THE MIRROR OF KONG HO

A lively and amusing collection of letters on western living written by KongHo, a Chinese gentleman. These addressed to his homeland, refer to theWesterners in London as barbarians and many of the aids to life in our societygive Kong Ho endless food for thought. These are things such as the motor carand the piano; unknown in China at this time.

CONTENTS

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Estimable barbarian,—Your opportune suggestion that I should permit theletters, wherein I have described with undeviating fidelity the customs andmanner of behaving of your accomplished race, to be set forth in the form ofprinted leaves for all to behold, is doubtless gracefully-intentioned, and thisperson will raise no barrier of dissent against it.

In this he is inspired by the benevolent hope that his immature compositionsmay to one extent become a model and a by-word to those who in turn visit hisown land of Fragrant Purity; for with exacting care he has set down no detailthat has not come under his direct observation (although it is not to be deniedthat here or there he may, perchance, have misunderstood an involved allusionor failed to grasp the inner significance of an act), so that Impartialitynecessarily sways his brush, and Truth lurks within his inkpot.

In an entirely contrary manner some, who of recent years have gratified us withtheir magnanimous presence, have returned to their own countries not only withthe internal fittings of many of our palaces (which, being for the most part ofa replaceable nature, need be only trivially referred to, the incident, indeed,being generally regarded as a most cordial and pressing variety of foreignpoliteness), but also—in the lack of highly-spiced actuality—withsubtly-imagined and truly objectionable instances. These calumnies they havenot hesitated to commit to the form of printed books, which, falling into thehands of the ig

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