pantomimed here, communicated using hand gestures.
were-people for Kingston, another term meaning ghosts, or spirits.
cervixes necks, or other necklike structures.
nether underground, or the underworld.
Animalcules microscopic organisms.
Chung-li Ch’uan one of the Eight Sages who probably lived sometime between 206 B.C. and A.D. 220; he is usually depicted as a fat, bearded, wine-drinking hermit.
night soil buckets portable containers used primarily for nighttime urine.
magpies Related to jays, magpies have long tails, black-green plumage, and white markings over their shoulders.
sea swallow also known as terns, graceful water birds that inhabit seacoasts and inland waters; most terns, which form breeding colonies of millions of individuals, lay their eggs on the ground, and in some parts of the world, including Malaya, their eggs are gathered for human consumption.
Malaya the peninsula directly south of Thailand, in Southeast Asia; Malaya gained its independence from British rule in 1957, and became part of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
hairpin a small metal clip used to hold hair in place.
magistrate a government employee who administers and enforces the law.
Shantung means “Eastern Mountains”; a northern coastal province in China, including the Shantung Peninsula, and China’s third most populous province.
Changchow also known as Changzhou, a city in eastern China, west of Shanghai.
yellow croaker a saltwater fish; in China, yellow croakers are caught mainly in Kwangtung Province, which supplies about one-fifth of the fish consumed in China.
Hanchow possibly Hangchow, a city southwest of Shanghai, in Chekiang Province; capital city of the Southern Sung dynasty (960-1279).
ingots any standardized shapes of metal; for example, gold bars.
bantams small, aggressive chickens.
purple dromedaries one-humped camels; “purple” dromedaries are only imaginary.
First Emperor of Ch’in refers to Chao Cheng, who came to the throne in 247 B.C., and, by 221 B.C., had solidified the Ch’in dynasty, mostly through conquests of rival territories; during the Ch’in empire, which lasted until 206 B.C., the Great Wall of China was begun, and all books except those on such subjects as medicine were burned to halt subversive thought.
jasper a red, yellow, or brown variety of the mineral quartz.
Mount Fuji Japan’s highest mountain, located sixty miles southwest of Tokyo; Mount Fuji, which is sacred to the Japanese, is a volcano, dormant since 1707 but still classified as “active” by geologists.
strafed randomly attacked with machine gun or cannon fire.
Li T’ieh-kuai one of the Eight Immortals; Li is depicted as an old man, with a gourd slung over his shoulder; the gourd holds medicine, which Li dispenses to the poor, and at night serves as his bedroom.
impish mischievous.
Ellis Island an island off of New York City that served as the primary immigration station from 1892 to 1943.
dirigibles airships, or blimps.
atavistic the reappearance of some characteristic in a family bloodline that has not been evident for generations.
rheumatism inflammation of muscles or joints, causing stiffness and pain.
varicose veins blood-swollen veins, commonly occurring in the legs.
tubercular handkerchiefs Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria, called tubercle bacillus; because the disease can be spread from person to person, people already infected with tuberculosis would hold handkerchiefs or other material to their mouths whenever they coughed to lessen the chance of spreading the disease.
lepers’ socks Leprosy is a chronic disease characterized by skin sores, gangrene, and even paralysis; because the disease is contagious, people with leprosy—known as lepers—often cover their skin to restrain the disease from spreading and because of the social stigma attached to the disease.
peat dirt highly organic soil derived from peat, decomposed vegetable matter used as a fertilizer and, in some countries, as a fuel.
chick mash highly nutritious food fed to baby chicks.
loquat tree a small evergreen tree, native to China and Japan, with white flowers and yellow, edible fruit.
Romany Romany is a catchall word that means gypsy, the language that gypsies speak, and the location from which gypsies come, although Romany is not a physical country or place.
