Page:Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and other Treaty Ports of China.djvu/388

380 along on the same side of the road are the Yu Yuen Gardens, which furnish an excellent example of Chinese landscape gardening. Near by is the temple of Zung Au Aye, containing representations of Buddha seated in the midst of his companions; the Metreya Buddha, with the four heavenly kings ranged on either side; and the "three rulers of Heaven, Earth, and Water." Opposite the temple is the spring of muddy water charged with carbonic acid gas from which Bubbling Well Road takes its name. At this point the western limit of the Settlement is reached. The road which runs past the end of Bubbling Well Road leads through open country to Siccawei if followed to the left, and to Jessfield, on the banks of the Soochow Creek, if followed to the right. In the neighbourhood of Jessfield stands St. John's College, surrounded by trimly-kept lawns and well-grown trees. Founded in 1878, it is the centre of the mission work of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America, which commenced its labours in Shanghai under Bishop Boone in 1837. Out in these rural districts the wheelbarrow is the only means of transport known to the natives, a dozen of whom may sometimes be seen seated complacently upon one of these vehicles while for a few cash the poor perspiring coolie in the shafts staggers along patiently over miles of rough roads, with difficulty preserving an equilibrium.

In the Sinza district, lying a little to the west of the Defence Creek along the Soochow Creek there are several Chinese mortuaries. The most remarkable of these belong to the Cantonese community, and consists of some acres of ground thickly strewn with brick graves. Broken coffins, from which the bones have been removed for interment in Canton, lie scattered about, while a pile of coffins form the central pier of a bridge which spans a broad ditch. Standing along the north side of the enclosure and approached by a brick drive is an imposing group of buildings comprising a Buddhistic Temple, and apartments for the reception of coffins and earthenware jars containing the remains of those whose final resting-places have yet to be selected in their native towns or villages by the geomancers engaged to find lucky spots by the relatives of the deceased.

Sandwiched between the International Settlement and the Chinese city is the French Concession, a narrow strip of land which widens at each end. It has a frontage of nearly a mile to the Whangpoo, and stretches inland for a distance of about a mile and three-quarters, but beyond the western limit the Municipal Council have constructed several fine broad roads, along which many commodious dwellings have been erected. The riverside is lined with an avenue of trees, but is devoid of any other embellishment, for, unlike the Bund in the International Settlement, it is almost wholly given up to shipping business. At the foot of the bridge over the Yang-king-pang is the semaphore signalling station, from which the weather forecasts for the China coasts are signalled. A few yards away is the pontoon to and from which the tenders for the French and German mail steamers sail. Further along are the wharves, offices, and godowns of the well-known firm of Butterfield & Swire, and the extensive wharves and godowns of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. These are centres of great activity. At any hour of the day a constant stream of coolies, bearing heavy burdens of merchandise suspended from poles across their shoulders, may be met passing between the godowns and vessels at the wharves. The Rue de I'Est, which leads to the east gate of the native city, constitutes the southern boundary of the Concession.

Running down the centre of the French Settlement is a long thoroughfare known as the Rue du Consulat. At the corner of this, and overlooking the Whangpoo, stands the French Consulate-General, a handsome building of the Modern Colonial type with wide covered verandahs, that was opened on January 14, 1896. About half a mile further along are the French Town Hall and Municipal Offices, an imposing group, standing well back from the road. The main building, surmounted by a dome and approached by a double flight of steps, dates from 1864, but the side pavilions were added in 1887. In the centre of the spacious fore-court a large bronze statue, on a granite pedestal, by Thiebaut, perpetuates the memory of Admiral Protet, who fell while directing an attack upon the Taeping rebels, near Soochow, on May 17, 1862. The greater portion of the Rue du Consulat is occupied by native shops, and the districts on either side of it are almost exclusively Chinese. Several European buildings of interest, however, are to be seen in the Rue Montauban, which is the first street to cross it at right angles. These include the Hotel des Colonies, French Post Office, Convent School, Municipal School, and Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph. The interior of the church is adorned with many pictures, including a large painting of St. Joseph and the Holy Child over the high altar. In the chapel by