The Face of China by Emily Georgiana Kemp

We reached the riverside -- it looked merely a stream -- and found our boat, with the luggage already aboard, looking most unpromising, despite the efforts of our men. It was a small river craft about eight feet broad. Bamboo matting not more than five feet high formed our house-room, with a few planks for a door in front. Fragments of matting made a partial screen in the centre. The floor was of a rudimentary character, just a few boards with large gaps between them, through which one could study the depth of water over which our luggage was precariously poised on low props. In order to prevent all our small things from dropping through the floor, we spread over it our invaluable sheets of oil-cotton (a kind of waterproof largely used everywhere in China), and fastened up a curtain at each end of the tiny boat to secure a small amount of privacy. There was just space for our two carrying-chairs and our mattresses. One of the chairs we used as a wardrobe, and the other as a store-cupboard. The bamboo chairs we had procured at the penitentiary of Chengtu, despite the advice of our friends, as we found sedan-chairs very irksome, and decided that open ones would be more comfortable and enable us to see the country better. With long fur coats and foot muffs we felt that we could brave the cold, and there was always the resource of walking if we got too chilly. We never for a moment regretted our decision, and we found that the men carried the open chairs far better than the heavy closed ones. We profited at once by the exchange, as they were able to be used for going to Mount Omi, and we were carried some distance up the mountain. Under the seat was a box in which we could carry all our small things, and the coolies hung their coats, hats, &c., on the back.

As our room was so small we sat mostly on the floor, so as to have everything within reach without getting up. The cooking was a somewhat difficult matter, as the brazier on which it was done was only six inches in diameter, and rather apt to burn a hole in the floor if it was heated sufficiently to do any cooking. We were glad of its warmth, as the weather was very cold. Chopsticks were evidently the correct fireirons, and are just the right size to match the charcoal. With practice I got fairly expert at making palatable dishes, as naturally the range of the menu was much limited. From this time onward I did all the cooking, and I cannot help attributing to this fact mainly the excellent health we enjoyed throughout the whole journey.