ELLEN N. LA MOTTE.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The writer wishes to thank the following friends who have been kind
enough to lend the photographs used in the illustrations: Warren R.
Austin, F. C. Hitchcock, Margaret Frieder, T. Severin and Rachel Snow.

CONTENTS

PART I

LETTERS WRITTEN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, 1916

CHAPTER PAGE

I POOR OLD CHINA 3

II PEKING 13

III CIVILIZATION 24

IV RACE ANTAGONISMS 29

V SPHERES OF INFLUENCE 39

VI ON THE SACREDNESS OF FOREIGNERS 50

VII DONKEYS GENERALLY 61

VIII ADVISERS AND ADVICE 71

IX CHINESE HOUSES 77

X HOW IT'S DONE IN CHINA 86

XI THE LAO-HSI-KAI OUTRAGE 94

XII THE LAO-HSI-KAI AFFAIR 101

XIII THE LAO-HSI-KAI "INCIDENT" 108

PART II

LETTERS WRITTEN FEBRUARY AND MARCH, 1917

I THE RETURN TO PEKING 115

II THE OPIUM SCANDAL 124

III THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER 132

IV CHINA'S COURSE CLEAR 139

V FEAR OF THE PLUNGE 145

VI A DUST-STORM 150

VII A BOWL OF PORRIDGE 164

VIII FROM A SCRAP-BOOK 172

IX THE GERMAN REPLY 182

X DUST AND GOSSIP 189

XI DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BROKEN 198

XII WALKING ON THE WALL 202

XIII MEETING THE PRESIDENT OF CHINA 208

XIV GREAT BRITAIN'S TWELVE DEMANDS 220

XV CONCLUSION 229

APPENDIXES 231

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Loading coolies at Wei-Hei-Wei _Frontispiece_

FACING
PAGE
Map 3

Coolies 20

Camel caravan, Peking 21

Peking cart 32

Fruit stall in the bazaar 33

Entrance gate to compound of Chinese h