Drawing by william alexander, draughtsman of the macartney embassy to china in 1793. The south gate of the city of ting-hai, a port in the harbor of tchu-san on the island of chusan, known also as the zhoushan island, of the chusan archipelago. The city walls were located a mile afar from the sea. Alexander noted that the walls were near thirty feet in height, which entirely precluded the sight of the houses that were in general one story high; the yellow board over the arch has chinese characters on it signifying the name and rank of the city. The carriage entering the city, is a common vehicle used for the conveyance of persons of consequence. Alexander noted that the chinese have not adopted the use of springs, therefore such vehicles were little better than a european cart. The figure in the foreground shows the usual method of carrying light burdens, such as vegetables and fruits. Ting-hai served as a provincial capital city, and in 1840, the south gate was stormed by british forces during the first opium war. Image taken from the costume of china, illustrated in forty-eight coloured engravings, published in london in 1805. Date: circa 1800.
Loading...
