DK - China Through Time

21

Matteo Ricci, a Catholic priest, has come from Rome to convert locals to Christianity. He has been invited to a banquet and to watch an acrobat show.

Linqing is famous for producing bricks, which were used to build the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Fishermen use cormorants to help them catch fish.

A Customs Pass

Linqing, 1600 ce

Linqing is one of the liveliest hubs along the canal. All boats have

to stop to pay taxes at the customs office. Passage can take days, or

even weeks, because of the many locks that need to be navigated.

But there’s little chance for travelers to get bored. Inns and

restaurants have sprung up along the canal banks, while opera

performances and acrobat shows keep everyone entertained.

Lockkeepers wind the capstan to raise and lower the lock.

The tea stall by the lock is always a popular meeting point.

Mosque

Pipe

seller

Acrobat show

Military

patrol

Cormorant

fisherman

Wood for

building

Pawnshop

Linqing

brick

Capstan

Wheelbarrow

Canal lock

Tea stall

Game of chess

Street

vendors

Beggar

Boat crew

Boat carrying

apricots

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