Pern haw ined many wok ate cara Cut ers nto book be"Sevoned on of the tat vie among them, The letterpress, the same word Ch'éxg for a city Jand a city wall. It matters little how large, important and well order-settlement may be; if not proerly defined and enclosed by walls it is mot a city in the traditional Chinese sense. Thus for instance, Shanghai, outside the native town,' the most important commercial Jeentre of modern China, to the old-fashioned Chinese is not a real city; it is arnly a settlement, a huge architectural drawings and trading centre grown out of a fish-the photographs - are beautifuling village."
reproduced, and the work as a whole presents with distinction a The military glory of these great subject of deep artistic and archeostructures has long sinto departed. logical interest. 'The frontispiece, a They are no match for modern photogravare view through the armaments. But it is " striking Sutor gate, Sha Wa Men, is testimony to the mediaeval charaetypical of the extraordinarily' fine ter of much of China's present day photography which the book con history that great reliance is placed sins, the composition of the pic-upon the city wall as a means of ures being most skilful. To many defence. One commonly reads of will be a revelation of how the hasty closing of the city gates, and mechanism of the camera can be the manning of the defences inde to produce fine art,. such soldiers as may be available, upon the appearance of marauding "The origin of this book," says bands of robbers infesting remote the wuther in an interesting preface, regions. In this respect, century-'x the beauty of the city gates of Jold scenes are being re-enacted to-Poking. their importance as charac. day, and ft will be @ sign of econotaviatic elements in some of the mie' and governmental progress finest views of the Chinese capital; when city walls really become obtheir wonderful setting amidst old sotete, buildings, fresh trees and decaying moats; their decorative architectural No Modern Masterpieces Charueter, Some of these gates may till be called landmarks of Peking.
As to building in general, and the Historically: ay well as topographieeffect of western influence, M. Siren ills, they vefleet, together with the has the following interesting note: wi joining walls, much of the early is a rare thing to find a building history of this rear city, and, they: Torchitetural" Inportanee™ in ang we rage city of Northern China." Some arm, together with the streets and ofthe tembien may of course be Qui lundseapes in which they are set: Dletareaque with' their seal peared hho most relevant spots of character feng and this itnder the ener tie and beautiful scenery."
"Tt Was. thie coneeptten of a fHEkHy, speakin
WMility, Which led the author to de. Mmportant from_an architectural post wonderful combination of art and {been rebuff in Fecent jenna ore vote months of study to the Peking end" brick pagsdsy Sohne setter teates with a view to presenting some their beauty in a series of photo-raphe, and this -artistie pursuit dually developed into a study of thie significance as relies of the past vi, as M, Siten tells us, "to penetrate further into the history their construction and. their of the old cities, forming by their monumental Proportions the atvongest. link with a Renter past. The Majority of. the Calidines ate quite tneonspictous st" croy" brick on a feamewo modiieations in various "ages." Thus interest war awakened not ly in the gates themselves, but in freir surroundings and the long walls of which they' form part, and the more he dwelt on this material pen with porches und rows of pillars towards the street, but itis only wealthier places that. we find' them de Corated with carvings, brass hangings fand_artistie sign. boards. Carved. ided shop fronts have. become excel the more he realized that it contains Keys to some important chapters Chinese history. Thus, while in formal "history," the shows how those venerable arnely' in consequence' of the tive modern fondness for brick and ince the inteduetiott of the. Te vinaing form an unbroken chain ith a great bust and are full of marks and records of bygone Everyone has heard of the great wall of China," M, Siren reminds vs, "but most people think of it as mere historical relic, the stately of an enterprise which sprang rom an ancient, Emperor's ov wuted fancy, The prevailing imresston about it Is that it has falnaturally into decay like other hins in China, and that for hun leeds of yours' past its practical portance was largely a delusion. his is complete misapprehension, ihe Great Wall is ope of the few Chinese buildings whith have been roperly preserved. Tt has been rered_-and reconstructed over and ver again in the course of the cen: tries, and its importance both as defence work and as a boundary as been very considerable until quite event years, Certainly, this is the vvinion of the Chinese themselves.
1 it, in fact, the deep-roated belief the Chinese in walled enclosures finds its fullest and most enduring pression Psychology and the Wall the Chinese mind, there is no ich thing as a city without a wall is just as inconceivable asa use without a roof. The walls vin the skeleton or framework of very Chinese city. They surround they divide it into lots and com-wounds, they mark more than any ther structure the common basic tures of Chinese communities, here is no real city in northern China without a surrounding wall, Fro condition' which indeed is express cil by the fact that the Chinese use Stories in Stone The historical séction'of the book gives an account of the sites and boundaries of the smaller cities which preceded the present Peking, the earliest Chinese record being of city called Chi (B.C. 2,400), "as strong as if defended by metal walls and a boiling moat." The story lof the ed pital and the great bull {ing works accomplished is carefully traced-in outline, the historical text being: mainly based on the local Chinese chronicles, "These contain much information about the city walls and gates during the carlier dynasties, now published for the first time ina foreign language. Admirable descriptions are given of the various sections of the <ity, the following account of the walls the Tartar City being of particular interest:
fall the great buildings of Peking thefe is none which can compare. with Re" Walle of the Tartar. city in. mont: mental grandeur, TAC Asst sight they Map not te ay attractive tothe eve fox the palaces; temples and [of those: highly cloured "and. picture:
icly composed wooden structures which reets or hide behind Hepes ce yer all and workmanship, fall significange Breast ate Ite pressure of water sed low rhythm is suddgni SheneNtes, where double Jon high terraces. The corner towers. massive and fortresaiie, ficent finale of the. whole. composition Unfortugately only two of them remain "The general effect of thew walls changer, of course, aceérdine day, the weather fandpoint of the spectator. jen from a distance, they present 'Snd-in the ware clusters of trees and shrubs growing the top." "The clear atmosphere of October morning brings out "thie view blest beautifully, particular rds-the, west where. the met By ake an inet part fect walls Mantas Se tas itlepel', oar cient which has spread like Am epide- Peking will be able to forget the beauty ec of the light, the distinctness of every The Walle 8nd Gates of Peking"
Tune Cain Men: View through THe Inner Gate From
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.