The same official (Le Hung Chang 李鸿章) presents a supplementary petition.
According to information received from several persons, there lately lived a filial young lady named Pang Yun-chun, a native of the district of Hwae-ning in Gan-hwuy, the eldest daughter of Pang Tsëö-khe, the Prefect of King-chow. From her earliest years this young lady delighted in reading poetry, and took pleasure in listening to ancient and modern tales of filial piety, rectitude, purity, and chastity. She accompanied her mother to her father's residence at his official post, and never left her for a moment.
In the 6th year of the present reign, the mother became seriously ill, and the daughter secretly cut off a piece of her arm and gave it to her in her medicine, whereupon the mother recovered.
During the winter of the 11th year, the mother again became ill, and the daughter gave her soup and medicine, and for more than twenty day and nights never put off her own clothes. She again cut off a piece of her flesh and gave it to her mother to cure her ; but the latter never recovered, and the daughter, fearing to wound her father, eat her meals as usual, and conducted herself as if nothing had happened.
On the one hundredth day after the death of her mother, the daughter rose early, washed herself, put aside her head ornaments, put on clean under garments, carefully binding up the wounded places on her arms, and told her father that she was going to take her brothers and sisters to worship before the coffin of her mother, which was deposited in the Kae-fŭh-sze temple. Within the precincts of this temple stands a pagoda more than 280 feet in height, and pretending that she was going to worship Buddha, this young lady told her brothers and sisters to wait for her outside. She then, with her nurse and female attendant, ascended thirteen stairs, and looking first towards the west, where her mother's coffin lay, and then towards the south, in the direction of her father's residence, she sorrowfully made three inclinations, and then threw herself down. Those who were below in vain rushed forward to save her. They only saw her with her cheek resting upon the ground ; and thus she passed away, with a smile upon her countenance ; being at the time only 26 years of age.
This took place on the 24th day of the first month of the present year (21st February,1873 ) In this young lady's sleeve was found a paper containing two sentences ; one, to the effect that she threw herself down from the Pagoda of her own free will ; and the other, forbidding her relatives to change her clothes when about to place her in her coffin, and requesting them to lay her beside her mother. On opening a small casket, another written paper was discovered, in which she took leave of her father and other relatives, and stated that when her mother was dangerously ill, she burnt incense and vowed that she would accompany her mother, if she died, beneath the Earth (i.e., to Hades), and praying her father not to grieve for her.
-- The petitioner prays the Emperor to grant permission to build a triumphal arch to this young lady, and His Majesty consents.
According to information received from several persons, there lately lived a filial young lady named Pang Yun-chun, a native of the district of Hwae-ning in Gan-hwuy, the eldest daughter of Pang Tsëö-khe, the Prefect of King-chow. From her earliest years this young lady delighted in reading poetry, and took pleasure in listening to ancient and modern tales of filial piety, rectitude, purity, and chastity. She accompanied her mother to her father's residence at his official post, and never left her for a moment.
In the 6th year of the present reign, the mother became seriously ill, and the daughter secretly cut off a piece of her arm and gave it to her in her medicine, whereupon the mother recovered.
During the winter of the 11th year, the mother again became ill, and the daughter gave her soup and medicine, and for more than twenty day and nights never put off her own clothes. She again cut off a piece of her flesh and gave it to her mother to cure her ; but the latter never recovered, and the daughter, fearing to wound her father, eat her meals as usual, and conducted herself as if nothing had happened.
On the one hundredth day after the death of her mother, the daughter rose early, washed herself, put aside her head ornaments, put on clean under garments, carefully binding up the wounded places on her arms, and told her father that she was going to take her brothers and sisters to worship before the coffin of her mother, which was deposited in the Kae-fŭh-sze temple. Within the precincts of this temple stands a pagoda more than 280 feet in height, and pretending that she was going to worship Buddha, this young lady told her brothers and sisters to wait for her outside. She then, with her nurse and female attendant, ascended thirteen stairs, and looking first towards the west, where her mother's coffin lay, and then towards the south, in the direction of her father's residence, she sorrowfully made three inclinations, and then threw herself down. Those who were below in vain rushed forward to save her. They only saw her with her cheek resting upon the ground ; and thus she passed away, with a smile upon her countenance ; being at the time only 26 years of age.
This took place on the 24th day of the first month of the present year (21st February,1873 ) In this young lady's sleeve was found a paper containing two sentences ; one, to the effect that she threw herself down from the Pagoda of her own free will ; and the other, forbidding her relatives to change her clothes when about to place her in her coffin, and requesting them to lay her beside her mother. On opening a small casket, another written paper was discovered, in which she took leave of her father and other relatives, and stated that when her mother was dangerously ill, she burnt incense and vowed that she would accompany her mother, if she died, beneath the Earth (i.e., to Hades), and praying her father not to grieve for her.
-- The petitioner prays the Emperor to grant permission to build a triumphal arch to this young lady, and His Majesty consents.
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