Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

CHI [ 34 ] CHI
China, pliments, and begs to be excufed from fitting in fuch
an honourable feat, which neverthelefs he acct pts of;
and all the reft of the guefts do the fame, otherwife the
cermonial would be gone through with each of them.
The entertainment is concluded by fome theatrical re¬
prefen tations, accompanied with the mufic of the coun¬
try 5 which, however, would give but little pleafure
to an European. Befides the guefts, a certain num¬
ber of people are admitted into the court in order to
behold thefe theatrical reprefentations $ and even the
women are allowed to view them through a wicket,
contrived fo that they may behold them without being
feen themfelves.
The entertainments of the Chinefe are begun, not
by eating, but by drinking ; and the liquor they drink
muft always be pure wine. The intendant, or maitre
d'hotel, falling down on one knee, firft invites the
guefts to take a glafs ; on which each of therri lays
hold with both hands of that which is placed before
him, raifing it as high as the forehead, then bringing
it lower down than the table, and at laft putting it to
his mouth : they all drink together, and very {lowly,
taking three or four draughts. While they are drink¬
ing, the difties on each of the tables are removed, and
others brought in. Each of the guefts has twenty-
four fet before him in fucceflion ; all of them fat, and
in the form of ragouts. They never ufe knives in their
repafts j and two fmall pointed fticks, ornamented
with ivory or filver, ferve them inftead of forks. They
never begin to eat, however, until they are invited by
the maitre d'hotel; and the fame ceremony muft be
gone through every time they are going to take a cup
of wine, or begin a new difti. Towards the middle
of the entertainment the foup is brought in, accom¬
panied with fmall loaves or meat pies. Thefe they
take up with their fmall fticks, fteep them in the
{bup, and eat them without waiting for any fignal, or
being obliged to keep time with the reft of the guefts.
The entertainment, however, continues in other re-
fpe&s with the utmoft formality until tea is brought
in; after which they retire from table and amufe
themfelves in another hall, or in the garden, for a ftiort
time, until the deffert be brought in. This, like the
entertainment itfelf, confifts of 24 diflies, which are
made up of fweetmeats, fruits differently prepared,
hams and falted ducks which have been baked or dried
in the fun, with fliell and other kinds of fifti. The
fame ceremonies which preceded the repaft are now
renewed, and every one fits down at the fame place
he occupied before. Larger cups are then brought
in, and the matter invites the guefts to drink more
freely.
Thefe entertainments begin towards evening, and
never end till midnight. A fmall fum of money is
given to the domeftics; when every one of the guefis
goes home in a chair preceded by feveral fervants,
who carry large lanthorns of oiled paper, on which
are infcribed the quality, and fometimes the name,
of the mafter. Without fuch an attendance they
would be taken up by the guard ; and the day follow¬
ing they never fail to return a card of thanks to the
officer.
Their method of drinking tea is not like that of
other nations. A fmall quantity of bohea, fufficient
to tinge the water and render it palatable (for they
drink no green), is taken in the morning, and thrown China,
into a veffel adapted to the number in family. This""Y"**
ftands till milk-warm j in which ftate it is kept the
whole day, and a cup drank now and then without
fugar or milk, in order to exhilarate the fpirits when
exhaufted by fatigue: and if a ftranger call by accident,
or a vifitor by appointment, the firft thing prefented,
after the ufual ceremonies of meeting, is a very fmall
pipe filled with tobacco of their owm growth, and a cup
of the tea already mentioned, or of fome freftt made
of better quality, together with fweetmeats, &c. Tea
is the daily beverage in China, and is drank by all
ranks of people.
Some change has been made in the ceremonial of
the Chinefe by the Tartar conqueft, and fome new
dithes alfo introduced by the fame means; and here
M. Grofier obferves, that the Tartars are much better
cooks than the Chinefe. All their difties are highly
feafoned ; and by a variation in the proportions of
their fpiceries, they are able to form a variety of difties
out of the fame materials. None of their viands,
however, are more efteemed than flags finews, and the
nefts of a particular fpecies of birds, which have the
property of giving a moft agreeable relifh to what¬
ever is mixed w'ith them. Other difties are introdu¬
ced at thefe repafts, which would be accounted very
difagreeable with us j fuch as the flefh of wild horfes,
the paws of a bear, and the feet of feveral wild
animals. The greater part of thefe provifions are
brought preferved in fait from Siam, Camboya, and
Tartary. . _ ,IS
The wines of China have no refemblance to ours Chinefe
either in tafte or quality, being procured from rice,wines*
and not from the vine. A particular kind of rice is
employed for making them, and the grain is fteep-
ed for 20 or 30 days in water, into which ingredients
of a different nature are fucceffively thrown : they af¬
terwards boil it; and as foon as it becomes diffolved
by the heat, it immediately ferments, and throws
up a vaporous fcum not unlike new wine. A very
pure liquor is found under this fcum, which is drawn
off and put into veffels well glazed : From the re¬
maining leys an inflammable fpirit is made, little in¬
ferior, and fometimes even fuperior to the Euro¬
pean. Another kind of wine is ufed by the Chinefe,
or rather Tartars, called lamb wine. It is very ftrong,
and has a difagreeable fmell j and the fame may be
believed of a kind of fpirit diftilled from the flefh
of (beep ; though this laft is fometimes ufed by the
emperors.
Thefe entertainments exceed the bounds of ordinary
repafts ; the Chinefe being naturally fober, and thofe
in eafy circumftances living chiefly on pork ; for which
reafon a great number of hogs are. bred in the country.
’I heir flefh is much eafier of digeftion, and more agree¬
able to the tafte than thofe of Europe. The Chinefe
hams are in high eftimation. The common people
live very poorly ; being fatisfied, in time of fcarcity,
with the fleftr of dogs, horfes, cats, and rats, which
laft are fold publicly in the ftreets.
1 here are feveral public feftivals annually celebrated Public fefr
in China. One is that already mentioned, in whichtlvals’
the emperor tills the ground with his own hands. This
is alfo celebrated on the fame day throughout the em¬
pire. In the morning the governor of every city comes
forth