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From the gateway leading into the sacrificial hall the floor of
the court had been raised even with the door of the house and the
gate, a height of about five feet, and forty feet wide, and was
covered with the same kind of rope matting that was on the
floors. On the canopied verandas there were stacks of cakes,
incense, fruit and money. These were the most novel sights I have
ever seen in China. They were ten or twelve feet high. They were
a very pretty sight, and it required some scrutiny to discover
that they were made of cakes and fruit. How they were able to
build them thus, tier upon tier, and prevent their falling when
they were touched is beyond my comprehension. What magic there is
in it I do not know.
As one entered the door of the sacrificial hall, towering above
everything else, was the great catafalque, draped in cloth of
gold, and in front of it were stacks of these sacrificial cakes.
Near them there was a table on which there were great white,
square candles, five inches or more in diameter, the four sides
of which were stamped with figures of fairies and immortals. On
this table there were also various savoury dishes, together with
cakes and fruit, prepared to feed the spirit of the dead. In
front of this table again there was another about a foot high on
which were placed the sacrificial wine vessels, and before which
the guests knelt. As we entered I saw the gentlemen kneeling to
the left, while the ladies, separated from them by white
curtains, were kneeling to the right
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