the Tauists iai a time actually 
 called themselves devils ; the name evidently had become respectable. 
 
 " Having dealt with demons in general) let us now proceed to a special class 
 of human phenoDtena which the Chinese attribute to the influence of demons. 
 Firstly, then, is their power to produce diseases. There ia no disease to which 
 the Chinese are ordinarily subject to that may not be caused by demons. In 
 this class the mind is untouched; it is only the body that sufiers, and the 
 Chinese endeavour to get rid of them by vows and offerings to the gods. The 
 subject in this case is an involuntaiy one. 
 
 "Next come those who are possessed by the indwelling of the evil spirit. 
 These the Chinese distinguish from the lunatics both by their appearance and 
 language. There is more of a cringing nature in the possessed, and the 
 patient's manner is perfectly consistent with his or her new consciousness, and , 
 which is said to be the demon's. When questioned as to his home, the demon 
 answers, it is in the mountain or desert, generally in some cavp. Sometimes he 
 says that the person whom he had possession of before is dead, and having no 
 abode, he takes up his quarters with a new victim. Sometimes he says he is 
 travelling or has only come to pay a visit to a brother or sister, to a father or 
 mother, and that after a short stay he will go away. Those possessed range 
 between 15 and 30 years of age — quite irrespective of sex. Possession comes 
 on very suddenly^sometimes in the day, sometimes in the night. The demoniao 
 talks madly — smashes everything near — possesses unusual strength, tears his 
 clothes into rags and would rush into the streets or to the mountains, or kiU 
 himself, unless prevented. After this violent possession, the demoniac calms 
 down and submits to his fate, but under the most heart-rending protests. These 
 mad spells which are experienced on the demon's entrance return at intervals 
 and become more frequent the longer possessed and generally with more 
 intensity, so that death at last ensues from their violence. 
 
 "A Chef 00 boy aged 15 was going on an errand. His path led him 
 through fields where men were working at their crops. "When he came up to 
 the men and had exchanged a word or two with them he suddenly began to rave 
 violently, his eyes rolled, and he made for a pond which was by. Seeing this, 
 the people ran up to him, stopped him from drowning himself and took him 
 home to his parents. When he got home he sprang up from the ground several 
 yards, manifesting superhuman strength. After a few days he calmed down and 
 became tmusually quiet and gentle, but his own consciousness was lost. It 
 was that of another. He spoke of his friends in Nanking. After six months 
 the demon departed, and the boy got back his own consciousness. He has been 
 in the service of several foreigners in Chefoo since. In this case no worship 
 was offered to the demon. 
 
 " Now we come to those who are involuntarily possessed but who yield to 
 the worship of the demon. The demon says he will cease from tormenting the 
 demoniac if he worships him and will reward him by increasing his riches. 
 But if not, he will punish his victim, make heavier his torments and rob him 
 of his property. People find that their food is cursed, and that whenever 
 
86 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 they prepare any, filth and dirt comes down from the air to make it uneatable. 
 Their water is likewise cursed, their wardrobe is set on fire, and their money 
 very mysteriously disappears. Hence arose the custom of cutting off the head 
 of the string of cash that it might not run away. The 999 cash of the thousand 
 is made to return to the one left in the following manner. The blood of a fly 
 called Fu-ohien (wr^li) sprinkled on the one cash left at home and the fly's 
 eggs are put on the 999 cash that are laid out. Tradition says (and Kanghi's 
 Dictionary perpetuates it) that the young flies in the eggs, although fastened 
 to each cash, wiU all find their way back again to their mother, bringing the 
 cash with them. When the people's faith in these and similar antidotes fail, 
 they yield to the demon and say, ' Hold ! Cease thy cursings, we will worship 
 thee.' A picture is stuck up on the wall, sometimes that of a woman, sometimes 
 of a man and prostration ia made to it twice a month. Being thus reverenced, 
 money comes mysteriously in instead of going out. Even millstones are made 
 to move in at the demon's orders and the family at once becomes rich. But 
 it is said that no luck attends such a family ; it will eventually be reduced to 
 poverty. Even officials beHeve these things. Palaces are known to have been 
 built by them for these demons, whilst the latter are obliged to be satisfied 
 with humbler shrines from the poor." 
 
 Stories of persons being possessed by demons are so common that it is 
 difficult to choose from the selection which offers itself. I quote the following 
 as illustrating one phase of the common belief. It relates to animal possession, 
 and is as follows: — "AtNingpo, some religious Budhist published a tract with 
 a picture of a buffalo, a frog and a dog, and some Chinese characters. It teUs 
 how a native of Ningpo, who used to catch and kill frogs, was possessed by the 
 spirit of his victims, how his body broke out into blotches, how he squatted like 
 a frog, and finally was impelled to spit himself in the very manner he had spitted 
 these innocent little reptiles." 
 
 The other story is a translation from the Chinese,* and runs as follows: — 
 In Funghua district a literary man surnamed Woo had a slave girl of fifteen 
 or sixteen who was black and ugly, but his wife was fair and beautiful. 
 The slave always slept in the wife's apartment, till suddenly one day she 
 was missing and could not be found for two or three days. At last an old 
 female servant on going to fetch firewood and opening the coal-hole heard an 
 inexplicable chirping noise and turning aside some of the firewood found the girl 
 standing like a stump in the middle of it. She was perfectly inane and on 
 being pulled out, though she walked, would answer no questions. They 
 gave her a dose of hot ginger and water, upon which the threw up a basin fuU 
 of mud. Then she began to speak and said, "There was an old man like a 
 genie in green clothes and square cap came and called me away, the other 
 day, I know not where. When I wanted food he gave me cakes to eat. But 
 now I am very hungry." They gave her some rice and that rdght she slept in 
 her mistress's room. But everything in the room was being pulled about, so 
 that the master and mistress got up to look. They called the girl, but she did 
 * Che-wan-luk, See. xviii. 
 
WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY. 87 
 
 not answer, and as the doors and everything were in their usual state they said 
 nothing about it. Next day the girl was missing again, and searching for her 
 in the old place they found her exactly as before. On giving her three slaps 
 with the hand she came to herself, but while they were in the act of scolding her 
 lo ! there was what she called "an old man like a genie" up in the eaves of 
 the House, holding a white fan and in appearance neither old nor young but 
 middle-aged. They went up to the room above and tried to strike him, but they 
 could not hit him nor make him move. In the midst of the hubbub he suddenly 
 disappeared. But as suddenly it was reported that fire had broken out in the 
 kitchen. This was extinguished, and then all was quiet. But afterwards every 
 night either the slave or her mistress muttered or talked in the bedroom, or 
 else there was heard the sound of people eating, or doing something out of the 
 way. The master did not know what to do. One day he went and got some 
 brave men to keep guard around the room with fire-arms, but then a fire broke 
 out down stairs, and while all the people were putting it out the mistress and 
 slave seemed perfectly unconscious that anything was going on. Next day, 
 when the rice was cooked, on opening the pot they found that it was all mixed 
 with dirt, and uneatable. There was no end to annoyances of this kind. At last 
 they called in a Tauist priest to fast and say requiems. At the same time a 
 "Fragrant Feast" of fine things was prepared as if" for a great visitor. The 
 master of the house put on his best clothes and also knelt down while he 
 presented the wine and the viands : and the whole family small as weU as great 
 worshipped one whole day and night. But the trouble went on exactly as before. 
 The genie himself would make his appearance at odd times ; and in the dark 
 there would be talking and conversation indistinctly heard, so that nothing could 
 be definitely made out of them. One day the mistress took the slave girl, and 
 fled with her to her (own) mother's house ; and then everything was out of joint 
 there. There -were sounds and movements, and dashing and breaking of things, 
 and clothes burning. So they fled next to a small quiet Buddhist nunnery. 
 But bad as things were before, here they were worse ; and the master was at his 
 wits' end, all his means being exhausted to no purpose. After about half a year 
 of this he took the girl and sold her to a villager in the neighbouring district of 
 T'sze K'e, and his wife had peace at last. The villager however foimd the 
 girl an intolerable nuisance, and when he wanted to sell her no one 
 would buy her ; so he drove her out into the street. But nobody would have 
 anything to do with her there either, and she turned to begging. Then her 
 master had peace and quietness. _ 
 
 There are many more stories about the Woo-tung-shen (^L jffi, W^)- 
 It appears from the Tsze-pu-yu (-^ ^ ^) that in one village in Sze-chuan 
 he required a young girl for a wife every year, and that the girl chosen became 
 possessed by this evil spirit. 
 
 The active possession which induces a sort of ecstatic frenzy, and vents 
 itself by bodily exertion is quite familiar to the Chinese. Persons under 
 this influence are known as "devil dancers," and to a great extent act the 
 part of media for those who desire to make enquiries from the other world 
 
88 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 or induce the assistance of spirits to heal the sick. When devil dancers 
 are called in, a feast is prepared in their honour. The head dancer, accom- 
 panied by pupils who are learning the art, presents himself at the 
 house and having done justice to the viands provided commences hy burning 
 incense, while enquiries are made as to what is amiss. Some of the 
 attendants then seat themselves with drums, bells, &o., and begin a sort 
 of musical accompaniment to which the dancers keep time. Presently the 
 music quickens; the dancers increase their speed until the whole party are 
 almost convulsed with their efforts. Suddenly the leading dancer falls exhaust- 
 ed to the ground. Here for a few moments he lies as if lifeless. Presently 
 he raises himself up and begins to speak. Cluestions are put to him and he 
 describes the disease of the sick man, the remedies he ought to adopt, &c. 
 When all the questions are answered he again falls as if exhausted, and is 
 gradually brought back to ordinary consciousness. 
 
 Mr. Gardner states that in Manchuria "they do not ordinarily observe the 
 custom of inviting their neighbours' spirits, but the devil-dancers are far 
 better skilled in their art. The chief, with a belt of bells, stands up to dance 
 with two of his pupUs on each side. If he has not four pupils, some from the 
 family must make up the number. The devil-dancers present many varieties 
 and varioxis ways of calling on the spirits. Thus, for instance, the chief 
 says his demon is a white tiger, A whole pig must be cooked for him.. He 
 must get two children, one in each hand, to go with him to eat pig out of the 
 boiling caldron. He assumes himself to be a tiger- and iirusts his head 
 down to his neck in the boiling water, and bites a mouthful off for his 
 young whelp in his right hand, then a thrust and a bite for the whelp in his 
 left hand, and finally a thrust and a bite for himself. This over, he commences 
 the dance. Moat of the class just described are men, but there are women also 
 who are devil-dancers. They never condescend to go about. Those who 
 seek their assistance must go to them. In seeking their aid, the suppliant 
 takes with him presents of incense and paper money to worship the demons, 
 besides valuable presents of bread, red cloth, and red silks. These neither 
 dance nor beat drums nor ring bells, but sit and commence a slow shaking as from 
 ague ; then yawn, gape, and at last shake so violently that the teeth rattle 
 in their gums; then they fall into a fit, like the former class. They tell 
 the suppliant to return home and place a cup on the window outside, and the 
 right medicine will be put into it by a spirit. The suppliant is a:t the same 
 time made to vow that he will contribute to the worship of the particular demon, 
 whose power and intervention they now invoke, and that he will also con- 
 tribute towards some temple in the neighbourhood." 
 
 ' The impostors who gain their living in the way above described are of 
 course mere ordinary mortals whose power of simulating hysteria and epilepsy 
 easily imposes upon the masses. But the Chinese believe in the existence of 
 a class who are human only in their outward appearance. They are sup- 
 posed to be veritable demons specially sent from the spirit world to warn 
 mankind of the consequences which may follow indulgence in evil. A Minister 
 
WITCHCltAFT AND D^MONOLOaT. 89 
 
 of State duripg the time of the T'ang is alleged to have beea one- of these 
 demons, and legends illustrative of his powers are still to be met with in the 
 collections of popular tales to be found in every book-stall. It does not 
 appear that the old English belief as to witches was very remote from this 
 demon theory. In one case we read of a witch being hunted for in a salt 
 box, it being supposed that she possessed the diabolical power of changing 
 her shape to any extent. But the whole subject of "Western witchcraft is 
 so wide that space forbids my even entering upon it — to say nothing of the fact 
 that most readers are fully acquainted with the subject. 
 
 It is somewhat odd to find — and one is puzzled to know whether the fact 
 is complimentary to Christianity or the reverse — that in those parts of China 
 to which missionary effort has penetrated, a popular belief exists in the power of 
 Christian exorcism. Missionaries of all denominations know of cases in which 
 either they or their converts have been called in " to cast out the devil " supposed 
 to possess a patient. "Were this to be accepted as a tribute to their powers as 
 real intercessors with the Creator, the fact would be gratifying ; but it is to be 
 feared that the confidence thus evinced turns rather on the popular belief that 
 Christian relations with the Satanic hierarchy are uncommonly intimate. Be 
 this as it may, the fact remains that converts are classed with the native exorcists. 
 Most places of any pretension have demon shrines to which the friends of those 
 afflicted resort in the first instance. Ofierings are here made to demons of all 
 descriptions — not merely to those which take possession of men, but to those of 
 floods, drought* and pestHenoe. It is when supplications at such shrines are 
 useless that exorcists are consulted. 
 
 Exorcists are of various kinds. Spiritualists, such as those already 
 described, are frequently called in, their success being various. Taoist priests 
 find more favour with some people, and their pretensions are not one whit 
 inferior to those of the more orthodox media. Conjurors of this sort, says a 
 writer before quoted, "sit on mats and are carried by invisible power from 
 place to place. They ascend to a height of 20 or 30 feet and are carried to a 
 distance of 4 or 5 li. Of this class are those who, in Manchuria, call down 
 fire from the sky in those funerals where the corpse is burnt. These conjurors 
 not only use charms but recite incantations, make magic signs and use some of 
 those strange substances which the astrologer uses to keep away evil infiuences." 
 The class of so-called doctors also enjoy the reputation of being able to oast out 
 out evil spirits, and their modus operandi is thus described : — " They use needles 
 to puncture the tips of the fingers, the nose, and the neck. They also use a 
 pUl made out of ai tsau X^ S. and apply it in the following maimer : The 
 thumbs of the two hands are tied tightly to each other. The two big toes are 
 
 * " The P'oh of drought is doing mis- Mother of Drought." It belongs to the 
 
 chief." — The P'oh is the Shen of drought. ^ class of elves. — Book of Poetry, Ta Ya. 
 
 In the South there is a mtin of two or When the shen of monntains and rivers 
 
 three feet high, naked and having his eyes caused floods or drought or pestilence 
 
 in the top of his head. He riius like wind. they made a special sacrifice to diive them 
 
 His name is P'oh. ' W^ere he appears away. This was called Ying. — Tso-chumi. 
 there is drought. Another name is "the- 
 
90 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 also {ied to each other in the same manner. Then one pill is put on the two big 
 toes at the root of the nails and the other at the root of the thumb nails. At 
 the same instant the two piUs are set on fire and there they are kept until the 
 flesh is burnt. Whether in the application of the piUs or in the piercing of the 
 needles the invariable cry is — ' I am going, I am going immediately. Fll never 
 dare to come back again. Oh have mercy on me this once ; I'll never return.' " 
 AH the above-mentioned practitioners may however fail, and as a last resort a 
 professional exorcist, neither medium, priest, nor doctor, is called in. The men 
 who follow this as a profession pretend to singular experiences. As the 
 recognized enemies of evil spirits these latter never cease to persecute them. 
 They are mysteriously pinched and beaten by the Puck-Uke emissaries of ghostly 
 tcffmentors. Stones are thrown at them by unseen beings, and spirit hands 
 seize and attempt to drown them if they incautiously venture into running water. 
 To counteract these influences they always carry about their persons amulets of 
 which the spirits stand in dread. Their first act when called in is to paste 
 written charms upon the windows and doors of the room in which they operate. 
 They then recite certain formulse and are sometimes answered by the -spirits, 
 who promise to cease troubling the patient in future. 
 
 As with us there is a sovereign Chinese charm against witches. Sir "Walter 
 Scott, in his Old Mortality, refers to the popular belief that they can only be 
 shot with -silver bullets. A Chinese receipt given in the Sites of Chow is as 
 follows: " If you wish to kill this <Shen, take a certain piece of wood with 
 a hole in it : insert a piece of ivory in the hole, making the form of a cross 
 and throw it into the water : thus the Shen will die and the deep become a hill." 
 Certain officers were in old times appointed to "hoot at," "shoot," and "kill" 
 those spirits (shen) wbich were injurious. 
 
 The popular identification of the cat with matters pertaining to witchcraft 
 in Europe is well known, and it is interesting to find that the Chinese assign 
 to it a somewhat similar connection. As with us the vulgar believe that witches 
 can change themselves into cats,* though the hare, and more especially the fox, 
 
 * Do you remember the German stoiy . I have heard things almost as absurd from 
 
 of the lad who travelled " um das gruseln gentlemen and ladies in Europe ; but an 
 
 su lernen" (to learn how to tremble)? "extravagance" in a kuflan has' quite a 
 
 Well, I, who never gruselte (quaked) bo- different effect from one in a tail-coat, 
 
 fore, had a, touch of it a few evenings ago. " What ! my butcher's boy who biings the 
 
 I was sitting here quietly drinking tea and meat — a cat ! " I gasped. " To be sure, 
 
 four or five men were present, when a cat and he knows well where to look for a bit 
 
 came to the door. I called "bis, bis," of good cookei'y, you see. All twins go 
 
 and offered milk, but puss, after looking out as oats at night, if they go to sleep 
 
 at us, ran away. " Well dost thou, lady," hungry ; and theur own bodies lie at home 
 
 said a quiet sensible man, a merchant like dead meanwhile, but no one must 
 
 here, " to be kind to the cat, for I dare touch them, or they would die. When 
 
 say he gets little enough at home ; his they grow up to ten or twelve they leave 
 
 father, poor man, cannot cook for his it off. Why, your own boy Achmet does 
 
 children every day." And then, m an it. Oh, Achmet 1" Achmet appears, 
 
 explanatory tone to the company, " That " Boy, don't you go out as a cat at night? " 
 
 is Alee Nasseeree's boy Yuasuf— it must " No," said Achmet, tranquilly, " I am not 
 
 be Yussuf, because his fellow twin Ismaeen a tvrin — my sister's sons do." I inquired 
 
 is with his mule at Negadeh." Mir gru- if people were not afraid of such cats. 
 
 selte (I shivered), I confess; not but what "No, theje is no fear, they only eat a 
 
WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOQT. 91 
 
 are reputed to be their more favourite disguises. But the demoniacal attributes 
 of a cat's ghost are more singular. In Section I. of the Che Wto Luh ( ^^ ^ 
 ^^) occurs the following notice * : " At Leong Chow in the province of Kansub 
 the people someiimes do homage to the ghost of a cat. The same thing is 
 mentioned in the history of the North. The way they proceed with this mon- 
 strous thing is first to hang the cat, and then perform eeitain ceremonies of 
 fasting and requiems for seven weeks, when the spiritual communication is 
 established. This is afterwards transferred to a wooden tablet, and put up behind 
 the door, where the owner of the cat honoursit with offerings. By the side of it 
 is placed a bag about five inches long, intended for the cat's use. From time to- 
 time it goes and steals people's things, and then, about the fourth watch of 
 the night before cock crowing, the bag is amissing. After a little while it i» 
 hung up on the corner of the house, and th« person uses a ladder to fetch it 
 down.' When the mouth of the bag, is opened, and the bag inverted over a chest, 
 as much as two hundred catties of rice or peas are got out of it, so much does- 
 the depraved imp manage to ma,ke th« Kttle space hold. Those who serve it 
 always get rich very fast.'' 
 
 A certain prefect once received-a birthday present of rice from a friend. It 
 weighed over a thousand catties and was put into a, large cask. Several days 
 after the prefect sent a man to divide it out, when it was notieed that the top- 
 of the flour was all in a crust lifce paper, while below it was clean gone. The- 
 man, in a fright, told the prefect,' who sent an officer to enquire into the mat- 
 ter. It was then found that behind the prefect's residence there was a person 
 who practised sacrificing to this kind of oat. The oflScer found out the image 
 and severely chastised it in the hall -with forty blows, and also flogged its^ 
 owner. He then laughed and sent them off. After- this; as the story goesj 
 the Shin had no effijsacy. Choo-tzu says — " The spirituousness (Ling) of Shen 
 is the result of the accumulated earnestness of the people — there is really 
 no Shen. When one turns his back upon it the spirituousness. i& immediately- 
 dispersed. Therefore whale the people honor it the Shin keeps its place, but you 
 may scatter it with a kick." 
 
 Tigers also figure as demoniacs or ghosts. In the same work as that above 
 quoted from a story relates how a benighted traveller suddenly observed 
 amongst the brushwood a brilliant light and a man in red clothes, with, a golden 
 cro-wn and armour of rare brightness, and before and behind him a regular 
 retinue of followers. The traveller was astpnished, and, wonderiag wiat 
 mandarin it could be, hid himself ia the wood. Next, day he asked the 
 
 little of the cookery ; but if you beat them missionaries told me something like it, as 
 
 they will tell their parents, next day, ' So belonging to the Gopts, but it is entirely 
 
 and so beat me in his house last nigKt,' Egyptian, and common to both religions. 
 
 and show their bruises. No, they are not I asked severai Copts, who assured me it 
 
 Afreets; they are ieni Adam; only t^vins was true, and told it just the same. Is 
 
 do it, and if you give them a sort of onioa it a remnant of the doctrine of transmi- 
 
 broth and camel's milk the first thing gi'atiou? However, the notion fully ac- 
 
 when they are bom^ they don't do it at counts for the horror the people feel at the 
 
 all." Omar professed never to have heard idea of MUing a ca/t. — Lady Buff Gordon's 
 
 it, but I am sure he had, only he dreads Last Letters. 
 being laughed at. One' of the American * Chalmers. 
 
92 THE roLK-LOEE OF CHISTA. 
 
 natives of the place who it could have been. They told him it was the 
 tiger ghost of the mountains. " "When he wishes to eat people up he puts off 
 his clothes and is changed into a striped tiger. He then advances with a 
 great roar and the traveller is instantly torn in pieces." "You," said they, 
 " have had a wonderful escape,'' 
 
 Nor are tigers alone in this regard. The ghosts of the "green ox" and 
 "black fowl"* are mentioned in native legends; while a yet more fantastic 
 extract narrates that "the carp as soon as its scales number 360 is caught and 
 carried away by dragons; but if every year a sh§n be placed to guard it, it 
 cannot be carried away. This shen is a tortoise."! 
 
 Dragons again furnish their quota of ghostly representatives, and the 
 following legend accounts for the popular beKef. " During the reign of an 
 emperor of the T'ang dynasty, the dragon god of rain had greatly offended the 
 Supreme god, and orders were consequently given to the prime minister to 
 behead him on such and such a day. On the night before the execution, the 
 dragon god of rain appeared in a, dreamt to the Emperor and begged him to 
 intercede on his behalf and exercise his influence over his minister. The 
 Emperor promised he would. The following day the Emperor invited his 
 minister to play chess with- him. He hoped he would forget the time, and 
 that the dragon god would thus he saved. As the hour drew nigh the 
 minister got very sleepy. - The Emperor seeing this, said nothing about the 
 dragon god, but let the minister sleep. Suddenly, the latter jumped 
 up and said, "I must behead immediately;" and right between them a 
 dragon's head fell from the sky. The King fell back with fright and was 
 taken Ul. That night the dragon's ghost appeared to him in a dream and 
 threatened him severely for this breach of promise, insisting on bringing the 
 case up before the judge of the lower regions. The Emperor explained, begged 
 forgiveness and made a promise, the results of which remain to this day. He 
 engaged to honour the dragon god by having all his high officers and the great 
 people of the land to carry the dragon above their heads. The plan adopted 
 was to place a dragon's head on every palace roof, so that when the gentry 
 and official's were at home, they had a dragon's head over them. The head seen 
 so often on temples and palaces is said to have tad this origin." In those 
 days, adds the account from which the foregoing is quoted, the demons had 
 such unlimited power to transform themselves that a son would not leave his 
 father, or a husband his wife, without secret tickets, which they carried 
 about with them and compared on meeting. If a person was unable to pro- 
 duce the ticket he was believed to be a demon in human form. This is the 
 origin of the proverb : "If your ticket be lost, you are hopeless." 
 
 But of all known animals the fox plays the principal part in Chinese 
 demonology. European folk-lore assigns a, prominent place to the were-wolves 
 (Germ. Wehrwolf, Port. LoUs-homem), which are even now beKeved by the 
 superstitious peasantry of many countries to haunt their native forests. 
 
 * WiW- ^*'"'' "^^"^-^ ^^- ^'^- ■'■ s!k ^ IE ^^^^ ^ ^^^- 
 
WITCHCKA.pt and DEMONOLOGY. 93 
 
 Well, in China we find the same idea in a slightly diflPerent form. The fox 
 takes the place of the wolf, and "fairy foxes" play an important part in every 
 native coll^otion of supernatural tales. The belief in their existence dates 
 from remote antiquity, though more prevalent in Northern than in Southern 
 China, the inhabitants of the latter taking the doings of genii more especially as 
 the basis of their fairy lore. There is however this difference between the 
 were-wolf and the fairy fox : — that whereas the former is invariably malicious, 
 the latter may be either beneficent or malignant. In many of the tales the fox 
 is only transformed (as in the well-known nursery story of "Beauty and the 
 Beast") into human shape after making acquaintance with its host. "At 
 the age of 50 the fox can take the form of a woman, and at that of 100 can 
 assume the appearance of a young and beautiful girl. When 1000 years old 
 he is admitted to the heavens and becomes the celestial fox."* 
 
 In and about Peking the belief in foxes having power to assume a 
 human shape flourishes perhaps more thoroughly than in any other part of the 
 empire, though similar stories are told throughout the eighteen provinces. 
 The Liao-ctiai-cliih-yi (^ ^ ^ ^), a collection of tales published in 
 1765, abounds with narrations of this nature, many of the most curious, unfor- 
 tunately, being unsuitable for publication in an English dress. But, the whole 
 subject has been so fully dealt with in accessible publications that the extended 
 notice which the subject would permit is unnecessary. Dr. Birch, of the 
 British Museum, wrote an interesting paper on«the subject of Fairy Foxesf 
 in No. III., of the Chinese and Japanese Repository (1863), which was followed 
 by a notice from the pen of the well-known sinologue Mr. W. F. Mayers, in No. 
 III., of Vol. I., of Notes and Queries on China and Japan (1867). The most 
 complete essay on the subject, however, which has yet appeared was written by 
 Mr. T. Watters, and read before the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic 
 Society in March 1873. That accurate and painstaking scholar thus opens 
 his remarks on the subject : — 
 
 " Chinese philosophers seem to be agreed in attributing to Reynard a long 
 life, some making the number of his years 800 and others extending it even 
 to a thousand. This power of prolonging life they suppose to result from the 
 animal's living in caves and holes 'where it is shut out from the sun. The vital 
 powers can thus operate free from disturbance and the wearing effect of the 
 sun's heat and light. The fox, badger, mole and some other cave-dwelling 
 
 * Chinese Readers' Manual, p. 61. and crowds came to worship at this temple. 
 
 + A specimen of the still pervading su- At last the Saibansho officials of the Ken 
 perstition respecting the Pox, comes from heard of what was going on, and sent for 
 Minatomnra, in Ibarafci Ken, Japan. A the man and his wife. The intei-view 
 man found a fox's hole in his garden. At must have been somewhat disappointing 
 the same time his wife dreamt that she to them, for the judges told them such 
 had seen a fox whom she was satisfied superstitions now became criminal ; and 
 was none other than Inari-sama. Full of the punishment due for such follies was 40 
 dread, the man put this and that together, days' imprisonment. As, however, in this 
 and caine to the conclusion that the hole iastance, it was clearly the result of ex- 
 must be the abode of Inari-sama, and he treme ignorance on die part of the in- 
 forthwith had a smaU temple put up over teresting pair, they were let off with a fine 
 it. He then called for the Shinto priest ; of 3 yen. 
 and after much ado, the matter got abroad. 
 
94 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHIKA.. 
 
 animals are all grouped together as enjoying long life. The Chinese are no8 
 alone in thus regarding the exclusion of light and air as tending to prolong, 
 existence. Not to refer to others, our own Bacon says : — ' A life in caves and 
 holes, where the rays of the sun do not enter, may perhaps tend to longevity ; 
 for the air of itself unexcited by heat has not much power to prey upon 
 the body. Certainly on looldng back, it appears from many remains and 
 monuments that the size and stature of men were anciently much greater than 
 they had been since, as in Sicily and some other places ; and such men generally 
 lived in caves. Now there is some aflSnity between length of age and largeness 
 of limbs. The cave of Epimenides likewise passes current among the fables.' " 
 
 The use of the several parts of the fox's body in the Chinese pharmacopeia 
 is followed by an account of the Chinese opinion of his cunning, in which we 
 read as follows ; — 
 
 "Like most Western nations the Chinese ascribe to the fox a cunning, 
 crafty disposition by which he can disarnT suspicion on the part of the very 
 animals which constitute his prey. . . . The notion about the fox's caution 
 is put to practical use in the North of China, for it has been observed that when 
 he is crossing a frozen river or lake he advances very slowly and deliberately, 
 putting his head down close to the ice and listening for the sound of water 
 beneath. Accordingly when in the early spring the traveller fears the stability 
 of the ice, if he observes on its surface traces of the fox's footsteps he may proceed 
 any without apprehension. One can easUy see what an opportunity is presented 
 here again to the Chinese mind for the exercise of myth-making ingenuity. 
 ■** Below the ice is the region of the Yin or female element — ^the dark world of 
 death and obscurity — while above it is the region of the Yang or male elemtot 
 — ^the bright world of life and activity. Accordingly it has come to pass that 
 the fox is represented as living on the debatable land which is neither the earth 
 of life nor the Hades of death. His dwelling place on the earth is among the 
 tombs, or actually, rather, within the tomb, and the spirits of the deceased 
 often occupy the body. Thus he enables ghosts of the dead to return to life or 
 himself performs their terrible behest — ^visiting upon living men and women 
 the iniquities they have committed against those now dead, and by this means 
 bringing peace and rest to the souls of the latter which would else be travelling 
 and troubling for ever." 
 
 From the numerous stories given by Mr. "Watters in illustration of the 
 popular belief in the fox's powers of transformation, I take only the following : — 
 "It is as a pretty girl that the fox appears most frequently and does most 
 mischief. Disguised as a woman it is always young and: handsome, generally 
 wicked, but on rare occasions very good. At times it puts on the garb and 
 appearance of some one well known, but who is either dead or at a great 
 distance. An accomplished scholar who resides in a village about twenty miles 
 from Foochow told me not long ago a story which affords an illustration of this 
 personation of particular individuals. A friend of his had ill-treated and, as 
 was supposed, secretly kUled a pretty young wife and married another. Soon 
 after this latter event the house was reported to be haunted and no servant 
 
WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY. 93 
 
 would remain in the family. The first wife's apartments were the worst of all, 
 and this part of thfe premises had to be abandoned. Now one day my friend 
 was reading with the master of the house in the works of Chuhsi, and they 
 came to the passage which treats of ghosts and spirits. They then ceased 
 reading and entered into a conversation on the subject, and 4;he story of the 
 haunted chambers was related. My friend laughed at and reproached the 
 weakness which mad« a scholar believe in ghosts, and finally the two agreed to 
 remove to that portion of the dreadful rooms. Before they had been seated here 
 a long time, strange sounds became audible and soon the pit-pat of a woman's 
 steps was heard. The door opened without any noise, and in walked the 
 murdered woman clothed as of old. The blood forsook the two men's faces, 
 speech fled their lips, and had it not been for the law of gravity their pigtails 
 would have stood on end. There they sat paralyzed with mute awe and gazing 
 on the spectre, which went pit-pat over the boards looking neither to right 
 nor left until it reached the corner in which was a small wash-hand-stand 
 with a basin of water. She took the basin in her hand and walked steadily 
 with it over to the man who had been her husband, presenting it- to him, 
 when he instantly uttered a terrible scream and fell backwards. Then the 
 spectral woman walked away and her patter was heard along the boards untU 
 she reached the outer ^oor. My friend summoned up courage to go out and 
 make investigation, but n6 human creature had been stirring, and only the fox 
 which came almost daily had been seen on the premises. The house has been 
 abandoned, the owner has gone elsewhere, but my friend believes that the ghost 
 of the murderer's wife will torment him by means of a fox daily until it brings 
 him to the grave." 
 
 It would be easy to multiply stories of this nature, but their narration would 
 unduly swell the limits of the chapter, while those who are curious on the 
 subject can easily refer to Mr Watters's paper. I prefer therefore to turn to the 
 analogies with Chinese belief presented elsewhere. Neither amongst the Semitic 
 nor Aryan races can I find, in the authorities at my command, that any 
 demoniacal power has ever been attributed to the fox. No reference to the animal 
 appears in Brand, and in Continental Europe the wolf alone figures in fairy tales 
 as the dangerous and crafty enemy of man. But we learn on the authority of 
 Dr. Maogowan that " when the Pilgrim Fathers landed in Massachussets, they 
 found the Indians, especially those of Noragannset, deeply imbued with fox 
 superstitions, many of them similar to those mentioned above." Notices of these 
 are found at considerable length in the works of the Kev. Mr. EUiot, known as 
 the "Apostle of the Indians." In Japan, again, we find fox-m3rths a mighty 
 power in the State. Dr. Macgowan describes a primer — the first book put into 
 the hands of Japanese children ; it was, profusely illustrated with wood-outs, in 
 which was depicted in full detail the progress of the Fox's courtship. Thus, 
 even in the education of childhood, the fox-myth weaves itself into the texture 
 of Japanese thought. The fox was understood to be most mischievously 
 inclined, and was especially mischiewxs in its domestic relations. It was 
 believed, in Japan, to be no uncommon incident for a fox to transform itself 
 
96 THE FOLK-LOUE OF CHINA. 
 
 into a charming young woman, who got married to some loving Japanese swaia 
 and had a family. By-and-bye something went awry in the domestic experi- 
 ences, on which the mischievous fox-elf resumed her foshood, and all her 
 progeny did the same, and scampered off to their homes in dead men's tombs, 
 leaving the late happy husband and father desolate and wretched. A recent 
 newspaper paragraph, by the way, describes a murder committed at Chikuzen 
 in which the murderer was discovered to be insane. Different members of his 
 family, for three generations back, had gone mad, it was said, in consequence of 
 one of their ancestors having injured a fox !— So much for the fox, thus summarily 
 dismissed inasmuch as other writers have dealt so fully with his alleged powers. 
 
 Leaving the animal, for the mineral, world we note that even stones possess 
 the reputation of being inhabited by spirits. A well-known Taoist legend relates 
 that Chang Liang, a counsellor of the founder of the Han dynasty, derived his 
 knowledge from a sage who was eventually metamorphosed into a yellow stone. 
 Another legend tells how one of the immortals kept a flock of sheep who were 
 changed to stone, but reassumed their proper shape at a word from their shepherd. 
 Mr. W. F. Mayers, in his article on Canton in the Treaty Ports of China and 
 Japan, thus describes the Legend from which Canton derives it soubriquet of 
 the " City of Kams " : — " In the temple of the ' Five Genii' were until lately 
 the stone images of five (supernatural) rams, but these latter were destroyed in a 
 conflagration which consumed the rear building in which they stood some three 
 years since. The legend with reference to the foundation of this temple is that, 
 some twenty centuries ago, five shepherds were seen on the site where the 
 building now stands, who suddenly became transformed into an equal number of 
 rams, while these again instantly changed into stone, a voice being heard at the 
 same time proclaiming that, so long as these supernatural objects should be 
 worshipped on this spot, the prosperity of the adjoining city should endure. 
 From that day forward (runs the story) these images have remained on the 
 identical spot, and it is certain that from time immemorial they have been looked 
 vipon with superstitious reverence, nor is it the less remarkable that the destruc- 
 tion of their shrine should coincide so closely with the actual decline in the 
 prosperity of the city. The stones were almost shapeless blocks of granite, about 
 eighteen inches high and the same in length, with some rude attempt at sculpture 
 in the form of a ram's head. From them and their attendant legend Canton 
 derived its soubriquet of the City of Rams (3E ttK), but the legend itself is 
 traced by Chinese philosophers to an accidental resemblance between the word 
 signifying 'ram' or 'sheep' and the ancient designation of the province of 
 Kwangtung. This is a striking corroboration of Professor MuUer's dictum that 
 all myths are merely amplifications of some forgotten sound." 
 
 A popular superstition recounts that in L'ien-chow, in the province of 
 Kwang-si, when any person walking, happens to hit his foot against a stone, 
 and afterwards falls sick, his family immediately prepares an offering of fruit, 
 wine, rice and incense ; and proceeding to the spot, bow down and worship, after 
 which the person gets well. They imagine that the stone is possessed by a 
 demon. Gamblers fiequontly pray to stones thus possessed for " luck." 
 
ELVES, FAIRIES, ASD BROWNIES. 97 
 
 IX.— ELVES, FAIRIES, AND BROWNIES. 
 
 An accurate definition of the Chinese idea of elves and fairies is somewhat 
 difficult. In many cases the word shin jBffl, spirit, or, as some will have it, 
 God — can only be translated by "elf" or "brownie," while on other occa- 
 sions one is puzzled under what category to place creatures who play too 
 important a part in Chinese belief to be omitted from these pages, while 
 strictly answering to nothing known in the "West. China, at all events, 
 boasts an infinity of beings who are alleged to possess the general characteristics 
 of our local sprites. As with us they are sometimes malicious and sometimes 
 merely playful. But I fancy that, in the main, a more stern air of purpose 
 runs through Chinese than through European fairy legend. The wildest 
 native inventions have never endowed the fairy community with, "houses 
 made all with mother-o' -pearl, an ivory tennis-court, a nutmeg parlour, a, 
 sapphire dairy-room, chambers of agate, &c., &c."* Still less do we find 
 anything resembling Shakespeare's (lueen Ma,b : — 
 
 " Her waggon spokes made of long spinner's legs, 
 The cover of the wings of grasshoppers, 
 The traces of the smidlest spider's web 
 The collars of the moonshine's watery beams. 
 Her whip of cricket's bone, the lash of film."+ 
 
 We hear little amongst the Chinese of fairy sprites whose highest aim is 
 mere amusement, their action being usually, as with a certain class of brownies 
 in our own fairy pantheon, malignant. It is, by the way, interesting to note 
 thait while the words alp and alf (Swedish and English elf J equally signify a 
 mountain, or demon of the mountains,): the Chinese most frequently assign a 
 mountainous locality to the homes of their fairy folk. The celebrated moxintain 
 Kw'en Lun (H J^) (usually identified with the Hindoo Kush) is said to 
 be peopled with fairies who cultivate upon its terraces the "fields of sesamum 
 and gardens of coriander seeds " which are eaten as ordinary food by those who 
 possess the gift of Longevity. He^e too is the "Lake of Gems" on whose 
 borders dwells the fairy mother Si wang mu ('yQ ^^ -Hr) and beside whose 
 waters fiourishes the k'iung shu or tree of life, described as 10,000 cubits 
 in height, 1800 feet in circumference and supposed to bear fruit only once in 
 3,000 years. This fruit is bestowed by the fairies on their favourites, who thus 
 become immortal. Other receipts for the " Elisdr of Life " are peach-tree gum 
 mised with the powdered ash of the mulberry, and tan -^ the elixir of gold, 
 or tan sha ^j- B^ the common name for cinnabar. 
 
 There are some curious resemblances between Chinese and Western supersti- 
 tions on the subject of storm-fiends or fairies. Thus the storm-raiser in China 
 is not unlike his prototype in Scotland. Sir James Melville in his Memoirs 
 
 * Brand's Antiquities,'Vol. II., p. 499, + Mercutio's speech, Romeo and Juliet. 
 
 quoted from Randolph's Amyntas. t Brand's Antiquities, Vol. II., p. 476, 
 
98 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 tells us that "the spirit or devil that helped the Scottish witches to raise a 
 storm in the sea of Norway was cold as ice, and his body hard as iron ; his 
 face was terrible, his nose like the beak of an eagle, great burning eyes, his 
 hands and legs hairy, with claws on his nails like a griffin." The Chinese demon 
 of the storm is thus described in the Shan hai ching jjj '/§ ^^. "1° 
 Daylight mountain dwells the shen called Ke-mung. His shape is like a man 
 with a dragon's head. He wanders about continually in the depths of the 
 Chang river, and whenever he comes over or goes in there is sure to be a 
 violent storm and rain." 
 
 Fairies in China indeed, as with us, usually, possess the attribute of beauty. 
 A well-known Chinese legend relates how two friends wandering amongst the 
 ravines of their native moimtains in search of herbs for medicinal purposes 
 come to a fairy bridge where two maidens of more than earthly beauty are 
 on guard. They invite them to the fairy land which lies on the other side of 
 the bridge, and the invitation being accepted they become enamoured of the 
 maidens, and pass what to them seems a short though .blissful period of 
 existence with the fairy folk. At length they desire to revisit their earthly 
 homes and are allowed to return, when they find that seven generations have 
 lived and died during their apparently short absence, they themselves having 
 become centenarians.* Another version of the story is found in the Liao chai 
 chih yi. About A.D. 60 or 70 two friends named Yuan Chao and Liu Ch'Sn 
 when wandering amongst the T'ien-t'ai mountains lost their way, and after 
 wandering about for some time at length came upon a fairy retreat where two 
 beautiful girls received them and fed them on hu ma 'Sfl Ffifi (hemp, the Chi- 
 nese hascMsch). After spending what seems only & few days with their hostesses 
 they return home and find to their astonishment that seven generations have 
 passed away since they made the a*09[uaintance of the maidens, t I may here 
 remark that this Rip Van Winkle sort of story takes several forms in China, and 
 a slight digression on this subject may. be pardoned. A legend, related of 
 Wang ChOi, one of the patriarchs of the Taoist sect, involves him in a 
 similar catastrophe with less obvious excuse than in the case of the two friends 
 above mentioned. J Wandering one day in the mountains of Ku Chow to 
 gather firewood "he entered a grotto in which some aged men were seated 
 intent upon a game of chess. He laid down his axe and looked on at their 
 game, in the course of which one of the old men handed him a thing in shape 
 and size like a date stone, telling him to put it into his mouth. No sooner had 
 he tasted it than ' he became oblivious of hunger and thirst.' After some time 
 had elapsed, one of the players said, "It is long since you came here, you 
 should go home now ! " whereupon Wang Chih proceeding to pick up his axe 
 found that its handle had mouldered into dust. On repairing to his home 
 he found that centuries had passed since the time when he had left it for 
 the mountains, and that no vestige of his kinsfolk remained. Retiring to 
 a retreat among the hUls he devoted himself to the rites of Taoism, and 
 
 * Quoted in Sir J. Bowring's Flowery + Ch. Reader's Marmal, p. 289. 
 
 Scroll, p. 27. - t Ibid., p. 239. 
 
ELVES, FAIRIES, AND BROWNIES. 99 
 
 finally attained to immortality — a very un-Van-Winkle-like termination to the 
 legend. 
 
 The striking resemblance of these to legends popular throughout Europe 
 needs no demonstration, they being in fact identical with Erse, Gaelic and 
 Teutonic stories yet related in their respective neighbourhoods. The bridge 
 in the first stoiy is described as the " Azure bridge," the fairy home being 
 known as the "Jaspar city." " Yao chi" or the " Jaspar lake '' is the name 
 given to a sheet of water which it is believed forms one of its chief attractions, 
 and to speak of a Chinese lady as " a nymph of the Jaspar lake " is to pay her 
 the highest compliment fou purity and beauty. 
 
 The somewhat particular, and at times pugnacious, "Brownie" is supposed 
 to exist in China. Readers acquainted with our north-country folk-lore will 
 be aware that a practice exists in many parts of the country of setting out 
 milk &c. for the consumption of some household brownie, who performs 
 willing labour for the benefit of its entertainer, the one proviso being that the 
 brownie's operations are never to be overlooked by mortal .eye. It is curious, in 
 this connection, to find such a Chinese legend as the following recorded {T'an 
 ching ^j^ ?^, vol. 4) :-^" In the Ts'e dynasty there was one Chang Ching, 
 who went out one night and saw a woman on the south corner of his house 
 who beckoned him to come to her ; and when he came she said : ' This is 
 your honour's mulberry ground, and I am the shen of this place. If you 
 will make next year, in the middle of the first moon, some thick congee, and 
 present it to me I wiU engage to make your mulberry trees a hundred times 
 more productive.' Having said this she disappeared. Ching made the congee 
 and afterwards had a great crop of silkworms. Thence arose the practice 
 of making thickened congee on the 15th of the" first moon." Of the more 
 truculent class of brownies we also hear a good deal in China. In an article on 
 "Gunpowder and arms in China," published in a recent volume of the 
 N. C. B. R, A. S. Transactions, the author, Mr. W. F. Mayers, quotes from the 
 8hin-i-king the following : " Among the hills in the Western parts [of 
 China P] there exist beings in human shape, a foot or more in height, who 
 are by nature very fearless. If attacked [or offended] they cause men to 
 sicken with [alternate] heat and cold. They are called Shan sao." It was to 
 frighten these brownies that the practice of burning bamboos, now-a-days 
 substituted by fire-oraokers, (as already alluded to,) was adopted. Another 
 account makes the Shan-sias or Shan-sao, to be a species of bird which when 
 attacked summoiis tigers to its aid and bums down dwelling houses. In any 
 case these beings bear many points of resemblance to our own sprites, especially 
 those that are malignant. A curious story, which may serve as the type of 
 many such, is also given in the same volume as that from which the above is 
 derived, the locah given being Lew- chew, which until very lately was deemed a 
 dependency of China. It relates how a fairy in the guise of a beautiful woman 
 is found bathing in a man's well. He persuades her to marry him, and she 
 remains with him foi. nine years, at the end of which time, despite the affection 
 she has for. their two children, she "glides upwards into a cloud'-' and 
 
100 THE rOLK-LOEE OF CHINA. 
 
 disappears. We find a very similar story in the Arabian nights, and both Ger- 
 many and the Shetland islands give us an almost identical legend. 
 
 A large proportion of the fairy tales of aU countries are of course what 
 grave scholars denominate "puerile"; but- I need hardly apologise for giving 
 the two following, which illustrate both the idea of diminutive stature attributed 
 to fairies and the yet more common endowment of animals and insects with 
 fairy power. In the work (T'an ching) above quoted from we read that the 
 Emperor Yuen Tsung of T'ang had imperial ink called Dragon fragrance. 
 One day he saw in the ink little Taoist priests like flies walking about, 
 and they called to him, "Live for everl Tour servants are the spiritual 
 essence of ink, the ambassadors of the black pine. Whoever in the world has 
 literary cultivation must have twelve of ua dragon guests in his ink." This 
 is not badly matched by the following : "A youth while sleeping was 
 accosted by a maiden who asked him to accompany her for protection against 
 some menaced danger, telling him she was a princess in disguise; but he 
 turned away from her. Soon afterwards he heard the noise of humming 
 and saw entangled in the web of a spider a bee about to be devoured. He 
 released the bee, placed it upon the ink-slab, when by the impression of its feet 
 it left the character "Grateful " and flew away. He followed it with his eyes 
 and saw it enter a honey-comb siispended above. The disguised princess was 
 the bee." Sir John Bowring, who gives this story in almost the same words, 
 adds, "It is easy to fancy that the character or sign meaning 'Gfratitude' 
 could be made by the impress of a bee's feet." I fear that the learned ex-go- 
 vernor of Hongkong was in this instance indulging in an exaggeration not 
 unusual with him. 
 
 Chinese popular stories also abound with references to "kelpies" such as 
 in Scotland are reported to haunt fords and ferries. A not less popular belief 
 credits the monkey tribe with peculiar attributes as being possessed by fairies 
 who make woman-stealing an ordinary avocation — thus affording a curious 
 parallel to a South-African superstition. In the History of the White Monhey, 
 by Kung T'sing, we read that a man of Leang, who had a very pretty 
 wife, was travelling and came to pass some time at Chang-toh. Warned by 
 the people of the place that a local shen was given to stealing females he con- 
 ceals his wife in an inner room : but, despite all his precautions, on the second 
 night in the fourth watch she is abducted. After seeking her high and low 
 amidst great perils he at length comes to a stone door in a mountain facing 
 the East, and learns from women passing in and out that his wife is within. 
 To effect her deliverance he is advised to provide two kilderkins of spirits, 
 ten dogs and several pounds of hemp. With this the women in the cave 
 promise to attempt the shen's capture. The shen accordingly sees and 
 devours the dogs and drinks the spirits, when he is securely bound with the 
 hemp. The husband being called in, finds an enormous monkey bound hand 
 and foot to the bed, and Wgau-yang Hih (the husband) kills him, thus releasing 
 all the females in his power. 
 
 Fairies who embody the powers of nature are firmly believed in. " The 
 
ELVES, FAIRIES, AND BROWNIES. 101 
 
 Emperor Liang when tired fell asleep in the sunshine and dreamed that he was 
 
 visited by a woman of celestial beauty. He asked whence she came and who 
 
 she was. ' I live on the terrace of the Sun on the Enchanted Mountain. In the 
 
 morning I am a cloud, in the evening a shower of rain.' " The popular credence 
 
 which this legend obtains argues a very deep-seated belief in the fairy-like 
 
 attributes of representatives of the powers of nature, and shows a close analogy 
 
 to the Western legend of the " Spirit of the Mist." 
 
 But the Chinese people other spheres with Fairy inhabitants ; and there is 
 
 a touch of the imaginative in such beliefs which rather indixces sympathy with 
 
 than hostility to their tenour. The universal legend of the Man in the Moon 
 
 takes in China a form that is at leasts as interesting as the ruder legends of more 
 
 barbarous peoples. The "Goddess of the Palace of the Moon," Chang-o, 
 
 appeals as much to our sympathies as, and rather more so than, the ancient 
 
 beldame who in European folk-lore picks up perpetual sticks to satisfy the 
 
 vengeful ideas of an ultra-sabbathaical sect. Mr. Gr. C. Stent has aptly seized 
 
 the idea of the Chinese versifier whom he translates : — 
 
 " On a gold throne,, whose radiating brightness 
 Dazzles the eyes — enhaloing the scene, 
 Sits a fair form, arrayed in snowy whiteness. 
 — She is Chang-o, the beauteous Pairy Queen. 
 Bainbow-winged angels softly hover o'er her 
 Forming a canopy above the throne, 
 A host of fairy beings stand b'fefore her 
 Each robed in light and girt with meteor zone." 
 
 Making every allowance for the polish of translation, the foregoing verses 
 iatimate a delicacy of perception that raises Chinese fairy folk-lore to the level 
 of our own. It is scarcely necessary to quote, from European sources, verses 
 which in sentiment express a sinular idea. 
 
 Fairy Tales abound in Chinese resembling those in Arabic folk-lore. A 
 very well-known legend relates how a celebrated musician, aspiring to wed a 
 princess who played so exquisitely on the flute that all the birds, even to the 
 eagle, came down from heaven to listen to her, was accepted, on shewing proof 
 of this ability as her husband. " Too good to live," however, the pair were 
 transformed into genii, and still occupy a place in the somewhat vast arcana 
 of Chinese gods. Other legends relate to animals becoming endowed with 
 the gift of speech. Thus Chwang-tzii, the hero of a story which has been 
 popularized by Mr. Stent under the heading "Fanning the Grave," is related 
 to have reached a river, the banks of which were almost dry. Various small 
 fishes thereupon petitioned him to restore their much-needed element — ^water — 
 representing that if he did not do so, they would all perish ; and their request 
 was acceded to. Ireland and Germany both give us similar legends. 
 
 To sum up, I am inclined to the conclusion that no very real distinction 
 obtains in Chinese folk-lore between the various beings described in the West 
 as demons, genii and fairies, though, as I have endeavoured to shew, superna- 
 tural creatures, possessing the attributes of each, are fully believed in. The 
 constant application qf the term sMn Jpffl in this connection seems to me an 
 argument against its adoption by Christian missionaries to express our own 
 
102 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 conception of the Creator. It is singular, by the way, to find that just as we 
 use the word " spirit " in two different senses when we say " Qod. is a. spirit " 
 and " He is a man of spirit," the Chinese in like manner make the word sMn 
 do double duty. Of course the argument cuts both ways ; but its inapplica- 
 bility to the Chinese side lies in the fact that the language provides no word 
 for the one ultimate cause. Whatever word our missionaries agree upon 
 must do some violence to the native idea. The subject is, however, too wide to 
 be more than incidentally touched on here. Suffice it to say that both- in the 
 everyday language of the people and in popular literature shen conveys the idea 
 of gods, spirits, fairies or demons only. A careful consideration of this fact is 
 imperative in any discussion as to its adoption in Christian books to express the 
 Hebrew "Jehovah." 
 
 X.— SERPENTS, DEAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS 
 AND MONSTERS. 
 
 The part played in the mythology of the Aryan and Semitic races by the 
 Serpent and Dragon would have led one to expect a similar concurrence in the 
 Legendry of China, even if the weU-known designation under which its govern- 
 ment is so frequently referred to did not at once direct attention to the fact. 
 The land of the "Dragon Throne " is indeed by no means singular in its beliefs 
 in this connection. To say nothing of the Biblical narrative, the Brahminic 
 Krishna, under his two aspects of Krishna serpent-wounded in the heel and 
 Krishna standing triumphant on the head of his arch-enemy, the classic stories 
 of Hercules and the Hydra, AppoUo and Python, Cadmus and the Dragon, 
 the Teutonic myth of Sigurd and Fafner, or our own legend of St. Q-eorge, and 
 others which will be referred to in their proper place, combine to give the 
 serpent and his congeners an universal celebrity. "Among different forms 
 in use as an old symbol (says a recent reviewer) none is more mysterious than 
 the serpent. The animal itself glides out and into holes and corners, and as it 
 glides you only, perhaps, see a coil of the reptile ; so, with its symbolism, the 
 facts are most difficult to be got at, and the understanding of them is more 
 difficult still. AU nations seem to have had the serpent as a symbol in some 
 form or another. Perhaps one of the strangest forms of this creeping thing was 
 that of the Christian Ophites, who kept a serpent which crawled over the 
 bread of the sacrament on the altar, and this they considered to be the act of 
 consecration." It is hardly necesssary, however, to tell students of Chinese 
 literature or folk-lore that our own assortment of popular legends and beliefs 
 touching the serpent tribe shrink into insignificance beside that of the "Middle 
 Kingdom." The brazen serpent of Moses has been the lineal progenitor of a 
 
SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS AND MONSTERS. 103 
 
 succession familiar indeed to tlie sons of Han.* Confining our attention in the 
 first instance to serpents proper, let us glance at tlie vast array of legend .which 
 greets the most superficial enquiry into Chiaese beliefs on the subject. 
 
 And; before dealing with its supernatural characteristics, let me note the 
 healing qualities ascribed to the serpent's flesh. The skin of the white spotted 
 snake is used in leprosy, rheumatism and palsy, t while the flesh of other 
 varieties enter largely into the often filthy prescriptions of native doctors. 
 Though I am not aware that the figure of a serpent has ever been used 
 in China as with the classical Esoulapius and Hygia, who are represented as 
 bearing a staff round which is coiled a serpent, as a symbol of health, the snake 
 is a popular item of the show-part of every native drug store, and the virtues 
 attributed to its body are at least a reminder of the Western legend. As a 
 drug, however, it ceases to possess supernatural qualities. To the living animal 
 are attributed powers not less potent than to the gods themselves. And the 
 writer encountered an instance of this superstition when endeavouring some 
 months since to induce his Chinese assistants in the Hongkong Museum to kill 
 and prepare a fine specimen of the boa tri)3e which had been caught on the island. 
 
 That evil spirits or human beings compelled by ' enchantment can asgume 
 the form of snakes, is a deeply-rooted belief, as is also its converse that mysteri- 
 ously-gifted serpents can at will present themselves to the public eye as 
 ordinary mortals. In the " Thunder-peak Pagoda " novel, already referred to, 
 we find the heroine of the story to be a white snake who possesses the power 
 of assuming the human form. In the Cavern of the Wind's situated on the 
 Green Mountain near Ching-to-foo in Sze-chuan "there was," says the story, 
 "reputed to be a monstrous white female serpent, who had been therefrom 
 time immemorial. In this cave also grew strange flowers and wonderful shrubs. 
 This serpent had existed for eighteen hundred years, and had never yet done 
 harm to any living thing. On account of her great age, this white serpent had 
 attained to a vast degree of knowledge, and was able to work marvellous spells, 
 and to take the form of a woman, in which condition she adopted the name of 
 Pi-cheu-niang.'' Her servant, like herself, was a serpent and the scene in 
 which the two are for the first time introduced to each other is described in 
 a way worthy of the Arabian nights : — 
 
 " Hangchow is a most beautiful place. The residences of princes and nobles are 
 
 * See Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Britain and once flourished both in Greece 
 Literature, Art. Serpents, too long for and Northern Africa — structures with ave- 
 transcriptiou in this place, but giving a nues of upright stones of several miles in 
 most interesting sketch of serpent wor- length whereof the ruins may still be 
 ship. Briefly summarized, it touches on traced at Carnak in Brittany, Abury in 
 the Naga Kings of Hinduism; the astro- Wiltshire and Redruth in Cornwall." . . 
 nomical fables of the serpent Ananta, or • • The author refers to the sect of 
 the MUky Way, and the sun-and-moon- Christian heretics known as OphitsB or 
 devouring dragons ; the Scandinavian le- Ophiani, who were professed serpent wor- 
 gend of the kater serpent of the deep ; the shippers ; and he gives, some curious de- 
 Celtic, Basque and Asiatic legends of the tails of the Egyptian Python worship, em- 
 dragon guardian of riches. " These fables blems of which have even been discovered 
 were a residue of that antique dragon in British Archseology. 
 worship which had its tenJples from High + F. Porter Smith's Chinese Materia 
 Asia and Colchis to the North of Great Mediea, Art. Snakes. 
 
104 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 here, and beautiful flower gardens and ancient temples are scattered all over the placB. 
 Among these, the gaiden of Prince Chow was pre-eminent for beauty ; but Prince 
 Chow had long been dead, and his beautiful garden was deserted by mankind. In it 
 were altars, paviUons, and mountains almost equalling in splendour the gardens of 
 the imperial palace. Here there resided a huge black serpent, which had been in this 
 place far more than eight hnudi'ed years, — and could also ascend into the clouds, and 
 take the human form ; and when she saw the white sei'pent coming in, she hurried to 
 prevent her entrance, saying, " Whence comest thou thus to invade the privacy of my 
 garden ? Dost thou not fear my wrath ?" The white serpent, who had assumed the 
 human form, as had the other, merely smiled, and said, " Don't talk about your powerj 
 but pay attention to what I am going to say — I am a powerful white sepent, come 
 from the mountain cavern of the winds, where I have resided more than eighteen hun- 
 dred years ; but because I am not so powerful as I could wish, I have determined to 
 change my abode, wherefore you must let me take up my residence in this garden — 
 besides this, why should we quarrel, being both spirits in the form of serpents ?" 
 But the black snake was not so easily pacified, and angrily exclaimed, "This is my 
 garden, and you are a spirit from some distant place —How then do you dare thus 
 to deprive me of mine own ? If, moreover, you think yourself more powerful than I 
 am, let us contend together three times for the mastery." The white serpent smiled 
 slightly, and said, " It is no desire of mine that we should contend together, as I do not 
 wish to injure one of my species ; but since you so much wish it, I will contend with 
 you, but upon this condition only that whoever shall be victorious in the strife, 
 shall become the mistress, and that the conquered one shall always act as a slave. 
 
 The black snake, still angry, snatched a sword and cut at the white serpent, btft 
 she, drawing two swords, pat them before her in the form of a cross. In a few minutes ■ 
 the superior talent of the white serpent became evident, for by muttering a powerful 
 spell, the sword was snatched from the hand of her adversary by some invisible means, 
 and she was left defenceless. The black serpent at this was very much frightened, 
 and kneeling down, respectfully addressed the other, saying, " Do not contend any 
 longer — I acknowledge you as my superior, and am willing to serve you as your slave." 
 Matters being thus settled so satisfactorily, the mistress and servEuit entered the garden 
 together."* 
 
 The adventures of those two serpent women and the scrapes into which an 
 unluclsy attachment for the mistress led the hero of the tale, form the principal 
 features of the plot. I cannot, of course, here follow that out ; suffice it to 
 say that the enchantress brought grief to all connected with her. But the 
 story presents certain analogies with an old English legend, that are worth 
 noting. The "worm of Spindlestone Heugh" in Northumberland, was, so 
 the legend says, a beautiful girl transformed by her step-mother into a loath- 
 some serpent, untU her brother should come to her rescue from beyond the seas. 
 This of course he eventually does, and the charm is broken. 
 
 " He quitted his sword, and bent his bow. 
 He gave her kisses three ; 
 She crept into her hole a worme 
 But out stept a ladye."+ 
 
 The well-known Linton worm or dragonj supposed to inhabit the borders 
 of Roxburghshire, gives us another parallel between a British and a Chinese 
 belief. From his cave on Linton hUl this monster " coiild with his sweeping 
 and venomous breath draw the neighbouring flocks and herds within reach 
 of his fangs.'' Again we read, " such was the dread inspired by the monster's 
 poisonous breath " that the villagers were beside themselves with terror. Now 
 we have only to go back to 1867 to find a story extensively believed through- 
 
 * Lei-fung-ta, — Chinese & Japanese ■^ 'B.eaA.etsoiCs Folk-Lore of the North- 
 
 Repository, Feb. 1864. em Counties, p. 255, 
 
 t Ibid., p. 267. 
 
SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS AND MONSTERS. 105 
 
 out the Fuhkien seaboard, in which the poisonoua character of a serpent's 
 breath is an important element." It was to the effect that a party of tiger- 
 catchers near Foochow discovered in the cage which they had constructed to 
 receive the tiger a monstrous snake with two large horns. Although somewhat 
 frightened at their unexpected prisoner, they decided on taking him on board 
 their junk with a view to eventually selling him. A few days after they had 
 .put to sea a thunderstorm came on, and a flash of lightning struck the junk, 
 breaking open the cage. Away slipped the monster into the hold, which, being 
 stored with rice and other edibles, was a decided change for the better in his 
 position. As, however, the captain and crew were bound to deliver their 
 cargo intact, the former offered $1,000 to anybody who would go down and kiU. 
 the snake. Two men were found to venture, but no sooner did they approach 
 the animal than "raising his head a little, he hissed out a vapour on them 
 and they lay dead." Of course captain and crew immediately deserted- the junk, 
 and she is stUl reputed to be, like the flying Dutchman's ship off the Cape, 
 cruizing around the neighbouring coasts ; and so great is the fear of the serpent's 
 breath, that no one who has heard the story dare board a castaway Foochow 
 junk to this day. 
 
 Something more than mere traces of serpent worship are to be found through- 
 out China. The San-cMeh temples (^^ Vf, JSH) at Canton are also known by 
 the name of Ch'ing She Miao or "Green serpent temples," the origin of which 
 name is thus given in a compilation by the well-known author Chao Ti.j- 
 " When offerings were made to the god a serpent came out and ate or drank 
 what was laid before the altar. If any person made a vow and did not after- 
 wards fulfil it, although he might be hundreds of li away, serpents would come 
 and claim fulfilment of his promise. These were commonly called Green Serpent 
 Messengers. At present the most famous of these temples is that at "Wuohow-fu, 
 where scarcely a day passes on which plays are not performed or sacrifices offered, 
 at the expense of traders who thus celebrate the fulfilment of their entreaties 
 at the shrine. At the time of sacrifices being offered a green serpent does in 
 reality issue forth from the sanctuary or make its appearance from the rafters, 
 or from within the garments of the God, to drink the wine and devour the eggs 
 that are placed there without being deterred at the sight of the persons standing 
 by. After finishing its meal the creature quietly glides away."J Monsieur de 
 Beauvoir, i^^ his recent work describing a visit to the East, speaks of a temple 
 at Canton within the enclosure of which was a clump of trees near an altar, the 
 residence of a sacred serpent. " A crowd of worshippers were pressing round the 
 sacred bushes, bringing gifts to the ugly reptile, a snake two feet long, which 
 crawled about close to some hot ashes." I have not identified the temple, but 
 the account is probably accurate, as native informants confirm it. Yet stronger 
 evidence of the hold which serpent-worship has over the Chinese mind is afforded 
 
 * N. (& Q. on C. (& J., Vol. III., p. 74. of Aristophanes a passage which alludes to 
 
 + Note on the San Chieh Miao : Notes & the keeping of tame snakes in the Greek 
 
 Queries on China di Japan, Yol, IIL, p. temples. The author thinks that it "was 
 
 76, by W. P. Mayers. « regarded rather as a symbol of Power, 
 
 J Mr. Waring quotes from the "Plutus" Wisdom, and Life, than as an actual deity." 
 
106 THE FOLK-LOBE OF CHINA. 
 
 by the fact that during the height of the Tientsin floods, in the autmnn of 1873, 
 Li Hung-chang, a man distinguished for his clear common sense and administra- 
 tive ability, joined in offering worship to a miserable little snake which had been 
 picked up and placed in one of the temples, afterwards extolling, in a memorial 
 to the Throne, the divine favour exhibited by the appearance of the wretched 
 reptile. And in the following year the North-China Herald related an even more 
 absurd instance of faith in the supernatural attributes of the serpent tribe. " In 
 this case also,'' says the journal in question, "the memorialist is a man of dis- 
 tinguished ability, which he has given evidence of both in connection with For- 
 eign and Chinese matters. He reports wonderful miracles on the part of the river 
 gods, in saving embankments and helping the men who were at work on them, 
 over and over again. Apparently the Taiwang are credited with power to make 
 the waters abate just at the critical moment, but not to avert such unfortunate 
 crises altogether. The river god is, in every case, a small water snake, which 
 popular fancy has converted into a deity. The story of Chen Ching-lung Chang- 
 chun, one of the deities mentioned, is that he was inspector of the Yellow Kiver, 
 and being unable to repair a breach in the embankments, ou account of the 
 strength of the current, he in despair threw himself into the river. The water 
 ceased to rise, the current slackened, and the breach wag repaired. Chen was 
 transformed into a River God for his noble devotedness, and oonstautly appears 
 in the shape of a water serpent, tb work miracles on behalf of his more fortunate 
 successors in the difficult duty of checking the outburst of ' China's Sorrow.' " 
 
 That snakes contain in their heads certain precious stones is an old belief 
 common to most branches of the human family.* A story in a native book of 
 anecdotes relates how a foreigner passing a pork-butcher's shop asks the master 
 what he will take for the bench on which the pork is exposed. The answer, 
 given in fun, is "fifty taels." The foreigner offers to pay the money. This con- 
 vinces the butcher that there must be something valuable in the bench, so he 
 deoUnes to sell it, and carefully puts it by. The foreigner leaves the place and 
 returns after a year's absence. Seeing the butcher he asks after the bench, and, 
 in answer to a very natural enquiry why he deems it so valuable, informs him 
 that, lodged in a cavity within it, is a snake, holding in its mouth a precious 
 gem. He further adds that the snake lives on the blood that soaks through the 
 wood from the raw meat exposed on it, and that when this supply is cut off the 
 snake will die, and the gem become worthless. Cursing his own stupidity, the 
 butcher seizes a hatchet and splits the bench open, finding the snake dead, while 
 the jewel it undoubtedly holds in its mouth is of the same colour as the eye of a 
 dried fish. I "have chosen this story as illustrating another point in native folk- 
 lore — the mysterious powers attributed to foreigners — ^but may observe that 
 constant allusions are to be found in Chinese works to the idea of snakes contain- 
 ing precious stones. Now, to go no further than a file of Indian papers received 
 a few weeks ago, I find in one of them the following paragraph. " The Lawrence 
 Oazette indulges in surmises as to the object of the ex-King of Oudh in col- 
 lecting snakes. Perhaps," it says, "he wishes to become possessed of the precious 
 * Notes and Queriet on China and Japan, Vol. II., p. 130. 
 
SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS AND MONSTERS. 107 
 
 jewel which some serpents are said to contain, or of that species of snake by 
 whose means it is said a person can fly in the air. The jewel referred to (nun) 
 has in all times been a popular myth, but located variously in the heads of toads, 
 fishes, and even horses." The superstition therefore is not confined to the 
 Chinese. Is it not possible that Shakespere's allusion to the toad, which, 
 
 " Ugly and venomous, wears a precious jewel in his head," 
 may have been suggested by this popular belief, though now interpreted to apply 
 only to the beautiful eye with which the animal is endowed ? 
 
 The transition from the serpent to the dragon is easy, but appears to hare 
 followed much the same rule iu China as in England — there being a considerable 
 amount of confusion in the legendary lore of both countries between the two 
 animals. It is indeed somewhat difficult to exactly say where fact left oflF, and 
 fancy commenced, to contribute to the popular portrait of the dragon. China 
 does, in fact, produce an animal — a harmless species of lizard, — which may well 
 have sat as the original of the native monster ; but its small size (only some two 
 feet from nose to tail) deprives it of any ferocious semblance. Looking at the 
 widespread belief in dragons there seems little doubt that the semi-m3rth of to- 
 day is the traditional successor of a really once existent animal, whose huge size, 
 snake-like appearance and, possibly, dangerous powers of offence made him so 
 terrible that the earlier races of mankind adopted him unanimously as the most 
 fearful embodiment of animal ferocity to be found. 
 
 Dr. Eitel, in an interesting article on the subject of dragon worship,* 
 expresses his belief that it has sprung from the same form of snake or naga 
 worship as that still existing in India, Burmah and Siam. " What strengthens 
 this assertion," he says, "is the circumstance that I am enabled to state 
 positively that the Chinese translators of Sanscrit Buddhist texts invariably 
 rendered the term naga (which has been identified with cobra di capello,) by the 
 word " lung" (ag) or dragon. The religious mind of China has never made a 
 scientific distinction between snake and dragon." Suffice it to say that China 
 is the oldest home of dragon worship, the animal being represented as winged 
 and four-footed, each foot having four (or five) claws — the latter number being 
 appropriated solely to pictures, embroideries or figures used by the Imperial 
 Court. Thus a dress with a five-clawed dragon worked on it can be used by one 
 of Royal blood only. It is noteworthy that the English dragon is also nearly 
 always represented with wings. For those who have never read the ballad of 
 the Dragon of Wantley I may quote his description, to enable a comparison to 
 be drawn between him and his Chinese brother : — 
 
 " This dragon had two furious wings 
 One upon each shoulder, 
 With a sting in his tayle, as long as a flay le. 
 Which made him bolder and bolder. 
 He had long daws, and in his jaws 
 Four and forty teeth of iron, 
 With a hide as tough, as any buff, 
 Which did him round environ." 
 
 * Notes and Queries <m China and Japan, Vol. III., p. 34. 
 
108 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 The authentic species of dragon or Lung, has, according to Chinese belief, 
 a camel's head, a deer's horns, a rabbit's eyes, a cow's ears, a snake's neck, a 
 frog's belly, a carp's scales, a hawk's cla,ws and a tiger's palms. The chief 
 distinction between the snake and the dragon in Chinese eyes ia that, while the 
 former is worshipped as a real, everyday object, the latter is avowedly super- 
 natural. A popular proverb says, "Dragons bring clouds, and tigers bring 
 winds."* The dragon is in fact an aU-pervading element of every myth relating 
 to the powers of nature, and its worship is not, when we trace its serpent origin, 
 surprising. 
 
 In no case however does it seem more absurd than when we find it gravely 
 noticed in official documents. Thus a year or two since an Edict published in 
 the Peking Gazette stated as follows : — " Li Hung-chang has addressed to us a 
 memorial, stating that the Eiver Yung-ting has fiUed its channel, reporting for 
 punishment the officials who were engaged on the works, and requesting the 
 appropriate discipline on himself. He states that much rain fell for several 
 weeks in succession this year, and the waters in river and lake rose to an 
 unwonted height. The officers responsible worked day and night to avert danger 
 by opening and shutting sluices and strengthening works. On the 4th and ofh 
 July the rain came down in buoketfuls, and it became utterly impossible to do 
 anything; the river overflowed in several places. Li Hung-chang last year 
 reported that he had caged the dragon, and it is therefore an inexcusable fault 
 that, in so short a time afterwards, even allowing several weeks' rain, the river 
 should have broken out !" It would be difficult to come across more convincing 
 proof that the supernatural powers of the dragon over the phenomena of nature 
 were f uUy believed in. 
 
 Domestic dragon worship again is familiar to every native. The author of 
 the paper above referred to gives curious details of the ceremonies observed in 
 worshipping dragon-spirits. Every hUl and mountain is supposed to be inha- 
 bited by them, and whenever a new house is to be erected, a Feng-shui 
 geomanoer is consulted to learn if the location be within the range of friendly 
 dragon spirits. The house on being completed has a niche fitted up in it as a 
 shrine for the individual dragon which protects the destinies of the house. He 
 is installed with considerable ceremony, and the shrine is -worshipped at the 
 same periods as sacrifices or prayers are offered in the Ancestral Hall. In the 
 case of houses which have been built for the space of one hundred years (at the 
 expiration of which period the original virtue and efficiency of the tutelary 
 dragon is supposed to need reinvigoration) more elaborate ceremonials are neces- 
 sary. Three days are devoted to preparation, and on the fourth the exorcism 
 of evil influences commences. This consists in magical incantations mumbled in 
 unintelligible language, accompanied by offerings of frankincense, wine and 
 paper, the whole accompanied by the beatings of drums and gongs and the 
 blowing of a horn. The chief wizard then dips his arm into boiling oil or 
 performs some similar feat to justify his claims as an exorcist, one of the com- 
 
 J^SEtS^M.- 
 
SERPENTS, DRAGONS, TABULOUS ANIMALS AND MONSTERS. 109 
 
 monest being to walk unharmed through an enormous fire of blazing charcoal. 
 Another performance consists in ascending a ladder of sworda. One or all of 
 these being accomplished, the wizard repairs, attended by the neighbours, to the 
 nearest hill and invokes the dragon s_pirit to return, and after announcing his 
 arrival professes to entice him back to the house. The curious reader wiU find 
 the ceremonies described at length in the article from which this is summarized. 
 
 The following dragon legend was communicated to the same periodical by- 
 Mr. T. Sampson of Canton, and is worth preservation: "It is a common 
 expression in Canton, to say that extremely violent gusts of wind during a 
 typhoon are caused by the passage of a tiin mi lung ^ j^ gi or "bob-tail 
 dragon," and it is sometimes averred that this animal is actually seen on such 
 occasions passing through the air; generaUy however it is, among educated 
 people, nothing more than an expression signifying a violent gust of wind, and 
 the story connected with it, if known at aU beyond the district of Sun-ui where 
 it has a local circulation, is classed with such fables as that of the great sea 
 serpent which was so long that when at rest a junk had to sail for several days 
 to traverse its length, and which, on being cut in two by a steamer, was several 
 hours in discovering the fact, in consequence of the immense length of the nerves 
 which had to convey to the brain the sense of the injury inflicted. 
 
 " The stoify however of Ah-Tseung and the dragon, as narrated to me by a 
 
 native of Sun-ui, is as foUows : In ancient times there was a certain studious 
 
 rustic whose name was Ah-Tseung, but whose surname has unfortunately not" 
 
 been handed ioym. for the benefit of posterity ; this youth having found a young 
 
 snake took it home with him, and as long as he lived it was his chief delight 
 
 to nurture this animal ; he made a nest for it in his book-case, and after every 
 
 meal he secretly conveyed food to it ; it shared his bed, and was his constant 
 
 companion ; the boy for a long time kept the matter secret from his parents, 
 
 but his teacher having observed his many visits to the book-case, wished to find 
 
 out what was the attraction, and on opening it he observed to his great surprise 
 
 and alarm, a huge snake filling one of the shelves, for by this time the snake 
 
 had become full grown. A few months after this Ah-Tseung died, whereupon 
 
 Ms parents drove the snake away to the neighbouring hUls; on every occasion 
 
 of ceremonial mourning held by the parents, and on every anniversary of his 
 
 death, the snake visited the home of his departed friend, and after going several 
 
 times round the house returned again to the hills ; the neighbours felt a natural 
 
 repugnance to these periodical visits, and remonstrated with Ah Tseung's mother, 
 
 who herself anxious to get rid of so unwelcome a visitor, forbade the snake 
 
 coming to her house any more ; heedless of this command the snake did return ; 
 
 whereupon the mother, with the intention of frightening it away, brandished 
 
 a knife at it in a threatening manner, but in doing so the knife accidentally 
 
 came in contact with the animal's tail and severed off several joints of it. After 
 
 this the snake never returned ; it retired however to the Kwai-f ung-sh4n in 
 
 the district of Sun-ui, where there is a lake of about a mau (^d of an acre) 
 
 in extent and of unfathomable depth ; indeed it is asserted "by the inhabitants of 
 
 the neighborhood, that its waters communicate subterraneously with one of the 
 
110 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 mouths of the great rivers of Kwangtung, the Ngaimun, and that any substanee 
 thrown into the lake will reappear in the ocean near that emhonohure. In and 
 round this lake Ah Tseung's snake has lived to the present day, and its appear- 
 ance on the distant hiU top, sometimes as a man clothed in white, and sometimes 
 as a white dragon (an instance of progressive development without natural 
 selection, its flight through the air causing dragonio development from the- 
 pristine type -of an ordinary snake), or the foaming disturbance of the waters of 
 the lake when he indulges in a bath, are considered sure indications of aa 
 approaching storm. 
 
 " Such is the story of Ah Tseung and the dragon. Fabulous as it undoubt- 
 edly is, there may nevertheless be, as is often the case with the most outrageous 
 fables, a grain of scientific truth in it ; the range of hUls in 8un-ui of which 
 the Kwei-fung-shan forms a part, must exert some influence on typhoons ; they 
 are in the track of these circular storms, and probably their height effects an 
 attractive influence over them, and their conformation diverts the course of the 
 storm as it impinges upon them. Hence the fact in the natural history of 
 typhoons, that they, owing to these causes, frequently pass over Sun-ui and 
 disturb the waters of the lake in the Kwai-fung hiUs before they reach other 
 parts of the common delta of the Kwangtung river, may be the grain of scientific 
 triith which has given rise to the story of Ah Taeung and the dragon with an. 
 abbreviated caudal extremity." 
 
 If we have, no "Western legend to answer to that just given, a very close 
 parallel to a Serpent or dragon myth which has spread throughout Europe can 
 be found in China. Our popular story of St. George and the Dragon has- 
 numerous parallels in Western folklore. The stories of the laird who slew the 
 " worme of Linton," of the knight who killed the Lambton worm, of the Cham- 
 pion Conyers who delivered Sookbum in Durham from " a worm, dragon or fiery 
 flying serpent," and of the plucky Scot named Martin who in Forfar achieved a 
 ■victory over a dragon which had devoured nine maidens, embody the same 
 story in .other words. Scandinavian Folk-lore too abounds with similar stories.^ 
 But one is hardly prepared to flnd the legend existing in China, -with a change 
 of sex indeed on the part of the champion, but other-wise the same in its general 
 features as our own. Mr. W. F. Mayers, -writing in November 1867, drew 
 attention -to this fact and furnished the now extinct periodical so frequently 
 referred to on previous pages -with the following translation from the Kwang- 
 po-wu-chih, a thesaurus of excerpts compiled towards the end of the sixteenth 
 century : * "In the eastern regions of Tueh Min (the present Fuhkien) there 
 exists a range of mountains called the Yung Ling, many tens of li in height, in 
 the north-western recesses of which there abode a mighty serpent, seven or eight 
 chatig (seventy or eighty feet) in length and ten feet in circumference, which 
 was held in great awe by the people of the country. At a certain time ik 
 signified either to some person in a dream or to those versed in the art of divin- 
 ation that it lusted to devour a maiden of the age of twelve or thirteen ; and th* 
 governors and men in authority of that region, equally alarmed respecting 
 * Notes and Queries on China and Japan, Vol. I., p. 148. 
 
SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS AND MONSTERS. Ill - 
 
 the monster, sought out female bond-servants and the daughters of criminals 
 to satisfy the serpent's appetite. In the morning of the day in the 8th moon, 
 after offering sacrifices, the victim was taken to the mouth of the serpent's 
 cavern; and at night the serpent suddenly issued forth and devoured its prey. 
 Tear after year this happened, until at length nine maidens in all had been 
 offered up; and a fresh demand was being made, but no victim could be 
 obtained. At this time Li Tan, Magistrate of Tsing Lo, had six daughters and 
 no sons. His youngest daughter, named Ki ^, responded to the call and 
 was ready to proceed (to the cavern), but her parents refused consent. She 
 urged, however, that she was unable to be of use to her parents, as was Ti Ying 
 (the faithful daughter of olden times), and being a mere source of useless 
 expense might as well bring her life to a speedy close, and only requested to 
 be supplied with a good sword and a dog that would bite at snakes. In the 
 morning of the day of the eight month she visited the Temple, with the sword 
 beside her and the dog provided. She had also previously prepared several 
 measures of boiled rice mixed with honey, whith she placed at the mouth of the 
 cavern. At night the serpent came forth, its head as large as a rice stock and 
 its eyes like mirrors two feet across — ^when, perceiving the aroma of the mess of 
 rice, it began to devour it, Ki forthwith let loose her dog which seized the 
 serpent in its teeth, and the maiden hereupon hacked the monster from behind, so 
 that after dragging itself to the mouth of its cave it died. The maiden entered 
 the cavern and recovered the skeletons of the nine previous victims, whose 
 untimely fate she bewailed. After this she leisurely returned home, and the 
 prince of Sueh, hearing of her exploit, raised her to be his Clueen. 
 
 "Other versions of this history may exist, but the above is the only one 
 I have met with. The occurrence of a female as the hero is somewhat remark- 
 able, but in other respects the fact that filial piety and dexterity in stratagems 
 replace in the Chinese legend the masculine purity and dauntless courage with 
 which our own traditions invest St. George, as also the minuteness in detail of 
 the events recorded, are highly characteristic of the Chinese turn of miad. In 
 any case, this is probably the earliest existing version of the famous legend." 
 
 So much for dragons, dismissed perhaps with almost too scant notice, but 
 scarcely needing more elaborate discussion. The third heading of the present 
 chapter refers to fabulous animals of another description, and of these Chinese 
 folk-lore presents us with a fair variety. The Phoenix, for instance, enjoys its 
 classical reputation amongst the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, while 
 tigers, monkeys and elephants also enjoy the reputation of a wisdom which goes 
 beyond instinct and more than verges on the domain of humanity. Tailed men 
 and mermaids furnish native tradition-mongers with numerous stories ; and the 
 unicorn of Chinese myth-land is to aU intents and purposes identical with the 
 celebrated animal mentioned in our nursery rhyme, relating how 
 
 " The Lion and the Unicom 
 Went fighting for the Crown ; " 
 
 and still "supporting', our royal arms. The ki Un, or Chinese unicorn, has a 
 stag's body, a horse's hoofs, the, tail of an ox and a parti-coloured skin, whil« 
 
112 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 from its forehead proceeds a single horn with a fleshy tip. In this case there is 
 ho-wever but little mystery in the resemblance. So far from agreeing with Dr. 
 Williams as to "the independent origin of the Chinese account,"* there can, I 
 fancy, be no question that both we and the Chinese alike derived the idea of the 
 unicorn from Central Asia, where we have almost historical proof such an animal 
 once actually existed, if indeed it does not still inhabit the vast steppes of the 
 oontinent.f The chief superstition connected with the unicorn in China proper 
 is that one makes its appearance when a sage is about to be bom. 
 
 Phcenixes also act as harbingers of the birth of great men,f but it is 
 somewhat difficult to define their shape and colour'. Popular native proverbs 
 allege that " The Phoenix will only alight where there is something pre- 
 cious." Another saying declares that "when the phoenix comes there i» 
 prosperity." The following account of this universaUy-beUeved-in bird, given 
 by Mr. Mayers in his Readers^ Manual, embodies an admirable resume of 
 Chinese legend on the subject. The fenff or phoenix is, he says, " a fabu- 
 lous bird of wondrous form and mystic nature, the second amongst the 
 four supernatural creatures. Very early legends narrated that this bird 
 made its appearance as a presage of the advent of virtuous rulers, whose 
 presence it also graced as an emblem of their auspicious government. One 
 writer describes it as having the head of a pheasant, the beak of a swallow, 
 the neck of a tortoise and the outward semblance of a dragon ; to which 
 another version adds the tail of a fish; but in pictorial representations it is 
 usually delineated as a compound between the peacock and the pheasant, with 
 the addition of many gorgeous colours. It sate in the court of Hwang-ti 
 while that sovereign observed the ceremonial fasts ; , and according to the Shu 
 Ki^ it came with measured gamboUings to add splendour to the musical per- 
 formances conducted by the great Shun. The female is called Hwang, and 
 this name, combined with that of the male, forms the compound Feng Hwang 
 which is usually employed as the generic designation for the wondrous bird. 
 It is translated phoenix by many writers. • Among the marvels related respecting 
 this creature, it is said that each of the five colours which embellish the 
 Feng-hwaruf s plumage is typical of one of the cardinal virtues ; and a name is 
 given to each of the many intonations ascribed to its voice." 
 
 * Middle Kingdom, I. p. 266. The Macacas stated that to the north of 
 
 + Whilst writing the above my attention their town, on ths river Teoga, large num- 
 
 has been directed to the following interest- bers of unicorns are still to be seen, and 
 
 ing paragraph in the Calcutta Englishman : Mr. Blanche considers that in the vast 
 
 — " A long discussion is being carried on region of unexplored territory between the 
 
 in the last papers received from the Cape Zambesi and Lebaby's country they may 
 
 as to the existence or non-existence of the still be in existence. Mr. Thomas Baines, . 
 
 unicorn. Mr. G. B. Blanche, who has another weU-knowu African traveller and 
 
 travelled extensively in Namaqnaland, men- naturalist, says that the existence of such 
 
 tions that in some large stone-caves on the an animal has never been disproved, and 
 
 banks of a river called Makapwe, he saw that it might be found in this unexplored 
 
 pictures drawn by Bush-men, which in- country, for else where did the bush-men 
 
 eluded elephants, rhinoceroses, unicorns, obtain the subject for the pictures they 
 
 and gemsboks, and one old Bushman told have drawn?" 
 
 him that he had actually seen the animal $ Dr. Legge's Chinese Classics, Vol, 
 
 alive, and that it was very fierce. None, III., pt. I. pref., p. 108. 
 however, had been seen for some years. 
 
SERPENTS, DRAGONS, FABULOUS ANIMALS AND MONSTERS. 113 
 
 An animal occupying an intermediate position between fact and fiction — its 
 existence being the one, and its alleged qualities the other — is known as the 
 Sing- sing ;^M ^^, a very large speeiBs of baboon found in Cambodia. Its blood 
 is supposed in China to be useful as a dye ; but inasmuch as it of course dries up 
 if the animal is lulled, the Chinese allege that artifice is resorted to by hunters 
 to induce it to submit to the process of bleeding, and the natives quaintly 
 describe the (very imaginative) operation. The story is evidently the pro- 
 duction of some Chinese ^sop, containing as it does an admirable satire on 
 the temptations of the wine cup. But, nevertheless, the animal is really 
 believed by the vulgar to possess supernatural powers. The account given is as 
 follows : — " The Sing-sing is remarkably fond of wine ; so the blood-hunters lay 
 a trap for him thus:— Having found the tracks he frequents, they place in 
 some position where he is sure to see them a pailful of some intoxicating 
 liquid and a cup, and then conceal themselves in the vicinity. After a 
 time the Sing-sing discovers the pail; but after inspecting it mutters, 'Ah! 
 this is put here by the blood hunters, but I shan't be fool enough to drink it ; 
 it's nothing but poison.' Moving away for a short time it presently returns, 
 observing, ' After all wine is a good thing in itself, if one doesn't take too 
 much ; it's very nice, and I shall just try one cup.' The animal accordingly 
 takes one cupful and walks away, soon however returning for a second and a 
 third, finally drinking itself helpless. The hunters then seize it and place it 
 in a cage, and on its recovery begin to bargain with it for its liberty. Its blood, 
 to be of any service, must be voluntarily given, so the hunters demand so 
 many cupsful as the price of its release. After a good deal of palavering this is 
 settled ; the animal then himself opens a vein, measures out the quantity agreed 
 on and is released, again to fall a viotion to similar temptation." The assump- 
 tion that the baboon can, if it will, hold converse with mankind is noteworthy 
 as common to most countries whence the monkey tribes take their origin. 
 
 Of course our old friend— I might almost say, in view of the latest published 
 accounts, our American friend — the Sea Serpent, turns up on the coasts of China, 
 and the description given of him does not greatly differ from that recorded 
 elsewhere. According to a popular legend the Chien Tang river was at one time 
 infested by a great ^j'atj or sea serpent, and in 1129 A.D., a district graduate 
 is said to have heroically thrown himself into the flood to encounter and destroy 
 the monster. His wife forthwith put an end to her existence also, from devotion 
 to him, and their virtues were commemorated by a temple erected for their 
 worship." It has been already noted that most of the river gods are supposed to 
 appear in the form of water snakes, and that the sea serpents noticed in Chinese 
 records have always infested the mouths of rivers. From a tutelary deity to one 
 purely malevolent is no great step. Other remarkable animals are noted by the 
 writer above quoted (Dr. D. J. Maogowan) as stated to have visited the same 
 river: In 488 a.d. a salt inspector discovered near it^mouth a " sea-fish 
 which the tide had left behind. It was more than 300 feet long, of a black 
 colour, without scales," and was eaten by its captors. About 120 years ago, 
 * Transactions N. C. B. E. A. S., 1853, p. 36. 
 
114 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 again " a huge sea-fish appeared off Chapoo ; it followed tlie vessels in with the 
 tide and at ebb was unable to return. It measured one hundred feet in length, 
 was ten feet high and twenty wide." This is probably an exaggerated story 
 of a whale, but as the Chinese have a distinct name for the whale, with which 
 they are fairly familiar, there remains a possibility of the animal in question 
 being something unknown to naturalists. 
 
 A very singular coincidence between two legends relating to fabulous fish 
 is to be found in the following. A recent visitor to Nanking thus describes the 
 basin which formerly decorated the top of the celebrated porcelain pagoda: " We 
 happened to discover among the ruins sta immense cast iron basin, 39 feet in 
 circumference, which is connected popularly with the above account of the 
 thunder spirit. This basin was placed with its mouth upwards on the summit 
 of the pagoda, and hence would constantly be full of rain water. A bird perched 
 upon the edge of the basin one day dropped a fish into the water, which grew 
 and grew tiU it became a strange monster, exercising such an evil influence over 
 the neighbourhood that the God of thunder was at length compelled to attack it, 
 and in doing so struck the tower and partially destroyed it. It was finally 
 destroyed by the rebels in 1856." Now if we turn to Henderson's Folk-lore of 
 the Northern Counties, p. 248, we find the following story of the "Heir of 
 Lambton." Fishing one day in the river Wear he felt something tugging at 
 his line and thought he had secured a fine fish. But to his horror he found that 
 he had only caught a worm of unsightly appearance which he hastily tore from 
 his hook and flung into a well close by. "A stranger of venerable appearance 
 passing by asked Viim what sport he had met with. To which he replied, ' Why 
 truly I think I have caught the devil himself. Look in and judge*' The 
 
 stranger looked, and remarked that he thought it boded no good 
 
 Meantime the worm remained in the well till it outgrew so confined a hiding 
 place. It then emerged and betook itself by day to the river, and by night to a 
 neighbouring hill round whose base it would twine itself ; while it continued to 
 grow so fast that it soon could encircle the hill three times. The monster now 
 became the terror of the whole country side, &c." The feat of arms by which 
 this " Lambton Worm " was fitiiilly killed has been before alluded to. But the 
 coincidence between the Chinese and. English legend, in other respects, seemed 
 worth additional notice. 
 
 Some of my readers may perchance be interested to learn that the original 
 home of the mermaid (Ch. sea-woman vfe ^r hat nil) is almost within sight of 
 the room in which these notes are being written. The only specimen of a 
 veritable mermaid I ever saw was Barnum's celebrated purchase from Japan, 
 which, so far as could be judged, consisted of a monkey's body most artistically 
 joined to a fish's tail. But the author of a work entitled Yueh chung chieh 
 wen, or "Jottings on the South of China," compiled in 1801, narrates how a 
 man of the districlgaf Sin-an (locally iSin-on) captured a mermaid on the shore 
 of Ta-yii-shan or Namtao Island. " Her features and limbs were in aU respects 
 human, except that her body was covered with fine hair of many beautiful 
 colours. The fisherman took home his prize and married her, though she was 
 
SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE. 115 
 
 wnable to talt and could only smile. She however learned to wear clothes like 
 ordinary mortals. When the fisherman died the sea-maiden waa sent back 
 to the spot where she was first found, and she disappeared beneath the waves." 
 The narrator quaintly adds, " This testifies that a man-fish does no injury to 
 human beings," and he moreover informs us that these creatures are frequently 
 to be found near Tti-shan and' the Ladrone Island — so that any adventurous 
 Hongkong canoeist may still have a chance of making a novel acquaintance. 
 Another case recorded by the same writer speaks of a mermaid of more 
 conventional form than the lady already noticed. " The Cabinet Councillor Cha 
 Tao being despatched on a mission to Corea, and lying at anchor la his ship at 
 a bay upon the coast, saw a woman stretched upon the beach, with her face 
 upwards, her hair short and streaming loose, and with webbed feet and hands. 
 He recognised this being as a mermaid (or man fish) and gave orders that she 
 should be carried to' the sea. This being done, the creature clasped her hands 
 with an expression of loving gratitude and sank beneath the waters." 
 
 The Straits of Hainan are regarded by the Chinese as the chief habitat of 
 monstrous, fishes of strange shape, ruled over by the God of the waters, a sort 
 of Chinese Neptune. And it is quite possible that the opening of the principal 
 port of the island to foreign trade may (on the ground that nearly all such, 
 legends have a faint substratum of truth) reveal to the eyes of the naturalist 
 aew and undreamt-of inhabitants of the deep. It is but a few years since 
 the ridicule excited by M. Victor Hugo's " devil fish" has given way to a 
 sober recognition of the fact that the octopus of real life is a monster but little 
 differing from the fanciful sketch given of his congener. And he would now-a- 
 days be rash who ventured to assert that the Chinese have less ground for 
 asserting the existence of very real monsters to our eyes than is possessed by 
 the hardy fishermen of the coasts of Northern Europe. 
 
 XI.— SUPERSTITIONS REaAEDING THE POWERS 
 
 OF NATURE. 
 
 The beliefs to be noticed under this head are such as those familiar with 
 Asiatic ways of thought would expect to find. The sun, moon, and stars, 
 thunder and lightning, wind, water, and fire are each supposed to exist and 
 exercise their powers under the directions of particular deities or siririts. As 
 with ourselves, the moon enjoys amongst the Chinese a preeminence in regard to 
 the numerous traditions related of her inhabitants. TWe is an Old Man of 
 the Moon, a Goddess, a Lunar Frog, a Toad, a Hare &o-., Wd each myth bears 
 more or less resemblance to legends handed down to us from our own forefathers. 
 The sun, though in a l^s degree, is the object of similar beliefs. Planetary or 
 stellar influences are devoutly believed in, stars being, as amongst the ancient 
 
116 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Westerns, the embodiments or homes of heroes or demons. So too with eosmical 
 phenomena. Being unable to realize that these occur in accordance ■with natural 
 laws laid down by an all-powerful Creator, the Chinese are naturally thrown 
 back upon the pagan idea of numerous supernatural directors. That their legends 
 regarding such matters are, however puerile, so strikingly free from aught that 
 is obscene or (when mythology is in question) unnatural, is creditable to the 
 purity of the popular creeds. 
 
 Dr. D. J. Maogowan, whose numerous contributions to our better knowledge 
 of Chinese matters have placed his readers under considerable obligations, fur- 
 nished an interesting mass of matter in this connection in an article read in 
 December 1858 before the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 
 his introductory remarks he thus accounts for the fulness of eosmical record for 
 which Chinese literature is remarkable: — "According to Chinese cosmogony, 
 man is so intimately identified with the powers of nature, being what they term 
 ' a miniature heaven and earth,' that, in order to be conversant with the science 
 of civil government, one must- study celestial and terrestrial phenomena, — as the 
 deviations from the course of nature are all more or less portentous of evil, 
 excepting a few, which are regarded as felicitous. Indeed, in high antiquity 
 they professed to have a revelation in a tabulated form, procured from the 
 carapace of a tortoise, by which those who observed the weather and seasons 
 might form correct opinions on the political aspect of the times. In the Shu- 
 King, under the section Hung-Fan or Great Plan, this doctrine is summarily 
 laid down thus : — 
 
 Seasohabi/E eain, indicates Decorwn. 
 
 Excessive kain, ,, Dissoluteness. 
 
 Opportune FINE WEATHER, ,, Good governments 
 
 Long-continued drought, „■ Arrogance. 
 
 MoDEBATE HEAT, ,, Intelligence. 
 
 Excessive heat, „ Indolence. 
 
 Moderate cold, ,, Deliberation. 
 
 Extreme cold, „ Precipitation. 
 
 Seasonable wind, ,, Perfection. 
 
 Continued tempest, ,, Stupidity. 
 
 " From these views, which have great influence on the minds of the Chinese, it 
 happens that a fuller account of subterranean action of meteorological wonders, 
 and the like, are found in their records, than among the annals of any other 
 people, anterior to the birth of meteorology as a science." 
 
 No doubt the explanation here given accounts for the attention paid by the 
 more educated classes to natural phenomena. But, as is usually the case, 
 popular belief has grafted upon an intelligible, if abaard, system numerous ad- 
 ditions. The superstitious peasantry trouble themselves but slightly about the 
 science of oivU government but eagerly discuss portents which are believed to 
 affect their little world. And as my object is rather to deal with such supersti- 
 tions as they affect tlpvulgar, than as they influence the literati, I content my- 
 self with this mere glance at the profounder system involved' in watching 
 eosmical phenomena and pursue the humbler branch of the subject comprehended 
 under the term "folk-lore;" though it is probable that I shall here transgress the 
 
SUPERSTITIOjSTS regarding the powers of nature. 117 
 
 boundaries of my subject, inasmuch as sucb beliefs are too closely connected with 
 native mythology to enable a strict line to be drawn between the two. 
 
 The Chinese " Old Man in the Moon " is known as Yue-lao and is reputed to 
 hold in his hands the power of predestining the marriages of mortals — so that 
 marriages if not, according to the native idea, exactly made in heaven, are made 
 somewhere beyond the bounds of earth. He is supposed to tie together the 
 future husband and wife with an invisible silken cord which never parts so long 
 as life exists. Readers of Mr. Baring-Gould's " Curious Myths" will remember 
 the various legends attaching to the Man in the Moon, none of which however 
 endow him with any power over sublunary affairs. The parallel between an 
 English and Chinese superstition regarding the Queen or Goddess of the Moon 
 is closer. This still exists in parts of Lancashire and is the basis of numerous 
 legends in China. Regarding these latter I cannot do better than quote the 
 remarks made by Mr. W. F. Mayers,* though, as will be observed, he does not 
 notice the Lancashire superstition. Hp says: — "No one can compare the 
 Chinese legend with the popular European belief in the ' Man in the Moon,' as 
 sketched, for instance, in Mr. Baring-Gould's 'Curious Myths of the Middle 
 Ages' (First Series, p. 179), without ' feeling convinced of the certainty that the 
 Chinese superstition and the English nursery tale are both derived from kindred 
 parentage, and are linked in this relationship by numerous subsidiary ties. 
 The idea, says Mr. Gould, of placing ' animals in the two great luminaries of 
 heaven is very ancient and ... a relic of a primeval superstition of the Aryan 
 race.' A tree, an old man, and a hare, are, as Mr. Gould shews in various 
 passages, the inhabitants assigned to the moon in Indian fable ; whilst the 
 curious notion that the human recluse condemned to an abode in the lunar 
 regions owes his transportation thither to an act of theft or of sacrilege is a 
 well-known concomitant of the story in aU lands. In all the range of Chinese 
 mjrthology there is, perhaps, no stranger instance of identity with the traditions 
 that have taken root in Europe than in the case of the legends relating the 
 moon ; and, luckily, it is not difficult to trace the origin of the Chinese belief in 
 this particular instance. The celebrated Lin Ngan, author (in part at least) of 
 the writings known as Hwai Nan Tsze, is well known to have been the patron of 
 travelled philosophers, under whose guidance he studied and pursued the cabalis- 
 tic practices which eventually betrayed him to his death; and the famous 
 astronomer Chang H6ng was avowedly a disciple of Indian teachers. That the 
 writings derived from two such hands are found giving currency to an Indian 
 fable is, therefore, not surprisiag ; and there seems to be ground for suspicion 
 that the name Chang Ngo, (or, as the dictionaries assert more properly Heng- 
 ngo) appearing in their treatises may be the corrupt representation of some 
 Hindoo sound, rather than connected, as the writer quoted above suggests, with 
 the doubtful title of an office obscurely menSoned in times long anterior to the 
 dates at which they wrote. The statement given by Chang 'Hdng is to the effect 
 that ' How I ^ 3S) the fabled inventor of arrows in the days of Yao and 
 Shun, obtained the drug of immortality from Si "Wang Mu (the fairy " Royal 
 ^N.dtQ. on C. (& J., Vol. III., p. 123., 
 
118 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHIjSTA. 
 
 Mother" of the West) ; and Chang-Ngo (Ms wife) having stolen it, fled to the 
 moon, and became the frog — -Chan-chu — which is seen there.' The later 
 fabulists havB adhered to this story and amplified its details, as for instance, in 
 the Kwang-hi a pleasing story of a subsequent reunion between How I and his 
 wife is told ; but in general the myth has been handed down unaltered, and the 
 lady Chang-ngo is still pointed out among the shadows in the surface of the 
 moon. In its etymological bearings, the legend is well worthy of further 
 investigation." With this conclusion all readers wiU agree. As regards the 
 legend concerning the hare, it is purely of Indian origin, having been introduced 
 into China with Buddhism. Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, is related 
 to have been a hare in one of the earliest stages of his existence, living in friend- 
 ship with a fox and an ape. Indra having sojight their hospitality the fox 
 and ape procured him food, but the hare could find nothing. Sooner than be 
 inhospitable the hare oast itself into a fire in order to become food for his 
 guest, in reward for which Indra transported him to the moon.* The lunar 
 hare, as Mr. Mayers notes in his " Manual," is said to squat at the foot of 
 " the cassia tree of the moon" ( H PH j^j pounding drugs for the Grenii (Art. 
 
 Kwei j^ § 300.) A vulgar superstition asserts that the hare conceives by 
 looking at the moon, bringing forth her young from the mouth. 
 
 The influence exerted by the moon on tides is recognised by the Chinese — a 
 noteworthy fact in view of the strenuous denials of there being any basis of 
 scientific truth in a belief shared by every Western sailor. The moon is, in 
 China, the embodiment of the Yin or female principle influencing darkness, the 
 female sex, the earth, water, &o. &o. A trace of a similar belief is to be found 
 in the Isle of Skye. The Skye correspondent of a home Journal writes : — 
 ' ' During the fortnight commencing on the 24th of June, when the moon was 
 crescent, no real Skyeman would stack his peats for any consideration, believing 
 that unless stacked under a waning moon the peats will give neither light nor 
 heat when burned. ' A power of smoke ' is all that can be expected from peats 
 stacked under a crescent moon. In Skye the crescent is called ' fas,' and the 
 wane 'tarradh,' and under these two terms the moon not only exercises great 
 influence over peats, but also over many other things. In some parts of the 
 High-lands, sheep, pigs and cows are only kUled in the 'fas,' as meat made in 
 the 'tarradh' is supposed to be good for nothing but 'shrinking' when in the 
 pot." Native Chinese records aver that on the 18th day of the 6th moon, 1690, 
 snow f eU one summer night from the midst of the moon. The flakes were like 
 fine willow flowers or shreds of silk. 
 
 If we except the somewhat bold speculations of certain modern religionists 
 who place the hereafter within the flery orb forming the centre of our system, 
 European legend and belief have but little to say about the sun. The Chinese 
 however have not failed to assign it as the dweUing-place of mysterious beings, 
 one account making it the residence of a spirit named Yuh I, while others 
 
 * CuriouB Myths of the Middle Ages, Eitel's Handbook of Chinese Buddhisyn, 
 1st Series, p. 191. Mayers' Chinese Art. Sakchi. 
 Readers' Manual, pp. 95, 219, 288. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE. 119 
 
 allege that a tkree-legged bird of supernatural attributes is its ruling demon. 
 The sun rules the masculine principle and is supposed to be the offspring of a 
 female named Hi Ho. * Other popular Buddhistic legends allege the names of 
 the solar genius to be— Su-li-ye' ^^ ^tA SJJ or Su-mo ^* j^. We ^must 
 turn to the fire-worshippers of Persia or Mexico, to the worshippers of Baal or 
 the sun-worshippers of Phoenicia for precise analogies in this direction. Dr. Kitto 
 concludes that the latter worshipped not the sun itself but an astral spirit 
 residing in it. The most singular fact in connection with the Chinese beliefs 
 is, after aU, their compatibility with an absence of any extended system of 
 Sun-worship, though that luminary is adored as Tai-yanff-ti-chiin— the "Sun 
 ruler " who presides over the soul of man. 
 
 The identification of the stars and planets with the dwelling places of heroic 
 or supernatural beings prevails extensively in China. These superstitions are 
 mostly Taoistio and strongly resemble those of the Hindoos. The Divine Tor- 
 toise ijjfi} ^^ Shen-hwai is said to be the embodiment of the star "Yao 
 Kwong " in Ursa Major. The Spirit of the legendary prince Chih-yu -^ y^Q 
 is supposed to inhabit the planet Mars. Yu-hwang-ti is assigned to the 
 pure Jade stone palace in the T'ai-wei tract of stars. T'ien-hwang-ta-ti, who 
 rules the poles, and regulates heaven, earth and man, is said to reside in 
 the pole star. Hsing-chu, the "Lord of the stars" resides in a star near 
 the pole known by his name ; while the spirit of the South pole has a 
 similar celestial residence. As already noted, Kwan-Ti, the God of War, 
 is alleged to have made himself visible, on occasions of dire political- distress, 
 within a brilliant star. Numerous examples of this sort might be adduced, 
 but the foregoing may suffice. The constellations, by the way, are in 
 Chinese almanacks formed into arbitrary figures as in Western astronomy, 
 while, as is natural, the Chinaman actually associates the monster thus designed 
 with the stars forming its supposed outline. Persons born under certain 
 constdlations are (in accordance with European Astrology) liable to good or 
 evil luck. Apropos of this I came across a curious work from Madrasf a 
 short time since, ui which the rules for building a house in compliance 
 with stellar infiuences closely resemble similar beliefs in China. — "Having 
 selected a site, the frontage must be divided into nine equal parts, five being 
 assigned to the right and three to the left, the fourth division being reserved 
 for the door-way. The enumeration begins on the left and thus the fourth 
 section is in the mansion of Mercury. The occupant of such a house may 
 become as wealthy as Kubern. A person born tinder Gemini, Cancer or Leo, 
 must build his house on a line stretching east and west, the entrance being 
 placed easterly. A person born under Virgo, Libra, or Scorpio, must buUd on 
 a line running north and south, the door-way being southerly. One bom under 
 Sagittarius, Capricorn, or Aquarius must buUd west and east, placing the 
 entrance westerly. If born under Pisces, Aries or the Twins, he must build 
 south and north, the door being placed northerly. A family occupying a 
 house built contrary to these rules will be ruined." 
 
 * Chinese Headers' Manual, p. 75. t Percival's Tamil Proverbs. 
 
120 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Some of the popvdar beliefs regarding appearances in the heavens haye 
 been alluded to under Portents and Auguries, but I may here add a word 
 or two to the details already giyen. The appearance of ships, troops, &c. in 
 the sky is of course deemed supernatural, Chinese science being as yet unac- 
 quainted with the causes of the mirage. Several well-authenticated stories of 
 such phenomena are on record, one at Kung-shan having been visible for a 
 whole day. That part of the sea on Hangchau Bay which lies near Kiahing 
 often, says Dr. Macgowan, exhibits this illusion. It is more frequently seen 
 from the -opposite side. "Sea Market" is the general term by which the 
 mirage is designated, and it is noted as occurring at different points of the coast 
 from Canton to Shantung. It can easily be believed that such an apparent 
 miracle, in view of two contending armies, would suffice to turn the scale of 
 victory on the side of those expecting reinforcements. Amongst other phenomena 
 recorded in China is the appearance of a hen without feet sitting on the sun ! 
 Parhelia, or mock suns, have frequently been seen, and the concurrence of their 
 manifestation with important state events has of coui-se tended to justify a 
 popular belief in their portentous qualities. A well-known story published 
 only a few years since, in one of the foreign papers, relates how the Chang- 
 ning rebels besieged one of the cities in the Tangtsze valley, and how 
 the magistrate having first offered prayer in the temple of Tien-kung, led the 
 troops against them and completely -defeated them. The rebel prisoners all 
 stated that when the battle commenced they saw a large flag in the heavens 
 with the characters Tien ffl on it, and in the rear of the flag a host of 
 ghostly soldiers flying throoigh the air, smitiog the rebels as they passed, and 
 scaring them out of their wits. Thus the city was saved. The success was 
 fuUy attributed to divine interposition, and the, story is gratefully recounted 
 by the people to the present time. A memorial was drawn up by the 
 local gentry, and presented to the district magistrate with the request that the 
 Throne shovild be petitioned to confer a higher title on Tien-kung. Such a 
 request being in accordance with Chinese custom, it was of course granted. 
 
 The absurd stories told of meteors are endless. In the native Records, 
 the most extraordinary phenomena are alleged to have been observed. A 
 shooting star from which fell fish (A.D. 519), a meteor which after lying 
 where it fell for some days suddenly moved of itself (A.D. 1561), and a 
 formless body as large as a house which bounded over the dykes near 
 Tuling into the sea, furrowing the ground as it went (A.D. 1782), are duly 
 recorded, with a host of ordinary meteorites, as having alarmed the neigbour- 
 hood in which they appeared. " In the year 1348, a star as large as a 
 bowl, of a white and slightly azure colour, with a tail about 60 feet long, 
 lightened the sky, with a rumbling noise flew from the North-east, and entered 
 the midst of the moon, the moon then looking as a reversed tUe, — i.e. upright." 
 The Chinese are not of course much worse (if so bad) in regard to such 
 matters than the people of the "West, and equally curious records exist 
 amongst ourselves. As was observed in the introductory chapter the distinction 
 between the superstitions of the Middle Kingdom and those of Europe lies rather 
 
SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE. 121 
 
 in the more widely accorded credulity to alleged marvels amongst the former 
 than in any actual difference of belief. 
 
 Thunder and lightning are, of course, in China the manifestations of super- 
 natural anger.* The god of Thunder in China (Lui-tsz) corresponds to the Indian 
 Vajrapani, and is a well-known Buddhist deity, worshipped like his numerous 
 companions as a stellar god, and occupying in popular belief a position not 
 unlike, though less important than, that of the ScandinaTian Thor.t The con- 
 nection between lightning and fire in all known mythologies is equally obvious 
 in China. But we miss the Promethean legend so widely known in the West. 
 Here the God of Fire wields indeed the lightning, but only to cause the con- 
 flagrations which satiate his vengeance. He is, in fact, a very everyday deity, 
 destitute of the enormous powers wielded by his representatives elsewhere. 
 The popular idea of his attributes is well illustrated by the following legend, 
 kindly placed at my disposal by Mr. G. M. H. Playfair (of H. M. Consular 
 service in China) as having been related to him during his residence in 
 Peking : — 
 
 " The temples of the God of Fire are numerous in Peking, as is natural in a 
 city built for the most part of very combustible materials. The idols repre- 
 senting the god are, with one exception, decked with red beards, typifying by 
 theii colour the element under his control. The exceptional god has a white 
 beard, and ' thereby hangs a tale.' 
 
 " A hundred years ago the Chinese Imperial revenue was in much better 
 case than it is now. At that time they had not yet come into collision with 
 Western powers, and the word 'indemnity' had not, so far, found a place in 
 their vocabulary ; internal rebellions were cheeked as soon as they broke out, 
 and, in one word, Kien Lung was in less embarrassed circumstances than 
 Kwang Hsu ; he had more money to spend, and did lay out a good deal in the 
 
 * Lei-chau, (thunder district) is a long less severe. Formerly the drum was 
 mountainous peninsula in Canton province placed on the top of a mountain, and a boy 
 opposite the island of Hainan, and is left there as an attendant on the thucderer 
 celebrated throughout China for severtJ — a sort of sacrifice to him. — Dr. Mao- 
 myths respecting its thunder-storms, which gowan, in Jowrnftl N. C. B. B. A. S., 
 doubtless reverberate through the alpine 1853. 
 
 regions of that latitude in a manner which f See Dr. EdMns' " Taoist Mythology " 
 
 awakens awe and superstition. Standard in N. C. B. E. A. S. Journal for 1859, p. 
 
 Encyolopsedias, quoting from various au- 311. A North American Indian supersti- 
 
 thors on the subject, inform us, that after tion is to the effect that thunder is caused 
 
 thunder-storms black stones are found by au immense bird, whose outspread 
 
 emitting light and a sonorous sound on wings darken the heavens. It is named 
 
 being struck. At times, also, hatchet- " Then-cloots." The lightning is caused 
 
 shaped things are picked up which are by a serpent-like fish of immense size, 
 
 nseful amulets. The fields are often fur- with head as sharp as a knife, When he 
 
 rowed by thunder as if they had been puts out his tongue it makes the lightning, 
 
 ploughed. In a temple consecrated to the Its name is " Ha-hake-to-ak," and the 
 
 " Thunder Duke," the people annually thunder-bird catches it for food. The 
 
 place a drum, drawn thither on a carriage bird is in shape like an Indian, but of great 
 
 purposely constructed, which it is sup- proportions and strength. It lives on the 
 
 posed he beats during a storm ; and it is top of the mountains. An Indian ones 
 
 said that since a drum cavered with paper found the nest of a thnnder-bird and got 
 
 has been substituted for one covered with one of its feathers which was over 200 
 
 leather, the peals of thunder have been feet long ! — American Magatim, 
 
122 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 way of palaoes. His favourite building, and one on which no expense had been 
 spared, was the ' Hall of Contemplation.' This Hall was of very large dimen- 
 sions ; the rafters and the pillars which supported the roof were of a size such as 
 no trees in China furnish now-a-days. They were not improbably originally 
 sent as an offering by the tributary monarch of some tropical country, such as 
 Burmah or Siam. Two men eould barely join hands round the pillars ; they 
 were cased in lustrous jet black lacquer, which, while adding to the beauty of 
 their appearance, was also supposed to make them less liable to combustion. 
 Indeed, every care was taken that no fire should approach the building ; no 
 lighted lamp was allowed in the precincts, and to have smoked a pipe inside 
 those walls would have been punished with death. The floor of the Hall was of 
 different-coloured marbles, in a mosaic of flowers and mystic Chinese characters, 
 always kept polished like a mirror. The sides of the room were lined with rare 
 books and precious manusorijrf;s. It was in short the finest palace in the 
 Imperial city,. and it was the pride of Kien Lung. 
 
 "Alas for the vanity of human wishes! In spite of every precaution, one 
 night a fire broke out and the Hall of Contemplation was in danger. The 
 Chinese of a century ago were not without fire-engines ; and though miserably 
 inefficient as compared with those of our London fire brigades, they were better 
 than nothing, and a hundred of them were soon working round the burning 
 building. The Emperor himself came out to superintend their efforts and 
 encourage them to renewed exertions. But the wall was doomed ; a more than 
 earthly power was directing the flames, and mortal efforts were of no avail. Fop 
 on one of the burning rafters £ien Lung saw the figure of a little old man, 
 with a long white beard, standing in a triiunphant attitude. ' It is the God of 
 Fire,' said the Emperor, ' we can do nothing : ' so the building was allowed 
 to blaze in peace. Next day Kien Limg appointed a Commission to go the 
 round of the Peking temples in order to discover in which of them there was a 
 Fire god with a white beard, that he might worship him and appease the offended 
 deity. The search was fruitless ; all the Fire-gods had red beards. But the 
 Commission had done its work badly; being highly respectable mandarins of 
 genteel families, they^had confined their search to such temples as were in 
 good repair and of creditable exterior. Outside the North gate of the Imperial 
 City was one old, dilapidated, disreputable shrine which they had overlooked. 
 It had been crumbling away for years, and even the dread figure of the God of 
 Fire, which sat above the altar, had not escaped desecration. ' Time had thinned 
 his fiowing locks,' and the beard had fallen away altogether. One day some 
 water-carriers who frequented the locality thought, either in charity or by 
 way of a joke, that the face would look the better for a new beard. So they 
 unravelled some cord, and with the frayed-out hemp adorned the beardless chin. 
 An official passing the temple one day, peeped in out of curiosity, and saw the 
 hempen beard. ' Just the thing the Emperor was enquiring about,' said he to 
 himself, and he took the news to the palace without delay. Next day there was 
 a state visit to the dilapidated temple, and Kien Lung made obeisance and vowed 
 a vow. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS EEGARDIKG THE POWERS OF NATURE. 123 
 
 " ' O Fire God,' said he, ' thou hast been ■wroth with me in that I have built 
 ine palaces and left thy shrine unhonoured and in ruins. Here do I vow to build 
 thee a temple surpassed by none other of the Eire-gods in Peking ; but I shall 
 expect thee in future not to meddle with my palaces.' 
 
 " The Emperor was as good as his word. The new temple is on the site of 
 the old one and the Fire god has a flowing beard of flue white hair." 
 
 Some odd superstitutions connected with the spread of fire oome under my 
 notice at this moment. The Chinese are cautious of provoking the "God of 
 Fire" or "Fire Principle'' either by ill-timed allusions to his powers or by 
 other acts, and the Tientsin correspondent of a Shanghai journal refers to this 
 fact in noting that, in view of an existing drought, and the closing of the South 
 gate of the former City as a stimulus to rain, the Fire Principle might revenge 
 itself by an outbreak. On the 19th of May last the correspondent writes : — 
 "Almost as soon as this ill-timed suggestion had an opportunity to get itself 
 considered, the Fire Principle proceeded to act upon it; the consequence is that 
 a large quantity of combustible material, and several rather- incombustible 
 mud houses, now ' slumber in the valley.' The houses at the foreign settlement 
 a mile and-a-half distant were illuminated by 'the lurid light, before which even 
 the fuU moon paled its ineffectual fires. The inevitable ' fire pigeon,'' whose 
 indeterminate circles and final flight are watched with close and most supersti- 
 tious awe, did not fail to appear, and having indicated by his course that the 
 fire would spread across the wall into the city, caused' the most intense excitement 
 there. Fortunately the wind was comparatively light, and the damage done, 
 considering th« terror inspired, was trifling. The next day in a violent gale 
 another conflagation broke out at the south-west comer of the city, destroyed' 
 the grass intended for horses and donkeys, but no houses." The "fire pigeon" 
 here alluded to is nothing supernatural. Most cities in North China are fre- 
 quented by large flocks of pigewiB, and the light of a conflagration generally 
 attracts a number wha wheel in circles round the burning house. The bird' 
 nearest the flames is looked trpoa as affording an augury of their spread — not 
 always, as is above evidenced', of the most reliable description. 
 
 Mountains in China as in Europe have their demons or presiding divinities. 
 The God of T'ai-shan in Shantung Tung-yoh-ta-ti regulates the punishments 
 inflicted on sinners in both this world' and' the next. Four other divinities rule 
 over the principal chains in other portions of the Einpire. 
 
 The formation- of islands by natural causes in the vast streams which water 
 the empire is of course the basis of numerous legends. A gentleman who 
 explored the 'West River near Canton-, some ten years since, gave the followmg 
 instance, sho-wing how easily a popular belief springs into being. "Pau 
 Man-ching, who was Departmental Magistrate (some eight hundred and twenty- 
 five years ago) of what was then kno-mi as Tun Chau now Shiu Hing Fu, is 
 said to have been a man of remarkable administrative powers and possessing 
 the most sterling integrity. He filled his term of office in such an acceptable 
 manner, that on its expiration he was immediately transferred to a position of 
 honor and trust in the capital. lUustmtiye of his great virtue it is. recorded,, 
 
124 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 that when he arrived at SMu Hing, the Department City, he found the officers 
 were in the habit of practising gross abuses of power, and set himself immedi- 
 ately to the work of reformation. Particularly were they accustomed to 
 require the people to furnish ten-fold more than the lawful tribute from the 
 ink-stone quarries, which are regarded as the best in the Empire. The surplus 
 thus acquired was secretly distributed among the high oiScers at the Court, in 
 prder to secure special favor. He at once put a stop to the practice, and would 
 allow no more tribute to be levied than was actually sent up to the Emperor. 
 In this one respect he was so strict that he did not carry away a single stone 
 for himself when he left. Now tradition amplifies the idea and says, that of the 
 many testimonials of gratitude and respect offered him by the people on his 
 departure, he only accepted an inkstone, lest there should seem to be even the 
 shadow of bribery or corruption chargeable against him. When he arrived at 
 the above-mentioned point in the river on his voyage down, a violent storm 
 arose, which threatened to overwhelm the boat. The inkstone became a burden 
 to his conscience, and Jonah-like was hove into the stream ; whereupon the 
 storm immediately ceased and an island rose up, known to this day as ' Ink- 
 stone island.' Another form of the legend is, that in the midst of the storm 
 he fell into a passion, upbraided the Gods of the country for thus rewarding a 
 man who had endeavoured to do his duty, and then cast away the stone, the act 
 being followed by the above result. If either of these were true, it surely 
 might be said that this was one of the most productive inkstones in China." 
 It should be added that the better-read literati of the neighbourhood simply 
 refer the name to the fact of the inkstone being cast overboard opposite the 
 island, but the more miraculous version is firmly accepted by the unlettered 
 peasants. I need scarcely refer to well-known European legends to find 
 parallels to the above. 
 
 The belief that violent winds or typhoons are caused by the passage through 
 the air of a " Bob-tailed Dragon" has been before adverted to, and the supersti- 
 tions connected with water, whether in the shape of rain, sea, or river, are 
 equally quaint. The rain god TU-Shih 0S |^[|] or ."Master of rain" is a 
 divinity identified by the ancient cosmogonists with a son of Kung Kung bearing 
 the name ^^ ^. (Hsuan-ming). He is identified with the constellation ^ 
 (Hyades) and is held as personifying the aqueous influences of the atmosphere.* 
 One of his effigies occupies an honoured position in a temple some ten miles from 
 Peking, and about a hundred and fifty years ago fell under the displeasure of 
 the then Emperor for his persistent neglect to send down the much needed 
 showers. A chain was put rormd his neck and he was ,ignominiously dragged to 
 the Mongolian frontier, when a lucky deluge delivered his godship from his 
 impleasant position. He was taken back in great state, and the Emperor himself 
 bestowed on him a yellow dress, which still adorned the idol at the time of my 
 visit. 
 
 As a specimen of the form in which the popular superstitions in this oon- 
 
 * Mftyem' Chintst Readtrt' Manual, p. 283. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE. 125 
 
 nection are evidenced the following from a correspondent at Tientsin deserves 
 record. "Writing to a. Northern journal in May last he says, " The season con- 
 tinues excessively dry, in spite of the liberal petitions to every god by all people 
 ■whatsoever. The most recent sensation story relates to a Buddhist priest who 
 has conceived the idea of doing a little temple building at tlie expense of the 
 public credulity, and has accordingly, after interviewing the high officials for 
 permission, announced that he wiU pray for rain for a period of six or seven 
 days, on an altar for that purpose erected near the Sung Wang Miao, and if 
 within the specified time rain does not fall, he will be burnt alive." A general 
 curiosity was manifested to know whether this foolish bargain would be kept. 
 Happily for the enthusiast, or impostor, a slight shower which fell an Hour or 
 two before the date expired was considered sufficient to save his reputation and 
 his Ufe, Chinese officials not liking to be trifted with in such matters. For the 
 rest, praying for rain is an every-day matter in China where drought is one of 
 the most serious of disasters. By native custom the Emperor is deemed 
 responsible if the drought be at all severe, and numerous are the self-condem- 
 natory Imperial edicts on this subject published in the pages of the venerable 
 Peking Gazette. In extreme cases the Emperor, clothed in humble vestments, 
 sacrifices to Heaven and entreats its benevolence. No touch of superstition this, 
 however, — ^rather a glimpse of Chinese humanity at its best, conscious of its 
 subjection to a higher wUl and openly confessing its shortcomings ! 
 
 Tides share with rain a supersitious belief in their regulation by supernatural 
 beings. The most remarkable phenomenon in connection with this subject to be 
 witnessed in China is the Eagre or bore of the Tsien-tang river which debouches 
 into the sea at the extreme eastern portion of the coast, the city of Hang-chow 
 being situated at its mouth. The Eagre at times causes a rise of tide to the 
 extent of some forty feet opposite the city, and a writer already quoted, in 
 a paper on the subject read before the China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 
 so long ago as 1853, gives some interesting details of the superstitions connected 
 with it. The Chinese, he says, regard the Eagre as one of the wonders of 
 their world, audit gave its name to the province. "As might be expected, 
 therefore, it is blended with their mythology. It is not a little remarkable, 
 however, that it should be popularly ascribed to the spiritual energy of a jp^ 
 shen (or god,) who lived so recently as five hundred and forty years before our 
 era, or about twenty years before the birth of Confucius. At that period the 
 Tsien-tang was the boundary of two belligerent kingdoms, Wu and Tueh. Fu 
 Chai, king of the former, incensed against his minister Wu Tsz' Si, for opposing 
 the terms of a treaty, submitted by Chung, ambassador of Ku Tsien, King of 
 Tueh, sent him a sword, with which, understanding his master's wiU, he com- 
 mitted suicide, by cutting his throat, a method still pursued by sovereigns in 
 China towards officers of distinction who have incurred their displeasure. This 
 incident in ancient history is recorded in the spring and autumn Annals of 
 Confucius ; but in a work, entitled (" Spring and Autumn Annals of the States 
 of Wu and Tueh) « historical novel, written several hundred years after, 
 a prevailing myth is superadded to the authentic narrative, which the 
 
I2(> THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 author himself seeias to credit, and which to the present day is received as; 
 verity." 
 
 " Wu Tsz' Si's corpse, which was thrown into the Tsien-tang, after being 
 carried to and fro by the tide for some time, tunneled a passage through the- 
 hills on the Yueh side, as far as the tomb of the quondam ambassador' 
 Chung, whose cadaver he took with him to the estuary. Since that period, it is 
 stated Wu Tsz' Si has been the god of the Eagre, his periodical indignation 
 being exhibited by its violence ; hence the sacrifices and prayers ofB.cially 
 presented at appointed seasons to propitiate his ang-er. Monarohs of. almost 
 every dynasty have honoured him with titles, so that they are recorded."* 
 
 The superstitions connected with that class of phenomena referable to 
 Volcanic agency are numerous. The many earthquakes which have visited 
 the empire are frequently alleged to have been accompanied by the appearance 
 of white hairs on the ground. As a similar appearance has been observed 
 in Mexico the allegation, is doubtless true, and is probably explainable by 
 natural causes. Some scientists are of opinion that these hairs are caused by 
 the mixture of some salt of the soil with a certain gas. But whatever the- 
 true reason, the Chinese commonly view them- as supernatural productions 
 emblematic of serious disaster. Another very frequently recorded appearance 
 at such times is that of blood falling from the sky, issuing from the ground, 
 or otherwise appearing in unusual places. The following legend regarding 
 lake Man in the prefecture of Sungkiang is related in the native topography 
 of the district. This lake was in former times the site of a flourishing city 
 called Chiang-shui. A report, said to have originated with the children of 
 the place, ran to the effect that whenever blood should be seen upon the 
 gates of the city it would disappear and the site become a lake. Now there - 
 lived at Chiang-shui an old woman who being deeply impressed by the possible 
 danger used to come daily to see if blood -was on the gates ; and some of the 
 soldiers on duty thought in an idle moment that it would be fine fun to hoax 
 her ; so they killed a dog and smeared the gates -with his blood. The old woman 
 immediately left the place amidst the jeers of the jokers. Biit their laughter 
 was short-lived. A few days only had elapsed when a flood took place; a fearful 
 noise was heard, and, with scarcely a moment's warning, the entire city sank 
 into the earth, the resistless waters filling up the hole and forming the lake 
 now visible. The fact appears to be historical, and similar instances of suddett 
 sinking are alleged to have occurred in the same neighbourhood. 
 
 Records of sudden fissures in the earth (due it may be safely alleged 
 to volcanic action) are plentiful enough in Chinese annals, but are, of course, 
 always accompanied by other portentous occurrences. A favourite legend 
 
 * " The Tidal King Temple is near turies later, on the occasion of a combat 
 Hangohow. Its shSn (or god) was an bet-ween the people and rebels, who were 
 official, who in 828 A.D. undertook the attempting to capture Hangohau, his name 
 reBtoration of a dyke, which an Eagte of was seen incribed on a streamer in the 
 tmusnal -violence had overthrown ; and darkened sky, where also unearthly noises 
 faiUng in the construction of the fotmda- were heard. The enemy instantly suc- 
 tion, drowned himself from chagrin. He cumbed." 
 afterwards became a shen and three cen- 
 
SUPERSTITIONS REGARDINa THE POWERS OF NATURE. 127 
 
 Telates to the emissioa of a shen or chiao J^ which eventually becomes a 
 dragon. The fissures are due to its efforts to escape from the earth's interior. 
 " The Shen is popularly described as an embryotic dragon, or a dragon in the 
 first stage of existence. It is formed by the perspiration of that animal 
 failing from the sky upon terrestrial beings. Animals thus affected become 
 Shen, sink into the ground and remain there, some say thirty, some an hun- 
 dred years, emerging in heavy rains as a Kiau."* Other legends record the 
 emission of fragrant vapours from the rents thus made, the issue of blood from 
 springs in place of water, &o. These latter occurrences may have been due to 
 a gush of water through oxide of iron beds, but Chinese records are too 
 unscientific to allow aught save conjecture in this respect. Trees also are 
 recorded as giving forth blood, an appearance due in all probability to the pre- 
 sence of minute insects in exudations from the bark. 
 
 ■Waterspouts are usually spoken of in native annals as dragons, and when 
 
 more than one is seen they are described as fighting in the air. Nine dragons 
 
 fighting at sea are recorded as having been seen at Shanghai in the year 1519. 
 
 The following list of such occurrences is from the authority already quoted — 
 
 A.D. 1605. — A couple of dragons fought at Whampoa and tore up a large 
 
 tree, and demolished several tens of houses. 
 A.D. 1608, 4th moon. — A gyrating dragon was seen over the decorated 
 summit of a pagoda ; all around were clouds and fog ; ■ the tail only of 
 the dragon was visible ; in the space of eating a meal, it went away, 
 leaving the marks of its claws on the pagoda. 
 A.D. 1609, 6th moon. — A white dragon was seen at Whangpu ; on its head 
 
 stood a god. 
 A.D. 1452, 6th moon. — A dragon at the Tsan stream taking up water, 
 lifted a boat, and transported it to the middle of a field ; rain fell to the 
 depth of several feet, soaking plants to death. 
 A.D. 1667, 6th moon, 14th day. — Dragons were seen fighting in the air; 
 there was a violent wind and excessive rain ; the canal rose four or five 
 feet; many houses were destroyed, a tree above ten armlengths in 
 circumference was torn up &c. 
 A.D. 1773, 7th moon, 20th day. — A group of dragons burnt paddy in the 
 field, drew houses into the air and travellers also ; hail-stones of two or 
 three catties weight fell, kUling houses and animals. 
 A.D. 1739, 9th moon, 3rd day. — Dragons fought at Man lake, and went off 
 
 S. E. to the sea, destroying the paddy as they went. 
 A.D. 1787, 7th moon. — Dragons fought ; a great wind overturning houses, 
 and carrying off, no one knows where, half a stone bridge. 
 
 It is satisfactory to be able to identify the very mythical dragon (as usually 
 deemed) with a tangible force. The popular superstitions regarding it acquire a 
 certain amount of respectability in view of this fact — first pointed out I believe 
 by the ingenious writer above quoted. 
 
 * See Dr. Macgowan's article, before alluded to. 
 
128 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Popular beliefs concerning human beings being metamorphosed into 
 stone have been already touched on under the heads of Witchcraft and De- 
 monology, the "stone rams" of Canton being cited as an example. But 
 similar legends, though of less supernatural complexion, exist in all parts of 
 the empire. Shiu Hing Gap ,Jg J^ ||b|^ on the West River is more properly 
 called Ling Yung Hap M^ ^E jlri^ i.e. "Chamois Gap," since tradition asserts 
 that some such animal was thereabouts transformed into stone. Not far from 
 the same spot, says a traveller who visited the place some ten years 
 since, " The Woman looking for her husband " ^^ -^ >S is pointed out. Two 
 thirds way up the mountain, in a slight depression between a secondary peak 
 and the main peak above and beyond, and at the head of a ravine which, from a 
 point on the river a little further up, inclines down the stream as it ascends 
 the face of the hill, there is a rock apparently only a few feet in height, 
 which presents a striking resemblance to a woman seated on the ground and 
 looking towards the west. In ascending the pass the view is not fully obtained 
 untU you have passed slightly beyond the position, when a good binocular 
 reveals a fine side view of the head and body of a woman, the coiffure being 
 quite distinct and the general appearance tolerably true to life. The legend 
 connected with the roek-freak is that in ancient days the wife of a military 
 officer who had gone to Kwang-Si and fallen in battle, came here day by day 
 to look for his return. Being ignorant of his fate, her vigils were protracted 
 until they were finally rewarded by the transformation of her body into this 
 rock, a conversion into her own monument." 
 
 Such then are a few of the cosmical facts or phenomena in which Chinese 
 superstition finds room for indulgence. I maj' fitly conclude this chapter by 
 noting an incident in this connection which reflects credit on the Emperor to 
 whom it alludes. A secretion (probably of animal origin) is occasionally found 
 to fall like the manna of old from the sky, and such an event being rai'e a report 
 of it is always made to the authorities. In the year 1788 a notice that sweet 
 dew had fallen for three days in the Sung Kiang prefecture was sent to the 
 Emperor Tung Ching. The memorial stating the fact "attributed it to the 
 virtues of the monarch, which called down this signal manifestation of heaven's 
 favor. His Majesty gracefully declined taking the honor to himself, as it did 
 not fall in the palace ; but ascribed it to the goodness of the officers and people 
 of the palace, and enjoined on them the duty of acknowledging and proving 
 themselves worthy of the heavenly token." Pagan gratitude to Heaven, though 
 it sometimes takes queer forms, is not an unknown sentiment in China. 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 129 
 
 XII.— LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD 
 TALES, &c. 
 
 All who possess the slightest acquaintanee with the legendary lore of 
 the Celestial empire will readily credit the assertion that any attempt to even 
 cvu'sorily notice a tenth of the vast number of legends current throughout 
 its population would he a task far beyond both the scope of these pages, 
 and the average reader's patience. In touching therefore on the subjects em- 
 braced under the above heading, an attempt must be made to deal chiefly with 
 those which are typical of numerous variants, while at the same time ofier- 
 ing resemblances to legends current in the West. Few countries present a 
 larger field for curious enquiry in this respect ; and any shortcomings in demon- 
 strating the fact must rather be referred to the fault of the writer than to 
 paucity of matter. 
 
 In an interesting article on the "Legends of the Tang-Tsze River" the 
 North China Herald recently drew attention to the wealth of material at the 
 disposition of any one wiUing to gather it, in the following weU-ohosen 
 words: "The Romish Church has been said by a great Catholic authority 
 to be 'hung with miracles,' and in the same way the whole of China is 
 hung with legends. The most industrious and materialistic race in the 
 world attest the resolution with which the imaginative faculty suggests itself, 
 by the wild variety of the legends that linger about its austere moun- 
 tains and winding deUs. The rocks, tapestried with creepers, the fountain 
 sparkling in the winding vales, and the rude rooks or tawny islets that 
 abound in the large streams, all have their presiding fairy or their romantic 
 tale of magic and glamour. The names of the various elevations that the 
 voyager meets with, suggest all manner of curious enquiries. We hear of 
 ' Yellow Ox Hill,' ' Golden Yoke Cliff;' ' Flying Phoenix Mountain,' ' Ascending 
 Dragon Peak,' and ' Filial Maiden Precipice.' " The writer indeed admits that 
 though the legends connected with the Yang-Tsze, its tributaries and lakes, 
 are full of interest, the wildest and most romantic stories and the richest 
 historical associations do not gather about the Yang-tsze-kiang but about the 
 Yellow River. But his remarks will, it may be hoped, stimulate research 
 in both directions, and I can only regret that no chance of exploring this 
 rich mine of Chinese legend presents itself to me before giving these pages 
 to the press. Enough however is at disposal to render selection difficult. 
 
 Most nations have, or have had, a reputed gate of Purgatory or 
 Hell situated somewhere within their borders; more especially if the country 
 tiiey inhabit include vast tracts of mountainous country, amongst whose 
 gloomy recesses popular superstition finds it easy to locate an entrance to 
 the nether world,' unchecked by the ridicule of educated visitors. Thus the 
 
130 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Horsellocli cavern in the Horselberg, between Eisenach and Gotha, was sup- 
 posed by the peasantry of Thuringia to be the entrance to Purgatory, and 
 moans and shrieks were believed in former times to be nightly heard issuing 
 from its ghostly portals." I need scarcely refer classical scholars to the 
 legend of the cave of Acherusia, nor will most students of ethnology be 
 unaware how wid^read is the belief that a door to the infernal regions 
 is accessible to mortal gaze. But the fact of a similar belief existing in 
 China may be new to many. The location of this entrance to the Chinese 
 purgatory is by native writers placed not far from Teng Chow, of which Chefoo 
 is the Treaty Port, celebrated throughout the length and breath of the 
 Empire from its proximity to the birth-place of Confucius. The demons of 
 Teng Chow are classed, according to a 'Chinese proverb, as one of the wonders 
 of the world — as well they might be, did they exist. Popular tradition avers 
 that at stated periods the ghosts of the departed, who are sent to Ting 
 Chow to await judgment, are allowed to again revisit their earthly haunts; 
 which, as the native chronicles naively observe, f uUy accounts for the myste- 
 rious doings common in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Nobody who has read the Arabian Nights (and who has not?) will 
 have forgotten the story of the " City of SUenoe," in whiph the hero goes in 
 search of "the bottles of brass stopped with molten lead and sealed with 
 the ring of Suleyman the son of D^ood." The story goes on to teU how these 
 bottles were frequently drawn up by fishermen in their nets and how, upon 
 their being opened, genii were liberated who had been imprisoned by that all- 
 powerful potentate as a punishment for their disobedience. The hero, after 
 undergoing various extraordinary adventures, finally reaches the City of Silence 
 and at last -obtains the coveted bottles for his Sultan.' Now the powers 
 herein conferred upon the mighly Suleyman are oddly recalled by a legend 
 (communicated to Notes and Queries on China and Japan by Mr. T. Sampson 
 in 1867) which may quite rank with its Arabian prototype, with the difference 
 that it has a local interest and, in native eyes, accounts for certain historical 
 events. It runs as follows : — ■ 
 
 " Many, generations ago, the Prefect of Shiu-hing dreamed a dream. In 
 his dream he saw myriads of devils who in answer to his enquiries, told him 
 that they were going to overthrow the ruling dynasty ; the Prefect expressed 
 disbelief in their power to do so, but the devils still asserted their power and 
 their purpose. The Prefect desired some distinguishing mark by which to 
 recognize the devils in any altered form which they might assume in carrjdng 
 out their threats, and the latter consented to allow him to mark each of 
 them with a red spot on the forehead as a token of recognition ; this the Prefect 
 did. 
 
 " When he awoke he was much troubled, not knowing whether his deal- 
 ings with the devils were a reality or an idle vision. He went out to consult 
 wise men on the subject; but what was his surprise, on returning to his 
 yamen, to find it strewed with small round stones, on every side of which 
 * Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, first series, p. 197. 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 131 
 
 ■was a red spot. ' These,' thought he, ' are surely the devils I marked last 
 night, and what a good opportunity is this for me to get them in my power.' 
 Accordingly he caused all the stones to be collected, to be flrmly secured in 
 earthenware jars, and then to be looked up in a strong room in his yamen. 
 But before they were finally secured they entered into a parley with the Pre- 
 fect, the result of which was an agreement on their part to submit to incarcera- 
 tion till a certain tree in the yaiuen should come in blossom, when they 
 tPere to be released. The wily Prefect knew, but the devils did not know, 
 that this particular tree never did blossom in the latitude of Shiu-hing, and 
 thus he congratulated himself on having saved the Gfovemment from these 
 powerful enemies. It was understood however that to render their impri- 
 sonment valid the door was to be sealed with the Prefect's seal, which was to 
 be renewed by each successive holder of that office. 
 
 "Prefect after Prefect for some generations occupied the yamfin, and 
 each of them on assuming office faithfully resealed the door of the devil's 
 prison, until at length the story began to »be forgotten or disbelieved ; and one 
 unlucky Prefect surnamed Luk, forgetting or carelessly neglecting to perform 
 this duty, the door was thoughtlessly left open and a jar of devils broken. 
 At the moment this occurred it happened that an official retinue were in the 
 yamSn, and the followers had hung their red-tasselled caps on the tree, the 
 blossoming of which was to have been a signal for the release of the prisoners. 
 
 "Perceiving that their release was the result of accident, mistaking the 
 red tassels for flowers, and assuming that the tree had thus flowered every year 
 during their long confinement, the devUs were much incensed at this breach of 
 faith in the matter of their promised release, and in retaliation they caused 
 the city to be submerged below the waters of the river. And it was not 
 until they (the story saith not how) were captured, and the door resealed 
 that the city again came above water. Taught by woeful experience, each 
 succeeding Prefect was from that time eareful to reseal the door on assuming 
 office, and thus the devils were long restrained from doing mischief. 
 
 " Time passed on, and with the same result as before. Faith in the 
 necessity of sealing the door was shaken, and in 1854 a Prefect surnamed M'a 
 assumed office, utterly despising the story of the devils. Not only did he 
 omit to seal the door, but he caused the red-spotted stones to be taken from the 
 strong room, and to be thrown away. What was the result ? In that very 
 year the red-turbaned rebels — the devils with red marks on their foreheads, now 
 appearing in human form — captured the city ! 
 
 " Here ends the legend. "Whether the devils have been recaptured, or 
 whether they are stUl abroad devising schemes for the release of a few remaining 
 jars of their comrades which escaped Ma's destruction, or whether they ceased 
 to exist when their human personifications were killed, the legend saith not ; but 
 so far as it goes, it is vouched for, at this day, by the inhabitants of Shiu-hing, 
 who declare that the sealed strong room may be seen any day, and that no man 
 surnamed Luk or M'a would now be allowed to be Prefect of Shiu-hing." 
 
 It would be interesting to know if the classical legend of the golden cup 
 
132 THE FOLK-LORE OP CHINA. 
 
 given by the Sun-God Helios to Hercules, who used it as a ship to convey Mm 
 across stretches of ocean, owed its origin to the same source as a popular legend 
 in South China. We want however in the latter case the connecting link 
 between the original myth and the vulgar version so ingeniously shewn by Mr 
 Kelly in his well-known work.* A tea-cup here takes the place of the more 
 valuable utensU, but is credited with similar powers of transport. Pei Tu 
 (>kK i^) " The Cup Traveller " was a renowned Buddhist priest who lived some 
 five or six hundred years ago, and was accustomed to wander at will over the 
 Canton province, his magic cup serving him as a ferry-boat whenever he had to 
 cross water. On one occasion he carried off a golden idol belonging to the house 
 where he had passed the night. Pursuit was given, but the priest, though 
 walking on foot, easily outstripped the fastest horse of his pursuers, who, at 
 length seeing him carried over a river in his tea-cup, abandoned the chase. The 
 mountain not far from Hongkong, known to foreigners as " Castlepeak," was 
 named after this priest, Pei-tu (or in the local dialect Poi-tou). Can this legend 
 be a dim reproduction of the "Western myth ? 
 
 The legend connect with the valley of the White Deer near the Poyang Lake 
 — so named from the story that the'' Philosopher Choo Tzu employed such an 
 animal to bring him provisions from the neighbouring market — recalls home 
 tales in which deer are gifted with human attributes. Selavonian folk-lore has 
 many references of this nature. The Vilas or mountain nymphs of Servia are 
 sometimes represented in their popular songs as comforting the sorrows of 
 enamoured deer. They are usually, says Mr. Keightley, represented as "riding 
 a seven-year old hart with a bridle made of snakes.'' Deer horns are, as every- 
 body knows, supposed in China to possess all sorts of wonderful properties. 
 
 The Icelandic Troll who plays so conspicuous a part in the story of the 
 "Shepherd of Silfrunarstadir"t possesses attributes closely resembling those with 
 which the Chinese endow the female spirits of the gorges to be found in the 
 vast mountain chains of the Empire. In both oases they are beneficent spirits. 
 The great Tu is said to have been indebted to the being who watches over the 
 Wushan gorge in Szeehuan for the power to carry out his labours. The " Wild 
 women " of Germany, who are supposed to frequent the Wunderberg, possess 
 analagouB qualities but have no dominion over the powers of nature. The 
 Breton Korrigan, again, bear certain resemblances to supernatural beings be- 
 lieved in by the Chinese. They are described (Keightley, page 432) as short 
 and humpy, with shaggy hair, dark wrinkled faces, little deep-set eyes but 
 bright as carbuncles ; and woe to the belated traveller who is forced to join in 
 their fairy revels ! Their breath is reported to be deadly. The Chinese legend of 
 the Lin-lu mountain recounts the existence of a mysterious arbour inhabited by 
 a demon and numerous companions who are in reality dogs transformed for the 
 nonce into the semblance of earthly beings. As with the Korrigan, whoever 
 passed the night with them was sure to die. A Sage, possessed of a magic 
 mirror, once put up with these elves, but being warned by the mirror of the 
 
 * Indo-Ewopean Tradition and Folk- f Legends of Iceland, p. 140. 
 
 lore, p. 216. 
 
LEGENDS OP LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 133 
 
 quality of his companions, stabbed the nearest, when the rest ran away. Similar 
 stories are told of numerous localities, but this may be taken as a type of the 
 whole. 
 
 The fantastic exaggerations of geographical facts and fancies which form 
 so prominent a feature in oriental tales (such, for instance, as the Arabian 
 Nights) are freely reproduced in China, though it is only fair to say that they 
 seem in great part to be derived from Hindoo sources. Thus aU that is 
 recounted of the celebrated lake supposed to be the source of the Hwang-ho, 
 with its bottom covered with diamonds &c., &o., is simply adapted from the 
 Sanscrit. The Kw^n Lun mountain, in which this lake is supposed to be 
 situated, is, in Taoist legend, alleged to have growing upon it trees of jade- 
 stone and pearls, the tree and fountain of life, &c., the sources of these 
 wonderful stories being similar. Native writers have, indeed, expanded the 
 original accounts, but the legends are substantially the same. Chtog Cheng 
 Shan, near the capital of Sze-ohuan, is supposed to be a mountain in whose caves 
 the gods and -genii assemble. Allusion has already been made to the "Isles of 
 the Q-enii" supposed to exist in the Eastern sea opposite the Chinese coast. 
 It may suffice to say that there are few such extravagances recorded in 
 "Western literature which do not find counterparts in Chinese belief. 
 
 A Western superstition, which I cannot now trace, but of which I have 
 seen mention, that a human being or human blood cast into a smelting furnace 
 ensures a satisfactory casting, forms the basis of a legend connected with the 
 BeU Tower of Peking, narrated by Mr. Stent in his recent paper on Chinese 
 legends. Briefly summarised it tells how the Emperor Yung-lo of the Ming 
 dynasty, having built the tower, ordered a mandarin named Kuan-yu to 
 cast a bell of the proper size. Two attempts were made to carry out the 
 order, at intervals of some months, but without success. In both eases the 
 casting was "honey-combed," and the enraged Emperor declared that if the 
 third attempt failed he would behead the unfortunate official. Now Kuan-yu 
 had a beautiful daughter aged sixteen, named Ko-ai, to whom he was tenderly 
 attached and who did all she could to comfort her distressed parent. One day 
 it struck her that she would go to a celebrated astrologer to ascertain the 
 cause of her father's failures and what means could be taken to prevent their 
 recurrenoe. From him she learned that the next casting would also be a 
 failure if the blood of a maiden were not mixed with the ingredients. She 
 returned home fuU of horror at the information, but resolved to immolate her- 
 self sooner than that her father should faU. She obtained leave from her 
 father to be present at the casting; and the catastrophe is thus described. " A 
 dead silence prevailed through the assemblage as the melted metal once more 
 rushed to its destination. This was broken by a shriek and a cry of ' For my 
 father,' and Ko-ai was seen to throw herself head-long into the seething 
 hissing metal. One of her followers attempted to seize her whUe in the art of 
 plunging into the boiling fluid but succeeded only in grasping one of her shoes, 
 which came off in his hand. The father was frantic and had to be kept by 
 force from following her example ; he was taken home a raving maniac. The 
 
134 THE FOLK-LOKE OF CHINA. 
 
 prediction of the astrologer was verified, for on uncovering tlie bell after it had 
 cooled it was found to be perfect, but not a vestige of Ko-ai was to be seen ; the 
 blood of a, maiden had indeed been fused with the ingredients." But the 
 sequel recounts how the sonorous boom of the bell when struck was followed 
 by a low wailing sound Uke the cry of a human female voice in great agony 
 distinctly saying the word hsieh (shoe) — a sound still heard after every stroke ; 
 and to this day people when they hear it say " There's poor Ko-ai calling for 
 her shoe." 
 
 The idea of self-sacrifice to ensure some public good has ever been poptdar 
 in China, and ages before the heroic Eoman Youth leaped his horse into the 
 earthquake chasm for the sake of his countrymen, Chinese patriots are recorded 
 as having exhibited a similarly noble spirit. An instance of this was afforded 
 by a tea-merchant at Hang-chow who some hundred aud fifty years ago oast 
 himself into the river Tsien-tang as a sacrifice to the spirit of the dykes 
 which were constantly being washed away. Numerous instances of similar 
 devotion appear in Chinese annals, each being of course the basis of a legend 
 more or less accurate in its adherence to facts. 
 
 The cave of Kwang-siu-f 'oo in Kiang-si is the reputed scene of a legend or 
 household tale recalling a portion of the well-known " Ali Baba and the Forty 
 Thieves." There was in the neighbourhood a poor herdsman named Chang, his 
 sole surviving relative being a grandmother with whom he lived. One day, 
 happening to pass near the cave in question, he overheard some one using the 
 following words :^ 
 
 Shih mun kai, Kwai ku hsien sheng lai. " Stone door open ; Mr. Kwei Ku is 
 coming." Upon this the door of the cave opened, and the speaker entered. 
 Having remained there for some time he came out and saying " Stone door close ; 
 Mr. Kwei Ku is going," the door again closed and the visitor departed. Chang's 
 curiosity was naturally excited, and having several times heard the formula 
 repeated he waited one day until the genie (for such he was) had taken his 
 departure and essayed to obtain an entrance. To his great delight the door 
 yielded, and having gone inside he found himself in a romantic grotto of im- 
 mense extent. Nothing however in the shape of treasure met his eye, so having 
 fully explored the place he returned to the door, which shut at his bidding, and 
 went home. Upon telKng his grandmother of his adventure she expressed a 
 strong wish to see the wonderful cavern; and thither they accordingly went 
 together next day. Wandering about in admiration of the scenery they became 
 separated, and Chang at length, supposing that his grandmother had left, 
 passed out of the door and ordered it to shut. Reaching home he found, to his 
 dismay, that she had not yet arrived. She must of course have been locked up 
 in the cave, so back he sped and before long was using the magic sentence to 
 obtain access. But alas ! the talisman had failed, and poor Chang fell into an 
 agony of apprehension as he reflected that his grandmother would either be 
 starved to death or killed by the enraged genie. "While in this perplexity the 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 135 
 
 genie appeared and asked him what wa? amiss. Chang frankly told him the 
 truth, and implored Mm to open the door. This the genie refused to do, but 
 told him that his grandmother's disappearance was a matter of fate. The cave 
 demanded a victim. Had it been a male, every succeeding generation of his 
 family would have seen one of its members arrive at princely rank. In the 
 case of a woman her descendants would in a similar way possess power over 
 demons. Somewhat comforted to know that he was not exactly responsible for 
 his grandmother's death, Chang returned home and in process of time married. 
 His first son duly became Chang tien shih g^ ^ gj^ (Chang, the Master of 
 Heaven), who about A.D. 25 was the first holder of an office which has existed 
 uninterruptedly to the present day. So says one popular legend. An equally 
 credible (or incredible) version of the birth of this prodigy, however, says nothing 
 of the magic cave, but refers the event to a visit made to his mother by the 
 spirit of the Polar star, who gave her a fragant herb called Heng wei which 
 caused her to become enceinte.* Be the authentic version what it may, however, 
 the fact remains that Ali Baba's cave has its mythic representative in China. 
 
 The apparently magic power possessed by the loadstone has in China, as 
 elsewhere, been pressed into legendary service. Stories of magic tombs also 
 were common amongst European peoples in medissval ages, and here we have a 
 native legend which in many respects recalls their details. In the mountain of 
 Ting Chiin is the tomb of Chu-ko-liang ^5 ^K *^ or Eung-ming Tfl, 0H 
 celebrated in ancient annals as the wise councillor of Liu-pei and reputed during 
 his life-time to have employed, by means of magic arts, wooden oxen and 
 mechanical horses to aid in the military operations of his time. As was but 
 natural, the burial-place of so renowned a man was, like that of "Wonderous 
 Michael Scctt," credited with mysterious contents. It is alleged that the 
 Emperor Hung-wu, the! founder of the Ming dynasty, once finding himself in 
 company with the Councillor Liu Pei-wSn, in the neighbourhood of this tomb, 
 determined to visit it. Iron armour was then still in use in China, and the 
 Emperor and his attendant were habited in the then usual way. Having 
 obtained an entrance and passed through the anti-chamber, which contained an 
 inscription to the effect that whosoever visited the tomb should have his hands 
 bound by the defunct — a prediction verified by the fact that in squeezing through 
 the entrance the visitors had to so wedge themselves as to be virtually incapable 
 of using their arms — they broke open a second door. Within the room thus 
 entered were several figures built of loadstone, which attracted the armour of 
 the unbidden guests. Terrified at the unknown force which was dragging 
 them forwards they hastily cast off their armour and fled — not before noticing 
 however another inscription which may be rendered in doggrel : — 
 
 111 strip off the skin 
 Of who ventures in 
 To open this my grave. 
 
 The practical experience of the mysterious power residing in the loadstone 
 
 figures was quite enough for the Emperor, who did not stop to see if anything 
 
 " China Review, Vol. II. p. 226. 
 
136 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 worse might befall him. The tomb was closed, and the tradition of Hwang-WTiSi 
 visit is stUl recounted by the story-tellers of the neighbourhood. 
 
 Another and perhaps better-known version of the (doubtless) same story 
 refers it to the tomb of Confucius who was buried in the hUl of Keu-fau in 
 Shantung. His disciple Tze-kung is related to have covered the cofBn of the 
 great philosopher with loadstone. When the Emperor Chin gave orders to open 
 the tomb the pick-axes were attracted by the magnetic fluid, as was also the 
 armour worn by the soldiers, so that it was found impossible to proceed with the 
 work. Hence the tomb of Cjbfucius has never been violated. Absurd as both 
 stories are they point to a beKef in the powers of the loadstone which was 
 readily accepted by medissval Europe. 
 
 The principle that good deeds generally bring a substantial reward, un- 
 derlying so many legends and tales in all parts of the world, is sedulously 
 encouraged by Chinese folk-lore. The Servian story entitled "Animals as 
 friends and enemies," * in which the hero is rewarded for not killing the fox, 
 bear, wolf, hare &e., has numerous variants in native lore. A proverb referring 
 to " The bird which brought the yellow flower " tells how a Chinese, seeing a bird 
 fall to the ground wounded by an arrow, draws out the weapon and nurses the 
 bird until it has recovered. Some, time afterwards the man falls sick and is 
 about to die, when the grateful bird brings him some yellow flowers in its bUI, 
 assuring him that if he makes and takes a decoction of their petals his Ufe will 
 be saved. Another story tells how another bird, rescued from the talons of a 
 more powerful companion, rewards its preserver by bringing him four silver 
 bracelets; while a third recounts how (in flat contradiction to the ^sopian 
 fable) the Emperor Ho-ti ^<P *ffi» found a wounded serpent in his path and, 
 having cured and released it, was rewarded by a carbuncle of exceeding bright- 
 ness brought to him by the snake. Chinese story books abound with tales similar 
 to the Servian story, " One good turn deserves another," in which a supernatural 
 being is imprisoned by a certain king, whose son having released him secures the 
 being's aid in all his undertakings. 
 
 The saying of the English Queen that when she died the name of Calais 
 would be found engraved on her heart reminds us of a popular Chinese tale 
 concerning an enamoured boatman, who being obliged, while plying his daily 
 avocation, to pass beneath the window of a beauteous maiden, fell -violently in 
 love with her. His passion was reciprocated, but after a time the young lady 
 died. On being opened (the idea of a Chinese post-mortem on a disconsolate 
 maiden is, by the way, quite as wonderful as anything else !) her heart was 
 found to be of iron, upon which was painted or engraved a picture of the boat, 
 the window, and the two lovers, t This being shewn to the bereaved boatman 
 he instantly expired, his body turning to ashes ! We are gravely informed that 
 this event happened about B.C. 350. 
 
 Like the Italian original of our own popular and faithless Punch, Ms 
 Chinese brother has a legendary origin. Punch and Judy shows, indeed, are, 
 •in some quarters, alleged to have been introduced into Europe from China. 
 * Servian Folk-lore, p. 295. f C. & J. liepoaitory, Vol. I., p. 345. 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &o. 137 
 
 Be that as it may Po-tai-hsi (^Jij 4© )Sp), so called because the showman 
 used to cover his head with a Unen bag in order that his face might not distract 
 attention from the puppets, date back to at least 260 B.C. The received 
 legend asserts that about this date a lady named Oh, (^M) wife of a general 
 named Mao-tun, was besieging the city of Ping in Shen-si. Its defender Chan- 
 ping' knowing the lady to be of a very jealous disposition, invented a puppet 
 in the shape of a wooden woman, which was made by strings and springs to 
 dance on the battlements of the beleagured town. As he intended, Mys. Oh 
 became alarmed at the idea of so fascinating a creWure falling into her husband's 
 hands and becoming an addition to his seraglio ; and she consequently raised 
 the siege! In memory of this " happy thought " similar, but smaller, puppets 
 were constructed whose antics have for two thousand years amused the Chinese 
 populace. The principal puppet used to be known as " Kwoh, the bald " in 
 memory, as it is averred, of a man of that name who having lost his hair in 
 sickness began on his recovery to jump and dance.* Rather hazy and contra- 
 dictory ideas indeed prevail in China of the origin of the amusing vagabond, 
 different stories being told at different places. So simple an explanation as that 
 of some ingenious native having determined to turn an honest penny by repro- 
 ducing in miniature the jokes of the stage, seems however to have been ignored. 
 I may in passing note that Lord Macartney, in his Journal, spea;ks highly of 
 these exhibitions. The pandean pipe of the drummer is in China replaced by 
 that most ear-splitting of instruments, a native clarionet. 
 
 That so important a shrub in Chinese eyes as that which produces tea 
 ■should have a legendary origin is hardly surprising. The virtues of the cup 
 which "cheers but not inebriates'' have been sung by the Cowpers of China 
 from time immemorial, and of this fact most people are aware. It may be less 
 generally known that a vulgar (Buddhistic) legend attributes the production of 
 the first plant to Bodhi-dharma, the 28th Indian and first Chinese patriarch of 
 the Buddhist hierarchy. He brought the famous patra (almsbowl of the Bud- 
 dhist mendicant, regarding which Indian legend has some wonderful accounts) 
 to China, which he reached in the year 520 A.D.f Kcempfer, in his well- 
 known Dutch work on Japan, thus teUs the story. J "About A.D. 519 this 
 Dharma came to China. His object was to bring the inhabitants of this populous 
 country to the knowledge of God and to preach to them his Gospel and service. 
 . . . He went further and strove by godly grace to lead a most exemplary 
 life, exposing himself to aU the hardships of the storm and tempest ; chastising 
 and mortifying his body and bringing all his passions under subjection. He 
 lived only upon the 'herbs of the fields, and considered it the highest degree of 
 holiness to pass the day and night in an uninterrupted and unbroken Satori, 
 that is the contemplation and meditation of the godly essence ; to deny all rest 
 and recreation to his body and to dedicate his soul whoUy and entirely to God 
 
 * See N. & Q. on China & Japan, Vol. t Translated by Or. Phillips, Esq., of 
 
 I. p. 140. H.B.M. Considar Service in China. 
 
 t Eitel's Handbook qf Buddhism, Art. 
 Bodfaidharma, 
 
138 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 was in his opinion the truest penance and the most eminent degree of goodness 
 to which human nature could attain. After many years of this continual watch- 
 ing he was at length so weary and tired by his work that he fell asleep. Ou 
 awaking the following morning and seeing that he had broken his vow, he 
 determined to do penance to show his sincere sorrow ; and that this misfortune 
 should not occur again he cut off both his eyelids as the instruments' and 
 servants of his crime and threw them on the ground. 
 
 "Eeturning to this place on the following day he remarked a wonderful 
 change, and that each eyelid had become a shrub ; and the same which we now 
 call tea, whose virtues and use were at that time as unknown as the plant itself. 
 Dharma, on eating the leaves of this plant (fresh and green, for infusing them 
 in water was unknown), found with astonishment that his heart was filled with 
 extraordinary joy and gladness, and that his soul had acquired renewed strength 
 and power to enable him to continue his godly contemplations. This event and 
 the extraordinary virtues of the tea plant he immediately brought to the notice 
 of a number of his disciples, together with the manner in which it was to be 
 
 used And hence it comes that since that time to the present, the 
 
 learned have made no remarks about it, and that some have considered it 
 suflScient to attribute its origin to the eyelids of Dharma." The translator shows 
 however that tea was not unknown in China in the third and fourth centuries, 
 so that the legend bears the impress of modern invention. Its existence is 
 repudiated by modern Buddhist scholars, and it is essentially a mere vulgar tale. 
 But; accepted as such, it is interesting in the hint it gives us of the Hindu myth, 
 wherein the falcon who undertook to steal the heavenly Soma (drink of im- 
 mortality) had a claw and a feather shot off by a demon arrow. They fell to the 
 earth and took root, the claw becoming a species of thorn and the feather a 
 palasa tree, the Indian representative of the rowan or mountain ash.* The 
 classic origin of the hyacinth (from the blood of Ajax), the growth of mint from 
 the body of Minthe the mistress of Pluto, the almond tree which sprang from 
 the corpse of Phyllis, and numerous other legends familiar to our schoolboy days 
 all embody the same idea of the human body, or a portion of it, springing up 
 anew in the shape of some member of the vegetable world. 
 
 The cocoa-nut tree is also the subject of a fanciful Chinese legend. " The 
 prince Liu Teh having had a quarrel with Prince Sueh sent a man to assassinate 
 him ; this he did while his victim was in. a state of intoxication. His head was 
 then suspended on a tree, and it became metamorphosed into a cocoa-nut with 
 two eyes on the shell. Thus the fruit acquired the name of Yueh-wang-t'ou or 
 Prince Yueh's head."t The cocoa-nut is now known as the Te Tzu, owing, as 
 is alleged, to the fact that during the Ching dynasty princes have been called 
 "Te." The fable is not countenanced by the Pen Tsao or native herbal, but is 
 gravely recorded by Chinese authors. It is noteworthy that vessels made of 
 cocoa-nut shell are supposed to betray the presence of poison in the liquids they 
 
 * Indo-European Traditions & Folk- t Mr. T. Sampson in W. & Q. on China 
 
 lore, p. 158. & Japan, Vol. 111. p. 147. 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 139 
 
 contain, either ebullition taking place or the vessel bursting. Spoons made of 
 the same material are in Ceylon supposed to possess similar virtues. 
 
 An interesting parallel to Western beliefs is found in the legendary virtues 
 attributed by the Chinese to mercury and its preparations. The native term for 
 ftuioksilver — water-silver — is the equivalent of the Greek and Latin terms. 
 Sulphide of mercury is called hsien tan -^^ ^ of which our phrase " Philoso- 
 pher's stone " is a sufficiently near rendering ; and this, like the long-sought 
 secret of western alchemists, is supposed to have the power of conferring immor- 
 tality. Stories in which this substance figures as a supernatural agent are to 
 be frequently met with in Chinese books. 
 
 Household tales reminding one of the "Judgment of Solomon" find 
 place in Chinese folk-lore — as indeed they appear to do in that of nearly aU 
 Asiatic nations. One of the most original I have heard, introducing as it 
 does a supernatural element, is as follows. During the time of, the Sung 
 dynasty there lived a man, a maker of marriage ornaments, and his wife, who 
 loved each other dearly. A white dog versed in magic having seen the woman, 
 who was remarkably good-looking, determined to win her, and in order to carry 
 out his project transformed himself into an exact likeness of her lawful 
 husband; Mistakenly calculating on the absence of the latter, he visited the 
 wife just as the real husband was returning, and she was accordingly thrown 
 into a state of the moat extraordinary doubt at beholding two " Simons Pure," 
 as they appeared to be, at the same moment. Unable to decide between them, 
 she insisted on their at once accompanying her to the magistrate's yamSn — a 
 proposition to which, from very different motives, they both assented. Upon 
 the parties making their appearance, the magistrate, like the wife, was at 
 first completely puzzled. Suspecting however that one of the claimants was 
 a dog in disguise he remembered that a tiger confined on the premises was 
 accustomed to feed on dogs though it had never attacked men. He therefore 
 placed both husbands in the tiger's cage. The tiger at once flew at and devour- 
 ed the dog which had assumed a man's disguise, leaving the real husband 
 untouched ; and the reunited pair left the yam§n, praising the sagacity of the 
 magistrate who had delivered them from the power of enchantment. 
 
 A version however of the real Solomonaic story is to be found in China. 
 As in the Hebrew tale two women had each of them an infant, one of which 
 died by misadventure, the bereaved mother claiming the surviving child. The 
 official before whom they came did not suggest so cruel a measure as the 
 division of the infant* but simply ordered that it should be handed to a 
 domestic in his yamto to be brought up for official life. He rightly surmised 
 that the real mother would gladly accept so good a chance for her offspring, 
 while the pretended mother, who only wanted the chUd in order to dispose of 
 it, would demur. Judgment was accordingly given in favour of the tearful 
 acceptor of the proposition, and the story, which is alleged to be historical, 
 is widely believed. The Chinese are very fond of telling stories having a 
 similar basis, most bf.them being, very probably, derived from Indian or Semitic 
 sources. 
 
140 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Superstitions oonneoted with the use of bread have in China, as amongst 
 ourselves, formed the basis of legends more or less absurd. Our Good Fri- 
 day Hot Cross buns are, as is known, simply relics of the heathen custom 
 of offering sacred cakes to the gods as propitiatory offerings. Thia idea 
 underlies a story related of Chu-ko Liang, the ingenious minister before 
 mentioned. "Returning from the conquest of Pegu and reaching a river on 
 the borders of China he found himself surrounded by a thick fog from which 
 proceeded groans and wailings. On enquiring from the inhabitants into the 
 cause he was told that they were uttered by the multitude of dead killed by 
 the pestiferous waters of the stream; and that to disperse the fog it was 
 necessary to sacrifice forty-nine men to the river. Shocked at this barbarity 
 he invented loaves bearing the human figure each with a head and one hand, 
 and threw forty-nine of them into the water and so dispersed the fog ; and, since 
 that time, bread has been usfd for the same purpose in China." It is probable, 
 however, that the use of bread for such purposes by the Chinese existed long 
 before the date of the legend (about A.D. 220). The "Staff of life" has 
 amongst all nations possessed symbolical attributes, and its sacrifice to the gods 
 of rivers, &o., is one of the most commonly met with of superstitious practices. 
 
 Dr. S. Wells "WiUiams, in a paper which he prepared for the N. C. B. 
 Royal Asiatic Society in 1869, drew attention to the interesting tale from Lew 
 Chew to which I have casually adverted in a previous chapter and which at 
 once recalls Mr. Baring Gould's " Swan maidens." The Samojed legend in 
 which the theft of the feather dresses is made instrumental in obtaining 
 atonement for injuries inflicted on the family of the purloiner is not noticed by 
 the learned author; but he reminds his readers of the story in the Arabian 
 Nights in which the hero obtains the daughter of the King of T'an by carrying 
 off her dress of feathers while bathing, and when she eventually flies away with 
 their two children, follows her to the land of Wak Wak, and remarks that 
 both Germany and the Shetland islands have similar legends, though in the 
 latter case the fairy dress was a seal skin. The Lew Chewan legend is trans- 
 lated from the -journal of a mission to that country written by the Envoy Li 
 Ting-yuan in 1801-1803 and is as follows. 
 
 " Once in olden time a man named Ming-Hng-tzii, a farmer in poor circum- 
 stances and of irreproachable character, but without any family, had a well of 
 delicious water near his house. He went one day to draw some, and when at a 
 distance saw a bright light in the well : on drawing near to see what it was, 
 he beheld a woman diving and washing in the water, who had her clothes on » 
 pine tree. Being displeased at her shameless ways and at his well being fouled 
 he secretly carried off her dress. The garments were quite unlike Lewchew- 
 an in their style and were of a ruddy sunset colour, which excited his ■ 
 surprise so that he cautiously came back to see what change would come 
 about. The woman, finishing her bath, cried out in great anger, "What thief 
 has been here in broad day ? Bring back my clothes, quick." She then per- 
 ceived Ming-ling-tzii and threw herseK on the ground before him. He began 
 to scold her and asked her why she came and fouled his water? to which she 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &o. 141 
 
 replied that both the pine tree and the well were made by the Creator for the 
 use of all. The farmer entered into conversation with her and pointed out 
 that fate evidently intended her to be his wife as he absolutely refused to give 
 up her clothes, while without them she could not get away. The result was 
 that they were married. She lived with him for ten years and bore him a son 
 and a daughter. At the end of that time her fate was fulfilled, she ascended a 
 tree during the absence of her husband and having bidden her children farewell 
 glided off on a cloud and disappeared." I can find no trace of any siinilar 
 story in China proper, though one may exist, and the reappearance of the 
 Keltic legend in a group of islands in the China sea is a noteworthy 
 phenomenon. The German and Persian versions are in some sense links in 
 the chain of connection ; but if the theory of a simultaneous eastward and 
 westward spread of legend from an Aryan source be correct, the fact is not less 
 striking that in this case it has appeared to leave no trace in so many of the 
 intermediate countries through which it has passed to its Ultima Thule on 
 either hand. 
 
 Stories in which the example of Penelope is imitated by wives long deserted 
 by their lawful husbands are sufficiently common. The folloTying will serve 
 as a specimen : — In the time of the Chow dynasty there lived a man named 
 Pak-li-shi who was one of those unsettled adventurers ever longing to enjoy 
 fresh experiences. After being married a few years to his wife, who, gave birth 
 to a son, he one day disappeared without intimating his intended route. Time 
 passed away until over thirty years had elapsed, the runaway having meantime 
 risen to be prime minister in a neighbouring state, while the wife and son wandered 
 over the country in search of the missing husband and father. One day his son 
 (who had of course arrived at man's estate) was attracted by a proclamation issued 
 in what appeared to be his father's name. He informed his mother, who had 
 been compelled by poverty to become an itinerant sempstress, and they at once 
 devised a means of obtaining access to his house. Reaching the town where he 
 resided the motfier assumed the role of a wandering vocalist and contrived to 
 scrape acquaintance with some of his servants, from whom she learned that 
 their master was liable to fits of deep dejection on account of his being, unable 
 to find his family, of whom he had lost sight for many years. She suggested 
 that some of her songs might soothe his regret and was accordingly introduced, 
 the denouement being of course a recognition and reconciliation. Another 
 Chinese story bearing on the marriage relations, and recalling several well-known 
 tales of home origin, relates how a military man leaves his mother and wife for 
 the scene of war and is compelled to remain absent many years. When at 
 length able to return, he espies- at a short distance from his house a woman who 
 he believes is his wife. Foolishly anxious to test her fidelity he accosts her 
 (she not recognizing him) and introduces himself as a friend of her long absent 
 husband. Presently his manner becomes decidedly warmer than their supposed 
 relations justify, and the woman, far from any aid, seizes a handful of sand or 
 mud and throws it ii^ his eyes, availing herself of his temporary inconvenience 
 to escape to her house. Shortly afterwards, having cleansed his eyes, he 
 
142 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 likewise enters the house and makes himself known to his mother, who joyfully 
 sends to tell her daughter-in-law that the aon has returned. The wife comes 
 out and seeing him to be the man who, pretending to be a stranger, had offered 
 her violence, begins to upbraid him, and finally rushing from the room hangs 
 herself. She is, however, cut down in time and at length suffers herself to be 
 reconciled to her husband. 
 
 The atill commoner story referred by Mr. Henderson to the "Genoeva root" 
 is as prominent in Chinese as in Western household lore. One native version 
 relates how a son leaves his young wife and stepmother to look for employment 
 at a distance from home. The latter hates the wife and in the absence of her 
 stepson makes her perform the most menial work, crowning her evil deeds by 
 accusing the poor girl on her husband's return of unfaithfulness. The husband, 
 who exaggerates the Chinese sentiment that the mother's wishes or assertions 
 rank before those of the wife, believes his step-mother, and orders his wife to 
 commit suicide. Before the deed is consummated, however, the wicked step- 
 mother is kUled by lightning. This, in view of the wife's protestations of 
 innocence, is accepted as a divine judgment, and the husband is reconciled to his 
 wife. 
 
 "Wives of supernatural race are reputed to be acquired in other ways than 
 that mentioned above (see the Lewohewan story of stealing the dress). The 
 gods are at times so pleased with the good conduct of individual mortals that 
 they give him one of the female genii to wife. A man named Tung Yung was 
 thus favoured and the union was a very happy one. But as in the previous case 
 the wife's liking for mortal life could not outlast a certain term, and, on her 
 husband reaching the highest rank to which he could aspire, she committed their 
 son to his care and reascended to the ranks of the genii. 
 
 The classic myths relating to children being suckled by animals closely 
 resemble similar tales from Chinese sources ; but the tiger here plays the part 
 assigned elsewhere to the wolf, &e. A well-known native story recounts how a 
 husband and wife with their infant child fled during one of the many rebellions 
 into a desert. While setting up their encampment a tiger suddenly made 
 his appearance and so scared the parents that, forgetting the child, they incon- 
 tinently fled, and were shortly afterward captured and put to death. The tiger 
 picked up the infant and bore it to its cave, where (the legend says not how) 
 it was duly nourished and in time became a well-grown young man. The tiger 
 having taken a great fancy to its singular nursling led him to some villagers 
 who at once took charge of him, his foster mother thenceforth disappearing. 
 The hero lived to avenge his parents' wrongs and eventually rose to high 
 o£B.ce. 
 
 Following the example of Mr. Henderson in tabulating the "Story radicals" 
 illustrated by his interesting work, I arrange hereunder those to which the 
 foregoing pages have referred. To assume that they do more than indicate the 
 direction in which further research will doubtless discover most interesting 
 matter, would be absurd. But the list, slight as it is, may serve as the basis 
 for a more complete illustration of the subject at a future day. 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 143 
 
 STORY RADICALS. 
 
 I. BELATINe TO HTTSBAND AND WIFE. 
 X. — PENELOPE BOOT. 
 
 The husband leaves his wife at home ; 
 She awaits his arrival in fidelity ; 
 They are reconciled after some trouble. 
 
 2. — QENCEVA ROOT. 
 
 The man goes away leaving his wife at home. 
 A false charge is brought against her and he orders her death. 
 Before she dies he discovers his mistake. 
 They are reconciled. 
 ( Variant.) 
 
 The man leaves his wife as before. 
 
 He attempts to test her fidelity ; 
 
 It results in her death, or 
 
 It nearly results in her death, but they are reconciled. 
 
 3. — SVANHVIT BOOT. v 
 
 A man sees a woman bathing with her charm dress on the shore. 
 He steals the dress and she falls into his power. 
 After some years she recovers the dress and escapes. 
 He is unable to recover her. 
 ( Variant.) 
 
 A man is wedded to a woman of supernatural race. 
 After some years she becomes tired of earth and escapes. 
 He cannot recover her. 
 
 II. EELATING TO PARENTS AND CHILDREN. 
 4. — JTIDSMENT OF SOLOMON ROOT. 
 
 Two mothers have a dispute about oflfspring; 
 They refer it to the wisest official they can find : 
 He tests their bonuses. 
 The rightful party triumphs 
 
 S. RHEA SYLVIA ROOT. 
 
 Children are exposed by accident or design ; 
 They are suckled by a wild beast ; 
 They eventually rejoin their countrymen, and 
 Are finally raised to high honour. 
 
 III. MEN AND, THE TTNSEEN WOULD. 
 6. — ACHERUSIAN BOOT. 
 
 A place accessible to mortals affords an entry to .the lower world ; 
 
 Spirits enter and,repass ; 
 
 A mortal visits it and learns secrets of the hereafter. 
 
144 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 7. CITY OF SILENCE EOOT. 
 
 Genii are imprisoned in vessels of metal or earthenware by mortals ; 
 They are released by accident or design. 
 
 (a) They revenge themselves on those who imprisoned them, or 
 (S) They accept their release with thankfulness. 
 
 8. MAOICAL CONFLICT EOOT. 
 
 Two persons with supernatural powers test them against one another. 
 
 They pass through various transformations ; 
 
 The better or more powerful one overcomes the other. 
 
 (See chapter on Serpents, Dragons &c. for illustration). 
 
 9. — HEBCULES OnP EOOT. 
 
 A mortal is presented by a supernatural being with a oup ; 
 
 The mortal uses it as a means of transport ; 
 
 If pursued the pursuers abandon the chase on perceiving his magic oup. 
 
 10. ALI BABA BOOT. 
 
 A mysterious cave opens and shuts at the command of a master endowed 
 
 with magic powers. 
 A stranger learns and uses the pass- word. 
 He acquires riches or advantages from his knowledge, hut. 
 Some one is sacrificed to ensure his good fortune. 
 
 rv. MEN IN CONFLICT WITH NATCHAL INFLUENCES. 
 11. MAGIC TOMB BOOT. 
 
 A tomb possesses magnetic powers ; 
 An attempt is made to open or enter it ; 
 The attempt wholly or partially fails. 
 
 V. MAN MATCHED WITH MAN. 
 12. — QUEEN DIDO EOOT. 
 
 Strangers visit a new country ; 
 
 By cunning they induce the natives to grant what they do not intend to 
 •the newcomers. 
 
 [Chinese Chronicles assert that the Dutch when they iirst settled in Formosa 
 adopted a ruse similar to that of Q,ueen Dido. The classic story is more 
 accurately reproduced in the Ming-shi, containing accounts of foreign countries, 
 in which the Spaniards, who arrived in the PhiUippines about 1574, are nar- 
 rated to have presented the native chief with valuable gifts, begging in return 
 the privilege of occupying for building as much land as could be covered by the 
 hide of an ox. — See China Review, Vol. iv. p. 386. At all events the story, 
 however imported or originated, is perfectly well known to the Chinese and as 
 such is included in my list.] 
 
LEGENDS OF LOCALITY, HOUSEHOLD TALES, &c. 145 
 
 ■VI. MEN PEKFOEM EXTEAOEDINAEILT HEBOIC ACTS. 
 13. — MARCUS CUKTIUS BOOT. 
 
 (a) Human life must be sacrificed to close a chasm, or, 
 
 (b) Human blood must be infused into a casting to ensure its success. 
 
 (Many variants). 
 
 (c) A person sacrifices him or herself accordingly, or, 
 
 {d) A person is compelled to do so by force. A successful result ensues. 
 
 Ytl. MEN AND BEASTS. 
 li. — EIED, BEAST AND FISH KOOT, OR " ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER" HOOT. 
 
 A man is asked to aid an animal to escape from confinement, to recover 
 
 from sickness &c. 
 He aids it with good humour. 
 The man falls into trouble. 
 The animal aids him in the nick of time. 
 
 Vm. PLANTS &C. SPJlINGINa PEOM A POETION Or THE BODT. 
 IS. — SOMA-BRINQING FALCON HOOT. 
 
 A being undertakes extraordinary work. 
 
 By its own act or that of others a portion of its body is cleft to the earth ; 
 
 The portion taking root, produces a plant ; 
 
 The plant is thereafter venerated. 
 
 Necessarily brief as the foregoing illustrations of the subject under notice 
 have been they will, it is hoped, suffice to demonstrate the general resemblance 
 of Chinese vulgar legends to those in vogue elsewhere. Both in motive and in 
 detail they remind us of the tales formerly told by our own firesides, and demon- 
 strate the fact — ^theoretically admitted by most people, but often practically 
 ignored — that a common humanity claims the Chinese and the Saxon. And I 
 may take this opportunity of referring to the objections which are raised by 
 some sinologues to treating Chinese "old wives tales" as matters worth serious 
 record and discussion. To those who share those objections. I cannot do better 
 than quote the words of Mr. Henderson. "It is," he says, "only of late years \ 
 that household tales have been regarded as of interest by men of learning. For/ 
 long they were thought to be ' milk for babes ' but to have nothing in theml 
 which could repay a moment's study by one who had emerged from childhood. / 
 But the great Grimm saw that in these stories for children lay fragments of I 
 ancient mythology, and he learned to trace them from land to land and thus to~^ 
 prove them to be precious hairlooms derived from our primeval ancestors before 
 they parted into separate nationalities." Without asserting that all the Chinese 
 versions of the legends above noted can be referred to a common parentage 
 with those of Europe, and leaving what has here been dealt with in a single 
 chapter to be further elucidated by more competent scholars, the instances 
 given of agreement between Western and Chinese tales are I imagine sufficient 
 to arrest attention. To a charge of having but slightly discriminated between 
 legends properly so called and household tales I must plead guilty. But as no 
 purpose was to be served by observing a strict distinction, the matter may pass. 
 
146 THE FOLE-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 XIII.— FABLES AND PEOVEEBIAL LOEE. 
 
 The use of fables to convey some homely truth or enforce the point of 
 some moral apothegm, to those who might turn from abstract argument with 
 indifference, is as familiar to the household world of China as to that of the 
 West. Strangely enough, however, it does not appear that the Chinese pos- 
 sess (with two exceptions to be presently mentioned) any collections of fables 
 properly so called, though their literature abounds with them as isolated tales. 
 The literati indeed affect to rather despise them in the abstract, as fit only for 
 the perusal of women and children, though they do not disdain to employ them 
 at times with considerable effect. One cause of the supercilious attitude thus 
 assumed is, very probably, that the only known collections in the language 
 (forming the exceptions above noted) are translations from Sanscrit Buddhistic 
 sources, and hence exotic to Chinese thought. Your true Confucianist — the 
 believer in the dry bones of a system (if system it be) which, its worldly ethics 
 aside, is the least satisfying of all known beliefs — seoma Buddhistic fables 
 as he scorns Buddhistic prayers. Few of the better-read natives will own to 
 any but the most distant acquaintance with the two works which form almost 
 the sole repositories of Indo-Chinese fable — ^the Fa-yuan-chu-lin* and the 
 Yu-lin, which are avowedly adopted from the Pali. But besides this, the 
 officials of the Empire have a wholesome dread of the satire which a fable 
 may point, and it is more than probable that any popular collection of the 
 sort would bring its authors and publishers iato trouble. In 1837-38 the 
 late Mr. E. Thom translated eighty-one of ^sop's fables into Chinese. We give 
 the result in his own words : — 
 
 " When first published in Canton their reception by the Chinese was 
 extremely flattering. They had their run of the public Courts and offices 
 until the Mandarins, taking offence at seeing some of their evil customs so 
 freely canvassed, ordered the work to be suppressed. It is not the first time 
 that we have elucidated a disputed point by referring to one of these fables 
 having analogy to the matter in hand.; nay, we remember once stopping the 
 mouths of a party of mandarins, who insisted that England wanted to quarrel 
 with China, by reciting the story of the goose that laid the golden eggs. The 
 application was at once perceived and the justice of the remark admitted 
 immediately. It will thus be seen that the Chinese officials evince no lack of 
 appreciation about such matters." But the power found sufficient to suppress 
 what is deemed an objectionable brochure is of course unable to touch the 
 numerous fables which, partly in the much-revered literature of the Empire and 
 partly by oral relation, have been handed down to the existing generation 
 of Chinese. To disinter an entire collection would indeed be a herculean task; 
 
 • See Wylio's Notes on Chinese Literature, p. 166. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE. 147 
 
 but it is easy to oite some of the best known in illustration of the contention 
 that the Chinese mind manifests much the same characteristics as that of other 
 and, as we deem, more civilized races. 
 
 The earliest known specimen of a Chinese fable is noticed by Mr. Mayers 
 in his Manual (p. 282). In the Narratives of the Contending States, Su-tai, 
 counsellor of the prince of Chaoj is said to have related the following by way 
 of illustrating the necessity of unity amongst those opposed to or by a com- 
 mon enemy. "A mussel was sunning itself no the river bank when a bittern 
 came by and pecked at it. The mussel closed its shell and nipped the bird's 
 beak. Hereupon the bittern said, ' If you don't let me, go to-day, if you don't 
 let me go to-morrow, there wiU be a dead mussel.' The shell fish answered. 
 ' If I don't come out to-day, if I don't come out to-morrow, there will surely 
 be a dead bittern.' Just then a _ fisherman came by and seized the pair of 
 them.'.' The date of this utterance is given as about B.C. 316, and, if this be 
 correct, it certainly boasts a respectable antiquity. It is not, of course, often 
 possible to fix the precise dates of literary invention, but it does not appear 
 that the claims of iEsop (B.C. , 620) as the father of Western fable need 
 yield in point of antiquity to those of his Chinese representative, whoever he 
 may have been. The latter, like the Grecian humourist, most probably eon- 
 tented himself with reciting his fables, but, less fortunate in his countrymen, 
 has not had his name handed down to posterity by those who thought his 
 witty or wise sayings worth preservation in writing. On the other hand, Chr— 
 nese literature justly claims preeminence as regards the publication of written 
 fables. Socrates is indeed alleged to have versified some of ^sop's fables 
 when in prison, shortly before his death; but the earliest known Western 
 collection is dated 150-100 B.C. 
 
 A fable tolerably well known (though imd'oubtedly oi Buddhistic- origin) is 
 that of the Cat and the Mice. The most popular version relates how an old 
 oat was sitting up mewing with half-closed eyes when two mice happened to see 
 her. Astonished that their old enemy should be taking things so easily they 
 said to each other, "Puss is evidently reformed; she is saying her prayers-. 
 We need have no fear." So they began to play about without noticing herr. 
 No sooner had they got within reach, however, than the cat sprang upon 
 one and devoured him. His companion rushed home and remarked,., "Who. 
 would have thought that a cat which- shut her eyes and said her prayers 
 ■would act like that?" The Indian version is slightly different. A man had 
 put a rosary round his cat's neck, for fun, and the mice^ taking this to be 
 a sign of a religious mind on the part of the eat, congratulated each other 
 and began to make merry. In a very short time the oat had caught and 
 eaten several of the mice : upon which the survivors said " We thought he 
 was praying to Buddha, but his piety was a mere comedy." The moral is 
 that those who make a show of devotion are lea«t to be trusted ; or, as others 
 have it, that "some pray and do bad actions; others don't pray, but don't do 
 evil." Another favourite fable has given rise to a popular saying. Pigs in 
 Corea, it avers, are generally black; but a white one having once made its 
 
148 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 appearance the king thought it worth offering to the Chinese Emperor, and 
 accordingly sent ambassadors to present it. When they reached Peking, how- 
 ever, so many white pigs were to be seen that the ambassadors saw it would be 
 ridiculous to carry out their mission. Hence "to offer a white pig to the 
 Emperor" is equivalent to our " carrying coals to Newcastle." 
 
 Our own (or rather ^sop's) fable, in which the man who nursed a frozen 
 snake was bitten for his pains, becomes curiously inverted in the Chinese 
 version ; the snake rewarding its benefactor in a rather more agreeable man- 
 ner. Snakes figure in two other well-known fables. In one a man is repre- 
 sented as having struck a cobra on the head, whereupon the reptile attacked 
 him with its tail. Striking its tail, the head forthwith assailed him, and the 
 man then belabouring its middle, both head and tail went at the assailant. 
 The moral of this is "Never say die," or as the Chinese word it "There's 
 help for everything." In the other case we find a reminder of the well- 
 known story of the stomach and the hands, wherein the latter refuse to work 
 for ever to satisfy an organ which does nothing to earn its hving: — The head and 
 the tail of a snake quarrelled, the latter averring that it had as good a right to 
 direct the creature's movements as had the former, which moreover got all 
 the enjoyment of eating and drinking. So the tail was allowed to take charge, 
 and began to move backwards. Unprovided with eyes, however, it very soon 
 brought both ends to grief, as the snake fell into a wet ditch whence there 
 was no means of egress, and was drowned. 
 
 The well-known French sinologue. Professor Julien, has translated from the 
 Chinese some forty-five fables derived from Indian sources. The majority of 
 these are so obviously foreign to Chinese customs that they cannot be cited as 
 examples of native fable. Five of them only seem to be at aU popularly 
 known, one being that of the snake's head and tail above noticed. Of the 
 others the Ass in the Lion's skin is probably the most familiar. The Ass 
 takes, in another fable, the place occupied by the ambitious frog. Besirous of 
 becoming an ox he first of all adopts the same food. After a time, satisfied 
 that he is going on well, he essays to change his usual bray for the deep-tone^d 
 low of his horned companions. Indignant at the insult they rush upon him 
 and gore him to death. 
 
 Tigers are such favourite subjects of Chinese superstition that it is natural 
 to find them frequently introduced into fable. The following is found in the 
 collection translated by Mons. Julien, and is consequently of Indian origin. 
 A tiger having seized a monkey was about to devour him ; but the monkey, 
 bethinking himself of some means of escape, suggested that he was too small 
 to make a good meal for a tiger and offered to conduct his captor to a neighbour- 
 ing hiU where a far more noble prey taight be captured. This was a stag, who, 
 rightly assuming that the tiger had come for a most unfriendly purpose, 
 concluded that his only chance was to put a bold face upon the matter, and 
 accordingly addressed the monkey as follows : " How is this P you promised me 
 ten tiger-skins but you have only brought one; you stUl owe me nine." 
 The tiger hearing this became alarmed and instantly decamped, vowing that 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE. 149 
 
 he never thought the monkey oould be so treacherous. Two other fables in 
 which the tiger figures are, however, purely Chinese. In one case he is about to 
 attack an ass, but hearing his tremendous bray becomes alarmed supposing that 
 so much noise can only proceed from one of the bravest of animals. The 
 ass, however, shewing no inclination to fight, the tiger advances, and presently 
 hears another bray as loud as the first. Convinced at last that he has nothing 
 to fear, he rushes on the ass and devours him. The moral of course is that 
 people who put forth the greatest pretensions are not most to be dreaded. 
 The second fable teaches how sagacity is more valuable than strength. A 
 tiger was about to devour a fox, when the latter demanded ezemption on the 
 ground that he was superior to all other beasts. " If you doubt my word, come 
 with me and see," said the fox: so the two set forth in company. Every 
 animal of course fled at their approach, and the tiger, too stupid to see that 
 he himself was the cause of their terror, conceived a high respect for his 
 crafty companion and did not dare to attack him. The foregoing is one of the 
 many fables recorded in Chinese history as having been used to point a moral 
 when a ready-witted man was interrogated by his sovereign. 
 
 The fable of the Geese and the Tortoise introduced into China from Sanscrit 
 sources is essentially the same as the well-known European version. A couple 
 of geese lived in friendship with a tortoise by the side of a pond. During the 
 hot weather the pond began to dry up, and the geese, anxious that their friend 
 should not suffer from want of water, offered to transport him to some other 
 place where the precious fluid was abundant. They directed him to seize in the 
 middle, with his mouth, a stick which they had provided, engaging to carry it 
 by its ends to the place indicated. " But be sure," they added, " not to speak 
 while we are carrying you." The tortoise promised compliance, and the three 
 started on their adventurous journey. Some little boys viewing the novel sight 
 began to shout, " Look at the geese carrying ^ tortoise !" and continued shouting 
 so long that the tortoise at last lost his temper. "What's that to you!" he 
 retorted. But alas, in giving vent to his feelings he lost his hold of the stick 
 and falling downwards to the ground was dashed to pieces. Another fable, 
 which teaches the moral that people should avoid unsuitable agreements, tells 
 how two brothers bought a pair of boots between them, it being arranged that 
 each should wear them in turn. The elder however forgot to stipulate as to 
 hours and the younger accordingly wore them during the working part of each 
 day. Afraid to claim his rights, but anxious not to be whoUy " done " the elder 
 brother got up every night to get his share of the bargain, and between them 
 the boots were soon worn out. Upon the younger brother proposing that they 
 should buy another pair the elder said "Not unless you will let me sleep at 
 night." The satire upon unequally yoked feUows is clear enough, though some 
 European readers have failed to see it. 
 
 The following fable undoubtedly owes its origin to Hindoo sources, but is 
 interesting (in view of its being tolerably well known in China) on account of its 
 obvious derivation from a root which has furnished not merely fables but "his- 
 torical " anecdotes t(fmany "Western nations. Stories in which the^iero presents 
 
150 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA, 
 
 himself to the enemies of the countrymen in a condition arguing that he has 
 been grossly maltreated by his friends, and from motives of revenge seeks to be 
 received by and give aid to those to whom he is naturally opposed, are to be 
 found in the records of nearly all races. The fable of the crows and the 
 owls adheres to the usually-received texts. Two colonies of crows and owls 
 respectively lived in close proximity to and hated each other in the most 
 neighbourly way. As the crows slept by night and the owls by day each in 
 turn attacked the other when most defenceless, and the slaughter on either side 
 was great. At length an intelligent crow remarked that this would never do ; 
 some plan of exterminating their enemies must be hit upon if they were ever to 
 dwell in peace. On being asked what plan he proposed he told his fellow crows 
 to peck him badly and pull out a number of his feathers, promising, if that 
 were done, to effect the destruction of the owls. In this sorry plight he presented 
 himself at the owl's domicile, complaining bitterly of the treatment to which 
 he had been subjected. The owls coming out to see what was the matter he 
 explained -that he had fled to them for shelter, and one of the owls pitying his 
 hard lot received him into his nest. For a while all went well, until at length, 
 his feathers having grown again, he set to work to pile large quantities of 
 brushwood round the owls' hole, explaining in answer to their enquiries that he 
 waa endeavouring to return their kind ness by heaping up for them a barrier 
 against the cold winds. Shortly after, a snowstorm came on and aU the owls 
 crowded into the nest to escape it. Watching his opportunity the crow plucked 
 a firebrand from the fire of some neighbouring peasants and setting light to the 
 brushwood smothered the owls to death. The moral, "never trust a renegade," 
 is obvious enough, and is one which, had it been kept in mind, might have saved 
 the China of a former age from not a few revolutions. The difficulty of over- 
 coming evil habits is also well illustrated in the same collection as that from 
 which the foregoing is derived. A certain king possessed by a spirit of a false 
 economy gave orders that all the horses used by his cavalry should in time of 
 peace be employed in mills. So long as the country was at peace the arrange- 
 ment worked admirably. But no sooner were the troops called out for war than 
 the cavalry found that their horses would only go in a circular direction and 
 they accordingly fell an easy prey to their antagonists. It is a pity that no 
 one with sufficient influence to make himself heard ventures to apply this fable 
 to the so-called " troops " which compose the major part of the native army. 
 
 A very fair satire upon the habit common to some people of "borrowing 
 trouble " is contained in the following : — A certain rich man who had lived to 
 an extreme age had assembled aU his sons and grandsons to do honour to 
 his birthday. Despite their felicitations however he wore a troubled face, 
 until at length some one asked him what was amiss. " Nothing particular," 
 he replied; " I was only thinking what trouble I should have in inviting my 
 guests when my two-hundredth birthday came round," To take overmuch 
 thought for the morrow is a common Chinese failing, and the moral embodied 
 in the foregoing is keenly appreciated by the populace. Two other fables remind 
 us of old fliends in our schoolboy days, though they are, I believe, purely 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE. 151 
 
 Chinese. In one a party of robbers are related to have attacked a village and to 
 have killed all the inhabitants, save two — one so blind that he was unable to 
 even grope his way about, and the other so lame that by no possibility 
 could he manage to run away. But "heaven helps those that help them- 
 selves." After a deal of trouble the blind man managed to get the lame 
 man on his back and piloted by his eyes the pair reached a place where 
 they were charitably provided for. The system of mutual dependence, so 
 essentially a Chinese virtue, is herein aptly illustrated. Not bad either is 
 another entitled "The folly of avarice." A rich priest had hoarded a fine 
 collection of jewels to which he was constantly adding, and of which he was 
 inordinately proud. Upon shewing them one day to a friend, the latter feasted 
 his eyes for some time, and on taking leave thanked his host for the jesvels. 
 " How," cries the priest, "I have not given them to you ! Why do you thank 
 me?" "Well," rejoined his friend, "I have at least had as much pleasure 
 from seeing them as you can have; and the only difference between us, 
 that I can see, is that you have the trouble of watching them." 
 
 Despite therefore the fact that popular coUectiona of Chinese fables "are 
 unknown, at all events to aU the literary natives to whom the writer has access 
 — fables themselves are in 'common use and are of much the same character 
 as those popular amongst ourselves, doubtless indeed owning a common origin. 
 
 Turning from fables to proverbs a very different state of affairs is found 
 to prevail. Not only are the Chinese spoken languages richer in proverbial 
 lore than that of any Western race, but their literature abounds with that 
 description of short pithy saying so well defined as " the wisdom of many 
 expressed by the wit of one." I would here mention that when this series of 
 chapters on Chinese folklore was first projected the admirable work of Mr 
 Scarborough, "A Collection of Chinese Proverbs" had not been published, 
 and Mr Lister's highly interesting article in the China Heview, " Chinese 
 Proverbs and their Lessons,"* was almost the only essay on the subject 
 which had up to that period appeared in the language. Most works on China 
 indeed give more or less full lists of common sayings, but Mr Lister was the first 
 who endeavoured to direct attention to the coincidences of Chinese thought 
 with that of other peoples. Mr Scarborough.' s work has so amply supplemented 
 all that was previously available respecting Chinese proverbs, -while his intro- 
 ductory essay gives so comprehensive a view of the whole subject that students 
 of the subject may well be referred to the vohime in question. Dealing, how- 
 ever, strictly with the matter of comparison between - Chinese and Western 
 proverbs, there is still room for comment. And for this purpose I shall avail 
 myself of Mr Scarborough's handy collection. 
 
 Out of some 2,700 proverbs and popular sayings which he has brought 
 together, about one hundred are either word-for-word, or in sense, the same as 
 common proverbs in use amongst ourselves. Occasionally of course we find an 
 odd inversion of thought, but in the main they coincide with curious accuracy. 
 
 * China Review, Vol. III., No. 3, p. 129. 
 
152 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 The instances of agreement might be trebled or perhaps quadrupled if popular 
 quotations from well-known writers and Biblical texts were also compared. But 
 in the above estimate I speak merely of proTerbs properly so called. On the 
 first page we have the equivalent of our " Much cry and little wool " — It 
 thunders loudly, and rains very little, another proverb equivalent to "Lots of 
 fuss for small profit" containing a hit at the class of small mandarins. A 
 little further on we find our "Nothing venture nothing have" transformed 
 into If you don't enter a Offer's den you cannot get his cubs, and the well-known 
 saying "A man is known by the company he keeps" becomes, Near vermilion 
 one gets stained red, near ink black ; a more vulgar version having it that Near 
 putrid fish you will stink, near the epidendrum you will be fragrant. That " One 
 swallow doesn't make a summer" is taught by A single strand of silk doesn't make 
 a thread, or a solitary tree a grove. "Practice makes perfect" is in one Chinese 
 version, The boxer must not rest his fist or the singer his mouth, while exactly 
 the same words as our own are also in use, and "What you do,' do well" 
 becomes. If you kill a pig kill him thoroughly. The Chinese have a number of 
 proverbs implying " More haste less speed," which may account for the deliberate 
 way in which, as a nation, they ignore anything like hurry. In hurry is error ; 
 Done leisurely done well; Slow work fine goods, and What is done hastily ia 
 not done well, may be quoted as examples. But on the other hand they have 
 a hit at procrastination "the thief of time" in precisely our own words. 
 Another proverb has it, — Wait till the Yellow River is clear, and how old will 
 you be ? Our " Too many cooks spoil the broth" finds its most literal rendering 
 in A thousand artizans a thousand plans, but two or three other proverbs to the 
 same eflfect are to be found in the collection. 
 
 The Chinese have numerous proverbs relating to animals, but the only one 
 that strikes me as exactly reproducing a Western idea — " Dog doesn't eat dog" 
 — ^is. The heron doesn't eat heron's flesh. On no subject are their sayings more 
 plentiful than trade. Every Chinaman is said to be a born cook and a bom 
 trader, and their most popular proverbs certainly give colour to the latter 
 part of the assertion. " Use a sprat to catch a whale" finds its representatives 
 in Throw a hrick to allure a gem, and If a little cash does not go, much cash 
 will not come. " There's a time for all things" becomes a business proverb in 
 China, There's a time to fish and a time to dry nets. " Take care of the pence 
 &c." is not unlike the Chinese Count cash as if it were gold and so avoid the 
 least mistake ; while " There are tricks in aU trades " is more politely expressed 
 by Every trade has its ways. " A penny saved is a penny gained " is inculcated 
 by Never spend a farthing uselessly. One is strongly tempted to quote some of 
 the other numerous proverbs relating to trade and commerce such as Cheap 
 things are not good: good things are not cheap &c., but the lixoits imposed of 
 verbal or at least direct comparison forbid. 
 
 The advantages of dealing for ready cash and the inconvenience of debt are 
 as strongly insisted on in Chiua as in Europe. " A bird in the hand is worth 
 two in the bush," say we. The Chinese put it more directly, Better take eight 
 hundred than gine credit for a thousand cash, Better twenty per cent in ready 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE. 153 
 
 money than thirty on credit ; to which by the way, our " A nimble nine-pence 
 is better than a slow shilliTig" is perhaps the most literal parallel. "He that 
 goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing" is enforced on> the Chinese mind- by an 
 ingenious pun in one of the words of the proverb — a practice sufficiently common 
 in China to be worth explanation. The word Ch'ien debt is thus written : — 
 ^^, — ^the lower half of the character being Jl jSn, signifying a man. The 
 proverb runs "Debt presses on the head of a man," the ch'ien being supported 
 by jen. Our assertion that a man " Robs Peter to pay Paul" is expressed in 
 Chinese by, S'e tears down the Eastern to repair the Western wall. 
 
 The Chinese, equivalent of " A bad carpenter quarrels with his tools " is: All 
 unskilful fools quarrel with their tools, — not a quite literal but sufficiently accurate 
 rendering. " Cobbler stick to your last" has several equivalents, such as The 
 teacher should not leave his books or the poor man his pigs ; Setter be master of 
 one thanjach of all trades ; Separate hongs (mercantile houses) are like separate 
 hills, waA. The river does not overflow the well, "Two of a trade never agree" 
 is essentially a Chinese saying, and so is our well-known aphorism that " Dress 
 makes the* man," the native version being that Dress makes the Gentleman or 
 Lady, varied to the form That as a liouse needs man to set it off, so man needs 
 clothes. Household affairs come in for a full share of Chinese proverbial philoso- 
 phy. "Early to bed &o." is represented by Three days' rising gains one day's 
 work. "To wash your dirty Unen at home" is advised in the more prosaic 
 Don't spread abroad domestic foibles, and the well-known saying, (hardly a 
 proverb perhaps) "Alas 'tis easier far to rule a kingdom than a wife" is but 
 the English version of the Chinese It is easier to rule a kingdom than to regulate 
 a family. " A man's a man for a' that " finds exact reproduction in the Chinese 
 saying that A stick's a stick whether long or short ; A man's a man whether great 
 or small; and our popular saying that " There are as good fish in the sea as ever 
 came out of it " is aptly paralleled by. If there's no light in the East there will 
 be in the West. 
 
 The idea expressed in our "Breaking^a butterfly on the wheel" is fami- 
 liarized m China by the saying He fells a tree to catch a blackbird and He 
 shoots a sparrow with a cannon, as is that of " Carrying coals to Newcastle " by 
 Offering the filial classic for sale at the door of Oonfucius ; while the Chinamaa 
 who "Buys a pig in a poke " is said To buy a cat in a bag. We say " Shutting 
 the stable door when the horse is stolen " The Chinese put it, lighting the wait 
 when the robbers have gone, equally illustrative of useless effort when the- 
 danger is over. The principle that leads the world to " Give to him that 
 hath" is evidently no stranger to Chinese practice. Mr. Scarborough versifies, 
 the native proverb as follows : 
 
 A lucky man is vstout and fair 
 
 And men lend him service as much as he wants. 
 
 A luckless man is burnt and spare 
 
 And he asks for a loan which no man grants." 
 
 "To kill two birds with one stone" i& pretty closely followed in the native 
 version "To accomplish two things at one effort." Our "AU roads lead to 
 
154, THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 Rome " is literally the same, the word Peking alone being substituted for that 
 of Rome. A more verbose version of the proverb implies the same truth. 
 "Strike while the iron is hot" is another instance of word-for-word agree- 
 ment; and " There's a time for every thing " is reproduced in Where it's a time 
 for drinking wine drink it, When the places-is suitable cry aloud. Our well- 
 known "Lookers-on see most of the game " differs but slightly from Men in the 
 game are blind to what lookers-on see clearly. "It's of no use crying over spUt 
 milk " is very like the Chinese, Spilt water can't be gathered up again. 
 
 Happiness and misery furnish as fruitful a source for proverbs amongst the 
 Chinese as amongst Western nations, some of their sayings being extremely terse 
 and to the point. They assert that happinesses never come in pairs; calamities 
 never come single, a belief not confined to the inhabitants of the Middle King- 
 dom. Life and death, of course, come in for their share of wise (or unwise) say- 
 ings, though the former certainly predominate. When Shakespeare wrote that 
 "all the world's a stage" he was unconsciously plagiarizing the Chinese, Man's 
 life is nought but theatrical performance. That men are apt to discover secrets 
 when under the influence of liq^uor (" When the wine's in the wit's out," In vino 
 Veritas, &c.,) the Chinese know as well as we do. Wine, they say, is a 
 discoverer of secrets, and they have numerous sayings of the same kind. We 
 assert moreover that "Walls have ears," and so do they. The reoommenda- , 
 tion to "Do in Rome as the Romans do" is paraphrased. Meeting men or 
 devils talk as they do, a proverb eminently in accordance with Chinese caution. 
 So too they adhere to the principle expressed in " What every one says must 
 be true," the native version being almost the same. 
 
 Blind leadership is satirized in the identical words of the evangelist "If 
 the blind lead the blind, &c." A similar reproduction of language applies to 
 the proverb "The boy is father to the man," the Chinese saying You may see 
 the man in the boy. "Good wine needs no bush" is equally well expressed 
 by A good-looking woman needs no rouge. Some of the proverbs about 
 women, by the way, are more pungent than polite. A greedy fellow is cha- 
 racterized in the same language in both English and Chinese as some one 
 with his eyes bigger than his belly. "Every man for himself" is another cyni- 
 cal saying common to both countries. "Cheap and nasty" is expressed in 
 Chinese by If you buy cheaj) firexoood, you burn the bottom of your copper. 
 So too "Cut your coat -according to your cloth" becomes with a slight revision, 
 Cat your cloth according to your measure. " Once bitten twice shy" is another 
 instance of verbal agreement, except that the Chinese saying is less terse. 
 
 Most nations have a saying to the effect that the wearer knows best 
 where the shoe pinches. The Chinese mean the same when they say Mats know 
 Mats' ways. "Let sleeping dogs lie" is a worldly-wise saying which the 
 Chinese fully appreciate, only they apply it to tigers instead of dogs. " A 
 chip of the old block" or "Like father like son" is expressed by Dragons 
 give birth to Dragons and Phoenixes hatch Phoenixes. Nor has the Wise 
 King's saying "Spare the rod, and spoil the child" been ignored in Cliina, 
 the same idea exactly underlying a proverb in which the effects of due cor- 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBIAL LORE. 165 
 
 rection and spoiling are contrasted. "Two heads are better than one" is 
 equally acknowledged in the saying, One man's plan is short ; two men's plan 
 is long. 
 
 Chinese proverbs regarding "Heaven" as the supreme arbiter of human 
 affairs are more jiumerous than one would expect to find amongst a people so 
 idol-ridden as the Chinese. It is noteworthy that in this connection " Heaven" 
 is invariably used as we use it in popular sayings to imply "the one great 
 Cause." Thus, as we say, "Man proposes, God disposes" the Chinese say A 
 thousand human schemes may he wrecked hy one scheme of heaven* Similar 
 sayings are so numerous, that they suggest an as yet (apparently) unrecognized 
 belief in a one all-powerful cause. Every student of Chinese is of course 
 acquainted with the popular acceptation of the term. But it would almost 
 seem (if the collection of provprbs before us is to be accepted as a guide) 
 that the word more nearly expresses the Christian idea of the Creator than any 
 other in the Chinese vocabulary. 
 
 "Murder will out" say we. The Chinese intimate that a Body , buried 
 in the snow is sure to be eventually discovered. Our estimate of the value 
 of time, again, is reproduced in words that match with the proverb already 
 quoted respecting prevarication : An inch of time is lihe an inch of gold. It is 
 perhaps scarcely accurate to quote "Mens sana in corpore sano" as a proverb. 
 But at all events the Chinese reproduce it in ^ calm mind mahes a cool body. 
 "The poor have no friends" is another very literal rendering of a Chinese pro- 
 verb, and "Money makes the world wag" is very fairly rendered by In the 
 presence of money all quarrels expire, or Money hides many offences ; while as 
 a concluding specimen I may quote the well-known "First come first served" 
 expressed in Chinese by. The first who comes becomes prince, the second minister. 
 
 It cannot of course be pretended that the foregoing is by any means an 
 exhaustive summary of the various proverbs which imply similar intentions on 
 the part of their inventors, European or Asiatic. But it will suffice to show how 
 striking are the agreements on certain well-defined subjects, and, it 
 is hoped, to support the general principle laid down in these pages that 
 Chinese thought is, at bottom, very similar to our own. It may well 
 be that proverbs relating to temporal welfare only, spring up spontaneously 
 and independently in each country. But what are we to make of the 
 monotheistic spirit pervading the numerous sayings in, which the "Heaven" 
 of the Chinese answers to the "God" of Christian Europe or the "Jehovah" 
 of the chosen race? Is this too the spontaneous invention of an isolated 
 people, or is it the surviving trace of a long-forgotten worship, when the 
 ancestors of the Chinaman and the Semite worshipped at the same shrine ? This 
 is not the place to discuss such a question, but it nevertheless suggests itself, 
 and is worth a more careful investigation than has yet been accorded to it 
 by the enthusiastic champions of Shang-ti and Shen. In the opinion of many, 
 
 * Dr. Williams renders T'ien, " Pro- sonality, employed more than any other 
 vidence Nature, He»Ten, the overruling term to indicate God." 
 power; and though without definite per- 
 
156 THE FOLK-LORE OF CHINA. 
 
 sufficient reason has not yet been adduced to justify a refusal to adopt the only 
 phrase acknowledged by the Chinese to convey the idea expressed by our word 
 " Creator" or " Almighty." 
 
 In concluding these hasty sketches of the various departments of Chinese 
 folk-lore, the writer cannot but express a hope that each division of the subject 
 ■will before long receive fuUer elucidation from competent pens. Conscious of 
 the superficial character of much that is here written he can only regret that 
 time and opportunity have not allowed him to deal more satisfactorily 
 with the information at command. To those who look upon the folk-lore 
 of a people as affi)rding a key to many curious problems concerning its origin 
 and progress, the foregoing chapters may affisrd useful hints. Many subjects 
 might be dealt with more advantageously in special volumes than within the 
 brief limits of a single chapter. The writer will however be satisfied if his 
 efibrts tend in any way to bridge the existing gulf between the two peoples, 
 by illustrating, even to a limited degree, the Chinese assertion that "Men of the 
 four seas are (after aU) brothers." 
 
 THE END. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Ages Facial, the, . . . . . . 63 
 
 Ali Baba's Cave, its Chinese Repre- 
 sentative, . . . . . . 134 
 
 Almanacks, . . 8 
 
 Amulets, extensive Use of, . . 55 
 
 „ usually Metal or Jade, 56 
 Animals Endowed with the Gift of 
 
 Speech, .. ..101 
 
 ,, Suckling Children, . . 142 
 
 Apparition at Shanghai, . . . . 73 
 
 „ of a Man Drowned in 
 
 the S.8. Fusing, . . 73 
 
 ,, at Foochow, . . . . 74 
 
 Arrows fired at Tidal Waves as 
 
 Charms, . . . . . . 51 
 
 Artemisia, Leaves of the, used as 
 
 Charms, . . . . . . . . 61 
 
 Aryan Cradle of Superstitions, . . 6 
 
 Ass, the, in Chinese Fable, . . 148 
 Astrological Beliefs common to all 
 
 Classes in China, . . . . 2 
 
 Baboon, Cambojan, curious Belief 
 respecting, . . . . . . 113 
 
 Bamboo, anti-demoniaoalPowersof, 47 
 
 ,, sups. Divination by, . . 62 
 
 Bats, Ominous, . . . . . . 34 
 
 BeUs, Auguries from, . . . . 37 
 
 , , Great, at Canton and Peking, 37 
 ,, on Clothing "Worn as Amu- 
 lets, . . . . . . 55 
 
 ,, of Peking, Legend of the 
 
 Casting of the, . . . . 133 
 
 Betrothal, Ceremonies of, . . . . 15 
 
 Birds, Appearance of as Omens, 33, 34 
 ,, Trained to Aid in Divination, 63 
 „ the Grateful, . . . . 136 
 
 Birth, Ceremonies observed after, 13 
 „ Hour and Day of , . . . . 8 
 
 Bittern and Mussel, Fable of the, 147 
 Blind Man and Lame Man, Fable 
 of the, .. .. * .. ..151 
 
 Page, 
 
 Blood Bread, Sold at Peking, . . 67 
 „ from Trees, &e., . . . . 127 
 
 „ Human, as Medicine, 66, 68 
 ,, Human in Castings, . . 133 
 
 ,, of Unborn Infants, efficaci- 
 ous for Magic, . . . . 68 
 
 Borrowing Trouble, Fable about, 160 
 Bread, Superstitions connected 
 with its use, . . . . . . 140 
 
 Bride-Cake, Bread, . . . . 18 
 
 Bridges, Curious Superstitions con- 
 cerning, . . . . . . . . 70 
 
 Brownies, Chinese, . . . . 99 
 
 Buildings, Charms affixed to, . . 48 
 Burial Ancient, in Position of Foetus, 24 
 
 Candle Omens, . . . . . . 17 
 
 Candles at Burials, . . . . 21 
 
 „ Bridal, 17 
 
 , , Burning Green in the pre- 
 sence of Ghosts, . . 73 
 Cannibalism, Chinese, . . . . 67 
 
 Cannon, Fired at the Peiho to 
 
 Diminish a Flood, . . . . 46 
 
 Carp, Supernatural, . . . . 92 
 
 Cash in Dead Men's Sleeves, Di- 
 vination by, . . . . 21 
 
 ,, Lucky, as Amulets, . . 55 
 
 „ Swords, . . . . . . 48 
 
 Cat and Mice, Fable of , . . . . 147 
 
 ,, to pass over a Corpse, Ominous, 20 
 
 Cats and Witchcraft in China, -. . 90 
 
 „ Images of, on Houses, . . 48 
 
 ,, Unlucky, .. .. ..33 
 
 Chair, Sitting in a Warm, Omin- 
 ous of a Qruarrel, . . . . 38 
 
 Characts or Written Charms (spe- 
 cimen of), . . . . 52, 55 
 
 Charms Paper, Burnt and the Ashes 
 
 Drank in Tea, &e., . . 64 
 ,, their extensive Use, . . 45 
 Cheap Literature, Aid to Preserva- 
 tion of Folk-lore, . . . , 6 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Fecge. 
 
 Ch6ng Cheng-shan, Caves of, . . 133 
 
 Ch6ng-hwang, tte, . . . . 7*7 
 
 Chiao, the Chinese, . . . . 127 
 
 Chiromancy, Chinese, . . . . 63 
 
 Chopsticks used at Marriages, . . 16 
 Chow Dynasty, Mythical Origin of 
 
 the, 4' 
 
 Christians, alleged Powers of as 
 
 Exorcists, 89 
 
 Chrysostom St., his Protest against 
 
 Superstitions, . . . . . . 2 
 
 Chu-ko Liang, Legend of the 
 
 Tombof, 135 
 
 Cinnabar, Children Stained with, 
 
 as an Antidote to Sickness, . . 70 
 Classics, Chinese, Copies of as 
 
 Charms, . . 51 
 „ Divinations by 
 
 the, . . 62 
 
 Clay Figures used by Wizards, . . 83 
 
 Clothes, Burial, 20 
 
 Cocoa-Nut, Fanciful Legend Con- 
 cerning its Origin, 138 
 „ Shell, Virtues of Yes- 
 
 sels made of, . . 13S 
 •Cooks, Images of White, used at 
 
 Marriages, . . . . 16 
 
 ,, Superstitions as to, .. 22 
 
 Coffin, Purchase of, during Life, 20 
 
 ,, Unlucky to Meet a, . . 38 
 
 Coins Placed under Door Sills, . . 48 
 
 Comets, Portents from, . . . . 35 
 
 Confucius, Legend of the Tomb of , 136 
 
 ,, on Omens, . . . . 39 
 
 Corpse, Blood from Mouth, &c., of, 71 
 Cosmioal Phenomena in China, Re- 
 cords of, ... . . . . . 116 
 
 Crabs, used for Exorcism, . . 11 
 Cradle, Superstitions as to Rocking 
 
 an Empty, . . . . . . 12 
 
 Crane, Paper Image of, used 60 
 
 Days after Death, . . . 25 
 Crooked Paths in Gardens, Reasons 
 
 of, 35 
 
 Crow, Ominous Character of the, 33 
 
 Crows and Owls, Fable of the, . . 149 
 
 Days, Lucky and Unlucky, 28, 31 
 Dead, Implements Anciently made 
 
 for the, 72 
 
 Dead Bodies, Position of. Reversed 
 
 before Coffining, . . 21 
 
 Death, Most Common Hours of, . . 27 
 
 ,, Superstitions concerning, 20 
 
 Demon FUes and Cash, . . . . 86 
 
 „ Aid to Become Rich, . . 86 
 
 Demons, Chinese, 84 
 
 „ Head of the 84 
 
 Demon Imprisoned in Jars, . . 131 
 „ '' Power to Cause Disease, . . 85 
 „ People Possessed by, . . 85 
 „ Story of Possession at Che- 
 
 foo, 85 
 
 " Devil Dancers " Native, . . 87 
 
 ,, How Consulted, 88 
 
 Disturbing Graves, Dislike to, . . 26 
 
 Divination and Spiritualism, . . 66 
 
 „ by the Leaves of the 
 
 Juniper, &c., . . 63 
 „ like the Sortes Virgi- 
 
 liante, . . . . 62 
 
 Divining Twig, the Chinese, . . 57 
 
 Dogs, Demon, Transformed, . . 132 
 
 „ Hair of as Charms, . . 51 
 
 ,, Strange, Lucky, . . . . 33 
 
 Dragon, Chinese, Description of 
 
 tfie, 108 
 
 „ Worship Domestic, . . lOS 
 ,, Legend of the, and A- 
 
 Tseung, .. ..109 
 
 „ The Embodiment of the 
 
 Storm Spirit, .. ..110 
 „ St. George and the, Chi- 
 nese Legend of , .. 110 
 Dragons, Ghosts of, . . . . 92 
 ,, Derived from Serpents, 107 
 „ Worship, . . . . lOT 
 ,, and Waterspouts, . . 127 
 Dragon's Water, near a Grave, . . 25 
 Drawings of Animals and Reptiles 
 
 used as Charms, . . . . .51 
 
 Dreams, Superstitions concerning, 41 
 „ Japanese Beliefs in, . . 4S 
 „ of Deceased Relatives,' 
 
 Ominous, . . .77 
 
 Dress, Article of belonging to a 
 
 Child's Father, a Charm, . . 13 
 Drowned Bodies, Discovery of, . . 64 
 Duck, Bamboo and Duck's Egg 
 
 used 60 Days after Death, . . 2'J 
 Duck Q,uacking, Unlucky, . . 33 
 
 Earth, Scattered on Coffin at Bu- 
 rials, . . . . . . . . 25 
 
 Eclipses, Superstitions about, . . 36 
 Eggs, how Prevented from Break- 
 ing when Boiled, . . 70 
 „ Setting an even number of, 35 
 Eitel, Rev. Dr., on Fable of 
 Hwang-ho, . . . . . . 4 
 
 Elixirof Life, the, .. ..97 
 
 Elves and Brownies, Chinese Ideas 
 
 of, 97 
 
 Evil Eye, the, 49 
 
 Exorcists, Christian and Pagan, 
 in China, 89 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Ihge. 
 
 Eyebrows, People with Joined, 
 their Liick, . . . . . . 38 
 
 Eyelids, Involuntary Movement of, 
 an Omen, . . . . . . SS 
 
 Fable, the Earliest Chinese, . . 147 
 Fables, their Use in China, . . 146 
 ,, Collections of, . . . . 146 
 
 Fairies Embodying the Powers of 
 
 Nature, 100 
 
 ,, Chiefly Attributed to 
 
 Mountainous Localities, 97 
 
 ,, Chinese usually Beautiful, 98 
 
 F-airy "Women, . . . , . . 99 
 
 „ Flies and Bees 100 
 
 Feet, Bridegroom Requested to 
 
 Rub Bride's, 16 
 
 Female Apparitions before Beath 
 Unknown, . . . . ■ . . 26 
 
 FSng-Shuey, 65 
 
 Finger, Shaking of, an Omen, . . 38 
 
 Fire Craekers, as Charms, : . 46 
 
 ,, Legend of the God of, . . 121 
 
 ,, Superstitions as to spread of, 123 
 
 First-foot, on New Year's Day, . . 2 
 
 „ The, Superstitions con- 
 
 eerning, . . . . 31 
 
 First Words Heard after Making 
 
 a Resolution, Ominous, . . 39 
 
 Fishing Nets as Charms, . . . , 5T. 
 
 Five, the Number, . . . . 40 
 
 Flesh Human, Curative Powers of, 
 if Eaten, . . . . 68, 6S 
 
 Flowers in the Unseen World, Re- 
 presenting Women, . . . . 11 
 
 Folklore, Origin of Term, , . 6 
 
 Food, &e. Provided for the Dead, 24 
 Foot-measure used at Marriages, 16 
 Four, a Lueky Number at Mar- 
 riages, . . . . . . . . 17 
 
 Fowl, Black, Ghost of , . . . . 92 
 
 Fox, the, and Demonology, 92-96 
 
 Fo-yeung-lak, Branches Hung 
 over Doorways, . . . . . . 47 
 
 Fruit, Dried, Used at Marriages, 16 
 Frog in the Moon, the, . . . . 118 
 
 Funerals, Unlucky to Meet, . . 38 
 
 Gardner, Mr. C. T., Notes by, . . 23 
 Oarlic Bulbs, Charms against Sick- 
 ness, . . . . . . . . 70 
 
 Geese and Tortoise, Fable of the, 149 
 Genoeva Root Stories, . . . . 142 
 
 Genii, how Summoned, . . . . 81 
 
 ,, Chinese Description of, . . 81 
 ,, The Taoist Definition of , . . 81 
 „ Celebrated, . .• . . 82, 83 
 
 Page. 
 
 Genii Mag^e Powder of the, . . 82 
 
 ,, Isles of the, . . . . . . 82 
 
 Ghosts, The False Ghost at Chin- 
 
 keang, . . . . . . 71 
 
 „ The Chinese Terms for, . . 72 
 
 „ Shapeless Form of, . . 72 
 
 „ Every-day Appearance of, 72 
 „ Of Women vriw Die in 
 
 Child-bed, .. ..74 
 
 „ ' Of Suicides, .. ..74 
 
 ,, Pranks of, . . , . 76 
 „ Accompanied by Cdestial 
 
 Police, 77 
 
 „ Low InteUigenee of, . . 77 
 
 „ Pauper, . . . . . . 77 
 
 ,, Exorcising (A Chinese 
 
 Farce), 78 
 
 „ Of Idols, 78 
 
 „ Free to Revisit the Earth, 78 
 
 „ Talismans Against, . . 79 
 
 „ Animal, 79 
 
 Goats used to Discover Drowned 
 
 Bodies, . . . , . . 64 
 
 Goblets, Bridal, 17 
 
 "God," Chinese Equivalent of the 
 
 Word, .. 155 
 
 Goddess of the Moon, The, . . 117 
 
 Good Deeds Rewarded, . . . . 136 
 
 Gorges, Female Spirits of the, . . 132 
 
 Gourd Shells as Charms, . . ' . . 51 
 
 Grass, Used to Frighten Demons, 11 
 
 Graves, Lucky Sites for, . . . . 25 
 Gymnastics, Practice of. Conduces 
 
 to Immortality, . , . . 69 
 
 Hainan Straits, Reputed Home of 
 Sea"Monsters, . . . . . . 113 
 
 Hair Combing, when Unlucky, . . 41 
 ,, on Bpdy, Excess of. Ill- 
 omened, . . . . . . 38 
 
 Hare in the Moon, Legend of the, 118 
 „ Superstitions concerning the, 64 
 Haunted Houses, Stories of, . . 75 
 Heart, Jumping Sensation of, an 
 
 Omen, 38 
 
 „ Name Engraved on the, .. 136 
 Hell, Gate of, near Teng-chow, . . 130 
 Hens Crowing, Unlucky, . . . . 33 
 
 Hercules' Cup, Chinese Torsion of, 132 
 Honey at Sicilian Marriages, . . 17 
 Hooks, Silver, Worn as Amulets, 55 
 Horses andthe King, Fable of the, 150 
 Horse's Hoof, a Charm, . . . . 48 
 
 Household Tales, Grimm's Opin- 
 ion of, . . ■ . . . . . . 145 
 
 Hwang-ho, Fable of the, . . . . 4 
 
 ,, Fairy Lake, Source of 
 
 the, 133 
 
IT. 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Idols Antagonistic to Ghosts, . . 75 
 Images of Animals and Keptiles 
 
 used as Ckarms, . . . . 51 
 Indian Fables Translated into Chi- 
 nese, 148 
 
 Invocations used by Spirit Media, 60 
 Iron-plates Sunk in Eivers as 
 Charms, . . . . . . 47 
 
 Islands, Legends concerning Form- 
 ation of, . . 123 
 
 Jars Used to Imprison Demons, . . 131 
 Jasper Lake, the, . . . . . . 99 
 
 Jewels and the Priest, Fable of the, 131 
 Judgment of Solomon, Chinese 
 
 Tersions of, . . . . . . 139 
 
 Juniper Tree Leaves Used for Di- 
 
 vination, . . . . . . 63 
 
 Kelpies, Chinese, . . . . . . 100 
 
 Kettle, Spout of, must not be' 
 
 Turned Outwards, . . . . 65 
 Key of a Dyke Water Gate used 
 
 as a Charm, . . . . . . 47 
 
 Kingsmill, T. W., on Mythical 
 
 Origin of Chow Dynasty, . . 4 
 Knife, Absurd Tale of a, at a Wed- 
 ding, (note), . . . . 19 
 
 „ Cash as Charms, . . . . 67 
 
 „ used to Kill a Fellow Crea- 
 ture, a Charm, . . . . 61 
 Knots "Auspicious," in Swathing 
 
 the Dead, . . . . . . 21 
 
 Kerrigan, Resemblance to Chinese 
 
 Elves, 132 
 
 Ku-tu or Magic Water, . . . . 62 
 
 Kwang-sui-f u. Legend of the Cave 
 
 of, 134 
 
 Kw'en-lun Mountain, . . . . 133 
 , , Mountains Peopled with 
 
 Fairies, . . . . 97 
 
 Lake MSn, Supernatural Origin of, 126 
 ,, of Gems, the, . . . . 97 
 
 Lame Man and Blind Man, Fable 
 
 of the, 181 
 
 Lamps and Lanterns at Marriages, 17 
 Last Piece left on a Dish, . . 65 
 
 Legends of Locality, . . . . 129 
 
 Lewohewan Legend of the Fairy 
 Dress, . . . . . . . . 140 
 
 Lightning, Beliefs concerning, . . 121 
 Lin-la Mountain, Legend of, . . 132 
 
 Lions, Images of. Outside Houses, 48 
 Loadstone, Legend's regarding the, 135 
 Locks, Silver, Worn as Amulets, 55 
 Lots Method of Casting, . . . . 39 
 Luther, Superstition of , . . . . 3 
 
 Magicians, Noted, . . . . . 83 
 
 Magpies, Ominous, . . . . 33 
 
 Manna, Chinese Fall of , . . . . 128 
 
 Mao-shan (Magicians) the, . . 83 
 
 Marriage of Emperor, Supersti- 
 tious Gifts at, . . 7 
 ,, Superstitions regarding, 14 
 Marriages, Days Suitable for, . . 15 
 Mayers, on Cult of God of Litera- 
 ture, . . . . . . . . 4 
 
 " Measures," Worshipping the, . . 13 
 Media, Spiritualistic Chinese, . . 60 
 Mercury and its Preparations, 
 
 Virtues of, 139 
 
 Mermaid, China the Original 
 Home of the, .. .. .. 114 
 
 Mermaids, Chinese Legends of, . . 115 
 Mesmerism, Chinese, . . . . 62 
 
 Meteors, as Auguries, . . . . 120 
 
 Mice and Cat, Fable of , . . . . 147 
 
 Mirages, Beliefs about, . . . . 120 
 
 Mirrors, Superstitions concern- 
 ing, . . . . 35-45 
 
 ,, used at Marriages, . . 16 
 Money as Amulets, . . . . 65 
 
 Monkeys Reputed to Steal Women, 100 
 
 Monster of the Nanking Pagoda, 114 
 
 Moon, Beliefs concerning the, . . 115 
 
 ,, Cakes, . . . . . . 28 
 
 ,, Goddess of the, Legend of, 101 
 „ Obscured, Hakka Supersti- 
 tion concerning, . . 32 
 ,, Snow from the, .. ..118 
 
 Mountains, Presiding Demons and 
 Divinities of, . . . . . . 123 
 
 Mourning Colours of Different 
 
 Nations, 26 
 
 Murdered People, Omens from 
 
 Closed or Open Hands of, 71 
 „ People, Blood from Mouth, 
 
 &c., 71 
 
 Murderers Haunted by Ghosts of 
 
 Persons Murdered, . . . . 75 
 Mussel and Bittern, Fable of the, 147 
 
 3\r 
 
 48 
 
 Nails, Coffin, as Charms, . . 
 Name, People of the Same, For- 
 bidden to Marry, , . . . 19 
 Nanking Pagoda, Monster of the, 114 
 Nails, Specks on, . . . . . . 39 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page, 
 
 New-Born Children must not be 
 
 near Silkworms, . . . . Vl 
 ,, Year's Day, Lucky for Cer- 
 tain Acts, . . . . 31 
 "NoonDayTea" Cakes as Charms, 70 
 Numbers, Even, Fortunate, . . 41 
 
 ,, Lucky, 39 
 
 Numerical Categories, Mayers' List 
 
 of, 40 
 
 on Jar, Superstition as to Upset- 
 ting an, 33 
 
 Old Man in the Moon, Attributes 
 of, 117 
 
 Order of Subjects dealt with, . . 4, 5 
 
 Owls and Crows, Fables of the, . . 149 
 ,, Ominous, .. .. .-.34 
 
 Ox, Green, Ghost of the, . . . . 92 
 
 Pa Kwa, the, 50 
 
 Palm, Itching of, 39 
 
 Palmistry, Divination by, . . 63 
 
 Paper Slips, Divination by, . . 63 
 Penelope, Story of, Chinese Tales 
 Resembling, . . . . . . 141 
 
 Phoenix, the Chinese, . . lll-ll^ 
 Philosopher's Stone, the Chinese, 139 
 Physiognomy, Auguries from the, 63 
 Pigs, White, and "Carrying Coal 
 
 to Newcastle," 147 
 
 Planchette, the Chinese, . . . . 57 
 
 Plum Tree, its Powers over Spirits, 47 
 Poi-t'ou, the " Cup TraveUer," . . 132 
 Portents or Omens, . . . . 33 
 
 Possession, Chinese Stories of De- 
 mon, . . . . . . . . 86 
 
 Pregnant Animal, Passing over a 
 
 Corpse, Superstition about, . . 20 
 Proverbs, Coincidence of Chinese 
 
 and European, . . 151 
 ,, Business and Social, . . 152 
 
 , , Use of the Word " Hea- 
 ven "in, . . . . 155 
 
 Pumelo Leaves used for Divina- 
 tion, . : • 63 
 
 Punch and Judy, Legendary Origin 
 
 of, 136 
 
 Purgatory, Gate of, . . . . 129 
 
 Quicksilver, its alleged Properties, 139 
 Quilt, used to Toss Cakes at Mar- 
 riages, . . . . . . 18 
 
 Z=t. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Radicals, Story, 143 
 
 Rain God, the Chinese, . . , . . 124 
 
 ,, Priests, . . . . . . 125 
 
 Rainstones, Ancient Chinese, . . 69 
 
 Red Cloth and Silk as Charms, . . 61 
 
 „ Cloth Placed on Threshold of 
 
 Bridegroom's House, . . 18 
 
 Cords used for Infants, 
 
 12 
 54 
 
 ,, Paper for Charms, 
 „ Silk Threads, used at Betro- 
 thals, . . . . . . 15 
 
 Ridge Poles, Charms attached to, 48 
 Rip Van Winkle, Chinese Ver- 
 , sions of, . . . . . . . . 98 
 
 Roof, Holes Made in to Allow 
 
 Egress of Soul, . . 2-22 
 
 Sabbath, the Chinese, Origin of, 27 
 Sago Palm Leaves, Charms against 
 Sickness, . . . . . . 70 
 
 Salt, Thrown into Water when a 
 Person has been Rescued from 
 Drowning, . . . . . . 64 
 
 Sampans, Red Cloths Hung on, at 
 Birth of Children, .. .. 11 
 
 Sand Spread on Table, Divination 
 
 by 58 
 
 ,, Strewn on Floor to Discover 
 if Spirit of the Dead Re- 
 visits a Place, . . . . 77 
 Scales, Money, used at Marriages, 16 
 Sea-Serpents, Chinese, . . 113 
 
 Sedan-chair and Crane used Sixty 
 
 days after Death, . . • • 24 
 
 Sedans, Marriage, Paintings on, . . 16 
 
 Self-sacrifice for the Public Good, 134 
 
 Serpents, Story from Foochow, . . 105 
 
 ,, Worship, . . . . 105 
 
 ,, Flesh, Healing Qualities 
 
 of, 103 
 
 „ as River Gods, . . . . 106 
 
 ,, Combat between En- 
 chanted, . . . . 104 
 
 „ Precious Stones in Heads 
 
 of, .. .. .. 106 
 
 ,, Power of Assuming Hu- 
 man form, . . . . 103 
 
 „ Dragons, &c., .. .. 102 
 
 ,, Wide-spread Legends 
 
 concerning, . . . . 102 
 
 Seven, the Number, Superstitions 
 
 concerning, . . 27, 38, 40 
 ,, the Number, in connection 
 
 with Burials, . . . . 24 
 
 Sex of Children, how Foretold, 10, 11 
 Shan Ching Kwei (Magicians), . . 83 
 Shan-sao, or Chinese Brownies, . . 99 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Shears used at Marriages, . . 16 
 
 " Shea of Offence," the, . . . . 78 
 
 Shiu-Hng, Legend of, . . . . 130 
 
 Shoes, Superstitions concerning, 
 
 11, 15, 18 
 Shooting Stars, Omens from, . . 36 
 Sieve, used to Purify Clothes be- 
 fore Marriage, . . . . . . 16 
 
 SUkworms, Pregnant Women not 
 
 Allowed to Approach, 71 
 
 Sitting on the Dress of Bride or 
 
 Bridegroom, an Omen, . . . . 19 
 
 Snake, Absurd Tale of. at a Marri- 
 age (note), . . . . . , 19 
 Snakes in Chinese Fables, . . 148 
 Sneezing, an Omen, . . . . 38 
 ~ Solomon, Judgment of, its Chinese 
 
 Version, 139 
 
 Somnambules or Media, Chinese, 59 
 Spirit Media, Deity Invoked by, 61 
 " Spirit," use of the "Word in Chi- 
 nese, . . . . . . . . 102 
 
 Spiritualism and Spirit-Rapping in 
 
 ' China, 57 
 
 Spittle, Lustration by, . . . . 52 
 
 Stars, Abodes of Supernatural 
 
 Beings, . . . . . . 119 
 
 ,, Ominous, . . . . . . 36 
 
 Stent, on Chinese Legends, . . 3 
 
 Stones, Legends concerning Hu- 
 man Beings Metamor- 
 phosed into, . . . . 128 
 
 ,, Possessed by Spirits, . . 96 
 Storm Fiends, Chinese, . . . . 97 
 
 Straw Tied Hound a Pot Prevents 
 Boiling over, . . . . . . 70 
 
 Styx, Chinese, the, . . . . 24 
 
 St. George and the Dragon, Chi- 
 nese Version of, . . . . Ill 
 
 „ Swithun's Day, Chinese, . . 32 
 Swallows, never wiliuUy Killed, . . 34 
 Swan Maidens, Chinese Version of 
 the Samojed Legend, . . . . 140 
 
 Sweet Dew, Fall of, . . . . 128 
 
 ,, Flag, Leaves of the, used as 
 
 a Charm, . . . . . . 51 
 
 Swellings Cured by Hem of a Wo- 
 man's Garment, . . . . 70 
 
 Sun, Chinese Beliefs concerning, 
 
 118, 119 
 
 „ God, Cup of the J32 
 
 Svastika, the, in China, . . . . 49 
 
 T 
 
 Tea, Legendary Origin of the 
 Shrub, 137 
 
 Teachers, Great, of China, their 
 Influence regarding Supersti- 
 tions, . . . . . . 6 
 
 Fage. 
 
 Thorn's Translation of ^sop's 
 
 Fables, 146 
 
 Thor's Hammer in China, . . 49 
 
 Three Children at a Birth, Super- 
 stitions concerning, . . 12 
 ,, the Number, Unlucky at 
 
 Marriages, . . . . 17 
 
 Threshold, Bride's Feet must not 
 
 Touch, 18 
 
 Thunder, the God of , . . . .• 121 
 
 Tides Excessive Superstitions a» to, 125 
 ,, Influence of the Moon on, . . 118 
 Tiger Suckling Babes, Stories of,.. 142 
 , , the, in Chinese Fable, . . 148 
 Tigers as Demoniacs, . . . . 91 
 Tortoise and Geese, Fable of, . . 149 
 
 Tree of Life, the, 97 
 
 Trees, Anti-demoniacal Powers of 
 Certain, . . . . . . . . 47 
 
 Triangles, Gold or Silver as Charms, 49 
 Trolls, their Chinese Representa- 
 tives, . . . . . . . . 132 
 
 Trowsers, Ominous Properties of, 38 
 Tsien-tang Eiver, Human Self- 
 sacrifloe to the, . . . . . . 134 
 
 Twitching of the Flesh, an Omen, 38 
 Typhoons, Legend of Origin of, . . 109 
 
 XT 
 
 TJnicom, the Chinese, 
 
 .. Ill 
 
 Veils, Used at Marriages, . . 16 
 
 Vermilion, a Charm against Infant 
 
 Sickness, . . . . . . 70 
 
 Volcanic Phenomena, Superstitions 
 
 as to, . . . . . . 126 
 
 ■\>ST 
 
 "Watching Spirits," Superstitions 
 
 as to, 22 
 
 Watching the Dead, . . . . 24 
 
 Water, Drawn after Midnight on a 
 
 Certain Date, Efficacy of, 38 
 ,, ■ Magic, its Use; . . . . 62 
 
 Waterspouts and Dragons, . . 127 
 
 Watters, on Chinese Beliefs re- 
 garding Pigeons, Doves and 
 
 Foxes, 3 
 
 Waxen Images Used by Wizards, 
 
 their Chinese Representatives, 83 
 Wedding BLug, Chinese, . . . . 14 
 White Hempen Cloth for Mourn- 
 ing, 24, 25 
 
 Willow, the, its Powers over Spi- 
 rits, 47 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Til. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Willow Wood, Divination by 
 
 Image of, . . . . 61 
 
 „ Wood, Lucky Properties 
 
 of, 16 
 
 Windows, Opening of, for Egress 
 
 of Soul, 2 
 
 Witchcraft, a Communicable Act, 80 
 ,, and Demonology, . . 79 
 
 Witches and Wizards, Long Ex- 
 istence of in China, . . 80 
 „ not Subject to Yiolence, 80 
 
 Witches Chinese Charm 
 Wives, Supernatural, 
 
 90 
 
 142 
 
 Yang and Yin Principle, Curious 
 
 Application of , . . . . 70 
 
 Yang-tsze Eiver, Legends of the, 129 
 
 Yellow Paper, Charms on, . . 64 
 
 „ River, Legends of the, . . 129 
 
 PEINTED AT THE " CHINA MAIL" OEFIOE, BOKGKOSO.