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1853] and the owner of our house are people who have gained that title. People of this rank can be found in the vicinity of Tungfo. The second rank are the arable farmers. The third rank are the artisans, and the fourth are the merchants.
One must note that these ranks are not separated like castes which would imply that one rank of employment would exclude others. In fact the reverse is the case. There is complete freedom, and it often happens that a literati can be a merchant, and a prosperous farmer who works his land can also deal in trade. Boat-people, coolies, farmhands, and servants do not belong to these ranks.
As honour and "face" are important for the Chinese, rich people buy for themselves a title of honour if they are not able to gain it by talent or merit. These are called in Hakka dialect Lau Tea or Lau Je, which means "Old (or Honourable) Father". However, this kind of bought title means less than a gained title, which is called Siu Tshoi. If a rich Chinese has, besides this title, also numerous offspring, he is taken to be a particularly happy man. An important name, prosperity, and many offspring, are taken as the highest felicities of life. Additional to these are the felicities of virtue and long life.
In the surrounding area, tilling the fields is the main source of food and subsistence. The only sad thing is that there is not enough soil to use. Agriculture is in all respects very backward here because they do not have the right tools to work the fields, and also because they do not know how to work them rationally, like they do in Europe. They are far behind Europe. However, they try to make up for it with diligence and effort to get the best possible harvest.
To make a few remarks about the field tools, the Chinese plough consists of three components. The lowest part is the sole-beam, to which the ploughshare is fixed. The sole-beam bends up at the back to form the handle, which can only be held with one hand. The second component [the brace-bar] is fastened in the middle of the sole-beam; it is short, and runs obliquely upwards. To this is fixed the