Arrangement of a Chinese House.—Crowd in Streets.—My First Walk in Chungking City.—Presents.—Cats, Rats, and Eggs.—Paying a Call.—Ladies Affectionate.—Shocked at European Indecency.—Cost of Freight.—Distance by Post.—Children's Pleasures.—Precautions during Drought.—Guild Gardens.—Pretty Environs.—Opium Flowers, and Smokers.—Babble of Schools.—Chinese Girl-child
Official Honours to Women.—Modesty.—Conjugal Relations.—Business Knowledge.—Opium-smoking.—Typical Women.
A man once quaintly said to me, "Whenever I want to know what men really are, I consider what they have made of their women." We may also learn something by considering what men say they admire in women. And for this purpose a few extracts from the Peking Gazette, the oldest newspaper in the world, and to this day the official organ of China, will go farther than a hundred pages of hearsays. Let us consider three cases from one year only.
"May 2nd, 1891.—The Viceroy at Canton submits an application which he has received from the elders and gentry of the district of Shun-teh, asking permission to erect a memorial arch to an old lady who has seen seven generations of her family, and is at present living under the same roof with four generations of her descendants. The lady, whose maiden name was Lin, is the mother of the distinguished General Fang Yao, and is in her eighty-second year. She has six sons, forty grandsons, one hundred and 165twenty-one great-grandsons, and two great-great-grandsons. Her life has been one of singular purity and simplicity, fully entitling her to the honour bestowed by law upon aged people of distinction.—Referred to the consideration of the Board of Rites."
官方对女性的荣誉——谦虚——夫妻关系——商业知识——吸食鸦片——典型女性
曾有一位男子对我风趣地说：“每当我想知道男人的真面目时，我会看看他们如何对待自己的女人。”我们也可以通过考虑男人对女性的赞美之辞来了解一些情况。为了这个目的，《北京公报》——世界上最古老的报纸，至今仍是中国的官方刊物——的一些摘录比一百页的传闻更有价值。让我们考虑一年中的三个案例。
“1891年5月2日——广东总督提交了一份申请，申请由顺德地区的长者和绅士提出，要求为一位见证了家族七代的老夫人建造一座纪念牌坊。这位女士的娘家姓林，目前正与她的四代子孙生活在同一屋檐下。这位女士是著名将军方耀的母亲，现年八十二岁。她有六个儿子，四十个孙子，一百二十一曾孙和两个玄孙。她的生活纯洁简朴，完全有资格享受法律赋予杰出老年人的荣誉。——转交礼部审议。”
“1891年6月24日——广东总督提交了一份请愿书，要求表彰一位名叫杨氏的老夫人。她现年八十五岁，育有五子，三十六孙，七十曾孙和四玄孙。她的生活节俭自律，深受家族敬仰。”
“1891年11月15日——江苏总督呈报，建议为一位九十岁的吴氏老夫人树立牌坊。她一生勤俭持家，教育子女有方，家族五代同堂，深受乡里爱戴。”
通过这些记录，我们可以看出，女性在中国传统社会中获得荣誉的标准主要包括高龄、多代同堂、生活简朴和教育子女有方。这样的女性不仅得到家族的尊重，也得到官方的认可。
这些女性的故事展示了她们在家庭中的重要地位，以及她们通过自身的品德和努力获得的尊重。这也反映出中国传统社会对女性的期待和评价标准，即她们在家庭和社会中所扮演的角色和贡献。
MEMORIAL ARCH LEADING TO CONFUCIUS' GRAVE.
"February 6th, 1891.—Li Hung-chang submits a case of filial piety which was brought to his notice 166by Wu Fu-lun. An assistant deputy magistrate on the Chihli expectant list had a daughter renowned for her docile disposition and her filial piety. In the summer of the present year her father was deputed to look after some work in connection with the river embankments. While he was away, his wife became dangerously ill, and was most tenderly nursed by her daughter, who went the length of cutting off a piece of her flesh to make soup for the invalid, and who offered to give up her own life should that of her mother's be spared. When her elder brother proposed to go and inform the father of the dangerous state of his wife's health, she prevented his doing so by pointing out that her father had enough to do looking after his own work, and to add to his anxiety by conveying to him such news would serve but little purpose. Two days after P`eng-chu's return his wife died, and the daughter refused to take any food for several days. Seeing by so doing she was causing great grief to her father, she forced herself to take a little gruel. Some time after he was ordered away on river-work, and during his absence she again refused to take any nourishment. While away he was taken ill, and asked for leave to return home. On his arrival he was met by his daughter, who informed him that she dared not die without first telling him, but that now he had come back she wished to state that it was her intention to go and wait on her mother in the shades below. In spite of all entreaties she then resolutely abstained from all food, and died some days after. Memorialist167agrees in thinking that it would be a thousand pities to pass over such a remarkable instance of filial devotion without remark, and would ask that the Board be directed to make out a scroll to her memory.—Request granted. Let the Board of Rites take note."
“1891年2月6日——李鸿章提交了一起孝道案例，由吴福伦提请注意。一位在直隶候补名单上的助理副县官有一个女儿，以其温顺的性格和孝顺而闻名。今年夏天，她的父亲被派去处理与河堤相关的工作。在他离开期间，他的妻子病重，女儿悉心照料，甚至不惜割下自己的一块肉来为病人熬汤，并愿意牺牲自己的生命以换取母亲的存活。当她的哥哥提议去告知父亲妻子的病情危急时，她阻止了他，指出父亲已经有很多事情要处理，告诉他这样的消息只会增加他的忧虑。彭柱回家两天后，他的妻子去世了，女儿数日拒绝进食。看到她这样做给父亲带来了极大的痛苦，她勉强吃了一些粥。不久后，父亲再次被派去河工，她又一次拒绝进食。当父亲在外工作时病倒了，申请回家探望。回家时，女儿告诉他，她不敢在告诉他之前就去世，但现在他已经回来，她希望能够去地下陪伴母亲。尽管父亲百般恳求，她依然坚定地绝食，数日后去世。奏请者同意认为这样的孝道事迹如果被忽略，实在是千古遗憾，恳请朝廷指示礼部为其立碑纪念。——准奏。让礼部备忘。”