other fans besides. There was one with frame and sticks of sandal-wood, beautifully carved, while the body was of painted silk. There were groups of tigures on each side of the fan, and each figure had a face painted on ivory which was afterwards glued to the silk. It was the prettiest thing to be found for any price we could afford, and you can be sure that it was secured for somebody at home. "We had a long search among the porcelain shops for some blue china plates of what is called ' the willow pattern.' We must have gone into twenty shops at least before we found them ; and, finally, when we did get them, the dealer was as anxious to sell as we were to buy. He said he had had those plates on hand a very long time, and nobody wanted them. We did not tell him how rare they are at home, and how anxious people are to get hold of them. " The variety of porcelain in the Canton shops is very great, and a simple list of what there is would fill several piages. Thej^ showed us some of what they call egg-shell porcelain. It was so thin that you could almost see through it, and so delicate that it had to be carefully handled. The varieties of cups and saucers we could not begin to tell ; they make them suited to every market in the world, and it is said that the greatest part of what they make is of the shapes that are not used in China. Of vases there was no end, and they were of all sizes, from a tiny cone for a small bouquet up to a huge one capable of holding a barrel of water, with plenty of room to spare. The trade in vases must be verj^ great, if we are to judge by the quantities and variety that we saw. Many of them were very elaborate, and must have cost a great deal of money. " But there is danger that you will get tired if we keep on much longer about the sights of Canton, and particularly the shopping part of it. Besides, we want to go out and see what there is in Hong-kong, and perhaps wo may run across something new in the Chinese part of the city that we sliall want to buy. A good many people say that you can buy Canton goods just as cheaply in Ilong-kong as in the city they come from. That may be so ; but then it is more satisfactory to get them there and have the pleasure of buying them on the spot. " We'll stop now and say good-bye. We have seen China and Japan, and had a splendid time. We think we have learned a great deal about the two countries, and hope that what we have written about them has been interesting to those for whom it was intended. We have tried to see things, and think of them without partiality or prejudice. We lielieve that the people of the East have the same claims to respect that ours have, and that it is only a narrow mind that sneers at the ^^•ays of others be-
Page:The boy travellers in the Far East.djvu/478
This page needs to be proofread.
420
THE BOY TRAVELLERS
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/The_boy_travellers_in_the_Far_East.djvu/page478-1024px-The_boy_travellers_in_the_Far_East.djvu.jpg)