An Arabian Nights Tale from Anhui: How the Gentry Dished their Overlord Our Anking (Anhui) correspondent contributes the following true tale of Chinese life in his province.
A police official in a small town not far from one of the provincial capitals got into the bad graces of the gentry by demanding too high a squeeze for allowing the annual theatrical performances, Also under his regime opium dens had to pay a little more than usual. to escape his official eye.
This year he announced he would allow no theatricals, giving as his reason that they would attract disbanded soldiery and other bad characters and cause trouble. This prohibition caused much excitement, as the theatre had been an annual affair, delighting the whole town. After much talk, our policeman gave his consent for a three days' performance, his squeeze having been duly provided for.
All was excitement and the show a great success. At the end of the three day limit, however, Those in charge said: "Never mind the official, let's have one more day. We can make it all right." The next day swift rumour informed the official that the fourth day's theatre was going full blast. At once he summoned his myrmidons and set off post haste to the theatre. There was a free fight between police and people, ending in a riot and the burning of the police station. The official fled to the capital. There he accused the gentry, who were summoned before the police commissioner. After much palaver they agreed to rebuild the station if the official were cashiered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.