ves. Instead they eat with small sticks of wood
or ivory. These are called "chopsticks." They hold them between the
thumb and first two fingers. They use them to carry their food to
their mouths as you use a fork or a spoon.

[Illustration: Chopsticks.]

Do you know how they catch fish in China?

They have a bird which swims and dives into the water. This bird lives
on fish. Every time he dives he catches one. He is trained to bring
the fish to his master. A tight ring is put round the bird's neck.
This is to keep him from swallowing the fish. When enough fish have
been caught, the bird is given some to eat. This bird is called a
cormorant.

A Chinese fisherman lives in his fishing boat. But China is a very
crowded country. So other men as well as fishermen live on small
flatboats in the rivers near the big towns. Ducks and other fowls are
raised on these boats. The people on the water are as busy as the
people on the land.

In China houses are one story high. They are built of wood. The roofs
slope, and are made of sticks woven together. The churches are called
pagodas. They are not like our churches, but are tall, like towers.
They are usually nine stories high. They have little bells hung all
around the roof. These bells ring when the wind blows them back and
forth.

[Illustration: Chinese Boats and Pagoda.]

Between the houses are narrow streets without sidewalks. There are no
wagons. If a lady goes to make a call, she sends for a sort of covered
chair. This has long poles on each side. The chair is set on the
ground before her door. After she gets in, men lift the poles to their
shoulders. In this way they carry her. Baggage and heavy articles are
also carried on the shoulders of men.

[Illustration: Covered Chair with Poles.]

But perhaps the most wonderful thing in China is the Great Wall. It
was built by kings a long time ago. They wanted to keep savage people
from coming into the country. The wall is built very high and very
wide. It is so wide in some places that eight horses can be driven on
top of it side by side. It is hundreds of miles long. The people of
China think it is very wonderful. They think there is nothing so
wonderful in all the rest of the world.

[Illustration: The Great Wall.]

China seems a curious country. Boys shout out loud in school. They
read and write backward. Men fly kites, like boys. Women have feet as
small as babies' feet.