Show CHINESE DENS A description or some sonia of or tile most grand tind and SMOKING in which bich rich and poor indulge in the th habit ot of stuck lag ia opium borth china herald tito nan gin tsin is is the greit groat cst cAt I 1 opium den in china ch ina it ie situated m the I 1 french concession conce eion in in shanghai vi within a stones throw of the wall of the ho native city within which no opium shops aro are supposed to exist tho tito throngs visiting it represent ill all stations of life from tho the coelio to the or the email small mandarin it is is with ith difficulty that ono one geta gets inside crowds of people hanging round tho the door those m who lie have not the requisite number of copper cash to procure lie the baneful pipe witch watch m with ith horrible wistfulness eich each of the more affluent pass in in with a nervous hurried step or totter out bearing wearing that peculiar dazed expression sion which w inch comes after the smokers lokers craving lias hag been satisfied and ins his transient i pleasure leisure lias has pawed passed away one requires a strong stomach to s stand land the sickening suk ening fumes m with ith v winch aich the air air inside is la thickened the clouds dg of smoke the tile dim I 1 light ight from the tile ou nu berous colored lamps the numbers of reclining forms w m ith distorted faces bent over 0 er the email small flames at which v the pipes pipe are I 1 lighted cause tho the dovico a sickening but as soon as the ee eye becomes accustomed cus tomed to the tile scene it is is noticed that the place is 13 got ot up on an expensive siv scale escale in the centre of the 1 room dauga hauga one ot the fine finest of chinese 1 the ceiling is is of richly caned carved wood 4 lule bile the tile painted vails walls are thickly inlaid with a peculiarly marled marked mirble marble which gives the idea of unfinished landscape sketches numerous u doors on all bides sides lead to the tile smokers em apartments in the outer portion of the building stands a counter colored covered little boxes of the drug reidy ready for smoking N which a dozen assistants are kept busy binding handing out to th alie 0 servants auts m who wait vi ait upon tile of the tile place pace the average daily receipts are said to be about the smoking apartments are divided into four classes in the 1 cheapest liaa pest are coolies who pay a about four ienco for their smoke in the dearest the tile smoke costs about severi pence tho tile dru drug supplied in in cich each class is is much thellie the same both in quality and quantity it ii 11 1 1 the difference in the pipes that regulates tile price the best kinds are mado made of ivory the stein being bein often inlaid with milli stories and rendered more coly costly by reason of I 1 elaborate in r the cheapest kinds 0 are mad made simply mp ly of hard wood the rooms are furnished according to class in the most expensive the lounge upon chidi tile smoker reclines is is of fine velvet m with ith pillows pillo vve of th the a same sain a material tho the frames of each couch are inlaid with mother of pearl A and ad jade ado and the tile m whole hole air air of these rooms is is ono one of sensuous luxury I 1 there hero is is also a number of arn private ite rooms in ill tho poorer section wilt will be seen anany inan wearers of the tattered yellow and gray robes of buddhist and atavist lav priests women form a fair proportion of the smokers I 1 ho common belief is is thit that the ho opium sleep is attended by a mild pleasurable delirium with brief glances of elysium but this is the tile exception n nt tho the rule people smoke to satisfy satis fy the craving cravin cr ivin begotten of previous indulgence ina dul gence there is is accommodation for loo smokers at a time and there is is seldom a vacancy very cry long the stream of goes on oil from early morning till midnight when the place closes the clouda clouds of smoke go up incessantly all day long |