Tsingtao, Nov. 10.
One knows of the city set upon seven hills, but Tsingtao is set upon seven times seven hills and many mountains in the distance and one called Laoshan, is one of China's popular scenic places. Tsingtao stretches along a deeply indented coast extends for several miles.
One sees large houses, up-to-date—with all equipment, light, heat, water—set in a forest of trees, oyer-looking a vista of sea and mountain.
The architecture of many houses is new and striking—flat roofs, circular porches—pure white or some other light colour as grey or even pink. At present "To Let" and "For Sale" are seen at every turn of the road.
Tsingtao means "Asure Island" and is named for a small island that holds the lighthouse in the midst of the bay.
The chief hill, too small to be called a mountain, is named Chan-shan which may be translated Sombre" moun and the main road of the city is called Great Chan-shan Road. On this mountain has just been finished a very pretty pagoda, a very striking one because it is new. The first floor has been completed but not all the idols have as yet been finished. One accustomed to visiting old temples and pagodas in China is amazed on entering this one to find it so beautifully clean and polished. It has seven stories, a high roof and a golden spire that adds much to its height. A new temple or monastery is in the process of completion.
A retired official, an ardent Bud-diiist, has built himself a magnificent residences in the temple yard—he wants to be right on the spot and at death, step right into Nirvana. There is nothing ascetic about him though; he has everything right up to date. There are 70 priests in the monastery, many staying in the pagoda,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.