Note 82 — OLD CANTON. (continued 3)
Reading edition
The 'eyes' on the bows of Chinese junks gave rise to the expression, 'No got eye, no can see,' under the erroneous foreign belief that the Chinese attributed to them the power of seeing and avoiding danger. This is very far from the fact. The bows of sea-going junks represent the head of a dragon, with expanded jaws and full round eyes, and being the symbol of the Chinese Empire, it is used as a carved eagle may be on an American vessel, without occult power attaching thereto.