PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

Ix presenting the Second Edition of Things Chinese' to the public, the author must express his thanks for the cordial reception accorded to the book on its first appearance, thus enabling a revised and enlarged edition to be issued so shortly after the first.

Considerable additions have been made to the present edition by the insertion of the following new articles-Bamboo, Boats, Embroidery, English from Chinese Pens, Firecrackers and Fireworks, The Foreigner in Far Cathay, Jade, Jews, Mandarin, Mohammedans, Pagoda, Pawnshops, Population, Po-tsz and other Games of Chance, Shuttlecock, Stamps, Suicide, Tombs, and Torture-nineteen in all. There are very few articles that have not been retouched and, in some cases, largely added to. All this has, of course, increased the number of pages very considerably, but the seventy-eight additional pages do not fully represent the actual increase in the size of the book, as, by the judicious use of small type, a considerable quantity of

2

information has been compressed into a small compass, and thus introduced, which otherwise. would have had to be excluded.

It has been the endeavour to bring up the facts to date. If one or two of the more recent events have not been taken notice of, it must be remembered that some time elapses between the printing of the first pages of a book and the last, and that an article once printed it is impossible to take cognisance in it of what may have happened subsequently, even though the book may not have been issued in its entirety from the press.

Mr. C. GRANT suggested to the author the preparation of the new articles under the letter P, as well as that on Tombs. To Mr. J. B. COUGHTRIE he is indebted for the suggestions which led him to write the articles under the headings of Embroidery, Firecrackers, Mandarin, and Torture; two paragraphs from Mr. CouGHTRIE'S own pen are also included in the article on Art, and several emendations in the same article are due to his critical acumen and artistic taste; the greater part of page 153 is from the same source. To Mr. R. MARKWICK, JR., the author's thanks are also due for the correction of some slight inaccuracies which otherwise would have crept into the account of the Customs.

Hongkong, 28th February, 1893.

J. DYER BALL.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

On the appearance of Things Japanese,' it was suggested to the author that he should prepare a book on similar lines with regard to Chinese subjects, and the present volume is the result.

His thanks are due to Mr. B. H. CHAMBERLAIN for the courtesy and kindness which accorded him a ready assent to the request that the classification. and plan of arrangement used in Things Japanese' might be copied in Things Chinese,' as far as was compatible with the subject-matter of the latter.

The book is neither a glossary nor an encyclopædia; and while, therefore, containing more than could be found in a mere word-book, yet, on the other hand, it would be impossible in the limits of such a small work to treat exhaustively of the different things touched upon. At the same time it is hoped that sufficient has been written under each heading to give a good idea, as well as a fair one. to the reader,

-4

Thirty years in China have given the author many opportunities of observing and studying the Chinese in almost every aspect of their life and character and he has largely availed himself of his personal experience of them and of their curious habits and customs in the production of this book. He is, however, also indebted to many writers on China, whose opinions on certain subjects are well worth reproducing, and who are competent to give information. Where quotations have been made, many of them will be found to be extracted from the books recommended at the end of the articles in such cases it seemed unnecessary to acknowledge explicitly in each instance the source from which the quotation was derived, and such acknowledgment would have unduly encumbered the pages with foot notes; it has been thought sufficient to indicate other quoted matter simply by inverted commas.

on

The advice of Mr. FORD, F.L.S., was sought several points connected with the short article on Botany; and to any others-English or Chinese-from whom a suggestion may have been received or a fact gleaned, the author desires to express his best thanks.

Hongkong, 11th December, 1891.

J. DYER BALL,