Stories and Story-tellers of China, c. 1885
"The Chinese are passionately fond of stories and story-telling. On the public streets and squares, professional story-tellers congregate from noon to midnight..."
“Stories and Story-tellers,” from When I Was a Boy in China by Yan Phou Lee, 1887.
The Chinese are passionately fond of stories and story-telling. On the public streets and squares, professional story-tellers congregate from noon to midnight, going over the achievements of a hero or portraying the despair of a lover. They recite with a dramatic power not to be expected from their sluggish movements and stolid countenances.
All classes indulge in this favorite pastime. The dignified scholar relishes a good story as much as a child in the lap a fairy tale. Story-books in the language can be counted by the tens of thousands. The subjects are historical or romantic; of war, of love, of magic and enchantment. Some of the legends are really beautiful and are as interesting as a good English novel. There is one book which is the unfailing delight of all classes; I mean the History of the Three Kingdoms. It is an historical novel in twenty volumes, illustrated with wood-cuts. For arrangement of details, delineation of character and elegance of diction, I have found few books in English its equal. It is, in one sense, an epic in prose. When a boy, I used to enjoy hearing passages of it read or explained.
Books of ballads are to be found in every household. Our ladies take great delight in learning to sing them to their own music, music which is not printed in the books, but suggests itself as they recite or sing. Ballad singers are found on all the public squares where they earn their living by passing around the basket at each crisis of the story. The spectators are eager to hear the rest, of course, and so will be more easily induced to pay.
There are no story-books which children can read and enjoy, since it takes them so long to learn the characters. But picture books are sometimes given to children. Still they are not made specially for them as they are in this country; and colored pictures are too costly to be put into children's hands because they must be drawn by hand, painted by artists. So Chinese boys and girls lack those facilities for enjoyment in picture-books which American and English children have in so great abundance.
To give an idea of the stories which are most eagerly listened to, let me tell you one myself which may be taken as a fair sample of the shorter ones. It has the advantage of being true and every whit reliable. For want of a more appropriate title I will call it:
SOLD
My fellow-townsman Chang was a scholar, who, having obtained his M. A. degree, took up the profession of law, for his success in which he was disliked by his neighbors in Fragrant Hills. The time came when it behooved him to go to Pekin for the purpose of passing examination for the doctor's degree. Accordingly, with three hundred dollars in his three trunks, many books and "skinning papers," he went to Canton to obtain documents of identification. Pending the issue of these, he stopped at an inn, resolved to set out to Pekin by steamer as soon as possible.
In the next room, separated from his simply by a wooden partition, lodged two gentlemen, who, by their Northern dialect, declared themselves strangers, and who appeared to be on the same errand as himself. He overheard them more than once quarrelling about a rich widow who had ended the prescribed twenty-seven months of mourning and was taking active measures to change her lonely condition. Filled with curiosity, Mr. Chang wanted to know more; so dropping into their room one day, after duly introducing himself, he said, "For days I have heard you disputing over a marriage affair. Pray, will you enlighten my understanding by telling me the interesting facts in the case?"
"With pleasure, sir," answered the elder of the two; "you see there lives near here a pretty widow whose husband, a trader from Kiang-si, had the bad taste to leave her an immense fortune at his death. Now, as she has no children, she is anxious to marry again. But she will marry none except a scholar of distinguished merit, a man of fine character and suitable age, money being evidently no object to her. When we learned that, we both wanted to offer ourselves and that explains why we have disturbed your serenity in such an unseemly manner. But yesterday we heard from a go-between that she had set her heart on marrying a native of this province. So we are out of the race."
"Such a man," said Chang, "is not hard to find. I know one now, not far from here, who can fulfil these conditions. Do you think there is any chance for a worthless person like me?"
"You do yourself injustice," said the younger man. "I am sure she ought to feel honored by an alliance with a scholar of your blooming talent. If you wish to try your luck, I can tell you where the go-between lives. Will you have the goodness to precede us?"
Arrived at the entrance of a cottage, the two took their leave. Mr. Chang knocked at the door. It was opened by the matchmaker herself. She was a woman of the poorer class, dressed in home-spun linen, having feet that had evidently borne the tortures of binding in vain, for they were still as large as Nature could have made them.
Mr. Chang stated the purpose of his visit; upon which the woman confirmed what he had heard, moreover, adding that the lady was fastidious and would want to see him before consenting to marry him. Chang said he was glad of an interview. He agreed to reward the matchmaker richly in case of success. After appointing the next morning for the ordeal, he wended his way back to the inn, feeling decidedly elated with his diplomacy.
The next morning saw him dressed in his best silk gown and adorned with a beard trimmed for the occasion. The wily matchmaker was waiting for him, and soon started with him on their errand. A little after, they paused at the door of an elegant mansion, which by its size and decorations, gave evidence of the wealth and rank of its occupants.
A servant ushered them into the reception-room and went in to announce their arrival. While waiting, Chang feasted his legal eyes on beautiful pictures, mahogany furniture and costly curios, while his ears were charmed with the musical "clink, clink, clink," of the silver dollars which were being weighed in the next room. Servants flitted to and fro, carrying receipts or bags of money. Our lawyer's heart ordinarily would have softened at the sight of money, but on this occasion it fairly melted. His love for the pretty widow increased in warmth with every bag of money added to the pile.
In the midst of his enchanting reverie, the lady entered supported by two servants. He was more than surprised by her appearance. Her face was full and round and she had the daintiest little feet you ever saw. He had been led to expect good looks, but not beauty like this. Meeting his eye bent on her in admiration, she looked down in modesty, and, having presented him a cup of tea, she withdrew, not having uttered a word, according to etiquette.
The go-between followed her and after a little while, which seemed a cycle to the expectant lover, she reappeared, beaming with smiles, announcing their success. In a word, the lady was so pleased with Chang's appearance that she had decided to accept him. She begged him to move into her house that he might superintend the preparations for the wedding.
He readily assented; then hurried back to the hotel with a heart full of love for the beautiful widow and benevolent intent towards her silver dollars. To say that he trod on air is to speak within bounds. His soul was electrified with joy.
The hotel bill paid, his effects were carried "to his house." An elegant room was given him for his temporary occupancy. A delicate lunch of sweetmeats and pastry was served, after which the lady sent word to ask if he would condescend to buy a fan for her. It was only to be had in one place.
"Certainly," said Chang, and set out in search of the store. But it was a search for the "blessed isles." After beating around the dense city for some hours, he returned hungry and crestfallen.
But greater disasters awaited him. He found to his dismay the door of the house locked from the outside. "What does it mean?" he muttered. He knocked, pushed, kicked; but in vain. All was still within. Now thoroughly frightened, he inquired at a store opposite. "Why, sir, this house was rented together, with its furniture, by a family named Low. They moved off this afternoon. Nothing bad has happened, I hope? "
"No! no!" said Chang, his head all in a whirl, and staggered out. That night he spent at the old inn minus three trunks, three hundred dollars, many books and "skinning papers."
The next morning he found the two strangers. On seeing them, the potential energy of his pent-up rage became kinetic. He could have kicked the two M. A.'s ten feet with an initial velocity of one hundred and fifty pounds per second, but he did not, for he was a lawyer. So he gave vent to abusive epithets and terrific denunciation. They declared their innocence and advised him to open the flood-gates of his wrath upon the go-between.
Chang saw that he was only wasting words on them, so he went off to seek that worthy person, having no idea of finding her at home. But she was, much to his surprise, and coolly inquired how he liked his new home. "New home! You wretch! A fine match you have made for me! I will have you arrested. I will have you punished for conspiracy."
She asserted her innocence. Indeed "she hoped to be thunder-struck if she had done wrong in procuring for him a pretty wife and a big fortune."
Words ran high; neighbors rushed in, to whom both the belligerents appealed. Chang then began a recital of his wrong. He was interrupted by the matchmaker. "Oh, is that all!" said she, "why, now I remember what Lady Low said the other day that her father was sick and she was liable to be summoned to his bedside at any time. If you wish it I'll take you to your father-in-law's; but I must have ten dollars for my trouble. As soon as you see her, you are to give me the money, do you promise?" Chang groaned assent, seeing no better mode of procedure.
She led him into the audience hall of a large house and pointed to an elegantly attired lady in the women's apartments. "There she is! See her?"
Sure enough, it was the modest Lady Low. Chang handed the matchmaker the money, with which she walked off. He hesitated what to do next. There was no servant near to whom he could speak. Just then the lady caught sight of him and smiled. Oh that smile! It was worthy of the Sirens. Just as he raised his hand to beckon to her, an old gentleman came out of an adjoining room. "What is this?" he cried. "Are you addressing my wife? Help! thieves! robbers! murder!"
Out rushed a troop of servants. Now fly! Chang, fly for your life! Yes, he flew, nor paused till he got to the inn where he learned that his neighbors had set sail. He also found the cunning matchmaker absent. Now realizing how completely he was sold, and that the offenders could not be punished, while he himself was liable to be arrested for trespassing in a man's house and attempting to destroy his domestic happiness, he sailed for Fragrant Hills in a state of mind far from tranquil.
The story got abroad and the whole town grinned from ear to ear, while even his own friends enjoyed his discomfiture.
Lee, Yan Phou. When I Was a Boy in China. D. Lothrop Company, 1887.
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