I
Is
I 21 \P i
A CHINESE LADY AND HER SON,
allended by a Servant.
T he female sex in C h in a , live re tired in p ro p o rtio n to th e ir situ a tio n in
life. T h e lower orders are n o t more domesticated th a n in E u ro p e ; b u t the
m id d le class are n o t often seen from home, and ladies o f ra n k scarcely
eve r. A lte ra tio n s o f dress are n ev e r made from caprice o r fashion ; the
season o f the y e a r, an d disp o sin g the various o rn am e n ts , m ak in g th e o n ly
difference. Instead o f lin e n , th e ladies substitute s ilk n e ttin g ; o v e rw b ic h
is w o rn an u n d e r vest an d d rawers o f taffeta; an d , (sh o u ld the weather
req u ire no ad d itio n al co v e rin g ,) tliey h av e for the external g a rm e n t, a
lo n g robe o f s ilk o r sa tin , ric h ly em b ro id e red . G re a t care is taken in o rn a m
e n tin g the head : th e h a ir , afte r b ein g smoothed w ith o il an d closely
tw is te d , is b ro u g h t to th e c rown o f the h ead , an d fastened witli b o d k in s o f
gold an d s i lv e r ; across th e forehead is a b a n d , from w h ic h descends a peak
o f v elve t, decorated w ith a d iam o n d o r p e a rl, an d artificial flowers, are fancifu
lly a rranged o n ea ch side o f the h ead . E a r-rin g s , a n d th e s trin g o f p e rfumed
beads suspended from the sh o u ld er, likewise make u p p a rt o f the
ornaments o f d re ss. T h e use o f cosmetics is well k n ow n among the ladies
o f C h in a ; p a in tin g th e face b o th w h ite an d re d , is in common p ractice
w ith them : th ey place a decided red spot on the lower lip , and the eyebrows
are b ro u g h t b y a r t to be v e ry n a rrow , b lack, an d arch ed .
T h e i r small shoes are elegantly w ro u g h t, an d the co n to u r o f the ankles
are n ev e r seen, b y reason o f th e loose b an d ag e ro u n d th em . Boys, till
about seven y e a rs o f age, freq u en tly have two queue s, encouraged to grow
from each side o f the h e a d . T h e se rv an t, as is u su a l w ith the lower class,
wears o n the w ris t a rin g o f b ra ss o r tu ten ag .