西人中國紀事：中國禮記(英)（簡體書）

《中國札記》彙編了翟理斯關於中國基本情況介紹的文章，內容涉及女人的地位、禮節、文學、醫學、法學等。 The "China Yesterday" series include a few Sinological and biographical works on the topics of Chinese history, literature, society, etc. All these works were written by foreigners and shed light on China in unique perspectives. Chinese Sketches is a compilation of articles on the basic situations of China in 19th century, which include women’s status, etiquette, literature, medicine, law, etc.

翟理斯（Herbert Allen Giles，1845—1935），1867年來到中國，歷任天津、寧波、漢口、廣州、汕頭、廈門、福州、上海、淡水等地英國領事館翻譯、領事等職，歸國後任劍橋大學教授。 Herbert Allen Giles (8 December 1845 – 13 February 1935) was a British diplomat and sinologist who was the professor of Chinese at Cambridge University for 35 years.

PREFACE
THE DEATH OF AN EMPEROR
THE POSITION OF WOMEN
ETIQUETTE
ETIQUETTE, NO. II
LITERATURE
EDUCATIONAL LITERATURE
DENTISTRY
MEDICAL SCIENCE
MEDICAL SCIENCE, NO. II
LOAN SOCIETIES
GUILDS
PAWNBROKERS
POSTAL SERVICE
SLANG
FORTUNE-TELLING
GAMES AND GAMBLING
JURISPRUDENCE
JURISPRUDENCE, NO. II
BUDDHIST PRIESTS
RESPECT FOR THE WRITTEN CHARACTER
SUPERSTITION
NATURAL PHENOMENA
CELEBRATION OF THE NEW YEAR
THE FEAST OF LANTERNS
OPIUM SMOKING
THIEVING
LYING
SUICIDE
TORTURE
FêNG-SHUI
MONEY
A DINNER-PARTY
FEMALE CHILDREN
TRAVEL
PREDESTINATION
JOURNALISM
FUNERALS
INQUESTS
INQUESTS, NO. II
CHRISTIANITY
ANTI-CHRISTIAN LYRICS
CONCLUSION

A great Chinese festival is the Feast of Lanterns, one which is only second in importance to New Year’s Day. Its name is not unfamiliar even to persons in England who have never visited China, and whose ideas about the country are limited to a confused jumble of pigtails, birds’-nest soup, and the kotow. Its advent may or may not be noticed by residents in China; though if they know the date on which it falls, we imagine that is about as much as is generally known by foreigners of the Feast of Lanterns. This festival dates from the time of the Han dynasty, or, in round numbers, about two thousand years ago. Originally it was a ceremonial worship in the temple of the First Cause, and lasted from the 13th to the 16th of the first moon, bringing to a close on the latter date all the rejoicings, feastings, and visitings consequent upon the New Year. In those early days it had no claim to its present title, for lanterns were not used; pious supplicants performed their various acts of prayer and sacrifice by the light of the full round moon alone. It was not till some eight hundred years later that art came to the assistance of nature, and the custom was introduced of illuminating the streets with many a festoon of those gaudy paper lanterns, without which now no nocturnal fete is thought complete. Another three hundred years passed away without change, and then two more days were added to the duration of the carnival, making it six days in all. For this it was necessary to obtain the Imperial sanction, and such was ultimately granted to a man named Ch‘ien, in consideration of an equivalent which, as history hints, might be very readily expressed in taels. The whole thing now lasts from the 13th of the moon, the day on which it is customary to light up for the first time, to the 18th inclusive, when all the fun and jollity is over and the serious business of life begins anew. The 15th is the great time, work of every kind being as entirely suspended as it is with us on Christmas Day. At night the candles are lighted in the lanterns, and crackers are fired in every direction. The streets are thronged with gaping crowds, and cut-purses make small fortunes with little or no trouble. There being no policemen in a Chinese mob, and as the cry of “stop thief ” would meet with no response from the bystanders, a thief has simply to look out for some simple victim, snatch perhaps his pipe from his hand, or his pouch from his girdle, and elbow his way off as fast as he can go.