3 1 8 D O C . 3 7 9 T R A V E L D I A R Y J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 3 burial mounds and coffins or little coffin houses which cannot be removed. Chinese dirty, tormented, blunted, kindly, steady, gentle and—healthy. All are unanimous in praising the Chinese but also regarding the intellectual inferiority in business skills best evidence: he obtains 10 times lower wages in an equivalent position, and the European can still compete successfully as a business employee. 2nd January. Noon weighing of anchor. Gloomy, windy weather. I enjoy the tranquillity beyond words. 3rd January. Cold, windy weather. Contemplative, enviable existence on board, where I, in order to maintain this state, fearfully avoid making acquaintances. Pon- dering and calculations on Eddington’s theory.[187] (Attempt at a completion of the latter.) Improvement of the variation method in regular general relativity. 4 5th January. Arrival in Hong Kong. 7 o’clock in the morning. In hope of being left in peace for once, we secretly go ashore at ½ past 9, initially to do a few errands. Met at Nippon Yusen Kaisha a fellow by the name of Gobin, who had already shown us Hong Kong the last time. He informed us of the community’s reception that afternoon. We also went to see the French consul and quickly said our good-byes.[188] We drove up to the Peak again I climbed up to the top. Resplen- dent panorama of harbor, sea, and island. Quite hot up there. We down to the town, downhill for about one hour, tropical woods all the way. The entire path was taken up by Chinese men, women, and children, groaning while hauling bricks uphill. Most pitiful of people on Earth, cruelly mistreated and worked to death in reward for modesty, gentleness and frugality. Then drove to ship. Barely arrived, again col- lected by that fellow, driven to Jewish clubhouse beside synagogue. Despite his busy effort, practically nobody came to the “reception,” which was very funny. Then we went, perforce, to his family to eat. Friday evening prayers, then long, ter- ribly spicy meal, an interesting young Russian Jew also there. Finally, thank God, back on board ship. 6th. Wonderfully cloudless crisp morning in the harbor. 11 o’clock departure. Brilliant sunshine. Sat long in the sun in the afternoon, which (with hat) was still just barely tolerable. Voyage through islets and bustling with numerous Chinese sailboats that were dancing on the waves. New idea for the electromagnetic prob- lem of the gen. th. of rel. 7th & 8th. Somber and humid with temperature on the rise. Thinking about gen. relativity and electricity. 9th. Writing of paper on gravitation and electricity.[189] 10th. Letters to Arrhenius, Planck, Bohr.[190] Evening mooring before Singa- pore. [p. 29v] [p. 30]
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