FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272  
273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   >>   >|  
to the south and south-east of the present city, and included a large part of the fine hills called _Fung-hwang Shan_ or Phoenix Mount,[5] and other names, whilst its southern gate opened near the Ts'ien-T'ang River. Its north gate is supposed to have been the Fung Shan Gate of the present city, and the chief street thus formed the avenue to the palace. By the kindness of Messrs. Moule and Wylie, I am able to give a copy of the Sung Map of the Palace (for origin of which see list of illustrations). I should note that the orientation is different from that of the map of the city already given. This map elucidates Polo's account of the palace in a highly interesting manner. [Father H. Havret has given in p. 21 of _Varietes Sinologiques_, No. 19, a complete study of the inscription of a _chwang_, nearly similar to the one given here, which is erected near Ch'eng-tu.--H.C.] Before quitting KINSAY, the description of which forms the most striking feature in Polo's account of China, it is worth while to quote other notices from authors of nearly the same age. However exaggerated some of these may be, there can be little doubt that it was the greatest city then existing in the world. [Illustration: Stone _Chwang_, or Umbrella Column, on site of "Brahma's Temple," Hang-chau.] [Illustration: South Part of KING-SZE, with the SUNG PALACE, from a Chinese reprint of a Plan dated circa A.D. 1270] _Friar Odoric_ (in China about 1324-1327):--"Departing thence I came unto the city of CANSAY, a name which signifieth the 'City of Heaven.' And 'tis the greatest city in the whole world, so great indeed that I should scarcely venture to tell of it, but that I have met at Venice people in plenty who have been there. It is a good hundred miles in compass, and there is not in it a span of ground which is not well peopled. And many a tenement is there which shall have 10 or 12 households comprised in it. And there be also great suburbs which contain a greater population than even the city itself.... This city is situated upon lagoons of standing water, with canals like the city of Venice. And it hath more than 12,000 bridges, on each of which are stationed guards, guarding the city on behalf of the Great Kaan. And at the side of this city there flows a river near which it is built, like Ferrara by the Po, for it is longer than it is broad," and so on, relating how his host took him to see a great monastery of the idolaters, where th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272  
273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Venice

 

greatest

 

Illustration

 
palace
 

account

 

present

 
Heaven
 

people

 

signifieth

 
CANSAY

relating

 

scarcely

 

venture

 

reprint

 

Chinese

 

PALACE

 

idolaters

 

Odoric

 

Departing

 

monastery


population

 

behalf

 

guarding

 

greater

 

suburbs

 

situated

 

bridges

 

stationed

 
canals
 

lagoons


standing
 
guards
 
comprised
 

ground

 

peopled

 

longer

 

compass

 

hundred

 

tenement

 

households


Ferrara

 

plenty

 

Messrs

 

formed

 

avenue

 

kindness

 

elucidates

 

highly

 

interesting

 
manner