The eyes of the visitor are wearied with the splendid decoration of the chapels, the gilding, the carving, the inlaid glass work. It seems as though there was no end to the rows on rows of Buddhas in every conceivable position. Interspersed among them are tall poles from which float long streamers of bamboo bearing painted historical pictures, including those of the capture of the pagoda by the British. Thousands crowd these platforms. Some offer gifts to various shrines, others say prayer after prayer, still others strike bells to give warning to evil spirits that they have offered up their petitions to Buddha, others hang eagerly on the words of fortune tellers. All buy food and drink and the whole place suggests in its good cheer a country picnic rather than a pilgrimage to the greatest Buddhist shrine in the world.
When one has left the pagoda he bears the memory of magnificent decorations, of vast crowds, but of little real reverence. The great golden pagoda itself is the dominating feature in every view of Rangoon, just as the Washington monument dominates all other structures in Washington.
Queen's Road in Hongkong. This is One of the Most Picturesque Streets in the Orient, With Large Stores and Splendid Gilded Signs on Each Side. The Buildings Are so Constructed That the Sidewalk Becomes a Shaded Arcade]
Flower Market in a Hongkong Street--One of the Prettiest Sights in Hongkong, as Orchids, Irises, Lilies and Other Blossoms Are Always on Sale]
Coolies Carrying Burdens at Hongkong. Chinese Coolies Using the Bamboo Pole Are a Common Sight in Hongkong. They Carry Several Hundred Pounds, Moving at a Dog Trot]
The Spacious Foreign Bund at Hongkong, With the Row of Lofty Business Buildings. The Ferry Takes One to Kowloon, the Native City, Opposite Hongkong]
Chinese Junks in Hongkong Harbor, These Junks, With Their Curious Sails of Matting and Bamboo Spars, Form One of the Features of Every Chinese Harbour or Sea View]
View of the Water-front at Canton. This General View of the Pearl River and the Canton Bund, or Water-front, Shows the Enormous Floating Population on the River]
The New Chinese Bund at Canton. The Chinese Recently Completed This Bund. It Contrasts Strongly With the Ancient Walled City, a Stone's Throw in the Rear]