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■..irv#*«Ba«»si«»»t.'c4«UJ'«rRi
m:
THE
EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS.
ASIA
BY
iSLISfiE RECLUS.
EDITED BY
A. II. KEANE, B. A.,
MKUD. or COUNCIL, ANTIIROPOLOOICAL INSTITL'TE.
/^
VOL. II.
V/ EAST ASIA:
CHINESE EMPIRE, COREA, AND JAPAN,
/f
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WMH
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ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND MAPS.
NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPAN
1, 3, AND 6 BOND STREET.
1884.
RAR ).
-M^-wmi
■is
J)
*•
CONTENTS.
VOL II.
"h
EAST ASIA.
!•
PAOK
I
CiiAP. I. Gexeuai. Suuvev . . . . .
East and West contrasted, p, 2. Isolation oiF China," p. 3. Intercourse with India and Europe,
p. 4. Foieign Influence: Russian Encniuchmcnt?, p. 8. Rivalry of the Eastern and Western
Races, p. 9. Future Prospects, p. 12. i. , v,..
Chap. 11. Tiiiet 13
Nomenclature, p. 13. Physical Oinlines, p. 14. Extent, Exploration, Divisions, p. 15. The
Kucii-Iun Range, p. 17. Khachi: Lacustrine System, p. 19. Eastern Highlands and Rivers,
J). 22. South Tibet, Trans- Himalayas, p. 23. Mount Kailas, Upper .Satlaj, and Indus, p. 24.
Lake Pang-kong, p. ^9. The Tauiigho River, p. 30. Head waters i)f the Great Indo-(;hineso
Rivers, p. 36. Climate, p. 38. J auna and Flora, p. 40. Inhabitants: the Tibetans, p. 41.
liuddhism, p. 44. Diet, Social Customs, Population, p. 48. Topography, p. 50. Trade and
Trade Routes, p. 54. Adniinistrution, Postal [Service, p. 50.
CiUF. III. Chinese Tukkhsta.v: The Tauim Basiv 53
Progress of Discovery, p. 58. Extent, Population Water System, p. 60. The Yarkand and
Knshgar Rivers, p 61. The Tarim and Lob-nor, p. 62. The Takla-makan Desert, p. 64.
Flora and Fauna, p. 66. I>ih tbitants : the Kashgarians, p. 67. Routes and Passes, p. 69.
Topography ; Administrative Divisions, p. 70.
CiiAP. IV. MosnoLiA 75
I. The KiKU-Noii, p. 74. Relief of the ImuA, p. 74. Lake Kuku. p. 77. The Clmidam Biisin,
p. 78. Inhabitants : the Tangutans, p. 79. II. Mokoolian Kansu, p. 80. Climate, p. 81.
Routes, Extent, P..pulation, p. 82. Inhabitants, Topography, p. 83. III. Zf ncjahia ANn
KuLJA, oa Ili, p. 88. Historical Routes, p. 88. Lake Zair.m, p. 90. Inhabitants: the
Zungarians, Dung.ns, tmd Taranchi, p. 90. Topos-raphy, p. 91. IV. North Mongolia and
THK OoHi, p. 93 The Ektag Altai and Tannu f)la Ranges, p. 95. Lakes Ubsa and Koso, p. 95.
The Gobi Desert, p. 96. The Khinjan and In-»han Highlands, p. 99. The Ordos Plateau
and Ala-shan Uplands, p. 100. The Great Wall, p. 102. Inhabitants: the Mongolians, p. I(i3.
Topography, p. HI. V. Chinese Maschukia, p. 113. Physical Features, p. 116. Tho
Sunuari nnd Liuo-ho Rivers, p. 11". Flora and Faun«, p. 119. Inhabitants: tho Manchus,
p. 120. Topography, p. 1:^3.
Chah. V. China 128
General Survey, p. 128. Progress of Discovery, p. 129. Physical Features, Climate, p. 132.
Flora and Fauna, p. 134. Inhabitants: tho Chinese Race, p. 136. Tho Chinese Language,
p. 137. Religion, p. 140. Tho Feng-shui, p. 143. Buddhism, p. 145. The Jews and
Mohammedans, p. 147. The Christians, p. 161. Habits and Customs, p. 153. Secret
Societies, tho Taipings, p. 150. Basin of tho Pei-hn, Province of I'echili, p. 10.'. Topography :
Peking, p. 164. The Shantung Peninsula, p. 174. Topography, p. 175. The Hoangho
Basin, Kansu, Shensi, Shansi, and Honan, p. 179. The Grand Canal and Lower Hoang-ho,
p. 185. Tho Tsing-ling and other Riuges, p. 187. Tho Yellow Li.nd«, p 189. Topography,
M^ JL^^'k
CONTENTS.
p. 102. Bnsin of tho Yiinff-tzr-kinnK, Soohuon, Kwcichow, Hupch, Hunan, X({aiihwci,
Kiiiiif^mi, Kiiiii^i, Chckiiin^, ]i. IttU. Tho rppiT Yan^-t/.i! anil Min, p. 100. Tho Midilli)
Yann-tzt! ami lliin-kiiin^, p. '201. Lako I'oynnjjf ami tho Lower YaiiK-tzo, p. '202. Hiichxum
IliKlilamlii, p. '20"). Inhaliitanti of .Sochucn, Iho .Sifan, p. '200, Tlio Mantxo, IjoIo, iiml
Chini'Ho of .Si'ihucn, p. '210. I'roviiico of Kwrichew, tho .Miiiot/.i', j). '2U. Ilinian, Kiani;si,
and ChcKianj?, j). 217. Iiihahitaiits of tho Lower Yanf? t/i' Itasin, p. 219. Topojjraphy,
p. 220. Kastern SliipeH of tlie .\aii-Hlian, 210. InhahitantH of Fokion, p. 2tl. Topo^rapliy,
p. 212. IliiHin of tli(^ Si-kiati(r, Kwiiii|,'si, ami Kwani»tiinfj;, ]). 247. Tlio Si-kian^ Kiver
KyNtein, p. 218. Tlie Canton Delta, p. 210. Ciiniato of South Ciiina, p. 2<')0. InhaliitantH,
J). 2.")1. To])0!iriiiihy, p. 2."):). JIouh; Koiijf, p. 2')7. Miieao, p. '2'>9. Yunnan, p. 2(i;i.
Inliuliitantrt, p. 207. Tlio I'authay Insurrection, p. 2flH. Topograjjiiy, p 2'iO. Hainan, p. 27.'i
Formosa, p. 27'>. InhaliitantH, p. 2S0. TopoH;riqihy, p. 281. Material and Soeiiil ('onilition
of ('hina, ]). 2St. The Chine.so TownH, p. 28.'i. Agriculture, \>. 287. Tho Tea Tradis p. 201.
Land Tenure, tlu' Commune, p 202. InduHtries, p. 20.>. AlineralH, Metal Work, Kronzos,
p. 208. I'rintinfj;, tho Labour Market, p. 200. Inland and Foreign Trade, p. .'100. Tho
Ojaum Question, p. ItOl. Tho Treaty Ports and Foreign F.m hanges, htapios of Trade, p. ;)0;l.
Highways, liailwuy Prospects, Telegraphs, p. IIO.V Foreigners in Cuina, (Jhineso Emigration,
p 08. The Xew Ideas, Social Progress, Public Instruction, Tho Literati, p. 312. Ponding
Changes in the Social System, p. :114. Administration, Filial Devotion to tho Head of the
Family and of tho State, p. 31."), Imperial Authority, tho Emperor's Ilouseh'jld, p. 317.
Kducatiou, Public Examinations, p, 320. Tho Mandiirins, p. 322. Pi'ual Codo, p. 3'20.
Army and Xavy, p. 328. Uuvenuo, Curroucy, p. 331. Adniinistrativu Divisions, p. 333.
Chap. VL Kohea 334
Progress of Discovery, Foreign liolations, p. 337. Physical Features, Orographic System,
p. 339. Thu Korean Archipelagos, p. 340. Mineral NVealth, Flora and Fauna, Climate, p. 341.
Inhabitiints, Language, p, 344. Social Condition, Itcligion, p. 340. Habits and Customs,
Trade, Industries, p. 348, (iovcrinnent, Administration, p 3.')1. Topography, p. 353.
Chai'. Yll. Jai'an 366
Fonn, I']xtent, Name, p. 3.56. Progress of Discovery, p. 3.')8. Tho Kurilo Archipelago, p. 300.
Y"eso, p. 302. Hondo, p. 3G4. Tho Xikko Highlands, a Buddhist Legend, p. 3G7. Asama-
yama and Fuzi-san, p. 369. The Highlands of South Hondo, p. 371- Lake Biva, p. 373.
Tho Inland 8ea, p. 37.). Tho Island of Sikok, p. 376. Tho Island of Kiu-siu, p. 378. Tho
Iliu-kiu (Lu-ch\i) and Ooto Archipelagos, p. 381, Ilydrogruphic System, Chief liivcrs,
p. 386. Clinmto, p. 387. Vegitation, p. 389. Fauna, p. 393. Inhabitants, tho Aino.i,
p. 390. The Aborigines of Japan, p. 400. The Jupanesc Hace, p. 401. Language and Letters,
p, 408. The Art of Printing, p. 410. Religion: Sintoism, p. 411. Buddhism, p. 41.').
("hristianity, p. 416. Topography of the Kuriles and Y'eso, p. 418. Topography of Nip-pon,
p. 421. Topography of Sikok, Kiu-siu, and liiu-kiu, p. 441, Tho Bonin Archipelago, p. 444,
Vital Siatistics, Agriculture, p, 446, Uico and Tea Culture, p, 447. Natural Uesources of
Y'eso, p. 460. Land Tenure, Mining Industry, p, 400, Manufactures, Japanese Art,
Porcelain, p. 4.53. Lacquer-waro, Paper, p. 4.55. Decline of Art, Traffic in " Curios," p. 459,
Foreign Trade, p, 462. Shipping, p. 466. Roads, Railways, Telegraphs, p. 467. Literature
iiii'l Public Instruction, p. 469, Historic Retrospect, the Revolution, p. 470. Administration,
p. 473. Finance, Army and Navy, p. 475.
Statistical Tables 477
IND.JX
485
i'Xum
i* ' i i > iMTi
^ A
4
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
VOL. II,
334
MAPS PRINTED IN COLOURS.
355
[0, p. 300.
Asimm-
I, p. 373.
178. The
•i Rivers,
ho Aino.i,
1(1 LotUTB,
I, p. 413.
E Nip-pon,
;o, p. 444.
sources of
■nose Art,
8," p. 409.
Litcraturo
nistration,
477
48a
1. Tiirkcstun and luiicr Asia .
2. China
3. Peking und Neighbourhood
58 4. runton iind the Pearl Ruur
128 f). The Islands of Jupun .
10 1 0. Tukio and its Uay
TAOM
249
366
423
PLATES.
Tho Yang-tze-kiang— Mitan Gorge To face page
The Lantzan-kiang — Hogg's Gorge
Ovis Ammon— Ibex Siherica— Ovis Nahur.i
— Markhor Ram ....
Monastery at Shigatze ....
Lassa— Liimassery of Potala in tho Seventeenth
Century
Chinese Turkestan— Types and Costumes
Upper Kara-kash Valley ....
Street Scene, Yarkand ....
Mongolian Desert— Tomb of Lama and En
campment
Dungans and Taranchis— Types and Costumes
Manc'hu Ministers— Chiefs of Banners .
View tdken from tho Summer Palace, Peking
Nan-kow, Southern Gate of the Great Wall -
View taken from Pat «-ling
View on the Upper Yang-tze-kiang
Road cut through the " Yellow Earth " .
River View on tho Upper Yangtze-kiang
Chinese Miners— Upper Yangtze Highhinds
Hankow — Han - kiang and Yang-tze Con
fluonce
3
37
40
51
62
58
CO
72
80
91
121
164
173
190
192
203
221
227
A Slroot in Kin-kianij— Typos and Cos-
tumes .... To face page
Tower of Long-hua, Shanghai
Fomale Types and Costumes -Pi ovince of
Fokien
Buddhist Monaster,- at Vucn-fu on the Min,
South of Fui 1 V fii
Lake Tali— View uik a from tho North .
Formosan Types and Costumes— Butan Captives
in .Tiipan
Paper-mill, China
M. Tseng— Chinese Minister in Paris
Korean Mandarins
Fuzi Yania — View taken from tho South-west
Lake Htikono
Capo Homer— View taken from tlie Entrance
of Kngo-sima Bay
Japanese Peas;intry
Aino Types and Costumes ....
Japanese Typos and Costumes
Types and Costumes of Citizens of Tokio
View of Odovara ; taken from Tokai-do .
Birdseyo View of Naguski ....
229
236
241
243
270
-.280
299
317
344
370
372
380
386
397
409
423
4-29
442
. !
VI
LIST Ui-' ILLL'siTHATlUNa.
ILLUSTRATIONS IN TKXT.
KAST ASIA.
1. Itincruiy of ll'wcn-'rHiinsf
2. Km ri>;ii')iiiii'iits iiC ANiittic UiiHHia on Chiiiii
3. lUiicraiirM of tlio 'I'ilMt'iii Kx|ili>rrr!t .
4. Uri'KU Kaiia-kasii Vai.i.kv
6. Liiko Diingrii-yum anil Tiirgot Jloun-
tniim
0. 'IVtigri-noi- ......
7. Mount Kiiiliis iind the Four Sucrod Uivors
8. Till' Mansiii'iiiir Hisiii ....
'.•. J.AKH 1'AN()-K0M1 ; K.NCAMI'MKNT OF TlIK
K.\(iI,IHll Kxi'EDlTIO.N Ol' 1871 .
10. Lakn ranif-koii(f
11. .'^i!;(^ ralti
12. Course of til ' Tuanglio ....
1.3. (.'ourse of tlic Tsanjflx) ....
14. Ct'Ursu of tho Tsunj^lio ....
111. C'oHiso of tho Tsanfjjbo ....
IG. TilKtan Ethnography ....
17. I'llAYKIl INSC'rtlHEn ON A lioCK .
18. TiiiKrAN Amtlbt
19. LiiHsa
i!0. Tri'dn lloutoM of Tihct ....
i!l. Itineraries of tho Tian-shnn Nnn-lii .
22. Tho Tian shan Nan-lu, from a Chinese
Map
23. Lake Karishar
24. Lob-nor
2.5. lluees of Cliineso Turkestan
26. Koutos from Kashgar to Ferghana .
27. Khotan and the Southern I'latuaux .
28. Yarkand and Yangi-sh ihr
29. Sources of the Iloang-hc, from ii Chincso
Map
30. Kuku-nor
31. West Knd of tho Great Wall .
32. FoiiTiFiEO Villages nkau Laxtciiew,
Province of Kaxsu ....
U.3. Ousoi of Jlarkul and Hami
31. L'rumtsi, Turfan, and surrounding Moun-
tains
35. £bi-nor .......
3G. Chuguohak and the Tarbagatai Hange
37. Valley of tho Tekcs
38. Section of the Gobi, going East and West
39. View in the Gobi ....
40. Section of tho Gobi between Urga and
Kiilgan
41. South-east Corner of tho Mongolian
Plateau
H
43.
10
19
44.
4.).
20
40.
21
47.
2'!
•;s.
20
49.
60.
23
-)1.
•.'9
.52.
30
32
.-,3.
33
*U.
34
55.
35
.50.
43
57.
4.')
58.
10
(52
59.
04
00.
59
01.
02.
01
03.
63
64
01.
08
65.
70
60.
71
73
07.
08.
7(i
77
69.
82
70.
84
71.
86
72.
73.
87
74.
89
92
75.
93
76.
94
77.
97
78.
98
79.
80.
81.
99
The (luKAT Wai.i.. Vikw taki.n at tmk
Xankow 1'ahk ....
Mongol invaNiiiUH and Conquests of their
Hucce.sSorH .....
InhabitantH of .Mungolia .
Kobdo lial(;iu
I'rga
Moiigoli.in llii;hways
Mcjulb of till' l.iio-lio
Manliii; Wo.man ....
(/'oiillucncc ot the Nonni and ^nn^aii
Lower Tumen Valley and I'onsiet Kay
Tlio Nino Provinees according to tho
Yukuiig
China aeeordia,' to tho Native Oeograplu'rH
Kiang-su, according to Maitini
Isothcrmals of Cliiiia ....
Range of the (Jhineso Fauna
Chneso Dialects ....
The Nine Sacred Mountains. —T'ho Chew
Epoch
The Taiki, on Maokj Lookino-olass
UUI>I)HIRT PulEHT ....
The Godobss Kwawix . ,
l)0MK8Tic Altar.— The Siwilino Bimidha
Ilegicms was'.ud by ihe Mohammedan In
surrcctions ....
A Chinese Savant ....
Chinese Childuen ....
Tekuack with P\'neual Uuns neai
Amoy
Manchu Ladv
Lauds wasted by tho 'I'uiping Insur.
rcction
ItoutoB of the Chief Modern Exjilorers in
China
Range of tho Floodings of the Lower Pochili
Successive Displacements of Peking .
The High Stueet, Peki.no
The Temi'Le of Heaven, Peking .
Celestial Sphekb in the Old Observa
TORY, Peking ....
Tientsin
The Lower Pei-ho ....
Old Shantung Strait ....
Tengchew and Sliao-tao Archipelago
Cliefu
Trans-0rdo3
Cliki-s or Yellow Earth on the Uo.ing
uo
102
104
105
111
112
113
118
122
12,
120
129
130
131
133
135
139
141
143
145
140
148
150
163
154
156
157
160
161
163
165
166
167
169
171
172
175
176
177
180
131
LIST OF ILLUSTUATIONS.
tU
N AT TIIK
.
102
(if tlii'ir
101
, ,
lOo
111
.
112
.
11 :>
UH
122
,'aii
124
liny
120
to tlio
.
129
)f,'i'iHilicrM
13U
.
131
.
i.'ia
.
13.)
.
139
Iio Chow
.
in
ULAHS
143
. ,
iir>
,
HO
Itri>i>iu
1>8
dUuii In-
.
150
.
liiii
.
1(')4
8 NEAIt
.
IfiO
,
167
160
101
103
105
160
167
109
171
172
175
176
177
180
131
R2.
83.
8t.
8.'>.
80.
87.
8H.
89.
OU.
Ul.
92.
03.
01.
Oo.
0«.
07.
98.
99.
100.
lUl.
102.
103.
1U4.
1U5.
106.
107.
lOS.
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
11a.
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
121.
125,
120.
127.
HhiUiiiKH of tho I loanf^-ho during Thn^u
Th anil Y.mg-t/.u . . , 20')
ChunnuU and IlroakwatorH butwuun tho
Iloang-ho and Yang-t/.u . . . 200
MmiiitainN lii'tworn Tatiiirnlii and Hatung 207
Frum thu Min Valluy to Tatsivnlu . . 208
The Skciii i:n Hioiilanhh . . . 213
Itaces of .South- wi'Ht (>'hina . . . 210
Chiiigtii-fii Diwin 221
Tho T«ing-ling and Singan . . . 223
Coiirso of tho \'ang-t/.i) dbovo tho Oorgi's 224
I-i'hang Oorgoa 225
WrcHANo : ViBW taken tmom tiik
ToWKll Ol' THK Y'eLLOW CuaNK (Ho-
AN(l-no-I.K\v)
Hankow and ^llrrollnding Iiukos
Nanking
Chingkiang
Shanghai and tho Iloung-pu .
Shanghai ...*..
Suc'how boforo the Taiping War
llangchow and the Si-hu
Ningpo and Tsinhai ....
Gland Chusun and I'utu ....
Mouth of tho Min
Fuchow-fu
SlIl'I-KOW, O.V THE UlTEU Mf.N, FoKIBN .
Amoy
Comparative Tempcntturo of Canton and
othor Towns
Inhabitants of Kwangtung
Female Coiffi'UB, Swat of tho CropH in tlio
(^'liincso I'rovinri'M .... 288
111. Chii'f Crops of China .... 293
112. Mini's of .Shantung 290
143. Mini's of Yunnan 298
144. PoUTAdE IN CUEKIANO , . ° . . 300
145. Chini'Hi Trraty Ports .... 302
140. (Jenekai, View of Nankino . . . 300
147. Uoutcs, Tt'IrgraphH, and Linos of Steam
Navigation in (.'liinu .... .307
148. HiONAi, TowEiis 300
149. Hangii of Chinos.) Migration . . . 310
150. ^1. Yanii, AttaihI^: of the CiiiNtSB
IiKOATIliN IN PaHIS . . . .313
151. Chinese (luartor, Shanghai . . . 310
152. Simmer Palace— IJuonze Lions, Em-
IILKMH OF THE iMrUIIIAL PoWEU . 318
153. Vaokant Convicts 325
154. DofonuoB of tho Mouth of tho Pni-ho . 320
165. I'roi'inc'ial Chief Towns, Fu and Chew, in
China 332
150. General View of Kanu-hoa, Lower
Uanu-kiano 335
157. Korea Strait 536
158. K.YpIorations of Korea and surrounding
Waters 337
150. South-west Archipelago of Korea . . 338
100. Entrance to the Gulf of Pechili . . 342
101. island of Quolpaert 343
162. Ilan-kang, or Soul River . . . 352
163. Administrative Divisions of Korea . . 353
164. Curves of the Japanese Archipelago . 357
165. Strait of Yeso 350
106. Tho Kurile Islmds 360
167. Pakamusiiiu Iklanu— Kukiles . . 361
168. Section of the Sea of Okhotsk . . 362
169. Tsugar Strait, between Y'cso and Hondo . 303
1 70. Mouths of tho Tonc-gava . . . 365
\',1. Oga-sima Island, and Ohokata-hatsiro Sea 366
172 XlKKO PoUTICO OP THE TeMFLB OF TUB
FoUll DUAQONB ..... 368
I
ft
11!
173.
171
l-.).
ITO.
177.
17M.
170.
I mi.
IHt.
\Wi.
IHIt.
1H».
IS.-).
1811.
1H7.
\m.
180.
I'.'O.
101.
102.
lo;».
104,
LIST OF IliMJSTllATIONS.
(;ult of Simoiln nnd Oho-ninm
I.iikc llivii
Niirutti Nlritit
Yumii-giiMi 'ii>'l Mount Kiumcin
Kii((o-mma iiml Mi-liikt- Volnmn
Urlii ( tHI'. I.AMiMAIT. VlKW TAKEN AT
l>'l/,IHAVA
IlAIIOfcli: KACHIM1I.K OF .lAI'ANrHK Dr.KKI
Tacsimilk of a .IaI'ANFKK IIiiii> UtMIl
riimitivc ropuliilioiiHof Nip-pon, nnord
inK to llii^ .Iii|Hni('Ho AniuilH
.Iai'Anf.hf. Woman .
Jafankhk (JlllL
.Ia»'ankm« MiHKUSH ANi> Dkai.ek
Jai>anihr TATrooiNO
Jai'anf.»f, Womkn .
Nikko un.l the Uppor Trnc-Biivii
l»l lUIIIIHT Tr.MlM.K AT NlKKO.
NnnHWiki iinil IJnzcn-san
Uttkodato Uay
fkOU
. :i71 '
lO.V
. ;i7.i
Kill.
. 377
107.
. ;i78
108.
. ;i:o
too.
. ;>Hu
200.
. wi
201.
. 383
202.
. 300
203.
20 J.
. 301
20.5.
N 304
20(1.
n 30.»
207.
208.
. 400
2UI).
. 40'J
210.
. 403
211.
. 404
212.
1
. 40.')
2i;).
. 400
214.
. 412
2ir,.
. 414
j 'iiu.
1
. 417
. 410
217.
Ilnkoilntn
Nihi-Kiitu nml Siiilo Isliiml
Kiim/uvii iiiul the White Momitain .
MoNKTItU lUI.L IN Tlir. SlHA tilAUTIH
'I'llKIO
JiNMiKHiA, Jaimnf.»f. IIanii-caut
SiiiuhIii Hay
N.inoyii and Dilta of thu Ki«o-gava
l.aki' llivA
( lluiHiika ...•••
llioK0 HlOIIWAY
. TllF. riLUlIlY IN JaI'AN IIF.FOIIB TUB
Hf.volution
. Adminislrativu PivisionH of Julian .
FAOB
420
421
422
424
427
42U
431
434
438
430
443
44U
4.V2
45.5
408
100
40 1
40.)
lUO
408
474
47d
I ' < < ■ - jw^u i^ h uiKmv ■^■ '■' .
-**.* '
.- A
no
i'ii
in
427
4'iU
431
434
435
438
139
143
tlO
4.Vi
loj
4.')H
KlU
401
4(i'>
tUH
408
474
47o
THE EARTH AND ITS INHABITANTS.
I:AST A8IA.
CHINESE EMl'IKE. fOREA, JAPAN.
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL 8UUVEY.
HE nutural divisions of tlio Asiatic continent lire druwn in bold lines.
Wo luive seen that the vast Russian domain comprises the Aralo-
Cuspian depressions and the northern slopes of tlio mountain
systems, which stretch from the Alai and Tian-shan to tlie
Manchurian coasl ranges. Southwards and westwards, the two
Indian peninsulas, the Iranian plateau, Asia Minor, and Arabia are no less clearly
defined by snowy barriers, great inlets and seas. In the I'ust, also, China, with
Corea and the neighbouring archipelagos, forms, so to say, a world apart, enclosed
by an amphitheatre of plateaux and highlands with a total frontier-line of C.OOO
miles. From Manchuria to Indo-China, the Shanyan-alin, the DAs-alin, the
Khingan, the Kentei, the Tannu-ola and Ektag Altai, the Tian-shan, the Tsfing-
ling, the Himalaya, the rugged hills pierced by the rivers of Transgangetic India,
form together a continuous semicircle round about that portion of the Asiatic conti-
nent which now constitutes the Chinese Empire. Japan has taken the name of the
"Land of the Rising Sun;" but relatively to the rest of the Old World China also
faces eastwards. Its general slope, as indioat6d by the course of its rivers, is
towards the Pacific Ocean. From the peoples of the West, Cliina and Japan have
rightly received the name of the extreme East, an expression also extended to
Indo-China, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
^.M>-
■ -SSSf^^St**--*??*^*"
EAST ASIA.
East and West contrasted.
Coinparod with Weatorn Asia, and especially with Europe, which may in
certain respects be regarded as u group of peninsulas belonging to Asia, the eastern
regions of the continent enjoy certain privileges, but have also some great dis-
advantages as lands of human culture. The most striking contrast between Kast
and West is presented by their respective seaboards. In Asia Minor and Europe
the coast lands are cut up Into numerous peninsulas, forming secondary groups in
the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters. The peninsulas are moreover prolonged
by arcliipelagos, or the coasts fringed with islands ; so that Europe has by Carl
Hitter and othei-s been compared to an organized body well furnished with limbs.
This continent seems, so to say, endowed with life and motion beyond the dead mass
of the Old AVorld. But China cannot boast of such a surprising diversity of out-
lines. From the shores of ^lanehuria to those of Cochin China one important penin-
sula alrne, that of Corea, is detaclied from the continental mass, while the land is
penetrated only by one gidf deserving the name of sea — the Iloang-hai. The I'acific
waters are here doubtless animated by two large islands, Formosa and Hainan, and
by the magnificent ^Vrchipelago of Japan. But how insignificant arc these penin-
sulas and islands of Eastern Asia compared with the Cyclades and Sporades, Greece
and Italy, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and the whole of Europe, itself a vast
l)eninsula everywhere exposed to the moist and warm sea breezes!
The high degree of culture attained by the Chinese people cannot therefore be
explained by any exceptional advantages in peninsular or island formations. But
here the absence of marine inlets has been partly supplied by the great rivers. If
the Chinese seaboard proper presents but few deep indentations, the great streams
of navigable water by which the land is irrigated, and by whose ramifications and
canals it is divided into inland islands and peninsulas, give it some of the advan-
tages in water communication enjoyed by Europe, Hero the Yang-tze-kiang and
Hoang-ho replace the yEgean and Tyrrhenian Seas, and like them have served to
develop and diffuse a co.nmon civilisation. Formerly China had another advantage
in the possession of the largest extent of productive land held under one social
system in a temperate climate. North America and Europe, which at present
possess an equal extent of such territory, were till recently still covered by forests
which had to be laboriously cleared. In China is found that vast stretch of
" Yellow Lands " which forms pre-eminently an agricultural region, and where were
naturally developed those peaceful habits which are acquired by the pursuits of
husbandry. To this region are attached other arable lands possessing a different
soil and climate, with corresponding animal and vegetable forms, and thus it came
about that civilised life encroached step by step on the vast domain stretching from
the Mongolian wastes to the shores of the Gulf of Tonkin. These conditions admitted
of much variety in cultivating the land, and thus was trade developed between the
different ])rovinces. All partial improvements reacted beneficially on the whole land,
and the general civilisation was easily promoted amongst the Chinese themselves
and in the neighbouring countries. Comparing East Asia with the Western world,
lr
vhich may in
ia, the eastern
me great dis-
, between Kast
3r and Europe
lury groups in
ver prolonged
e has by Carl
od with limbs,
the dead mass
versity of out-
portant penin-
ile the land is
i. The Pacific
i Hainan, and
c these penin-
nrades, Greece
, itself a vast
)t therefore be
mations. But
?at rivers. If
great streams
lifications and
of the advan-
tze-kiang and
lave served to
her advantage
ler one social
sh at present
red bj' forests
ist stretch of
ttd where were
16 pursuits of
ig a different
I thus it came
retching from
tions admitted
rl between the
le whole land,
se themselves
'^cstern world.
.^' -"•■
■ft
ISOLATION OF CHINA.
8
o
o
i
I
we ace how greatly (.hina proper differs from Kurope in it« goographicnl unify.
From the yellow lands of the north to the pltiins tniversed by the Yunf?-tze on tho
Indo-('hincse frontier the people hud a coinnion centre of gravity, and their civil-
isation was consequently developed more rapidly in that " Flowery liand," whence
it was carried later on to Japan and Formosa. But how much more distinct and
individual has been the growth of culture in the various regions of the West, from
Asia Minor to Great Britain and Ireland ! Greece cut off from the rest of
Europe by moimtain ranges still imperfectly cxplorwl ; Italy so sharply limited by
its Alpine barrier ; the Iberian peninsula even more complctelj' shut out by the
almost impassable Pyrenees ; France with its twofold drainage to tho Atlantic and
jNIediterrunean ; the British Isles washed by warm seas and wrapi)ed in fogs, all form
so many geographical units, each of which had to develop its special civilisation
l)cfore a higher culture could be formed, in the production of which all the
European nations took part. Without being insurmountable, the natural obstacles
between the various countries of Europe are greater than between the different
provinces of East China, and it was these very obstacles which, by preventing
political centriklization while permitting mutual intercourse, have fostered the
individual energies of the Western races and made them the teachers of the rest of
mankind.
Isolation of China.
But if the communications were easy between the north and south of China,
and if the inhabitants of the mainland could without much difficulty cross the
narrow seas separating them from Formosa and Japan, the East Asiatic world
seemed, on the other hand, almost entirely shut in from the West. In prehistoric
times the forefathers of the Chinese, Hindus, Chalda^ans, and Arabs must no doubt
have been close neighbours, maintaining frequent relations with each other ; for
these various peoples have inherited the same astronomic conceptions, while the
coincidences of observation and views may be traced, even in their details. But
these mutual relations, explaining a common civilisation, can only have taken place
at a period of greater humidity in the Old World, when the now dried-up desert
regions of Central Asia enabled the populations to connnunicate more freely together.
At that time tho Tarim basin, now hemmed in by the sands, still belonged
to the Aryan world, and the civilisation of its inhabitants was allied to that of
India. Since the nations grouped on either slope of the Pamir were compelled to
advance farther down to the plains, leaving a broader zone of deserts and steppes
between them, the centres of civilisation have been removed to greater distances
from each other. That of China has gradually approached the Pacific, while an
analogous movement has been going on in an inverse direction west of Babylonia
towards Asia Minor and Greece. After these centres thus Ix-came isolated, no
commercial intercourse or exchange of ideas could take i)lace for long ages between
the eastern and western extremities of the continent. Distant rumours alone kept
up the common traditions of other nations dwelling b(\vond tho rivers and lakes,
the plateaux, highlands, forests, and deserts, and the inhabitants of those remote
.,yViir-'^-r--.Kjj'i^^--
4 FAST ASIA.
rej^ions were in tho popular ima}»iiiation transformed to strange and terrible monsters.
The two civilisations were independently developed at either extremity of the con-
tinent without exercising any mutual inHuence one on the other, following parallel
lines, yot as distinct one from the other as if they had been born on two different
planets. There was undoubtedly a time when South China had even more frecpient
relations with the scattered islands of the South Sea than with the western regions
Avith which it is coiniected by an unbroken continental mass. Common physical
traits prove that towards the south the ('hinese race has been intermingled with the
tribes peojding the oceanic regions.
Nevertheless, the barrier of plateaux and highlands shutting in the Chinese world
offers here and there some wide gaps, some opening towards the south, others in the
direction of the north. Nor are the snowy ranges themselves inaccessible. Altai,
Tian-shan, Tsung-ling, Kuen-lun, Nan-ling, are all crossetl by tracks, over which
the trader makes his way regardless of fatigue and cold. The slopes of these
uplands, and oven the plateaux, are inhabited to an elevation of from 10,000 to
15,000 I'eot, and traces of the pennanent or passing presence of man are everywhere
met along the route. IJut owing to their barbarous lives and rude political state
these highland populations added a fresh obstacle to that presented by the physical
conditi»ms to free international inten-ourse. The unity of the Old World was
finally established when the Europeans of the West, by means of the sea route, esta-
blished direct relations with the peoples of the eastern seaboard. But before that
time direct communications even between the Yang-tze and Amur basins across
the barbarous populations of the intervening plateaux took place only at rare inter-
vals, and were due as much to the great convulsions of the Asiatic peoples as to
the growing expansive power of the Chinese political system. But such rare and
irregular international movements had but little influence on the life of the Chinese
nation. For thousands of years this race, being almost completely isolated from
the rest of mankind, was thrown back on its own resources in working out its natural
development.
Intercourse with India and Europe.
The first great internal revolution of China took place at the time of the intro-
duction of the Indian religious ideas. However difficult it may be to interpret the
ancient doctrine of Lao-tze, there can be scarcely any doubt that it was affected by
Hindu influence. Some of his precepts are identical in form with those of the
sacred writings of the Buddhists, and all are imbued with the same sentiment of
hunumity and universal philanthropy. Nor does Lao-tze ever cite the leading
characters of Chinese history as models of virtue or as examples to be followed, so
that the body of his doctrines is associated by no traditional ties with the past
annals of his country. According to the unanimous tradition he travelled in the
regions lying to the west of China, and the pojndar legend ixunts to the Khotau
highlands as the place whence he was lM»rne heavenwaifls.
The barrier raiscfl by the mountains, plateaux, and their barbarous inhabitants
between China and India was so difficult to be crossed that the comnninications
INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA AND EUROPE.
e monsters.
)f the con-
ng piirullel
o different
re frequent
3m regions
•n physical
h\ with the
inese world
hers in the
)lo. Altai,
over which
?8 of these
10,000 to
jverywhero
litical state
le physical
World was
route, esta-
before that
.sins across
rare inter-
oples as to
h rare and
he Chinese
lated from
; its natural
' the intro-
terpret the
affected by
lose of the
ntiment of
be leading
ollowed, so
b the past
'lied in the
he Khotau
nhabitunts
lunications
betw( t II the two countries were effected by a detour through the Oxus basin. The
Buddhist religion itself was not propagated directly, and penetrated into the empire
not from the south, but from the west. During the periods of its peaceful expan-
sion China included the Tarim basin, and maintained free intercourse with the ( >xus
basin over the Pamir passes. At that t' ne traders followed the famous "Silk
Highway," which was also known to the Greeks, and it was by this or other routes
across the plateaux that were introduced the rich products of Southern Asia, as
well as the more or less legendary reports of the marvellous region of the Ganges.
The same road was also followed by the liuddhist ])ilgrims. After three centuries
of religious propaganda the new faith was finally established in the country of Con-
fucius, and received official recognition in the sixty-fifth year of the new era.
Ihiddhism found favour with the Chinese people from its pompous rites, the rich
ornaments of its temples, the poetry of the symbolic lotus blooming in the midst of
the waters. It also pleased them, because it opened up vistas of those magnificent
Southern lands hitherto concealed from their gaze by the intervening snowy ranges
and plateaux. But after all the Fo-Kino, or worship of Buddha, changed little in
the social life of China. The ceremonial was modified, but the substance remained
much the same. Whatever be the sacred emblems, the religion that has survived
is still that which is associated with the rites in honour of ancestry, with the
conjuring of evil spirits, and especially with the strict observance of the old
traditional formulas.
But at any rate the relations established between China and Hindustan during
the period of Buddhist propagandism were never again completely interrupted, and
from that time China has no longer remained, even for Europeans, excluded from
the limits of the known world. Communication by sea was kept up between India
and South China, especially through the Gulf of Tonkin. Even two hundred years
before the vulgar era an emperor had sent a whole fleet to the Sunda Islands to
cull the " flower of inmiortality." Later on, other vessels were sent to Ceylon in
search of relics, sacred writings, statues of Buddha, and besides these things
brought back rich textiles, gems, precious stones, taking thtm in exchange for their
silks, porcelains, and enamelled vases. This route was also followed by the
embassies, amongst others by that which, according to the Chinese annals, came
from the great Tsin ; that is to say, from Rome, sent by the Emperor An-tun
(Aurelius Antoninus) in the year 106 of the Christian era.
In the seventh century, when the Chinese Empire, after a series of disasters and
internal convulsions, resumed its expansive force and shone with renewed splendour,
at the very time when Europe had again lapsed into barbarism, exploring exjjcdi-
tions became still more numerous. China now took the lead, and the pilgrim,
H'wen-Tsang, whose itinerary in Central Asia has since been rivalled oidy by
Marco Polo, was a true explorer in the modern sense of the term. His writings,
embodied in the annals of the Tang dynasty, have a special value for the geography
of Centnd Asia and India in mediaeval times, and their importance is fully appre-
ciated by European savants. Thanks to the Chinese documents, it has been found
possible to determine with some certainty the whole of his itinerary, even in those
'i!7i»ifsits>'*:f
I I
! I
I '
I I
EAST ASIA.
"Snowy Mountains," \\hert' travellers aro ex])o,se(l to the attacks of the "dragons,"
tliose niystie, animals which may possibly symbolize nothing more than the sufferings
entailed by snow and ice. Like the other Huddhist pilgrims of this epoch, Il'wen-
Tsang skirted the Tibetan plateaux, where the liuddhist religion had oidy just l)een
introduced, and reached India through the Oxus valley and Afghanistan. Hut
some twenty years after his return, in (i()7 or 008, (^hinese armies had already
traversed Tibet and N(>])al, thus pem>trating directly into India, where they cap-
tured ov(>r six hundred towns. At this time the Chinese Empire comjjrised, with
the ti'ilmtary states, not only the whole depression of Eastern Asia, but also all the
Fig. 1.— Itinehauy ok II'wen-Tsano.
Snalp 1 ; !W,0On,OOn.
to 10,000 Fee;.
m2^
10,000 to 10,600 Kpot.
"J
\%T-fXS Feet and upwiu'ds.
— COO Milea
outer slopes of the highlands and plateaux surrounding it as far as the Caspian.
It was also during this period that the Nestorian missionaries introduced Chris-
tianity into the empire.
The progress of Islam in the west of Asia and along the shores of the Medi-
terranean necessarily isolated China, and long rendered all communication with
Europe impossible. But in the northern regions of the Mongolian steppes warlike
tribes were already preparing for conquest, and thanks to their triumphant march
westwards to the I)nie])er, they opened up fresh routes for explorers across the whole
of the Old World. In oi-der to protect themselves from these northern children of
-.■--rftrr:!«*,-(;ffKSS^>>-p ._4f^-^;ff^^^tc-^f^,^igg-^
INTERCOURSE WITH INDIA AND EUROPE.
" dragons,"
lie Butforings
oeh, H'wen-
»ly just l)con
listan. ]{ut
hud idroudy
re they ciii)-
iprised, with
: ultMi ull the
40'
m
w
m
m
'4i
the Caspian,
duced Chris-
of the Mefli-
icution with
ppes warlike
phant march
388 the whole
1 children of
the steppe, the Chinese emperors hud already raised, rebuilt, and doubled witli parallel
lines that prodigious rampart of the " (Jreat Wall " whieh stretches for thousands
of miles between the steppe and the cultivated lands of the south. Curbed by this
barrier erected between two physically ditferent regions and two hostile societies,
tli(> nomads had passed westwards, where the land lay open before them, and the
onward movement was gradually propagated across the continent. In the fourth
and fifth centuries a general (convulsion had hurled on the West those conquering
hordes collectively known as Huns; in the twelfth century an analogous movement
urged the Mongols forward under a new Attila. Holding the Zungarian passtw,
which gave easy access from the eastern to the western regions of Asia, Jenghiz
Khan might have at once advanced westward. But being reluctant to leave any
obstacle in his rear, he first crossed the Great Wall and seized l*ekin, and then
turned his arms against the AVestern states. At the period of its greatest extent
the Mongolian Empire, probably the largest that ever existed, stretched from the
I'acific seaboard to the Russian steppes.
The existence of the Chinese world was revealed to Europe by these fresh
arrivals from the East, with whom the Western powers, after the first conflicts,
entered into friendly relations by means of embassies, treaties, and alliances against
the common enemy, Islam. The Eastern Asiatic Empire was even long known to
them by the Tatar name of Cathay, which under the form of Kitai is still current
amongst the Russians. Envoys from the Pope and the King of France set out to
visit the Great Khan in his court at Karakorum, in Mongolia ; and Plan dc Carpin,
Rubruk, and others brought back marvellous accounts of what they had seen in
those distant regions. European traders and artisans followed in the steps of these
envoys, and Marco I'olo, one of these merchants, was the first who really revealed
China to Europe. Henceforth this country enters definitely into the known world,
and begins to participate in the general onward movement of mankind.
Marco Polo had penetrated into China from the west by first following the
beaten tracks which start from the Mediterranean seaboard. Columbus, still more
daring, hoped to reach the shores of Cathay and the gold mines of Zipaugo by sailing
round the globe in the opixisite direction from that taken by the great Venetian.
But arrested on his route by the New World, he reached neither China nor Japan,
although he long believed in the success of his voyage to Eastern Asia. But others
continued the work of circumnavigation begun by him. Del Cano, companion
of Magellan, returned to Portugal, whence he hud set out, thus completing the
circumnavigation of the globe. All the seas had now been explored, and it was
possible to reach China by Cape Horn as well as by the Cape of Good Hope.
Notwithstanding the determined opposition of the Pekin Government to the entrance
of foreigners, the empire was virtually open, and within two hundred and fifty
years of this event China and Japan, which had never ceased to be regularly visited
by European traders, were obliged to open their seaports, and even to grunt certain
strips of land on their coast, where the Western nations have already raised cities
in the European taste. The conquest may be said to have already begun.
^'^>r^r^r^mfy
^ff^^na^-, v^^s^i. J
- HIWrMW
In
I
'i| !
8
EAST ASIA.
FoKKiox Influence — Rishian Encuoachmen'I's.
Tho power of the Wostorn states has even made itself felt l)y the tempornry
oecupution of the (!hiiiese capital and the suck of the imperial pulaees. It, hus
been revealed still more by the support j^iven by the Mnglish and Kreneh allies to
the Chinese (ioveinment aj^uinst internal revolt. AVhilst tho Kuroi)ean troops were
storminj? the l*ei-ho forts, oceiipyinji; Tientsin, and driving the Emperor from IVkin,
other KuniDcans were arresting the Taiping relxds ut the gates of Shanghai and
barring their approach to the seu. At the same time the Russians kept a garrison
Fig. 2.— Knckoachmbntb op Ariatic RusaiA on Ciii.sa.
SoiUe 1 : 80,000,000.
L'liine8e tarritoiy,
occoi-dinv to the Tientjr
I f Nerahinsk.
'Jen Korjr held by China
before the annexation
to Siberia.
.000 Miles.
in Urga to curb tho Diingalns, and it was probably this intervention of the Western
powers that saved the Tsing dynasty. The integrity of the empire was upheld,
but only because the Europeans were interested in its maintenance. By merely
folding their arms China would probably have been .split into two, if not three or
four, fragments. No doubt its unity seems at present unexposed to danger from the
west, but on its northern frontier Russia is continually gathering strength, and is
already cohterminous with it for a distance of nearly 5,000 miles, more than
half of this line running through countries formerly subject to the " Children of
Heaven." The temiwrary and permanent annexations of Russia in Kulja belonged
till recently to China, and the same is true of Transbaikalia and the whole Amur
-*..w^-«faK».w^flfct-,.wja««.aKfsa.s to
L'un troops were
ror from IV'kin,
Shuiij^luii and
kept u gurrinon
v -\^ \^-
V!>Moy us fur us the rcindcHT pastures of llio Nortliorn Tiin^rusrs. At prcsoiit all tlic
rf^'.oii uloiif; till- loft Imiik, lur;,'(>r than the \vlioI.> of Kruiicc. forms an intogrul part
of .SilH'ria. Lastly, tin- Mancliuriuii soulxiard as far as the Corcan frontier lias
hccome Russian, and iis southern i»orts, distant two days by steum from -Japan,
stand on waters now known as the (iulf of Peter the Great, as if to renjind the world
that the empire of the Czars is as aj,'f,'ressive in the east as in the west. At the
slightest diphanatie imbroglio, or whenever the dignity of Uussiu nniy rnpiire her
to muke u military promenade in the Chinese waters, she may easily seize the nu)st
convenient port on the Corean coast, and lH>re found a naval arsenal still
more fonnidublo than that of Vladivost»)k, commanding ut once the entry to th(> Sco
of Japan, the mouth of the Yung-lze, and the inland Japanese waters. Notwith-
standing the tinanciul embarrassment of thcGovernment, the periwlical famine and
droughts, and the abject misery of the masses, the resources of the State arc still
disposed in such a way as to give her great power for aggressive purposes. Iler
military strength, even 5,000 nnles from the cujjital, is superior to that of
China and Japan in their own domain. In spite of its stockades and forts armed
with steel guns, IVkin is probably as much at the mercy of Russia as it recently
was of the Knglish and French allies. Its position is extremely exposed. S<» long
as it hud nothing to fear except from Mongolian inroads or local revolts it held an
excellent strategical position near the fortified ranges protecting it tnmi the north,
not far from the Great Cunal whence it drew its supplies, and at no gieat distance
from the ]\Ianchu tribes, ever ready at the first signal to luisten to the succour of
their threatcn-xl fellow-countrymen. But the security of the empire may now bo
menaced by far more formidable enemies than Mongolian nomads or Taiping
fanatics, and in case of a Ilusso-Chinese war the troijps of the (^zar would no doubt
land near the capital. Notwithstanding the recent military equipments and
improved discipline, the army of the " brave and ever victorious " could scarcely
hope for success so long as the State refuses to place a railway system at its service.
But this innovation may soon be intro<'*'ii opciu-*! in liOiulon and New York. Tt» fhow outward Mijfiis corrcsiMHid
pndouiKl internal niiHlitinitions. Tlit.>n> i.s an intcirlian^c of idtuiH an well nn of
cotnnioditics, and tlic juMtpicH ol' the Kast and West hoj^in to underntand oaeh other,
and eons('(|nently In perceive how niiieh ihey have in eoninion. The world Iium
heeonie |oi» narrow to allow ol' any lurlher isi»late,'eneral civilisation of a hi^dier order.
The Kuropean and Asiatic races formerly dwelt altogether apart ; now the United
States of America have Inst-n pe«)ple(l by enii^;rants who have made this region
another Kurope ; and thus it is that the Chinem^ nation now finds it.self hennned in
between two Kurojjes — those of the (Jld and New T'ontinents. From east and west
conu> the same types and ideas, and a continuous current 8et8 from people to people
around the globe, across seas and continents.
The historic period on which mankiiul is now entering, through the definite
union of the Kastern and Western worlds, is pregiumt with great events. As the
rutHed sin-face of the water seeks its level by the force of gravity, so the conditions
tend to balance themselves in the labour nuirketH. Considered merely as the owner
of a ])air of hands, man is himself as much a commodity as is the produce of his
labour. The industries of all nations, drawn more and more into the struggle for
cxisti'uce, seek to produce cheaply by purchasing at the lowest price the raw
material and the " hands " to work it up. But where will manufacturing states
like those of New England find more skilful and frugal — that is, less expensive —
hands than those of the extreme East ? Where will the great agricultural farms,
like those of Minnesota and AVisconsin, find more tractable gangs of labourers,
more painstaking and less exacting, than those from the banks of the 8i-kiang or
Yang-tze? Europeans arc amazed at the industry, skill, intelligence, spirit of
order, and thrift displayed by the working element in China and Japan. lu the
workshops and arsenals of the seaports the most delicate operations may be safely
intrusted to ( -hinese hands ; while eye-witnesses bear unanimous testimony to the
superior intelligence and instruction of the peasantry over the corresponding classes
in I'jurope. If the Chinese gardeners have not modified their system in the
neighbourhood of the coast factories, it is only because they have had nothing to
learn from the stranger.
The struggle between white and yellow labour — a struggle whicn threatens to set
the two hemispheres by the ears — has even already begun in certain new districts
where JOuropean and Asiatic immigrants meet on common ground. In California, New
South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria the white labourers have had to compete
in most of their trades with the Chinese, and the streets, workshops, farms, and
mines have been the scenes of frequent bloodshed, occasioned less by national
hatred than by international rivalry in the labour market. Continued over a whole
generation, this social warfare has already cost more lives than a pitched battle :
it even increases in virulence as the competition grows more fierce. Hitherto the
white element has had the best of it in California and Australia. With large
majorities in the legislatures, they have triumphed over the manufacturers,
farmers, and contractors, whose interest it is to secure cheap labour; and they
--»-.rvr*-r.,.,„,^-.,,35^^,,,^^^..^^^^^^_
UIVAMIY OF TIIK EARTOUN ANP WKSTKKN IIACKH.
11
Its will tlH <»f
1(1 i«iich nthcr,
III- world has
pt« in Hi>i>anito
lii^rliiT oriU-r.
iw the United
I' this iTgion
If lu-nmu-d in
oust and west
opK' to people
h the definite
,ents. As the
the eonditiona
y us the owner
produce of his
lie struggle for
price the raw
iicturiug states
8s cxijensivc —
cultural farms,
8 of labourers,
he Si-kiang or
fence, spirit of
Japan. In the
s may be safely
jstimony to the
ponding classes
system in the
had nothing to
threatens to set
lin new districts
Calil'ornia.New
had to compete
ops, farms, and
ess by national
led over a whole
pitched battle :
Hitherto the
ia. With large
manufacturers,
ibour; and they
have passed liiws throwing difficiiltios iu the way of rhiiiesr coolie ininiigratinn,
constituting this olcnirnt ii distinrt and ss(i| rlii>s, witli products of which might soon compete nuccess-
fully with the h)cal numufactures in the Wtst. Hence, from the economic point
of view, the definite cimccrt of the Mongolian and white races invtdves conse(|uences
of supreme importance. The balance will d«)ul)tless Im? idtinuit(>ly cstablislied, and
humanity will learn to adapt itself to the new destinies secured to it by a connnon
possession of the whole worhl. Hut during the transition ])eriod gnat disasters
nnist be anticipated in a utruggle in which upwards of a billion of hunmn beings
will be directly engaged. In |)oint of numbers the civilised element in KurojM)
und America is about ecpial to that of Must Asia. On either side hundreds of
millions stand uvrayed against each other, impelled by opposing interests, and
incapable as yet of understanding the higher advantages of a common human
«!oneert.
For the antagonism of East and West flows as much from the contrast of ideas
and morals as from the opiM)sition of immediate interests. lU'tween the moral
standards of Europeans and Chinese, both of whom have a certain personal self-
respect, the ideal is not the same, and their c(mcei)tion of duty, if not contradictory,
is at least different. This moral conti'ast reappears, in a more or less conscious
form, in the nations themselves. It will, howeviT, doubtless be partly neutralised
by intercourse, instruction, and, hero and there, by intennixture. The civilisations
will be mutually influenced, not only in their outer aspects, but also in their
tendencies, and the very ideas which are their true controlling force. It has often been
remarked that Europeans look forward, while the Chinese look backward ; but the
statement is too general, for society is everywhere decomposed into two groups —
one continually renewed by ceaselessly striving to improve its destinies ; the other,
through fear of the future, falling back on tradition. The frequent civil wars in
China, and notably the recent insurrection of the Taipings, or "Great Pacifiers," show-
that beneath the official world, wedded to the old ways and seeking its golden age
in the past, there seethes a fiery element which does not fear the ri.sk of facing the
unknown. If the Chinese Government has for ages succeeded in holding fast by
the traditional forms, if the disasters of Tatar conquest and intestine convulsions have
but slightly affected the outward framework of society, it is none the less true that
the Eastern world will now have to learn from European civilisation not only
new industrial methods, but especially a new conception of human culture. Its
very existence depends upon the necessity of shifting its moral stand-point.
vrztg
■ ■K^SiX-Tf^^'-'V^*^
IB
l'.A.ST ASIA.
Fin hi; IMiiisPKcis.
'hi
lliif it iiiuy !'«' iiskod, Will iiol tlic idt-iil (»f tho their Htr«>aiiis, tlie limpid wiitern of tlie oiu> are troiiiiled Ity
llie tiii-i>iil elements of tin; other, uiul neither ever apiin recovers its primitive eon-
(lition. Will the eonttict of these two «'ivilisations in tlu- same way result in
raisinjjf tho one and lowering; \\w other h Will the projrress of the Mast Ih» attended
by 11 t'orrespondinj^ retroj^rade movement in the West J* Are eomin^^ j^eneratioiiH
jf in the vast empir(<. They ask
thems<'lves what these hosts may not do when disciplined and hurled hy victorious
leaders aj^ainst the Kuropean world. May they not, under other conditions, renew
the .Mon;;olian invasions when, armed with the same weapons, hut more united
than the Western peoples, tln'y will he marshalle the ports already opened to connnerce, and CiUleavour to
confine tlie Chinese to their former seclusion and ifj;norance. Others are rejoicinj^
that the ("hinese nation are becotnin<; slu^fj;ish under the iufluenee of opium, which
prevents it fnmi recof^nisinp; its own strenj^th. "Hut for opium," says Vasilyev,
" China would sooner or later overrun tho whole world — would stifle Kuropo and
Anu>ricu in its embrace."
But it is now too lato to attempt to separate the Kast and West. With tho
exception of Tibet, Corea, and a few remote highlands, Kast Asia henceforth forma
])art of the open world. What will be the consequences for humanity of this
accession of half a billi(m of human beinj>:8 to the general nu)vcnu>nt of history ?
No more serious (piestion can l)e asked. Hence too much importan(!e cannot Ik)
ntta<'hed to the study of the Far East and of the " yellow " races, which must one
day play so great u part in the future development of human culture.
I
- *»■ 4^ ,1, --w^wt fi-^v* , .-s-rn* -,■ i^»v« ?»wrTOTwn.-Wr«*-
races !»<> also
inIv iiiiMlitinl ;
re truiihird Ity
|»riiiiitiv(' luu-
wiiy result ill
st he attended
i>r ^jcneiatioiiN
whicli Uoiiiiin
it? Priipliets
the interittr of
I'tiinied full of
re. They ask
I hy vietoriouH
ulitioiiM, renew
it more united
en^;lliz Khan ?
ly hc(roino our
pov ers Hhouhl
d Oiideavoiir to
[•H are rejoicing
t' opium, which
' Huy« Vusily(>v,
flo Europe and
?st. With tljc
L[id(ne Kin^j^doni " tlie Chinoso Kinpiro enihraces vast
f(><,'i(»iis, with a joint area more extensive than that of C'liina proper.
It inchicU's Tibet, tlieTarim, and Kiiku-nor basins, tlieuiiland valleys
drainiii},' to Lake Halkhash, Zuiif,'aria, Mon;,'olia, Maiicliuria, and
tlio ishinds of l-'oriiiosa and Hainan. It also claims as tributaries
the Horean iieiiinsula, and even, on the southern sh.pe of the irimalayas, Nepal and
Hhutun, lands which belonj,', at least geo^'raphicully, to India. All these countries,
while reco)>:nisin<,' the common supremacy of Chinu, are severally distinj,Miished l)y
their physical features, the institutions and habits of their inhabitants. Hut none
of them have, in recent times, so effectually repelled foreij,Mi influences as Tib(^ ' ji p >« Stfei
EXPLORATION-EXTENT-DIVISIONS.
15
■i the interpre-
wlio give the
be, the present
tsclf probably
single state on
[n its principal
\n and Tsang,
,'0 the name of
rcstern Fans,"
lussians of the
s inhabiting its
Daran-tolu, or
is, the present
iffhlands which
igolian spurs of
ic Tsangbo, the
lorder range of
'iking contrasts
rim and several
( elevated table-
ice rises close to
frontiers, Tibet
the Old World.
r the Ijadak and
ith-east between
the Pamir, these
lase as " roofs of
m the limits of
s the appearance
ise as the region
3 some 14,000 or
•c than half tilled
)able remains of
I frontier ranges,
item frontier the
^ south-west and
south-eastwards,
ys. Yet on this
•iphery. On the
eastern frontiers of Tibet travellers arc arrested by the rugged gorges, the extensive
forests, the absence of population, and consequently of supplies of idl kinds, and to
these obstacles is now added the ill-will of the Chinese authorities. During the
present century the Tibetan Government has succeeded belter than any other
Asiatic state in preserving the political isolation of the people, thanks cliieHy to the
relief and physical conditions of the land. Tibet rises like a citadel in the heart of
Asia ; hence its defenders have guarded its approaches more easily than those of
India, China, and Japan.
P]XPL0UATI0X — EXTKXT — DIVISIONS.
The greater part of Tibet remains still unexplored, or at least geographers have
failed to trace with certainty the routes of the Roman Catholic missionaries who
traversed the land before their entry was interdicted. In the fii-st half of the four-
teenth century the Friuli monk, Odorico di I*ordenone, made his way from China to
Tibet, and resided some time in Lassa. Three centuries later on, in lG2o and 1G20,
the Portuguese missionary Andrada twice penetrated into Tibet, where he was wvW
received by the Buddhist priests. In 16G1 the Jesuits Griiber and D'Orville
travelled from China through Lassa to India. In the following century the Tuscan
Dosideri, the Portuguese Manoel Freyre, and others visited the Tibetan capital from
India. But the Capuchins had already founded u Catholic mission in I^assa under
the direction of Orazio della Penna, who spent no less than twenty-two years in the
country. At this time the Tibetan Government allowed strangers to penetrate
freely over the Himalayan passes, which are now so jealously guarded. A layman
also lived several years in Lassa, whence he went to China by the Kuku-nor,
again returning via Lassa to India. This was the Dutch traveller Van de Putte,
who is known to have been a learned man and a great observer, but who unfortu-
nately destroyed his papers and charts, fearing lest these ill-arranged luul mis-
understood documents might be the means of propagating error. He left nothing
behind him except a few notes and a manuscript map, carefully preserved in the
Middelburg Museum in Zealand.
Itineraries traced either astronomically or by the compass and chroiumicter
are still very rare. The English explorers and the Hindu surveyors employed by
the Indian Government have only visited the south-western districts, and the
upland basin of the Tsangbo north of Xepal and Sikkim. South-east Tibet has
been traversed by French missionaries; but all the recent attempts made to
penetrate from the north and north-east have failed. In imitation of I'askievich
the " Transbaikalian," and Muraviov the " Amfirian," the brothers Schlagintweit
have assumed the whimsical title of " Transkuenluniau " (in Russian, Zakuen-
luuskiy), to perpetuate the memory of their passage over the Tibetim mountains ;
but they only visited the western extremity of the country. The Russian exphjrer
Prjevalsky was compelled twice to retire without being able to penetrate into the
heart of the country, and the Hungarian Bela Hzcchenyi also found himself obliged
to retrace his steps. For all the regions not yet visited by the English and Hindu
. ♦^rn,
lU
EAST AHIA.
surveyors tho prosont iiiiips of Tibet arc merely reproductions of the chart drawn
up hy the ilhisti-inus D'AnviUe, and based on the surveys made under the Kniperor
Kang-hi by the Til)etan himas truinelateaux ; the
■lite directions
, cut up into
TiiK KtKX-i.rN Haxok.
The northern region, the largest in extent, hut by far the most thinly iieopled,
consists of all the eh»sed basins limited southwards by the eastern prnhingiition of
the Karakorum, and resting northwards on the mighty Kuen-hin range. This
border chain of the plateau, separating Tibet from (he Tarim basin, sluiidd be
regarded, far more than the Ilinudayas, us forming part of the continental back-
IxMie. It continues the llindu-Kush east of the Tamir, while connecting itself
directly with the "diaphragm " of Western Asia. It thus constitutes (he eastern
half of the main continental wuter-purting, which runs west and east irregularly,
now skirting the plateaux in the form of border chains, now breaking into parallel
or slightly divergent ridges, occasionally even devch)ping into distinct mountain
systems. The Kuen-lun and its eastern continuation into China do not apparently
present greater uniformity us the Central Asiatic axis than do the ranges of the
western " diaphragm." IJut the orography of Tibet and China is still too imper-
fectly known to allow us to sjK'uk with certainty on this point.
Regarding the Kuen-lun with its eastern prolongations us forming one vost
system, its total length, from its roots in the I'amir to its extreme spurs Ix'tween
the Iloang-ho and Yung-tzc-kiang, may Ik> estimated at about 'J,4()0 miles. IWit
this orographic system is broken into a great numlwr of chains by freijuent gups,
changes «)f direction, interstnstions, and displacements of all sorts. The highlands
to which the term Kuen-lun was applied in the curly periods of Chinese history
form a group of magnificent mountains rising near the s«»urces of the Iloang-ho ;
but this muss can scarcely be regarded as the central nucleus of the system to
which gw)graphers have subsequently extended the name. AVith the progress of
geographical knowledge westwards, the tenn Kuen-lun (Kul-kun, Kur-kun) also
advanctnl in the same direction. It is now applied to the range by the old Hindu
immigrants from Kashmir called Anoftta, from the Sanskrit Anuratapta ; that is,
the " Unillumined," the mountain of cold and gloom, synonymous with the Tatar
name, Karangui-tagh, or the " Dark Mountain."
The Kuen-lun has apparently no peaks as high as the highest in the Himalayas,
or even in the Karakorum range. Johnson, Prjevalskj , Montgomerie, and Ilicht-
hofen arc of opinion that none of them attain an elevation of 2»J,0(H) feet, although
lK\vond Tibet a few summits between Kashmir and Yarkund excee ■ -9*^ -* I W^ •^^.•*r ■*
-^^^•imm^i-^SfSTfit^
THE PROVINCE OF KIIAmi-LACUSTRINE RYSIKM.
lU
el) oMor (late.
Iliiiialavus, it8
spread by tho
lands. In bis
sins, Stolii'zka
Tbcy consist
c, wlierous the
1 botwooii the
e Kuon-lun is
8 arc of more
; on the whole
! of the llinta-
e narrow ouses
speckled with
compared with
cording to the
ion, as well as
he plateau are
frozen masses
the range is
loir way across
their rains and
Tibet. Thus
d tho streams
nselvcs in the
s far more in
plateau above
md snows are
1, considerable
to the Khotan
river, crosses
)f the Ilindu-
t deep in the
f the Khotun.
an opening in
. IJut east of
letan plateaux
'nough to flow
now be, these
by hollowing
^pression. In
iclinc docs not
exceed that of ordinary routes in highland regions. According to the natives of
Khotan, it would even be possible to cross the Kucn-lnn in a carriage. ')ii(« of
Moiitgonierie's Hindu surveyors easilj' reached the western Tibetan plateau by
following tho Kiria valley to an altitude of over KJ.OOO feet. The ]>lateau is
approached by other passes from the east, for the Zungarians have freiiuently
Fig. 4. — ITiTKK Kaha-ka8h Vamey.
invaded Tibet by crossing the steppes and deserts stretching south of the Lob-nor.
The Mongolian pilgrims follow this route on their way to Lassa.
The Province of Khachi — Lacustrine System.
The North Tibetan tableland, mostly inhabited or visited only by nomad tribes,
still remains the least-known upland region in the Chinese Empire. The Tibetans
themselves are acquainted only with the southern districts of this bleak and storm-
swept land, roamed over by Mongolian and Tatar nomads, who choose for their
camping grounds the sang, or sheltered pastures resembling the pamirs of the
{■■■■r
L;l
'20
EAST ASIA.
])liit('!iii iM'twccii tlic Oxiis iind Tariiii Imsiiis. The Tiitiir tribes, oollccfivcly known
lis lliir i>r Klii>i\ dwell in the western and sontliern districts. KIsi>wliere live the
Sok, (»r M(in;^i)lian imniads, wlio have named nearly all the lakes and nionntains in
N(irth-east Tihet. They mostly practise Shamanistie rites, altln)U<,'h the Tibetan
eolieelive name iti' all these trilxvs is Khash-len, or " Mohannnedans," whence,
probably, the term Khachi apjdied to the whole rej;:ion. From the two ]>rincipal
groups »»i' tribes settled in it, the country is also known by the name of lIor-8ok.
Fig. 5.- Lake Panoha-yim ami Taikjot Mointaixh.
SciUe 1 : 2,U0U,U0U.
'5*i
. 30 Hilen.
Of the numerous lakes scattered over the Khachi platcaxi, those of Nniiiftr, Tke
Namur, and Hakha Xamfir arc the largest traced on the Chinese maps. The
waters or ])artly flooded tracts in this vast lacustrine basin woidd seem to stretch
south-west and north-east for over 1*20 miles, and we now know that the ;;^ i' iiu is
largely occupied by a hain of lacustrine basins running north-west and somli-east,
])arallel with the depression watered by the Tsangbo. In 1110VINT'E OP KIIACIII— LACUSTRINE SYSTEM.
21
tivcly kiidwii
ilu'iv live tlu*
inountiiinH in
1 tli(> Tihcfiin
IIS," wlu'iicc,
two ]>riiu-i|>al
f Ilor-Sok.
150
HXiT
88-
P Nnmftr, Ike
maps. Tlie
[>m to stretch
tho ]; 'i' uu is
ul s(mili-(>ast,
])iiii(1it Xaiii
} remains of
'd to mudfly
» bv tbc salt
traders. Some of tlio lakes an> saline, olliers l)rackisli, while most of l1ios(< with
free outlets are ix'rfectly fresli. This lacustrine n'ffion lias a mean elevation of
from I-^OOO to Ki.OOO feet, with almost cverywheri' extremely gentle slojies, over
which carriage and even military roads might easily be eonstnietcd.
One of the largest lakes is the I )angra-yum, or " Mother Dangra," which is
contnicfed towards tlie centre, thus forming nearly two se])arate basins. Although
no less than ISO miles in circumference, the devout IJu(hlhists of the district, and
even of Lassa, often undertake to walk in procession round this lake, taking from
eight to twelve days to perform the task, according to the season. A large mountain
rising south of tlie lake has received tho nanio of Targot-yiij), or " l''ather Targot,"
and the natives regard this mountain and Mother Uungru us the first parents of
Fiff. 6.— Tenori-nor.
Pcalel : ll.OJl.WK),
18 Miles.
mankind. The groups of hills dotted round about are their daughters. The kora,
or complete pilgrimage round the mountain and lake, takes about one month,
and is a most meritorious act, effacing all ordinary sins. Two koras satisfy for
one murder, and the parricide hin-.self is pardoned if he perfonns tho act three times.
East of the Dangra-yura the lakes become more numerous than elsewhere on
the plateau, and most of them drain northwards, where occurs the (,'hargut-tso,
said to be the largest basin in the south of the tableland, and discharging its
waters to one of the great affluents of the Indian Ocean. The Tengri-nor, M-hich
is smaller than the Chargut-tso, and situated in the south-cast angle of the Khachi
country, lies already within the limits of modern exploration. It is about GO miles
from Lassa, and runs 48 miles south-east and north-west, with a breadth of from
22
EAST ASIA.
l-'> to '24 miles. The pundit wlio visito*! it in 1H7',* took fourteen days to trnvorse its
norllicrn slioro. It is of unknown de|)tli, and an almost perennially cloudless sky is
mirrored in its ehuir waters, whence its Tatar name, Teiijfri-nor, and TiU-tan
Nam-tso, ixitli meaninj!^ the " Heavenly Lake." Thousands of piljjrinis yearly
face the dilKculties of the route and the muruuders of the district in order to visit
the convent of Dorkia, und the other monasteries on the headlands connnandin^
extensive vistas of its hlue waters, and of the snowy i)eaks in the south und south-
cast. In this " holy land " everything; partakes of the marvellous. Here a rocky
gorpfc has heen the work of a J? earrii'd away as relies of one of the " three hundred and sixty mountains,"
or divinities in the suite of the principal deity, the snow-dud Ninjin-tan;;-la.
It was till recently supposed that the evaporation of the Ten<;ri-nor alwiut
balanced the amount discharjjed throur ti> visit
s (■Diniiiiindiii)^
ith and isouth-
IIc>ro a rocky
'd by the liuiid
ii'ds to a laiim
'd objects, mid
y luoiintains,"
-tan\ver Tibet, or
borux known
id rain fall on
irkable rej^ion
rnij'litv rivers,
fthich receive
reczes. These
se maps show
I to the Yajij^-
re divided by
^olf is nearly
to between the
»n<; to a single
form part of
n accepts the
connects the
shain he even
le Tengri-nor.
; chains would
iippliud to inoun-
nll seem to form parallel crests running suutli-west and north-eiist, with broad and
deep int.M'vening depressions. Tlicset icsls are successively crossed by tiu' ciiravans
proceeding from Tibet to .Mongolia.
Of those parallel chains the souliu>rnmost is the Tanl-la, whose western
extremity al)uts upnn Uichthofen's Tang-la. 'i'lu- Iwuwo'' stem to be merely
dialectic varieties (tf the saiue name. Hue speaks of tho Taii>-la as p«'rliaps " the
highest point on the globe," but during his third I'xpeditinn Prjevalsky scaled
these formidal)h' heights and fixed their eh'valion at Hi, <)(•(> I'ecl, oi about ;i.(M)U
feet lower than some other fretpiented passes. At their southern base are luune-
rous theruud springs, whidi unite in u considerable rivulet flowing over a ImmI of
yeUow or gold-coloured pebbles. Dense vapours rise continually above the springs,
und are condensed in fleecy ch)uds, while in some reservoirs tlu* pent-up vapour
is ejected, forcing upwards a vast column of water like the geysers of Iceland or
tho Yellow Stone National I'ark in the United Stutes.
SoiTii TtnKT — Tin: Trans-IIimai.ayan Rancks.
South Tilu't, comprising that {lortion of the j)lafeau where towns have Wn
built, and where the imtion has been gradually constituted and its culturt* deve-
loped, consists of the relatively sheltered depression stretching south of the Khachi
tablehmd. In ordinary language the term Tibet is ajjplied tt» this section alone of
the Trans-Ilimalayaii uplands. Although draining in opposite directions to tho
Arabian Sea und Hay of lUmgal, it is nevertheless a longitudinal valley, at onco
the largest, und, thanks to the Burrounding highlands, the grandest on the surface
of the globe. Hut this h)ng depression, forming a semicircle parallel with the
Himalayas, is not a regular plain or a mere trough limiting the Khachi plateau on
the south and south-west. It is a highland region whose ranges run mostly in the
Hiune direction us the Himalayas.
The chain skirting the north side of the Tibetan depression projierly so called,
and at the same time forming the southern escarpment of the Khachi plateau, may
be regarded as a continuation of the Karukorum. East of Kashmir and of Ladak
this range trends southwards parallel with the Himalayas, und projects to the left
several ridges which gradually merge with the plateau; while the main chain, cut
into ravines and even intersected by tributaries of the Tsangbo, by .some clo.sed
basins, and eastwards by the affluents of the great eastern rivers, unites with the
Tang-la south of tho Tengri-nor. Back of this chain rise several lofty grou])s,
including the Turgot-leh, which overlooks the Dar.gra-yum, and which Main Singh
regards as tho highest in the whole region of plateaux north of the Himalayas.
Farther east the Gyakhanna rises above the great lake XyarJng-tso, and is sepa-
rated from the southern border chain by the valley of the. Dumplu, an affluent of
the Nyaring. Teaks from 2JJ,000 to 'J4,000 feet high have been sighted on the
range skirting the course of tho Tsanglx), and which have not yet been definitely
named. For this Tibetan chain the Schlagintweits have retained the Tatar term
Karukoruiu, which belongs, strictly speaking, to the crest separating Kashmir from
24
KAST ASIA.
ii
ijpi
•'iS'
fli
the T^|ip('f Viirkanil vuUoy IJut Ilmlj^son wntiM jn-cfcT to call it Niiijiii-tim(j;-lii
(Nvcnslilicii-liinjj-lii), after the inan
whiili would introduce lurdlt'ss coiifiision into tlu> nonu'nclatun' of this n';<;it)U.
Fur the sanu' reason wo slioidd i)erliai)s reject tlie Tibetan term (ianji;ri,or "Snowy
^fountain," alr(;ht bo called tho Trans-Hima-
layas, stretches between the Tsanpression is thus divich'd east and west into two seccmdary and parallel
d(>pressi()ns. The mi(hllo chain, forming a continuation of one of tho liadak ranges,
lifts its snowy j)eaks above tho southern edge of tho Sutluj valley, and farther on
above that of the Tsangbo. Although less elevated than tho Himalayas, it forms a
more in)portant water-parting, and is pierced by fewer river beds. For about 480
miles tho Trans-Hinudayas completely enclose the Tsangbo basin, while tliD deeper
gorges of the Himalayas allow several streams to escape towards tho plaii^' of tho
(jianges. Hut not all the nnining waters of these upland regions find th'.'i> way to
the oc(>an, and s(nuo vast cavities in tho intervening jdatoaux uro tilled wth lakes
without any outflow, such as tho Chomto-dcmg and I'algu-tso. Tho water of tho
Ciu»mto-dong is ])erfectly sweet and limpid, which would scorn to imply that an
outlet existed till comparatively recent times. All those highlands arc crossed by
pas.ses exceeding Mont Hlauc by 1,000 and oven 3,000 feet in altitude.*
MoixT Kau.as: SofucK of the Forii Sachkd Rivkus- -Tuk Upper Satlaj
AND Indis.
Tho Tibetan region, where rise tho Satlaj and tho Tsangbo, is a holy land both
for Itrahmins and IJuddhists — a fact undoubtedly duo to its geographical impor-
tance. Tho transverse ridge connecting the Himalayas with the Gang-di.H-ri, and
through it with the whole Tibetan plateau, not only forms tho necessary route
between tho two great valleys which stretch far into regions of different aspect, but
• Chief altitudes of the Lacustrine Unsin, tlio Oang-dis-ri, and tho Trans- Himalayas :
Lucualriiie Basin.
Feet.
Thok-Niihina:, highest inhabited place on
tlic globe 1G,000
Targot-yiip, highest peak of iho Targot-
leh 24,000
liake Dimgra-yum
Oyiikharmii Peak .
Lake Tengri-nor .
Gttiig-dit-ri Range.
Miiriain-la
KhonioRing-Ia
Kuilas, or Tiso
14,000
20,800
15,200
I4,fl00
18,1500
21,700
Ninjin-tang-la
Puss west of this mountain .
liaknitk I'ass, north of Ijassa .
Traiis-Hiiiialayas.
Snowy Peak (langiti'), south-west
Janglarheh ....
Tunglung-la
Lagulung-la
Khaniba-la, south-west of Lassa .
Lake Palti
Khoro-la, west of Lake Palti
of
— --^
JfeoV.
24,000
18,000
17,600
23,960
19,200
15,900
17,000
13,400
10,500
'^-ti^.^C-^:*^rr-rr^«5!fSBE^-! ^m'.«^:^-w^ ^saff.- ^^.^-/^^rf-.^-Atr^
;{;iun.
fi'i.or " Snowy
)n»th has prt)-
tlicrs call thu
ins," ai'tcr tho
1 blasts.
Trans-IIinm-
thc f^littcrinf?
. The South
V and parallel
fiadak ranf^cs,
ind further on
yas, it forms a
For about 480
lilo tho deeper
' l)laii '^• of tho
id tli'.'i- way to
led wrahadet», or the (ireat (Jod, thenvnt
and jfranch'st of all those tJlynipuses on whose siunmits the peoples at each succes-
sive stufje of their westward mi;;ralioiis have seen in fan«y tlie dazzling; li^fht of
their (h'ities. Ft is the ^^ount Meru of the ancient Hindus — the pistil of tlu' sym-
bolic h)tus Hower which represents the world. Nor do the Tibetan lamas yiehl to
the Hindu yo^his in their veneration for the sacred moinitain. The most darinfj;
amon;<;st them undertake a pilfrrimaj^e of Hi>veral ItivKiiH.
Scale I : .i.non.noo.
Z oFG
m^^-'-t. ^^^^^
51
501
fiS'
< ao MUea.
Buddhist monastery on tho plateau was built at the foot of this mountain, with its
four faces, "one of gold, the second of silver, tho third of rubies, the last of lapis-
lazuli." Tlio Hindu legends also hero seek tho mysterious grottoes whence emerge
tho four divino animals — the elepliant, lion, cow, and horse — symlM)ls of the four
great rivers — tho Sutluj, Indus, Ganges, and Tsanglx). These mighty streams,
which flow in four different directions, rise on the flanks of the same mountain
within a space of not more than GO miles in extent. The Alaknanda, Karnali,
and other head-streams of tho Ganges rise on the Indian side of the Himalayas,
and the Indus receives its first waters from the northern snows of the Gang-dis-ri.
iJut between these two oxtrcmo points occurs that deep depression where rise the
Satlaj and Tsangbo.
At a former geological epoch tho crescent-shaped di'pression skirting the
northoni slope of tho Himalayas was probably flooded by a vast alpine lake, of
35
■vl-^"*'«!H^^fi,''.'''-M''t"-?''' ■'■■■'*
80 KAST ASIA.
wliicli till' prcHiMit liikcn Mciittfi) H4Mitlii'ni itiutcimnl' Kliiiilii. irmii the |liiii), and, liki> tlir Sutlaj and TNaii^lKi,
Fig. R.-TlIK MANHMIAfn nAHIN.
Hnilc t : TlDMrO,
IS MUes.
flow ill opposite directions— the Tndus on tlio one hand, and on the other the
mysterious stream which i)robal)ly forms the upjier course of the 8ahven.
The least-inclined section of the Hcmth Tibetan depression is that which is
traversed by the Satlaj. Its first terrace is occujHed by Lake Konj^-kio, which has
no outlet, and which, like iicaily all dosed basins, has become suit. Hound about
are scattered some other saline tarns; but the JMansaraxV and Rakus-tul, the two
great basins of the valley, are fresh- water lakes connected together by a permanent
k-rsi;-.- '»- ''■■■■■!ff-:,-J--.^'TI>»S'K'V''.:r,_.'-.^-j,^^^^
MOUNT KAlr-AS- TlIK IH'I'IIU HATf.AJ AND INDUH.
27
]\y II rcrriiirk-
i UN tlir «'hiiiii
lit' 'rcii>;ri-iior.
uiul Tmiii}{Imi,
: of
the other the
wen.
thut which is
kio, which has
Ktiund ubout
tus-tul, the two
)y a permanent
rivulot ciirrvlii^j to the Siitlnj a Miicrcd Mtrciim, ft»r tlic MaiiHamrir- the Muiwihh
Sunivara ol ]|iii(hi Icj^ciid — is the " lake I'diiiicd liy tlic hiratli of llnilima."* Its
liluc waters lire l'n'(|iiciitcd l»y tliDiisaiids of swans, vcncniti'd as hiissl'iil Itriii^rs.
The NuriiMiiuliiiy; IthilVs are dotted witli the little houses of |iil^'t'iiiis, tnanv oi' \\lioiii
lope of the Himalayas. Mven at tlu>se elevations battles have heeii
foujjht, and in Deet'mher, ISH, the Cliiiiese here (hd'eated the Dostum throiiji;h the
Himalayan porfj^es tt)wards the plains of Intlia, the terraces tm either bank maintain
an elevatiim of 14,(100 feet above the sea, as at Lake Mansaraur, 1S> miles farther
up. Thi>se terraces, which are of lacustrine origin, have been liirrowed by the
stream to a depth tif 1,.'{()0 and even 1,()00 feet, withtmt, ho^*evor, reaching the
live rock ft)rmin^ the old bed of the lake. All the tributai \ torrents have, like
tht! Satlaj, to force a passage throup;h tho rocks and days; and the wlmle tlistrict
has thus been cut up into vast gorges. In these gorges the few inhabitants t»f the
country have form(;d their temporary or permanent abodes. Thus Daba, the chief
"city" of tho Satlaj valley in Tibet, ticcuijies the sides of a ravine tiver >'10() feet
deep, which has been cut through the rock by an atfluent of the main stream. A
few two-storied stone houses, with their white fa9ades, ctiutrast here and there with
the red escarpments ; and towards the top of the town the tpiarter occupied by tho
lamas forms a sort of citadel, itself overlooked by inaccessible rocky heights. A
solitary gate in tho lower quarter gives ingress to the inhabitants. In winter
Daba is completely abandoned ; tho gorge is filled with snow, which covers all the
houses, and which in spring-time has to be cleared away, with the mud, locks,
and other remains of avalanches that have accumulated during tho cold seastm.
The dtibris which now fills up tho old lake beltwigs to the tertiary and quaternary
eptjchs, and contains many fossils as well as tho bones of some large veilebrates.
Thus a special fauna had time to be developed and disappear during the ages
occupit'd by the detritus in filling up the inland sea, which has escaped through
the gap in the Ilinuilayas now affording an outlet tt) the Satlaj.
Several of the rivers rising north of tho (iang-dis-ri were ftirmerly said to be
* According t) Moorcroft, Manaodo SurQur meaiig simply tho Sacred Liiko. It ia tho Thu- Alapung
of tho Tibctuns.
.mpi-'-
28
EAST .VSIA.
flic main lipad-stroain of tlic Sind or Indus, and to all of them was applied
tlip mytliical name of the Sonj^e Khahad, or river " fiowinji; from the lion's throat."
Uut tlie Anglo-Indian explorations have established the fact that of these rivers the
true Indus is that which rises farthest east, near the nortliern slope of the
Mariam-la. This is the longest and most coi)ions of all the streams uniting in
tho common bed of the Indus above its entry into Kashmir. Within Tibetan
Fig. !).~Lakk I'ano-kono : Excampmkxt op the Enoush Expedition of 1871.
territory the Indus is also joined, and nearly doubled in volume, by the Gartung,
or river of Gartok.
Lake Pang-kong.
The continuous diminution of moisture which has reduced so many Tibetan
lakes to mere salt marshes has also dried up many rivers, converting into closed
basins numerous valleys which formerly drained to the Indus. A striking
example occurs in the Radokh valley, north of this river. In this district, at a
^*'/.^f»-f^-|ni-^^^«^lv■"^^^v~-L•<*.^vsf««r?^^fi«^^^AA«,^aK^Tv«^-.■^
LAKE PANG-KONO.
20
m was !ii)plicd
c lion's throat."
those rivers the
1 slo])e of the
'iiiiis uniting in
Within Tibetan
01- 1871.
by the Gartung,
many Tibetan
•ting into closed
IS. A striking
bis district, at a
mean elevation of 13,500 feet, a valley, running parallel with the Indus, follows
the same general windings, turning tirst north-west, then hcafling westwards
through a mountain gorge, beyond whieh it resumes its normal north-westeily
course. A large portion of this valley is flooded, but the lake thus formed, which
resend)les many inland Scandinavian fiords, alternately broadens and contracts with
the breadth of the bed and the projecting headlands. It has even been divided
into three basins at different levels by the detritus, or i)orhaps by the alluvia
washed down with the side streams. The upper lake takes the name of Xoh,
from a neighbouring caravan station ; the central, 40 or 4-"» feet higher than the
lower, is the Tso-Mognalari, or " Fresh-water highland lake ; " and the same name
is apjdicd to the lower lake itself, although the lack of supplies has gradually
Fig. 10.— Lake Pano-kono.
Scale 1 : 1,600,000.
.30 MUes.
changed it to a saline basin with 13 per 1,000 of salt, or about the same as in the
Black Sea ; but it also contains nearly as much sulphate of soda and magnesia as of
sea salt, so that the absolute proportion differs. The Anglo-Indian explorers have
called this lake the Pang-kong, from the Kashmir province of that name into which
its northern extremity penetrates. Water marks and banks of fresh-water shells
show that it formerly rose 240 feet above its present mean level, which is 13,460
feet above the sea. Hence it was twice as deep as at present, its extreme depth
being now 140 feet according to Trotter and Biddulj)h, or 105 feet according to
H. Schlagintweit. The total area of both lakes, estimated at 210 square miles, was
also more than double when the emissary descendtnl to the Shayok through a valley
some 8 miles long, and through the Tankseh River. While gradually falling
^ijy wi "
■■,'Ji!iSSt:»*fl
r^?f**S=Pi*»^riB«*-f'(.'T;
80
EAST ASIA.
with tlio 1('V(>1 of tli<> Like, lliis outlet furrowed tlie rock to within l')4 feet of its
present h'vcl, sifter wliich the outflow ceased, and tlie lake {j;radually diiiiinishe^bo (Tsanpu, Tsjinibo, Zanj^bo, Sanipo, or
SaiiilMi); that is, "the Holy Stream," whose upper course is often callwl the Yaru-
Tsaii<^lM), or " Ilifjh Tsanii fillod wifii alluvia or oxluiiistod tliroiigh
their emissaries. Anioiigst tln' largest that still survive is tho Vunidiik, or Palti,
which is figured on D'Anvillo's and subsequent maps as almost ring-shaped, or like
a moat surrounding a citadel. Tho island, which is somotimos roprosentod rather
as a peninsula, rises 2,'2')0 feet above tho surface of tho lake, which is itself l;i,;{oO
feet above soa-lovol. According to Manning it is slightly brackish, although the
pundit who visited its northern shore found its water perfectly pure and sweet. It
is said to be very d(>op, but it is uncertain whether it forms a completely closed
basin or drains through a western outlet to the Tsangbo, from which it is separated
on the north by the lofty Khamba-la group.
North-east of Lake I'alti the Tsangbo is joined by the Kichu, another "holy
stream " which waters the Lassa valley. Nain Singh, who visited the district in
187o, saw this valley stretching eastwards some JJO miles, and thou disappearing
towards the south-east between the hills. But in 1877 another Hindu explorer,
instructed by Ilarman, was able to follow the course of the river for over ISO miles.
This explorer first followed the Tsangbo Jo the extremity of the valley seen by
Nain Singh from a distance, but was afterwards obliged to make a great detour in
order to avoid a deep goi-ge into which the river plunged. Nevortholoss he came
upon it again some 20 miles fi-om the i)oint where he had left it, and then
ascertained that it made a bend northwards before resuming its normal course
towards the east and south-east. At the farthest point reached by him he saw a
fissure opening in the mountains in the same south-easterly direction, and was told
by the natives that the Tsangbo escaped through this fissure to traverse a tract inha-
bited by wild tribes and a country beyond it belonging to the British Government.
At Chetang the Tsangbo valley is about 11, 200 feet above sea-level. Yet at this
elevation tho river, which already drains an area of 80,000 square miles, has a
volume equal to that of the Rhine or llhone! When seen by Nain Singh its waters
were comparatively low, yet the breadth of from 1,000 to 1,500 feet assigned to it by
him, combined with its great depth and velocity, implies a volume at that season of
rather more than 28,000 cubic feet per second. But during the floods of June and
July the stream overflows its banks for several miles, and the discharge cannot then
be less, perhaps, than 700,000 cubic feet, assuming the rise to be no more than IG
feet, as the natives assert. Below Chetang, in East Tibet, the Tsangbo still receives
a large number of copious streams, and flows through one of the wettest regions on
the globe, so that -t must carry an enormous quantity of water to the Indian Ocean.
Yet, to judge from the maps, it seems to lose itself, for its lower course remains still
uncertain, oscillating between the Brahmai)utra and Irawady. Francis Gurnier
even suggested that limestone rocks full of caverns, like those seen bj' him in many
parts of China and Further India, occupy the south-east portion of Tibet, and that
the Tsangbo here flows partly underground and ramifies into several basins. But
what little is known of the geology of East Tibet seems opposed to this theory.
Limestones occur only on tho Yunnan frontier, the rest of the country being com-
posed of crystalline rocks covered with glacial clays.
'*w«!'f*feaSi^S^S
I
'■as
I
82 EAST ASIA.
But however this l)e, no explorer huviiif!; yot followed the lower course of the
Tsini;,'l)() beyond the point reached hy llarniun'H emissary, this important (juestion
remains still undetermined. What becomes of the river after eseai)in<^ from its
Tibetan valley ^ In 17"Jl the missionary Regis, who drew up u chart of the
country by order of the Kmperor Kan«»-hi, slated that " nothing is known for
certain as to the place where the river discharges." lie had merely learnt that it
flows into the Hay of liengal " towards Aracan, or the mouth of the Ganges in
Mogul." B'Anville, availing himself of the lamas' map and the documents furnished
Fig. 12. — Course ok thk Tkanobo.
Acoording to the Chinetie Documents.
Atcortilnj h DHUiwIlc
T^ffneii of 20 to the Degree.
t* H t> ** ^
by missionaries, traces the course of the Tsangbo as if it were continued in the
kingdom of Ava by the river Irawady. Rennell, on the contrary, identifies it with
the lirahmaputru, and his view is now most commonly accepted. Yule even asks
whether the question may not be regarded as already settled, and advances an
argument which he thinks conclusive. In 1854 two Roman Catholic missionaries,
while attempting to reach Tibet from Upijer Assam, were killed by one of the
Mishnii tril)es. A bishop at that time residing in a TilKjtan province annexed to
China writes thut some Tibetans spoke to him of this tragedy as having taken
"'SBas?V---v<.« ig -x^r^t®:^- (,,Tie.^'i„H-iii^-«iroW!l».J!r!^^
THE TSANOllO, OR BRAHMAPUTRA.
HiJ
p course of the
(rtant (jucstion
iping from its
, chart of the
is known for
Y learnt that it
the Ganges in
lonts furnished
1
3/(
f
26
f5
itinued in the
entifies it with
""ule even asks
d advances an
c missionaries,
by one of the
ice annexed to
having taken
place on the banks of the Gakpo, or Kanpu, " a tributary of (ho Tnnvady," wliich
flows to tlie north of the Tsangbo. Kow it is cortnin that the nmr«K>r ocruncd on
the Lohit, (.r East lirahmaputra ; for a dotaohnient of IJrifisli troops wont lliitluT
to avenge tlicir death. Yule argues from this that the Lohit is cerfainly llio
continuation of the Gaki)o, and that this river, describing a great bend east of the
Fig. 13.— C0UII8E OF THE TSANOBO.
Aocordinir to H. Scliliwintwelt. Scale 1 : 12,000,000.
. 300 MUes
Tsangbo, prevents it from reaching the Irawady. But it may be asked whether a
vague report, turning on the doubtful name of a river, is sufficient to dispose of
such a geographical question.
The partisans of Rennell's view have long discussed the rival claims of the
Dihong, Dibong, Subansiri, and other streams in Assam, to be regarded as the
upper course of the Brahmaputra. Most English geographers have pronounced in
Wiljt'#Si^r*S.iSi*»^>'''!!^'iS*8«^-
34
KA8T ASIA.
favimr f)f the Dihoiifj^, since Wilcox und Ihirlton nscertainod in IS'io-O that it is
evidently the main branch of the Urahniajjutra. Ihit when tlu'V went on to
assert tiiat the IJrahinaputni itself is the lower course of the Tsaujyho, the still
unexplored j^ap between tho two rivers was no less than 'MO miles hinj; as the bird
flies, and the inlervenin}^ hijjfhlands were entirely unknown. The information
brouf^ht back by Wilcox re^'ardinji^ tho river ascended by him was also far from
sulHcient to justify his opinion on the identity of the two streams. He should
have first of all proved that the Dihong has u larger volume than the Tsungbo.
Fig. 14.— COUKBE OF TUB ThA .OBU.
Accordint to MarLham. Soale 1 : 10,000,000.
• 300 Miles.
But he merely observed, that at the point reached by him the Dihong was 100
yards broad, with a slow current, and, as he 8iippo8e(f, an immense depth.
The problem is now confined to the narrowest limits. According to Walker's
explorations, the entirely unexplored space separating the extreme point reached by
the already mentioned Hindu pundit on the Tsanglx>, and the farthest point to
which the Dihong has been ascended, is exactly 93 miles, and the difference of level
would appear to be about 7,500 feet. Were the two streams connected, the total
fall in an approximate course of 180 miles would consequently be rather over
1 in 100 yards — a fall uuapproached by any other river in its middle course, and
equalled only by the valleys of torrents in the heart of the mountains. Vag^o
•-''^:! ''^0'-l's^:f^-''-i^ »fS<^^'AX^Vv-i^y-:f>^
-'''«-'mmii)^ms»ism^i!ismm^Sgmm^^gmi^^^
THE TSAXGIU). Ott nRAIIMAI'UTRA.
8R
m^>-(> that it is
«'y wi'iit on to
nifj;l)o, till' still
iiif^ us the bird
be iiiforniiition
) also fur from
IS. He should
1 the Tsuiigbo.
M'
B4?n6
ihong was 100
epth.
InfT to "Walker's
K)int reached by
irthest point to
fference of level
iccted, the total
be rather over
Idle course, and
utaius. Vag^e
reports, no doubt, speak of rapids and cataracts throuf^h wliich the Tibetan waters
reach the lowlands; but it is uncertain what streams these re})()rts refer to. llesidcs,
the exact measurements rec(>ntly taken of the disdiarfje i>f the Ilrahmaputra and
its alllucnts do not seem favourable to Reunell's hypothesis. The How of the
tSubuusiri, Dibong, und Upper Bruhmuputru shows that these rivers are all far
Fig. 15. — Cdirse of the Tkanoho.
According to Gordon. Scale 1 : 11,000,000.
. 300 MaeR.
inferior in volume to the Tsangbo at Chetang, and consequently still smaller than
the same stream 180 miles lower down. The volume of the Dihong, as measured
by Woodthorpe, is 54,000 cubic feet per second in the snowy season, when the
water logins to rise ; and judging from the extent of land coveretl during the
floods, the discharge would then seem to vary from 350,000 to 420,000 cubic feet.
But this is precisely the amount we might expect to be sent down by the river
mm^m-'m^mm^
-^^fr-J-i^D^'ii^^
»0
KAST ASIA.
fl
basin limited by tlio Traiis-Hinmluynn ranpr; fur lu-ir tho avrrii^c rainfall ih at
least \''i I'eet, and the natural discharge may Im' taken at from 4(K) to •<()(> ^mlltins
p<^r s(|uare mile. A basin from S,()()() to 1*^,000 square miles in extent would sutficu
to supply such a (|uantity, and the une.\ph)red traet separating the Tsiui^rlMt and
Lower |)ilion^ valleys is lar^e enou^;h to contain a basin of this sixe by including
in it that (d' th(> Lopra-ko-chu, which Hows to the west W-tween the Himalaya and
Trans- Himalaya, and whose lower course is still unexplorwl.
On the other hand, the comparative Huvial discharge, as approximately indicated
for the Tsanji;lM) and accurately for the Irawady, would seem to justify the Chineso
map reproduced by D'Anville, which represents the Jlurman river as the continuu*
tion of the Tsanj;lM). At lihamo the Irawady dischurjjfcs during the H,(K)0 and even 47,000 cubic feet per second ; but during that iH>rit
follow that this was the true Irawady, although m named by them. These
explorers themstdves heard rejiorts of u great eastern stream belonging to the same
basin, but they made no attempt to reach it.
In any ctise, before coming to a di^finito conclusion, it will be wise at least first
to see whether the blocks of wo rainfall i'h at
I) to '>()() ^mlloiiM
eiit would KiilHco
ho Tsjiii^'lMt and
ii/(> Ity including
11! lliiiinlaya and
inatoly indicat(>d
*tify the Chi 11080
UH tho continuu-
' tho fltHHia ovor
iwo-thii-ds of tho
^'o doubt, durin}^
or Irawady may
that {H'ritNl tho
approaclu-s tho
1 \H far loM8 than
a lar^o aroji of
I'd hy an aniphi-
iid Hurlton may
; but it ds not
ly thorn. Tliost)
l!;iug to the same
vis(! at least first
by onlor of tho
Tibet will roach
d that tho route
1 may have free
sta, Hwumps, and
us.
m cut into iiinu-
winds from tho
ojwnings in the
. copious rainfall
ere, sultry heats
inaccessible, tho
character, their
!s inhubiting tho
1 administnitivc
is several groups
itherto been able
S^ffiiSS^^^^^^J
-"'^ ji l M i '
! * 'S-r -,
!;i
ii««
TU£ LAKTZAN-KIANU-HOOQS OORUK.
%^^.«;-&BaRr.'T«vr-7"^^ts*g^»«ni,'?;rasK-^^3*5g?9it»i3w^«^^
UEAD-WATEUS OP TIIK OIIKAT INDOCIIINKHK IMVKUS.
87
to occupy tho country, and itn Hnvnjfo or luilf-i-ivilist>it!iiitN have (iccnNiniially
rccojyiiisrd the Muprciiiucy of Tibet or China only for the purpoM*' ol' tindin^ a
ready market for their priKluco.
Their huids have Ikh'H triiverHcd hy traveUers, and cs|M'eially hy niissionaricM,
but few of tlieni huvo iK'en able to trace a continuous itinerary of tlu>ir routew, no
that these hi^rhhind regions, fifteen times more extensive than the Alps, must hmp^
renuiin unknown. Hitherto littU> has In'en (h>ne lH>yond determining the general
run (d" the nuiin ranges. I'araUel with the Tant-hi oth»'r ridj^es stiitch to llie
Kuku-nor, and all of them run mainly north and south far into the Trans-'ian^etic
IM'uinsula. These hif^hl. nds form the Indo-( 'hinesi' system spoken of by Hiehthofen.
The two HysteniH intersc'ct each otlier, leaving several breaks in the conver^injjf
lines, through which tho rivers escujM) from their upper basins. Ah far as can Ik?
judged from the rouf^hly sketched charts of e.xplorers, supplemented by the Chineso
documents, the streams of the province of Kham indicate by the direction of their
valleys the fj;cneral run of the mountain ranffcs. All tlu'se streams How first north-
cast parallel witli tho Tant-la, then finding an issue westwards, they gradually
trend towai-ds the south through the narrow and deep valleyH of the Indo-Chinese
system. Thus tlu; Tsangbo itself is deflected to the north-east l)eforo bending
round to the southern plains cither through the Dihong or the Trawady. Similar
curves, but on u much larger scale, are descrilK^d by the Mekhong and tSalwen,
and tho Yang-tze-kiang itself runs parallel with tlio Mekhong several hundred
miles southwards to an opening in tlu' hills, through which it pass<'s suddenly cast-
wards into China proper. Nowhere else do wo meet with so many independent
streaiiis flowing so near each other in parallel valleys, yet ultinuitely discharging
into different seas.
Tho emissary which escapes from Lake Chargut, and wliich also drains tho
Tcngri-nor as well as most of the lacustrine district in the south-east corner of tho
Khachi plateau, is a considerable stream named the Nap-chu, or Nak-chu, by Hue
and Nain Singh. But after leaving tho plateau it frequently changes its name
according to tho districts and languages of the populations through which it passes.
As remaiked by Francis Gamier, tho river nomenclature is ])urely local through-
out China, and especially in this part of Tibet, tlo same name for the same stream
being nowhero current for more than 60 miles o! its course. Thus the Nap-chu
becomes successively the Khara-ussu, Om-chu, Ngen-kio, Nu-kiang, Lu-kiung, and
Lutzc-kiang. This divereUy of names, combincc'i with the difficulties of explora-
tion, has enabled geographers to send this river somewhat wildly up and down tho
country. While Potennann with tho Schlagintweits bus identified it with tho
Dibong, which joins the Dihong a little above the I^rahnutputra junction, Desgodins,
who has followed the middle course of tho " river of the Lutze people " for about
240 miles, has ascertained that it flows far to the east of tho Brahnuiputra, and
accordingly identifies it >vith the Salwen. lie also feels confident that the I^antzan-
kiang, or Kinlong-kiang — that is, tho " Great Dragon River "—is the Meklumg of
Camboja, and this opinion has been confirmed by tho French exixvlition up tho
Mekhong. Yet Schlagintweit, Kiopert, and Prterraann make the Lantzan alsf) o
f«l«»,»«'i'
8H
MAST ASIA.
trilMitiirv of tlic lii'a)iiiiii|Mitrii, nMii^rnisin^ in il tin* lioliil, or UimI Mnihiiiiipiitni,
wliiisr iinw <'\|i|iin'(| Inisiii Uvs iiliiKist nitirrly 1)11 llir smith hUIv of the t'listmi nm-
liiiiiiitiitii iif tlic iliiiiiiltiyns. Viil<> iipilii ic^fiinls it as idnitinil with the (iukpn,
the siniill TilM'tan river Huwiii^ tiortli of, aiitl paralitl with, thi< Tsany;lM).
Of all th(>s<> rivers flowing; from the 'i'ilirtaii platrniix throii^rh profoiiiid ttssiirPH
to the plains, the Ijaiit/aii proliahly passes throii^'h tlit> most savage ^or^es. At
Yerkajd, \vher«' it is still r,"»(M( fe<'t alM(v«> the sea, its rocky hanks rise sevt'nil
linntlred yards, in many places almost |H'rpendicnlarly, ahove the river hed. Sntth
of Aleii-tzo it iH not uUvuvh possible to follow its course, and the traveller is h<>ro
and there ohli^ed to mount !,'>(»() and even '2,(M) feet alnive the stream, which
fri»m IIh'sc elevations rn'onm like a mere rivulet. The ^orge which ("tioper hun
named Iloj,'p;'s |)cfile, from one of his friends, is a fissure scarcely more than (iO
feet wide, which seems completely shut in wherever the view is interrupted hy
overhaii^iiij' rocks. At its luirrowest point a sort of platform supported hy propH
Hprin^fin^' ohlitpiely from the rock lias had to he c(»nstructed in its vertical side.
iJeiu)^ kept in u ha? to be carriwl
across by its own gravity. Solid copper frames receive travellers and uninuds, who
are shot over the yawning ubyss in a flash. The return journey is nuide at some
point where the rojH^ is inclined in the oj)po»ito direction. Hut the system varies
considerably in dilVerent places.
Whatever be the ori^^in of these deep fissures, tlu>re are several indications of
j^reat ehaiifj^es in the climate of this re;?ion. Jleds of reddish clay, like the glacial
marls of Kurope, luij;;e boulders strewn over the valleys, nnd similar appearances
seom to show that the f^laeiers formerly descended much further than at present
down the watercourses of Kust Tibet.
Cmmatk.
But althoupfh the glaciers have retreated from the lower valleys, the present
climate of the country is sufticiently indicated by the title of " Snowy Kingdom,"
connuonly given to it by all its neighbours. According to Turner the people of
Bhutan simply (^all it the " North Snow," while the people of the plains, con-
tinually cr)ntem])lating the snowy crests of the Ilinmluyus, naturally suppose that
the land beyond them is covered by perennial snow-fields. But the effects of alti-
tude are largely balanced by the extreme dryness of the air on the plateaux, where
at times not a single fluke will fall for months together. The little that does fall
is also soon swept by the winds into the ravines, or in summer rapidly melted by
the sun. In the south-east corner of Tibet the zone of perpetual snow begins at
alM)ut 18,0()t) feet — that is to say, some ;{,()()() feet al)ovo the sunnnit of ]l[ont Blanc;
and even on the Caylcy Pass, 19,900 feet high, Forsyth found the ground free of
r. .'-^f7-.v^^^
T'F■«eB;g">^■V^,K3*,^■-J»tJJ,.^?vK■'.^sSl^'WV>:.3f-•,i5=-'^i
'''^■/!^^*iim&inm.'!^',^^^^^4
n.IMATK.
80
il nni)iiiiii|)iiti-ii,
llic t'H^^tcrii ciiii-
witli the (iuk|) fiirnliitiiH of
rom side to Hi(li>
iiifj; to Ik' carried
iiid uiiinuilH, who
is inad(> at koiiiu
he Hysteni varieH
id iiidicatioMH of
, like the j^laeial
ilar appearanees
than at preMeiit
leys, tlio present
)\vy Kingdom,"
er the j)eople of
the plains, eon-
lly suppose that
e elfeets of alti-
platoaux, where
le that does fall
ijjidly melted bj'
[ snow begins at
of ^lont Blanc ;
ground free of
miow. On the soiith(>rn stopi's of the Himalayas tht> snows drilling lu'lore thu
winds descend mmh lower than on the Tilu'tan sid«', and the pusses over theso
mountains are closed earlier in the season than tin* more elevated routes across tho
various plateau ranges farther north. Kven in the depth of winter the roa wrapp(ar their
faces with a black grease. The aninuds dying on the routes across the plateaux
Hoon shrivel up, and some of the more diHicult roads are lined with the nuunmili(>d
yaks, horses, and sheep. U'hen a beast of burden falls the caravan people gene-
rally cut away the choicre parts, and .spit them on the thorny scrub for the benefit
of passing wayfarers.
Hut if the snow is relatively slight, the <-limate of Tibet is none the less sovero.
Hero I'rjevalsky, Drew, and others s]H>ak of tho terrible eohl, eond)ine(l with a defi-
ciency <»f oxygen, which they had to endur»>. On the higher passes and crests the
rarefaction of the air renders all exertion very distressing, and men and animals
alike suffer from the so-called " mountain sickness," often causing the camels to fall as
if struck with lightning, or, as the Chinese writers say, " poisoned by the deadly
exhalations from the ground." In 1870 a caravan of three hundred hunuin beings,
which left liassu in February, lost all its thousand camels and fifty men In't'oro
reaching tho end of its journey. In winter all tho streunis and lakes ore every-
where frozen down to within 8,000 or even 7,000 feet of sea-level. Kven in
July and August the caravans often find the water ice-bound on the passes. Tho
long-haired yaks are at times burdened with a heavy coating of icicles, and Hue
tells us that when crossing the frozen surface of tho liower ^luru-ussu he perceived
some fifty dark and shapeless objects, which, on a nearer view, proved to bo a long
line of these animals suddenly frozen to death while attempting to cross tho stream.
Tho attitude of tho bodies in tho act of swimming was perfectly visible through tho
clear ico, above which protruded their fine horned heads, from which the eaprles
and ravens had plucked the eyes,
Tho radiation of heat into tho clear, cloudless upper legions contributes greatly
to reduce the temperature of tho plateaux, and here travellers suffer all the more
that there is almost a complete dearth of fuel. Little can bo found beyond some
scanty brushwood, except on the more favoured camping grounds. Fortunately
tho nights are nearly always calm ; but during the day, when the tablelands are
exposed to tho solar rays, while the depressions remain buried in a chilly gloom,
the surface is swept by fierce sand-storms, the terror of all travellers. In some of
the low-lying tracts the tillers of the land usually flood their fields at the begin-
ning of winter in order to protect the vegetable soil from the erosive action of the
winds, and this method appears also to increase its fertility.
Altogether the Tibetan plateau, enclosed as it is by lofty border ranges, is
characterizeJi by great dryness and the extremes of heat and cold. But little
moisture reaches it from the Indian Ocean ; the force of the southern monsoons is
.:im^imm?-i^
40
EAST ASIA.
spent in the Ilimalnyan valleys, and the upper counter-currents alone arc revealed
'.:. ♦lie avalanches of snow that arc precipitated from the Kincrliinjinf^a and other
giants of Iho great range. Nevertheless, the eastern region of Tibet, towards
which the Hay of liengal projects inland, already partakes of the Indian climate.
The marine winds ])enetrate into these lands through tho breaks in the mountains,
hero much lower than in tho west, and discharge abundant rains, especially during
the i/i'rr/i, or rainy season, from August to October inclusive. All the rivers rising
in this part of Tibet are fed far more by these rains than by the melting snows.
:!!5S
Fauna and Flora.
The elevation of the tablelands west of tho province of Kham is too great for
the development of arborescent vegetation, except in the shelteri'd depressions, and
even here nothing is met beyond the willow, poplar, and some fruit trees. Else-
where little is seen except stunted or rampant shrubs scarcely exceeding feet in
height. Yet the lamas have succeeded in growing some fine poplars about the
monastery of Mangnang, in the province of Nari, l'},970 feet above the sea. On
most of the exposed plateaux over 13,000 feet the vegetation is limited to thin and
hard grasses sharp as needles, which pierce the camel's hoof and cover its feet with
blood. Nevertheless, the ijnharjcrc, a hardy and woody plant, creeps up to an
altitude of 15,000 feet, and in some places is met even whei-e the dry atmosphere
and saline properties of the soil arc fatal to the grasses. Godwin Austen found it
growing abundantly on the Chang-chegmu plateau, 18,300 feet above sea-level.
Nain Singh met with fields of barley at an elevation of over 15,400 feet, or about tho
altitude of Monte Rosa. All the Ombo basin, watered by Lake Dangra-yum, is
like a green sward ; but in the colder uplands still iidiabited by the Tibetans
cereals seldom ripen, and the people here live entirely on the milk and flesh of
their herds. On the other hand, the less elevated and well-watered south-eastern
valleys are covered with vast forests. Amongst the larger trees is the prickly
holm, which, though not so high, is comparable in the size of its stem to the pine,
Avhile far exceeding it in its rich and abundant foliage.
Although poor in vegetation, the Tibetan uplands have a much more varied
fauna than the southern slopes of the Himalayas. Tibet, which is regarded by
zoologists as a princij)al centre of evolution as regards animal life, possesses a
special fauna, exceptionally rich in varieties of the ass, yak, sheep, antelope, gazelle,
and wild goat. Nain Singh met with herds of as many as two thousand antelopes,
which in the distance look like regiments of soldiers, with their sharp horns
glittering like bayonets in the sun. The Schlagintweits found yaks at an eleva-
tion of 19,800 feet, and the tarbagan marmots (^Arcfomt/s hobac) are still found
burrowing in the argillaceous soil up to 17,900 feet. The game is preyed on by
foxes, jackals, wild dogs, and the woolly-haired white wolf ; while in the neighbourhood
of the Tengri-nor, white bears, resembling those of the polar regions, commit great
ravages on the flocks. In I'^ast Tibet the fauna is still more varied, including the
panther, bufl'alo, monkey, squirrel, bear, and a small si)ecies of wild boar. But
^Niii
;.■■•'•■«? "^r^fs.^m^i^msmiy^^m'^wmiWma-.r
nlono arc ^c^■cule(l
iiijiiif^ii and other
of Tibot, towards
10 Indian diinalc.
in the mountains,
especially during
1 the rivers rising
nelting snows.
m is too groat for
[I depressions, and
fruit trees. Else-
scooding (5 foot in
poplars about the
bove the sea. On
mited to thin and
^over its feet with
creeps up to an
10 dry atmosjjhero
n Austen found it
t above sea-level.
I feet, or about the
D l)angra-yum, is
by the Tibetans
[nilk and flesh of
3rcd south-eastern
ics is the prickly
stem to the pine,
iiuch more varied
ch is regarded by
1 life, possesses a
antelope, gazelle,
lousand antelopes,
heir sharp horns
j'aks at an eleva-
') are still found
e is preyed on by
he neighbourhood
)ns, connnit great
od, including the
wild boar. But
i i i i ai i i T' I I i iinninirr dWfcyMiw^
^ I
ft"'
li8
iiai
iiiii
1 ■'■r
'^'**S'''S««&^S^35555IS«^^r«5s^^
INHABITANTS— TllE TIBETANS.
41
bird? are comparatively rare, though some of them rise to astonishiurr heights, one
spo(ies of hirk being met ut lo,000, and otliers at over IS,U00 fei't. In Tibet
proper no .songsters arc heard except birds of passage ; but the eagk% \ullure, and
raven abound, while the pheasant frequents the woodlands. ^\ few li/ards and
snaki's reach an altitude of 15,400 feet, and some of the lakes on the plateau are
stocked with fish, ^The extreme limit of fish in the Alps is 7,100 feet, whereas
Schlagintweit met in Lake Mognalari (14,000 feet) varieties of salmon, which, like
those of the sea, ascend every year to the higher fresh-water lake in the spawning
season. In the basins that have become saline the species have adapted them-
selves to the altered conditions.
Several of the indigenous animals have been domesticated. The yak has been
crossed with the Indian Zebu cow, the result being the dzo, whose varieties have
hair of different colours, while the wild yak is always black. But in the fourth
generation these animals revert to the primitive typo. Although always somewhat
obstinate, the yak is the most general beast of burden in Tibet ; but slieep, being
more hardy, are employed on the higher passes. Each sheep carries a load t)f from
20 to 30 lbs., and thrives on the scanty pasture along the route. The horses and
nmles make excellent mounts ; but the most valuable domestic animal is the goat,
whoHcpas/iiti, or short, soft, downy hair under the outer coat, commands such high
prices for the manufacture of the Cashmere shawls. The dogs, a powerful and
i'.i "idable breed, are not employed in the chase, but only as house-dogs and
t They degenerate in India, though some specimens have been perfectly
a. •' :..utized in England.
IXHAIUTANTS — TlIE TlHETANS.
The great bulk of the inhabitants, apart from the Mongolo-Tatar Ilorsoks of
Khachi and the various independent tribes of the province of Kham, belong to a
distinct branch of the Mongolian family. They arc of low size, with broad
shoulders and chests, and present a striking contrast to the Hindus in the size of
their arms and calves, while resembling them in their small and delicate hands and
feet. The cheek bones are generally prominent, the eyes black and slightly
oblique, the mouth largo, with thin lips, the hair brown and bushy. The com-
plexion varies, as in Europe, from the most delicate white amongst the rich to the
copper yellow of the shepherds exposed to ihe inclemency of the weather.
C'rctinism is general in the upland valleys, leprosy and hydrophobia on the
plateaux.
The Tibetans arc one of the most highly endowed people in tlie world. Nearly
all travellers are uiumimous in praise of their gentleness, frank and kindly bearing,
unaffected dignity. Strong, courageous, naturally cheerful, fond of music, the
dance and song, they would be a model race but for their lack of enterprise.
Tluy are as easily governed as a flock of sheep, and for them the word of a lama
has force of law. Even the mandates of the Chinese authorities are scrupulously
obeyed, and thus it happens that against their own friendly feelings they jealously
guard the frontiers against all strangers.
80
rlS'SKsS^^i^i; i«>a«ii'<
"ii;; - y ■-'
42
KAST ASIA.
ii pi
Tho more or loss niixod races nf East Tibet on (lie riiincso irontior, on the route
of the troops thiit |)hiii(h>r tliciu iiiul of the iiiaiuliirins wh(» oppress them, seem to
bo less I'avoiniibiy eonstituted, and are described as tliievish and treacherous.
Amnn, the Tibetans have outliveeoples of Bod stock stretch be\'ond the present frontiers
into Kashmir, Hhutan, and Sechuen, west, south, and east, nevertheless several of
the wild or barbarous tribes in the east and north belong to different races more or
less mixed together. In the south the Mishmis, Alwrs, and others are allied to the
hillmen of Assam ; while the Arru, Pu-i or Ghion, Telu, and Remepang all sjieak
varieties of the Melam, an archaic and polysyllabic Tibetan language mix(;d with
many foreign elements. The Amdoans of the north-east, near the Kansu frontier, are
-*i»*:
'^^««»«^Bsewi^aa?;i^?gs^— - •
IXUABITANTS— TIIK T1I5ETANS.
48
ior, on tho route
< tlu'iii, sei'in to
1(1 trciichorous.
to 1)0 carefully
the Tibetans of
uld seem to bo
atnoufjfst tlioni,
c Khanibas are
111 tho caniijiuf^
roups have bore
L'monts have no
a<^e itself still
unities use stone
1 iron, while tho
n some resjK'cts
I'ies, for reading
oks arc here so
il of these works
roe evolution of
ioinii de Koros,
hieh the Chinese
Il differs from all
;ed by the priests
irrent speech has
e sense of mono-
>ld words, whose
minal and verbal
!8. The various
rom India by the
other languages
io ancient ortho-
lie written letters
h words cnoiKjIi,
in Tibetan dbjuH
iatod from each
present frontiers
heless several of
lit races more or
are allied to the
nepang all speak
uage mixed with
iiiisu frontier, are
nearly all bilingual, speaking both their mother tongue and TilM-fiin. A nomadic
and migrating peojile, they are distinguished by their (iiiick wit and aptitude for
all kinds of work. Nearly all the lamas and teachers of tiie high sclmols as well as
the higher oiHcials tliroughout Tibet are of Amdoan stock. West of the province
of Khaiu the half-savage Lolo, Mantz', Lissu, and others, (uUcctively known to the
Chinese as Si-fan, or " Western Strangers," and to the Tibetans as (ii,tin(iii/l/o, from
the chief tribe (jtyarung, dwell on both sides of the Sechuen frontier, where they
form distinct ethnical groups, some speaking Tibetan dialects, others languages of
dilferent origin. Most of the names applied by the Chinese and Tibetans to tho
jiooplos of this region can only be accepted provisiomilly. They are either vague
designations, or injurious epithets indignantly rejected by the tribes themselves.
Chinese influence is making itself felt more and more in tho neighbourhood of
Fig. 16— TlllETAN HlIINOGKArilV.
Rfliln t : 22,(XX).O0O.
■r-UVVVA' S}
^^^*^^^^;^^ \VSNNV\V V\' y ^ . » , \
•■^^::,
'■v:;'..*,
Sd>A
/AeA,.
^(••t«n$
'*^. .... . ,.... ■^i^^i^-'^^V^^^'K \1
35-
E. OiG. 80'
100*
^M
lU to 10,000 Fppt.
1(1,00.1 Feet nd iipwii iIr.
_^i_^_^_ em Miles.
Sechuen and in the large Tibetan towns. Access to the country being completely
interdicted to the Chinese women, all the mandarins, soldiers, oHicials, and traders
take Tibetan wives temporarily, and the frontier population already consi.sts largely
of cro.ss-brceds, who are grouped according to circumstances as Tibetans or Chinese.
Tho Chinese immigrants are not the only strangers in the Tibetan towns.
Tlie NoiKilese and IJhutaneso from beyond the Himalayas are very numerous in
T.assa, whore they are chiefly occupied with metal work and jewellery. They
occupy a separate quarter, and are distinguished by their superstitious jiractices.
Here are also some ilohammedans originally from Kashmir, the so-called Khaclii, a
fine race with long beard and grave demeanour, who keep entirely aloof from the
rest of the population, and live under a special governor recognised by the Tibetan
authorities.
m-^^^imm
44
EAST A8IA.
If"^'i.
niDDIIISM.
Tilxt is the t'ontro of IJuddliism, a ii'li;^ioii rivulliiijj; ('hristinnily in tlio niiinhor
of its followers. IJut !ilfliony;h tlic most zouloiis of IJiirldhists, the Tilutiiiis liave
inodiHcd their cult under the iiitluenee of previous rites, eliinate, social liahits, and
relations with th(> surroundin;; nations to such an extent that it only bears an out-
ward reseinl)lanee to the jjriinitive reli<,'ion of Shakya-inuni. After three centuries
of preliiuinaiy eU'orts the Hindu missionaries l)e<>;an the serious work of conversion
in the fifth century. Previous to that time the 'I'ihetan riles, analogous to those of
the Chinese Taoism, eonsistenth century,
when it soon be^^an to split into various sects. Four centuries afterwards came the
preat r(>vival. The monk Tsonkha|)a undertook the revision of the sacred writing;s,
formulated now precepts, and modified the ritual. His disciples are tho "Yellow
Caps," or (leluk-pa, who prevail in Tibet, while tho older sect of the " lied Caps "
(Duk-pa, or Shammar) has held its ^rnmnd in Nepal and lihutan. Hut for both, as
well as for tlu' other seven sects of Tibet, red has remained one of the sacred colours
of the cloister and tiMuples. Accordiuf^ to the ordinances, the religious edifices,
usually of pyramidal form, should have the north front painted green, the east red,
the south yellow, the west I'emaining while.
By his followers Tsonkhapa was regarded as the incarnation of the deity, as a
living lluddha, who had put on the appearance of human nature. He never dies,
but ])asses from body to body under the form of a K/iiihi/(/ars an out-
llircH- ('t'nturic8
i of conversion
ons lo those of
])rayoi's to the
hundred years
•ship, the first
ic country was
ke the lijfht of
, for aceordin<»
ition for their
Still the (tlder
ic writer, " tho
)r<>:otten like a
tenth century,
iards came the
iicnd writings,
o tho " Yellow
"l{ed Caps"
lut for l)oth, as
• sacred colours
igious edifices,
1, the east red,
the deit}', as a
lie never dies,
ir " New-horn
y nionastery of
ip hy his side,
in the ca))ital
Dalai-lama, or
iously related,
linesi' emperor
iassa has taken
lemselvcs from
ly is the chief
in Til)et itself
led as a divine
Amongst the Tihetan iWiddhisIs some few mystics, altractem class tho
faitliful ill tlii'ee groups — the enlightened, those of niodeinte intelligeiUT, and
the vulgar. Ibit for the mass botli of hnnas and people religion is reduced to
a system of magic, in which worship has no object exctpt to conjure the evil
spirits.
The life of m(»st Tibetans is passed in ejaculations and adjurations unch-r the
form of j)rayers. The »ix mugic syllables, Oiii main jxtdmv /nun, usually translated,
Fig. 17. — Praybu inmcuuiki) os a Mihk.
" O gom of the lotus, amen I " but whi<'h some commentat< rs declare to be untrans-
latable, are the form of prayer most frequently rei)eated. These sacred words,
each of which has a .special virtue, are tho first taught to the ^longolian and Tibetan
child. They will form his only prayer, but thi.she will go on repeating ince.ssiintly,
ignorant alike of its origin or sense. Tho importance attached to it may be judged
fn»ni tho fact that for 100 million copies printed in 8t. l*eter.sburg Schilling of
('annstadt received from the IJuriat lamas of Siberia a complete copy of their
inestimable sacred book. The invocation is met everywhere — on the walls of tho
houses and temj)les, by the wayside, under colossal statues rudely carved in the live
rock. Certain iiiaiwh, or retaining walls, ahnig the roads are built of stones, each
of whi<'h bears the magic formula. Jirotlierhoods have been formed for the
46
KAST ASIA.
mm
Fipr. 18— TlMETAN Ami'let.
solo purpose (if liiiviiiy: it iiiMcn'lMMl in Inrpfo cliiinictors on tlio hillside, so that the
traveili r ;,Mlli>piiij,' hy on lioisdiiick nmy reml the words oi' salvation.
l']veryl)iidy wears on his elotlnvs, arms, or iieek p>id, silver, or otlier metal
anuilels, eonlainin^f, Itesides the all-poweri'ul prayer, little idols or relies, the teeth,
hair, or nails of eanonised lamas. The korio, klioi-fin, or prayer-mills, omployod in
all Uuddhist lands except .lapan, are most universal in Tihet. The very forces of
nature, wind and water, are utilised to turn these cylinders, each revolution of wliich
shows to the all-seeing' heavens the maj^ic words re^jidatiny human destinies. Like
the Kirijfhi/, the Huriats, Tunj^uses, and other Central Asiatic peoples, the Tihetans
arc uccustomed to Bct up on tho hill-tops poles with banners containing the same
formula, which is thus, .so to wiy,
repeated with every pulf of air.
One of those IkiwIhis, as they arc
caUed, has Ix'en phmted on Mount
Uunshakar, over 20,0t)0 feet hif>;h.
The liuddhi.st pilf^rims also take
ummonites to the hipfhcst peaks of
the runfj;es, and, to conjure the evil
apirit.s, near these f().ssils they place
as offerings the bones and skulls of
the great wild sheep, or Oiin
(initiioii.
Most of the gilded images in the
temples are simple reproductions,
copied for some thou.sand years, of
the idols seen in India ; hence in
their expression they bear no re-
semblance to the Tibetan type.
Every trait or special form having
a symbolic meaning, nothing can be
changed. The other images of
native type represent the gods
only of an inferior order, and are
reproduced especially in the coloured
butter statuettes, in making which the lamas excel. But while the greater
deities are Hindus, one might almost fancy that the general ritual is of Roman
Catholic origin. The extreme analogy has long been remarked between the
Buddhist and Catholic rites, and most of the missionaries have explained this
identity of outward worship as an artifice of the devil trying to ai)e the (Jod of the
Christians. Others have endeavoured to show that the Buddhist priests, after
abandoning their old practices, simidy adopted the ceremonial of the Christians in
India, with whom they had established relations. AVe now know what a large
share both of these relatively modern religicms have had in the inheritance of the
primitive Asiatic cults, and how the .same ceremonies have been transmitted from
S
Ki-.»'V-_. -- -v: --tifjM" ■%■:'--'■■'■■ ^;'^iliffj£A"'i-'ite»:\"^'
Tr. "^^'^»-^m-^mmmff:^m^mmh'-7,-^^^^^^^^P^^y^
BUDDHISM.
47
^ido, Ko that tho
I.
or other motul
vlicH, tl>o tci'th,
1m, oinployiul in
very forces of
)hitioni)f wliich
lestinies. Like
es, tho Tihetans
iiiiin<>; the same
hiis, so to suy,
• pulf of uir.
s, as they are
ited on Mount
,000 feet hi^rh.
rims also take
ifjliest peaks of
on jure the evil
)ssils they l)laco
's and skulls of
leep, or Orin
(1 images in the
1 reproductions,
usand years, of
ndia ; hence in
y bear no re-
Tibetan type.
al form having
nothing can be
her images of
sent the gods
order, and are
V in the coloured
ile the greater
u\ is of Roman
d between the
explained this
I the (jod of the
St priests, after
jc Christians in
iv what a large
lieritance of the
■ansmitted from
nj,'e to age in honour of new divinities. None the iexs surprising is it that, in
virtue ol' a paraMcl evolu'ion in two disiinct ('(litres, the (uilwaid lorms of
iJiuhlliiMii and Catliolieism should have niaiiitaiiicd their resi'mhlaiice, not only in
their main features, l)ut even in their details. The Ihuhlhist priests are tonsured
liKe tliose of Jionie; like them, they wear flowing robes covered with gold brocade;
they fast, hohl spiritual retreats, mortil'y the flesh, confess the faithful, ask for the
intercession of the saints, and make long pilgrimages to llu; holy shrines, f'elibacv
also, (triginally u meritorious act, has become the rule for the lamas, and by tho
Bide of the temples there have sprung up communities of men and women whoso
only aim in life is to work out their spiritual welfare. K very thing is alike even in
the internal arrangement of the sacred edifices — the same altars, (uuKhliibra, bells,
reli(piari(s. l<'rom them flows
all knowledge ; the printing establishment? arc in their cloisters; and besides the
sacn^l writings, the "Kanjur and Tanjur," printed for the first time about 1750
in '>yiisli('d in the attempt to pcnctrato
into tlic couiitrv. In the Moiitli-i-ast a lew priests wi'i'i' more fortunate. In IH.'ti
they eontrivek of the I'pper Salwen. With tlie aid of Chinese immi;;rantH and of
mnnerous slaves, they eK .ncd tiie ffround and estahlished a Hoiirisliin^ villat,'e. A
lamu convent liecanie a preshytery, a pa^roila was transformed loa cjiureli, in which
converted lamas ])erforined the functions of sacristans. Hut this prosjK'rity did
not last lonj,'. After many vicissitudes tho missionaries were ol>''';ed to (juit
Tihetan soil, and then the huildinjjs were j^iveji to the tlaTnes. The mission was
re-estahlished in Sechuen, doso to Tih(sts have several monasteries,
especially in the south-east, and in tho petty state of I'omi, west of the Salwen.
They believe in two groat gods, a nuile and a female, j)ar other gods,
spirits, and mortals. Hut in other rospect.s they have gradually conformed to
Ituchlhism, of which they arc now merely u distinct sect. Tho higldandi-rs of
Ond)o and tho Dangra-yum, whw»r/«/»), or
sorcorers, to conjure the bad genii by beating drums, wielding swords, and burning
incense.
Diet — Socui, Ci^-stoms — Population.
'fif
ill '*
^lilk, butter, and barley-meal form the chief diet of the people of the plateau.
But in spite of the first commandment of IJuddha forbidding tho slaughter of
animals, most Til)etans, and even tho lamas, add the flesh of their domestic animals
to their modest fare. However, they make amends by despising tho hereditary
caste of butchers, whom they confine to remote suburbs of the towns. The nmtton
of Tibet, " tho best in the world" (Turner), is universally consumed, and in winter
whole bodies of those animals are preserved in a frozen state. Game is taken with
the dart, arrow, and gim, while the musk deer is usually trapiK'd. The only
animal spared in East Tibet is the .stag, " Buddha's horse." On tho plateaux
skirting the north bank of the Tsanglx) liquid bloiKl forms a part of the diet, and
Nain Singh often .saw the shepherds falling prostrate on the ground to lap up the
DIKT— HOriAL Cl.'HTOMS— I'OITI.ATION.
40
laricM to ^v\ a
•tiiaiii lor two
jil to pellet rati'
mte. Ill IS.*)4
',n forests, near
iij,'raiits and of
n;; villajfo. A
urcli, ill wlik-h
l»rosjH>rity r ISiiddhistH,
it tlio (Jill iiKini
on backwards ;
1, and BurmoRO
vlio liavo p;iven
) the trees and
■jK (^i)ii(ntiix), or
b, and burning
of the plateau,
le slaughter of
)inc8tic animals
the hereditary
I. The mutton
, and in winter
le is taken with
M'd. The only
II the plateaux
of the diet, and
d to lap up the
blood (lowing from the HJaughteit'd animal^, 'riiistiii^le is aetpiired by the ehildieii
as soon as weaned. Idin^r iiiialile to procure them pap frmii the (huith of < urn
on the uplands, llieir iiiothers make them a iiios of cheese, butter, and blond.
Prjevalsky tells us that in these regions the horses are also bd on Hesli and
curdled milk.
The Tibetans are distinguished from (heir co-religionists of other countries by
their national haliifs, which have Im-ch scarcely nioditicd by Ibiddhisin. Thus
those td' the south, like their neighbouring kiiisiiieii of llhiitaii, practise polyandria,
in iidin<; a hand in the (ield and ti ndiiig
the herds. Ilut her work, like that of the brothers, beloni^s to the whole bimilv.
lly the side of these polyandrous households some wealthy Tibetans, in imitation
of the Chinese and Mussulmans, keep several wives, who reside either under tho
same nnif or in .separate dwellings. IJut Intth ])olyandria and jiolygamy alike have
the same result of keeping down the population, ilarriage is regulated by no
rules in a country where celibacy is so rigorously enforced on a large section of (ho
peojde, and where tho jKilyandrous wife has still the right, reeogni.se(l by custom,
to choo.se another hu.sband beyond the family circle.
As in China, courtesy is held in high honour in Tibet When two persons
meet they salute each other several times by showing (he tongue and scratching
the right car, or oven by exchanging white or pink embroidered silk scarfs, some-
times accompanied with letters or other missives. In Lassa and other towns ladies
of rank wear coronets of true or false pearls or tunpioise, shells, or silver, liut
Hue's statement that they are obliged to disfigure themselves by daubing the face
with a sort of black varnish is denied by the English travellers.
All ceremonies are regulated beforehand, and the form and colour of the clothes
suitable for the various social occasions arc prescribed by rigid custom. During
the year of mourning the men lay aside their silk garments, the women their
jewellery. Immediately after death the h,.ir is torn fi-om the crown of the head,
in order to insure a happy transmigration, and the body is preserved for some
days, and in wealthy families even weeks, when the priests decide whether it is to
be buried, burned, ca.st to the running waters, or exposed to the beasts of prey.
In the latter case the bones are first broken and the Iwdy cut in pieces, in order to
hasten the return to the first elements^ and what is left by tho animals is collected
gS i.v ' .B./^ ' .-! r •
M
50
i:,\ST ASIA.
rtt
and tlirnwii info tin- nlvnnn Tlu" fiiifjcr joliifs uri' hIsd offrn pn'wrvi .1 iiiid strung
ill cliaiilils, while tlir Ixim-s nl' nniis hihI Ii'm;s mi' coiivcrtiMl into trmii|>i'ts tor
HUiniiiniiiii;; tiic liiiiiji'i til ]ii'iiyri-. I'lir Ijuiiiii tliriiiHrivi's iii'i' iilwiiyH Kiirii'il in u
Hitting attitiiliv«, hut otdy hocauso tliis fonii.s the mean
lu'tween the two extremes, ;{,.")()((,(M(i( and 11,000,000, recently Jiroposed l»y various
geographers. The ])oi)ulatiiiii would thus amount to ahout H persons to the scpiarc
mile, hut it is known to he very une(|ually distributed. The Khaclii plateau is
almost uninhaiuted, and in the south-west province of Hundes, or Nari (Xfj^ari,
(Jnari Khorsnm), there are only a few scattcicd groups. Owinjj to its forests,
mountains, and inaceessihle raviiu's, the eastern province of Khain is very
uni'ipially inlialiited, so that the ])o|>ulation is concentrated cliieHy in the two
Houthern provinces of Tsuii}^ and Wei (LT, Wi) aloufj the Middle Tsangbo, and in
its lateral river valleys.
Tol'OORArilY.
Ddba and most of the so-called towns and villages in the Upper Satlaj valley
aro abandoned dnrinpf the winter season. PnliiKj, the liif^hest permanently
inhabited villa;;e in this part of Tibet, stands at an elevation of 1.'{,H00 feet above
the sea. Tsti/>niii(f, lik(> Daba capital of a district, and situated to the north-west
of this place at a height of 10,400 feet, and far above the head- waters of the Satlaj,
is also unoccui)ied for a part of the year, and in summer contains no more than
some fifteen dwellings. The fortress of Takla-klirn; another district capital, lies
on tlie southern shipe of the Jlimalayas, on the right bank of the Map-chu, or
"(Jreat Kiver," the main branch of the Karnali of the Nepalcse. The fort consists
of e.\cavatiiins and gaUeries hollowed out of a rock HJJO feet high. It contains
large stores of supi)lies, and the corn deposited here for half a century is said to be
in perfect condition, thanks to the dryness of the air. West of Takla-khar stands
Sitling-gonpa, the largest monastery in lluudes, and iu)ti'd throughout Tibet and
Nepal for its immense wealth.
The ITpper Indus basin, like tliat of the Satlaj, is almost uninhabited. Yet
'^■sM'
'ii^^-?^i^-»'W^mmm^^!wmmi^x^m^?:!g!^gm^smim^S:, ■
:1 1111(1 stniiiy;
lniin|H'tH lor
s l)iii'i('
MONASTIiKY AT SlilOATZ*.
"~'mw^rmmm!^''smmismssmm^^mmm^-'"
h
TOrOGRAPUY.
51
bore is the temporary capital of the south-wcstorn province of Tibet, (Itnrtoh, on ibe
CJartung. The name means " Ilijjb Market," and tbe place probably contains tbo
most elevated hay market in the world. In Au00 feet above
the sea, or nearly 650 feet above Mont Blanc, in an atmosphere scarcely half as
dense as that on the surface of the ocean. Yet it is chiefly frequented in winter,
when as many as six hundred tents of miners are hidden away in deep hollows,
above which nothing is visible except their cones of black hair. In summer their
number is reduced by one-half, because the neighbouring springs then become so
sidino that the water is unpotable until purified by the freezing process. In this
part of the plateau salt and borax are everywhere found by merely digging up the
surface. The other gold-workings are less productive than those of Tok-j-alung,
and according to Nain Singh none of them, except Tok-daurakpa, lying much
farther east, possess any economic importance. The annual yield of all the mines
in West Tibet is only about £8,000, which is forwarded to India through Gartok.
In the Tsangbo valley the highest inhabited points are either the convents or
the postal stations. Here the cold is too intense to allow any permanently
occupied villages to be formed. Yet real towns begin to appear in the valley at
more than double the elevation of the Simplon and Gothard. Tadiim, capital of
the Dogthol district, is 14,000, and Jauglachvh, at the junction of the two Nepal
routes from Kirong and Nilam, 13,850 feet above the sea. Shigaize, or Digarchi,
capital of the province of Tsang, lies at a relatively lower altitude in the side
valley of the Penang-chu, 11,730 feet high. Above it are the houses and temples
of Tasbi-lumpo, or " Exalted Glory," residence of the Tashi-lama, Teshu-lama, or
Panchen-rimbocheh ; that is, the " Jewel of Intelligence." The walls of the holy
city have a circuit of nearly a mile and a quarter, and enclose over three hundred
edifices grouped round the palace and sacred monuments. From 3,000 to 4,000
lamas occupy the monastery, whose gilded belfries and red walls tower above the
mean houses of the lower town.
Most of the other towns in this region also consist of low dwellings commanded
I't'.i
63
EAST ASIA.
mi
liy inii«ijiiilic<>iit huildiiififs, which tiro palaces, fortresses, tenipU's, and moiiasterios
all ill oil*?. Such are, on the nortli side of tlie Tsaiijj; valley, liie towns of Xnnilinii,
or " Heavenly Garden," and Sli(ikiit-J(nuj, south-west of Shij^ratze, near the Sikkini
frontier, (ri/rinyh, south-east, of Shif^atze, is an iiiiiKn'tnnt town, as the centre of
trade with Nepal and a nianufacturiiio, T'oniiiho, or C/idiiiutn ; that is, " Two
lloutes," a nanu' indicatinji; its position at the junction of the two head-streams of
the Lantzan-kian' little land, and possessin nothinj>' beyond its flocks and a few.
unimpurtunt industries, Tibet could scarcely enjoy much intercourse with foreign
Fiff. 20.— Trade Rovtes of Tiiiet.
Scale 1 : 'Ji.OiJd.OOO.
Trade Routes.
10,000 to lO.cWO Feet.
16,6(10 imd iipwiuds,
— ^_ 600 MilcH.
Riiilways.
lands, even were it not enclosed bj' a barrier of political and commercial obstacles.
]\Iuch of the abundant raw material is required for the local looms, which produce
cloth of every kind from the coarsest to the very softest quality. The red chrti, or
■piilii, intended for prelates, is a fine, stout fabric, which commands high prices in
China and Mongolia. Most of the natives of both sexes are skilful knitters, and in
this way prepare all the clothing they require. Next to these domestic industries
they occupy themselves chiefly with those connected with the service of the temples
and monasteries. Their artists display great skill in modelling the statuettes, arti-
-^,:" V i'^^^?;cR< .:=j^^|g5iiii«S^Sr^Sl^S^gi^
^2^m
TRADE AND TRADE ROUTES.
05
\ fruits, spices,
in Tibet.
tut the narrow
administrative
that is, " Two
licad-stri-auis of
a uiouasti'ry of
or Merkau). on
sprinj^s on the
»cks and a few.
•8c with foreign
ilwnys.
ercial obstacles,
which produce
riie red vhni, or
i high prices in
knitters, and in
lestic industries
3 of the temples
statuettes, arti-
ficial flowers, ornaiuents in hiittcr placed before th»> idols, wliile numerous hand^
are employed in preparing the incense sticks burnt in lionourof tlu' gods and genii.
Notwithstanding their simple tastes and frugal lives, the Tilietans still need
some foreign wares, of which the most indispensable is tea, the ti-ade in wliiih was
till recently monopolized by China. Tea, even more than aims, has been the
instrument by wliich the Chinese have contpiered the c(mntry, and " to invite the
lamas to a cup of tea" has become a proverbial expression, indicating the nu'ans
emph>yed by the Mandarins to bribe the Tilietan rulers. Jleuce the care taken by
the Imperial Government to prevent tlie introduction of the Assam tea, which, in
any case, is less csteenu>d than that of China. Still the natives of the independent
state of Pomi have preserved their right to free trade with India, whence they
import the ])roliibited article in yearly increasing (piantities. The annual ini])orta-
tion from Chimi is estimated by Haber at about 10,000,000 lbs., representing from
£;300,ooo to i;;}.jO,ooo.
The exchanges with India are at present quite insignificant, and the little
received from that country comes mainly through Nei)al and Kashmir. The
ex])orts to India arc ten tinu\s in excess of the imports, the chief item being the
costly wools, which ultimately rea(;h the manufacturing towns of Yorkshire.
There is thus a constant flow of rui)ees into Tibet, where this coin is gradually
replacing the "bricks of tea" hitherto used as currency. Needles also are much
used in i)etty dealings, and ingots of silver in wholesale transactions.
The Tibetans are born traders, dealing indifferently in anything that may oiler
a chance of turning "an honest penny." Every house is a shop, every lamassary
a warehouse. The monasteries have all their (jarpM, or chief agent, under whom
are a host of employes and pack animals. Caravans of yaks and sheep heavily
laden cross the country in all directions, although the great highway is the route
leading from Lassa through Tatsienlu and Sechuen to the heart of China. Another
route to China runs from Lassa north-eastwards across Mongolia, wliile several
roads lead southwards to Assam and Bhutan, south-westwards to Nepal, westwards
to Leh and Kashmir. This last, probably the most important for the European
trade, is traversed by caravans of silks, shawls, saffron, and other wares, leaving
Leh in April and reaching Lassa the following January. At Gartok, Lake
Mansaraur, Shigatz^, and other stations along the route, fairs are held, often
lasting several weeks. After an absence of about eighteen months the caravan
re-enters Leh with tea, wool, turquoises from the Kuen-lun, borax, &c. The
disti-icts through which it passes arc bound to supply it gratuitously with two
hmidred yaks as beasts of burden, besides provisions for the travellers. Along the
southern frontier the Himalayan passes are every year formally opened for traflfic
by proclamation of the nearest local Tibetan dzoiif/poii, or governor. In case of
war, disturbances, or cholera in India, they are kept closed pending instructions
from the central Government at Lassa. Nearly all the profit of this foreign trade
goes to the monasteries, which, by monopolies and usury, swallow up all the savings
of the country. Thus, notwithstanding its natural poverty, Tibet supports in
wealth and luxury a whole nation of monks.
50
KAST ASIA.
Ai)MixisTnATi(i\ — Pkxai. Com: — Posiai, Skiivick.
Till' TilK'tiiM (lovcniiucnf is in tlicnrv ii [mic flicocnitv. The Diilai-lainn,
ciilltil nlso the ( iyiill)ii-n«ml)t»cli(', " Jnwcl of Maji'sty," or " Sovoroi^u TiTasuiv,"
is at oiicc <,ro(l and kiiiy:, iiiaslcr of the life and I'drtuiics dl' his snhjccts, with no
limit t ) Ills |Mi\\rr (-xccpt liis »»\vn ph'asnrc. Nevi'rthi>U«ss ho consents to he );iii(h'(l
in onlinarv niattcis l»y tho ohl usages, wliili- his very jfroatncss jji-cvcnts him liom
directly upprcssinj^ his pcoph*. His splicrc oi' action hi'in<|; rest lifted to spii-itnal
matters, he is represented in the a(hninistration hy a viceroy, chosen by the
I'lmjHMor in a supreme conncil (tf three liif;;h priests. This is the Noniakhan, or
(lyalhd, wlio acts either directly, or throu<;h I'oiir ministers (Kastaksor Kalons),
and sixteen inferior mandarins. Tho other functionaries are selected hy the
ministers almost e.xeliisively from the lamas.
Hut hehindtliis machinery Jire on(> or more Kirichai, or Amban, fhincso agents,
wlio control the liij^h oHicials, and onwiMfjfhty occasions convey to them the phnisnre
ivo a yeaily subvention from Peking, and all the Tibetan
mandarins wear on their hats tho button, or distinctive sign of the dignities
conferred by the empire. Kv(>ry third or fifth year a solonni end)assy is sent to
Peking witli rich presents, receiving others in exchange from the " Son of Heaven."
The (irand liama's treasury is yearly increased by a siun of £10,000, which can be
touched only in case of war.
The rate of taxation depends rather on custom and tlie mandarins than on any
tixed laws. The whole land belongs to the Dalai-lama, the people being merely
temporary occupants, tolerated by the real owner. The very houses and furniture
and all movable ])roi)erty are held in tiust for the supreme master, whose subjects
must be grateful if he takes a portion only for the requirements of the administra-
ticm. One of tho most ordinary sentences, in fact, is wholesale confiscation, when
the condemned must leave house and lands, betaking themselves to a camp life, and
living by begging in tho districts assigned to them. So numerous are these chony-
loiKj, or official mendicants, that they form a distinct class in tho State. In the
courts oven tho inferior mandarins may have recourse to torture, and sentence to
the rod, fines, or imprisonment. The higher authorities condemn to exile, amputa-
tion of hands and feet, gouging out of the eyes, and death. But, as faithful
discipl(!s of Puddha, the lamas refrain from " killing " their subjects, only leaving
mmmmmm^^mm^^^i^mmm^mmsm:''
-.-•*.
ADMIXISTRATION— I'ENAL CODE— POSTAL SERVICE.
67
[> Daliii-lainn,
'11 ft
<;n I iTiisurc,
ijccts, witli no
s t(» lie <7\ii(U'(l
•uts liiiii i'loin
I'd to spirituul
liosi'ii by tlu'
Xdiiiiikliiiii, or
ks or Kiiloiis),
iectt'd by the
hinoso ngpnts,
11 tbo plciisiiro
wod by till bis
bo referred to
All the civil
tbe denlb, or,
iul'iint. Tben
I'ok in ])niyer
'lection is still
D conclave the
Dr of the land,
I'ope, viceroy,
the Tibetun
the dignities
issy is sent to
n of Heaven."
which can be
IS than on any
being merely
and furniture
ivhose subjects
lie adininistra-
iscation, when
camp life, and
'o these chong-
>tate. In the
id sentence to
exile, amputa-
it, as faithful
s, only leaving
them to perish of himger. With every new year the office of jurn Tian-shan route of Zunj^aria, has at least the advantage of
precision, whereas " Kash<;aria," the nanu! lately current in Europe, has no ritinon
Wvh'r since the collapse of the independent state founded by Ya>'vub of Kashfj;ar.
In the same way the expression " Kinjj^dom of Khotan " fell into disuse alter the
city of Khotun had ceased to be the cajntal. The term "liittle Bokhara," still in
use some thirty years ago, pointed at the former religious ascendancy of Bolchara,
but is now all the less appropriate that Bokhara itself has yielded the supremacy
to Tashkent, Lastly, the exj)ressions Eastern Turkestan and Chinese Turkestan
are still applicable, because the inhabitants are of Turki speech, while the Chinese
have again brought the country under subjection.
PkOOIIKSS ()!•' DiSCOVKRV.
Although till about the middle of this century it had fallen into almost total
oblivion, Chinese Turkestan at all times possessed great importance as a high-
way of migration or trade between Eastern Asia and the Aralo-Caspian basin.
Greek and Chinese traders met on the great " Silk lloutc," which passed, this way,
^M^^mm^'''s^^^ms'm^mm^^^m^^: -■mr
lent inlaiul sea
bears a great
I, Arongol, and
vliich, with the
ed eacli in its
t' their eountry
: Jiti-shahr, or
I sweeping in a
enn Tian-shan
han Pe-lu, or
advantage of
?, ha.s no rtiitton
ih of Kashgar.
lisuse after the
khara," still in
py of Bolvhara,
the supremacy
iiesc Turkestan
lilc the Chinese
ito almost total
nee as a high-
■Caspian basin,
iissed this way.
iii
i-rf!r--.Ti«e>B
9(«'M|r I In iM Ml otto
ii." >- '• I,.. „it.i I
mi
%■■'■
ms
..A..
.■Ml
Mil
u
;^
o
u
p
a.
i
E-
E-<
U
EC
m
^s:^~^ ' ■ •^ V ^m u mW'ttMi m n t-U
MirtaMMMMtw
...
0!i^
inn
I'iadiii
Ill
PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY.
60
while Biulflliist missionaries, Arab dealers, the great Venetian, ^larco Polo, fol-
lowed by other European travellers in inediieval times, hud all to tarry in the oases
of Chinese Turkestan on their long journeys across the continent. IJut so for-
gotten were the old accounts, that the depression watered by the Tarim was sup-
posed, eighty years ago, to form part of the vast " plateau of Tatary," which was
thought to occupy all the interior of the continent. The general form of this
great cavit}' remained unknown till again revealed to Europe by the study of the
Chinese documents relating to the Tian-shan Nan-lu.
Adol])h Schlagintweit was the first European that reached the Tarim basin
from India in the present century. In 1857 he crossed the Karakorum, thence
descending to the plains and pushing on to Kashgar, only to be assassinated by
EMg. 21. — Itinehauies of the Tian-shan Na.n-lu.
Scale 1 : 16,360,000.
tcPr,
s^J^>
^
6,600 to 13,000 Feet.
H'wen Tsnig.
Mbtco Pdlo.
SdilnBiiitweit.
Valikhanov.
Johnaon.
l;i,000 and upwanls.
(iKteu Sacken.
ForByth. —i
Venyukov. ...
Gordon. —
Regel. —
800 MilcB.
Kuropatkin.
Scveitzov.
FrjevalBky.
Kttulbars.
P'lstul Route.
order of the ruling prince, Vali Khan. Thus were lost to science all his labours,
notes, and collections. Eight years afterwards Johnson visited Khotan and the
surrounding deserts, and this was the first of the English expeditions inspired by
the commercial and political rivalries of England and Russia. In 1868 Shaw
undertook the exploration of the trade routes down to the plains, while Ilayward
received from the London Geographical Society the mission to survey the plateau
regions. Ilayward shared the fate of Schlagintweit, but Shaw succeeded in col-
lecting nmch information on the trade of the country, and soon after accompanied
the famous embassy to Yakub, sovereign of Kashgaria. Forsyth, the head of the
mission, got no farther than Yarkand, but he returned three years afterwards with
a more numerous staff of explorers, amongst whom were Gordon, Biddulph, Trotter,
,„^ ^trtfrt"****™*.-*-*
-^ .-..lii rt W R * '
.■^— '■- ■ 4i ^ l'*'^".^*
I'-'
60
EAST ASIA.
fi>"ik 51 (
l)«
'Si(
Chnpinan, Bellow, StoHczka. The fortilo rof»ion of the plains was now visited in
every direction, while farther west the " Roof of the World " was reached from
the Upper ( )xus valleys.
Nor were the Russians on their ])art idle. Valikhanov in 1858, and Osten
Sackon in 18(57, had crossed the Tiiin-sluin, thence descending; from the north
down to the Kash
B
<
i
ii^
Ill
THE YARKAND AND KASIIOAB.
Gl
conp^oaled on the surfiioo, and to a height of 17,000 feet hot springs are found
encircled hy de])osits of lime and an outer rim of frozen water. For spaces several
squiire miles in extent the ground is pierced by little funnel-shaped fissures
4 feet dee]) and 8 in diameter, and nearly all quite regular. After the rains
some of these funnels throw up masses of mud and even boiling water. Lower
down the banks of the Kara-kash are broken by similar fissures, but with a saline
(Tust round the upper edge. These connnunicate with the river, whieli ills during
the frosty nights and rises during the diiy from the melting of the snows and ice.
The funnels are thus alternately filled and emptied every twenty-four hours, the
salt water of the Kara-kash leaving a saline deposit each time on the surface.
West of the Lower Kara-kash follow several streams which are lost in the
sauds or in the Yashil-kul swamp,!, separated by a ridgo of dunes from the Kara-
Fig. 22. — The Tian-8]UN Nan-lu, fhom a Chinese Map.
iS' ff ' ' Toupfaif -V ♦Hami
l.eh nof
/^ara Aou/
J^^^^*'^^^<.;^Acrn^ M0«a-f|^
'^^'1^?^^'^^^ ■ '-^-^^v^s^^^?
kash. These streams rise on the outer spurs of the Kuen-lun, which are covered
to a height of 11,000 feet with an argillaceous soil, probably of glacial origin. The
main route from India to Chinese Turkestan leads through the Sanju Pass (16,800
feet) over these mountains, thereby avoiding the great bend described by the Kara-
kash towards the north-east after emerging on the plaina.
The Yarkand and Kasiigar.
In the south-west comer of Chinese Turkestan rises the Yarkand-daria, also often
called the Zarafshan, or " Auriferous," the longest, and probably the most copious,
of all the Tarim affluents. Over one-fourth of the whole population are concen-
m
02
EAST ASIA.
Ill'*'
trntod alonj? tlio banks of this fcrtilisinfi; stroimi, whoso alhiviiil deposits nrc fur
more precious tliun its j^ohh'ii sniuls. Its furthest souree is on the Kurukonun
Pass (17, ')()<) feet), wliere u ridge a few yards wide separates the Tariin and Indus
basins. Flowin first north-west, parallel with all the ranp;es of this oro<,'raphic
Rj'stein, it is soon swollen hy the numerous feeders sent down from the snows and
glaciers of the Da psang and other peaks, rivalling those of the Ilimahiyas them-
selves in height and grandeur. Hence the Yarkand is already a large stream when
it reaches the plains ; but hero its volume is rapidly diminished by evaporation and
the extensive irrigation works developed along its banks. Nevertheless, during
the floods, the main branch is still 400 or 500 feet broad, and nowhere fordable at
the city of Yarkand.
None of the streams flowing to the Tarim from the Pamir are of any size. The
mountains where they have their source rise immediately west of the plain, leaving
little space for the development of large rivers. These mountains, the Tsung-ling,
or " Onion Mountains " of the Chinese, are the advanced projections of the" Central
Asiatic nucleus, here dominated by the imposing peak of Tagharma. They skirt
the eastern edge of the Pamir, which is far more abrupt than the opposite side
facing the Oxus basin. Of all the streams flowing from these highlands eastwards
the Kashgar-daria alone reaches the Yarkand-daria. Its chief head-stream is one
of the two Kizil-su (" Red Waters"), flowing one to the Aral, the other to the
Tarim basin. The mountains of the Eastern Pamir arc themselves often called
Kizil-art, Kizil-tagh, or " Red Mountains."
,Si
m
The Tarim.
The Khotan and Yarkand, swollen by the Kashgar, unite with the Ak-su, which
is itself joined by the Taushkan-daria from the Tian-shan, and by the junction of
all these streams is formed the Tarim (Tarim-gol), the Oechardes of the Greek
geographers. Rut the terra Tarim is little used by the natives, who, according to
Prjevalsky, still call the united stream the Yarkand-daria. Rivalling the
Danube in length, the Tarim, unlike that river, diminishes in size as it approaches
its mouth, although still fed by other tributaries from the north. East of the
Kok-su, which flows to Lake Baba, the Khaidu-gol,* descending from the Yulduz
steppes, has sufficient volume to reach the Tarim, traversing on the way the large
and deep lacustrine basin variously known as the Bogla-nor, Bostan-nor, Bagarash-
kul, Karashar-kul, or simply the Denghiz, or " Sea." The Khaidin-kua, orKonche-
daria, as the outlet of this lake is called, flows through a narrow gorge in the
Kuruk-tagh range, which was formerly defended by strong fortifications, and is
still guarded by mud forts.
m
m
LOB-NOR.
After receiving the Konche-daria, the velocity of the Tarim is gradually dimi-
nished as it approaches the deepest portion of the Tian-shan Nan-lu depression. Near
* On most maps t/iU and i/iil aro wrongly "sod Bynonymoualy. (rol is tho Mongolian word for " river,"
whereas gnl is a Turki word meaning lake; hence equivalent to kul.
-„ A
LOB-NOK.
68
losits nro far
Kurukoruin
I atul Indus
s ()ruj,'nn)luc
snows and
Liyus thcni-
Htream when
[)()ratiou and
[?loss, during
! fordablc at
;y size. The
lain, leaving
Tsung-ling,
: the' Central
They skirt
opposite side
ds eastwards
ream is one
Dther to the
often called
\.k-su, which
junction of
if the Greek
according to
ivalling the
fc approaches
East of the
1 the Yulduz
ay the large
)r, Bagarash-
1, or Konche-
gorge in the
itions, and is
idually dimi-
'ession. Near
•ord for "river,"
the village of Abdalli, close to its mouth in Lob-nor, it is little more than 2 feet
per second, and the diseharge may hero bo estimated at nhoiit '^',700 cubic IVct. At
Abdalli the Tariiii emerges from the reedy swamps of Lake Kani-buran, or" Mhick
Stonn," which behmgs to the Ijob-nor system, Mut here it is again divided into a
number of natural and artificial canals, beyond which it disappears in a btrcst of
reeds even more dense and taller thaji those of the Kara-buran, rising to a height
of over '20 feet above the surface, and partly concealing from view tiie Chok-kul
(Great Lake), or Kara-kurchin, which jointly with the Kara-buran forms the great
reservoir commonly known as the Lob-nor. The eastern section covers an area of
perhaps 800 square miles ; but it is mostly little more than a lagoon or Hooded
morass, with a mean depth of scarcely more than 7 feet ahmg its southern or more
elevated bank. Even in the centre a few fishing villages lie hidden amid the
Fig. 23. — Lake Kakashar.
Ronle 1 : 1,230,000.
SOMUes.
dense reeds overgrowing a strip of land which here rises above the surface. These
villages are thus protected from the fierce gales from the east and north-east,
which sweep the lake and open plains, especially in spring, and which cause the
water to flood the flat shores of the Kara-buran for a 82iace of 10 or 12 miles ;
hence its expressive name, the " Black Storm."
Lake Lob is evidently a mere remnant of the ancient " Mediterranean " men-
tioned in legend and historic records, and traces of which are clearly detected
throughout the whole Tarim depression eastwards to the Mongolian plateaux. The
researches of Richthofcn enable us accurately to define the contours of what was
once the Si-hai, or " Western Sea," and what is now the " Ilan-hai," or " Dried-up
Sea," of the Chinese. This ancient sea, running parallel with the Tian-shan and
Kuen-lun, is now known to have covered an area of over 800,000 square miles,
with a depth of at least 3,000 feet in its lowest depression ; that is, v here the
giiiB>>£«K W '. i* *" '«^'- -
.,iS
64
KAflT ASIA.
Loh-nor is now fdtmd. Kvcn at tln> dawn of liistory real inlurul scmh M\\l Murvivrd
in this rofjion, and the Tian-shan Naii-lu and Tian-shan I'c-lu on fiil.cr sidt- of thu
oastom oxtromity of i\w Tian-wlian ranpo had both of thorn their vast hioustrino
basin, now roprosontod by tho Hinall lakes scattered over thophiiiis. The unanimous
tradition of tho natives, lM)th in lOastern Turkestan and West (^hina, speaks of tho
grathial exhatistion of tlu^so lakes, and tho disap])earancc of the waters may have
possibly suggcstwl the idea of an underj^'round channel, ]M)j)ularly sup])osed to
convey tho outflow of Loh-nor to the sources of tho Jloang-ho, !0,U(JO feet
higher up.
It is very remarkable that tho gradual desiccation of I^ob-nor has not rendered
it completely saline, like most of tho other lakes scattered over the old marine
basin. Its water is at present fresh and sweet, und according to tho local accounts
Fig. 24. — Loii-NOB.
ArmrdinR to Prjevnlfky. Boale 1 : 2,fl80,000.
to..
40°
*sjjr'i * Ka ra' k o uft h i n
•j^i^t
r
/foym-tm^
■^r~--^ —
'^ R>,;^iYToh«rkhal?k
flofG
. 60 Milea.
it gradually diminished in volume towards the middle of the present century, again
increasing about the year 1870. Like the Tarim, it abounds in fish of two species,
which the iiatives take by moans of artificial canals and reservoirs. During the
floods tho fish penetrate into these reservoirs, whore they are easily captured after
the subsidence of the waters.
The Takla-makax Desert.
Although the extent of the desert and waste tracts in Chinese Turkestan has
not yet been accurately determined, there can be no doubt that they are vastly in
excess of the cultivated and inhabited lands. These are nearly everywhere limited
to a narrow strip of a few thousand j'ards at most along the river banks, bej'ond
which the still unexplored wilderness stretches uninterruptedly beyond the horizon.
Here we already enter the Gobi, although it is unknown by this name in Eastern
THE TAKLA-MAKAN DESERT.
05
II Hurvivwl
nidi- of the
lucuHtrino
uiitiniinoUH
■iikn of tlio
limy liuvo
upposod to
0,000 feet
it rendered
old marine
ml accounts
40°
ntury, again
two species,
During the
ptured after
iirkestan has
ire vastly in
here limited
inks, beyond
the horizon,
le iu Eastern
Turkestan, l)oiiif the Tariiii from
the true Mongolian deserts. North of Kliotan and east of the Kliotan-daria the
sandy region takes the Turki name of Takla-iiiakan. Here the dunes advancing
like the ocean waves are exiM)sed to tlie full fury of the northern Musts, l»y which
they are raised to heights of from '2(H) to 400 feet. West of the Khotiin-diiria,
however, they are merely shifting hillocks or mounds, mostly from 10 to 'JO feet
high, all drifting south-eastwards. Hut even here some rise to 100 feet and
upwards, forming regular crescents, with the horns projecting on either side
beyond the central mass. The proximity of the desert is announced in the oasis,
and uj) to the very foot of the Kuen-lun and Pamir ranges by the fine particles of
dust whirling in the air, and often clouding the azure sky. The sun is not distinctly
visible for some hours after dawn, and when the east winds prevail it remains at
times overcast throughout the day. Then the lamps arc lit in the houses at noon,
as in Lomhm during the winter fogs. When driven in dense masses before the
storm, the sands are as disastrous to the eultivatec^ lands as they are beneficial
when they fall imperceptibly in the form of an impalpable dust. To these sands
of the desert the natives thus, not without n, attribute at once ttic gradual
ruin of their country and the temporary alii, nuio of their crops.
Not all the Turkestan wastes are covered with dunes, which are chiefly concen-
trated in the south and south-west under the action of the northern winds. Some
of the desert tracts are true steppes, like those of the Aral basin, yellow or reddish
rolling lands following each other with the uniformity of waves under a steady
breeze. In the distance white rocks worn by the sands stand out like ruined
buildings, while saline incrustations cover the beds of ancient lakes.
At the foot of the Kueu-lun stretch vast stony wastes, and the old Chinese
records speak with horror of all these " rivers of sand " and rocky plains. The
wilderness stretching east of Lob-nor is haunted by winged dragons and evil
genii. Hero the path is traced only by bleached bones ; the voice of the sands
mocks the wayfarer or fills him with vague fears, now singing, now moaning, or
muttering like distant thunder, or uttering shrill, hissing sounds, as if the air were
alive with invisible demons. Much of this may be due to the fevered fancy of
travellers ; but the Eastern Turkestan dunes may also re-echo with that •' music of
the sands " spoken of by explorers in Sinai, Afghanistan, Peru, and by many
naturalists on the seashore. The same voice of the burning sands is mentioned by
the traveller Lenz during his recent visit to Timbuktu.
During the prosperous days of the kingdom of Khotan the sandy wastes were
far less extensive than at present, although even then the cultivated tracts were
hemmed in by the surrounding desert. A great river is mentioned as flowing
towards the north-west, to the west of Khotan, but which has now completelj'
disappeared. In the north-east also the inhabitants of a city called Ilo-lao-lo-kia,
rejecting a message from heaven, were condemned, according to the legend, to
perish under a rain of sand. Elsewhere another tradition speaks of 3G0 cities
swallowed up in a single day by the sands of the Takla-makan. Certain shepherds,
we are told, know the sites of these cities, but keep the secret in order to enrich
..^Mt^
m
''Mi
'4
06
KAST ASIA.
tlicmwIvcH with lln- nM j<;ohl orn liueiitw like thow
Ntill worn liy tlie iliuilu women, are l're(|uently piiked up. The ruiM> of another
city near Kiria yielded ima^'es of Ituddha and a clay Nliitiiette of the ape
llanunian. Thanks to its almost rainless climate nnd dry air, the ruins of Chinese
Turkestan last for loii^ a;;es, and walls of adolte are still seen just as fhoy hUwhI
when dismantletl some eij,'ht hundred years u^o. The samls also help to preserve)
the Ituildiiif^s, and when a shifting; dune reveals stane old edilice, it is ^enenilly
found in the Hiunu stuto uh when ii/i(n iliivrxijolio sper'ies, presenting, as indicated
hy its lM)tanical name, a j^reat variety in tho form and \av cd' its leavcH. The very
sap of these plants is saline, and in their shade the ground is (piitc bare, covered
either with ;,'r<'y sand oi a white elHorescence.
Thanks to their irr _,ation works, tho natives have developed u cultivated flora
relatively far richer than the wihl growths. The hamlets are shaded with clu.sters
of walnut.s, and all the gardens in fh • Kliotaii and Varkand districts have their
mulberry ph)ts. Tho pear, apple ; < i'^h. it.ricot, olive, and trailing vine inter-
twine their branches in the orchard ;, ,1 :'ii vield excellent fruits, while abundant
crops of maize, milh*, barley, v , v;il, rice, cotton, hemp, and melons are raised
round about the villages, which no often buried in u den.se vegetation of almost
tropical luxuriance.
On the bank.s of the Tarim and its affluents the species of wild fauna arc even
less numerous than those of the wild flora. IJcsides the wild boar and hare quadru-
peds are rare, although the tiger, panther, lynx, wolf, fox, and otter are met in
the thickets along the river banks, while the mural deer and antelope keep to tho
open plains. None of the mamnnds and two species only of birds are peculiar to
this region. Prjevalsky enumerates forty-eight species of avifauna altogether, but
in .s2)ring and autunni Lake Ijob is visited by millions of birds of passage, which
here find a convenient resting-place cm their weary flights between Southern Asia
and Siberia. They arrive in a thoroughly exhausted state, and it is noteworthy
that they come, not from tho south, but from the south-west, thus avoiding the
bleak plateaux of Tibet.
It was in the neighbourhood of Lake Lob that Prjevalsky saw a wilu camel,
un animal who.se existence had been doid)trd by most naturalists, although (con-
stantly mentioned in the Chinese records and spoken of by the natives of Turkestan
Ill tlic niiiH.
M' III Klmtmi,
its likf lli(iM>
IS of lllKltllCI'
of the ii|>*>
HM of ('liint'NC
lis flicy HttMMl
l|) fo jm'MiTVc
I is gciK'niUy
spocios. The
111 tall ii(]iiatio
1 1 olive, some
k'nu'iits ill the
^alii'Ut foaturo
^, as indicated
es. Tlu! very
bare, covered
ultivated flora
[ with clusters
lets have their
if^ vine iuter-
hile ahundunt
)ns arc raised
ion of almost
auna are even
I hare quadru-
;er are met in
e keep to the
re peculiar to
ilto..
i l rl i frnK- ' - ■-
- ■ ' . * ^ !< a iW ^ Li-HJ.-. » U ! >j ' Ui
f
IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)
V
■
1.0
1.1
12.2
:^ pi£ mil 2.0
u
Hi u
Hiuu
L25 iU 11.6
— 6"
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Sciences
Corporation
23 WEST KiAIN STREET
WEBSTER, N.Y. M5S0
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Series.
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Canadian Inalltuta for Hittorlcal Microreproductioni / Inatitut Canadian da mlcroraproductlona hiatorlquaa
.A-
INIIABITANTS-THE KASHGARIANS.
67
and Monj^olia to all recent travellers. It is at present met chiefly east of Loh-nor,
in the sandy Kumtug deserts, and less frequently about the Lower Tarim and
Cherchen-daria, and on the Altin-tagh uplands, in company with the yak and wild
ass. Very numerous twenty years ago, they have become somewhat rare since the
Lob hunters have begun to pursue them into the desert. They are extremely Mary,
and scent the enemy several niiles off under the wind. They are distinguished
by some anatomical features from the domestic animal, and the two varieties differ
also in size and the colour of their coats. AH the wild camels are small compared
with the giants of the caravans, and it is on the whole more probable that they
represent the original stock than that they descend from individuals of the tamo
species which have escaped to the desert.
Most of the traffic is carried on by means of horses of large size imported from
Ferghana, while the small, hardy, and vigorous breed used as mounts come chiefly
from the Southern Tian-shan valley.s, and especially the Ak-su district. Owing to
the great heat the yak could scarcely live on the plains, and this animal is imported
only for the shambles of the Turkestan cities. The sheep and goats tended by the
Kirghiz nomads on the slopes of the Tian-shan and Pamir are of the same species
as those of Tibet, and are equally noted for their delicate fleece. According to
Shaw the best wool in the world comes not from Tibet, but from Turfan.
Inhabitants — The Kashgarians.
The peoples of the Tarim basin are evidently a very mixed race. Old geogra-
phical names and many facts mentioned in the Chinese records show that at least a
portion of the inhabitants are of Aryan stock. The legendary heroes of the
country are the same Iranian heroes, " Rustan and Afrasiab," Avhose exploits are
associated with the gorges, precipices, and other natural wonders of the land. They
are the Charlemagnes, the Rolands, and Arthurs of Central Asia, and even in the
legends of Chinese Turkestan their names recur more frequently than that of
Alexander himself, the " Hazret Sikander," supposed to have conquered China in
order to propagate Islam in that region. At present the only tribes of undoubted
Iranian stock are the Galchas, akin to those of the Upper Oxus valleys. Like
them, they are a fine race, of symmetrical build, frank and upright in their deal-
ings, still worshippers of fire and the sun. Although scattered in small groups
amongst the Kirghiz of Turki speech, many still preserve the old language, and
Persian is still current in the Upper Sarikol valley, over 700 miles from the frontier
of Irania. But the little Aryan community of this upland region recently
threatened to disappear, Yakub Khan having forcibly removed them to the Kashgar
district. Even amongst the Turki people of the plains many traits recall the
regular Aryan type. Europeans who have visited Yarkand were struck by the
resemblance of many natives to the English in their regular features and florid
complexion. They had well- furnished beards, although men of pure Turki stock
are mostly beardless.
But such is the mixture of races in this region that Persians, Tibetans, Arabs,
1^
f
SMliH
«au
G8
EAST ASIA.
Kirj?lnz, Kalmuks, every variety of Mongols unci Tatars as well as Hindus and
Cliinese, are represented in their erossinj^s with the Sartes, or Taranchi, of Eastern
Turkestan. F-ven in the whoh>sale niassaeres, such as those of ISO?}, 1H77, and
1S7S, when the inliabitants of whole cities were exterminated, the hatred of
oppressor and oj)i)ressed corresponds in appearance only with that of hostile races.
However the Kashgarians may have detested the very name of Chinese some years ago,
many people were none the less met in the streets bearing an unmistakable resemblance
to tlie natives of the " Middle Kingdom." The only real contrasts here observed
arc such as are caused, not by race, but by social habits, pursuits, or climate. The
two really distin(rt elements are the agricultural classes of the lowlands, whatever
may be their origin, and the Kirghiz or Kalmuk nomads of the upland pastures.
In the cultivated tracts the people designate each other not by ethnical names,
but by their native places, calling themselves Khokandi, Yarkandi, Kashgari,
Fig. 25.— Races op Chinese Tuekebtan.
Scale 1 : 1S,000,000.
18,000 and upwards.
aoOMUeik
Turfani, as the case may be. They have, nevertheless, a sort of collective patriotic
sentiment based on a community of political conditions and social habits.
Proceeding from the foot of the Karakorum north-eastwards, one observes a
gradual transition in the aspect of the people, Aryan features insensibly yielding to
the Mongol type. But all this intermingling has by no means resulted in a fine race.
In the Yarkand district every third person you meet suffers from goitre, and this
affection is quite as common in the plains as on the uplands. Ophthalmia is also
very prevalent, thanks to the dazzling glare of the sun, the dust, and fierce sand-
storms. . ■ .
The current speech differs little from the Turki dialect of Tashkent, the chief
differences arising from the use of Chinese words and of some Kirghiz expressions,
li'.....
t^
ROUTES AND PASSES.
60
Hindus and
li, of Kustoru
ii;{, 1H77, and
ao hatred of
hostile races.
)nie years ago,
e reseinhhmce
lere ohserved
)liuiate. The
lids, whatever
id pastures,
hnical names,
di, Kashgari,
f/
ti.2-
f/fOf
ictive patriotic
jits.
»ne observes a
)ly yielding to
in a fine race,
•oitre, and this
thalinia is also
lid fierce sand-
ken t, the chief
iz expressions,
which seem to have found their way from Orenburg without leaving any trnco of
their passage in the Sir and Oxus basins. The East Turkestan dialect, which is
spoken with great uniformity throughout the Tarim basin, possesses no literary
importance. It boasts of neither jjoets nor prose writers, and even books are
extremely rare in the country.
The strangers here settled come mostly from Ferghana, and are collectively
known as Andijani, from the name of the old capital of Kokhand. Hindus arc
met only in the bazaars of the chief towns, but Kashmiri people are numerous, and
some Tibetan settlers from Haltistan raise tobacco and melons in the Yarkand
district. The Jews were till recently almost unknown in the country, Yakub, like
the Emir of Bokhara, having excluded them from his kingtlom. IJut since the
return of the Chinese numerous Jewish families have crossed the eastern slope of
the I*amir from Ilussian Turkestan. Under Yakub the law for strangers was,
" Islam or death," the Ealmuks alone being allowed to retain their Buddhist
fetishes. The Kashgarians entertain a great aversion for Christians of the
Catholic and Greek rites, who place images or statues in their churches. But they
regard the iconoclastic Protestants as Mohammedans of an inferior order, neglect-
ing the observances, but none the less forming part of the great family of Islam.
But with all their zeal the people are extremelj' immoral, and thousands have been
brutalistnl by the use of opium, or of utrshti, a mixture of an extract of hemp and
tobacco, which is highly intoxicating. Apart, however, from the tricks of trade,
robbery and theft are rare. When a pack animal strays from the caravan the load
is left on the spot while they go in search of it. In Yakub's time the method of
dealing with thieves was at once simple and summary : for the first offence a warn-
ing, for the second the bastinado, for the third loss of both hands, for the fourth
decapitation.
Chinese Turkestan is on the whole a poor country, although Shaw found it
superior to India as regards the well-being of the people. Yet the mud houses are
not even whitewashed, and the dust penetrates everywhere through the fissures.
Even in the large towns the remains of edifices are rarely seen embellished with
enamelled porcelain and arabesques, like those of Samarkand and Bokhara.
Industry seems to have declined, judging at least from the descriptions of the
Chinese records and the valuable treasures often brought to light from the debris
of old buildings buried under the sands. The chief local industries arc cotton,
silk, and woollen fabrics, carpets, boots, and saddlery. Notwithstanding the rich
•mineral deposits, most of the copper and iron wares are importe TUB SOUTHERN PlATEAVX.
AooordiDfr MIN1STUATIVK lUVKSIONS.
78
Another importimt fortross is Maraffids/ii, lying oiiHt of Kiislignr, noiir tho
junction of the Ki' 'hK'ir-chiriii luid Yiirkund-fhiriii, and ut the j unci ion of the
routes coiiiu'ctin)^ the cliief cities in the Tiirini hiisin. North-west of it the Hiutill
town of UH/i-tiir/iiii, with u garrison of lii.OOO men, guards the route Uuiding over
the lliidal I'ass (15,000 feet) to the Issik-kul vuUey. Hut the most important
place at the Houthern base of the Tian-shun is Ak-nu (" White Water "), a fortitied
town at the toot of a hhiff, formerly overlooking the Ak-su lliver, which now How8
nearly 10 miles farther west. Heyond .Ak-su, liiti, Knrlui, Kor/a, Kaiitsltar, and
all the other towns of Chinese Turkostuu lie ut some distance from the Tarim,
which hero flows through the heart of the desert over tiO miles south of the
Fig. 28.— Yaukand and Yanui-shahh.
Ponle 1 : .Vl,00O.
1. CoUege. 2. OiaBegidenoeoftbeKhaii. n. Magnzines. 4. Old Citadel.
_—i.^^^^_— ^^— . 8,300 Yards.
advanced spurs of the Tian-shan. They are all small places, with little trade or
industry.
Nor are there any towns on the Lower Tarim, or near Lake Lob, although the
ruins of ancient cities are here both numerous and extensive. The remains of a
place called Kok-nor He concealed amid the reeds of a river three days' journey
south-west of Lake liob, and contain a temple with an image, apparently, of
Buddha, still visited by the natives. They report that the statue and temple walls
are adorned with precious stones and ingots of gold and silver, which no one dares
to touch for fear of being struck dead by an invisible hand. The present " Tarimtzi,"
or inhabitants of the lake, reduced to a few hundred families, have nothing but
wretched reed hovels, with a few fishing boats and nets. The dead are laid on a
skiff, with another reversed above it to form a coflSn, and with them is placed half
a net to fish with in the other world, the second half being kept by the relatives in
memory of the departed.
88
74
KAHT ASIA.
A ri'iMirf IiikI Imipf Ixm'h current that oortaiii UuMriiun nootario« had taken refiij^o
(III llic l)aiikH III' llic 'I'iiriiM. itut I'rji'valsky has hIimwii that the re|M)rt wax
^nMiiHUess, iiikI that the 'rarimt/i, witli tlieir " Aryan " features, a.sin. It is ixaie tlie h'ss certain that
some UuNsian liaskohiiks foiintl tlieir way to thin dreary ^e^'ion in seareli of thu
marvellous " While Wiitt r," whieli eleans(>n of their sins all who hathe in it,
besides Heeurini,' for llieni all earthly happiness. A few yoiin^,' ni< ii first arrived to
erect hilts anil prepare the lields for the colony. Next year eaiiie the rest of the
iniiiii;;iiiiits with their families ; hut despairiii),' of lindins ten hir)j;e diNisionH, which, proceediiij^ from the
Hoiith-west, are: Kliotan, Yarkaiid, Yanj^i-hissar, Kash^ar, Ush-turfan, Ak-8U,
Mai, Kucha, ICorla, Karashar. Three military commandants reside ut Karashar,
Kliotan, and Yarkand, the last luimed lieinjjf also the seat of the ji;enerul admiiUH-
tratioii. Amongst all the cities, Hovon arc considerod as enjoy iiij? a special diji^nity,
apart alto;i;ethi'r from tlieir sizo and administrative rank. Kliotan, Yarkand,
Yaiif,'i-hissiir, Kashfjfar, Ush-turfan, Kucha, und Karusbur uro tUo mt'inbers of thid
Jiti-shuhr, or •'bcptupolis."
^
<^>h»-^Pi
"— - n ' H ill - 1- ■ ■ Hill lifcii i im n riffc
i
1(1 liikcji ivfupfo
tlii" itport wiiM
'M, «lil1'( its commercial relations
are far more im])ortant with the (jhinese province of Kansu than
with the valley of the Tsangho. A triple mountain barrier separates the Kiiku-
nor and Chuidam basins from tho inhabited regions of Tibet, whih' the mtturul
slopo of tho hind is towards tho north-west; that is, towards the Gobi and the
Mongolian domain. Nevertheless, this land of lofty plateaux, of closed basins and
difficult mountain ranges, can hardly be regarded us beh)nging to tho same natural
division us tho Gobi wastes, or the cultivated plains of Kansu. Hence it must
bo studied apart, as far us tho scanty geographical materials nuiy enable us to
do so.
Relief ok the Land.
East of Lake Lob the Altin-tagh and Chameu-tii;j:h ranges are interrupted by a
broad gup, through which tho Chaidani dei)ression merges in the plains of the
Lower Turim and Lob basin. Still further wist rise other ranges also belonging to
tho Kuen-lun system, and forming the advanced scarps of tho Tibetan plateaux.
These are the parallel chains between which the great rivers of East Tibet have
their source. Such are tho Muriu-ussu, which farther down becomes tho Kiusha-
kiang and Yung-tze-kiang ; the Lantzan-kiang, or Upper Mekhong; and the
mysterious Nup-chu, forming the boundary of Tibet proper, and supposed to be
identicul with the Lu-tze-kiung, or Upper Salwon. Tho ranges themselves, with
tho intervening vuUcys, run beyond the plateau north-west and south-east, parallel
with the Chttidum valley, which is continued on the one hand by that of the Lower
Tarim, on tho other by the lacustrine district where the Hoang-ho takes its rise.
It is thus easy to imderstand why the old Chinese geographers unanimouslj' assert
i:
W
^T"
76
EAST ASIA.
that the sources of the Yellow River arc the springs from the undergrownd waters
flowing from Tjako Ijob. The early travellers were unable to determine the general
inclination of the slopes between the Lob and the Iloang-ho. Yet tlic Chinese
maps, ])r()jo('ted in a reverse sense from ours, figure a rampart of mountains between
the " Stars," or lakelets, forming the source of the Iloang-ho, and the plains whose
central depression is occupied by Lake Lob.
Still the transverse depression of the Tarim and Iloang-ho is consistent with
the presence of northern mountain masses and ranges, which are connected with
the Tibetan plateau by an extremely irregular region, across which the Yellow
River forces its way through a series of formidable gorges. This highland system,
Fig. 29.— S0UUCB8 OP THE HOANO-HO, FllOM A CHINESE MaP.
which may be called that of the Kuku-nor from its central lake, is also intersected
by various affluents of the Hoaug-ho. In the north the Nan-shan range (Siwen-
shan, or Kilien-shan), running nearly west and east, forms the outer limit of the
Kuku-nor region above the plains of the Mongolian Kansu, thus apparently
prolonging the Altin-tagh east of the Chaidam gap. Towards the sources of the
Az-sind some of its crests rise above the snow-line, here fixed at about 14,000 feet.
South of the Xan-shan, which is dominated by the Konkir, one of the " amne,"
or sacred mountains, of the Tanguts, there rises another range, the Chetri-shan,
separating the valley of the Tatung-gol from the southern basin of the Kuku-nor.
Beyond this lake succeed other mountains, the Southern Kuku-nor system of
r^>wwMliillg»!i"iiiWHllit,it.m>aB»ii
OfcH^WliBli lN l,.^ ^
LAKE KUKU.
77
Tground waters
line the "fcneral
iTet the Chinese
intains between
lie plains whose
consistent with
connected with
ich the Yellow
[ghland system,
Prjcvalsky, which break into nunierouM ri(lfj;os, all aboiuulinp; in minerals. Hero
much gold was formerly collectctl ; but since the Dungan insurrection the washings
liave been abandcmed.
The opposite slopes of all these ranges present the same contrasts as do those
of the Tian-shan in Kulja, and those of the Altai in Siberia. Thus the Xan-sban
is well wooded on its northern Hank, whereas timber is very scarce on the opposite
side. Still the flora of this region is extremelj' vai'ied compared with that of the
northern steppes and southern plateaux. Forests of conifoi-s, billows, and red
birch, besides other trees elsewhere unknown, rise to an altitude of 10,000 feet.
Peculiar species of the rhododendron and honeysuckle are found in the under-
growth and on the alpine prairies. The Kuku-nor liighlands are also the special
t*cA/
Fig. 30.— KUKU-NOH.
Aoourding to Prjeralgky. Scale 1 : 3,7S0,000.
ilso intersected
range (Siwen-
T limit of the
lus apjjarently
sources of the
ut 14,000 feet,
the "amne,"
le Chetri-shan,
the Kuku-nor.
nor system of
60 Sliles.
home of the medicinal rhubarb, for which the Chinese merchants of Sining pay
high prices. The fauna of these regions is also surprisingly rich, and Prjevalsky
here discovered no less than forty-three new species.
Lake Kuku.
The Kuku-nor, which gives its name to the province, is the Tso-gumbum of
the Tibetans, or the Tsing-hai, or " Blue Lake," of the Chinese. It is so named
from its Iwautiful azure colour, contrasting with the delicate white of the snows
mirrored in its waters, which Prjevalsky describes as " soft as silk." It has the
fonn of an ehmgated ellipse, with a circuit of from !2'-20 to tj40 miles, and an urea
of from 2,000 to 2,000 square miles. It was formerly fur more extensive, as
78
EAST ASIA.
shown by tho water-marks on tho cliffs at a groat distance from its present shores.
Its nmnorous foiders from the west, of wliieh the Hiikhain-gol is the hirgest, do
not suffice to compensate for the evaporation, and, as there is no outlet, its waters
have become saline. Towards the cast is an island (5 miles in circumference,
which, according to the legend, closes up the abyss whence sprang the waters of
the lake. It was dropped by a gigantic bird from the skies on the spot, in order
to stop the flow, which was threatening to submerge the world. A convent with
about a dozen lamas stands on this solitary island, completely cut off from the
mainland during the siunmer, when no craft dares to venture on the stormy lake.
But during the four winter months the monks cross the ice and renew their stock
of flour and butter. The lake, which is said to abound in many species of fish,
stiinds 10,(J00 foot above the seu, and is fringed by dense thickets of shrubs.
The Ch.vidam Basin.
Several other smaller lakes are scattered over tho plateau west of the Upper
Hoang-ho, but the largest of all the inland seas in this region has long disappeared.
The valley of the Chaidam (Tsaidam) was formerly the bed of this vast reservoir,
which filled the triangular space bounded on the north by the Nan-shan, east by
the Kuku-nor highlands, south by the Burkhan-Buddha range. It is traversed
south-cast and north-west by the large river Bayan-gol, or Chaidam, which is
porliaps 250 to 300 miles long, vud 480 yards wide at the point crossed by
Prjevalsky. But as it approaches the desert its volume gradually diminishes,
until it disappears at last in the Dnbsun-nor swamps, near the gap through which
the Chaidam Lake was formerly united with the Lob-nor. Throughout its eastern
section the Chaidam plain is covered with saline marshes, while in the north-west
nothing is seen except argillaceous or stony tracts. The vegetation is limited to
the reeds of the swamps, a scanty herbage and thickets of the Nitmria Scholeii
growing to a height of 7 feet, with berries at once sweet and bitter, eagerly devoured
both by man and beast. They are gathered in the autumn, and mixed by the
natives with their barley-meal.
The fauna of Chaidam is as poor as its flora, which is probably due to the
swarms of mosquitoes infesting the marshy tracts, and driving the flocks and wild
beasts to the surrounding uplands. The animals most frequently met on the plain
are a species of antelope, the wolf, fox, hare, and, according to the Mongolians, the
wild camel in the western solitudes. Although visited only by tho hunter and
nomad pastor, the country is not unsuitable for a settled population, being well
watered by the Bayan-gol, and enjoying a comparatively mild climate, especially
towards its western extremity, where it falls to little over .'{,000 feet above sea-level.
The ruins of an ancient city at the confluence of the Bayan-gol with another
stream in the centre of the plain are still silent witnesses of the great changes
that have taken place in a region once perhaps thickly peopled, now occupied only
by a few nomad tents.
The upland steppe of Oduntala, north of which runs the water-parting between
>m£»
» ^ i nW i l i i fa iiw^ t i ui i LUyj IM Hii ii lWh
■NMti
. '■ i ijw i i«>j ( W- L i ^iff» » wi ^ k M ^ ' ^s im ^4 ' ^ n lif^ « ^l i ^ ii M '' mv '''' ni m«t*^' »
INIIABITANTS-TIIE TANGUTANS.
79
present shores.
Ihe lurj^est, do
itlot, its waters
circumference,
the waters of
; sjwt, in order
L convent with
; off from the
10 storm}"^ lake,
lew their stock
species of fish,
shrubs.
: of the Upper
g disappeared,
vast reservoir,
-shan, east by
It is traversed
lam, which is
nt crossed by
ly diminishes,
through which
out its eastern
the north-west
n is limited to
fraiia Scholevi
»erly devoured
mixed by the
)ly due to the
locks and wild
!t on the plain
ongolians, the
10 hunter and
un, being well
ate, especially
[)ove sea-level,
with another
a^reat changes
occupied only
rting between
the Bayan-gol and Hoang-ho, is a holy land for the ISIongols and Chinese. Here
are the Lakes Jaring and Oring, which drain to the Yellow River. But no
European has at least recently visited this region of Sinsu-liai, or the " Starry
Sea," although its pastures are frequented in summer by the Mongols, who come
to worship their god near the sacred springs. Seven spotless animals — a yak, a
horse, and five sheep — are consecrated by the priests, who tie a red ribbon round
their necks and drive them to the mountains, charged with the sins of the tribe.
West of the Oduntala steppe begins the Burkhan-Buddha (" Lord Buddha")
range, which here forms the angular escarpment of the Tibetan plateau. It is an
arid chain of nearly uniform height and regular slopes, consisting mainly of clay,
conglomerates, and porphyry. It is separated rather by a narrow gully than a
valley from the Shuga, another barren range of grey, yellow, and red rocks, some
of whose peaks rise above the snow-line. Farther south stretches the bleak
plateau, strewn with hillocks and low ridges, torn here and there by crevasses,
covered in one place with stones, in another with sands or a white saline efflo-
rescence. For travellers this elevated rolling plain, from 14,000 to 15,000 feet high,
is a region of horror and of death, from which they gladly escape over the Bayan-
khara border range down to the pasture lands fringing the Muru-ussu, or Upper
Yang-tze-kiang.
Inhabitants — The Tangutans.
The Kuku-nor country is officially bounded by the Shuga range, but it is often
extended to the Bayan-khara, or even to the valley of the Blue River, and beycmd
it to the Khara-ussu. But in such a vast and mostly uninhabited regitm the
frontier-line must necessarily be somewhat fictitious. Its population may be
estimated at about 150,000, and in the region west of the lake there can scarcely
Ije more than 20,000 inhabitants altogether. Towards Donkir, near the Chinese
frontier, the population is tolerably dense, and here the districts spared by the
Dungan rebels are admirably cultivated. Chinese settlers have already penetrated
into these valleys, where the aboriginal element consists of Tanguts and of Dalds,
an agricultural tribe unlike the Chinese in appearance, although assimilated to
them in religion, manners, and customs. Their dialect is a mixture of Chinese,
Mongol, and unknown words.
The most sedentary tribes are Mongolians, degenerate representatives of their
race. Oppressed by the Tanguts, and lacking the spirit to resist, they obey in
silence, scarcely remembering that their forefathers were once masters of the land.
The dominant Tanguts themselves are mostly a proud and daring race, fully
conscious of their strength. Of Tibetan stock and speech, they dilfor greatly from
the Mongolians in appearance and habits. With large black eyes, oval face,
moderately high cheek bones, full black beard, straight or aquiline nose, they
present a startling likeness to the South Russian gipsies. The Mongol is jjcaceful,
the Tangut combative ; the Mongol loves the arid waste, the boundless space, while
the Tangut prefers the valleys and moist pastures of the uplands. The former is
80
EAST ASIA.
hospitable unci friendly to 8trnn{?ers, the latter drives them from his tent, or makes
them pay dearly for their entertainment. For the Tangut is greedy and specula-
tive, fond of pillage and plunder, but at the same time religious, never forgetting
to obtain absolution for the deeds of violence and blootlshed committed in his
marauding expeditions against the caravans and Mongol encampments. On the
sacred shores of the IJlue liakc they purchase or seize the captureut from
IS the simple
ation of the
of yaks and
, and thanks
rhubarh, the
remacy over
ntly passing
8 are able to
ar of China,
n, about 45
regarded as
divided into
B Euku-nor
aing is the
inicate with
ards to the
represented
iiversity in
ween Ilami
It merges
er >vith the
aller inter-
i
p
«
o
H
I
g
s
CT^^wiWPiPIBH
^_
maaiMMMMMIMMiHMIi
teSTT
*W*I*«
CLIMATE AND RAINFALL.
81
mediate solitiulos, waterless and destitute of vegetation. But elsewhere the streams
from the Nan-slum and neighlwuring highlands are copious enough to flow between
verdant banks northwards to the foot of the advanced spurs of the Tian-shan. The
" deserts " traversed by these rivers are not dismal solitudes like the Takla-makan
of the Tarim basin, or the "Black Sands" and "Red Sands" of the Arulo-Cas-
pian depression. Water is found almost everywhere near the surface, and springs
bubble up in the hollows, often encircled by extensive oases. Everywhere the
ground is hard and easily traversed bj* horses and carts. Wayside inns, villages,
and even towns with bazaars and industries have sprung up here and there
along the banks of the running waters in the midst oi cultivated lands and
plantations.
Climate and Haixfall.
The cause of this break in the great central desert must be sought in the con-
tours and relief of the continent itself. South of this comparatively fertile belt
the coast-line is deeply indented by the Bay of Bengal, forming a semicircular
curve with a radius of not less than 900 miles. Thanks to this vast marine basin
penetrating far inland between the two peninsulas of India and Indo-Chino, the
space separating Kansu from the ocean is reduced by one-half. The vapour-charged
clouds are thus borne inland beyond the Kuku-nor district. The atmospheric
currents crossing East Tibet from the Brahmaputra delta to the Mongolian wastes
find no obstacles comparable to those presented farther west by the vast plateau of
Central Tibet, with its plains from 15,000 to 16,000 feet above sea- level, and its
mighty escarpments towering to an altitude of 23,000 or 24,000 feet. The ranges
in the province of Eham are not only less elevated than those of West Tibet, but
also present many breaks of continuity, while often running in parallel lines with
the meridian, thus enabling the southern winds to sweep up the valleys as far as
the Kuku-nor highlands.
The south-west monsoons, which bring such u prodigious quantity of water to
the Brahmaputra basin, are far from being exhausted after crossing the Bayan-
khara range. From April to the end of autumn they bring both snow and rain,
and the atmosphere is really clear and dry only during the winter season. Prje-
valsky found snow falling daily during the whole month of April. Hence it is not
surprising that sufficient moisture is still discharged beyond the Nan-shan range
to give rise to true rivers, which flow thence far into the plains. Still none of
them are able to reach streams with a seaward outlet, so that all ultimately disap-
pear in saline lakes and marshes overgrown with reeds. The river Ngansi, flow-
ing westwards in the direction of Lob-nor, runs dry in the depression of Khara-
nor, or the " Black Lake." The Az-sind (Etzina, or Edsinei) receives the waters
of the " Snowy Mountains," after which it is joined north of the Great Wall by
the Tolai from Suchew. Farther on it gradually diminishes in volume until it
disappears at last in the Sogok-nor and the Sobo-nor on the verge of the
desert.
89
EAST ASIA.
RoVTES — EXTKXT — PolTI.ATION.
ThankH to tbo fertile triiot thus nittiuj,' tlic (iohi iiili) two prcut sections, tho
Cliineso have been able easily to maintain tlu-ir eoiniiiuniratioiiH from tbo Nan-
sban to the Tian-shan with the western provinces of the enij)in>. The natural
route always followed by the caravans and invadinji; hosts starts from liantebcw-fu,
at the fjreat western bend of tlie lloanjj-ho, and, aft(>r crossinin the Nuu-
The iiatuml
Liuntehcw-fu,
e moiintuins
1(1 tlie (ireut
oasis. Here
un-»han, ono
59-
b7'
broad, conneets rhinese Kansu with this Nortli-wcstern Kansu, which, from tho
nomads frefjuentinj? it, may be called ^[ongolian Kansu. Its area may he esti-
mated at 100,000 square miles, with a population of probably less than ono
million, centred chiefly in tho southern towns and in tho oases at the foot of tho
Tian-shni.
Inhaiutants.
In a repfion of such strategic imjjortance, and so often disputed by rival hosts,
the inhabitants are naturally of very mixed origin. Tribes of Turki stock, the
Uigurs and Usuns, ^longols of diverse banners, the Tanguts of Tibetan blood, and
the Chinese have frequently contended for the possession of the pass connecting
the Gobi with the snowy range. The work of the nomad warriors was soon done ;
after destroying everything in their sudden inroads they would retreat rapidly to
the steppes of the plain or to the upland valleys. ]iut the Chinese, v.hile slower
in their movements, were more tenacious and persevering. They founded garrison
towns at convenient intervals, which soon became centres of culture, and the land
was thus slowly peopled, while the wilderness was crossed bj' military and trade
routes. The barbarian might return and burn the crops, level the fortresses, waste
the cities. But after the storm was over a few years olways sufficed for the
Chinese to restore the network of their strategic routes and strongholds. Thus
the cities of Northern Kansu, reduced to masses of ruins during the recent wars
between Dungan Mohammedans and the Imperial Government, are again gradually
recovering, while others are being founded by the Chinese agricultural settlers.
Tho Mongols ranging over these steppes belong mostly to the great family of
the Eliuts, kinsmen of the Kalmuks. Some fifteen hundred years ago the country
was occupied mainly by the Usun, supposed by some to have been of Teutonic
stock, and who were distinguished from all their neighbours by their deep-set
eyes and straight nose. These " men of horse-like features," as tho Chinese
described them, were gradually driven westwards to the Tian-shan and Tarim
basin. Here Prjevalsky met many of the peasantry who seemed remarkably
like his fellow-countrymen of Central Bussia.
angaria into
crtile region
o two parts,
ig-ho to the
11 and sepa-
attached to
i and Pijan,
3 as integral
he Usu-ling
elv 30 miles
Topography.
The chief towns going westwards in the district connecting the inner and outer
Eansu are the walled cities of Liang-cheic, Kanchew, and Suchew, founded at the
time of the first settlement two thousand years ago. From the combined names of
the last two, capitals of the Kan and Su districts, the province of Kansu has been
named. Kanchew has rapidly recovered irova, the disastrous civil war, and Liang-
chew, a large and busy place, is one of the cleanest and most orderly cities in
China. This is true, however, only of the portion comprised in the inner enclo-
sure, the quarter stretching between the first and second wall being a mere mass
of ruins. From the ramparts are visible a number of small forts dotted over the
landscape, all of recent origin, having been erected since the Dungan insurrection
M
EAST ARIA.
by i\w jH'usiintrv »» u promution agoinNl froHh troublcfi. Hucliow, on tlic Tnlai,
WHS {(triiHM'ly tlio l)iil\viirk of tho nnpirc. Hut when rotukon by the Chinese in
IM72 not 11 sinfi;k' housso wuh Htiinding.
Ininu'diiitely west of Siichew stands the famous Kiayu-kuan, or " Jado fJate,"
so oalU'd because it led to the Khotari country, whence the (.'hinese trach'rs broup:lit
back the precious mineral. Hut the gate does not, as is usually supposed, mark
tho verge of tho desert, for shrubs und patches of herbage still line both aides of
Fig. 3'2.— FouTiFinu ViLLAOKg NKAii Lantchbw, Puuvincb of Kaniiu.
i
I
the routes beyond it. Nor is there any lack of running waters fringed by the
poplar and weeping willow. Two centuries after Marco Polo, the Portuguese
missionary, Benedict de Goes, was the first European to follow this route from
Khotan; but he only reached Suchew, where bodied in 1607. His companion,
Isaac, the Anncnian, was unable to save his manuscripts, although he continued
the journ(\v to Peking. Suchew is a great mart for the surrounding Mongols, as
are ulso Ntjaim (Ansi), Kwachew, and Shachew, or " Sandy Town," a place already
:-r-ttH$m
TOl'OORAI'IIY.
80
1 tlio Tc.laT,
("liiiK'so in
Jado (iat«>,"
It'iM brought
posed, mark
K>th Hides of
m
■i^l
v-.»
jcd by the
'ortuguese
oute from
ompanion,
continued
ongols, as
ce already
invaded by tho Hands of the western desert. Soni(> fifteen bunth'ed yeais ago,
(hiring the Hourishing periofl of tlie kingdom of Khotan, Shachew was a chief
centre of the caravan trade iM'tween China and the Tarini l)asin.
YiiiiniuHiini, lying on the route to llami, comph'tcly escaped the ravages of the
Dungans, while X;/miHi, on the same route, was entirely destroyed. Nothing is
now to Ih) seen on its site except heaps of rubbish, ruined temples, the scattered
fragnuMits of idols. The neglected gardens no longer i-heck the advancing sands,
which in some places are surging over tho ramparts. I'nless the place be so(»n
resettled, it will disappear altogether. North of it tho desirt, pn)p(M'Iy so called,
stretches away beyond (he horizon in tho direction of the Tiun-shan. lint this it;
not the region most dreaded by the traveller, although as far as tho llami oasis ho
n»ee(s little beyond u few cumping-grounds on tho bunks of tho streams, and tho
debris of ruintnl cities.
JIdiiii (Khami, Khamil), described by Marco Polo under the name of Camul, is
one of those cities which may be regarded as indispensable. It occui)ies u position
clearly nuirked out for a centre of population. Ilencie, although frc(|U(>ntly wasted
or destroyt>d, it has always risen from its ruins, either on the same spot or in the
immediate vicinity. The Ilumi oasis is a necessary resting-place for armies and
caravans, whether arriving from or plunging into the desert. No coiupieror
advancing east or west would venture to push forward without first secui-ing a firm
footing in llami, and commanding all the resources of the district. As a strategical
point it is almost unrivalled in Central Asia. The zones of vegetation which
fringe lx)th sides of tho neighbouring Tian-shan have necessarily become the
"Nan-lu" and "rc-lu" — that is, tho southern and northern routes to the western
world — and hero, accordingly, converge the great historic highways. Yet llami
never seems to have been u largo place, the strip of arable land surrounding it
being too limited for tho development of a great capital. During the recent
rebellion it suffered much, its rice-fields, vineyards, and gardens, noted for their
excellent melons, having been frequently wasted.
West of llami, the two towns of Pijan (Pishan) and Turfan, now much
reduced, occupy neighbouring oases extremely fertile, and yielding excellent
cotton, sesame, wheat, besides all sorts of fruits, especially magnificent grapes.
Although frequently traversed by Chinese travellers, Hegel is the only Euroi)ean
naturalist who has visited this region in recent times. Yet there are few districts
of Central Asia more deserving of careful exploration. Between I'ijan and Turfan
rises an isolated cone, which is said to have vomited lava and ashes some ten
centuries ago. Tho old geographers also speak of a mountain west of Turfan,
rising in a series of terraces, all com|M)sed of blocks of agate. On this sacred
mountain not a single plant is to be seen, and its dazzling brightness is caused by
the sparkling agates, " the remains of the hundred thousand lohaii," who have
earned immortality by their virtues. Turfan was the last city recaptured by the
Chinese in 1877 from the Dungana. It lies about 30 miles west of Old Turfan,
which was destroyed four hundred years ago, and of which the walls, 50 feet high,
are still standing. Their peculiar structure is referred by Kegel to the Uigurs,
■fc
HO
EAST AHIA.
wli«)iii he n-j^inlw iim tlu' iiiiccMtorH <»f tlio |»ri'M«'iit I>iiii^iiiih. (^liiiirNo ixirrt-lainN and
KiiddliiHt Ntaliii'ttcN an< pirkrti u]) aiiioii^Nt the ruiiiH, and lifrt< art* alHit a iiia);iiiH-
ct'iit luinari't and liiiildin^H rcNcniltling thtiH<> of Samarkand. In tlu> ni-i^fldMiui'-
hutwl is tli«^ ni(mi|ur of Maxar, " IioIut «>v« of th«« Tian-whan as far at* tin- rruintMi vnlloy
an> included in the provini't> of KaiiMU. lUnkiil, no calliHl from liakc Itar, which
occupieu u depreaHiuii in the plateau, HUpplenieutH tbv Ntrutegieul puHitiuii uf Ilami.
Fiif. 33.— Oaiim ok Bahki'l awd Hami.
Aooonlint tu lurallov. Had* I : l,SOt),uW).
.80 Miles.
It 18 the first military and trading station on the route leading from Hami to the
Zungarian plains, and as the southern highways converge on Hami, so those of
the north unite at Barkul, the Chinsi-fu of the Chinese. It is a large place,
commanded by two fortresses, and surrounded by gardens and orchai-ds. The
Kosheti-davau, one of the three passes connecting the two cities, has an elevation
of 9,100 feet above the sea, or about 5,300 above the surrounding oases. But this
is a very slight altitude compared with that of the passes opening farther west, in
the snowy range of Eongor-adzigan, while the Tian-shan cannot be turned towards
-^MKMliMlHliSlB
»i w «i w ^>i M W |! P
TOI'OdUAl'HY.
w
orcclaiiiM and
Ml) 11 iiiii^tiifi-
H' lu'ijflilMMir-
truditioiiully
uintNi valloy
' Har, which
ion of Hami.
its i'n>*f(Tn fxtririiity without |»limffinj? info fho «U"«'rt. Ilnico lh»» parimiount
iniiMirtancr of the llaiiii-llurkiil rmitc.
To Pijan anil Tiirfan corn'siiond f/iirfirii and XiiiHH, Hut here tho Tian-Nhan
has already hran'lx'd olf into two panilhl chains, whilo the ^^ciicral ch'vation is
Huch as to prevent (...^.sy coninmnicat ion from shujo to nhtpe. In the aniphitlieatro
of hills dcvcloptsl still farther west lies the fainouH city (d' rniintsi (Tnuitsi), tlu^
Tihoa-chew t»f the (Mnese, or tin Hiin-nn'ao; tliat is, the " Red T«'niple," foiuided
in the Man dynasty, 'flns was the Mishhalik of tlie Mcin^fols and Tatars, which
enjoyed ^reat ini;ii»rtanco at different epochs, and which, thanks to its liajipy
uituution, hus always lapidly recovered after every frotih disuHtcr. As cupitul of
Fig. 34.— Umuhtiii, TvHfAit, ani> hi-hhoundino Mointainm,
Ifriim n Nkntoti Ijy Venyuknv Hcale I : tl.MiO.UtO.
EnPG
tto Milei.
Inmi to the
80 those of
large place,
hards. The
an elevation
s. But this
her west, in
aed towards
the Uigurs, it was the residence of princes who ruled on both sides of the Tian-
shan over a vast domain designated, like the chief town, by the name of Bishbalik,
or " Pentapolis." Here may have reigned one of the sovereigns known in Europe
as " Prester John." In the last century the place was very populous, and took the
foremost rank amongst the Chinese colonies of Northern Kansu. It was said to
have had 200,000 inhabitants ; but all were butchered by the Dungans, who were
afterwards butchered in their turn. Urumtsi consists of two distinct quarters, the
old town occupied by the traders, and the new or Manchu town. Notwithstanding
its disasters, it does a considerable trade at present with Russia through the town
of Chuguchak, and with Turkestan and China through the basin of an old lake, the
centre of which is occupied by the town of Daban-shan. Like Turf an, TJrumtsi
88
EAST ASIA.
has its hot sulphur springs, and in the neighbourhood is a coal seam, which has
h)ng boon in a state of combustion. One of the eminences commanding the city is
yearly visited by the inhabitants, who here offer sacrifices to the " Holy Mount."
III.— ZUNGARIA AND KULJA, OR ILL
Zttnoaria is the broad gateway leading from the Chinese to the Western world.
Tlie old gulf of the driod-up sea, which sweeps round to the north of Mongolian
Kansu, ponetrates far westwards between the southern offshoots of the Altai and
the Tian-slian. Kere it ramihes into two branches, which in remote geological
epochs formed two marine straits, and which have now become two historical routes
for trade and migration. The eastern depression forming the common entrance of
these routes is mostly strewn with marshes, remnants of the ancient sea, and is con-
tinued by two troughs, one of which runs north-west along the valley of the
Ulungur lliver, which is itself continued beyond the lake of like name by the Black
Irtish. The other skirts westwards the Katun and Iren-khabirgan ranges belonging
to the Tian-shan system. The northern opening, where are collected the farthest
head-streams of the Irtish, presents nearly everywhere an easy route over the hard
clayey soil of the steppe, at .aij extreme elevation of scarcely 2,550 feet above the
sea. The southern opening, which is much deeper, is occupied by sluggish steppe
streams and closed basins, such as the Ayar-nor and Ebi-nor, continued westwards
by the Ala-kul and the other lakes, all formerly united with Balkhash. Here also
the route between Lepsiusk and Urumtsi presents little difficulty. The two plains
have a mean elevation of from 650 to 850 feet, and the road, which lies between
the Barlik and Zungarian Ala-tau, is formidable only from the fierce gales which
here prevail. The space separating the northern, or Irtish, from the southern, or
Tian-shan Pe-lu opening is partly occupied by the Jair and Barlik ridges and the
eastern projections of the Tarbagatai and Sauru ranges. Yet it offers a third pas-
sage, which, although narrower, is more frequented than the other two, and which
runs by the city of Chuguchak.
Historical Routes.
The expressions Tian-shan Pe-lu, or Northern Tian-shan route, in opposition
to the Tian-shan Nan-lu, or Southern Tian-shan route, shows that the Chinese had
fully appreciated the importance of this historic highway, which continues the
road running from the Jade Gate obliquely across Mongolian Kansu through Hami
and Barkul to Urumtsi. An imperial route, commanded at intervals by forts and
military settlements, crosses the country from east to west as far as the triangular
plateau bounded north by the Zungarian Ala-tau, south of the Boro-khoro range.
From this point the Talki Pass (6,350 feet) and other neighbouring openings lead
down to the rich Kulja valley, which already lies on the western slope of the
UISTORICAL UOUTES,
89
}am, which has
ling the city is
loly Mount."
iVestern world.
L of Mongolian
the Altai and
note geological
listorical routes
ion entrance of
sea, and is con-
valley of the
le by the Black
ngcs belonging
:ed the farthest
) over the hard
' feet above the
sluggish stoppe
lued westwards
sh. Here also
The two plains
h lies between
ce gales which
10 southern, or
ridges and the
srs a third pas-
wo, and which
continent, and which is connected with all the routes of the Aralo-raspian dojuvs-
sion. Thus from the Black Irtish to the Hi River, a distance of about liOU iiiilos,
the semicircle of plateaux and mountain ranges surrounding the Chinese Empire
is interrupted at various points by valleys and dei)ro.ssions of easy access. Tlirough
these natural higliways the devastating hosts of the Iluns, Uigurs, and Mongols
advanced westwards, and the same tracks were followed by the Chinese when they
overran the only districts which they still possess on the western slope of the con-
Fig. 35.— Ebi-noe.
According to Mouohketov. Scale 1 : 1,200,000.
EoPG.
62*50-
85°50'
.90 Miles.
, in opposition
le Chinese had
continues the
through Kami
s by forts and
the triangular
-khoro range,
openings lead
slope of the
tinent. Those arc, on the one hand, the Upper Irtish valley, on the other that of
the Hi.
The Russians, on their part, were fully aware, from the time of the first inva-
sion of Siberia, that the road to China lay between the Altai and (he Tiun-shan.
For it was in this depression that they sought for the great lake of Ivitai, a name
since extended by them to the whole Chinese Empire. Nevertheless this was not
the way they first took. Peking lying far from the centre of China, they were
obliged to go round by the bleak and elevated eastern plateaux of Mongolia in order
to reach that city from Eiakhta. But they now perceive how much better for
their trade it would be to go directly from West Siberia through Zungaria and
Kansu to China. From Zaisan to Hankow, which may be regarded as the true
centre of the empire, there are no serious obstacles, and, except a break of about
88
00
EAST ASIA.
1(50 miles practicable for pack animals, the whole distance of 2,600 miles may be
traversed by wa;ons in abont one liundred and forty days, whereas the roundabout
journey ria Kiaklita to Pekinj; takes two liundred and two days. The future
continental railway from Calais to .Shanjj;hai may be said to be already traced by
the hand of nature throu^li Zunjjfaria, ^lonj^olian Kansu, and Lianjj^ehew-fu to the
Uoanf^-ho basin. Ilenee the impoitanee attached by the Russians to the approaclies
of this route, which they secured before consenting to restore the Kulja district,
occupied by th«'m duriufj; the Dungan insurrection. On the other hand, Kulja
itself, j)rojecting between Zungaria and the Tarim basin, is of vital importance to
the Cliinese, enabling them as it does to reach the Kashgar and Yarkand oases
directly from Zungaria, without going a long way round to the east of the
Tian-shan.
ZlXOAHIA — LaKK SaIUAM — ThK Ii.I, oh KvIJA DlSTRIfT.
The two regions of Zungaria and Kulja, separated l)y the lloro-khoro range,
differ greatly in size, population, and physical aspect. Like most of the Mongolian
phiins, Zungaria consists of monotonous expanses of yellow or reddish clays, with
little vegetati(tn except stunted shrubs, and along the streams the poplar and asjR'u.
The usually barren southern slopes of the Chinese Altai arc, however, here and there
relieved by patches of herbage, meadow lands, and even forests. The Southern
Katun, Uoro-khoro, and Talki chains are still better wooded, some of their slopes
being entirely covered with conifers. But the most picturescjuc district of Zungaria
lies in the south-west corner, where the depression is filled by the waters of the
Sairam-nor. Although less extensive, this lake is deeper than the Ebi-nor, the
Ayar-nor, or the Ulungur. It presents the apiMjarance of a vast crater encircled
by wooded hills, and rising only a few hundretl yards above the Talki ridge, which
is crossed by the impcritil route leading down to the Hi valley. It is said to dis-
charge its superfluous waters by a subterranean channel under the Tulki I'ass to the
copious streams which water the plains of Kulja.
The territory of Kulja, one of the finest regions in Central Asia, compri-ses the
central section of the Tian-shan, here rising to heights of from 10,000 to 24,000 feet,
with its vast glaciers, grassy plateaux, forests of pines and apples, fertile, well-
watered, and highly ]n'oductivc plains. Owing to their great clevatiim the valleys
of the Tekes, Kunges, and Kash Rivers are thinly peopled, and nearly all the popu-
lation is centred in the plains traversed by the middle course of the Hi, which
farther on enters Russian territory, and finally loses itself in Lake Balkhash.
IxuAmTANTs — Thk ZixoAniANs — DrxoANs AxnTAiiAxnii Wars axd Massacres.
The Zungarians — that is, the " Tribes of the Left Wing " — have ceased to exist
as a niition, and their name has survived only as a geographical expression, indi-
cating the region which was formerly the centre of their jKtwer. They belongc>d to
the Eleut section of the Mongol stock, and were the last of their race who succeeded
"■'fiBK!5^vaft*aR'^^T«
' '*^*'''^"" '■■T*'v i 'II mm \ li'ii I Ill n 1 1 1 I I i i iiiftwinw ii 'rui juifip^ ,!.
iiiMM» *i m '
"mfft
} miles may bo
tlio rouiulubout
•t. The future
eiu'iV traced l»y
!;ehew-fu to the
I thcMipproaclies
Kulja district,
or hand, Kulja
[ importance to
Yarkand oases
lie east of the
;1CT.
o-khoro range,
the Mongolian
lish elavs, with
plar and us]R'n.
, here and there
The Southern
of their slopes
ict of Zungaria
B waters of the
10 Ebi-nor, the
'rater encireknl
ii ridge, which
t is said to dis-
ilki I'ass to the
, comprises the
> to 24,000 feet,
s, fertile, well-
ion tlie valleys
y all file popu-
the Hi, which
tilkhash.
M) Massackes.
ceased to exist
tpression, indi-
ley belongt>d to
who succeedern Turkestan paid
him tribute. After three successive attacks his armies captured Lassa and the sacred
stronghold of Potala in 1717. But dissension and intestine wars prevented the state
from nuiintaining its independence, and although two imperial armies were annihi-
lated, a third overthrew the Zungarian power in 1757. The whole country was
subdued, and those of the rebels who failed to reach Siberia or Westem Tui-kestan
were all mercilessly put to the sword. A million of all ages and sexes perished in
this overwhelming national disaster. The ruined cities were replaced by military
stations and cohmies of convicts from all parts of China and Mongolia, and ihese
were soon followed by free migration to the depopulated regions. In 1771 the
Ealmuks of the Turgut branch, then occupying the Lower Volga steppes, resolved
to escape from the oppressive surveillance of the Russian Government, and return
to the Zungarian plains, which still lived in the national traditions. Of the ;J00,000
who started from the western shores of the Casi)ian many thousands perished on
the way. IJut according to the Chinese accounts the great majority succeeded in
reaching their ancient homes, where they were joined by multitudes of other Mon-
golians from Ijeyond the limits of the empire. Altogether about 500,000 migrated
to the wasted lands stretching from liake lialkhash to the Gobi, and the Emperor
Kiun-long could boast that he had become master of the whole Mongolian nation.
But fresh massacres were brought about by the differences of race and religion,
and still more by the, oppressive Chinese rule. A century after the overthrow of
the Zungarian power the agricultural populations of the Hi basin rose against the
mandarins and imperial troops. The Dungans — that is, the native Mohammedans —
and the Taranchi — that is, the colonists from the Tarim basin — alone took part in
the struggle, the Eazaks and Kara-kirghiz holding aloof, owing to the advantages
enjoyed by their nomad life. The war, at first conducted with hesitation, gradually
increased in violence, culminating in 18G5 with the wholesale massacre of the Chi-
nese, Manchus, and other military colonists from the east. The arrival of the Russians,
to whom the Kulja territory was temporarily intrusted, put a stop to the flow
of blood, but not before the 2,000,000 inhabitants of the country had been reduced
to 139,000, mainly Dungans and Taranchi. By the new treaty, which restores
Kulja to China, Russia has reserved a district in the north-west, where these rebels
may find a refuge from the imperial vengeance. But such are the natural
advantages of the Hi valley, that notwithstanding the frightful butcheries of 18G5
this country is still more thickly peopled than Zungaria, which, with an area five
times greater, has scarcely more than double the population.
Topography.
In North Zungaria there are no towns properly so called, although two military
stations have acquired some importance as resting-places for the caravans crossing
I •
I
02
EAST ASIA.
t
iho ])liiiiis. These iirc lin/ini-folcoi, on t1u« soutli side of LnlvO Ulinij>;ur, and Tii/fii on
a Irilmtarv of the IMiick Irtish, wliere the liussiuii dealerM hiivo iin entrepot for their
oxcliun;»es with Mon<;oHa. Hut the husiest mart in the fountrv is C/ni/fiicfifi/,-,
\\in<:i; at the soutliern foot of tlie Tarbu;,^atai ranfye in the valley of the Kniil, an
alHiient of the Ala-kul. Situated on the Siberian slope within 11 miles of the
frontier post of Hakti, this town oilers <^reat advanta,u, Sliiklio, Jinlio — are military stations peopled by exiles, like most of the other
settlements btiyond tho Great AVall. In this region colonisation is being rapidly
developed, especially in a tract east of JIanas, which is the most fertile part of
Zungaria north of the Tian-shan. Near Shikho are some gold-washings, coal-fields,
salt beds, and a lake of naphtha mentioned by Hegel.
In the Hi valley Old KuIJa alone has survived the recent tro.i' l,000 inhabitants Avithin its square walls, beyond which stretch
extensive suburbs concealed from the traveller by a belt of poplars. Although built
by the Chinese, who call it Nin-yuan, Kulja has rather the aspect of a town of
Russian Turkestan, its houses of beaten earth, with their ( lay roofs, strongly reseni-
NORTH MONGOLIA AND THE GOBI.
08
, nnd Tiiltn on
rciKit for their
is Cliiiiiiiclinii,
the Kinil, an
[ miles of the
u traders, who
own territory.
1(1 had at that
reotion, it is
chu, Mongol,
lens, uud suinc
bling tliose of the U/hegs and Tajiks in the Aral basin. The inhal)itants arc also
mostly Mohammedans, and there is h(>re a small lloman Catholii; comnninity
founded after the overthrow of the /ungarian Empire. Old Kiilja is an industrious
place, with paper-mills, well-cultivated gardens, and extensive arable lands, on which
during the Ilussian occupation the poppy was much cultivated.
AVest of Old Kulja the traces of the late civil war are everywhere conspicuous.
The little J)ungaii town of Simliiii still exists. l}ut of the neighbouring IJayandai,
said to have hud a population of 150,000, nothing remains except some crumbling
walls overgrown with elms. Ncic KuIJa also, founded by the Chinese in 1704 as
the capital of the country, is now a mere fort surrounded by heaps of bones and
rubbish. Farther on follow other ruined cities, such as Clam-ha-liodzi, Almi-tn,
K/ioi-fjos, Jtirkrut, and A/,/,riif, and hero the very land is being converted into a
swamp by the former irrigating canals now choked with refuse. Hut so great are
its natural resources that the country cannot fail soon to recover from its disasters.
Fig. 37.— Valley op thk Tkkes.
eoiUo 1 : 2,500,000.
SO MQes.
1 Pass (9,580
un), lutrlara-
t of the other
being rapidly
fertile part of
1^8, coal-fields,
It is a large
vhich stretch
Ithough built
of a town of
•ongly reseni-
The province of Ili contains gold, silver, copper, lead, and graphite, besides extensive
coal-fields, some of which have already been worked. Hot springs abound in its
valleys, and no region of Central Asia presents such magnificent prospects as the
banks of the Eash and the basin of the Tekes River at the foot of the glaciers and
highlands above which towers the mighty Khan-tcngri, or " King of the Heavens.'
TV.— NORTH MONGOLIA AND THE GOBI.
This vast domain of th(; Mongol nomads is of itself alone nearly as large as
China proper, and, with Zungaria, Outer Kansu, and the Tarim basin, it occupies
about one-half of the empire, liut between it and the basins of the Hoang-ho and
Yang-tze-kiang the contrast in climate, soil, and .social life is complete. China is
one of the best cultivated and industrious, as well as one of the wealthiest and
iii&o>fc«*«*4\fe..-
04
EAST ASIA.
most (IciiHoly pcdplod rcpfinns on tlic ^lolu*, wluTcas Mun<;;oliu proper, ami l)v tli(> Cliinese ealh'd Tsaoti, or "(irassy
Lands." Tluis lias been formed an intermediate zone, whielj no Itmjjer heltinj»s to
Monjjolia etlmically, altlionfjli eonsistinj; «»f the same jjeolo^^ieal formations. The
nntnral h'mit of tlie steppe is eh-arly marked hy a h'dj^e of ;;ranite rocks, over
whidi has l)een dilTnsed a vast stream of unduhitinj; hivas. lint these hi va.s huvo
heen furrowed hy tlie action of runninneral way, as a vast plateau slightly hollowed in the centre, and rising gniduully
from the south-west towards the north-east. The mean elevation, which is about
2,600 feet in the west, thus exceeds 4,000 in the east. Most of the land is bounded by
ranges and mountain masses — the Altai and Sayan on the north-west, the !i[unku-
sardik, Kentei, and Baikal highlands on the north, the Khingan on the east, the
uplands oveHooking the planisof Peking on the south-east ; histlj', the eastern exten-
sions of the Knen-lun and Nan-shan on the south. Towards the Wi'st alone M«)ni i
WATER SYSTEM— li A KKS UUSA AND KOSO.
M
ic of tlio most
ru|M'r |»y cuin-
tjist, coloiiisa-
iiKiri' tliirkly
«»r "(iruMMy
p-r hclniij^s to
lint ions. The
to rcH'kH, over
t>N(« III MIS luiVO
I leys, through
II u
Mongolia and
gioiis alri'july
if th<> Chiiiose
h between tho
3 or peaceful
n of the land
the surface is
lining waters.
Idle course it
itry from the
>scribed, in a
ing gradually
'h it'll is about
is bounded by
, the iSFunku-
the east, the
astern ex ten-
one Mongolia
[)f the Tarim.
Tmk KKT\(i Altai and Tanm -oi.a Uan(ii;s.
Owing to the greater eh'vation plateau. In this region
of Central Asia the most humid atmospheric currents are those which come from the
nearest iiuirine basin; that is, from the Polar Sea. Hence the rain-bearing and
fertilising winds bhiw from the north-east. Hut these winds discharge their
moisture on the northern 8lojM\s of the Altai, so that those facing Mongolia are
mostly destitute of vegetation. In several places the contrast is complete between
the two sides — dense forests on the north, mere scrub and brushwood on the south.
The two chief ranges branching from the Altai into Mongolian territory arc
the Kktiig Altai and the Tannu-ola. The former, sometimes also called the " (Jreat
Altai," runs north-west and south-east parallel with the course of tho IWack Irtish
and Ulungur. Some of its crests rise alnive the snow-line, whence the term Kktag,
a dialectic form of the Turki Ak-tagh, or " White ^lountains." IJut the range
is pierced by deep depressions, through which the llussiun caravans easily reach
the KoIhIo plateau from the Irtish valley. The range itself, as shown by tho
recent explorations of I'otanin, is continued south-eastwards far beyond the
meridian of KolMht, after which it trends eastwards under the name of the Altai-
nuru. In this recently discovered section some of tho peaks attain an altitude of
10,000 feet, and tho Olon-duba Puss, crossed by the Kobdo-Barkul route, is no lo««
than 9,400 feet high.
Farther east other ranges run parallel with the Ektag and Tannu-ola — that is,
north-west and south-east ; but these are everywhere cut up into irregular masses
by erosion. Here is apparently the culminating jioint of the Altai system, crossed
by Ney Elias at tho Bayan-ingir Pass (over 9,000 feet) on the route from Kobdo
to Biisk. A snowy peak rising immotliately north of the pass seemed to this traveller
to have an elevation of 12,000 feet, or 8IJ0 more than the Bielukha, highest summit
of tho Russian Altai.
The Tannu-ola, or eastern chain of tho Kobdo plateau, stretches far east of the
Altai to tho head-streams of the Selenga. Although some of its peaks pass the
snow-line, the Tannu-ola is in many places but slightly elevated above the
surrounding plains. From its base the plateau stretches for 120 miles southwards
to the Khangai range, above whose wooded slopes several snowy crests arc said to
have an elevation of 10,000 feet. Between the Kinghai and the Altai-nuru the
steppe has a mean altitude of from 5,000 to G,000 feet.
"Water System — Lakes Ubsa an» Koso.
All tho depressions of the plateau comprised in the vast quadrilateral of the
Mongolian Altai are oceupitHl by lacustrine basins. One of these is the saline
Ubsa- nor, one of the largest lakes in the (.'hinese Empire, with an area of at least
06
KAHT A.^IA.
l.'v'IMt sqiian' iiiiirs, hut with no outflow, iiltlioii^;|i receiving the W!it«'rM of a vast
aiiijtliillicatn' of liills. The otlirr lakes, also saliiio Iwcaust- witliout niiissarifH, if
loHM oxtonsivo than tlic in)Ma-nor, sornctiiiu>s lulonjj; to hirjj^crhydro^rrajiliir Hysti'iiiH.
The riv(»r Dsalt^aii, risinjy on tlic Miuthcrn slope of the Tannu-(»hi, swfcps round the
north-west coriH-r of thr liilly I'h'asutai phitcau, and after ret-oivin); its torrents
disa|i]H!irs in tlie saline niarslies sontliof the Ihsa-nor. To the same l)asin helon^n
the Kohdo or Kara-sM l-ake, wliich receives the waters of the Mktajf Altai through
the rivers Kolxlo and Hnyantn. The' lower lakes arc fringed hy poplars and
aspens; lait elsewhere trtn^s an* rare, and the vegetation of these hilly regions on
the whole r<'senil»les that of the steppe.
Mast of tlie Tainiu-ohi the Mongolian territory ]H-n«>trates far into the region
draining to the Aretie ( >eean ; for the I'pper Yenisei and Selenga hasins, which
How to the great Silterian rivers, still lu'long to Mongolia. The nomad pastors of the
"(irassy liaiids" naturally songht to exteno their (himain to the whole region of
pasturage. Southwards their natmal limit is thi" des»'rt, northwards the forest.
All the intermediate zoiu', in whatever direction the rivers may How, is frequented
hy their Hocks. Hence they have occupied all the " Keiii," or head-streams of the
Yenisei, Itesides the extensive hasin of the Selenga. Here is the loninntic Koso-
gol, wh<»se hlue waters, sjicrelonging
to the Annn* hasin ; for the Kemlen, which flows parallel with the Onon to the
J)alai, or " Sea," fornierly united to the Khuilar, is one of tho chief afHuentH of the
Argun, or Upper Anmr.
The Gobi Desert.
South of this region strctclies the Gobi desert, which, although crossed by some
caravan routes, is nowliere permanently inhabited. The Gobi — that is, " Sandy
Desert," or "Shamo" of tlie Chinese — forms the eastern extremity of the vast zone
of arid lands obliquely traversing tho eastern hemisphere from Senegal to the
Khingan range. I^ike the Takla-makan, the Western Turkestan sands, the Persian
and Arabian wastes, and the Sahara, the Gobi lies on the track of the dry winds.
In winter the prevailing atmospheric current is from the north-west, which, after
traversing the Silx'rian plains for a distance of 1,800 miles, discharges its little
remaining moisture on the Sayan slopes, so that nothing is left for the Mongolian
plateaux. In summer the south-east monsoons prevail ; but nearly all the humidity
brought by them from the Pacifl;; falls on the slopes of the parallel ranges and
terraces separating China proper from the desert plateaux. Nevertheless the Gobi
is sometimes visitcnl by heavy summer rains, forming here and there temj)orury
meres and lakes, which are .soon evaporated, leaving nothing behind except a saline
efflorescence. Klsewhero the ground is furrowed by sudden torrents, and here the
nomads sink their wells, hoping thus to husband a little moisture when the plateau
TUK QODI VTM'A.
07
torn of 11 vast
ciiiissnrifs, if
ijdiic HYHtt'inN.
|>.H round the
if its torrcntH
Misin holoiigf)
Mtai tliroii^h
}M)|)lar.s and
y rt'j^ioiiH on
o llic r<-p:i(>n
Wasins, wliicli
pastors of llu>
lolf rojfion of
Is iho forest,
is frcqucntt'd
t roams of the
ninntic Koso-
t«, rotloot tlie
, and dindom
tlio Kobdo
: »Solonf>;a.
as bolonginf!^
Onon to the
HuontH of the
ssed by some
is, " Sandy
the vast zone
noffnl to the
I, the Persian
e dry winds,
wliicli, after
p;vH its little
Mongolian
he humidity
1 ranges and
ess the Gobi
e temporary
oept a saline
itnd here the
I the plateau
has again bocomo an arid M-asto. Tint no pomianont ^tfeott. has Ix i (h'vcli p^'d in
tlio wlmlc rogion, somo ISO.OOO wpiaro mih's in i\t«'ii -fivrchin^ im the Ivomlni
Houlhwiirds to llio Hoang-ho, botwo(iig(>li,tii iimi
east and west. Tho rapid evaporation on the (iobi plattaiix is dm to tli. .co
of tho winter gales and llio high tomporaturo in summer. For the (»obi i t unco
Siberian and Indian in its extremes of temperature, and these extivmi tiutcN
Fig. 3',i. ViBW IS THr Oont
succeed each other within the space of a few hours. In the South-eastern Mongo-
lian highlands Prjovalsky recorded on March 16th, 1872, a temperature of
68° Fahr. in the shade, followed during the night by 18° below freezing point.
The intense cold of the Mongolian winters, aggravated by the terrible north-
west winds, explains the errors of the old geographers, who gave the Gobi plateau
an altitude of more than 8,000 feet above the sea. This has boon reduced by Ney
Elias and other recent explorers to a mean elevation of about 4,000 feet, rising in
m
EAST ASIA.
wnni' pliiros fo |,r)00 und ovrn "j.OOO, Hinkiii^ in the lowoHt (loprrHsioiiH, fnrmorly
(illnl liy salt lak«'s, t<» ;{,(»<(() iiikI cvrii V.',(iO(» tVtl. Notwitlistamliii^j; llicsi- diMTr*
paiicicH then- in litllo ti> n'litvi' tlii' iiiniKiliiiiy i»l' llii< vaxf rolling; plains oxiH'pt ii
f«'W I'licky cmincnci's risinjif Iuto anil lliciv uIn>vo \\w iMiiiiidlfss waste of yi'llow
Hands, For days and days tlic (Join* dt'snt every w here presents to the weary
traveller the muue inttTininidtle pieture of tlies«« vast undnlatin^; plains, st-areely
relieved by a few patehes of send) and lines of hilloeks sueeeeding cuuh other like
waves on the siirfaee of the shoreless deep.
The soil of the (jolii pro[M'r is almost everywhoro composed of reddish sands
intei'spersed with (juart/ pebbles, njjates, eoruelians, or chalet'dony. The deprcs-
eions are filled with stdino waters, or i'lHoreseenca'H of saltpetre, which the Mongols
call ynchir, and which the camels eagerly lick as they pass. (Jrass is very riiro,
and the yellow, grey, or reddish soil is nowhere entirely concealed by the scanty
tufts of vegetation. In the argillaceous hollows grows the (fiiisii (LuHifitjrontig
«j)/iii(lnhs'j, a shrub with twigs luinl as wire, which is also a characteristic feature
of Western Turkestan. But true trees arc uuwhero found except perhaps in a fow
3.3aoF.^
Fig. 40.— Ubci'ion ok thi Ooiii nKTWKSN Uuua and Kaluan.
Itineriiry uf Friliclio.
Soalel '
I
in,0()O.(li)O n>r (liiitnnoea.
I'tu.uuo fur elevutluiu.
iMofri- 1-ff-r
Latitude
46*
42*
, isn Milex.
well-sheltered cavities. From Kalgan to Urga, a distance of over 420 miles,
Pumpelly met two, and Russell-Killough five stunted trees only. Elsewhere grow
a few wretched elms, which the Mongols contemplate with a sort of uwo, not daring
even to touch for fear of desecrating them. The wind, even more than the natural
barreimess of the soil, prevents the growth of any vegetation except low, pliant
herbiige. Withered plants arc uprooted and scattered by the gale over the steppe
like patehes of foam on the stormy sea. In these regions, as on the Tibetan
plateaux, the only fuel is the droppings of the animals, which are carefully col-
lected, und which are always the first thing supplied on his orrival in the canij) to
a friend or stranger for his evening fire. Such are the laws of nomad hospitality.
The fuunu of the Gobi is no more varied than its flora. As in Siberia, the
steppe is often honeycombed with the burrowings of the lagomys, a species of mar-
mot no bigger than a rat, always inquisitive, always on the olert, incessantly
popping out of their luiderground dwellings to see the ])assing wayfarer, and sud-
denly disappearing at his approach. Threatened by the wolf, fox, and birds of
prey, they live in u state of constant trepidation, starting at every shadow, trem-
-"T*
TIIK KIIIN'OAN AM) I\-SIIAN FIKJIII.ANDS.
00
*ii»iiN, formerly
^ llirsf (lift ri>-
)laiiis t'Xt'cpt a
istc of yellow
to the weury
laiuM, Mcareely
iich other like
rcddiNli mnih
The (Icprcs-
I tlie Mongols
4 18 very raro,
by the seiiiity
(^Luxitif/ronfis
eristie feature
liaps in u How
liliii}; al every wiiiiid. The largest inaiiiiiial in the (ilolii in t\w i/zrrni, ur AHfifopf
f/iitfiinisii, an animal proitahly nnsurpassfd for speed. Mven when inoitally woinided,
or with a liroki II leg, he will outntrip the fleetest horse, and siieh is his teinu'ilv of
life llial unless the liullel pierce his head, heart, or spine, he always escapes capture.
The herd consists usually of thirty or forty head, although they are oica-ionally
nu'l in (locks of severid hundreds, inul even a thousand. Of hirds the most com-
ninn are the vulture, which follows in the wake of the caravan, and the raven,
which will holdly perch on th(! camel's hump aiul draw its life-ltlood. Above the
grii->y steppe hovers tlu' lark, endowed with as sweet a song as the Muntpean
Hjxries, and also possessing the faculty of imitating the notes of other songsters. The
reedy marshes aiul lakes harbour multitudes of duck, whi(!h migrate in winter to
South China.
Till'; KltlNOAN AM) T\-SIIAN HKiHtANDS.
Eastwards the (jiobi is limited by uidands, which have no, yet been thoroughly
explored, but which are known to form a U)ng frontier range rising above the
Fig. -11.— HiilTH-EAItT COIINKB ()!•■ THE MoNOOUAS PlATEAU.
Acooidinx to Fritncho. HniUe 1 : 3,000,000.
1--
■H —
3.300 ff
l,«50fl:
T 420 miles,
wwherc grow
■0, not daring
n the natiiral
t low, pliant
or the steppe
the Tibetan
L'arefully col-
i the camp to
hospital ity.
I Siberia, the
jcies of mar-
, incessantly
rer, and sud-
md birds of
ludow, trem-
> CO Milei.
Manchurian plains, and the lower steppe lands commonly called the East, or Little
Gobi. This is the Khingan chain, which stretches northwards to the Argun
(Amur), and which deflects this river towards the parallel Stanovoi ranges, Accord-
inar to Fritsche none of the crests exceed 8,300 feet, thus falling short of the snow-
line. In the lost century the mis.'^Ionaries Gerbiilon and Verbiest had spoken of
100
EAST ASIA.
tlio I'ccliii, a mountain mass sonio 15,000 feet high, forming the southern limit of
tlio Kliingaii system. l?ut Fritsehc and rrjovalsky have shown that in this
seetiou there are nothing hut low eminences, while the highest peak is only 0,900
feet above the sea, or scarcely more than 1,500 or 1,000 feet above the Gobi steppes.
On its western slopes the Khingan consists of rounded treeless crests, but on the
opposite side there are many green upland valleys, especially towards the south-
east extremity of the plateau.
The gneiss and lava ranges bounding the Gobi north of Peking are continued
under various Mongol and Chinese names south-westwards, skirting the valley of
the Hoang-ho along the northernmost section of its course. Collectively known as
the Tn-shan, tliis system terminates in the saline Alu-shan wastes to the north-
west of the great bend of the Yellow River. Here the granite, gneiss, and por-
phyry crests rise to heights of from 0,000 to 9,000 feet, and the polisiie53S^PaR->'i.vr^Sl3-3SS'S??5P-' - ■ -
-Twrr jf ^y^-^f"'
THE ORDOS PLATEAU AND ALA-SIIAN UPLANDS.
101
ithcrn limit of
1 that in this
I is only 0,9G0
Gol)i stcppoa.
sts, hilt on the
"(Is the south-
lire continued
the valley of
vely known as
to the north-
eiss, and per-
iled surface of
distinguished
cli vegetation,
iland, sends to
een mantle of
the eglantine,
it the Chinese
many valleys
'cially in the
lose of Tibet,
species of the
to haunt the
:o-ho encloses
Ordos plateau
as the Gobi,
ith its fertile
tion of about
ided on three
uthern slopes
itself, consists
d for cultiva-
sected by low
our, relieved
■ey or yellow
Is. Towards
>l)08it of salt
in the Kash-
iwe-inspiring
sounds, associated in the popular fancy with the massacres of Jenghiz Khan, who
is supposed to have died here, and to now lie buried in a silver and wooden coffin
somewhere under a yellow silk tent. At a respectful distance from the spot are
also intcrrcfl the various members of his family, and a horse and sheep are said to
be still sacrificed every evening to the shades of the mighty conqueit)r.
Some 20 miles south of the Iloang-ho the ruins are visible of a city now
buried in the sands, whose ramparts were 5 miles long both ways, and about 50 feet
thick. At present most of the land beyond the river valley is a complete solitude,
and the Dungan rebels have even destroyed the encampments of the Ordos Mongols.
The very cattle have again run wild, losing the dull, heavy air acquired in the
domestic state, and assuming the habits of a free life. In two or three years the
change was complete, and at the approach of man these animals take to flight like
wild beasts. Camels and horses also roam in herds over the steppe, but all the
sheep have been devoured by the wolves. In 1871, when ^rje^•alsky explored
the country, its only visitors were u few traders, who came in search of the liquorice
plant, characteristic of this region.
Near the right bank of the Iloang-ho, where it flows northwards, a range of
hills gradually increasing in elevation attains towards its southern extremity the
proportion of true mountains. This range, known as the Arbuz-ola, is continued
on the other side of the river by the loftier chain of the ^Vla-shan, whose highest
summits, the Dzumbur and Bugutu, 10,000 and 11,000 feet respectively, still fall
short of the snow-line. Both sides of the Ala-shan are fringed by a narrow strip
of verdure, watered by the rivulets flowing from its slopes. But its flora is very
poor, although the uplands are here and there clothed with forests of pines, spruce,
willows, and aspens, the resort of the deer, musk deer, and ibex.
Beyond the Yellow River the sands of the Ordos country are continued west-
wards by a still more barren and desolate region. Its fierce sand-storms, combined
with the absence of water and herbage, render this one of the most inhospitable
sections of the Gobi. This Trans-Ordos steppe stretches uninterruptedly between
the southern spurs of the In-shan and the northern extremity of the Ala-shan as
far as the Az-sind River and the plains of the Mongolian Kansu. For a stretch of
some 300 miles the eye lights on nothing but sandy and gravellj' wastes, or saline
clays overgrown with the hardy saksaul and thorny sulkhir (^f/rj'o/>//////H/« (johicum),
the latter yielding a small grain from which the Mongols make a sort of flour.
Here the lowest depression is occupied by the Jaratai-dabasu lake bed, which has a
circumference of 30 miles, and is everywhere incrustetl by a layer of pure salt from
2 to 6 feet thick. " The sparkling surface of the Jaratai-dabasu appears like water in
the distance, and resembles ice when you are near it. So deceptive is its appear-
ance that a flock of swans, apparently attracted by the sight of water in the desert,
descended before our very eyes almost to the surface of the false lake, but discover-
ing their mistake, rose again in the air with affrighted cry, and continued their
flight." — Prjevalsky.
102
EAST ASIA.
TnK Gkkat W.\m„
Tho lumlor-line botwoon ^loiijfoliu and Cliiiui proper was formerly indicatwl by
the (ireat Wall, wliieh, iiielii(lin<>; all its win(lin<>:s and the double and triple lines
erected at some jMiints, has a total lent forget that for many centuries it served to arrest the military expeditions
of the lliungnii. ancestors of the present Mongolians. Tlio sentinels mounting
guard on the towers erected at intervals along the ramparts gave timely warning
of the enemy's approach, while all the natural passages were guarded by encamp-
ments. Every gate hud its little garris(»ii, around which towns sfton sprang up,
serving as market-places for the surroiuiding populations. Sheltei'cd behhid these
^ M M ^m ii LMUV i . j y jqp-i
INHABITANTS-THE MONGOLIANS.
108
y indicufp(l by
lul triple lines
owing II mean
ious structure
(onry. Those
pyramids of
>i^^i
expeditions
Is mounting
ely wurniug
by oncamp-
I sprang up,
jehind these
barriers, the Chinese were able to develojj their national unity, and concentrate
their energies, in on r henceforth to enter into continuous relations with the
Western world. When the " wall of 10,000 li," forced at last by Jenghiz Khan,
thus lost all further strategic importance, it had at least already protected the
empire for a period of fourteen hundred years.
In its present condition the Great Wall belongs to various epochs. In the
severe Mongolian climate, with its sudden and violent transitions of temperature, a
very few years suffice to crumble most ordinary buildings, and it may be doubted
whether any portion of Shi Iloangti's original work still survives. Nearly all the
eastern section from Ordos to the Yellow Sea was rebuilt in the fifth century, and
the double rampart along the north-west frontier of the plains of Peking was twice
restored in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. With the changes of dynasties
and the vicissitudes of frontier wars, the lines themselves were modified, ^wrtions
being abandoned in one place, consolidated in another. Thus is explained the
great difference in the style and workmanship at various points. North of Peking
it is still in a state of perfect repair, whereas in many western districts along the
Gobi frontier it is little more than an earthen rampart, while for considerable
distances all vestiges of the wall have disappeared. Similar structures in the
Tmnsbaikal region north of Mongolia, traditionally referred to Jenghiz Khan,
still recall the perennial struggles between the agricultural populations and their
nomad neighbours.
IxiIAUITAXTS — ^ThE MONGOLIANS.
The Mongolians, against whom the Chinese were fain at one time to protect
themselves by such vast barriers, are a people without any national cohesion.
Conquerors may have occasionally united them in a single army ; but on their
return to the stt^ppe they again broke up into tribal divisions. Thanks to the
intestine feuds maintained between these sections of the race, the Chinese have
been enabled to triumph over the Khalkhas, Eliuts, and Zungars, while the
Buriats and Kalmuks fell a prey to the Russians. The very name of Mongol was
applied during the two centuries of their political supremacy to all the different
races who took part in the conquests of Jenghiz Ehan and his successors,
penetrating on the one hand into the Chinese Empire, on the other into the heart of
Europe. Even after the extinction of the family of Jenghiz the vast empire of
Tiraur was still attributed to the Mongolians, although it really represented the
reaction of tl e Western Asiatic world against the East. Later on the title of " Great
Mogul " was extended to Baber and his successors on the throne of Delhi, although
they had no longer any Mongol warriors in their armies. I'ride in a remote
descent from the great conqueror was the only claim to the title. The Zungarian
Empire, founded towards the end of the seventeenth century, was on the other
hand really of Mongol origin ; but it nowhere stretched beyond the Central
Asiatic plains and plateaux.
In mediajval times the Mongols wore confused with the Tatars, or Tatas, a
feeble tribe, in the twelfth century occupying the In-shan valleys, but which, in the
104
EAST ASIA.
chaos of conflicting elements, contrived to give its name to Mongols, Manchus,
Turks, and to all the warlike nomad peoples of Asia and East Europe. Neithei-
Jenghi/ nor any of his people took pride in this name of Tatar, which helonged
oriir Manchu neighbours, and is now restricted to the peoples of Turki
stock, although nowhere acknowleged or adopted by them.
Before the period of their ccmquests the Mongolian tribes were restrictetl to the
northern and eastern ])ortions of the vast region now known l)y the general namo
of Mongolia. Here all the streams and lakes are worshipped as gods, and legends
- !« i' "nH ^ >f"»' ' ;w y y tP- ' " Miw ^' iB f j i
INHABITANTS— THE MONGOLIANS.
106
!;ols, Munt'hus,
ope. Ncitlier
[lich bclonjrod
ris. The title
! uzure is the
e earth. But
lerully formed
mythological
nsolcd," said
back to the
aven!" At
the Mongols
les of Turki
rioted to the
■eneral naino
and legends
are assoeiuted with every moimtuin, which always bears the title of Khan, or king.
The extreme north-east corner of this domain is now occupied by tht Manchu
Solons and other Mongol tribes, which are more or less mixed with foreign
elements, and which furnish numerous recruits for the military colonies founded by
the Chinese in the western regions of the empire. The Khalkhas, so named, like
the Mongols themselves, from one of their ancient chiefs, are mainly concentrated
in the northern steppes near the kindred Buriats, now subject to Russia. The
eight tribes of the Tsakhars occupy the south-eastern steppes towards China, and
these the Imperial Government has specially intrusted with the defence of the
frontiers against the Northern Mongols. The Ordos, now almost extinct, dwelt in
the fluvial peninsula named from them, and farther west are the Eliuts, more or
leas mixed with Turki elements, and embracing the Kalmuk hordes of the Altai
Fig. 44.— Inhabitants of Mongolia.
Scale 1 : S3.O0O.00O.
. 600 Miles.
and Tian-shan. Lastly, in the Upper Yenisei basin, the Turki Dorkhats and
Donvas, or Urianhai, have been largely assimilated to the Mongolians. In a
general way the race is divided into Khalkhas, or Eastern, Eliuts, or Western, and
Buriats, or Siberian Mongolians. But the only real division is that of the
Khoshun, or " Banners," and according to the vicissitudes of wars and alliances
the tribes of the various Banners combine in more or less powerful confederacies.
The national type seems to have been best preserved amongst the Khalkhas,
who also claim a certain superiority over the other branches on the ground that
amongst them are the families of the Tuitsi, descendants of Jenghiz Khan. Yet
the Khalkha least resembles the typical Mongol type, as described by most
ethnologists. He is rather brown than yellow, with open eyes, not inclined
obliquely, like those of the Chinese or Ostiaks. He has, however, the broad flat
40
'Igg^p;
100
EAST ASIA.
f«'iitun>8, proniiiu'iit cluH'k boiics, black huir, and Hcunt Ijoard usually doHcribed an
distinctive charactpriMtics of the type.
The M()n}>;(»ls an' fore the undisciplined bands of Dungan rebels, whose
courag(» was largely inspired by the terror of the foe. Subtlued, dismembered, and
disorganized, the nation feels its weakness. How different the craven attitude of
the present nomads towards European travellers crossing the steppe from the
haughty bearing of Kuyuk Khan, who in reply to the I'ope's legate, J(»hn du Plan
Carpin, pnu-laimed himself the avenging instrument of God I " I have the right to
kill you," he a(Me an abstract right to
the use of the land can be of little consequence to those who own no flocks or herds,
and the nobles and lamas, to whom the live stock belongs, are ipso facto the pro-
prietors of the soil. The high priest of Urga alone possesses a domain peopled by
one hundred and fifty thousand of his slaves.
Few of the Mongols have turned to the cultivation of the land, nearly all being
still exclusively occupied with their herds of camels, horses, and cattle, and their
flocks, mostly of fat-tailed sheep. When they meet the flrst question turns on
their live stock, more important in their eyes than the family itself. They cannot
understand that there can be any human beings so forsaken of heaven as not to
possess domestic animals, and receive with incredulity the assurances of the Rus-
sian travellers that they own neither sheep nor camels. All the woik falls on the
women and children, who not only tend the herds, but also manufacture the houf ')-
hold utensils, saddles, arms, embroidered robes, tc t felts, camel-hair cordage, and
other articles of camp life. From the Chinese and Russians they procure all the
provisions and other supplies they require. Tea especially is indispensable to them,
for they never drink cold water, to which they even attribute a malignant influ-
ence. Besides tea they also drink kumis, mare's milk, and too often the vile
brandies supplied to them by the Russians. Their diet consists almost exclusively
of nmtton, camel, and horse flesh, varied with a sort of paste or dough ; but the
flesh of birds and fish is by most held in special abhorrence.
The Mongol speech, which belongs to the Ural-Altaic family, and which has a
large number of roots in common with the Turki branch of that family, is sjroken
with considerable dialectic variety by the Khalkhas, Buriats, and Eliuts, who are
not always able to converse together. Many foreign elements have everywhere
crept in, and the pure national speech has been much corrupted by contact with
the Chinese, Manchus, Tibetans, and Turki tribes on the frontiers. Over two
thousand years ago it was reduced to writing, at that time employing the Chinese
ideographic characters, which were supplanted at the beginning of the tenth cen-
tury by an alphabetical system. This was again changed in the twelfth century
for another style, employed to translate the Chinese classical works. Unfortunately
all these works have perished, and the very characters in which they were written
have been completely forgotten. During the period of conquest the Mongols adopted
the alphabet of the Uigur Turks, but a national system invented in 1269 by a lama,
honoured by the title of " King of the Faith," finally prevailed. The Mongols
write with a pencil on wooden tablets painted black and powdered with sand or ashes.
51
EAST ASIA.
Tlio Iitlll-^'!(■aI worlcM uro written in Kmrhak, or TilK'fun, \\w y^^wrv^\ lan<;uafj[<> (if
tin* Monp)lians since their conversion to Kuthliiisni. Ilenee tlie priests, wlio wish
to know something: more of their r*et is the " |[oly Land" of the ^fon^dians, who regard the Dalai-lamu as
of superior divinity to tlieir own Taranath-iania, or Jetstm-tampa. Nevertheless
the latter is also a liiirhlidu, or " livinj^ lluddha," who under divers forms is suj)-
jjose»l t() have sueeeiMUMl to liimstdf sin<'e the mithlle of the sixteenth century, if not
from a more remote periml. At each apparent (h>ath he is recjuired to renew hin>-
self in Til)et, whither a solemn end)assy sets «»ut to recover him iu the f<»nn of an
infant. Formerly the Mongolian i)ontiif residwl at Kuku-khoto, near the Cliinesu
frontier, hut, having lu'en assassinattnl in eonset|uenee of a dispute about pro-
eminence with tlie l"'imi)oror Kan^-hi, he was ordered by imperial decree to got
born again at Trga, in North >[ongolia. Since that time the names of the Huddhuti
eh'ct must 1mi Hrst submitt«Hl to the Foreign ()tfi<'c at Peking.
The chief Mongolian divinities, like those r*' Tilwt, are of Hindu origin, but
some are also of national descent. Nor are those the least venerated, although
occupying a lower rank in the M(»ngol pantheon. Such, for instance, is Yaman-
dag, or " (jioat Face," tigureil with the head of u goat or else of an ox, wearing a
coronet of human skidls, vomiting flames, and in his twenty hands grasping human
limbs or instruments of torture. lie is painter8 in the lamassjirios. Nowhere else are
the outward forms of religion more scrupulously observed, and even the Chinese of
the frontier, when retailing their adulterated wares at short measure, do not for-
get to wrap the parcels in paper bearing the sacred formula, Otn mani padme hum.
The Chinese Government, which pays little heed to ils own bonzes, protects the
i-i5*ri=3^.
INIIABITANT8-TI1K MONaOLlAXa.
109
'd laiif;»iiff(> of
icHts, who wish
arc ohli^tnl to
r of the MlKTOtl
ini(lei'stan ropioii knf)W!i by th«> nnino of Knw-vci, or " noyonrl fho Gntos,"
is now Cliiiipsc tcMrifoiy, I'.iitl IniK Itccii ncciitly iii('nr|Minit<'(l willi flic two provinces
ol' Slumsi (iiul I'cdiili. ( hic <»f the .'liicl' indiiccmi'nts to settle here is tlie liherality
nhown towiirds th(> cultivators of tl>e poppy, who, for a slijjht tax of h>ss than VJOs.
the acre, are aUowctl to j<;row lliis phint freely, and are thus eiialtlcd to pn)cure
opium at a nnxlerate price. Although the Mon^'oiians, as a rule, keep aloof from
the intruders, extensive alliances have already taken place, and the ICrlitza, or
olfsjirinj^of Ciiinese fathers and .Mt)n>i:ol nmthcrs, arc very numerous in some trilM's.
Tlie Tsakhars especially have almost become as.-imilated to the <'hinese in type and
social habits, preferriu}^ a settled life to the freedom of their nomad kinsnuful possession of Monjrolia the Imperial (iovernmcnt luis
hitherto pursu<>d the simph- |M)licy of dividin^r the race into hostile tribes, and
flattering? the vanity i>f the chiefs by allowing them to contract alliancoH with the
imperial family. The princes, most of whom claim descent fronj Jt'nj^hiz Khan,
bear varicuis 'lereditirv titles answering to those of kinjj^, duke, earl, baron. Hut
they arc lH)uml ♦o consult the ('hincse ministiT in all weijj^hty affairs, dependinjf in
nil other respects on the hijfh priest of I'rj^a. Annual national <<;atlu*rini;M are held
under the i)residency «»f i»ne of the chiefs chos(>n by the people ; but their decisions
do not aopiire the force of law until approved of by the ('hinese Government.
The Kmp(>ror has the power of de]H)sin}rs, receivinj? a yearly subvention of
from t"{(> to .t'HOO, according to their rank. Thus, instead «>f adding to the ini]ierial
treasury, Mongolia is actually a burden to the State, at least financially. The Mongols
pay no direct tribute, but they arc bound to military 8t>rvicc, all the men between
their eighteenth and sixtieth years forming part of the imperial cavalry. Hut the
late Hungan insurrecticm has shown that the ^fcmgolian army exists only on paper.
The Khalkha territory, comprising the hirgerhalf of Outer Mongolia, is divided
into the four khanates of Tushetu, Tst'tien, Suiiioin, and Jesaktu ; that is, of the
north, east, centi-e, and west, and the different tribes are by usage interdicteopof one hundred and fifty men forms a squadron, six squadrons
a regiment an indefinite numlK»r of regiments a K'/tos/iitn, or " Banner," this last
answering best to the tribid division. A certain number of Khoshuns form an
Aimiik, or section, which varies acconling to (urcunistances in size and importance.
The Aimaks and Khoshuns are distributee! as under : —
Aimaks. KhnRhnns.
Khnlkhii ilomnin, or Xorth Mongolia ... 4 h6
Kii8t Mcnuoliii 25 61
'i'siikhnr doinaiii 1 8
Alii-Hliiin I 3
u"-t«i j lixrl"** ^^"'"':'*'" ;:::,! 5[
Ordoa tnrritory I ^
Total "as 172^
TO POO n Am Y.
in
nrl (ho Gntos,"
• t\v(i proviiiron
s th«' lilMTiility
!<'ss (l)un 'JOs.
led to procure
'('l) aliMif from
111* Ju'/ifzn, or
ill some trihos.
■sc ill fypomul
kiiisiiicii.
ivorriiiH'tit litiM
iio triltcs, and
uncos witli the
ronjflii/ Khan,
, baron. lint
, (lopcndiiiji^ in
'riiiffsarc liold
their decisions
(lovoriiniont.
ro, and in any
subvoiition of
the iin])orial
The Montis
! men iM'twocn
dry. Hut the
only on paper,
nlia, is naturally conoont rated in the soiith-oastorn
rojrion " lloyond tlio (Jatos," occiipird by the ('liiiu'><(' sottlors. Novortlioloss cvni
in the north there are a few placoM onjoyinj; a certain importance, centres of trade,
and eoiiver^'iiif; points of the caravan routes. Thus h'o/n/o, lyiii;; 4,()(K) fi-et above
the sea, on the plateau of like nuine in the M(ni;j(»liaii Altai, is the entrepot of the
Uussiun dealers from the Altai mines on the Upper Irtish valley. Some disfanco
to the east of KoInIo, iiut on the same hilly plateau, is the commereial t(»wn of
Uliiisntdi. Uoth placoH resemble each other in their general disjjositioii, consist iiiff
of a walled enclosure, seat of the administration, and an open dieine, theoloj^y, and astrol(»^:y. The Maima-elien, or conmioreiul
(piarter, lyinpr cnst of tlie Knren, is occupied hy idxait 1,000 ('hine?se dealers.
Hen' is the campinj; >f round of the Russian caravans, an 8,800 Yuid*.
new quarter has also sprung up round the Itussian consulate, established in 1861,
where have been organized most of the recent scientific and commercial expeditions
across Mongolia. A large triennial fair is held at Urga in Sejjtember, visited by
about 200,000 persons from every part of 3IongoHa.
All the trading routes converge on XJrga, which is the chief station on the
great tr-.i highway between Kiakhta and Kalgan, at one of the gates in the Great
AVall, while it is also connected with Kobdo, Uliasutai, and the towns of Kansu and
Manchuria by regular jmstal routes. Along these tracks camps of fifteen to twenty
tents are established at intervals, and placed under a postmaster, who is bound to
provide travellers with night lodgings and mounts free of charge. By the treaties
concluded between Russia and China in 1859-60, the St. Petersburg Government
ToronnAriiY,
118
HON tlif iihrupt.
». Tlif Ktircn
tMoiitaiiipii, or
lo to the north
l»ly inf)ro than
kth the shallow
I'tiilinifiiip; the
Dr miunion^ial
lincM' (loiilorH.
iH ciirrciit a
1(1 Sibcriu. A
iahcd in 1861,
al expeditions
er, visited by
tation on the
t in the Great
of Kunsu and
een to twenty
lo is bound to
y the treaties
' Government
hn« arquired the ripfht to maintain at its own PxpriiHc n postal Korvier In'tween
Kiaklita and Tit-ntHin, rid I'rpi. In all the towns of Ir^ii, Kal^^an, Peking, and
TientNJn, Itnssiaii a^i>ntH look after the transit of ^kmIs, wliii-li are forwariled once
a month, and the comfort of travellers, who nturt every ten duyw. The journey
oecupies on nn nv«>raffe al)out two week«.
Kdriiknnnn, the old capital of the vast Moti^olian Kmpire, lies in the mime river
Imsin as Kinkhta. It mi)fht seem siirprisinjj; that the imperial residence Hhould
hnve remained for nearly seventy years in the midst of tin- -A^^*X-/l
k?
"x^
^^)^^^^\r1
40
1
:'0'
__
sc-
.:(j' [ore
600 Mile*.
or Western Asia. At the beginning of the fourteenth eentury, when the work of
conquest was completed, and the empire divided into eastern and western sections,
such a capital as Karakorum could serve no further purpose ; hence it was soon
succeeded by Peking and Samarkand. Ilolin, or Khorin (Kara-kuren, or " Black
Camp"), is already mentioned by the Chinese chroniclers of the eighth century ;
but although Jenghiz Khan may have here established one of his chief encnuipments,
it did not become the imperial capital till 1234, when Oktai Khan caused it to be
enclosed. Here Longjumel and Rubruk beheld the Mongol Khan in all his glory,
courted by the mighty of the earth, and surrounded by adventurers from all the
Buddhist, Mohammedan, and Christian states in the Old World. Guillaume of
Paris laid out his pleasure groirnds, planning elegant fountains with their jets of
— 'i ^Mmm^im^mmms-mmMiAi'''- ^
114
EAST ASIA.
I*
mi ^
,i1
wine, milk, kumis, and bocr fallinff into silver basins. Novortholoss Karnkorum
was never a fj;reat city. Accordinjj^ to Marco Polo the ramparts were only •{ miles
in circuit, and even most of this space Avas occupied with palaces and temples
surrounded by extensive courts. Beyond the enclosure were two other cities, the
Maiina-chen of the Chinese, and the Mohammedan bazaar. But these do not
appear to have been larj^o quarters, and Rubruk describes the whole place as inferior
to St. Denis, near Paris. Hence it is not surprisinp; that soon after its abandon-
ment by the Khans the " Black Camp" should have vanished from the face of the
earth. For a lonjj time its very site was known only to the Khalkha nomads.
D'Anville placed it on the very verge of the Gobi, near the salt lake, Kulcn-ulen,
while R«'musat removed it much farther north, about the sources of the Orkhon,
some '240 miles south-west of TJrga. And not far from this spot Paderin came
upon its ruins in a plain traversed by the Orkhon. Here are still visible the
remains of a crenellated rampart, five hundred paces both ways, and enclosing
some crumbling walls.
In the region east of Urga, watered by the Iverulen and Khailar, and partly
attached to the administration of Manchuria, the centres of popidation are mere
villages, deriving some little importance from their position as capitals of aimaks
and trading stations. The most frequented are Kcrii/rii and K/iai/nr, named from
the rivers on which they stand. But the trade of the country is naturally concen-
trated in the south-eastern regions annexed to Hhansi and Pechili, where the_
Chinese, '• devourers of the Tatars," have founded s(>veral industrious towns.
Amongst these are Sarchi, on a tributary of the Ilojing-bo, and Kircilina-clicng, in
a small basin also draining to the Hoang-ho. Th(> latter, which is the Kiilni-k/iofo
of the Mongols, consists of a religious and a trading (piarter, and till the end of the
last century was the residence of the Mongolian Buddha, now enthroned in Urga.
It is still a great centre of Buddhist learning, and according to Hue 20,000
lamas and students crowd its schools and convents. Kuku-khoto is a great cattle
mart, and nearly all the dressed hides, camel's-hair cloth, and cordage forwarded to
Tientsin for the London and New York markets come from this place.
Farther east are the extensive ruins of Kham-khoto, or " Black Town," and of
Tuftfjaa-k/idfo, or " White Town," the former a very ancient place, the latter
founded at the beginning of the fourteenth century as capital of the ^longol Empire,
and visited by Marco Polo, who calls it Chagan-nor. Thirty miles east of it is the
Chinese village of Simnfzc, centre of the Mongolian Catholic missions. In 1873
the Mongolian Catholics in this diocese numbered about 12,000.
No less important than Kuku-khoto is Dolon-iior, lying at an elevation of
4,000 feet in the south-east comer of the plateau near the extremity of the (Jreat
Khingan range. It takes its Mongol name, meaning the '* Seven Lakes," from a
number of meres, now choked with the sands of the desert. The Chinese cull it
Lama-miao, or the " Lama's Grave," from u structure here erected by the Emiieror
Kang-hi. Like the other cities of the plateau, it is an open town, consisting of a
religious and trading quarter. Its Chinese inhabitants carry on a brisk trade at
the expense of the surrounding Mongol nomads, and are also skilled artisans,
r^'K&'<'«.
CHINESE MANCHURIA.
116
ss KnrnkoruTn
re only -i iiiilcs
58 and temples
thor cities, the
t these do not
lace as inferior
' its abandon-
he faee of the
alkha noinads.
e, Kulen-ulen,
f the Orkhon,
Paderin came
ill visible the
and enclosing
lar, and partly
ation are mere
als of aimaks
r, named from
urally concen-
ili, where the„
ttrious towns.
"iliua-chcug, in
lie Kiikn-klioto
the end of the
ned in Urga.
Hue 20,000
a great cattle
! forwarded to
Wn," and of
cc, the latter
ongol Empire,
ist of it is the
ms. In 1873
elevation of
of the Great
ikes," from a
liinese call it
the Emperor
)nsisting of a
brisk trade at
lied artisans,
producing statues and ornaments of all sorts in iron and gilt copper for tho
Mongolian lamassaries and temples. The grand effigy of Buddha, over 30 feet
high, in the great temple of Urga, was brought across the desert from Dolon-nor,
In the midst of the wilderness, some 24 miles north of Dolon-nor, lies Shang-tu,
or the " Superior Court," which succeeded the " White Town " and Karakorum as
residences of the Khans, and where Kublai Khan erected the marble and bamboo
palaces described by Marco Polo, Its usual Mongolian name of the " Ilxmdrcd
and Eight Temples " is taken from its many religious edifices, formerly as nimierous
as the sacred volumes of tho Kanjiir, all now in ruins and enclosed by a double
rampart overgrown with grass and scrub. A grassy enclosure at least 5 square
miles in extent, lying north-west of Shang-tu, was probably the wonderful park of
which Marco Polo speaks ; but the fountains, artificial streams, groves, and green-
swards described by the illustrious Venetian all have vanished.
Immeasurably more extensive was the park of Jehol, a wooded district peopled by
wild beasts, which covered a wide expanse along the hills and valleys between the
Mongolian plateau and the palisade of Manchuria. Here grazed those herds of ten
thousand spotless white horses offered in tribute to the Emperor Kang-hi. Jehol,
or Chingte-fu, is noted for its summer palace, built in 1703 on the model of the
Peking structure, and rich especially in inlaid wood artistic objects. Paku, or
Pingchicen-hien, 60 miles east of Jehol, which consists of a single street nearly
5 miles long, is the centre of the silk industry in Inner Mongolia. Hada, or
Chifmg-hien, is also a busy place, much frequented by dealers in furs. In this
northern district there is a gcgen-suma, or temple of a living Buddha, with a
lamassary said to contain as many as 5,000 priests.
v.— CHINESE MANCHURIA.
This province is bounded north and east by the course of the Amur and its tributary,
the Usuri ; south-east by the highlands and solitudes separating it from Korea ;
south by the Yellow Sea ; but westwards — that is, towards Mongolia — there are no
natural frontiers. Here the north-eastern comer of Mongolia, west of the Great
Khingan range, is assigned to Manchuria, while the forest lands and fertile tracts
of the Upper Shara-muren, east of that range, now fonn what is called Inner
Mongolia. Formerly the boundary between this section of Mongolia and South
Manchuria was marked by a long line of palisades, which, however, have long
disappeared. A few clumps are shown here and there, which are said to be the
remains of the plantations made in the time of Kang-hi. But no plan can be
detected in the disposition of the clusters occurring on either side of the old frontier
in the two Manchu provinces of Mukden and Gii'in. Such barriers, which the
Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans were formerly fond of erecting, can never have
had any strategic importance ; they were simply a sort of magic circle traced
round the land, which was thus placed under the protection of the terminal deities.
'
17.3P
llfi
EAST ASIA.
In any raso any conventional frontier between Mongolia and Manchuria can have
all the loss significance that both races are steadily retreating Ijeforo the Chinese
immigrants, who already form the majority of the population. Probably not more
than one- twelfth of the inhabitants of Manchuria behmg to the race whence the
country takes its name.
Main Physkal Features.
Manchuria is naturally divided into two distinct regions, draining one north-
wards through the Amur to the Sea of Okhotsk, the other southwards to the Yellow
Sea. The two basins arc separated by a slightly elevated ridge which runs west-
wards to the Mongolian plateau. But great differences prevail in the regions lying
on either side of this low water-parting. Northern Manchuria forming part of the
Siberian world, while South Manchuria belongs in its climate, vegetation, and
inhabitants to China.
The Great Khingan presents a far more imposing appearance as seen from the
banks of the Nonni than towards the west, where its base is deeply rooted in the
Mongolian plateau. The conic crests of the now extinct volcanoes formerly stretch-
ing along this range stand out Ijoldly at the head of the deep and densely wooded
gorges excavated '\v the affluents of the Nonni. But other cones rise also above
the plains watered by the Nonni, and which were formerly dotted over with now
dried-up lakes. In the valley of the Udelin, a tributary of the Nemer, which
joins the Nonni between Mergen and Tsitsikhar, a group of volcanic hills marks the
spot where the ground was violently agitated by an earthquake in 1720, followed
the next year by a fierce eruption, which lasted for over a twelvemonth. These
igneous phenomena were carefully described by five imperial envoys, who visited
the district at ditferent times, so that there can be no reasonable doubt of the
occurrence. From a new crater which rose to about 8!30 feet, with little over half
a mile in circumference, four lava streams flowed down to a great distance across
the plains, one of them damming up the Udelin, and converting it into an exten-
sive lake. The group of hills contains rich sulphur beds, which, however, the
Government does not allow to be worked. Several other hills in the valley are of
igneous origin, but it is doubtful whether they have shown any activity in recent
times. In this respect the group here described is quite unique. Such volcanic
action at a distance of over 600 miles from the sea-coast is a clear proof that the
saline waters of closed basins may perform the same office in nature's underground
laboratories as do the marine waters in the production of volcanic eruptions.
North of the Upper Nonni valley the Great Khingan is connectetl by a high-
land region with the Daus^-ulin, or Little Khingan of the Russians. This upland
tract, known by various local names, is crossed by a much-frequented route between
Mergen and Aigun. In a forest clearing at the highest point of the route a Chinese
temple entertains travellers of all nations in the empire who come to worship at
its shrine. The custodians of the sanctuary, banished from the " Flowery Land,"
are required to look after their comfort and guide them over the dangerous parts
of the country. The Daftsd-alin, which appears nowhere to rise higher than 5,000
RIVER SYSTEMS— THE SUNGARI AND I,IAO-HE.
117
uria can have
c the ('hinose
My not more
3 whence the
ng one north-
to the Yellow
eh runs west-
regions lying
g part of the
gotation, and
seen from the
rooted in the
norly stretch-
nscly wooded
ise also above
ver with now
Nenier, which .
ills marks the
720, followed
onth. These
S who visited
doubt of the
ttle over half
istance across
nto an exten-
however, the
valley arc of
ity in recent
)uch volcanic
•oof that the
underground
it ions.
I by a high-
This upland
oute between
jte a Chinese
o worship at
«'ery Laud,"
igerous parts
r than 5,000
feet, is continued north-eastward across the vast semicircle formed by the Nonni
and Sungari, and beyond the Amur by the Hureya range in Siberia. Hut the
Lagar-aul, culminating |)oint of this section, has an elevation of no more than
;{,oOO fcot.
The true main range of Manchuria is the Shan-alin (Shanyen-alin), the Chang-
pei-shan, or " Long White Mountain," of the Chinese, so named both from its
dazzling limestone rocks and snowy crests ; for the highest peaks about the sources
of the Sungari attain elevations of 10,000 and 1*2,000 feet, thus rising considerably
above the snow-line. The chain runs mainly north-east and south-west from the
Usuri-Amur confluence to the Liaoti-shan headland on the Yellow Sea, a total
distance of some 900 miles. The system is partly of volcanic origin, and in its
central section an old crater is said to be filled by a lake enchtsed in rocky walls
over 2,(»00 feet high. The Manchu poets sing of the Shan-alin as the sacred home
of their forefathers, and in their eyes it is the fairest land in the world, with its
woodlands, sunny glades, and sparkling streams, all bathed in the bright atnu)-
sphere of heaven.
Other ridges running between and parallel with the Shan-alin and Ehingan
traverse the central plains, and one of them follows the valley of the Liao-ho,* on
the west, skirting the west side of the Gulf of Liaotung as far as the promontory
at the eastern extremity of the Great Wall. At its northern end this coast range
is known as the Kwangning chain, from a city of that name lying at its foot in
the neighbourhood of some extinct volcanoes. Like the Shan-alin, the Kwangning
iVIountains have always been regarded as amongst the tutelar deities of the countrj',
Mount Wulin being from a remote period included amongst the nine guardians of
the empire. On its highest peak the hermitage is still shown where Yenhwang,
one of the most renowned Chinese princes, passed most of his days, surrounded by
books and manuscripts.
River Systems — The Sungari and Liao-he.
Although differing greatly in size, the two chief Manchurian rivers resemble
each other in the disposition of their respective valleys. Both flowing in opposite
directions, describe semicircles of remarkable regularity, that of the Upper Nonni,
or main branch of the Sungari, corresponding with that of the Shara-muren, or Upper
Liao-he, while the Lower Sungari reproduces the bend of the Lower Liao-he.
Between the two the Eastern Gobi plateau, covered with " yellow earth " and
dotted over with closed lat trine basins, has been gradually cut up into divergent
valleys by erosive action.
The Sungari is regarded both by the Manchus and Chinese as the main stream
of the common basin which it forms with the Amur. Yet it seems to be inferior
to the latter both in length and volume, except in summer, when its discharge is
greater, thanks to the melting of the snows on the White Mountains. In many
places it is considerably over a mile wide between its muddy banks, which are alive
* Or rather Liao-he, he being the term answering to ho, "river," in North China.
118
EAST ASIA.
willi niyriiuls of swallows. Durinjjf the flood8 tlio Sunj^nri becomes an inland sea
dotted with islands, the resort of countless flocks of wild geese, swans, and duck.
As an historic hi country an almost PiUropoaii aHpect, whit-li in enhanciHl by tho fruit trtt's,
corrals, veji^ctablcs, and other cultivated jilants growing round tho houses. But
wihl animals aro still numerous, including the panther and the tiger, or *'h)rd," as
he is here calleil. The royal beust fre(|uently attacks the inhabitants, even in the
very streets of their villages, and almost more dangerous are the wolves, the packs
sometimes sparing tho flock and falling upon the shepherd. The wild boar, bear,
fox, polecat, and wild cat are common in some districts, and in the northern
forests the squirrel and sablo are still trapped for their furs, which are used to
adorn the head-dress of the natives. Notwithstanding the peaceful invasion of the
Chinese immigrants, Manchuria continues, as of old, to be u famous hunting
ground, and although tho attacks of wild beasts are less droadetl than formerly, tlio
chase is still ccmsidered as a sacred pursuit incumbent on all.
Birds, mostly of species analogous to those of West Europe, nro very numerous,
and multitudes, especially of singing birds, are met almost everywhere. The
hamlets are visited by largo flocks of ravens, which are looked upon by the Manchus
as the spirits of their auoestors, and consequ6'ntly supplied with daily offerings.
The running waters abound to such un extent in animal life that whole conmiuni-
ties live exclusively on a tish diet. In tho Sungari the salmon are so large and
plentiful that their skins form a not unbecoming article of summer attire, which is
elegantly embroidered by the women. The Ynpi-tatze, or " Fish-skin people," as
the Chinese call them, are all Tunguses of tho Gold tribe, like those of the Usuri
lliver and the Russian maritime province.
Inhabitants — The Manchi's.
The present Mauchu race recognises the Ninchi as theii- ancestors. The name
now applied to the whole nation was originally restricted to a single tribe occupy-
ing an upland valley in the White Mountains. Taitsu, chief of this tribe, having
subdued all his neighbours, proclaimed the perfect equality of all his subjects, to
whom he extended his tribal name of Manchu. To this stroke of policy he was
probably indebted for his victories over the Chinese, resulting in the complete
conquest of the " Middle Kingdom " in the year 1644. This conquest, however,
hud the effect of transforming the Manchus themselves. With tho exception of
the Solons, Golds, Manogrs, Orochons, who still wander along the river banks,
there are in Manchuria no longer any nomad Manchus, or Tung-tatze ; that is,
" Eastern Tatars," so named in opposition to the Si-tatze, or " Western Tatars."
There is now nothing more than a Chinese province, and even in the Upper Nonni
valley the natives have, under Chinese influence, gradually abandoned their
wandering habits. They live in /(ttizai,, like the immigrants from the south, and
own arable lands, which they usually rent to the Chinese peasantry, with whose
speech they have also become familiar.
Of all the Manchus the Solons, or Salons, have best preserved tho ancient
national usages. They reject Buddha, and still believe in the Shaman wizards,
who practise their magic rites round about certain hallowed eminences. The Solons
WIU*
the fruit trtt'8,
) houses. But
, or " lord," as
ts, even in the
Ives, the packs
fild boar, bear,
the northern
;h are used to
invasion of the
mous hunting
I formerly, the
'ery numerous,
ywhere. The
y the ManchuH
aily offerings,
lole communi-
B so large and
if tire, which is
an people," as
3 of the Usuri
•8. The name
tribe occupy-
I tribe, having
lis subjects, to
policy he was
the complete
lest, however,
3 exception of
! river banks,
;atze ; that is,
stern Tatars."
Upper Nonni
mdoned their
he south, and
y, with whose
1 the ancient
iman wizards,
. The Solons
m
fit
iMANCHU MINISTERS-CHIEFS OK BANNEH8.
TiC]
'tiltHil
=:==--:l_„
:^.v
v.—
■""
-—
-----
" -— r
— -■--
— ■
. — — .
Mil- :..
INHABITANTS— THE MANCIIUS.
121
burn their dond, plaoing tho hhIics in Ipiithor sucks, which fhcy attach to tho
brunches of tho trees. On the other bund, tlie Daurians, altliou^'h the bruvest nnd
fiercest of all tho ruco, hnvo bocomo zenU)us Huddhists, one uieniber nt least of every
family bciuf? a lama.
0\viii;j; to the mi.xtnre of races, which has produced a larger and more vi{*orons
population than that of Central China, it luis beconio almost im2)ossilil(> to distin-
guish the natives from tho intrudinj^ Chinese. Ibit the Munch us are distinj^uished
above all tho northern peoples for their natural politeiu'ss and courtesy towards
stranj^ers. Although descendants of the conquerors of China, they havc^ the good
taste to avoid any reference to their origin in the presence of the " Sons of Heaven,"
in this respect differing greatly from their kinsmen in China, the insolent
mandarins, wh(» have been corrupted by the enjoyment of po^- r and jjrivileges.
Tho Solons, Daftrs, and other northern tribes, like the Siberian Tunguses of tho
same original stock, are brave, cheerful, good-natured, and resemble the Ja])anese
in their aptitude fn* assimilating foreign ideas and adapting themselves to tho
altered surroundings. ITenco in Manchuria religious differences have at present
far more imjjortanco than those of race. The IMohammedans, who form in some
districts one-third of the whole population, reside mostly in villages or in separate
quarters, where they constitute quite a distinct element, holding aloof from those
of other religions, although themselves of Chinese race and speech.
For military purposes the Manchus are grouped in eight banners, whence their
name of Paki ; that is, " Eight Flags." But tho men, whose only arms till 1873
were tho bow and arrow, are at present employed more frequently on himting than
on Ktrategi conquest the more important
Chinese works have been translated into tho language of the conquerors, and these
translations often throw great light on tho obscurities of the original texts.
Manehu is a sonorous language, easily acquired, thanks to the regularity of its
inflections and syntax. Lik all Tungus tongues, it consists of monosyllabic or
dissyllabic roots, whose meaning is modified by agglutinated suffixes. The Ninchi,
ancestors of the present Manchus, and who gave to China the Kin dynasty,
41
\
• \»m ' imim^f.>f'.
isa
KAST ASIA.
borrowrd tlicir wrilinjf syslnn from th«< (^liiiu'w in tiio Iwolfth confiiry. liut tho
iHlcrs i ori^fiii \v«'ro cun'fully oxfliKlrd.
Atniot'M wits the first Maiu-hu dictionary ])ubli»4h«>d hy u Kuro|HMin towardH the end
of tho hijit ountury, Hinco when Kovoral others have uppoared in various Kuropcan
Iniif^'nap's.
Ill .Manchuria, as in tiic othtr outer |MmsossionH of the enjpire, Chinese «-oIonisu-
tion bep;an with convict stations and military estahlishnients. The first setllcnienta
wcro founded innnodiately boyund tho Urout Wall ; hut at esi'iit most of the
political or (;riininal oxiicH are Imu-
Fig. 40.— Manchl' Woman.
ished to the forests andstcpp(> lands
near the Jliissiaii frontier. Tsit-
sikhar has bc<-ome the chief place
of exile for hi;vn place of residence on tho con-
dition of presenting themselves once
or twice a month before the authori-
ties. A great number of Moham-
medans are also interned in North
Mongolia, where tht;y have their
own mosques and schools, living
altogether a^Nirt from their co-re-
ligionists who have voluntarily
migrated to this region. All these
new elements contribute to modify
the local population, which becomes yearly more assimilated to the Chinese type.
But Ix-fore settling down peacefully by the side of the natives, the exiles and free
immigrants often combined in formidable bands, such as that of the Hunhutze, or
" lied Beards," of tho I'pper Usuri, who still remain hostile to all the peaceful
settlers of tho surrounding districts. By means of the improved weapons smuggled
across the Kussian frontier, they have even become a formidable power, and have
built strongholds, abjive which flies their red flag with the inscription, " Vengeance."
The Chinese inhabitants of Liaotung take the collective name of Mandzi, what-
ever be their origin. They come chiefly from Shansi, Shantung, and Pechili ; but
in North-west Mancliuria there are many descendants of the Yunnan exiles banished
to this region by the Emperor Kang-hi in the seventeenth century. Still the
immigrants from Shantung are the most numerous. They supply the agricultural
y. Hut tho
> of Molipil
,in'»'n visited by
lis phicc fon-
II free to ply
choose their
c on the con-
eniselvos once
e the authori-
T of Moham-
ue chiefly itinerant dealers, hawkers, hucksters,
money-lenders, and l»ankcrs. They betray a rcniarkalile talent for uc(|iiiring
languages, in their dealings with a straiigi>r always conversing in his language,
unless it happens to be Manilm. This tlu'V alVect greatly to d(>,xpiMc, and have
the less n«'ed to ham if that ("liinese is now everywliere understood by the natives.
These Shansi triulers are gradually uc(|uiring all the substance of the land. In their
flat-nM)f<-d Maiichu houses the place- of honour is taken by Laoyeh and Tsaikin, tho
gmls (tf wealth, whom they worship most sedulously.
Thanks to its fertility and temperate climate. South V nchiiria yields a groat
variety of agricultural ju'oduce. The Chinese breed swine and cultivate wheat,
barley, niai/e, millet, besides the "yellow pea" (/), from which they
extract a sweet oil used as a condiment, exporting the refuse to China asi manure.
Notwithstanding the severe winters, the hot summers enable them to grow a species
of incKgo, besides cotton and tho vine, carefully protecting the roots with straw
and earth during the cold season. The mulberry and oak are planted for the sake
of the silkworm, of which there are several varieties, not only yiehling the precious
fibre, but also supplying the table with its greatest delicacy. As in ^[ongolio, the
imperial edicts against opium are a dead letter, and the bright bloom of tho poppy
is everywhere intermingled with the other crops. liastly, the Manchu tobacco,
especially that grown in the Ciirin district, is famous througluuit the empire. The
practice of tobacco-smoking spread originally from Manchuria to Japan, and thence
to China alwut the time of the conquest. But the Manchus still remain the
greatest smokers in the empire. Some Chinese peasants in the Usuri valley also
cultivate ginseng, which the Manchus call orotfia, or " first of plants," and which
fetches its weight in gold in China. Its cultivation was formerly reserved as a
monopoly by the Manchus, and the line of willow palisades is said to have been
originally erected in order to prevent tho Mandzi from penetrating into tho forests
abounding in ginseng. But the trade has now passed altogether into the hands of
the Mandzi, who either cultivate or procure it in the wild state. The latter is much
preferred to the garden produce.
Till recently the only important local industries were the preparation of vegetable
oils, and of brandy distilled from sorgho. The Manchus of both sexes drink this
spirit, " to tbo forgetf ulness of good and evil," as they express it. Thousands are
now also occupied in the gold mines, and according to the official returns, over
30,000 were employed about the middle of this century at the AVanlagu
washings, on the Upper Suifun. But the coal and iron mines of South IMunchuria
promise to become a still more productive source of national wealth. Thanks to
these varied resources, Ijiaotung has already become much richer than many
provinces in the interior of the empire.
TOPOGUAPHY.
The only Manchurian town on the right bank of the Amur is Aigun (Aikhun),
which is by far the most populous in the whole valley of the Helun-kiang, or
I '
' ■ »feM - ^t,V/ ^ 'y ' IWIS^kWita k» - W)fe;'iWWJ/SJL '' ' ' ,
"'Sp-
.Jiki
1S4
KAST ASIA.
" Ilivrr of th<' lll;i»k Drnjfon," us ttii>('liin<>M(> rail tli«> Amur, proluiltly frr»m tluMliirk
cnliMirnf its waters, Aij^mi <>tri't('lH'M, with itn Nuhiirlmaiid jjurflciiM, tor ovtT l* inili-s
aloii;; t\w river, aiitli('licusk.
Tliu Cltiui'Hi) city is not only llic capital of all tli** Amur dixtrict, liut i.s also
rc^;ar,500 sable-skins, and
on this occasion n great fuir is lield,
which attracts the Chinese dealers
from all quarters.
The Upper Sungari valley, lying
further south ami nearer to China, is much more densely peopled than the province
of Tsitsikhar, and Girin, its capital, has already become a large city. It occupies
an admirable pjsition in the mitlst of an amphith(>atrc of wooded hills on the right
bank of the Sungari, which is here about 1,000 feet wide. The place is called
Chuan-chang, or " Boat-yard," by the Chinese, from the number of river craft
EofG
ilJb'lj
. 6 MUe«.
TOI'OOUAJirY.
V2r,
roin tlu'diirk
■ over ^) mil<'rt
to Siiklialiii,
ivirNhclifiiiHk.
, but is al.HJi
town Ity III!
itiul riiiin'sc
vho carefully
hUth, and still
tuxes to the
lUt as a mili-
um is tiH> far
I ol'tluM'inpiiv
tho Ilussians,
TtH onclosuro
palisado ond
'Uiu', while its
tli(> rest (»l' the
I hy the steep
Ulits relations
'o carried on
|ieh lien in u
istriet in the
Wlien visited
this place hud
by the tide of
whieh hud
■onso dealers
ri vaUey, lying
m the province
It occupies
Is on the right
place is called
of river craft
which are here built for the navigation of the Sungari. The streetH are entirely
INived with N((uare wtHidi'n blocks or planks, and piles of luinbe" obstriict the tratlic
ushore, while the Htreani is covered with rafts. The neighbouring gold inini'H
are the scene of constant violence and bluodsbcd, which tlie Chinese authorities
endeavour to ''Up|»ri'ss with atrocious cruelly. When I'alliidius visited (liriu he
had to pass through u line of stakes, < ai-h surmounted by a gory liunian head.
In the marshy and fever-stricken plains lying about the \onni and Sungari
coiiHueiice the only place of any si/e is lii'ihnirh (I'etuna), or Sincheng, which has
succeeded another town of the same name lying muirer to the jun<'tion. Mere
converge the main routes of the two valleys, uiid a eon«i(leral)le trade is done,
especially with KinnnjchiiKj'tz , oi' S'KiiKjtn ; that is, "(Jreat Ciipital." 'i'liistown
lies farther s lutli ou tiru great highway to Chinu, and is the natural nuu't of all the
nomad Mongol tribes of the Eastern (iol)i steppes. Hut in this district the main
route lends directly north towards the Smigari. Along this line of busy trallic
lie the towns of Kni/K-sIni, L'l/lii, and y(.<(A('-//M (Asher-ho). (>))posite the conHuenco
the main stream is joined by the Ivhulan and on a blulf cotiununding this triple
junction stands the town of Kluilitii-vlnii.
The most northern ('liineso city in the Sungari basin is S(iiisiii(/, which lies on
the right bank between the two rivers, Khurklia (M ;tan) and Kl.ung-ho, and
facing the mouth of a third. Sansing is the .»ld Islai, iuda of 'li; JMaiuhus — that
is, the city of the " Three Families" — and its admirabh! siluatin . it the junction of
four river valleys coidd not fail, in a nu)re favourable cli oiuie, to rnise it to u
connnercial centre of the first rank. Hut Sansing ii- ^i. is.d to the fnl' I'iry of the
northern blasts, while in summer it is drenched by v-e heavy rains from the
monsoons, which change the river banks into malarious swamps, flood the cultivnu'i!
tracts, and drive the people to take refuge in the uplund valleys. Ilenco Sansing
has remained little more than a mart for the peltries brought hither by the IManchu
himting tril)os. Higher up the Khurkhu valley is iM'opled by nunierous colonists,
and here was foundixl the im])ortant town of Nimjuta, in the midst of the fertile
valleys watered by the streams from the White Mountains. Ningutu occupies the
most convenient site in Chinesp Manchuria for the lUissian und Japanese trade ;
for the routes converge here, which run over easy passes across the Shun-ulin range
east and north-east to the valleys of the Suifun and Tumen Rivers. Thus the com-
modious ports on the Gulf of Peter the i>v; -'t, are the naturnl outlets of the Ninguta
district. But since the Russian occupauon of the maritime province the fiscal
measures of its new nia.sters have residted in the depoi)ulation of the border-lands.
The main highway from Girir. ;o ^lukdcu, skirting the foot of the volcanic
Taku-shan range, traverses srviral large places, such as Kd/i-c/iiiiuj, Kaii/ticn,
and Ti'/iiiff, or " Iron Mount," so named from a range of hills abounding in ores,
thanks to which Ti'lfng has become the "Birmingham and Sheffield of Manchuria."
In the southern or Liao-hc basin the chief place is Mukden, the Shinyang or
Fungtien of the Chinese, which is the present capital of the three Manchu
provinces. It lies in the midst of extremely fertile but treeless plains, watered by
an affluent of the Liao-he from the east, and it is regarded as a holy city, becauso
-ajgBBaai«scwKr
«3aM.wsa»r.wia««a»^^
r"r ^.. | ^.-^--7- . .. ■ | .| ^'" ii " - i .--^^- .^ . ^,— . ,^ ^ 1^^^^^ , . ^ ^^^ ^ ^ j ^ ^^ ■■■^^rPij
*»''"'»*-' — - ' M 'I ii nw '»'» J t^ja
? -1/— T**«^«"»55^v.
e
,1
L
PROGRESS OP DISCOVERY.
12i)
stoppo or desert. East niul Houth-oast wards the Tacitit! Ocean washes the seaboard,
which devehtps a setnicircular coasl-lino over L\0()() mih's in extent. Lastly, on
the south iiiouutain rungoH, phiteaux, marshy tracts, difficult river goijjes, He])arate
China ironi the Trans-Gtingetic peiiinsida. Here, however, the frontier-line is often
purelj' conventional, and in this direction Chinu merges more gradually than else-
where witli the border-lands. It occupies in the extreme east of the continent a
space of almost circular form, with one semicircle traced on the mainland, while the
Fig. 6i. — Thb NtNB PiioviNCEB accoudino to the Yukuno.
Scale 1 : 22,000,(X)a
wiiimiiTi. u[onntains mentioned in the Tuknng.
"'<«^** Uivers „ „
"'^i-*' Manhea, ttacta tubject to inimdatu ns.
'J.> Bange and probable density of Ihc CliincBe population.
(^ Capital of the Empire under Shun.
(The figures I. to IX. represent the decrensingr fertility of the land.)
_.— ^^^_— ^^_-^-— i— flOO Miles.
other is formed by the Pacific seaboard. Thus circumscribed, China represents
about one-half of the empire, and comprises the eleventh part of the whole main-
land, with a population estimated at about 400,000,000.
Progress of Discovery.
For thousands of years the Chinese have been making observations on the
form and relief of the land, at least in its general features. The Shuking, or
■■ .awiMi[)i i W ii »Mmil i» M » i| i f^m
p ii irvi'cji i ttJjK Wii a ji m i
180
EAST ASIA.
" Book of AiuuiIh," relutos how tho KiiiiK-ror Yu, twenty-two conturit's beforo the
vulj^ar rru, hud u coiimus taken, and liad nuips of the nine provinceH engraved on
nine bronze vaseH. These vawH, liaving been 'leposited in a lenipU', were supiWHed
to secure the crown to tlicir posNcssor, and in the middle of the thiril century H.c.
an enijuTor liad them thrown into the river t«i prevent them from fallin;^ into the
hands of his enemies. The series of works executed under the direction of Yu
constitutes probably the oldest topographical survey in the world. Mountains and
headlands, lakes and rivers, quality and prcnluets of the soil, are all indicated in
this description of the nine provinces. Legions of commentators, native and
foreign, have 8tudieY f i i t' ii aMtwM» i»i m » w iW ^MMW
188
EAST ASIA.
under fiivouraulo conditions, rurcfuUy prquirin^ their itincniripaand iiHtrononiicidly
determining several places on their maps. In l(i^!M-!) Cierhili«in was even recpicsted
to co-operate in determining the new frontier- line between lUissia and the Chineso
Kmpire, an iiortli-ciiMt, tho lutt«'r to the xoulh-wi'Ht. On tho KoNt ANiutio
N(>iii nf the I'uritic (livcrts tlwHr curnMitn from tlirir norinnl
(linMlioii, tv> tliiif the pdiir winds jmssiiif^ over Sihcri'ii drvliil iJn, Noiitli iiiul
Hoijlli-rust in onliT to replace the wiinner iitnioNphere (lil'iij, i 'roin the tropicul
waters towards tho {H)le. On thn otiier hand, the marine l»n i> outtruetcd in
Mininier liy the "Yellow liatids" of the lloaiiy:-ho and tlio liarren Hte|)pei4 and
winds i>f Mongolia, tli«' I'aeitie trade wiiitN hein^ tlins often dellected towards tho
interior of riiiiia. Farther south the opiiosite enrreiilH from the Itay of Ileii^^al
mid the I'aeitie pnMlnce .in nnstaltle e(|iiililirium, often sueeeeded hy those territiu
typhoons (/(/;/»;///, or " Ureut Windn"), h«» drcudod by mariners in those
water>i.
Tli;inks to the regular south-west winds and tlu* niarino monHTKmN, (Utinii
roceives u lur<»er average ?-ho basins. Nevertheless this advantaj^e over Europe iH
rounterhalunced by extensive inundations, and occuHionally by long periods of
drought, followed ini'vitably l)y widespread famiiu*.
Fi-oKA AND Fauna.
Tluinks to its normally temporute, and in tho south almost tropical climate,
China possesses an extremely Tich flora, in which both Inical
I uttmctofl in
I Hti'pjH'K and
i towarilii tiio
ay of IK'ngul
tlumi< tcrriHc
'vn in thoae
MxmH, China
. Alon^ the
rc'f^uliirity «if
i^i'iculturo in
vvr Kiiropo in
g pcriuUa uf
»ical climate,
iroponn types
me landH will
le by side in
iial transition
varieties has
ay i)en insula,
on, and even
is the indis-
:or food, the
the Chinese
nted by their
leal character
Even in the
ortion of the
©long to the
the resinous
a itself. The
ircaniore, ash,
ra as those of
beauty of its
ilea, jasmine,
FLOllA AND FAUNA,
1H.J
and so many other lovely plants, whirli form the pride of our gardens and conser-
vatories.
Notwithstanding tlie labours of nuuiy zoalouH naturalists, the fainia of Cliina id
still far from being tlioroughly known, and every su(Tt'ssiv«> exphtrer lier«' disi'overs
new species. Many huve also probably disappeared Ix'foro the eucroachnienls of
Fig. 56.— Kanor of the Thijiem Fauna.
Scale I : 'JO,(iui),0UU.
i
• 300 Miles.
agriculture during the historic period. Thus the old accounts speak of the
rhinoceros, elephant, and tapir as still surviving in China proper ; nor is it now
possible to say when they became extinct. But what remains is nevertheless far
more varied than that of Europe, although wild animals have become very rare in
the cultivated districts. As with the flora, there is an insensible transition from
the Indian to the Manchurian fauna. Monkeys, which may be regarded as here
iii Wi iii iaii rti|i «i' ii' i iiMtl i l< i i i V i ii ' Mffl ^^ ^^
'''»
Rii
j^^
186
EAST ASIA.
representing the tropical world, occur in small numbers in the thickets and rocky
caverns as far north as the neighbourhood of Peking. At least nine simian species
are found in Cliina and Tibet, and as many as a dozen of the feline order, including
the tiger and pantlier, infest the leas pojjulous districts of China proper. Of two
hundred niauimaliaus not more than ten are common to China and lairope, and
even these present certain differences sufficient to constitute, according to some
naturalists, distinct varieties. Relatively more numerous are the European birds,
of which as many as 146 species in a total of 764 are found in China, which has also
about 60 in common with America. The numerous Chinese varieties of the lizard,
snake, salamander, and turtle arc altogether unrepresented in Europe, and, with the
single exception of the eel, all the fresh-water fish differ from those of the West,
betraying, on the whole, a more general resemblance to those of North America.
Hi
rj
Inhahitants — ^The Chinese Race.
The Chinese people constitute one of the most distinct varieties of mankind.
They are commonly regarded as a branch of the so-called Mongol type, although
presenting a marked contrast to the nomad tribes of this name. The very expres-
sion ^longol, to which a more precise meaning was formerly assigned, denotes at
present little more than the relationship of contact or proximity between the East
Asiatic nation.i. The Chinese are evidently a very mixed race, presenting a great
variety of tj'pes in the vast region stretching from Canton to the Great Wall, from
the Pacific seaboard to Tibet. But of these types the Mongol is perhaps the least
common amongst the " Children of Han." The average Chinaman, considered as
belonging to this assumed Mongolic type, is represented as of low stature, somewhat
symmetrical form, although occasionally inclined to obesity, especially in the north,
with round face, high cheek bones, broad flat features, small nose, small oblique
and black eyes, coarse black hair, scant beard, yellow, brown, or even light
complexion, according to the climate. The head is mostly long or sub-dolicho-
cephalous, whereas that of the Mongolians is rather round or brachycephalous.
The old Chinese writings, including those of Confucius, already speak of the
contrasts presented by the physical traits and moral character of the different
peoples in the empire. Those of the north are spoken of as brave, the southerners
as endowed with wisdom, the men of the east as kind and friendly, those of the
Avest as more upright and honest. But however this be, it is certain that the
nntives of the various provinces present the sharpest contrasts with each other.
The true national link is their common culture ralher than any connnon racial
type. For the aboriginal elements have been diversely modified by mixture with
Tibetans, Tatars, Mongols, Manchus, Burmese, Shana, Malays, besides the Si-fan,
Miaotze, and other still half-savage hill tribes, M-hich have no collective ethnical desig-
nation. For thousands of years the agricultural populations of diverse origin settled
in the Hoang-ho and Yang-tze-kiang bosins have had the same historic destinies,
speak dialects of »he same language, and have become one nation. !Many differences
between the primitive stocks have been gradually effaced ; but the differences are
''I W ii mil j iP j pp » « n i WVJJ I »tf * H i' M" ' " if N il
THE CHINESE LANGUAGE.
137
cets and rocky
simian species
'der, including
Dper. Of two
d Europe, and
rding to some
uropean birds,
which has also
i of the lizard,
, and, with the
3 of the West,
■th America.
!S of mankind,
type, although
le very expros-
;ied, denotes at
tween the East
enting a great
eat Wall, from
rhaps the least
L, considered as
ture, somewhat
ly in the north,
, small oblique
or even light
or sub-dolicho-
cephalous.
y speak of the
f the different
the southerners
y, those of the
3rtain that the
ith each other,
common racial
y mixture with
ies the Si-fan,
! ethnical desig-
se origin settled
storic destinies,
[any differences
differences are
still conspicuous in some of the southern provinces, notably in Fokion and
Kwangtung, the natives of which seem to form two races not yet thorougiily fused.
But whence came that primitive stock, which, blending with diverse elements,
resulted in the great Chinese nation ? The people formerly called themselves the
" Hundred Families," and pointed to the north-west beyond the Iloang-ho as the
region whence the migrating groups descended to the fluvial plains, where they
either expelled or subdued and absorbed the loss civilised aborigines, Nor is it at
all unlikely that the vast and fertile region of the " Yellow Lands," lying mainly
north of the Tloang-ho, played a leading part in the early history of the Chinese
people. Here was room for millions of agriculturists, who may have gradually
migrated eastwards according as the lacustrine basins dried up and the sands of the
desert encroached upon the cultivated plains of Central Asia, where the forefathers
of the Chinese had dwelt in close proximity with those of the Turki, Hindu, and
Iranian races. Every river valley became a highway of migration, and conse-
(|uently of dispersion for the peoples of higher culture, and the arts, manners, and
speech of the early settlers may have thus been gradually diffused from north to
south throughout the empire.
Tiike those of Europe;, the peoples of China have had their stone age, and the
collections of the extreme East include implements and objects of all kinds similar
to those of the palax)lithic and neolithic periods in the West, Sladen has brought
from Yunnan a number of jade hatchets, which, as in Europe, were formerly
supposed to bo " thunder stones," bolts hurled to the earth by the god of thunder.
The Chinese have divided the prehistoric ages into three periods corresponding with
those of the Western archaeologists. " Fu-hi," they say, " made weapons of wood ;
Thin-ming, of stone ; Shi-yu, of metal," But after the introduction of iron imple-
ments the stone arrow-heads were still credited with a symbolic virtue, and in the
hand of the sovereign regarded as emblems of royalty, Down to the twelfth
century n,c, the Chinese emperors received in tribute stone arrow-heads, and long
after that time these arras continued in use amongst the wild tribes of the western
highlands. Amongst the Chinese ideographic characters there is still a particular
sign to indicate a stone used in manufacturing arrow or dart heads.
The Chinese nation has thus passed through successive stages of progress
answering to those of other civilised peoples, only in China the early evolutions
were brought sooner to a close than elsewhere. The European races were still rude
barbarians when the Chinese were writing their history some four thousand years
ago. In spite of all their shortcomings, the Chinese annals constitute the most
authentic and complete historical record possessed by mankind. Here are faithfully
registered the political vicissitudes of the land, as well as the natural phenomena
and astronomic observations by means of which the dates of historic events may be
tested or determined.
The Chinese Language.
But notwithstanding their ancient culture, the Chinese are distinguished
amongst all civilised peoples for the still primitive form of their speech. In this
42
»iii r WM < iw#i »-wfci i 'i i limi i Wi ii w iwi mnw aWilw
RMP
Jl»^
I
138
EAST ASIA.
Hi
ill
h
Pii
' }
il
f
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
i
1
1
1
respect tlioy have rcrauiued in a stage of development answering amongst the
Aryans and Semites to the prehistoric epoch. Their dialects contain nothing but a
small immber of monosyllabic roots expressing merely general ideas, and conveying
a definite notion oidy in the sentence. In virtue of their i)osition alone they
become nouns, adjectives, verbs, or particles, and gi-ammar is thus reduced to a
question of syntax. And, strange to say, of all the dialects, the so-called " ^landa-
rin," or Kwan-hoa, current in Peking, is the poorest, containing, according to
Williams, no more than 460 distinct monosyllables. Those of Shanghai and
Ningpi) are not much richer ; but that of Swatow, in the south-east of Kwangtung,
has 074, and that of Canton as many as 707. But the richest of all is that of
Changehew, near Amoy, whose 846 roots yield, according to Medhurst and Douglas,
as manj' as 2,500 different sounds, thanks to the variety of its intonations ; for
the poverty of sounds obliges the Chinese, like other peoples of monosyllabic
speeeli, to vary the sense by means of the tones with which they are uttered.
Hence the vague and undecided character of Chinese pronunciation, which, more-
over, varies immensely from province to province and from city to city. Thus the
sign rendered into English by the word " child," and found in a vast number of
geographical names, is pronounced ts in the north ; tz or dz in Canton ; clii in
Macao. So also the sign for two is diversely pronounced cut, oil', id, ur/i, r/i, htr,
iif/p, tif/i, zhc, zlii, c, and /.
This variety in the pronunciation, combined with the poverty of words, gives
all the more importance to the nhing, or tour, which plays a greater part than the
mere phonetic utterance of the sounds. Thus the sign for water may be indif-
ferently pronounced sui, shiii, sh'tii, or even chvui, and will be intelligible to all,
provided it be uttered with its proper ascending tone : uttered with the descending
tone, none will understand it. The number of tones varies considerably, some
dialects containing four, others five, six, or even seven, and that of Fokien possibly
more than twelve, if account be taken of all the delicate shades of intonation
characteristic of that dialect.
Thanks to these intonations, thousands of meanings may be evolved from the
few hundred phonetic roots. Kang-hi's dictionary contains 44,449 signs, each
representing a grcp of distinct meanings, but a great number of which will be
pronounced alike. Thus over a hundred and fifty different characters, each denot-
ing a particular series of ideas, are all pronoimced i. The philosophic writings
can only be understood by readers with the text before their eyes, and whenever
the conversation rises above the usual current of ideas, recourse must be had to the
pencil to make the subject intelligible. This astonishing poverty of phonetic
sounds is commonly attributed to the premature culture of the people, whoso speech
became fixed by the oificial scribes and academicians at too early a date. The
nation has never since beon able to overcome the artificial obstruction thus opposed
to the free evolution of their language.
The Buddhist missionaries often vainly attempted to introduce one or other of
the syllabic alphabets of India, based on the Devanagari. The Christian mission-
aries tdso have employed the Latin alphabet for prayers and hymns, which the
eSb.
» amongst the
I nothing but a
and conveying
ion alone they
s reduced to a
called " !Munda-
r, according to
Shanghai and
of Kwangtung,
I all is that of
st and Douglas,
iitonations ; for
if monosyllabic
By are uttered.
1, which, more-
sity. Thus the
vast number of
Canton; ehi in
ul, ui'li, rh, /ut;
of words, gives
sr part than the
r may be indif-
elligible to all,
the descending
siderably, some
Fokien possibly
)s of intonation
v^olved from the
449 signs, each
af which will be
;ers, each denot-
ssophic writings
s, and whenever
st be had to the
rty of phonetic
le, whose speech
ly a date. The
on thus opposed
5 one or other of
dristian mission-
ymns, which the
THE CHINESE LANGTJAGE.
189
converts learn by heart after the sense has been explained to them. But to be of
any value for literary puiposcs these letters require to be burdened with so many
diacritical marks that they become more difficult than the Chinese ideographs
themselves.
But under the influence of Western ideas a gradiuil transfoi-uiation is taking
place. Many polysyllabic words, detested by the purists, have already acquired the
Fig. 57. — Chinese Dialects.
Boale 1 : 20,000,000.
M^NiiAnix (Kwamhoa).
Ckntbal.
F=5
Patois of
the North.
Patois of
the Sotitb.
Patflio of
Seohnen.
Hakka.
Old Chinese.
PatoiB i)f
Kweichew.
Cavtok.
fir nzT]
Punti. Patois of
Hweichew.
PfttriK of
Fuehow.
FoKIBN.
Effll
Patois of Patois of
Amoy. Swatow.
right of citizenship, and have a natural tendency to modify the Chinese method of
thought, and assimilate it to that of the Europeans. Hundreds of strange fonns have
also been introduced in the treaty ports to express foreign notions. Such are " steam-
air-carriage," " steam-air-boat," " air-swim-steam," meaning locomotive, steamer,
I
140
EAST ASIA.
und balloon respectively. The jo compounds, so alien to the genius of the national
speech, are already current not only in the spoken language, but even in jjopular
writings. The changes that hiive taken place in the Aryan linguistic fauiily during
the historic period are now going on under our very eyes in the Chinese language.
The natives of the various provinces would have long ceased to be able to com-
municate together but for the common ideographic writing system, which can be read
not only in China, but also in Korea, Japan, Annam, and Siam. The most marked
dialectic varieties are the " Mandarin," or Court language, current throughout the
northern and many of the central provinces, the Kwaugtong, Fokien, and Chekiang
in the south-eastern provincos, which are quitu unintelligible to the inhabitants of
the rest of the empire. The Xanking dialect is a form of the Mandarin, ajjproach-
ing nearest to the Chekiang, which, according to Edkins, best preserves the primi-
tive elements of the common national speech.
II 5^
1 vi
Religion.
In religion there arc no such marked differences as in language between the
natives of the northern and southern provinces. In the various districts divers
rites are practised, which, luAvever, meige so imperceptibly together, that it seems
impossible to draw any sharp line between them. The same individuals may even
be at once IJuddhists, Taoists, or disciples of Confucius. In virtue of his position
the Emperor himself belongs to all three religions, and scrupulously fulfils their
observances. There is, in fact, more fundamental resemblance between them than
might be supposed from the ceremonies and religious treatises. The ju kiao,
commonly referred to Confucius and conformed to by the lettered classes, is based
on the old national worship. The tan kiao, or Taoism, completely forgetful of its
founder's elevated teaching, has returned to the ancient superstitions, and is now
little more than a system of magic. Lap*';', the foieign origin of the fu kiao, or
Buddhism, has not prevented it from having also become thoroughly imbued with
the national ideas, or from accepting the outward national observances.
At the dawn of history, some four thousand years ago, the national cult consisted
in the worship of natural objects. All the phenomena of the outer world were
supposed to be the work of good or evil spirits, to be propitiated by prayer and
sacrifice. Trees, rocks, running waters, the whole land, the seas, and the world
itself, were all equally animated by some special deity, while above this lower
nature, thus peopled by invisible beings, the boundless regions of the heavens were
themselves full of angels or demons. Man, product of all the natural forces, was
himself a god, although one of the feeblest ; hence obliged by supplications and
conjurings to guard himself agauist so many other beings in league against him.
In tlus multiplicity of spirits a certain hierarchy was gradually estr.blished. First
came Tien, or " Heaven," enveloping the earth, encompassing all nature, illumining
it with its rays, and thus merging in the Shanyti, or " Supreme Lord," the active
principle of universal nature, as opposed to Ti, or the " Earth," which receives and
matures the germs. For three hundred years European scholars have been
•f the national
vvn in popular
fainilj' (luring
iiesc language,
le able to com-
ich can be read
B most marked
hrougliout tbo
and Chekiang
inbabitaiits of
irin, approach-
ves the primi-
;e between the
listricts divers
p, thiit it seems
iuals may even
of his position
sly fulfils their
ecn them than
The j'u kino,
lasses, is based
forgetful of its
ms, and is now
the /« liiao, or
y imbued with
es.
il cult consisted
:er world were
by prayer and
and the world
ove this lower
e heavens were
iral forces, was
jplications and
le against him.
blished. First
ure, illumining
>rd," the active
ch receives and
ars have been
EELIOION.
141
wrangling about the true moanmg of this term or attribute " Shangti " applied to
heaven, and they ask whether it may be translated by the word " God," taken in
the theological sense. Abel Ileniusat supposed he had even discovered the name of
Jehovah in the "Taote King," or "JJook of the Way and of Virtue," where the
three syllables I, Hi, Wei, each taken from a different sentence, might represent
the sacred name of the Jewish God. But modern critics generally reject all such
subtle proofs of relationship between the religions of the East and West. Before
Fig. 58.— Thb Nine Sacred Mountains.— Tub Chew Epoch.
Boale 1 : 21,000,000.
,300 Miles.
the introduction of Buddhism the evolution of religious thought in China seems to
have been spontaneous, starting directly from the basis of spirit worship.
Fancying themselves encompassed by genii, the Chinese supposed that their
favour was to be secured, like that of men more powerful than themselves, by
prayer and petitions, which required neither a priesthood nor a regular liturgy.
Hence the head of each patriardial family olfered food and perfumes on behalf of
his kith and kin, while the head of each clan or commune did the same foi* all its
members. In these rites there was no place for a sacerdotal class, and priests arc
even formally excludcfl from the religious feasts in which the Emperor ajipears.
—'T.^-v~ .-"**-<
mm^
.J^hM
142
Ei ST ASIA.
No rcvplation having boon matlo from ubovo, no intorproters of the divine word
were needed ; but a liiorarchy correspondinn; with that of the spirits themselves was
naturally developed in the social body. 'I'lius to the Emperor was reserved the
privilege of presenting offerings to licaven and earth, to the chief river.s and to the
sacred mountains of the empire, which from age to age varied in number from five
to nine. The feudal lords sacrificed to the secondary deities, while the devotions of
private persons were restricted to trees, rocks, and streams. Worship having
become one of the functions of the State, its minutest details were regulated by
ceremonial codes. Between the speech and religion of the Chinese there has thus
been maintained a remarkable analogy. Both have been refined to the utmost, but
both still remain at one of the lowest stages of human culture.
The propitiatory sacrifices form an element which has been attributed rather to
the surrounding populations than to the Chinese themselves. From the nomad
Mongol tribes the " Sons of llan " are supposed to have adopted the sanguinary
rites formerly practised on a largo scale. Hundreds of courtiers have at times
€ : used themselves to be buried alivv^ in order to aecoiupany their master to the
r.ther world. At the death of Iloangti, about two Icmdred years before the
Christian era, several of his wives and body-guard followed him to the grave, and
ten thousand working-men were buried alive aiound his funeral mound. Traces
of these savage rites still survive in remote districts, where the people often seek to
yaard against witchcraft by throwing their new-born babes into the running
waters. Wishing to put a stop to those abominations, a mandarin on one occasion
caused several of the infanticide;^ to be cast into the Kiang, charging them to
convey his compliments to the water gods.
To Confucius and his disciples is usually attributed the cessation of human
sacrifices in China. Yet long before that time religiou.s sacrifices had ceased to be
offered, while long after it such rites continued to be occasionally practised.
Confucius deserves none the less to be regarded as the true founder of the national
religion, as regulated by the book of ceremonies. lie aimed especially at the
revival of the ancient practices associated with ancestral worship, the glorification
of the past, as handed down by tradition being, according to him, the best means of
insuring the permanent prosperity of the empire. The supernatural element, which
plays sirch a large part in other systems, he almost excludes altogether. " How,"
he ask.-*, " shoidd I pretend to know anything about heaven, since it is so difficult
to clearly understand w^ut take"' place on earth ? " "You have not yet learnt to
live," he said to one of his disciples, "and you already ra\'e about what may
happen to you after dcnh." The duties ol man to his superiors, to his neighbour,
to the State, were what he was most concerned with, and religion in the strict sense
of the term was dealt with only so far as it formed an element in the general system
of government. Well balanced by nature and habit, without religious zeal, and
ever striving to observe the golden mean, the Chinese have recognised themselves
in the sage of Shantung, who has gradually tiiken the foremost rank in the memory
of his people. The accurate historic records left bj' his disciples, as well as his own
simple life, have prevented his name from being obscured by myths and miracles.
jlivino word
cmselvcs was
reserved the
rs and to the
bcr from five
devotions of
[•ship having
rcguhiled by
liere has thus
utmost, but
ted rather to
n the nomad
sanguinary
lave at times
naster to the
s before the
le grave, and
und. Traces
often seek to
the running
one occasitm
jing them to
ion of human
1 ceased to be
lly practised,
f the national
?cially at the
e glorification
best means of
lement, which
er. " How,"
is so difficult
yet learnt to
ut what may
lis neighbour,
be strict sense
general system
^ious zeal, and
lod themselves
n the memory
'ell as his own
and miracles.
THE FENO-SIIUI.
143
-The Taiki, on Magic Lookino-
or.Ass.
But although he lias escaped deification, his moral influence has increased from age to
age. Four hundred years after his death his only title still was Kung, or " leader ; "
eight centuries later on he became " the first saint," after which his statue was
clothed in a royal robe and crowned with a diadem. During the Ming, or last
native dynasty, ho was declared " the most holy, the wisest, and most virtuous of
teachers." After his death a colony of disciples settled roinul his grave as vassals
of his family, sixteen hundred temples were raised to his honour, and he was
solemnly recognised as the " teacher of the nation." Except those who have
received divine worship, no other mortal has ever been the object of so much
veneration. "When the Emperor Iloangti ordered the destruction of the old books,
and r>specially of the Shuking, or " IJook of Annals," composed by Confucius,
four hundred and sixty of the lettered class
perished in the flames with the writings of ^^^' ^^''
their master.
The Feng-shpi.
But a public cult, however well regulated
by official ceremonies, could not embrace all
the popular superstitions, or conjure all the
invisible demons hostile to mankind. Hence
there remained a considerable number of un-
official practices embodied in the fcuff-shui —
that is, "wind and watc" — a system which,
by a play of words, is said to be " invisible as
the wind, untenable as the water." It may,
however, be described as the collective body
of ceremonies, by means of which we pro-
pitiate the spirits of air and water—that is, all nature from the stars of the
firmament to- the wandering ghosts of the dead. Two principles govern the uni-
verse—the 1/aiig, or male principle, represented by the sun, and the pin, or female
principle, represented by the moon, the former vivifying and propitious, the latter
hostile and deadly. Yet nothing could exist but for this mingling of the two prin-
ciples, through whose union everything is born and flourishes, and the perfect
understanding of which confers immortality. In every house is seen the image of
a tiger bearing the taiki, on which are represented the yang and yhi interpenetrat-
ing each other in a magic circle, and surrounded by lines of various lengths indi-
cating the cardinal points and all nature. These lines are the famous diagrams
which have served to compose the Yi-king, or " Book of Transformations," attri-
buted to Fohi, and the sense of which so many native and European scholars have
vainly endeavoured to fathom.
The faithful observers of the feng-shui are bound to be guided in all things by
the magic arts, which substantially resemble those practised elsewhere. The
shades of their forefathers arc amongst the beings who fill the earth and circum-
ambient spacos, and who exercise a good or baneful influence over the destinies of
M » ^ R» »Ww riiil»ai i Birf» i r i.^M»-rtMW»*i^»t»-*<»*»'*-«»-^
uii^cim M -r^(M«uA* Jw^^ok
•^^tHkn-tj' w^i-- -i-e.'--- v« -
114
EAST ASIA.
I >."!
tho living. Tho (^hlni'so recognise in the individual tliroc diHtinct /iiicii, or soulo —
the rational rosidirjg in the head, the sensuous in the breast, the material in tho
stomach. 0{ thesi' the first two may after deatli be fixed, one in tho memorial
tablets, the other in the tomb ; but the third escapes into space, seeking to enter
some other ImkIv, and its influence may become hostile to the family if they neglect
their religious observances. The huen of children are most to bo feared, because
they were still impei-fect at tho moment of death, and unappcased by a regular cult.
The incense sticks burning at the entrance of the houses and shops are to prevent
these and all other nuilignant spirits from entering.
The choice of a grave is of the last importance. Should the soul of the deceased
he e.\i)osed to baneful influences, it will certainly endeavour to avenge itself, and
its anger will bo shown in the endless disasters that may fall on the family. The
good and evil genii, who "come in the cloud and vanish in the fog," are eternally
wandering over the surface of the earth, and the essential point is to build the
houses, erect monuments, lay down roads, construct canals, and sink wells in such
a waj' as to obstruct tho flight of the hostile and favour that of the beneficent
spirits. Hint the knowledge of all this is extremely diflieult, and all calamities are
attributed to tho carelessness or ignorance of tho professor of feng-shui. In every
part of tho country mines and quarries have been filled by tho local authorities,
because the inhabitants have com2)lained that they have caused bad harvests by
allowing tho demons to pass by. Lawsuits often occur between neighbours accusing
each other of having made changes on their lands, turning the good spirits aside.
A single tree planted on the right spot, or u tower raised on an eminence, will at
times suffice to place tho whole district under a hajipy conjunction of the elements.
From tho north came the bad, from the south the good spirits, and in general
winding streams or gently rounded hills promote prosperity, while sharp turnings
and steep bluffs are dangerous to the surrounding populations. Hence straight
lines must be avoided, and all the roofs of the buildings are curved upwards, so that
the evil influences may be turned aside.
In some respects tho feng-shui constitutes the rudiments of natural science.
According to its professors it embraces tho study of the general order of things,
their numerical proportions, their inner life and outward forms. When the
European engineer digs straight trenches in the ground, throws bridges athwart
the torrent, tunnels the hills obliquely, lays down iron rails across the graves of the
dead, the people look on with a feeling of downright dismay. The great opposition
to railways is due not only to the fear entertained by the Govc^rnment that Euro-
peans may gradually make themselves masters of the land, but also to the
traditional respect of the people for the earth that bears and nourishes them.
The religious system founded by Lao-tze, and which originally differed
essentially from the national religion represented by Confucius, has gradually
reverted to tho old superstitions, and now differs little, if at all, from the practices
of feng-shui. Lao-tze did not, like Confucius, look to the past to discover a model
of conduct for the future. He sought for absolute truth, without troubling himself
with precedents drawn from the history of the emperors. Heedless of good or evil
I
en, or souln —
iiitcrial in tho
the monioriiil
king to onttr
E they neglect
pun'tl, boeuuso
I regular cult,
urc to prevent
f the (leccuHcd
igo itself, and
family. The
' are eternally
s to build tho
wells in such
the beneficent
calamities are
mi. In every
;al authorities,
lid harvests by
hours accusing
:l spirits aside.
inence, will at
i the elements,
ind in general
sharp turnings
Flencc straight
jwards, so that
atural science,
•der of things,
When the
ridges athwart
e graves of the
■reat opposition
lent that Euro-
it also to the
es them,
inally differed
has gradually
m the practices
iscover a model
)ubling himself
of good or evil
BUDDHISM.
146
Fig. 60. — UrindiisT I'iukst.
spirits, or of ancestral shades, ho studied tho first causes of things, and his language,
us far as it can be u.scertuined from the obscure text of the Taote-king, recalls ihat
of tho Western philosophers. For him " matter and the visible \v«»rld are merely
manifestations of a sublime, eternal, incomprehensible principle," M-hich he calls
l)io ; that is, the "way of salvation." Whoso controls his passions may escape
successive transmigrations, and through contemplation pass directly to everlasting
bliss. Such was the doctrine of the great mystic and his immediate succes-sors.
But tho Taoist priests soon claimed to have discovered immortality even in this
world, and sought the favour of emperors by means of elixirs and nostrums. Thus
was Taoism gradually confounded with magic, and of tho teai^hings of liao-tzc
nothing remained but an empty nume. The Taoist priests, most of whom, like tho
Buddhist lamas, take vows of celibacy, are the magicians, wizards, " table-turners,"
and '"mediums" of China. Without any
connnon body of doctrine, some aro more Sha-
manist.s, others astndogers and fortune-tellers.
The learned generally affect to despise Taoism,
although some of its practices are imposed on
the mandarins, or introduced into the national
cult, as observed in presence of the Emperor.
The Taoist high priest, or '* heavenly doctor,"
who claims direct descent from Lao-tze, receives
a subvention from tho State in exchange for
the amulets, holy objects, and instructions on
red or green paper which he distributes through-
out China.
Buddhism.
The Buddhist religion, more faithful than
Taoism to its original doctrines, has secured
the adherence of the great majority of the popu-
lation. Although of foreign origin, it has
become at least outwardly the national religion,
but in a form which closely assimilates it to the primitive spirit worship. It was intro-
duced twenty-two centuries ago, and three hundred years afterwards received official
recognition. Yet it had to struggle both against the disciples of Confucius and the
Taoists, and did not reach the regions south of the Yang-tze till the sixth century.
At this time thirteen thousand Buddhist temples had been erected, but the alliance
had already begun with the old national cult. The spirits of wind and water, the
shades of the great, all the members of the Chinese pantheon were easily introduced
into the multitude of Boddhisavtas, and other more or less incomplete incarnations of
Buddha. To make room for all, new degrees of holiness and beatitude were added
to those already in existence. The domestic gods remained under other names by
the side of those worshipped by the community, and the number of ceremonies was
increased without exciting the suspicion of the people. To the cultivated classes
A
Jb
1
-r
146
EAST ASIA.
Ihiddhism ofPorcd its rnotnpliVHicnl Huhtlctios, while it p^.'iiiicd thr> ndlirrcnco of tho
lowly and wretched by admit tiiijif them to its pompous ('(Temoiiiul, and proniisinjj;
redemption from their Hull'erinfj;s in tho nfter-life. The most widespread Iluddliist
work in China is tho " White Nenuphar," a collection of consolatory und loving
Fipf. CI.— TlIK OoilDKSB KWANTIW.
(s'-^-'ct,s.
tli
words and j)romises. Of all the Buddhist sects the most popular is that which
worships Kwanyin, the only woman included in the number of Buddha's
disciples. She is the goddess of mercy, the patroness of childless women, of
mariners threatened by shipwreck. She is often represented with a child in her
arms, and many of her images are exactly like those of the Madonna, whose
m^
w
THE JEWS AND MOIIAMMKDANS.
147
nrcncc of tho
11(1 promising
[•lul HuddliiMt
y und luviug
s that which
of Buddha's
38 women, of
child in her
ionna, whose
worship was contomporanoouMly dcnolopod at the opposite extremity of IIk Old
World.
The Hourishinj? poriod of lluddhi.sm in Hiina is comprisod hotwcon iho sixth
and clcvcuth fcnturv, when tiio monks, fired by tln'ir zeal for tho propa^^'nfioii of
the faith, traversod all China and tho noiffhhouring lands. Thon were made thoso
important cxplorationH, not all tho records of which have yet been tritnsliited. Then
also were made tho Chinese translations of nearly fifteen Imndred Sanskrit works,
most of which no lonj^er exist in tho orij^inal, and which contain the most valiiiiblo
documents on the history of Buddhism, During this period of early fervour tho
country was covered with those countless /«, or paginlas, without which Europeans
can hardly imagine a Chhu'so landscape. In these temples the rites consist of
hymns, ofT(>ritig8, prostrations, processions, and eternal repetitions of the syllables
O, mi, to, to, tho Chinese phonetic transcription of Amitabha, one of the Hindu
names of lluddhu.
The multitude of monasteries attests tho former pn ponderance of the religion
of Fo, or Buddha. Like tho pagod.i aost of the larger ones date from at least
several hundred years ogo, and are lostly in ruins, overgrown with shrubs und
rank vegetation. The decline of lUuidiiism is evident, and in many districts it has
already l)ecn reduced to an empty ritual left to the monks. Emperors and high
functionaries have often issued edicts against superstitious practices not recognised
in tho official ceremonials, and warning the people against the priestly "impostors
who rob tho beehive." But although the public arc daily forsaking the bonzes,
they continue none the less their religious practices, Tho scepticism of the lettered
classes has create ealh'd, read the Ilehn'W texts aceordiiij; to tlie ChineH*'
proniineiation. Tlius the name tif iNniel Ixroines in tlieir mouth Ye-(H'-h)-ni.
Aeeordinjj; to their unaninioiiH tradition they heh>n^ to thu tribe of AHher, and
entered China during the Han dynaHty (202 n.c. — ii(J4 .\.i».). They call their
Fig. 62.— DoMBRTii; Altai*.— Thr Nmilino Dvddha.
' *ii4
country Tionchew, which is the Chinese name for Ceylon, and when the European
Jow.s recently succeeded in opening relations with them, it was found that they
had lost all 8on.se of national cohesion. The synagogue was in ruins, no one could
read the Pentateuch, and rewards were even offered to any persons capable of
interpreting it. They supposed that Mecca and Medina were their holy cities, and
arrangements were being made for definitely changing their religicm.
On the other hand, the Mohammedans have acquired great influence, and
according to the lowest estimates number at present at least 20,000,000. They are
11(1 tlu' riiiiu'MO
I tiit'i'c Iwiiidful.
' AroniHtM," or
lo the CliinoHc
ill Yf-w-ht-iii,
of ANlier, uiiil
'hi'v cull tlioir
e:^§
n the European
ouiid that they
18, no one could
sons capable of
holy cities, and
n.
influence, and
000. They are
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Sciences
Corporation
23 WEST MAIN STREET
WEBSTER, N.Y. M580
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''^■p
yn-/ rT 'jW**''*
THE JEWS AND MOHAMMEDANS.
149
said to form a majority of the population in Kansu, and ono-tliird in several
districts of China proper. To these must he added the Dunp^ans and the other
Mussidniuns of Zunj^aria, Kulja, and Eastern Turkestan, in order to form an
udecjuate idea of their power and influence in the empire.
All the Chinese Mohammedans are collectively knt)\vn as Ilwei-lnvei, a term
formerly applied to the Uigurs, while they cull themselves Kiao-nuui, or " Ileligious
jjcople," in contradistinction to the other Chinese, regarded hj' them as Unhelievers.
The Mongolian epithet Dungan, usually explained to mean " outcasts " or " loafers,"
is restricted to those of the north and north-west, who hold no direct intercourse
with their co-religionists the " Panthays " of Yunnan. Nor do the Chinese
Mussulmans anywhere form a homogeneous ethnical group. Descended from the
Uigurs, Tanguts, and Tatars, they are intermingled in the north and west with
Chinese proselytes, while in Yunnan the Turki and ^Mongol elements are represented
only by the descendants of the soldiers settled here by Kublai Khan. Since the
accession of the present Manchu dynasty all are obliged to wear the })igtail, and
their women have even been compelled to conform to the barbarous Chinese fashion
of preventing the natural growth of their feet. Nevertheless, !^^olulmmedans can
always be distinguished from the other natives by their haughty bearing, frank
expression, and in the west by the practice of carrying anns. Abstaining from
alcoholic drinks, tobacco, and opium, they are generally more healthy than their
neighbours, while their spirit of clanship insures for them a material prosperity far
superior to that of the surrounding populations.
According to the unanimous tradition Islam first reached the northern ])rovince8
during the reign of the Emperor Taitsung in the seventh century, when Ibn Ilamsa,
related to the Prophet, settled with three thousand immigrants in Shangan, the
present Singan-fu. Being well received, they freely raised their mosques, and
their ministers were invested by the Government with a certain civil authority
over their congregations. About the same epoch others entered Yunnan, and the
Chinese annals of the year 758 speak of Arab pirates who sacked the suburbs of
Canton and plundered the imperial granaries. The communications between the
Yunnan Mohammedans and the rest of Islam have at all times been maintained
either through Canton or more directly through Bhamo and Burmah. The standard
of education being higher in this province, natives are always found capable of
interpreting the Koran and the Arabic prayers recited in the mosques.
At present the northern Hwei-hwci keep up their relations with their western
brethren through Zungaria. Here the Uigurs as well as the Tanguts of Kansu,
formerly Buddhists or Nestorians, were converted to Islam when this religion was
adopted by their fellow-countrymen in the Jagatai State. Their numbers were
increased by immigrants from East Turkestan, and by the Moslem Mongolians left
in Zungaria by Tamerlane. Thus they gradually acquired the ascendancy in this
part of the empire, where are situated the two cities of Salar (Iluchew) and
Kinkipao, the Mecca and Medina of the Chinese Empire. Some of the Kansu
towns have hundreds of mosques, and their Mohammedan inhabitants have
monopolized the whole trade of the country.
J—
160
EAST ASIA.
Compared with their co-roligionists elsewhere, tlio ITwcu-hwci arc free from
un;gre8!sive fanaticisin, many subinittinrnieious literature*" of the
West, while tlu; Protestants take care not to teach their converts Kiiglish to pre-
vent them from going to seek a living as interpreters in the treaty ports.
IIaHITS and CtSTOMS.
It is difficult to pronounce a general judgment on the Chinese moral standard,
and assign their true place amongst civilised peoples to the " Sous of Han." Most
Fig. 64,— A CiiTNF.sE Savant.
^ <•■■.-;<^:^;f
travellers have a tendency to treat them with ridicule, and some seem incapable
of speaking in a serious tone of the " Celestials," as they ignorantly call them.
With the missionaries the case is different ; but they, on the other hand, see in
everj'thing the consequences of original sin, and usually describe the " Heathen
Chinese " as a degraded being, a prey to every vice. Others again, and these would
seem to be the most uimierous, grow accustomed to the new siu-roundings and
become naturalised Chinese. Some of the missionaries, while preserving their
Western culture, become prejudiced in favour of the natives, and feel inclined to
48
I
Ui
EAST ASIA.
rccopniso in tlicin ii oorfain moral superiority. Thun in fho lust contiirv tho onthu-
siustic descriptions sent to Europe^ by tho Jesuits eonferred a halo of virtue und
wisdom on tho natives, which was by no moans justiKed by their liistory. Authors
delif^hted in choosing their examples from this new world of the remote East,
comparing tho Chiucse, taken as their models, with tho inferior civilised ueoples of
tho West.
Tho Chinese on their part, comparing themselves with tho *' Western Bar-
barians," naturally claim the superiority, if not in industry, at least in true culture,
and appearances certainly often lend a colour to their pretensions. Nowhere else
are courtesy and kindly feelings more general. The people arc naturally reserved,
earnest, good-natured. "Tho men of tho Four Seas arc all brothers," says tho
national proverb, and even strangers have travelled from one extremity of the land
Fig. 66.— Chikese Ciulpbex.
to the other without even meeting with a rudeness or incivility. In Yunnan,
Himan, Kiangsi, and some other provinces the crowds are doubtless somewhat
importunate, but even here the protection of any aged person always insures
respect. No drimkards are seen in the crowded streets, and scenes of violence are
seldom witnessed beyond the limits of the European " concessions " in tho treaty
ports. But the national character shows perhaps to the best advantage in the
schoolroom. None of tho children ever dream of causing a disturbance or neglect-
ing their tasks. Here they show themselves such as they will continue to be
throughout life — docile, thoughtful, painstaking, ond persevering. Grave beyond
their years, they are none the less bright and merry, neither choleric nor given to
boisterous laughter like the Mongolian children. From their early years they
seem already fully conscious of their dignity as civilised beings.
^ onthu-
rtuo und
Authors
)to Eust,
.'oplcH of
tm Bar-
) culture,
hero else
reserved,
Hoys the
the land
Yunnan,
somewhat
l^s insures
olence are
the treaty
^e in the
»r neglect-
nue to be
ve beyond
r given to
rears they
"^*W l Willi * "J t^i
IIAIUTS AND CUSTOMS.
155
A feebly developed Hpirit of enterprise is perhiips tho feutur(> in wliieli the
Chinese betray their real inferiority to Kuropeiins, Tli(>y niiiy doubllcHH show
themselves as ingenious as others in the struggh< i'or existence, but tliey also remain
enslaved to routine and tradition, relying more on passive resistance than on per-
sonal energy and daring to ovorooine their ditliculties. As a rule they are free
from " vaulting and)ition," as shown by tho popular sayings and the ])recepts of
their moral codes. They slirink from adventures, speculation, and sudden changes
of life, and no other nation has fewer warlike songs or more enthusiastic enco-
niiuniH of the arts of peace. " When we departinl the plants were already sj)rout-
ing ; when wc returned they were withered. The journey is h)r>g, meagre tho
diet ! What undeserved miseries, since I have had to bear arms, ceasing to follow
the plough ! " Such is the md song of the Chinese peasant recruit, so different from
the fiery hymns sung in chorus by the Western conscripts. A strange spectacle is
presented by this national poetry, celebrating above all things tho praises of peace,
sobriety, regular toil, the calmer affections of the heart. Yet it lacks neither
dignity nor depth, and vivid thoughts and sentiments are often embodied in a few
striking strophes. But it is a poetry seldom inspired by personal enthusiasm, w bile
the meaning is often hopelessly clouded by the exigencies of conventional forms
and stereotyped syndwlisms. During the natural evolution of the national intel-
lect tho Chinese writers have even at last confomided poetry with a rhyme|i' lilow uiiiu'd liy tlio scin aj!;aiiist latlit«r ami iiiollior is n-j^ardi'd
(IS panicidil, and ])iiiiisli('d l»y dcafli. In limes of distress the yoiiiifj; (d'teii
eurii u few liiuidicd pounds for tlieir Htarviiij; J'aniilies h\ olferinfj^ t«) take the
plmio of wealtliy criminals condemned by tho magistrate. Tor the law Heekn
oidy the expiation of crime, and as lon>if as justice is satisfied, it iiiatterH
little what head falls. Pious hous thus dyiiiff with iheir parents' l)le.ssinj^ uro
V\f(. Ofl. -Tl'.HUACE WITH KlNKItAl, I'ltNH NFAll AmOY,
filled with the ineffable joy of having fulfilled their filial duty in all its
sublimity.
In tho funeral ceremonies, especially of the father, custom requires the children
to give public expression to their grief. The oldest son, chief heir and head of the
family, or, he failing, his first-born or adopted son, has to fix one of the three souls
of the dead in the commemorative tablet of his virtues, bum incense to his shade,
render his journey easy by supplying him with fictitious money in paper, as well
i:
l%^| iii'ii'
IIAltlTH AND CUSTOMH.
ir.7
ha' idoan
vegan li'd
dig ((I'teii
take the
law wcUh
inatterH
ssiug uro
■f*
in all its
10 (.■biidrcn
load, of the
three souls
bis shade,
jer, as well
as <'lt)lhoK, horst'M, Hcrvaiits, IjoatH, also III" papir, rcprcsciiting rvcrytliiiig tlml llic
»lt'|»att»'d may iT(|uiro in thi' olhtT world. Mourning hisls lor iIiith ycarK, and lor
tlu> whole of this time the mourners nnint abstain from meat and wine, and keep
from |)ul)lie gatherings. Custom also requii'(s (hat the remains of lh(> dead lie
brought to their native plae(>s, and as the eaniage of a single liody would often lie
expensive, they generally wait until a sullieient number ean be pit together to form
a large convoy. Ileneo the numerous temporary eemeteries and mortuary villages,
with their funeral urns and eolllns, all tastefully (heorati-d with emblematic
paintings, representing flowers, birds, or musieal instrumeutH. Vessels are also
freighted by the friendly societies to bring back tlie renniins of those dying in
foreign lands. Kvery year the people clothed in white, tlie colour of (b-ep mourn-
ing, resort in the monlh of May to the graves and mortuary temples with fiuits,
flowers, and other offerings, whicli are
soon i>iekcd up by the birds nesting in pig. o". - Manchu I.ady.
the surrounding thickets. In these
hallowed places tluu-e is no distinction
of rank, age alone taking precedence.
The simple peasants and day labourers
generally know the history of their
families for many generations back, ;
and uro able to repeat not only the
names, but even the great deeds of ~
their forefathers. Tlie ccmtempt enter- _
tained for the bonzes is due mainly to '
the fact that they have renounced the v X ^v
family ties, or have become outcasts \ ;^^
by being sold in their youth to the ^ X' ^I
monasteries.
Long funeral rites are not usual in
the caseof children, bachelors, spinsters,
illegitimate women, or slaves. The
bwlies of infants are often even left by
the Imnks of streams, a custom which has led many travellers to attribute the general
practice, especially of female infanticide, to the Chinese people. But this crime
has never been sanctioned by public opinion, or authorised by the Government, as
has often been asserted. Nevertheless it is certain that in some provinces the
poor are in the habit of exposing their children, while female infanticide is common,
especially in the Amoy and other overpeoplwl districts of Fokien. Extreme
poverty is the sole cause of the practice, which the ^[andarins content themselves
with denouncing in proclamations read by nobody. The impossibility of provid-
ing a dower for girls condemns them to a life of hardship or dishonour, from which
their parents rescue them by an early death, unless they succeed in selling them
as slaves or the future brides of some village youth. In these cases the price
runs at the rate of eight or ten shillings for every year of their age. Many
^
158
EAST AHIA.
iiro iiImo liiiii^^ht hy tho nu-tHiotmrit'H, wIiomo con^ro^iitioiiH nro tliiw ftcllfiouNly
iiicri'iiNrd.
Hut wliilo infanticide in citluT ccnsiinMl, <»r iil most tulcriitcd, in ccrtiiin ri^lit of thf i'lithrr to hcII iiis olfsprin^ into l)onda^i' is fully it'co^'niNrd
by tlu> liiw. Yt't thf practice in rare, altliouj^h alaij^o nmnlx-r of girls are dcHtincd
to a life of slavery' l'i<'l> families often own them by the do/en, and most faniilien
ill easy circumstances havu at leaHt one slave amongst their Mcrvants. However, thu
Bhivi) Htat«' is for women only temporary, their masterH Ix-ing obliged to provide
them with a husband when their condition is altered. Mah' slaves also may
before their thirtieth year re(|uire their owners to tind them wives, and as heads of
families they transmit the slave Htuto to the male issm^ only down to the iourth
{feneration. In other respeetH tho slaveH are mostly treated like tho other
servants, receiving instruction in tho BchcMtls, competing at the pid>lic examination.^,
und obtaining ofHcial appointments. In the latter case the owner is bound to allow
them to redeem themselves and famili(>s. Married women also may be sold by their
husbands, but only as wives, never as slaves.
A material proof of the inferiority of wonuin in Chinese society is the practice
of deforming the feet, to which countless millions aro subjected, even amongst tho
poorer classes. Lockhart refers the introduction of this custom to tho year 926 ;
but it must have spread very slowly, for no allusion is made to it either by Marco
Polo or the other mediicval travellers. Now it is so rigorously enforced that every-
where throughout the northern provinces, except in Peking, all the women submit
to the torture, from which the peasantry in the south und in Sechuen aro completely
emancipated. The Manchu ladies also, as belonging to tho conquering race, aro
not required to conform in this respect to tho national custom, although they
imitate it by confining their feet in such small shoes that they are obliged to walk
tiptoe, Avhenco numerous accidents and serious complaints. In general the
artificial defonnity has become in China tho distinctive mark of " good society,"
so that oven those who condemn the practice as barbarous aro fain to inflict i( on
their daughters, in order to save them from a life of celibacy. The feet are usually
bandaged up according to various methods at the ago of five or six, and when once
crippled in this way tho unfortunate victim of fashion becomes almost absolutely
helpless. She can lift no heavy weight, apply herself to no useful work, nor even
walk straight, but is obliged to totter along with short quick step, balancing
herself with her outstretched arms. And this is the motion compared by the poets
to the waving of tho willow in the zephyr ! Yet the rustic women seem to take
their share of the field operations without opparent distress.
Remote traditions point to the exis' ce of the " Matriarchal " state in China.
"Before the time of Fohi," say the old books, "men could tell their mother, but
not their father." But since the constitution of the modem family, law and
custom establish the absolute inferiority of woman as wife end daughter. After
venerating her parents she must venerate her husband. " If I wed a bird," says
tho proverb, " I must fly after him ; if a dog, I must follow him to the hunt ; if a clod
of earth, I must sit by its side and watch over it." All the symbolic acts of the
-rf
SKCUKT HOCIiyrilvS— TIIH TAIl'INCJH.
160
utitlniiMly
(lis'rii'tH,
[•»(ij;iiiHC(l
• (U'Hliufd
t I'aniilii'H
vxviT, the
» |)r<» villi)
also nmy
I Ih-uiIh of
hi« fourth
tlio other
niiuitioiiM,
il to allow
Id by their
le i)raetico
iiongHt the
year 925;
by ^lurco
hat cvery-
len submit
completely
J race, are
Dugh they
ed to wulk
neral the
society,"
iflict il on
are usually
when once
absolutely
, nor even
balancing
y the poets
em to take
in China,
nother, but
y, law and
tcr. After
bird," says
it ; if a clod
acts of the
lM»trothi'd reminti her that MubmiNNJon in for the wile the virtue of virtues.
Wliiitever be tlic liusbaiid'H eoiiiliii't, nIh' must iicids Nulmiit and obey in hilt lue.
She may appeal iieitiur to parents nor magistrate, and may at most sii>peiid in tlie
temple a paper ima^'e of her lord, and ank the " (ioddi'ss of Merey " to change his
heart, I'anhwei-pan, the most iilustriouMof learned Chinese women, who flourished
in the iirst century of the new era, has laid down all the duty of woman in the
classic memoir of fill' "Seven Articli's." She tells us that tin* old custom was at
the birth of a dauj,'hter to offer tc the father bricks and tiU-s, " bricks itecaiise we
tread them under foot, tiles because they are exposed to the incK'nu-ncy of the
weather." "The wife must be a nu're shadow, a simple echo." When her
husband selects one or more eoncubiues, generally from amongst his slaves, she is
bound to welcome and live in peace with them. The husband alone has the right
of divorce, and witlumt arbitration he may dismiss his wife, even though her only
fault be bodily ailments or a love of gossip. l)ut when she displfases him he
usually prefers to get rid of her by sale, entering into a formal contract with the
purchaser, which is regarded as a purely personal matter. Nor has the self-
immolation of the widow on her husband's grave entirely disappeared, the usual
methods being by drowning, hanging, or poisoning themselves, never by fire, as in
India. Their resolutiojj is announced beforehand, when relatives, friends, and thn
curious assemble from all parts to encourage and a])plaud. When the Anglo-
Frcuch army entered the province of Pechili in 18(50, thousands of women
committed suicide to avoid falling into the hands of strangers. Thus the wife is
taught to consider that she has no existence apart from her husband, and for
whatever liberty she may enjoy she is indebted to the general mildness of the
national character. Virtuous maidens and widows are also honoured after death
with numerous triumphal arches outside the large cities.
Like all other social acts, marriage is accompanied by endless ceremonies, the
symbolism of which is little understood. "Heaven itself," says the Shaking,
" has made the distinction of ecroraonios, which are for us immutable laws." The
li, or " ceremonial," however, comprises manners and etiquette, as well as every-
thing that distinguishes cultured from barbarous peoples. Whoever respects
tradition finds his line of conduct already laid down for him in every civil or
religious ceremony, in his visits, receptions, and other social duties. He knows
the prescribed number of salutations and knec-bendings ; calculates to u nicety the
length of his stride, his " bowing end scraping," the pitch of his voice, the extent
of his smile. In his tender years the greatest delight of Confucius, the typical
Chinaman, was to salute his ployfellows with all the ceremony of his elders,
inviting them to be seated, yielding them the first place, imitating the rites
associated with ancestral worshij). " All virtues have their source in etiquette " is
a sentiment attributed to him.
Secret Societies — The TaYpings.
Nevertheless the numerous revolutions which have shaken the Ohiuese social
system to its foundations show that, beneath all this formal parade, the pulse of the
^■F^a— afco tt i jto Ji
160
EAST ASIA.
nation is quickened more by the pressing interests of life thnn by the rigorous
perfonmince of a symbolic ceremonial. The struggle for existence prevents the
masses from seeking a sanction for their acts in the conduct of the Emperors Yao,
Shun, and Yu. " The son," says the national proverb, " resembles the times more
than he does his father and mother; " and the times bring about constant changes,
Fig. 08.— Lands wasted hy the Taipino Inbukkection.
Boole 1 : 22,500,000.
Ori^na] Seat of the Tnsorreotion. ^^^^ i
Zone of the Greatest Devastation.
Zones of the Spread of the Insaneotlon.
SCO Miles.
if not iu the moral code, at all events in the real life of the people. The oft-
repeated statement that China has been exhausted by its precocious development is
false, for no other race recovers more rapidly from apparently overwhelming
disasters. The distinctive features of the national character are none the less
faithfully reflected in the profound changes continually taking place. In Europe
the initiative comes mostly from the individual ; in China from the hui, or
*^ffvimnMivi
'i bimiii^i l i'A l ^m im im^^ i j lii i jj
^ S i 'i jW Kyii lii ' iii w ii Wi F ' a it'iii M i ii ,
.Xam
SECRET SOCIETIES -THE TAlfriNOS.
161
Hocictioa, wLich are maintuinod from generation to generation. For licrc nearly
the wl'.ole nation is influenced and guided by the action of these social unions. In
all the towns nearly every person, rich or poor, belongs to one or other of the
numerous brotherhoods, which are either publicly constituted, or else secretlj'^
organized. The very mendicants, or " children of the flowers," as they are
Fig. 69. — SOUTBB OF TH8 ClIIEP MoDEKN EXFLOKEHS IN ClIINA.
Boole 1 : 25,000,000.
[ oFG. 100'
eno Miles.
called, have their associations, with their statutes, special code, feasts, and
gatherings.
The late civil war has shown the great influence of the secret societies, and has
also made it evident that the " sons of Han " are by no means a stagnant people
hopelessly wedded to the old ideas, as is so often asserted. The common error of
confounding the Chinaman and the Mandarin has been rudely dispelled by recent
events, and Confucius himself had long ago said that the " Law of the Great
Philosophy is to renovate mankind." The Taipings represented a fresh departure
in the national development, and if they were not upheld to the end by public
'
162
EAST ASIA.
opinion, it wus probably becuuse they plunged too daringly into the new religious
and political career. Too indifferent to the claims of the old national Ming
dynasty, they had not sought in the past history of the country a stand-point of
connnou action against the Manchu usurpers. In 1848 began the great revolt,
arising at first out of a petty quarrel about some idle ceremony, but soon assuming
the proportions of a general outbreak, in which religious passion, class interests,
and hatred took part. From the Kwangsi valley the flames spread raj)idly
throughout the southern provinces, whence they gradually reached the Yang-tze
basin, the Iloang-ho, and the very gates of Tientsin. The kingdom of the
" Taiping " — that is, the " Great Peace" — was proclaimed in 1851, and in 1853 Nan-
king was chosen as the capital, under the name of Tienking, or " Heavenly Abode."
llistrcss of the fertile central provinces, of all the Lower Yang-tze valley, and
even of Ningpo and other seaports, the insurrection had every chance, if not of
ultimate success, at least of ])rofoundly modifying the whole political and social
system. But now came the European intervention in favour of the Manchu
dynasty, first with volunteers, and then with regular Anglo-French forces.
Although mingling Christian rites with their worship, using in their edicts a
language borrowed from the missionaries, including the Bible amongst their sacred
writings, and even offering official positions to foreign Christians, the Taipings
failed to secure the sympathy of the European residents, who preferred their
commercial to their religious interests. By their means the Imperialists saved
Shanghai in 18G'2, and soon after rapidly recovered all the more important stra-
tegical i)oints. Then followed the usual wholesale butcheries, to escape from which
the rebels banded together as brigands, still wasting the open country, but without
further political aim. The empire was preserved, but the restoration of the old
order of things is only apparent. The various secret societies of the " Nenuphar,"
the " Three Precious, Heaven, Earth, and Man," and so many others, all aiming at
the political and social renovation of the land, are still at work. The old
machinery of the laws, formularies, official practices, also become daily more out
of joint with the times, while the growing relations with foreign countries are
exercising a profound influence, and hastening the ruin of effete institutions.
The few European colonies settled on the coast and along the banks of the
Yang-tze, although a mere handful compared with the surrounding multitudes, are
the real starting-point of a new epoch in the national life of China. Henceforth
East and West are united in the great movements of history, while the empire is
bo(!oming yearly better known to the outer world by geographical exploration.
European travellers have already traversed the land in every direction, and fresh
itineraries are thus constantly added to the network of previous research. Nothing
now remains to be done except the methodic exploration of the several provinces.
Basin of the Pei-ho — Pkovincb of Pechili.
The region of China proper, in which the capital is situated, forms the
northernmost of the eighteen provinces. It even lies at some distance from the
i' j i a Hee rjECUILI.
168
• religioua
nul Ming
l-point of
at revolt,
assuming
interests,
i raj)idly
Yang-tze
m of the
853 Nan-
y Abode."
alley, and
if not of
ind social
) Mauchu
;li forces.
• edicts a
icir sacred
Taipings
•red their
ists saved
'tant stra-
om which
it without
}f the old
enuphar,"
aiming at
The old
more out
ntries are
ks of the
itudes, are
[enceforth
empire is
;ploration.
and fresh
Nothing
'ovinces.
Porms the
from the
heart of the land, which is comprised between the two great rivers, Yang-tzc-kiang
and Iloang-ho. During the long epochs of internal peace the seat of cnii)ire was
naturally established in a central city like Nanking, but the Government was
necessarily removed to a more northern position when the Mongol and Mancliu
nomuds began to threaten the land through the valley of the I'ei-ho. The
invaders, when successful, also willingly fixed their head-quarters in the same region,
whence they could receive help from the kindred tribes, and whither they could
take refuge in case of disaster. From these causes IVking has, with little
interrui)tion, remaincnl the imperial residence since the tenth century. It lies, in
any case, in the same natural region as the southern cities, being separated by no
Fig. 70. — Banob of the Floodinob of thb Lower Pecuili.
Roiile 1 : 3.ono,ooo.
erj Miles.
bills or uplands from the plains watered by the Yellow River. From Pechili to
Honan, Kiangsu, and Nganhwei, the changes of climate, vegetation, and inhabit-
ants are very gradual, and in the density of its population Pechili itself rivals the
more central provinces. According to the official census taken previous to the
Taiping invasion, the change in the course of the Iloang-ho, and the great famine,
it contained 37,000,000 souls in an area of little over 49,000 square miles.
Washed on the east by the Yellow Sea, Pechili is limited north and west by
the scarp of the Mongolian plateaux. Here the ranges run mainly south-west and
north-east, parallel with those of the Liaotimg peninsula and Shantung. Their
streams, after following for some distance the line of the upland valleys, force their
iriv^^-'
164
EAST ASIA.
way somewhat abruptly thiough side fissures down to tbo plains. In the high-
lands comprised between the gorges of the Pei-ho and Wen-ho, which water the
Peking district, scarcely any summits reach an elevation of 6,700 feet, but south
of the Wen several rise to 8,000 and upwards, while according to liretschneider
the snowy peaks of the Siao-Utai-Shan (" Little Five-crested Mountain ") attain
an altitude of 12,000 feet.
The coast-line, which stretches for about 300 miles from the mouth of the
Liao-he to that of the rei-ho, formerly ran parallel with the inland ranges, but
has gradually been modified by alluvial deposits. An extensive semicircle of
new lands has even been formed at some distance from the coast by the Laonm-ho,
which collects all the streams from the south-east corner of Mongolia. The whole
region of the Lower Pei-ho was at one time u marine basin, which has scarcely yet
been completely filled in by the sedimentary matter washed down from the interior.
Numerous lagoons or swamps still cover large tracts, and the slope of the land is
so slight that at times the whole country, for a space of 0,000 square miles, is
converted into a vast lake from 2 to 6 feet deep. On these occasions the crops are
destroyed, the land wasted by famine, the rivers and canals diverted from their
course. Thus the Wen-ho, which formerly formed the northern section of the
Grand Canal between Tientsin and the Yang-tze, has recently ceased to be navigable.
Nearly all the names of the villages bear evidence to the constant shifting of the
streams in this low-lying region.
The inhabitants refer the inundations to the anger of a black and green dragon,
who must be propitiated by offerings, while the Europeans attribute them, on
insufficient grounds, to a subsidence of the land. But the direct cause of the evil
must be traced to the destruction of the forests on the highlands where the streams
take their rise. The heavy summer rains, being no longer retained by the vegetation,
sweep in foaming torrents down the slopes to the Tientsin depression, where they
are collected too rapidly to be discharged through the single channel of the Pei-ho.
To the disappearance of the woods is also due the increased violence of the hua-
fung, or " dust storms," so destructive to the crops and injurious to tht health of
the people. All these evils have driven the natives to emigrate in hundreds of
thousands to Mongolia and Manchuria, where they have formed many flourishing
settlements.
Topography — Peking.
The chief city in the province is the imperial capital, Peking, pronounced
Peting or Betzing in the Mandarin dialect. The term means "Northern
Residence," in opposition to Nanking, the former " Southern Residence." It was
80 named at the beginning of the fifteenth century by an emperor of the Ming
dynasty, but the name is known in China only to the learned. The people call it
simply Kingcheng, or " Residence," which is also the meaning of the official name
Kingtu. Amongst its numerous other designations was the Mongolian Khan-balik
(Cambaluc), or " City of the Khans," imposed upon it by the northern conquerors,
and introduced into Europe by Marco Polo.
« I
mii ii iMf i' W ft W I WBiaiJMIir
iB8Pii>#»aiftlii i>i i M « n i in nil <* w '^jmmm w> iw >iWij il i<»4 Bit i«numm
WW*^ '
Jim.
■»«(?W^WP«»W^*««PiWIW*
In the high-
ich water tho
f'ot, but south
irctscbncidor
tuin ") uttuin
uuuth of the
cl ranges, but
semicircle of
lie Laoniu-ho,
The whole
8 scarcely yet
1 the interior.
)f the land is
uare miles, is
the crops are
d from their
icction of the
be navigable,
bif ting of the
green dragon,
»ute them, on
ise of the evil
re the streams
;he vegetation,
11, where they
of the Pei-ho.
ce of the kua-
» tht health of
a hundreds of
ny flourishing
J, pronounced
IS " Northern
tnce." It was
' of the Ming
i people call it
e official name
an Khan-balik
ru conquerors,
VI£W TAKEN FBOM THB SUMMER PALACE, PEKIXO.
^
JtM
■'^ 4J,iUllaUimlW|l ' >IWlM I W»l lW WWl 'l HJWl »u W ) W t '"«IJW< ' W'M'' « W
imiiiB— I I' •""
Jtm,
L.
- t|l l il fWl U '' ^ ' "t' i^f f *^''^y . ' *
i -I^IH j! ^" ' "
h
PEKING AND NEIGHI
I
iuMMan i m i w"
Aoeordmjf to Br«>tacilmaid«r. MoUi
Is 400000
NEW YORK, D. API-LET
* •
lKing and neighbourhood
'ordintf to Bretsclmeider. HioUendacff and. fintacilw
1)400000
Q « 1«
NEW YORK. D. APPI.ETON ScC-J
I ... .N I IW IIII — 111 ' ''' ^ feltfHt " "
:-«
■'w. i ! i '»aM'i ' 'iH;t * »ia«»A#'w»>Jw.«iK^.i,^", M!'!«iiwi*''>W ' 'WMi ■ « "'wwaiti « i i ^ i t ii' iiJ)' i iiwi ! i!ii.!>imtti i «iiBi)i>.ii»ii»iii « MaiLw« i jwAuiw^
TOI'OOHAI'IIY-IMIKINO.
105
Pckiti}? HtandN in the middle of a plain wwircj-ly I'^O ftM«t ul«iv«> H(>a-l(>vcl, and a
little Koiith-ciiMt of tlio liiNt NpupH of tli(> Moii^rolimi «>Ncarpni in fur from Immiij? complrfj'ly iMTupifd. Tlio
ini|M'rial (luartor and tlio n'sitlt'iiccM of tlm priiicrM an> Hurrdiindrd Ity rxtciiMivo
giirdciiH, ki«mkM, and a!)anduii('d Imildiiiffs, and I'vvn tlit> Chiiicwi (niar(«T '\h ocupiHl
l)V IiouMCM for a diHtiinrc of little over a iiiil(> in tlic dirrction from j'ast. tv) ivost.
KlMrwhcn- tlic (Micloscd Hpaci' in covered by exteiiNive waste j^roiiiidH, iiitrrsptn-Mwi
with Hwainpy traetn, old jfraveyardu, and tields. Hero arc uIho the parks ^,( the
Tt'inples of Heaven and Afi;ricuIturo, while ruined MtruetureH alHO tuLi' «p much
Fig. 72.— TlIK Illdll SlIlKKT, I'kkino.
space. Hence Peking would seem to be inferior in population, not only to ihe
large cities of the central provinces, but even to its own seaport of Tientsin.
Bretschneider thinks it can scarcely have more than 500,000 inhabitants, so that
instead of rivalling London, as was formerly supposed, it would seem to be eight
times smaller than the British metropolis. Hitherto the Government has declined
to publish the statistics of the place, although all the materials are available.
Peking consists of two cities, separated from each other by a lofty inner wall.
i tf ! gXi .' Y^i ff?f^ y ' '^^*iW£ sg^''S*^^'
mtmm
TOPOOIf.M'MY— rKKINO.
167
Mi'»l. The
i>.\t('n(*ivo
»t t<,> woM.
♦orsptM'Hwl
ikH of re Mabiiri>, wlii.h in
the Hixteenlh century wm enclrwd by an iniposinjf earthcti rampart facc.1 with
bricliM, :>(> feet hi^h. tlimkcd by H walls are Mcparated l)y'a moat from the
outer gardens und somo wretched suhurbs straggling into the country. The
Mur. 73— Th« TrMn.d or Hkavrw, Pkhiko.
Chinese town, which, if not the more populous, is the more industrious of the two,
resembles u largo camping ground or market-place rather than a city properly so
called. The irregular open spaces are obstructed with carts and tents, while the
thoroughfares are bordered by hollow footpaths Uttle better than muddy quag-
mires in wet, and sand-heaps in dry weather. The foul liquid of some open
drams is used to water the streets, and at one of the most crowded cross-roads
r"
1G8
EAST ASIA.
the lieadsiuun and his assistants are constantly occupied with their sanguinary
office.
Although more regularly laid out, the Manchu town is scarcely superior to the
Chin(>sc except in the neighhourhood of the foreign emhassics and along the
trimnphal avenues, where the canals are crossed hy niarhle hridges adorned with
symbolic animals. Formerly the inhabitants of the two quarters lived quite apart,
but the races have gradually become intermingled, while the trade of the Manchu
town is now largely monopolized by the Chinese jjroper. Several thousand
Mohammedans, mostly artisans and workers in metal, arc distributed amongst
both communities, and there are also some native Christians, largely engaged in
the clock and watch trade, taught them by the missionaries during the last
century.
In the heart of the Manchu city is the so-called " Yellow " quarter, also within
an enclosure with four gates facing the cardinal points. This is the sacred city, in
which stands the imperial palace, the only building in China faced with yellow
porcelain. Most of the space, from which the public are rigorously excluded, is
occupied with an artificial lake, groves, and shady avenues. Of almost equal
extent are the two famous Temples of Heaven and Agriculture, both situated in the
midst of extensive groiinds at the southern extremity of the Chinese quarter. The
Temple of Heaven, with its double roof, stands on a terrace approached by marble
steps, and is decorated with enamelled porcelains and woodwork, whose bright red,
blue, and golden tints contrast agreeably with the surrounding green vegetation.
The Temple of Agriculture, of smaller size, but more elevated, and surmounted by
three superimposed roofs, is encircled by a forest of carved pilasters ornamenting
the balconies and steps. Close by is the field where the Emperor and imperial
princes assembled every spring to guide the ivory and gold plough while invoking
the blessings of heaven and earth on the fruits of the land. But since the
triiunphant entry of the allies into the capital this ceremony has fallen into
abeyance. The Temples of the Earth, of the Sun and Moon, and the other
sanctuaries, where are celebrated the solemn rites of the national religion, lie
beyond the walls of the Manchu town. But just inside the ramparts, and near the
Temple of the Sciences, stands the old observatory of the Jesuit missionaries, with its
curious bronze astronomic instruments of native workmanship, which form the
finest known collection of Chinese bronzes. The Russian observatory at the north-
east comer of the enclosure contains a valuable Chinese library, and in the Lazarist
mission is a rich natural history museum formed by Armand David. But the
magnificent imperial library has been to a large extent dispersed. Under the
Ming dynasty the Government maintained schools in which were taught Siamese,
Burmese, Persian, Turki, Tibetan, and two dialects of the south-western wild tribes.
But since the " Opium War " the ministry have discovered that there are other
languages of more importance than those of Indo-China and Central Asia. Hence
in the Government school attached to the Foreign Office young mandarins are now
taught English, French, German, Russian, and Manchu.
As a trading-place Peking is scarcely as important as in the time of Marco
1 1 M | im4t.)n n as) * imiii aB «" ' ■tag!i^i!,aivw!i.«MttHae i gflifeaM9^^
! Wi»!Uii«a> ! «aiaiii!L!m-i
»_-, li^l
170
EAST ASIA.
Peking to the productive Chaitang mines, they received from the Government
olTu-ials the usual answer: " Mules have hitherto sufficed; they will still suffice."
Since the days of 3Iarco Polo not even a good road has been laid down, so that it
is found more prf)titable to import good English coal, and even firewood, through
Shangluii from California. South- west of Peking there arc also some productive
marble quarries and magnetic iron mines.
South of the capital, and separated from it by u marshy plain, is the extensive
park of Nanhai-tze, occupying about 80 square miles within a fortified enclosure
some 40 miles in circumference. Numerous villages, cullivatcnl tracts, and military
stations are scattered over these woodlands, from which Europeans are jealously
excluded. Amongst the herds of deer hero maintained Armand David discovered
a new and remarkable species, the Elaphurus Dnvidiaum, some specimens of which
are now preserved in Europe. In the neighbouring hills was also found the
Macacus Chclicnsis, a curious species of monkey marking the northernmost range of
these animals in Asia. But a still more famous park is the Yuangming-yuan, or
" Splendid Garden," better known to Europeans as the park of the " Summer
I'alace." This imperial residence was plundered by the troops of the allies in
1860 after the Chinese army had been dispersed at Palikiao. Those who first
penetrated into the interior might have fancied themselves in a public museum,
such was the profusion of artistic objects in jade, gold, silver, ivory, and lacquer-
ware lying al)out. liarge quantities of these curiosities were broken, melted down,
or otherwise dissipated ; but enough remained to enrich many private collections in
Europe. The gold and silver ingots were distributed omongst the troops according
to their rank; but the great bulk of the precious metals is supposed to have
l)een concealed. Since this event most of the buildings have remained in
ruins, one palace only having been rebuilt for the Empress Dowager. From the
summit of the neighbouring Iliang-shan, a wooded hill about 1,000 feet high, a
varied prospect is commanded of the surrounding gardens, with their lakes, temples,
bridges, kiosks, glittering pagodas, and in the hozy distance the sombre outlines of
the massive ramparts enclosing the imperial capital.
At the northern foot of these heights are the famous sulphur springs long
frequented by the Chinese, and now visited also by European invalids. These
waters lie on the route to the renowned sanctuary of Miaofeng-shan, where the
monks show a spot whence young men throw themselves down a precipice " through
filial love," thus hoping to insure a long life for their parents. Most of the
numerous Buddhist monasteries scattered over the Peking district have fallen to
ruins, their bronze and plaster statues being now exposed unsheltered from sun and
rain, whilst their walls are disappearing amidst a rank vegetation. Of these
monasteries the largest and most celebrated is the Hoang-sze, or " Yellow Convent,"
where a "living Buddha" has taken up his alwde. Farther west is the Temple
of the "Great Bell," ccMituining one of the largest bells in the world, which is
nearly 27 feet high and covered with 30,000 exquisitely chased letters representing
a complete volume of Buddhist liturgy.
The Peking district is also strewn with marble monuments, mostly family tombs,
^^w-ETOpw^Bffir
._--. .fr.«^
TOPOGRAniY— PEKING.
171
Government
itill suffice."
n, «o that it
)od, throuf^h
e prcjductivo
he extensive
cd enclosure
[ind niilitury
ire jealously
d discovered
ins of which
> found the
lost range of
ing-yuan, or
,c "Summer
the allies in
se who first
ilic museum,
md lacqucr-
aeltcd down,
joUections in
ps according
ised to have
remained in
. From the
feet high, a
kes, temples,
■e outlines of
springs long
dids. These
n, where the
ice " through
Most of the
lave fallen to
Irom. sun and
1. Of these
3W Convent,"
1 the Temple
rid, which is
representing
family tombs,
nearly all in the form of huge turtles, with inscripti(ms on llioir carapace. The
ni)pnm('hos to the huriul-placcs of the nobles are adorned witli colossal cfligios of
lions in bidii/(> or marble. But more attractive to Kuropcuns are the so-called
" Portuguese " and " Kicnch " cemeteries, wliere repose the remains of Kicci,
Verbiest, Ajniot, (iaubil, Gerbillon, and otlier famous missionaries, to whom we are
so largely indebted for our knowledge of China and its inluibitants.
The tombs of the Ming dynasty lie some 24 miles from Peking, in a solitary
amphitheatre amongst the Tienshu hills, approached by a gorge, which terminates
Fig. 76. — Tientsin.
Scale 1 : 3,000,000.
Sinoheui juii
117
EToFG
Il7*l5'
. SOMilcK
with a magnificent marble portal. Of these tombs the most noteworthy is that
of the Emperor Yung-le, at the head of a vast avenue of marble statues representing
twelve high officials, priests, or warriors, and twelve pairs of animals, elephants,
camels, lions, horses, and the fabulous unicorn and kilin, some kneeling, others
er(>ct. Although some exceed Hi feet in height, all are cut in a single block ; but
being (listributi«d over too large a spacie without an eye to the perspective, or to the
general effect, the result is not ssitisfactory. The body of the Emperor lies at the
end of a long gallery under the natural pyrantid of the mountain, and near it is
the sacrificial temple resting on sixty pillars of the nanrau laurel, each 43 feet high
172
EAST ASIA.
uiul 10 feet in eireumference. The blocks of inurblc required for these and other
imperial tombs were conveyed along specially constructed rouds on huge trucks
with sixteen wheels, and drawn by six hundred mules.
Tiriilsin — that is, " The Ford of Heaven " — is the seaport not only of Techili, but
also of Mongolia and the Kussian province of Transbaikalia. It is happily situated
in an extremely fertile district, on a navigable river at the converging point of
several natural highways formed by the rivers of the -interior. Thanks to the
development of its foreign trade, it has become one of the great cities of China,
already surpassing the imperial capital itself in population, which, according to the
consular reports, is now (;lose upon a million. The imports are chiefly rice, woven
goods, opium, European hardware, taken in exchange for raw cotton and wool,
skins, furs, plaited straw, and camel's hair. Here are the Government granaries
for the supply of Peking, and the salt depot for the whole of North China. After
Fig. 76.— Thb Lowfk Pki-ho.
Sralel : l.aSO.OOO.
12MilM.
Tientsin became a treaty port in 1858, most of the navigation of the Pei-ho, here
commonly known as the Hai-ho, or " Ocean River," fell into the hands of the
English ; but since then the Chinese have gradually recovered the first place.
Besides the river junks the natives now own vessels of the European type, and even
numerous steamers, which ply daily on the Pei-ho above and below Tientsin.
A few miles farther down is the European settlement of Tzekhulin, in its street
architecture and general appearance quite a Western town, where nearly all Euro-
peans reside who have business relations with Tientsin. Even in the Chinese city
there are several buildings in the European style, amongst them the new hospital
and the ruins of the Roman Catholic cathedral, destroyed during the terrible out-
break of 1870, when all the French priests and nuns with one exception, besides
some other foreigners, were massacred. A cotton-spinning factory has here been
recently established, and some 60 miles to the north-east a horse tramway now connects
- ^Wft^PKlVBW^Bt
}8e and other
hujjc trucks
if recbili, but
ppily situated
ging point of
hanks to the
;ie8 of China,
jording to the
y rice, woven
an and wool,
lent granaries
:!hina. After
59'
I7°40'
le Pei-ho, here
! hands of the
the first place,
type, and even
rientsin.
in, in its street
early all Euro-
le Chinese city
le new hospital
be terrible out-
jeption, besides
f has here been
jy now connects
Ij J IW JiJ ^ 1 " n.wrw l jy i l> i
lf.sm: ' }f" '
I
I
I
HMMMRnn
IIIWIII WH. I L . UtaUB J U
TOPOaRAPHY.
178
i'v.'^
<
S3
I
O
H
O
O
the Eaiping coal mines with the port of Lutai, on the river Peitang, at the head of
the deop-8ea navigation. Works have also been undertaken to improve the water-
way below Tientsin, where the bar has only 4 feet at ebb, and about 12 feet at flow.
The approach to this important strategical point is now defended by formidable
lines at SinelifUg above the delta, and by the forts of Taku (" Great Mouth "),
near the main entrance of the river. These forts, which fell so easily to the allies
in 1858 and 18G0, have since been reconstructed, anned with the heaviest ordnance,
and completed by a vast entrenched camp and docks for the Government gun-
boats. Peitang, at the mouth of the river San-ho, just north of the I'ei-ho, has
also been strongly fortified.
On the route leading from Peking through the Kupe'i-kow Gate in the Great
"Wall to Manchuria there are several towns, amongst them the administrative city
of Yungping-fu, which, however, is a small place. West of the Kupei-kow Gate
the Pe'i-ho valley is approached from Mongolia by the Kwan-kow Gate, formerly
a point of great strategic importance, through which all the nomad invaders pene-
trated into China. Hence this highway is defended at various point* by strong
lines, some of which have been mistaken for portions of the Great Wall itself.
But here the most remarkable monument is a triumphal arch erected at the
southern entrance of the Kwan-kow Pass, and bearing an inscription in six
languages — Sanskrit, Chinese, Uigur, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Ninchi, or ancient
Manchu, the last mentioned being the only known specimen of that tongue. The
chief importance of this highway, however, is now due to the traffic of the Rus-
sian caravans and postal service, which follow this route between Eiakhta and
North China. The convoys of brick tea for the Siberian market start directly
from Tungchew, on the Pei-ho, without passing through Peking, which they leave
to the south-west.
In the upland valleys watered by the tributaries of the Wen-ho the most impor-
tant place is Knlgan (Changkia-kow), guarding one of the gates of the Great Wall
leading to Mongolia. The military quarter, with its forts and barracks, is built up
against the wall itself, while the trading quarter lies 3 miles farther south, beyond
which are the houses of the Protestant missionaries and Kussian dealers. Sitcan-hoa,
at the entrance of a defile on the route from Kalgan to Peking, is also much fre-
quented by the Chinese and Mongolians. Its imposing ramparts, triumphal arches,
and extensive parks date from the time when this place was capital of the empire
under the Mongol dynasty. Like Tatung-jvt, lying much farther to the west and
more in the heart of the mountains, Siwan-hoa is conveniently situated in the midst
of fertile valleys and rich coal-fields, and does a considerable trade in tobacco and
felts. Kiming, on the route thence to £wan-hoa, is the chief postal station for the
whole of North China. Its vineyards produce a highly esteemed white wine,
which is found only on the tables of the wealthy mandarins.
In the southern section of Pechili, watered by affluents of the Wen-ho and
Pei-ho, the largest place is Paoting-fu, which has been chosen as the capital of the
province and official residence of the Viceroy, who, however, lives mostly in Tientsin.
It is regularly built, very busy, and better kept than the imperial capital. The
iwiiMiii
msOM
174
EAST ASIA.
r.
li
1
I:
Burroundinff plaiiH, which aro ndmi'nibly cultivatnl, aro larpdy under millet, the
Htajjle crop in iVchili. South-west of this place is Chiiiijtiiif/, near the Shensi
frontier, where iron iniaj^es of Huddha are manufactured for all the northern pro-
vinces. The bronze idols in its t(MiipleH are amongst the most remarkable in tho
empire, and one of them is no less than SO feet high.
THE SirANTUNO PKNINSITLA.
SiiANTT'xo ifl a geof^raphical region entirely distinct from the rest of China.
This country of the " Kastern Hills," as tho term means, consists of two detached
masses of mountains and hills, one of which projects fur seawards between tho
Gulf of Pechili and tho Yellow Sea, and is limittnl landwards by extensive alluvial
plains deposited in an old marine basin. In this directicm tho Hoang-ho has
shifted its course for ages, washing down its sedimentary matter at one time to the
north, at another to the south of tho Shantung peninsula. In its general outlines
this ])eninsulu rcsenjbles that of Liaotung, but is of larger si/o. Its shores, visited
by European vessels for the first time in 179JJ, on the occasion of Lord Macartney's
embassy to l*eking, are indented by innumerable little inlets developing a series of
regular curves from headland to headland. Some of these headlands are continued
by banks and islets for a long distance into the shallow waters of tho Yellow Sea.
The north coast of Shantung is even comiected by a sort of half-submergefl istlnnus
with the southernmost extremity of Manchuria. The mean depth of this marine
basin is only about 80 feet, yet most of the iidets of the peninsula are accessible
to Chinese craft. The facilities thus affoi-ded for intercourse have largely contributed
to the development of the great natural resources of Shantung. The population is
said to bo here denser even than in Belgium, and from the summit of many hills
the whole country as fur us the eye can reach presents the aspect of a vast city
interspersed with garden plots. The natives are also more robust and energetic,
as well as of a more swarthy complexion, than those of the Houng-ho and Yang-tze
lowlands. In the Chefu district and elsewhere they show many graves attributed
to a pro- Chinese race.
The Shantung highlands may bo reganled as the remains of a plateau denuded
ond cjit up in all directions by small streams. In the north a series of regular
rounded eminences stretch along the coast, but nowhere reach an elevation of 3,400
feet. The mean altitude is lower in the south, although here the peninsula,
properly so called, culminates with the Lo-shau, an isolated peak rising 3,550 feet
above the neighbouring island-studded bay. But towards the west the Ta-shan, or
"Great Mountain," famous in Chinese mythologj', attains a height of 5,100 feet
close to the plains of the Hoang-ho. Ta-shan is the most sacred of the five holy
mountains of the empire, the " beneficent king," the " equal of heaven," the " con-
troller of births and deaths," the " arbiter of human destinies." Confucius, born
in the neighbourh(MMl, vainly attempted to reach its summit, a temple now marking
the spot where he stopped short. Since then the ascent has been rendered easy
by a good paved road 12 miles long, with broad shady steps, convenient landing-
TOPOORArilY.
178
milli't, the
tho Shonsi
•tliorn i»ro-
iblo in tlio
of China.
w dettuihed
etwooii tho
live alluvial
ung-ho has
time to tho
sral outlines
ores, visited
Macartney's
^ u series of
•o continued
Yellow Sea.
god isthmus
this murine
re accessible
r contributed
[)opulution is
f many hills
f a vast city
id energetic,
nd Yang-tze
es attributed
teau denuded
es of regular
ition of 3,400
le peninsula,
ng 3,550 feet
e Ta-shan, or
of 5,100 feet
the five holy
1," the " con-
mfucius, born
now marking
rendered easy
lient landing-
places, and palanquin bearers for old and infirm pilgrims, notween these wesfern
hills and the peninsula proper a broad depression, stretehing from tho (julf of
Pechili to the Yellow Sen, was formerly traversed by a navigable canal traced like
a river on the old map of the Jesuits. Here also the IVima-liu, or " Lakt^ of the
White Horse," wouhl seem to bo a remnant of the strait which fornu'rly flowed
along this depression from sea to sea.
Nearly all the forests have disappeared from the hills, and the indigenous
vegetation has almost everywhere yielded to tho useful plants introduced by man.
The wild animals have also been mostly
externnnuted, and little room can even ^'»- "-O'" Shantung 8thait.
1 1 « 1- i. 1 • ^1 • i< Boale 1 : 2,UOO,0OO.
be spared for live stock ni this fer-
tile and highly cultivated region. It
abounds also in coal-fields, iron ores,
gold, and other metals, besides precious
stones, including diamonds of small
size. Tho climate, us elsewhere in
North China, is characterized by tho
extremes of heat and cold. ]}ut tho
transitions are effected very gradually
and regularly, thanks to the warm
marine waters and the shelter afforded
by tho neighbouring Munchurian and
Korean uplands from sudden polar
winds. The typhoons also spend their
fury in the Yellow Sea before reaching
the Gulf of Pechili.
Topography.
The largest towns aro naturally
found on tho western alluvial plains,
watered by the Iloang-ho and its
tributaries, and traversed by the Yun-
ho, or "River of Transports," which
was till recently navigable. But
many of these places are exposed to
destructive floodings, while others have been plundered by the Taiping rebels and
Nienfei brigands. However, they rapidly recover from such disasters, and Tiingchmuj,
on the Grand Canal, amongst otheis, has already resumed its place as one of the
great industrial centres of the empire. Farther north Lintsing and Chingkia-hetc.
which also suffered severely during the late insurrection, are now flourishing towns,
carrying on a largo trade with the crmtral provinces, Pechili, and even Mongolia.
Tuinau, the Chinangli of Marco Polo, and the present capital of the province, also
lies west of the mountains in a fertile alluvial district, dotted over with isolated
. 30 Miles.
mmimmmmm $ueil^^^^'
tn^s^"'
nn
EAST ASIA.
conos of loiiff-oxtinct volriiiiocs. With a ciri-uit uf ulMiut ii;") iniloN, it in lH)tli oiipof
tho liir^oMt and lH>Ht-l>uilt nitios in (Jhiiiii, noted oHpccially f«)r its trade in falw
f]>emN and nianiifacfiiro of a peculiar Milken fabrie, woven from the C(K;(M>nM
of n wild Hilkwnrin which lives on oak-leavcH. Here in a Roman Tatholic com-
munity of r2,0U0 .souls, besides many Mohammeilans, variously estimated at from
Fig. 78.— TiNocNKW AND Muo-TAu Archipblaoo.
Bonto 1 : 198,000.
120* 55
120*45
T«n^teh«w feu
to as Feet.
88 to 06 Feet. 06 Feet and upwarda.
— — ^^.^ 8 Mfloe.
10,000 to 20,000. Three miles east of Tsinan is a hill consisting of partly
magnetic iron ores, and on the Yellow River lies its port of Lokao. In the basin
of the Yellow River is also situated Taingan-fu, the " City of Temples," on the
Tawan-ho (Wun-ho), which traverses a district abounding in coal and iron. The
chief temple dedicated to the holy mountain, Tai-shan, occupies a large space to the
Wi^^Mi'i.n
TOP' .llArMY,
177
of tji own, in the midHt I. acrp* in . xJent, all fhf trrch of wliieh
ItAve been )> iitwMiy >riituH ciin rors iih«* tli»^ tenth century. When viNJtctl in
ISfif) hy Mitrkhaiii were hmn tli. 70,(M»() pil^riniH UHHCiiiblcd in thi«
pluco from nil |hii <>1 Chun Furthor wtuth licH Yi'iirlicw-fn, in a niut-Hhy
dintrict travcrKtHl U\ c (Iran'l >mil, fornu'i-ly capital of one of the nine provinecH
into which the enn. ■•' >•" div uled by Yii four thouMUid years a^o, and still the
largest place in the south-west uf Shantung. This is one of the classic regions
Fig. 70.— CHiru.
nnir 1 : IM,O0O.
to 16 Feet.
18 to S9 Fent.
82 Feet >nd npwardt.
3 Mile»
of China, the towns, mountains, and rivers of which figure on almost every
page of the old chronicles.
Some 12 miles west of Yenchew-fu is the far-famed city of Kinfao, birthplace
of Confucius, and still inhabited almost exclusively by his descendants, at least
20,000 of whom bear his name. Although a fine, vigorous race, not one of them
seems to have distinguished himself in any way during the twenty-four genera-
tions which have elapsed since their common ancestor bequeathed hxn moral code
to the empire. The chief temple raised to his memory is one of the largest and
most sumptuous in China, and contains a series of inscriptions dating from all t lie
djmasties for the last two thousand years. The accumulated treasures of vases,
bronze ornaments, and carved woodwork form a complete museum of Chinese art.
At the entrance of the palace is still shown the gnarled trimk of a cypress said to
178
EAST ASIA.
:
liiivc Ik'oii planted hy roiifuciuM, whilo uriiH, trijKKlH, iniiniiscriptM, nnd oIIut
])rfoioiis iihjfctM, Niiid t(» have Ix-loii^cd to the pliilnMophcr, arc prcHiTVcd in tlio
private apartnirntn of tlio princi-ly ln'ad of the family. 'I'ln' domain of thin
dignitary, wlio is a diri'ct feudatory of tlu' i'mpire, is no \vhh tliun l(i"<, <•!(() aercs
in extent. Wiien Kinfao was Keizod l»y tiie Tajpin;? nlu !■*, they respected tlie
temple, the pahice, and all their contents, and even spared the life of the
local governor, cftnlrary to their invariablu practice. Mcar the temple in the
jlfravo of ('onfuciuH, in the centre of n vuHt space occMpicd by the family
necroi)oliH. TowanU the south-woHt is unuthcr cemetery near the small town
of Txin-hii'ii, which for the last twenty-two centuries has received the renuiins
of all the descendants of Mengtze (Mciicius), the most renowned disciple uf
Confucius.
Tsiiii/r/irir-/ii, the old capital of Shantung, lies on the northern Hlnpo of the
mountains in a valley draining to tin; (julf of I'echili. Although much reduced, it is
Htill a large i)laee, and a now almost deserted Tatar (juarter recalls the early days
of the ^fanehii concpieiit. Tsingchew has iK'come u chief centre of Islam in Kast
('hina, and a knowledge of Arabic is still kept alive in its schools. The surroiuid-
ing
and other
kinl ill tho
lit! of this
,0(10 ariT!^
jK'ctt'd the
it'o of the
iplo in tho
I In- fiiiiiily
^iiuill town
lio iTinuinrt
diHciplo of
opo of tho
•ducod, it is
ourly thiys
am in Kunt
! suiTound-
tho Houth-
lauteriul of
^f» 18 really
1 tho plain
f coninmni-
'{iai/iiiff und
llpotro, and
rium. Tho
; but it is
market of
I of Pechili,
n section of
hrough tho
treaty port,
to penetrate
vessels are
chants have
Yenta'i, the
nal to warn
otter known
e north, and
arhorough "
3xtrcmity of
, both doing
aiyaiuj, ou n
TiiK noANo-iio hasin.
no
river flowing to tho port of Tiiii/fxi ; Txiiiii, a depot for grain, fniils, pigs,
and otlicr agricnltnral produce; lytiniiii, Kitinr/inr, and Yiihi'ir, tlie lant with
a eoiiNiderable Mosh>ni (■oniniiiiiity, and prodticlivo coal niinoM in the iiciglibouring
hills.
TlIK IIOANO-IIO RASfN,
PllOVmiM nv KANIIf, SlIINKI, HllAMI, AND IIl'NAM.
Tmk region drained by tho Ifoang-lio, or Yellow River, comprises in Tilu't and
Cliina i)roj)er a t(»)Ml area of some (UM), 000 square miles, or about three times the
extent of Franco. Yet it ranks only as tho second river basin of the empire, and
there were ov< '' times when it formed merely a tributary syHteni, discharging u
porti(m t)f its waters into tho Yang-tzo-kiang. Nevertheless it presents a striking
contrast to tliis great stream in tho salient features of its estuary and wiisdiug
course, iio loss than in tho character of tho lands and peoples fringing its banks.
To mark this contrast the natives have ichMititied tho twin streams with the
two male anil female principles of heaven and earth ( Viniu and 17/;), which
divide the world between tliem. The Hoang-ho is tho female river, (h'voled
to the earth, and designated by tho name of Yellcc, which the inhabitants
of tho " YeUow Lands " naturally regarded as prt-eminontly tho terrestrial
colour.
Tit'th streams rise on tho same inland plateau, and in their lower course traverse
tho > lino alluvial plains. IJut in their middle course they are deflected north and
sout II into regions far distant from each other, and differing greatly in their physicid
aspect. After emerging from tho upland pasturages of tho m)sterious and still
unexplored " Starry Lakes," tho Iloang-ho escapes from tho higlilands through
formidable gorges, but without describing tho vast Ik'iuI which is traced on most
majjs. Swollen by numerous torrents from the Euku-nor ^Mountains, it reaches
the verge of tho desert, already a large stream. Hero it is suddenly deflected north-
wards along the scarp of tho Mongolian plateaux, and even beyond China proper
round tho Ordos country, and through a gorge in the Ala-shan range, beyond
which it throws off several shifting channels intermittently flooded aecordinj^)
tho extent of the annual inundations. When visited by Prjevalsky in 1871 tho
main stream, 1,300 feet broad, lay to the south. But it was of recent formation,
and lateral branches were at that time winding through the plains as far as the
foot of tho In-shan range. To these displacements of the stream is probably due
tho log(>nd that the Iloang-ho disappears altogether in the sands north of the Ordos
peninsula, and again reappears among the rocks lower down.
Uclow this half -lacustrine region the stream, resuming its easterly course,
impinges against the gneiss hills forming towards the south-east the outer scarp of
the ^Icmgolian plateau. Pumpelly thinks ho has discovered the traces of an old
bed, through which the Yellow River formerly flowed along the base of the plateau.
A string of lakes connected by narrow depressions would seem to indicate the
former course of the stream, when it discharged through the Pei-ho into the
^SSS^JSES
■p<
.y
9.
•ipnnHHHwwi
V
111
II
'U
m 1
180
EAST ASIA.
Yellow Sea. But it is now deflected southwards through two parallel chains, thus
completing the circuit of 1,200 miles which it describes round Ordos and the pro-
vince of Shensi. The formation of this new bed is perhaps referred to in the
Chinese legend of the contest between Kingkung and Chwanchew for the empire
Fig. 80.— Tuan8.0hi>08.
Scale 1 : 2,300,000.
'A'iM^^^-P^ ^ ' Oiryouan
I04"'50
. 60 Miles.
of the world. "In his rage Kingkung butted with his horn against Mount
Puchiao, which supports the pillars of heaven, and the chains of the earth were
broken. The heavens fell to the north-west, and the earth was rent asunder
towards the south-east."
-'mm'-'smKsms^s^^-
'fiimf^^^ft.
THE IIOANO-nO BASIN.
161
chains, thus
ind the pro-
jd to in the
r the empire
Below these ranges the middle course of the river is abruptly temiinat(>d by a
sharp l)end towards the east at the confluence of the Wei. In some respocts the
Iloang-ho, notwithstanding its greater volume, might even be regarded as tlio
tributary of the "Wei, which maintains its original direction throughout its entire
course, us does the Saone after its junction with the Rhone in France. Tlie Wei
is in any case its largest affluent, and even more important as a navigable highway.
ill'
Kg. 81.— Clifkb of Yellow Eakth on the Hoano-iio.
4/- I
?3
)6''50-
gainst Mount
he earth were
rent asunder
Thousands of flat-bottomed craft ascend its stream to within half-way of the Lan-
chew bend, where the Hoang-ho is deflected towards Mongolia.
Both rivers wash down large quantities of sedimentary matter, estimated in
1792 by Staunton at one-fiftieth of whole volume for the united stream. This is
three or four times in excess of the average even of such rivers as the Ganges and
Pe'i-ho, which carry down an unusual amount of alluvia. These deposits are one
of the great sources of danger to the riverain populations. Natural embaukmenta
are thereby gradually formed along the course of the stream, whose bed is raised,
182
EAST ASIA.
and now channels formed during the floods, which often cause widespread r-uin.
liike the Nile, To, and ^lississippi, the Yellow River thus flows oocasionall at a
hififher elevation than the siuToundinpf plain, although nt)t so high as has been
represented by the terror-stricken fancy of the inhabitants. A vast system of
end>anknu>nts has been erected on both sides to keep the stream within its bed
during tlie rising of its waters. Above Kaifung-fu the two main dikes on the
left side, etich 72 feet high, run parallel, and from 3,000 to 2,700 yards from the
natural bank of the river, and the intermediate space is cut up into rectangular
sections by transverse mounds. The more exposed districts are thus divided into a
Fig. 82. -SHmiNUb uF THB HoANO-Ho DVRiNo Thkbe Thovsand Yeabs.
Scale 1 : 10,000,000.
. 180 Hoes.
number of independent tracts arresting the overflow, ai.d enabling the people to
raise their crops in conjparativc security. But this very system itself, maintained
by the constant lal)our of 00,000 hands, has the inevitable result of increasing
the height of the banks by the rapid deposits of alluvia in the lateral sections.
The difference in level between the river bed and the low-lj'ing plains becomes
proportionably increased, and the higher the embankments are carried the more
dangerous becomes the stream. Nevertheless the risk may be diminished by the
construe! ion of canals conveying the overflow to one or other of the lacus-
trine depiissious in Kiaug-su north of the Yang-t/c-kiung. Thus in 1780 the
THE nOANO-nO BASIN.
188
iprond niin.
donuU . iit a
as ha« boon
; Hystcin of
thin its hod
likes on tho
Is from the
rectanguhir
vidod into a
^81
S
tie people to
, maintained
f increasing
ral sections,
lins becomes
3d the more
ishcd by the
' the lacus-
in 1780 the
Emperor Kienlong caused a canal 60 miles long to bo constructed in fifteen months,
which diverted half the discliargc of the Iloang-ho into Lake Ilangt/ou. IJut in
spite of all precautions great disasters arc occasionally caused by tho bursting of
tlie dikes, when tho crops of whole provinces are swept away, and millions booome
a prey to famine and jjostilence. For China the Iloang-ho still remains the Nih-ho,
or " llebellious lliver," as it is called by the old chroniclers. The riverain poim-
latious are always at the mercy of invading hosts, or even of predatory bands strong
enough to seize and open the sluices. In 1209 one of the few defeats experienced
Fig. 83. — Bkcent SiiiFTiNas of tiik Uoano-ho.
Scale 1 : H.OOO.OOO.
Oto83Feet
83 to 164 Feet. 164 Feet and npwards.
__iiiiii^_ 16 Miles.
by Jenghiz Ehan was due to this cause. In 1642 a mandarin submerged the city
of Kaifung-fu, with its 200,000 inhabitants, and later on the Emperor Kang-hi in
tho same way destroyed half a million of his subjects.
The lowlands, subject to the shifting course of the Iloang-ho, comprise the vast
region stretching from the mouth of the l*ei-ho to that of the Yaiig-tze-kiang. The
stream thus oscillates to the rigiit and left over an area some 5o0 miles long north
and south, presenting within these limits changes elsewhere unrivalled in extent
and importance. These disastrous shif tings, at times laying waste a region as large
^i
r
i'}
184
EAST ASIA.
i^ I
■ I
ii
U8 Groat Britiiin, arc clue to the Shantung uplands, which arrest the direct easterly
course of the stream, deflecting it either to the right or to the left, and thus causing
it to flow at one time north to the Gulf of Pechili, at another south-eastwards
to the Yellow Sea. Since the mythical times of Yu, said to have flourished some
forty-two centuries ago, these complete or partial changes have been regularly
recorded by the native annalists. For the last two thousand five hundred years
the bed of the Lower lloang-ho has been displaced as many as nine times, when one
or more fresh channels have been excavated in the alluvial plains, and each of
those events has been attended by the partial depopulation of the land.
In the middle of the present century the Yellow River flowed south-eastwards
below Kaifung-fu to the coast about midway between Shantung and the Yang-tze
estuary. A small branch was even thrown off through a series of lakes to the latter
basin. But in 1851, when the Taipings began their ravages, the inhabitants being
unable to keep the dikes in repair, the stream made a breach over a mile broad
through its left bunk near the village of Lungmenku. Still the old bed was not
completely dried up, and the new course northwards to the Gulf of Pechili was not
definitely established till the year 1853. Even then the channel was not thoroughly
excavated, and at many points the stream preserved the aspect of a permanent
inundation, covering a space from 10 to 15 miles in extent. It thus overflowed
into the bed of the Tatsing-ho, formerly an independent river. Along the old
course most of the embankment works remained intact, while the villages were
converted into heaps of ruins, the cities deserted, and the cultivated lands allowed
to lie fallow. The change was, in fact, a twofold disaster, for, on the one hand, it
caused fertile tracts to be submerged, while on the other districts were necessarily
abandoned whose productiveness depends on the irrigating canals derived from the
river. The direct evil caused in the region at present traversed by the Hoang-ho
is a small matter compared with the ruin indirectly occasioned by the withdrawal
of the water which fed these canals. Hence the inhabitants of the southern
districts have repeatedly petitioned to have the stream restored to its old bed, while
those in the north have adapted themselves to the altered conditions. Numerous
villages have sprung up, and embankments have been constructed for nearly
100 miles on both sides, regulating the course of the river in its new channel,
which, however, still varies in width from a few hundred yards to 2 miles. But
after the loss of millioTis of lives a fresh disaster was threatened in 1870, when a
breach was opened in the embankment on the right side above Kaifung. On this
occasion the overflow took the direction of the Yang-tze-kiang through the Kulu-ho,
the Sha-ho, and Lake Ilang-tzew, west of the old bed. Through numerous other
smaller openings on both sides the Hoang-ho would seem to still send contributions
to the Yang-tze, the Iloai, and Pei-ho, a fact which explains the remarkable
diminution of volume observed by recent travellers in its lower course.
Near the Gulf of Pechili the stream winds through a marshy tract, which was
evidently at one time a marine basin. The town of Putai, said to have been
within GOO yards of the coast twenty-one centuries ogo, now lies over 40 miles from
the sea, and all the surrounding lands are still saturated with saline particles.
SSSmi
.'=-^'
THE GRAND CANAL AND LOWER IIOANO-HO.
186
•ect easterly
iiU8 causing
h-eastwards
rished sonio
n regularly
tudred years
)8, when one
and each of
th-eastwards
he Yang-tze
to the latter
)itant8 being
i mile broad
bed was not
chili was not
t thoroughly
a permanent
18 overflowed
long the old
irillages were
ands allowed
one hand, it
•e necessarily
ved from the
he Hoang-ho
e withdrawal
the southern
(Id bed, while
Numerous
d for nearly
new channel,
i miles. But
1870, when a
rag. On this
the Kulu-ho,
imerous other
contributions
e remarkable
,ct, which was
to have been
40 miles from
line particles.
Owing to the narrowness of the navigable channel, large vessels are now obliged to
anchor some distance off the bar, althougli it uas a depth of 7 feet even at low
water. The cargoes, transhipped to smaller craft, arc carried to Tiemen-kwun,
24 miles above the mouth of the river, beyond which ])oint the " ungovernable
Iloang-ho" has almost ceased to be available for navigation. Its ujjper course in
Eansu might be navigable by small boats ; but here the natives prefer the road to
the river for transporting their produce.
The Grand Canal and Lower Hoano-ho.
The " Grand Canal " so often spoken of by travellers, especially in the last
century, is one of the great monuments of human industry, although, perhaps, less
wonderful than it may seem to be at first sight. It is not a cutting, like so many
European works of the kind, carried by a series of locks over extensive tracts at
dill'ercnt levels, but simply consists of a string of abandoned watercourses, lakes,
and swamps, all connected together by short artificial channels. Hence it has
almost everywhere preserved the aspect of a winding river, constantly varying in
width. As related by Marco Polo, the Emperor Eublai Khan, towards the end of
the thirteenth century, created the Yun-ho, or " River of Transports," as it was
named, mostly by connecting river with river, lagoon with lagoon. Even before
that epoch goods were conveyed by water and across a series of diflicult portages from
the Yang-tze to the Pei-ho basin. But although the course of the canal was thus
already indicated and partly constructed by nature, none the less enormous are the
sums that have been spent on the formation, and especially on the maintenance, of
this great navigable artery. Thousands of hands have been constantly employed in
dredging, embanking, protecting the exposed sections from the fury of the winds,
so that a regular canal constructed on the European principle would have probably
been less expensive in the end. The Grand Canal, which is mainly fed by the
Iloang-ho, the Wan-ho, and other streams from Shantung, has in recent times lost
much of its importance, and is at present in such a bad state that the navigation is
actually interrupted at some points. Since the introduction of steam Peking and
North China receive their supplies chiefly from the sea, so that the inland navigation
for which the canal was constructed has no longer the same commercial and
economic significance. It still, however, presents many advantages for the local
traflic, and it may be hoped that the work of restoration, already begun at the
Tientsin end, will soon render this artery navigable by steamers throughout its
entire length, from the Pei-ho to the Yang-tze basin.
According to one estimate the mean discharge of the Iloang-ho is about 80,000
cubic feet per second, or nearly equal to that of the Nile. The sedimentary
matter brought down in its turbid waters is slowly yet perceptibly diminishing the
basins of the Gulf of Pechili and Yellow Sea. Staunton and Barrow have calculated
that these alluvia would be sufficient to create, in twenty-five days, an island half a
square mile in extent and 120 feet thick. They have further calculated that in
about twenty- four thousand years the Yellow Sea will have entirely disappeared,
45
186
EAST ASIA.
just as tlio iiiliind seas wost of Sliatitunj,' have already boconio dry land. Its
uavijjnlion is already inudi ohstrueted l)y (he .-hiftiii^' sand-banks, as well as by the
dense [o'^s in whieh these shallow waters are Irec^uently wrapped. The Chinese
limit the term " Yellow Sea " to the portion discoloured by the alluvia, applying
Fig. 84.— Yellow 8ea.
RcnlP 1 : 7*00,000.
(■ «
<' ,;
♦ 'II
to 82 Vtct 83 to l(i4 Feel.
(^ Submarine Sandbanks.
Ii:4 to 32H Feet. 328 Fee'- onJ upwarJe.
^2^ Bonks exposed at low water.
_i_i 160 Miles
the expression " Black Sea " to the marine water.s preserving their natural
purity.
The extensive plains stretching between the Lower Hoang-ho and Yang-tze are
traversed by the sluggish Tloai, which, notwithstanding its great length and volume,
can scarcely be regarded as an independent river. From age to age it has never
ceased to oscillate from right to left in search of a fixed channel. At one time it
flowed to the Iloang-ho, at another to the Yang-tze, while occasionally throwing off
branches in both directions. At present it discharges into Ijake Ilang-tzew and the
other lacustrine basins, Avhich are the remains of the ancient inlet penetrating
northwards between Shantung and the mainland.
-— ^ .i,lli"il|llpiSli Mrilg^tUM)
Iniid. Its
11 as by tlio
.'ho Cliiiu'so
a, applyiug
their natural
Yang-tze are
1 and volume,
it has never
it one time it
r throwing off
-tzew and the
t penetrating
THE TSIXG-LINO AND OTHER RANGES.
The Tsixg-uxo and othku Ranoks.
187
The ppntnil highlands about the hoad-strcams of the Iloang-ho arc still lol'ty
enough to supply alluvial deposits which may some day convert the Archipelago of
Japan into an Asiatic peninsula. E.vtensivo ranges rooted westwards in the
Tibetan plateaux form the water-parting between the Iloajig-ho aiul Yang-tze
basins, and these are succeeded farther north by other less elevated chains forming
tlio outer scarp of the Mongolian terrace lands.
The main range, which may be regarded as an eastern continuation of the
Kucn-lun, is separated from the Kuku-nor highlands by the deep gorge of the
Upper Iloang-ho, South of Ijanchew-fu this range takes the name of Siking-
shan, and is hero broken by the valley of the Tao-ho, an upper affluent of the
Yellow River. ]Jut east of this point its snowy peaks stretch away to the south of
the deep valley of the Wei-ho, where it is known as the Tsing-ling, or " lUuo
Mountains." In the upper valley of the Han, north of Ilanchung-fu, this section
is crossed by passes ])racticable thnmghout the year for mides. The pass chosen
by the naturalist Armand David, in the winter of 1873, is G,.']00 feet high, and
runs along the west side of the famous Taijei-shan, whose snowy crest has an
extreme elevation of from 12,000 to 13,000 feet, while Kichthofen assigns a mean
altitude of 6,500 feet to the main ran.'re. In its central section the Tsing-ling
consisting of granites and old schists, is so difficxilt to cross, that travellers
generally prefer to turn its eastern extremity through one of the depressions whicih
here separate the great bend of the Iloang-ho from the valley of the Han, a
tributary of the Yang-tze. Northwards the Tsing-ling terminates in the granite
mass of the Hoa-shan, which overlooks the triple confluence of the Iloang-ho, the
Wei-ho, and Lo-ho, over against the imposing Fungtiao-shan, traditionally said to
have been separated from it by an earthquake.
Like the Pyrenees, which they resemble in their general aspect and elevations,
the Blue Mountains form a parting line between two vegetable and animal domains.
The chammrnps palm grows only on the slopes, but on the north side the paulovnia,
catalpa, and magnolia are found intermingled with the spruce and oak. Here also
flourishes the red birch, while a species of rhododendron attains the proportions of a
tree. Some of the woodlands still harbour a few carnivora, and the northern atd
southern fauna are represented by several species, among which are the chamois, ante-
lope, monkey, and a wild ox protected by religious scruples from the native hunters.
The parallel treeless ridges of the Funiu, which form an eastern continuation
of the Tsing-ling, attain here and there an elevation of over 6,500 feet, but their
mean height scarcely exceeds 2,600. Like the Tsing-ling, they form a parting
line between the Hoang-ho and Yang-tze basins. In a single day the traveller
passes from one region to another, presenting the greatest contrasts in soil,
climate, vegetation, and even in the appearance, habits, and speech of the inhabit-
ants. In the south the crops are endangered by a superabundance of moisture, in
the north by prolonged droughts. On one side rice is the staple of agriculture and
food, on the other maize, wheat, and millet.
1
IRS
EAST ASIA.
I'arnllol witli tho THinf,'-ling other rimfjcs run north of tho "NVoi-ho valley in
the pninsuhi foriiK' — Teuiucb Lasdh of Shanri.
SmO* 1 I ^400,OUO.
11
120 Miles.
^
formerly known as the Yo, was long regarded as one of the bulwarks of the
empire. North-east of Lauchew some of the peaks take the name of Siwe-shan,
or " Snowy Mounts," but tho ranges rising to the north of the Wci-ho valley are
generally of moderate elevation. The ranges skirting the south side of the Ordos
steppe are continued east of the lioung-ho through Shansi. Here the " Western
Mouutaius." from which the province of Shansi takes its name, run uniformly in a
THE YEIJ^OW LANDS.
180
o vuUoy in
it they are
rilling with
s occurring
and lower
ituiu muss,
north-onstcrly direction, nnd the whole region rises in successive terraces from the
llonan lowlands to the Mongolian plateaux. Thus are formed several parallel
hasins in which the streams flow until they find a hreacli tiirough which they
reach the plains. One of the ridg(>s skirting these basins is the; Siwe-shan, or
" Sierra Nevada " of Shunsi, and towards its north-east end arc several venerated
peaks, the most fre(piented of which is at present the Utai-shan, or " Five Peaks,"
with un extreme height of 11,000 feet. As many as three hundred and sixty
temples are said to stand on its sloj)cs, some of which are imposing structures, nnd
one of them is built of pure copjjcr. According to the popular belief those buried
Fig. 8(1. -Utai-mman.
Scale 1 : 230,000.
115*
e: ofG
"1115° 10'
, a Miles.
varks of the
f Siwe-shan,
ho valley are
of the Ordos
ie " Western
Qiformly in a
here are insured a happy transmigration, and the flowers growing especially on
the Nanting, or " Southern Peak," are credited with certain medicinal properties.
From the summit of these holy mountains a view is afforded of the Ileng-shan,
also one of the old "guardians of the empire." Traditional sacrifices are still
offered here, but the Chinese do not display the same fervour as the Mongolian
pilgrims to the shrines of the Utui-shan.
The Yellow Lands.
Apart from the highlands and alluvial plains, most of the Hoang-ho basin is
covered with hoang-tu, or "yellow earth," which prevails throughout Pechili,
icS&-y|fe»r>5 1
100
EAST ASIA.
Shiinsi, Kinisii, liiilf of SIh'iihi, the iiortlicni division oi' iloniin.iinil cxlciiftivi" Iriirts
ill Sliiiiitiiii^. This I'oriiiiitioii, coiiiitrisin^; a region liir^cr than tiu* whole of
France, real Ik's in noine phiees even to the hanlvH of tlie Vaiif^-t/e, and stretelieH
westwards to the Tibetan phiteaiix. In these repioiis everytliin^ is yellow — hills,
fields, hi^^'hwavH, Inmses, (he very torrents and streams ehar^'d vith alluviu.
Even the vej;etation is often covered with a yellow veil, while every pull of wind
rniHC8 clouds of fine dust. From these lands the Kniiwror liiiiis»'lf takes the title of
Ilouug-ti, or " Yellow Lord," equivalent to ' Master of the "NVorhl." According
Fig. 87. — YiLi.ow I.AMOM OK NuiiTU China.
Sonic I : 18.CIUO,000.
:, I]
<■ i!
■!j ii
^^ miDH ^! ^
AUnyJnm. Yellow Ijinds. Red Allvjvlnm. rnltBomle. Metamorpbic. Volouie. Carboniferoiu
— >— — ^-^_i^ 300 MlleH.
to Ilichthofon, the hoanj»-tu, regarded by him as a formation analogous to tlirf loess
of the Rhine and I)anul)(> basins, is nothing more than so much dust accumulated
during the course of ag(>s by the northern winds. In any ease it cannot be of
glacial origin, for, inst«>ad of being simply heaped up like the moraine dei)o.sits, it is
pierc(>d by vertical lioles rMinifying in various directions, and caused by the stem.s
and roots of jdaiits gradually covered by the dust. Nor is the hoang-tu deposited
in luyens like the alluvia of running waters, while it is destitute of murine fossils
attesting a possible submersion of the land mider the ocean.
i.Hivi' triirtH
' wliiilt' of
il strrtrlifrt
low — hills,
th uUuviu.
\\ of wind
llii> title of
According
pJiJ
i .1
I
I-
1
VJ
miferons
IS to tlirf loess
uccuinulatod
ninnot be of
dei)osits, it is
by tho stems
-til dej)osited
Luriuc fossils
C5
i
a.
a.
H
5
is
h i
■Vr^-- -'■^t ■
Omm
-Emb
k-~—
TIIK YKI.LOW LANDS.
101
On iIm- pliiti'iiiix onoinlcil l»y iiuiuiitiiiM l>iirrii"H fnniiiny; f'oMi'cl Imsins tho
vt'lliiw I'll ill I'nriiis ii iiiiiiiiriii liivrfnl' uiikiiuwii ili'hlli. Itiit wlicn'Vtr tlic iTOHivi)
iii'tidii (if riiiiriiii}; wiitcrs Ims liad lull piny, riiDiiniMis tH-^urcs with vertical wiiIIh
hiiM' Im'cii iipciK'tl ill tlic iit';j^illii('coitH iiiiots. Tlic wiitiT, priicli'iiliii;;; nipiilly
tliiuii;,'!! till- ('(111111 ics-^ ciiiply Kpiii'i'M h'l't liy (lie routs ul' pitiiits, j^nidiiully (liHiiito-
^nitcs the soil, lirciikiii^ it up iulu pcipi'iidiciiliir lilnckH. The iihh'c cxpoMcd
iiiusscs, n^i\ iii;,r way, loriii irrcj^iilar clills, Imtkcii up in all directions, and ercatinj^ ii
laliyriiitli id deep pir;>:<'.s Hanked liy perpendicular walls. In some places the work
of erosion has left little Iteyoiid mere lerraees, or isolated eminences, often
resend)lin«;radiiiil infiltration has excavated
unihr^roiind galleries in many dislrietH alfordin^ shelter for the whole population.
The erosions reveal in some places a thickness of at least 2,(K)0 feet, oil'erinjf a
prodif,'ioiis ipiaiitity of ferlilisinj; soil constantly washed down, and maintaininj; tlu!
productiveness of the plains watered liy the ll(ian moisturo penetrates far into the soil,
n'fnrning hy (•aj)illary attraction, charged with all the chemical Hulistances in
solution iihich contrihute most to the alimentation of the vegetahle growths. It
even serves as a manure for other lands, over which it is distrilmti'd in largo
quantities. Such is its efficacy that it enahles the peasantry in the cold regions of
North Chinii to raise erops of cereals at an elevation of (i.oOO feet, and in wmio places
even 8,000 feet, wliereas in the warmer provinces of the south the land is seldom
cultivated heyond tj.OOO feet ahove sea-level.
Much ingenuity has been displayed in overcoming the didiculties offiM'ed to freo
communication hy the perpendicular walls of the yellow lands. To jiass from river
basin to river basin advantage has bet-n taken of every narrow fissure, deep cuttings
have iK'en made in many jjlaces, and fresh routes opened when the.se have been
filled up by tho landslips. Some of tho most- frequented roads have been
excavated to depths of from 40 to 100 feet and upwards, nv/1 the labour expended
on all these works is I't lea.st equal to that luvi.shed on the building of the (Jreat
Wall, or the construction of the Grand Canal. The roads are sometimes continued
for hundreds of miles almost in tho bowels of tho earth, but are seldom more than
8 or 10 feet wide, tho wheeled traffic being conducted by means of shuntings like
the "gares " in the Suez Canal. In dry weather tho waggons sink into the dust
up to the axle, while after the rains tho tracks are converted into quagmires,
dangerous alike to man and boast. Yet these difficult highways, being quite
unavoidable, po.s.sess great strategic importance, the bhickade of one of these defiles
at a single point being often sufficient to cut olf all connnunication between
extensive regions.
The mountains whose lower slopes are covered by the yellow earth also contain
some of the richest coal beds in the world. Anthracite and other varieties are
found in all tho provinces watered by tributaries of the Iloang-ho — Pechili,
~5S^<;S®9^{2E»*E'
192
EAST ASIA.
Shantung, Sliausi, Shcnsi, Kansu, lEonau — and some of the deposits are con-
veniently situated on the river banks, whence tlie produce can be easily exported
by water to the seaboard. The anthracite basins of Ilonan alone cover an area of
over 21,000 square miles, so that one of the most agricultural regions on the globe
offers every clement of future industrial development.
Topography.
The Iloang-ho basin has in recent times suffered so much from the ravages of
civil war, inundations, and long droughts, followed by famine and pestilence, that
not even an approximate estimate can be formed of its present population. The
country, however, appears to be rapidly recovering from these disasters, and
according to the reports of recent travellers, the towns and villages are again
everywhere assuming their normal appearance. Thanks to the introduction of the
potato plant, some of the upland valleys hitherto uninhabited are now receiving
numerous settlers, and at the present rate of increase the Hoang-ho basin will in a
few decades be again peopled by some eighty millions, as it was before the
Mohammedan insurrection and the bursting of the Kaif ung-fu embankments.
Qomi, the most elevated town on the Hoang-ho, was recently visited by
Prjevalsky. It stands at an altitude of 8,000 feet on the extreme verge of the
cultivated zone, which is here succeeded by the wooded tracts where the blue pheasant
is indigenous. Siiiinfj-fii, lying east of the Kuku-nor, on the left bank of the
Siuing, is the capital of Kansu, and residence of the authorities, who administer
the Tangut and Mongol populations of the Kuku-nor region. Its position at the
north-east corner of the Tibetan plateaux, and near the historic route to the Tarim
basin and Zungaria, renders it strategically and commercially a place of great
importance. But the wide circuit of its walls now encloses many ruins, while
much of its trade has been transferred to JDonkir, some 24 miles farther west.
Here the Eastern Tibetans and Si- Fan tribes assemble to exchange their rhubarb,
hides, wool, live stock, and minerals for provisions and other supplies. Amongst
these varied and unruly elements the exchanges are not always effected without
bloodshed ; the dealers go armed, and disputes about the market prices sometimes
end in free fights. This region is sacred in the eyes of the Tibetan and Mongol
Buddhists, as the birthplace of the great reformer, Tsonkhapa, and amongst the
lamassaries held in special reverence is Kunbtim, which lies south of Sining, on a
wooded terrace near the deep gorge of the Hoang-ho. Befoi'c the recent
Mohammedan and Si-Fan troubles this place contained 4,000 lamas, and its
university comprises four schools devoted to the study of the occult sciences,
ceremony, prayer, and the art of healing the "four hundred and forty ailments of
mankind." One of the chief remedies is the foliage of a sacred tree, a species of
older, growing in front of the great temple, every leaf of which is said to bear a
representation of Buddha and various characters of the sacred Tibetan alphabet.
Hue fancied he saw this marvel, and Szechfcnyi, after much inquiry, was shown
a leaf on which had been traced the rude outlines of a figure of Buddha.
:8 are con-
ily exported
an area of
m the globe
e ravages of
tilcnco, that
ation. The
sasters, and
>8 are again
iction of the
w receiving
sin will in a
before the
ments.
' visited by
erge of the
)lue pheasant
bank of the
administer
sition at the
to the Tarim
ace of great
ruins, while
farther west.
leir rhubarb,
s. Amongst
icted without
es sometimes
and Mongol
amongst the
Sining, on a
the recent
mas, and its
3ult sciences,
Y ailments of
a species of
lid to bear a
tan alphabet,
y, was shown
la.
BOAD CUT THROUGH TUB ■' YELLOW EABTU."
!
in
■
1
i
t
i
i
i
•
1
1
If
1 ^
3 :
1
]
•
1
1
1
i
1
i
1
i
ii
j! ;
;
1
j
^
i
j
^
1
1
i
urn
i:y^Wm
mm
TOPOGRAPHY.
193
North of Sining-fu and Chuufjpe-liicii, which also lies on the Sining-ho, nearly
all the towns were reduced to heaps of ruinH during the late Dungan rehellion.
But thanks to its strong ramparts, Lancheu-fii, starting-point of tlie main route to
the west, was not only preserved, but also afforded an asylum to innumerahlo
refugees from the surrounding districts. Official capital of Kansii, although the
Viceroy resides alternately at Snclivw, near the " Jade Gate," Lanchcw-fu occupies
an advantageous site on the right bank of the Iloang-ho, which near this ])oint
bends suddenly northwards round the Ordos peninsula. Although its forty
thousand houses are mostly mere wood huts, its well-kept streets, paved with
granite and marble blocka, impart a pleasant appearance to this place. Amongst
Kig. 88. — SiNOAN AND THE LoWBK VVei-HO VaLLBT.
Scale 1 : 1,700,000.
, SO MUea.
its numerous industries are a cannon foundry and a factory conducted by
Europeans for the manufacture of cloth for the army and other coarse materials
in wool and camel's hair. There are even some steam-engines supplied from the
neighbouring coal mines, and broad roads of moflern construction, planted
with elms and willows, radiate from this important centre to every part o' the
province. Some 60 miles south-west of Lanchew-fu is the fortress of Sa/'iir, or
Ilnr/ietr, the chief stronghold of the Dungans during the insurrection. From
this place they probably take the name of Sah-la', by which they are known in
Eansu.
On the left bank of the Iloang-ho stands the commercial town of Chougirei, at
the cast foot of the Ala-shan, and close to one of the gates of the Great Wall on
*i
104
EAST ASIA.
the very vorjifo :hia the chief places arc Jitiotii
(liichukiiai), on the left hank, and C/ini/an-kinTJi, near the north-eastern anfj;le of
the Ordos peninsula. Soutii of the Great Wall the stronj^hold of Paotr f^uaids the
chief p;issa<;:e lealHll f I ■! I W ■ j ' , " >'li
TOI'OCUAPIIY.
195
hid, a fornu r
in the tintU
its i)iiRO(l;is,
s arc lidutn
iter 11 aiifi;U> of
fi- j^uanls the
>f Sbcusi and
[oric higliway
Pi)i(j/i((ii
parts to resist
(I the DiiiiK""
iiage (lone and
Lire. A grotto
iba in Central
2, representing
ebief place is
k-u of Fiu/i(iiifj-
r south, on the
of TuiiKjt'/ifW,
lyor, but each
large mart for
lustries.
gdoni under the
empire, being
a plain at the
ns, and each of
pierced in the
central position
•cial city of the
.h1, it contains a
thousand years
n on the right
)f its tributary,
In 1541 it was
D cnihunkincnts
tied themselves,
which was the
)ld monuments,
aermanent fair,
lusively in gold
a vast garden,
busy place, is
farther north-
ies. The route
[Wci-kiun) and
ei-ho. West of
veil-kept streets
e plains watered
the three head-
-fu. The plains
IS those of West
ng rebels. The
ed by the Grand
eized and sacked
ClIBKIANO.
proper, with a
lun 200,000,000.
region the chief
umoimt power of
le largest, and is
hence commonly spoken of simply as the Ta-kiang, or " Great River." Like those
of the Iloang-ho, its waters are turbid and of a yellow colour, from the alluvia
Avushcd down with the stream. But while the Ilonng-ho is compared to the
"earth," or "Female rrinciple," whoso symlKilic colour is yellow, the Yung-tze,
according to some commentators, is the " 8on of the iliile Principle ; " that is, of
Heaven. The title of " lUue " given to it by the early missionaries, and still
current in Europe, would thus be justified, azure being the colour of the sky. Hut
much doubt prevails as to the real meaning of the characters conmionly used to
designate this river, which may possibly mean " Son of the Ocean," in allusion to
its vast inundations, or may be a purely geographical expression, derived from the
Fig. 89.— COMI'AKATIVE DiSCHAItOB OK TUB YaNQ-TZR AND OTHER RiVEKS.
178,00(1
SS.OOO
High Water.
Mean.
Low Water.
old province of Yang, now called Kiangsu. But however this be, the grandilo-
quent epithets applied to the river of Central China need cause no surprise, for it is
certainly one of the very largest in the world. In the length of its course and the
extent of its basin it is no doubt surpassed by three others in Asia alone — the Ob,
Yenisei, and Lena.* But in volume it far exceeds those Siberian streams, and
according to the careful measurements of Blakiston and Guppy, it is surpassed in
this respect by three only in the whole wo,rld — the Amazons, Congo, and La Plata.
Below the confluence of the Han the mean discharge is about 035,000 cubic feet
* Length of the Yang-tze according to Ritter, 2,800 miles ; approximate area of drainage according
to Blakiston, 7aO,OUO square miles.
-m*
jr
I »
J
I
jii!
'11
mm
109
EAST ASIA.
per socoiid, jiiid at liij,'h wiifor in Aii<;ust 1,'J()(»,(I(»() cuhic feet. Assuniinp' that tlio
pr<)|H>rti()ii between iiiinfiill inul (liseliinwor eourso,
the avenij;e vtthune ol' the Van<,'-lze woiihl l)e S"jS,()()U cubic leot, ur hix times that
of t]io Nih-, anil ten times that ol' tlu> IMione.
When instilulinj; eompaiisons between their two ^^rout water hif^hways, tlie
r'hinese never fail to contrast the benelicent character of the southern with the
ilisastrous influence of the northern stream, which they have entitled the " .Scimrfj^e
of the Sons of Man." The Yan-t/e has never caused such widespread ruin uh that
wliich has attended the shiftin<^s of the Iluung-ho, nor is any river in the world
more useful for navio,nii(),ni)0.
Mnvi^iilile fur
Steuiucri.
NuviRnltli- tur
BoaiB.
Ocriixiiiniilly
n.iTipiMe.
- SCO Milen.
rniiiivifriible or
uut^xplored.
hundreds of thousands. Mareo Polo was certainly fi^nilty of no exapffjeraticm wlion
he declared that the waters of the " Kian " bore more vessels laden with more
morchaiidiso thnn on all the united seas and rivers of (Christendom. A conflagra-
ti(m caused by li<»'htnin<>f in the port of Cehaiifj; in 1850 consmned seven hundred
large junks and thousands of small boats, and on this occasion as many as fifty
thousand p(>ople are said to have perished by fire or water. One local merchant
alone ordered no less than ten thousand coffins. Thus were destroyed in a single
port more boatmen than arc found in all France. Tlic Tuiping rebellion, which
ragetl chiefly along the banks of the Yang-tze and its great affluents, for o time
swept the river of its inhabitants. Ihit since the restoration of peace the local
trade has revived, and lf)ng lines of craft engaged in peaceful pursuits have again
made their appearance on its waters. But these flotillas are from time to time
ly
ii ji i iij i iT ii Mriiu -
iiiniiip thut the
t s lower course,
Hix times thut
lii
.'11(1 ruin U8 that
r in the world
(teumers as the
utillas of junks
H nunihered by
irnble ov
doi'ed.
igp^eration wlien
aden with more
n. A conflagra-
d seven hundred
us many us fifty
c loeul nierchunt
royed in u sin<»le
rebellion, which
ucnts, for o time
peace the local
rsui^s have again
om time to time
THE UrriUl YANO-T/E AND MIN.
1!)!)
tossed by the waves raised by tlio passing steajiuTs, as if to warn them of the revo-
lution that is taking pluct? in the niethorls of triiiisport.
The Yang-tze lias received from the Mongoliiins tlie title of Dalai, or "Sea,"
and in the history of (!hina it hasphiyed the same ])art as the ocean and great marine
inlets elsewliere. It has afforded even greater facilities for travel, for tlie transport
of goods, and for the mutual inten^ouise of the surrounding peoples. At the present
day European inHuenees are penetrating into the heart of the empire through the
sumo channel, which for practical purposes may bo regarded as a continuation of
the seaboard, stretching some 2,400 miles inland. The total length of the
navigable waters in its basin is equal to half the circnniforeuce of the ghjbo.
Tin; TJppKU Yang-tzv, ano Jlix.
The head-streams of the Yang-tze arc known to ri.sc on the Tibetan plateaux, far
beyond the limits of (!hinu proper. Although utill unexplored by Kuropean
tnivellers, its actual source may be indicated with some ajiproach to accuracy.
Tliree rivulets, known to the ^[ongolians as the Ulun-muren, or " lied J avers," and
more particularly discriminated as the Nameitu, Toktonai, and Ketsi, take their
rise in the north-eastern region of Khachi, south of the unexplored Kuen-lun
ranges, which are here continued westwards by the Ihiyan-khara chain. These
three streams jointly form the ^lurui-ussu, or " Winding ^Vater," of the Mongo-
lians ; the Dichu, or Brichu, of the Tibetans — that is, tho " River of the Cow ; " and
in Chinese territory the Yang-tzc-kiang. Where it was crossed by I'rjevulsky, at
an elevation of 13,000 feet above tho sea, its bed was 750 feet broad, and its
current very rapid. From the appearance of its banks it is evident that during the
summer inundiuions its waters are spread over a space at least 5,300 feet wide.
Hence at an altitude of nearly 2 J miles above the sea, and over 3,000 miles from its
mouth, the Murui-ussu already discharges more water than many famous streams in
West Europe. In this region the two great rivers of China approach nearest to
each other, their basins being here separated only by the ridge of the Buyan-kuara,
whose snows feed both streams.
The Murui-ussu at first follows the same direction as the other rivers of East
Tibet, flowing parallel with the Lu-tze-kiang and Luntzan-kiang southwards, as if
intending to discharge its waters into the Gulf of Siam. But after falling for over
COO miles towards the Indian Ocean, it fails to pierce the Y''unnan plateau, and is
thus deflected eastwards to the China Sea. At this part of its course it has
received the names of Kinsha-kiang, or " River of the Golden Sands," and Peshui-
kiung, or " White Water." The title of Kinsha-kiang has also been conferred on
the Yalung ( Yarlung), or Niachu, whicii flows from the slopes of the liayan-kharu
parallel wiih the Murui-ussu and the other Tibetan rivers of the province of Kham.
At the confluence of Iwth the Yalung, nearly as large and more rapid than the
main stream, plunges into a wild rocky gorge which has never yet been pierced by
a ])ath.
Below the Yalung the Einsha-kiang receives another tributary from the Bayan-
200
EAST ASIA.
m
kliura, or at loaHt fntiii iln caHforn oxtoiiHion, (ho Miii-Hlum. Thin in tho Wim, or
Mill of our inapH, \vlii ^[iii iiiUHt l)o rr^mU'd as an
aftiiu'iit of the KiuHlia-kian<;, to wliifh it in groatly iiift>rior in volumes and length,
whiU* itH vidh'V is nuTcly a hitcral trouuhtK>ss bo attrihutod to tho common
oulturo provailin<^ in tho vaHoys of tho Min and Lower Yang-tzo. Tho grwit river
eomiii}^ fiou' '^e up|M'r rogiouM inliabitod hy wihl and liostih* triln's soemi'd to tlio
(•ivilisod Chini'so to In'Umg to another worhl. They oonsidored, in fact, that tho
Kiang, or " llivor," pro-ominontly s(» oaUod, sh«tuld flow altogether within tho limitM
of tlioir domain. In tho Yukui.g, tho ohlo.st ('hinoso goognij)hionl work, tlio Min
IS iiiioiidy (h'sorihod as forming tho up}>or course of iho "(Jroat Uivor," and, while an exaggerated
imi)ortanco is ossigncKl to the lloang-ho, whoso valley had Wen the first to bo
8ettlcvhich offer a
refuge to tho peasantry of the surrounding districts during civil Avar. At their
foot are rich deposits of coal, carbonate of lime, and here and there of iron ores,
while a little gold- washing is done along the more level banks.
tho Wen, or
imrscs of tho
"jfiinU'd an an
and lcn^;th,
voi'Mcd by tlio
onMidrrcd tlic
1 the conuiiDii
lie j;rwi1 river
«eenied to the
fact, that tho
ihiii the liniit8
ivork, tlie Min
r," and Mareo
I tho ohl maps
1 exapr^?oratc channel is scan-oly 470 feet wide, and. as most of those deep fissures run
east and west, their ch-pths are sehhan reached by the s(»lar rays. 'J'lioir ghMimy
recesses uro overgrown with ferns and other vegetable growths delighting in tho
shade and moisture, while their summits are ch)thed with forests of conifers.
Sunken ledges fringe tho banks, but in many places tho channel is fully 100 feet
d.op, rising during the August freshets from 00 to 70 feet above its ordinary level
in tho narrow ravines. To avoid those inundati(.ns all the houses havo to lio
perched on the crests of the hoadhinds. Ordinary craft, if well managed, puss
down without iiuich risk of going to pieces on tho sunken shoals; but those ascend-
ing tho stream huvo to struggle against a current, in some places running over
10 miles an hour. Hero a regular towing system has been organized, and at tho
uu)re dangerous jMiints villages have sjjrung up peopled mainly by skilled boatmen
engaged in this work. As many us u hundred are sometimes attacluul to the
bandnm towing-rope of a single junk, ami uro often preceded by a clown or hired
bull'oon leaping and bounding along, and encouraging them with his merry antics.
lletween Kweichew and Ichang tho series of fan, or chief rapids, have a t«»tul
length of 114 miles, and terminate with several roniantic gorges, such us tlutso of
Lou-kun and Mi-tan. Ik'yond those tho hills suddenly fall on either side, tho
stream e.vpands to a width of over 5,000 feet, and hero porpoises are met following
in tho wake of the junks. For at this distance of 1,000 miles from the coast
niarino influences are already felt in a river to which the natives have applied tho
sjiying, «' IJoundless is tho ocean, fathomless tho Kiang." For ordinary craft it
may truly be descrilxMl as fathomless, being scarcely anywhere less than 20 foot
dei«p even at low water. But as wo approacli tho sou the danger of inundations
increases with tho gradual lowering of tlio banks, and in the plains the stream is
enclosed on both sides by regular embimkments, like tlu)se of the Hoang-ho. The
evil, however, is hero greatly mitigated by tlie extensive lagoons, and oven veritabh'
lakes, which now begin to make their appearance on both sides. Of these lakes
the largest is tho Tung-ting, which lies above the confluence of tho Han. With
an area of at least 2,000 square miles, tho Tung-ting serves as a reservoir for the
overflow of a basin some 80,000 square miles in extent, comprising nearly all
the province of Hunan. This lake changes in form and extent according to tho
volmne of water discharged into it by the Yuen, Su, Siaiig, and its other influents,
and according to the level tif the Yang-tze itself, from which there is at tinus a
46
'f
•^
11 :
II !
202
KAHT ASIA.
b;i<'k How tlirou^h the Tiiiiy:f iiijf-lio i'liUHsury. iMiriii;; the llnods tlit« rivriiiii
jiopiilatioii Inrsaki- their villiiffcs, MCfkiiij; a temporary rel'ii;^e eillier on the Kiir-
rouiulinj; hilU or on the ]M)ats and rafts. From tlie Tnn^-liiij^ are named the two
adjacent provinces of Flnpeli and llunan ; that i^, " North of the Luke " and " South
(tf the liake" respectively.
Moth in :.izo, commercial anrl historical iinportnnco, tlie chief afllnent of thn
Ijowcr Van>,'-t/e is nncpu-stionably the Man-kianj,', wliich presents a natnral hij;h-
way of trade and migration between the two ^'real arteries of the empire. In the
Hun basin aro also comment rated all the elements of prosperity — a temperati- ami
hcallhy climate, fertile soil, abundant wutcr of j^;oo(l qnality, an endlessly varied
flora, ^ypsnni, marbles and other bnildin;r materials from tlu* nei^hlxnirin^ hills ;
lastly, rich carboniferous deposits. The Ilan is available for navigation nearly
tlirou^'hont its whole <'ourse, and in summer niifi^ht be ascended by steamers for a
distance of (lOU miles. Kven above llanchniifif-fu, whcie it is a nieri! torrent, it
iMM'omoH navi>,nibl(» for boats durin'j; the floods; but, on the other hand, its
middle c(Uirse is obstructed by rapids, which cause frecpient shipwrecks, Lower
down the channel stands at a higher elevation than tlio Nurroundint^' plains, and
hero the villa^^es are often bnilt on broad terraces, restinpp amblance is often heightened by the fierce storms to which it is subject.
lielow Lake Poyang the Great River trends north-east across one of the most
pleasant landscapes in China. Here the current flows in its broad bed with a
s the riv«>riiin
IT (III the Mur-
uiiiiu'd tilt" t\vi»
I'" iiiid "South
iilllin'iil of tho
11 niitiinil hiy;li-
iii|iirt>. Ill tho
, tciiiporiiti! and
•iidh'ssly viiricil
hhourin^ hills ;
vijjiitioii iK'iirly
V stt'iimtTH lor u
iiuTt! tornMit, it
»thor himd, its
vrccks. Lower
liiiu: pliiiiis, mid
st till* ciiibaiik-
tho Hurrouiiding
tho Hull and
, altlum^jfli in its
. At low water
ds in its middle
I to bunk.
a frreat bend of
)rtunco for navi-
alluvial delta is
a. back flow from
led with islands,
t, are little more
f deep, and here
ffs crowned with
animation of tbo
md junks nb iis?
of the Orphan,"
Orphan," which
-fowd and schools
)f a marine inlet,
lich it is subject,
one of the most
iroad bed with a
•«»w«»PWI»"
:»ji&a'iAiiW8M»-^ '' aa ' -jg-^-«»!^"^^ iiiWi>a g^ 4.'Jj>m ' ai)iWKtf jwi 'jmhs^ . .n '' !i;.i. ' a.aiii».f' gf
M
\i
ti
E7
o
!5
■<
03
a
b
O
Ed
^
N
6
SB
<
h
o
LAKE POYAXO AND THE LOWER YAXO-TZE.
208
placid \in!form nintiou ; tlic monotony of its grey wutors is broken horo and there
by It'tily iwlt'ts ; the biunlets alonfi; the banks nestle uniid their bamboo tliickets
and clusters of trees; the nei ui*i^"V ! ivn»t'-itlfn.!im>*'
Vlt'
204
EAST ASIA.
connoctod by mud-banks with fho northeru lioiuUaiul at. the mouth of the estuary.
In this part of the province of Kiangsu the settlors find tliemselves in contact with
an abiiost savage aboriginal element, to which they present u marked contrast in
their gentle disposition and superior intelligence.
xVlthough inferior in importance to those of the Iloang-ho, yrvai -hanges have
nevertheless taken place in the course of the Ijowcr Yang-tze-kiang. IJesides its
present mouth, it had formerly two others farther south. Of these the largest
branch, which may still be traced throughout most of its windings, ramified from
the northern channel, ut the point where is now the city of Wuhu, above Nanking.
From this point it pursued a meandering course south-eastwards to the llangchcw
Fig. 91. — Old Mouths of the Yano-tze.
Rcnle 1 : 4,600,000. After KdkiiiB nnd Dtxker.
..,.« Old Tied* of the Yong-tie-kiong.
^^^« HiUy Lands.
m.
. 00 MilGB.
estuary. The outlines of its ancient bed are still preserved by a string of
lakes in the Shanghai peninsula, now abandoned by the Yangtze. Thus
the Ta-hu, the largest of these peninsular lakes, recalls its former fluvial
character in the outlines of its western shores, which follow the right bunk
of the Yang-tzc. The Gulf of Ilangchew itself still retains the aspect of a river
mouth, although the process of alluvial deposits has been interrupted, and in many
places even reversed, the waves washing away the sand-banks and eating into the
old coast-line. Tlie whole district, which formerly comprised the Yang-tze delta
between the two estuaries, is u low-lying ti-ut^t resembling ITolland in appearance,
being cut up in every direction by dykes and canals, and all the traffic being
ciiuducted by water. North of the Yang-tze the alluvial plain, which stretches
■(g M fl i^ FWW iMyH lM ji y ^ i>ii
SECTITTEN niOnLANDS
206
tho estuary,
contact witli
i contrast in
:hiingc>H have
Besides its
3 the largest
aniitied from
:)ve Nanking,
lie Ilangchcw
\SL'
y a string of
mgtze. Thus
former fluvial
;he right bank
pect of a river
d, and in many
eating into the
Yang-tze delta
in appearance,
ic traffic being
ivhich stretches
northwards to the old bed of the Iloang-ho, presents mucli the aamo aspect, and
here also the natural and artificial channels form an inextricable labyrinth of
watercourses. This region is traversed south and north by the Grand Canal, a
former affluent of the Yang-tze, which now joins the Iloang-lio, while the IToai, fed
by the torrents from the extreme spurs of the Kuen-lun, is distribut(>d over tho
plain in numerous brunches, which converge in the old beds of the Iloang-ho. A
Fig. 92.— Channels and Bkkakwatbks bbtwken the Hiiano-ho ani> Yano-tze,
A (Voiding to Oie MiBsionnrips Scale 1 : 2,500,ty)0.
:.0fG. 119
.aOMUns.
good idea of the appearance of this watery region may be had from the chart of the
early Roman Catholic missionaries, since rectified by the Chinese geographer,
Li-fong-pao.
Sechtten Highlands.
Between the outer terraces of Tibet and the shifting shores of the YoUow Sea
the Yang-tze basin is divided by the varying relief of tho land into several natural
regions, dilToring one from the other in their climate, products, and the character
of their inhabitants. A well-marked region is that of the West Sechuen highlands,
j4j«MWH»«va'i*;.',-«iti»«Bv-'««Ma*«w*>^^
^.'i
.-.' .
20A
KAST ASIA.
wlicro flio "liivrr t»l' (idhU'ii Saiul " winds its wiiy iiloii;"' (locp iiiirrow "for^yrs tliroufrh
tlic lands dl' tboTilu'tiins, ol' tlu" Miintzc and Lolo. I'lasi Sichucn, n^uin, is separated
from the plains ol'lliipeli hy the " Cross Ranges " and the ravines between Kweiehew
Fig. Oa. — ClIANNEI.R ANII BlIKVKWATKIlS HKTWKKV TIIK IloAXO-HO ANI> YaNO-TZR.
ApTciriliiiif til l.i-foii!^ pno. Sculc 1 : v'.liTn," 0.
m Mileii.
and Ichang, while the Nganhwei hills mark the extreme limits of the uplands and
the beginning of the lowland plains more recently conquered from the ocean.
The ranges on the ]']ast Tibetan frontier are evidently the remains of a plateau
gradually worn by the action of ice and running waters into parallel ridges
running mainly north and south. ^.Ithough cut deeply into the thickness of the
SKCIIUEN HIOHLANUS.
207
nf^os throujjh
1, is s(<|)iiriit('(l
(11 Kwciclicw
=5^
le uplands and
lie ocean.
IS of a plateau
parallel ridges
ickness of the
plateau, the very river heds in this rejyion Mtill lie at elevations of from S.OOO to
10,000 feet iihove sea-level. Tlie ' lioni liiissa, tliroiirrh
Hataiijif and Tatsienlu, to West China, maintains hetween those two towns an
almost uniform elevation of 11,000 feet, and three passes on tliis route stand at a
hei;,'ht of nearly 'JO.OOO feet. These passes are much dieadt>d by traveUers, far
more on uceount of the rarefied atmosphere than for their steej) inelines, severe cold,
and fierce gales.
The ranges separating the Kinsha-kiang from the Yalung, and the latter from
the Min, far to the south of the Kuku-nor and IJayan-khara plateaux, also present
sunnnits rising uIhjvc the snow-line, which has been fixed by (Jill at frcmi 14,000 to
1(),000 feet in these regions of the East Tibetan frontier. Thus the Nenda, or
" Sacred Mountain," rising to the east of the Upi)er Kinslia-kiang valley, under
the parallel of liatang, is no less than :20,o00 feet high, and sends down in all
Fig. 94. — Mol'NTAINS IIKTWEKN TaTSIENLU AND BaTANO.
According to OUl.
Limit of Forests.
„ Tillnge.
„ I'astures.
Scale of Heights decnplc of Distances,
directions vast glaciers from its bouijdiess snow-fields. With its spurs it covers the
length of a whole day's march during which the blue glint of the ice on its upper
slopes remains constantly in view. East of the Nenda rise the scarcely less
elevated peaks of Surung, which probably form a portion of the same system.
East of the Yalung the crests of another range running parallel with the Surung
all rise above the snow-line, and one of them towers some 4,000 or 5,000 feet above
all its rivals. This is the Ja-ra, or " King of Mountains," and Gill declares that
he " never saw one that better deserved the name." " Never before," he adds,
" had I seen such a magnificent range of snowy mountains as here lay stretched
before me, and it was with difficulty I could tear myself away from the sight."
The range culminating with the Ja-ra is connected northwards with the highland
region, forming a continuation of the Bayau-khara, and here also numerous peaks
exceed Mont Blanc in altitude. Armand David even thinks that amongst them
>1 '
■«
r^lgiKfdMBKSj'M^iG^'dM
■" rr itM rnT i ii i i ili W i m i lin ii n iilii W rn «)f iho laud. Relatively more nutnornufl
ev«>u than those of Tihet itself, tliey own fully one-half of the soil, the tinest henln
of yaks and sheep, and multitudes of slaves emphtyed as shepherds or hushandmen.
Tho praetice of usury has even rendered them tho real proprietors of the lands
eidtivat(>d by the laity. Mend)ership is easily aequired in Ihcso relij»ious com-
munities of Seehuen. Tho fulfilment of a vow, the fear of vengeance, tho desire to
eseapo tho imposts, any pretext will serve to gain admission as u novice, and
thus gradually acquire all the privileges enjoyed by the eoufrutornity.
Hut while the lamas arc thus placed alwvo the law and exempt from tuxes
of uU sorts, the common people are all the more ruinously oppressed, and the
imposts, distributed over a continually decreasing nundn'r of families, huAe already
become almost unbearable. During the last hundred years the population subject
to taxation has diminished fully to one-half, especially through migration
to Yunnan ; tho country is covered with ruined houses and hamlets, certain
districts have even been entirely depopulated, and extensive cultivated tracts have
reverted to the condition of forest or pasture lands.
The still lialf-savuge Til>etan tribes of the Xorth Sechuen highlands are
commoidy designatetl collectively by tho name of Si-Fan, or " Western Strangers."
Clothed in skins or coarse woollen garments, and with their dishevelled hjcks
falling in disorder over their shoulders, the Si-Fun present a ferocious appearance
to tho cultured Chinese of tho plains. Yet they are far less formidable than
they seem, and tho stranger seeking hospitality amongst them never fails to meet
with a friendly welcome. Lamaism has been introduced to a limited extent into
their social system, and their priests possess books written in the Tangut character.
Those of the Upper Iloang-ho, like many other wild tribes of the interior, and like
numy Chinese themselves, fancy that the Europeans can penetrate with their
glance to vast depths in the land and water. TLcy can also fly over the hills, and
if they cross tho plains on foot it is because they would be encumbered in their
flight by the pack animals which they cannot dispense with. The chief of Sining
asked Prjcvalsky's interpreter whether it was true that his master was able to see
the precious stones sparkling 250 feet below the surface of tho earth.
The Mantze, Lolo, and Chinese of Sechtten.
Northwards the Si-Fan come in contact with the Amdoans, while towards the
south and south-west they border on other tribes also of Tibetan origin, commonly
known as Mantze, or " Indomitable Yermin." But the tribes which understand the
meaning of this word reject it as an opprobrious term, and claim to be called I-jen ;
that is, " Different People," or " Strangers." One of these tribes, the Sumu, or
"White Mantze," dwelling on the banks of the Luhoa-ho, a western tributary of
the Min, numbers, according to Gill, as many as 3,500,000 souls, living on agricul-
ture and stock-breeding. But however this be, there can be no doubt that the
Mantze form a considerable clement in the population of West China. Politically
distinct from the surrounding tribes, the Mantze of Sechuen are grouped in
THK MANTZE. LOLO, AND OHINKSK OF HKrilUKV.
211
i(»ro nuinerouB
;]i(' finest liordn
ir liuslmiidnn'ii.
s of Uu" luiitla
relij^ious eoin-
!c, tlie (k'Hire to
u novice, und
ipt from taxes
•essed, und the
8, littve ulreudy
pulution subject
(Ugh migration
amlets, certain
utcd tracts have
highlands are
:crn Strangers."
ishcvelled hicks
iious appearance
forniiduble than
ver fails to meet
lited extent into
mgut character,
nterior, and like
rate with their
er the hills, and
tnbered in their
B chief of Sining
r was able to see
,h.
irhile towards the
rt'igin, commonly
h understand the
) be called I-jen ;
aes, the Sumu, or
tern tributary of
iving on agricul-
,o doubt that the
aina. Politically
are grouped in
eighteen petty states, in whidi th<' uiilhtirily nf the kinglet is absdliite. He raises
a tiix on the cultivated land as well as un the herds, mid every I'limily owes hin>
the yearly trihute «f Hi.\ months' manual lalxmr paid l)y one of its nienilu rs. IIi>
disposes of llie land at his pleasure, transferring it from one to another according to
liiscaprice. The throne of tlie White Mautze, the most powerful of all lliesc states,
is always occui)ii'(l by a (pu'cn, in grati-ful memory of the brilliant deeds performed
by an ancestress of the reigning family.
The epithet of "Savage" applied to the Mant/e is not justified, for they care-
fully till the land, weave textile fabrics, build houses and towers in the Tibetan
style, possess Tilwtan and Chinese writings, and support schools for their children.
Ti»w.irds the west Tibetan influence j)revails, and here the lanuis are fully as
powerful as amongst the Si-Fan. In the oast the Chinese are in the ascendant,
and here numy of the Mantze have shaved their shock heads and adoi)t(>d the
costume of the lowlanders. It is evident that the Mantze states will not be able
long to resist the pressure of the Chinese colonists, who are continually encroaching
on their domain. These colonists seize every pretext for declaring war against the
" Savages " and taking possession of their lands. Thus the ^lautzeare undergoing
the fate of all concpiered races, and they are accused of conunitting the very crimes
of which they are the victims.
In the great bend formed by the Kinsha-kiang between Sechucn and Yunnan
dwell other tribes south of the Mantze, und like them threatened by the Chinese
settlers. These are the Lolo, a name without any meaning in Chinese, unless it be
a reduplicate form like the Greek " Uarbar," indicating " stammerers " unable to
express themselves in a civilised language. In any case, under this designation of
Lolo, the Chinese confound a large number of tribes in Sechuen und Yunnan, all
differing essentially from the Si-Fan, Mantze, und others of Tibetun stock. Edkins
regards them as members of the Burmese family, and their writing system woidd
seem to resemble the Pali current in Ava and Pegu. By Thorel they are divided
into " White " liolo, akin to the Laos people, and " Bluck " Lolo, whom he regards
as the aboriginal element. They are generally taller and slimmer than the
Chinese ; their features are also sharper and more pleasant, at least according to
the European taste. But in some valleys goitre and cretinism are very prevalent
affections. In the city of Ningyuen many of the Lolo have adopted Chinese ways,
and some have even passed the examinations for the " civil service." But in the
surrounding hills the tribes have preserved their independence, and are accordingly
avoided by the Chinese traders and travellers, who pass north and south of their
country. After centuries of warfare the colonists have failed to subdue these
barbarians, whose chiefs have in very few instances consented to recognise the
Imperial Government. Even the military stations established at intervals along the
frontier do not prevent the Lolo from frequently swooping down from their eyries,
and carrying off the salt and other supplies of which they stand in need. In the
northern districts of Sechuen a half-caste race of Chinese, Si- Fan, and Mantze has
been developed ; but in the south no crossings have taken place between the rude
Lolo and their cultured neighbours.
-1 :
^^<«W«^J«VNKnKWUinib^M««W-<^£»tl>^^^
218
KAST ASIA.
Th(! |Mirliiiii i>[ SnliiKMi (M'ciipicd ( xcliiHivi'ly hy tlio niincsc is limifcd I)y flir
b1ii|)cs of (li(> iiioimtiiiiis lisiiifj; wt'stdl' the Miii valley. Kiist of tliisiiiiliirnl froiilicr
the iil»orijifiiiiil clfiiiciits linvf coniplclcly vaniMJicd from the laud of llu- " Four
Jlivfis," which WUK exclusively held by them some tweiity-fwo eeuturies ajifo, hefore
the adveut of the first Chiiu'se iMnui>j:rauts. Siuce theu fre(|iii'nt uinssacres have
taken place, iiud in the tinn" <»f KuMai Khan most of the settlers were extirpated.
At the ^^anchu cou(piest (he country was aj^ain depojndated, after wliich fresli
Btreanis of ini<;ration flowed in, esjM'cially from the provinces of Sheusi and Ilupeh.
Hence tlic population of the " Kour llivers " is of very mixogetables in greater variety and abundance than in any other part. For soricidturo
Secdiuen is also unrivalled oven in China, and so common is silk as an article of
dr(>ss that on gala-days more than half of the inhabitants of tho capital are clothe
ly industriouH,
no t'ithor from
The iK-opUi of
I jjorhaps any
ofRciiil courso
■11(11 weh of
placed tlu>ir
ken Httlc part
iifj; their iiiex-
aiid coal mii)C8
itod, producing
For sericulture
18 an article of
ital are clothed
even the stcop
rhanks to tho
rica apparently
of 8,000 and
mtinucd across
he superfluous
thus returning
am them,
ar useful plants
38 is that of the
labour between
which secretes
growing in the
'8 are carefully
he other side of
t to protect the
! operation ; for
hey have been
ift'ercnt species,
TIIK MANTZK, l.ol.o. AND flllNKSK OF SKCIIUKN.
Pin im.— TlIK HiCMlKM IIlUIILANUt,
21.')
r
'*Mn
on which the insects are hatched, aud secrete the highly prized white vegetable
wax.
•214 KA8T ASIA.
TiiK I'uoMNrr, (»i Kwi:t(irKW.
Enut 'I ''■• ^Tm' uiul itH tnlmtnrii'M, tho " Four Uivcrf*," • ri'to tho red wmdHtono
ntid ciirlK) . roii.-t niiiy:t>M, all ruiiriiiijf Honth-wcsf niid lutrfli-i-ust, llir drlritiis Iroiu
wliirli hiis been strcv i (tvcr tlic xiirlncc, iiiipiirfiii^? to it tlic ruddy tinj^c wliicii Iiiih
HU^f^,'('st('d t(i UiclitliolVii its iiiiiiu' of the " Ucd nasiii." Tlii'sc niiiffcs arc coii-
ni'ctcd witli tho crcHts Ncparatiiii^ tlir Miii aliliiciits t'roin tlir valley ol' t)ii< llan-
kiaii^f, and which, according; to Aniiaiid David, attain an ch'vation of l(),(M)0 feet
Hoiith ives tlie overflow from tlie Yan<;-tze and the Ilan.
South of tile (ifcat River the province (d" l\^v•ei(•]lew presents in itH ffoncral
relief a form anuloH^oiis to that of Sechnen. Thus towards the west it is com-
manded hy u hi;?hland rej^ion, or rather a broken |)Iateau, above which Hho iho
snow-olad peaks of tho lioau^-shan, or "Cold Mountains." Southwards it is sepa-
rated by bonh'r ran>>:es from the Yunnan tableland, while tho chain known to
Europeans as the Nan-liny; (Nan-shan), or "Southern Ilan;tinfj and Poyanj^. (Jradually driven by the Chinese intruders back
to tho hills, these Nan-man, or " Southern liarbarians," as they were formerly
called, have settled mostly in the Nanling and surrounding valleys. Hero they
have been broken up by the intervening plains into numerous tribes, which have
in the course of ages become differentiated to such an extent that it becomes diffi-
cult to recognise their common parentage. The Shu-king of Confucius divides
tho iMiao info throe main groups — the White, Blue, and Red. Certain tribes
known by these names are still found in the South Kweichew highlands. But
such epithets, derived from tho colour of the dress, are probably no longer applied
to the same tribes as those mentioned by Confucius. To the now scattered nation
of the Miaotzo also belong the Chung Miao, Ngnchung Miao, Kilao, Kitao, Tuman
of Kweichew, Tung of Kwangsi, and the " eighty-two " tril)os described in a
Chinese work translated by liridgman. Some of thorn take the name of the " Six
• These are Iho Jlin-kiiing, the To-kiarg, tho He-ehui (BiHckWutcr), and Pei-shui (White WatPr).
TffF. MFAOT/i;.
•21 n
!•' red sniidsfoiio
III' tIrtriliiH I'loin
tiii)^(< whirl) liiiM
riiiijft'N an> coii-
It'V «iiiii!utcd to the coiii|iicriiig race, iiikI
some Miao scholars have already pas>4('d the university cxiimiiiiitioiis and been
raised to the rank of mandarins. On the other hand, many hall-caste Cliiiiise
live in tlie sava^rc state, while Mie still iiidepeiiilclit Miao Seng have taken reliige
ill the mountain fastncss(>s. Mere they have biiill llieir t'ortilicd villages on tli(>
liill-tops; but, with tho exception of one or two marauding tribes, tli(>y remain
mostly on the defensive. They cultivate maize, and even a little rice in the more
sheltered districts. They also rui-te cattle, and are skilful hunters, excbaiigiiig tho
skins, hartshorn, musk, and other produce of the chas<' for the supplies liroiight by
the hawkers and pedlars from the surroiiiiding plains. Ileing of a haughty tem-
perament and intolerant of injustieo, the Miao are unable to ( yi'i'V^" i 'i i ''*^
liiii'tntlill'liliaitiMMtl— ■»»«■
\m
' r
EAST ASIA.
province of Kianp;si, fur to the south of the mountains forming the main axis of the
Nan-shaii. To this water-parting have been given the names of Nan-ling, Mei-ling,
Tuyu-ling, from the various /iiif/, or passes, leading from the northern to the southern
basin. Of all the Chinese mountain.': the Mei-ling has been most f repiently visited,
for this range is crossed by the main route connecting the port of Canton with the
central regions of the empire. According to the local saying, the Mei-ling is the
" gullet " between North and South China. All the goods brought by the river craft
to either foot of the hills are conveyed by porters over the pass, and us many as
fifty thousand hands are said to be constantly engaged at this difficult point of the
route. At the beginning of the eighth century, when the trade with the Eastern
Archipelago had been greatly developed by the enterprising Arab merchants, this
highway was constructed, or more probably repaired, by the Emperor Changkuling.
Ritter estimated the height of the Mei-ling at 8,000 feet, but modern exploration
has shown that this estimate is much too high. Still the passes in this region are
everywhere so steep and rugged that all goods are carried across the hills by porters,
pack animals being employed only in the neighbourhood of the large towns.
The parting-line between the peoples and languages of the north and south does
not follow the water-parting between the two basins. It passes much farther north,
here following the normal axis of the Nan-shan range, which is entirely comprised
within the limits of the Yang-tze basin. Thus the traveller ascending the Kia-kiang
River through the jirovince of Kiangsi passes from the domain of the Mandarin
dialect to that of the southern languages as soon as he has entered the defiles above
Kingan. Hence, notwithstanding its low elevation, the main axis has played an
important part in the distribution of the populations in this part of China. The
division of the land into innumerable valleys has also had the effect of developing
a multitude of isolated clans largely independent of each other. Except along the
main commercial highways the inhabitants of the secluded Nan-shan valleys know
nothing of the outer world, and most of them suppose that beyond their narrow
domain the rest of the earth is occupied by savages, or is a prey to wild beasts.
The vegetation of Hunan and Kiangsi is naturally of a more tropical character
than that of the Upper Yang-tze provinces. The aspect of the plants betrays the
neighbourhood of the torrid zone, while even such trees as the oak, chestnut, and
willow are of different species from those of North China and Mongolia. On the
upland slopes the magnificent golden pine {^Ahies Kwmpferi) is distinguished by its
great size from the other evergreens ; lower down one of the most common trees is
a much smaller pine with extremely narrow leaves. At the foot of the hills the
camphor-tree is cultivated round about the villages jointly with the Elwncocca and
varnish plant (^R/ms vcrniciferny A great part of the country has been completely
cleared of its timber, and in many towns the only available fuel is straw, dried herbs,
or brushwood from the neighbouring hills. The woods are the property of the
Emperor, my the natives, and they accordingly take all the wood they require for
their houses and boats. But the hills are still clothed with a magnificent vegetation
of shrubs and plants of small size. The Chusan Islands especially are transformed
to a land of enchantment by the spring and summer flowers, [n no other temperate
*"«i.!i*l!i|5:
"T^af?
, !«g »j i iii^ !i j» j ii*wpi _ W' f ".^ ■■I T
INHABITANTS OF THE LOWER YANG-TZE BASIN.
219
lain axis of tbe
-ling, Mei-ling,
to the southern
4uently visited,
vunton with the
Mei-liug is the
y the river craft
and as many as
ult point of the
ith the Eastern
merchants, this
)r Changkuling.
lern exploration
1 this region are
! hills by porters,
^e towns,
h and south does
ch farther north,
itirely comprised
ig the Kia-kiang
)f the Mandarin
the defiles above
is has played an
; of China. The
!ct of developing
Except along the
ban valleys know
and their narrow
» wild beasts,
tropical character
slants betrays the
lak, chestnut, and
;ongolia. On the
stinguished by its
t common trees is
)t of the hills the
:he Ehncocca and
8 been completely
straw, dried herbs,
s property of the
d they require for
nificent vegetation
[y are transformed
no other temperate
region, except perhaps in Japan, is there found such a surprising variety of
plants remarkable at once for their exquisite foliage, brilliant blossom, and sweet
perfume.
On the other hand, all the large wild animals have disappeared with the forests
wliich sheltered them. The wild boar alone has again increased in number bince the
country has been wasted oy the Taiping rebels and the Imperial troops. In some
reedy islets of the Yang-tze a small species of deer (U//c/ro/jotes) is met bearing a
remarkable resemblance to the musk deer, although separated from that animal by
vast intervening spaces, and found nowhere else in China. The only domestic
mammals raised in the country are the ox, buffalo, and pig. The heron is held in
great veneration by the peasantry, and large communities of these birds are often
seen, especially in the thickets surrounding the pagodas.
Inhabitants of the Lower Yang-tze Basin.
The Nan-shan is a highly favoured agricultural region. From the Lower
Yang-tze provinces China draws most of its exports, and the chief tea plantations
are found in the eastern districts of this basin. The tract stretching for some 300
miles from the banks of the Chang to the alluvial lands about the Yang-tze estuary,
and including the southern slopes of the Fokien highlands, is pre-eminently the home
of the tea plant. It is generally cultivated on the slopes with a southern aspect,
not in continuous plantations, but either in small plots, or else in the hedges between
the fields, and on the embankments between the rice grounds. The Yang-tze-kiang
varieties are used especially in the preparation of the green teas. Sericulture is
also widely developed in the Nan-shan and Lower Yang-tze regions, which take the
first, or almost the first, rank not only for tea and silk, but also for rice and other
cereals, as well as sugar, tobacco, hemp, oleaginous plants, and fruits of all kinds.
The sweet potato ia cultivated to the very top of the hills, and in the Nan-shan
country cotton alone is not produced in sufiicient quantity for the local demand.
But the deficiency both in the raw material and in woven goods is amply supplied
from the provinces of Chekiang, Nganhwei, and Hupeh.
The industrious character of the people is revealed in the allies they have
procured for themselves in the animal kingdom. Like the English in mediseval
times, they have domesticated the cormorant, turning to account its skill at
fishing. Being furnished with an iron collar, to prevent them from swallowing
the prey, these birds are trained to dart from the junks to the bottom of the river,
returning each time with a fish in their bill. After the day's labour they roost in
regular rows along both sides of the boat, thus maintaining its equilibrium.
Elsewhere otters are employed in the same way, and piscicidture, a recent inven-
tion in Europe, has been practised for centuries in China. Dealers in the fry
traverse every part of Kiangsi, supplying the tanks, where the fish are reared and
rapidly fattened for the market, Some of the processes of this remarkable industry
are still unknown in the West.
Such pursuits could only have arisen in the midst of teeming populations, and
I
1 :
K4**8j^;
■■"' "■*"'-■■'•■"'■■"' '''■"■■'^'"--•■'■'~"~""'"*"-?""-T-'"Yr1f'lTtilTiriMiaMiri' i »M i >
220
EAST ASIA.
towards tho mifldlo of the present century the provinces of Kianpsu, Ngiihhwoi,
and Chekianp^ were found to bo the most dcnisely peopled lands in the whole
world. Accordinjj to the returns for 1842 Chekiang hud a population of no less
than 20,000,000, or upwards of 5G0 to the square mile. But after the late
massacres, followed by famine and pestilence, the survivors were estimated by
Richthofen at no more than 5,500,000. Yet even this would bo a higher proportion
than that of France, and the country is now being ropeoplod with surprising
rapidity. The wasted plains of Chekiang have been occupied by iiumigrants from
the provinces of Tlonan, Ilunan, Kweichew, Sechuen, and especially Ilupeh, and
the new settlers, speaking various dialects of the Mandarin language, do not
always understand each other. But harmony is being gradually established, and
the common speech resulting from these diverse elements resembles the Mandarin
standard far more than did the old local variety. Thus it is that the mixtures
following every great convulsion contribute more and more to the remarkable
national unity presented by the inhabitants of China. The only formality required
of the new settlers on abandoned lands is the payment of a nominal sum to the
piiiifi Jen, or nearest representative of the former possessors. After two years the
soil becomes their absolute property.
^i
Topography.
Since the recent troubles the number and size of the towns in the Yang-tae
basin have been much reduced. Yet several still remain which rank amongst the
largest cities in the world ; but these are naturally found only in the fertile
regions below the Upper Kinsha-kiang.
In the part of Sechuen commonly included in East Tibet the chief place is
Batang, which was completely ruined by a series of earthquakes in 1871. It now
consists of a few hundred new dwellings standing in a fcitile plain, watered by an
eastern affluent of the Kinsha-kiang, and by copious hot springs. Nearly halt of
the people are lamas, living in a sumptuous monastery with gilded roof, and the
place has no importance except as a station on :'ie great highway between Central
China and Lassa. Here the traders from the East exchange their brick tea and
manufactured wares for the musk, borax, peltries, and gold-dust of the native
Tibetans. These are under their own magistrates, and controlled by a Chinese
garrison, while the surrounding hills are occupied by the completely independent
Zendi tribes. Litang, another mart on the route between Tibet and Chingtu-fu, is
one of the most wretched places in the world, lying in a depression of the Kichu
basin over 13,000 feet above the sea at the limit of the vegetable zone. In this
cradle of 'he Tibetan nionarcihy nothing grows except a few dwarf cabbages and
turnips, yet here reside some 3,500 lamas in a rich monastery all covered with
gold-leaf. Tatsienlii (Tachindo) lies some 5,000 feet lower down, in a pleasant
valley watered by a tributary of the ]llin. Here is the custom-home on the
Tibetan frontier, besides a Chinese garrison and several Buddhist or Mohammedan
traders from Shansi. Yet the nominal ruler of the country is a i^kutze king,
ii«l;!j
i H i t i M^ ii . i i'M i . ii
w w i ^ ^i W WjMffwwy^^y
gsu, Ngiihhwci,
s in the whole
iiition of no less
; after the lato
•c estimutcd by
igher proportion
with surprising
nmiigrunts from
ally Ilupeh, and
nguage, do not
established, and
es the Mandarin
iiat the mixtures
the remarkable
rmality required
ininal sum to the
ter two years the
in the Yang-tae
mk amongst the
y in the fertile
le chief place is
n 1871. It now
in, watered by an
Nearly halt of
led roof, and the
' between Central
eir brick tea and
ist of the native
led by a Chinese
etely independent
nd Chingtu-fu, is
ion of the Kichu
ble zone. lu this
arf cabbages and
r all covered with
\vn, in a pleasant
:om-ho'i-ie on the
t or iVtoliammedan
8 a Ikutze king,
■•s
^imm*
Ji i lu till ' iilJ i ti i 'L i ui i» hu l l i ii » >i fl Mii | iiii 'w i ' i ii* i i* i r i
■ n >iia. m ■.■ i wiMlii w ii. WfiM i w > jia i» m * f''l l»: u i »i "i u i ( iiw«>iii i > i i U w* v l
imw
4!
"■ ' ■?
m
CUINKSE MINERS-UPPEK YANGTZE UIUIILANDS.
TOPOaRAniY.
221
■:y.J
whose territory strctclios south wuhIh to the Lolo dotniiin. Chinese women arc not
ullowed to cross this state to enter Tihet, hut they lire luunorous in Tafsienlu, wlicre
the Tihetan eUinient is mainly represented hy half-castes. Tatsienlu is the present
centre of the Roman Catholic missions for Tihet.
T?i'low Tatsienlu, the Tatu-ho River, after cmergin}^ from a formidahle gorj^o
with sheer walls 050 feet high, reaches the walls of Lntiiui-choo, the first city
lying completely hoyond the Tihetan and JIantzo lands. Beyond this point it is
joined by several tributaries, the united stream forming the Tung-ho, the chief
affluent of the Min, and even exceeding it in volume. The ^lin is navigable by
boats at all seasons as far as Kiatiny-fu, at the confluence of both rivers. This
place is one of the chief marts of Sechuen, whence the pei-la, or valuable vegetable
Fig. 98.— Chinotu-fu Basin.
Scale 1 : l.BOO.noo.
.— 30 Miles.
wax, is forwarded to all parts of China. It also receives by water the raw silk of
Yachetc-fu, lying to the north-west on the route between Tibet and Chingtu-fu.
Here is prepared moat of the brick tea intended for the Tibetan market. In the
neighbourhood is cultivated a species of the plant who^e coarser leaves are used in
this traffic. Yachew is the chief stronghold and largest military depot on the
frontier. In 18G0 it held out successfully against the Taiping rebels, without the
aid of the imperial troops.
Chinglu-fH, capital of Sechuen, still remains what it was in Marco Polo's time,
a "rich and noble city," although since then more than once pliuulerod and even
destroyed. Nearlj' tlic whole population, said to have exec ' million, was
exterminated by Kublai Khan. The present city is of recc the Imperial
Palace, probably its oldest building, dating only from the foiuiLcuiu century. The
^t ^S i ■»■ a^i-j* rf «wj T .a^ tU*i^
il K iil f:^» ' U - '^ - . 'W : "- J tf .. - * VS l*,
i'*iriffl
222
EAST ASIA.
walls and most of fhe houses wore rebuilt towards the end of the last century, after
the place hud been wasted by a great file. Few towns cover a lurj^er urea, vast
suburbs stretchinf? far beyond the enclosure, which is itself 12 miles in circuit.
Like most provincial capitals, it consists of a Chinese and Munchu quarter, of which
the former is by far the largest and wealthiest. Chinptu is the " Paris of riiina,"
the finest and most elegant city in the empire, with broad, straight, and regular
streets, lined by handsome wooden houses with gracefully curve'[iecMilly in silks, tobacco, vefj;etable oils, and nuisk, even than the
provincial capital itself. This " Shanghai of West (.'hinu " has its exchange like
Fig. 100.— CoiHMK OF TiiK Ya.no-tze above thk GonoEg.
According to IllukiKtuti. 8calc 1 : I.OuO.OOO.
. 18 Miles.
the European towns, where current prices arc regulated, and here is also a silver
refinery, which works up ingots to the daily value of some £4,000. Chung-cheng
reiilly consists of two distinct towns, both ranking as administrative centres,
Chung-cheng proper and Kiangpeh (Limin), west and east of the confluence,
besides a vast suburb on the right l)ank of the Yang-tze. Most of the wholesale
dealers are strangers from Shensi, Shansi, and Kiangsi, and an English Consul has
been stationed here since 1878. At the beginning of the century the population
was estimated at 36,000, in 1861 Blakiston raised it to 200,000, and according to
TOrOGRArilY.
22C
workiiu'ii, wlio
chuoii. rictu-
i' tho nuvij^ablc
tlio i)ntducc oi
[t docs u larjifor
von thiiii tho
i cxchungo like
•F''- ^v,:
t' k
a
30'
■■■■'%: vim
l^m
re is also a silver
>. Chung-clieng
istrativo centres,
the coniluence,
of the wholesale
glish Consul has
y the population
and according to
tlio latcHt rclurnN this figure has Immui more than trchlcd. North of rhung-tlMiig
tho buHy town «>f Jlo-cltrw occupii-N a convfuicut position near the junction oi' tho
three hcad-stnaniH of the I'a-ho. In the neighbouring hills " ,; fatty earth, wliich
in times of distress is kneaded into small loaves, baked on ( li iicrf-' tires, and larj^ely
consumed in all the surrounding districts.
Below Chung-chciig the large emporium of Fiicfinr, stands at the confluenco
of tho Kungtan, or Kicn-kiang, and thus conmuinds all the navigable waters of the
province of Kweiehew. Most of the junks stop at the Kungtan Rapids, beyond
which a few flat-hottomed craft alone ascend as far as Km-i-i/anif, capital of Kwei-
ehew. This city lies near the source of tlie river, and coiimnmicates across low
water-partings on tlie one hand with the Si-kiang basin, on the other with that of
tho Yuen, an influent of Lake Tungting. In the neighbouring highlands are some
Tift. 101.— I-CHANO GOROBII.
Apcnidiiiff to ninkitton. Scale I : 600,000.
13 Mile*.
independent Miaotze tribes, who have been partly evangelized by the Catholic
missionaries. In a mountain gorge near Nganshun in this region a torrent is
precipitated from a height of several hundred yards. Hero also quicksilver occurs,
probably in greater abundance than elsewhere, and in many places lumps of cinnabar
are constantly turned up by the plough. But since tho sanguinary outbreak of 1848
the mines have been closed, and in 1872 they were still under water.
Tho pleasant city of Ktceichew-fu is situated, not in the province to which it
gives its name, but within the Scchuen frontier on the left bank of the Yang-tze,
at the upper entrance of the gorges which terminate lower down at I-chang, in the
province of Hupeh. I-chung, where is produced the best opium in China, is tho
most inland city opened to direct trade with foreigners. A European settlement
was established here in 1878, and since then its trade has rapidly increased.
'■A
. :J#»->-»
.j^^SiK..
:|ii'i?1i
M
•ill
li'iri! '
m
ii?
f'i*;- ;
yinH
1'
1
1
11
t
1
■ 1
ill
1
II
i
flM^^B
y^': ■ fWlf-,
i- 'i
886
KAST ASIA.
Tlic ' xporlN conrMHt jiiiiiiily in cfml, iiu'diciiii'M, and dru^s of all moHn. Alfhouf^h
lyiiiK i. '*'*'* milt'M aliovc Sliaii^fliai, tluH jilaic is now n-fifularly visited hy a Yan^j-tzo
HtniiiKM-, whirh usually finds '20 foot of water oh fur us the rapids. Most of tlu>
Socliucn Iwuts discliar>,'o their curf^nos citluT at I-('lian>; or at S/iazi, lower down,
wlirncc tli(> incrcliandise is cojiveycd in larjjfcr craft to Hankow. Jlclorc tlu' intrti-
ductioti of stt-anj nnvi|,'ation, Slia/i, which stretclics for over U miles aloiij^ the river,
had a larj^er trade than I-chan^, imd it slill enjoys the advantaj^e of direct coni-
niunieation through the navigable Taipin^ Canal witli Laku Tun^tin^. Near
Nhazi stands the stron^j^hold of h'itir/irir, on the left hank of the Yaiiff-tze, a place
already mentioned by ('cmfucius, hut now p'^scHsinf? merely un administrative anf city in
Hunan, and one of the gnat marts of ih.,- \vii,
JU'lorc tlu« iiitro-
M uloiij; the river,
l^c of direct coni-
Tungtiiifj;. Near
YuiiK-tz''. 'I I''"*'*'
dmiiUHtrativo and
utorior, along tho
t' tho main water
)nneeted by canal
3 Lower Yuen get
. Farther down,
ids of tho Yuen,
lize. But a much
8 the chief city in
on a rapid of the
pr, and with vast
am 25 to 30 tons
iter craft are able
lich occupies the
in, is tho natural
nces, through the
lus lies in tho very
joriums of Chung-
tre of the trade in
mrrounding tracks
herbs, pills, and an
mand in a country
t any other people,
le treaty porlH and
itely diminish the
E this traffic. But
ul-mining industry
sylvania in extent,
e valued, but the
ivn. Thousands of
mg-tze, whence it
ho mines has been
veen Siangtan and
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TOrOORAPIIY.
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Lake Tungtinfj. On a hill fnoinf* tlio city stnnda the collojjo of Yolo, one of the
most renowned in China, where over one thousand students, from twenty-two to
twentj'-five years of age, pursue their studies in private, consulting their teachers
only in the case of extreme difficulties. Below Changcha a granite ridge crossing
the Siang is largely used in the manufacture of flags and mortar, while the
argillaceous sand is in great demand amongst the numerous potteries of Tungkwiin.
Here are produced enamelled tiles of all colours, and covered with fanciful designs,
much used for the roofs of temples and houses in Ilunan and the surrounding
provinces. Lower down Siuiiiji/in may he regarded as tlie upper port of Lake
Tungting, while its outlet is commanded by Yocliew, which stands on a cliff over-
hanging the right bank of the Yang-tze.
Before the middle of the present century the thme cities of Wiichnug-fii, on the
right bank of the Yang-tze ; Hankoic, over against it, east of the Han confluence ;
and Haiti/ang-fii, in the peninsula formed by the junction of the two streams, con-
stituted probably the largest collective urban population in the whole world.
London, which now knows no rival in this respect, had at that time scarcely more
than two millions, whereas, before the Tai'ping ravages, these three vast hives
of human industry are said by some travellers to have had a joint population of
eight millions ! But however this be, the number had been reduced to below^ one
million when Blakiston ascended the river in LS61. Of the three cities, Hankow,
capital of Ilupeh, is alone enclosed by ramparts, which comprise un area of over
15 square miles. Beyond tlie walls the suburbs stretch along both rivers, while
the connection with Hanyang is completed by a multitude of junks, forming a
living bridge from bank to bank. Even the main stream, here nearly a mile wide,
is covered with craft, amongst which arc numerous English and Chinese steamers.
As a trading-place Hankow enjoys special advantages, standing as it does at
a central point on the navigable course of the Yang-tze, and at the confluence of the
Han-kiang, which gives direct access to the Hoang-ho basin and the province of
Shensi. Hankow — that is, " Han Mouth " — may even be said to command the
course of the Siang and the whole of the Tungting lacustrine basin. Standing thus
at the converging point of the great navigable arteries running east and west, north
and south, Hankow is the true commercial centre of China. The bnlv drawback to
its advantageous position is the danger it runs from the inundations of the Yang-tze.
When the embankments give way its streets are flooded, and the people seek refuge
on tlie surrounding hills and artificial mounds scattered like islands in the midst of
a vast inland sea.
No other city of the interior has such a large foreign population as Hankow. A
fine European quarter, separated from the river by an extensive open space planted
with trees, overlooks the native city. Vast works have here been undertaken to
raise the land above the level of the inundations; and a so-called "bund," or
embankment, 50 feet high, now protects the European concession from this
danger. Hankow is the chief centre of the tea trade in China. The foreign
settlement may almost be said to depend on the oscillations in the current prices of
this article. The arrival of the first crop is the signal for a general commotion ;
. t-
228
EAST ASIA.
crowds swiinii in tlio warolKtuscs and count iiiff-liousoH, sloaincrs aro numrod along
the cndianknicnf, nijjht and day strocts and squares are ulivc with tlio busy throng.
All this bustle lasts lor three months during the very hottest and most relaxing
season of the year; and the (>X('itement grows to fever heat towards the end of
May, when the vessels boun-tze-
kianj,' hasin. Nej,'(itiations liave already l)een s(>t on fo of railway. Meantime the direct seaward trade of liankow is
represented hy over fifteen hundred vessels, with a tonna^'e of nearly ii million,
of which less than one-half is Chinese, and most of the rest Uritish.
Alonj^ tho banks of the Hun the chief jkjiIs are HauvhHiHj-fii, u former imiwiial
capital; Siiijm-itdii, noted for its steel works; C/iirhidficii, at the head of the navi-
Fig. 103.— Hankow and siuiiocndino Lakh*.
Sciiio 1 : ;i,7rio,iK)o.
. 60 MilPS.
gation, over 4 miles in circumference •. Tjdo/io-liow, wi\\i a large cotton trade; and
54 miles lower down the twin cities oi >-iiing>/ang-fi( and Faiig-clidig, on the right
and left hanks respectively, near the confinence of the Tang-ho and l*ei-ho, which
give access to the rich phvins of Honan and the Hoang-ho basin. Midway between
Fang-cheng and Hankow is the busy port of Sliaynug-vhcn, where liichthofen saw
as many as five hundred large junks moored to the quays. Most of these ijlaces
stand at some distance from the Han to avoid its disastrous floodings.
Below Hankow the narrow rocky peninsula between liake Poyang and the
Yang-tzc is occulted by Kin-Ja'aiig, or the " City of the Nine Rivers," which does a
large trade in tea and tobacco, and where there is a European quartei-, protected
like that of Hankow by a strong embankment of recent erection. N(inch((ng,
cajjital of Kiangsi, lies in a fertile plain at the head of the delta of the Kia-kiang
2H(»
KAST ASIA.
(Chiin^j, 1111(1 at the ctnivcrj^iiiff point of Hovorul iiii])oi'taiit trade routes. Hero
are noiiic of tlin>^i> triiiiM|ilial nrclirs raiMrd in no many ]>la('(>s to the nieinory of
illnstrions women. Nanohanjif is u chief centre of the j)orcehiin industry, and no
h'ss than hve hundred fuetories were at work in thi-* district durinj; the hist century.
The porcehiin of Kiiiifd-c/icii, in the Chun^-kiun^ valley east of Lake I'oyanj,', instill
tin? most hiji^hly esteemed in Chinii, yet it is now far inferior to the Knrope-ui ware in
paste, form, and (U'sij^n. In tho oustorn und south-eastern valleys towards the
Fokien frontier tlie excpiisite teas are ])rodueed which ure nunuf
industry, and no
the lust t'ontury.
X' Poyunj^, is still
•iUropc'in ware in
I'yH towardfi the
from the city of
ere was discovered
\.nking), capital of
rts of Tatuiig and
known throughout
steel, which, how-
the neighbouring
[y from the bark of
Nanklnif, capital of Kiangsu, and rcstdcnn' of the Viceroy of Kiangnan — flnit
is, of tlic two provinces of Kiarigsu and Xganliwci— was furnierly llie nietmpolis
of the empire, and hmj,' llie largest city in tlie world. Kven after the removal nf
the court > Peking it rivalled the northern capital in its pdpnlatidu, trade, and
industry. In iM.'iU it again for a moment became a ntyal residence, the " Heavenly
King," or sovereigji of the Taiping rebels, iiaving chosen it for his capital. I tut
after an obstinate siege of two years it was captured in lS(il by the Imperial forces,
its surviving defenders put to tin' sword, aiul the place converted into a iieajt of
ruins. Yet a few years of j)eace have sutliced again to restore Nanking to its
pluco anxmgst the great cities of China. The area imdiidcd within its enclosures,
some IH miles in extent, still comi»riscs many open spaces, waste grounds, and
piles of debris, where the snipe, i)hea.sant, and even large game are pursued. \
Government arsenal has recently been (>stablished in the neighbourhood, and
several factories have again resunu'd the manufacture of the cotton fabric;
fonnerly known as " Nankeen." Here are also produced the finest satins in
China. Nanking, or Kiangning-fu, as it is ofHcially called, has resumed its
position as the metrop(dis of letters and learning, and as many as twelve thousand
students hero undergo their yearly examinations. Large libraries have been again
collected, and new printing-oHlces opened, with Chinese and Kuropean a])pliances.
Amongst the recent inunigrants, the Mohammedans are said already to nund)er
over fifty thousand. Except its rampai'ts, Nanking has lost all its famous monu-
ments, including the celebrated " Porcelain Tower," which was destroyed during
the Taiping war.
The commercial enterprise of the province of Kiang-su has been chiefly
concentrated in the city of C/ihxjkinnf/, lying east of Nanki?ig, and also on the
right bank of the Yang-tze, at the southern terminus of the Grand Canal. It also
communicates by water with Shanghai, and is the converging point of several
extremely important trade routes. Hence the rapidity with which it has recovered
from two disasters during the present century. In 1842 the English army, after
the victory followed by the treaty of Nanking, found Chingkiung converted into a
city of the dead. Its Manchu defenders had destroyed their women and children,
and then made away with themselves, in order to escape the hated rule of the
"red-headed barbarians." In 1853 the place was taken by the Taipings, and the
inhabitants four years afterwards massacred by the Imperialists. As in
Nanking, nothing remained except the ramparts and a few of the wretched
survivors crouching amid its ruins. Y''et Chingkiang has already become the
second port in China for the importation of foreign goods. On the opposite side
of the river formerly stood the largo city of Koaehvic, where the Government had
established its chief salt depot on the Yung-tze. But this place has been washed
away by the erosion of the stream, and now nothing remains except a few houses.
Yaiifjehcu; a little farther north, on the Grand Canal, was the old capital of the
Yang kingdom, which, according to some etymologists, gave its name to the Yang-
tze-kiang. This is the " great and noble city " of Yanju, governed for three years
by Marco Polo.
m
rf-S^-^f\ »».
81)2
MAST AHIA.
Sliintijliiii, the nniri'sf Kniport to tlic Vaiijif-t/c cHfiiiirv, Iiiih Itccdiiic the firnt
comnHicial mart in flic fiii|iirc. and in all Asia kiiowf n Miipcrior fxccj)! n(inil»uy.
Yrf wIh'Ii in iMj'i I lie Knj^lisli choHO this plact' iur tluir factorit'M, it Hccinrd
(lilliriilt fu iiilicvo that thrv coiild I'vur convert it inlu a rival dl' Canton or Atnoy.
It wiiM iloiiliiloH the ontitort of Siic/inr and tlic rich Hurroundinj; diHtiicf, and it
haci also ih*' important advanta|;t> of commandi'i)^ the entranc*' of the ^rnat water
liij;h\viiy which traverses th<' whole empire from east to west. Ilul there wero
formidahlc dillicultics of scil and climate to contend a^jainst. The very >,M'ound on
which it stood had to lie raised and consolidated ; canals had to he cnt, lagoons
drained, the navij^ahle chunnel dred«;ed, the atmosphen' pnriliiil from its miasmatic
Fitf. lO/J.— Chinukiano.
s'ftilo 1 ; iin.'mo.
^ V .Ko»tch«iw
ofG
English diuanon
t.kltU,!!''''
,., -. vi-
M9'3a
U'3'12
B
i: : 1
lu 80 Feet.
60 to 100 Feet. li;o Feet mid iii>wiii'(la,
^_— — __ 2 Milei.
exhalations. Most of these improvements have Leon successfully curried out; but
u danfiferous bar still separates the Yang-tze estuary from the IIoaiig-j)u, or river of
♦' Yellow Waters," on which Shangbui is situated. The evil has even increased
during the last decade, and vessels of deep draught do not now ascend the Iloang-
pu to the city. Unless the Chinese Government allows the necessary works to be
undertaken to keep open tbe navigation, Shanghai runs the risk of sooner or later
getting lost on tbe margin of a marshy creek in the interior. To bring about tbis
result, all that is needed is a further slight geological change in a tract where tbe
alluvia of tbe Yang-tze and the marine waters are struggling for tbe ascendancy.
According to the local tradition, Shanghai formerly stood on tbe aea-coust, from
TOPOORAPHY.
2:1:1
Fig. 100.— HllANdllAI ANII TIIR IloANO-l'U.
Hoile 1 ! ITft.mX).
wliicli if in lit prcMi'tit *M miles diMfanf. It in iniidi cxposrd in ilic "villuvv
wind " Irom the north and north- west, cliarj^rd with, thi' diisi ol' ihi' di'scrl.
The lialHc ill Ihi- hical prndu(!t> nia(U» the fortinuuif the KrNt Kiin.piMii Hctth'rsat
Shaiijjfhai, wIki fhairiHlii'd, no to say, <>n flic iiafiuiial disasters. The Taipiiij? war
drove thousands to take
reril^;e on the land eeded
to the I'oreij^iiers, and when
Siiehew WHS desfroy«'d in
|H(!(), Shan^rliai took its
place as fh(> I'oreinost city
in the coinifry. F5iif after
file overthrow of the reliels
flic jjopiilation flowed hack
into the inferior, and the
nuinher (d' nafivo inbuhit-
ants fi'll from half a million
to ().'),(»()(). Nevertheless,
Shiinj^hui l)ocame the chief
(k'lfot for flic disfrihu-
tion of Kuropean imports
throiid to the
Amoricans to tho north of
the Siioliow Rivor has l)oon
united since IHGli to tho
Hrifish municipality, which
is also occupied by over a
hundred tbousand natives,
as well as by most of the
French residents, glad to
take refuge hero from the
despotic power of their
consul. South of the Chinese
quarter lies the suburb of
To)if/katu, while the opposite or east bank of the river is occupied by Pitntiing,
often called the " Little Europe," from its numerous native Christian population.
Shanghai does a very largo export trade in tea, chiefly to England and America,
and in silk mainly to France, while opium forms by far the most important item
in its imports. Five lines of rivor steamers have their head-quarters at this
48
to 38 Feet.
83 Icet and upwardi.
— — 3 MUes.
'"""^ir^
I
ft
i
11
til
I
234
EAST ASIA.
station, which also owns forty ('oastiii<^ Hteamcrs . This is tho only Chinese city
whicli j)oss(>ss(>s dockyards, whore merchant vessels are built under the direction of
Europi'an euf^ineers. Here also a cotton-spinniiifj; mill, a tannery, and some other
industries wore estahlished in 1S79 on tho I'uropean model. The coal mines of
the Yaii.2;-tzc yield sufficient fuel for all the steamers plying on the river, and are
L'ig. 107. — Shanoiiai.
Scale 1 . -11,000.
E
SB
to IB Feet
1 fi to ,S2 Feet. 82 to 90 Feet 80 Feet and upwardg.
— — ^^ 1,100 YarJs
gradually replacing the foreign coal in Shanghai itself. The city is traver.sed by
tramways, and the racecourse is surrounded by fine avenues, which are continued
as far as (he " Hubbling Well," a hot spring discharging sulphuric acid gas.
Broad Tnacadamised roads radiate for (5 or 7 miles round to the villas and country
seats of the foreign and native merchants ; but the Government has not yet
^liinose city
(liiTC'tidii of
I some other
oul mines of
iver, und are
51-
15
^
s traversed by
are continued
uric acid gas.
8 and country
t has not yet
TOPOORAPIIY.
285
allowed these routes to be coiitiiuud farther inland. Even the short riiihvav
(9 miles Ion-?), the only one in China, recently built by uii Knj^lish company
between Shanj^hai and Wusung, on the Yan<,'-t/e estuary, was bought up and
destroyed by the authorities after a short and useful career of six months. The
terminus and goods station ut Wusung have since been replaced bv forlitications
armed with heavy guns. Nevertheless the imperial administration must sooner or
Fij?. lOR. — SuciiEW iiEFouB THE TaVpino War
•m ^ mm CanulR unci Biidyes.
later yield to the force of circxmi stances, and v ithdraw its veto from the plans of
the foreign engineers. The surveys for a railway from Shanghai to Suchew, and
even to Hangchew, have already been completed, and now only await the imperial
sanction. A telegraphic line coimecting Peking with Shanghai, and by submarine
cable with Japan, was finished, after much local opposition, early in the year 1882.
Since 18-58 Shanghai has been the seat of the "North China brunch of the Koyal
Asiatic Society."
ml
if
"■Hi
Mi
fm
S'lnB I
"m^
i
«
h<
^H
286
EAST ASIA.
Five miles soutli-wost of R1ian<>;hui lips Siikia/iirri, flic approach to which is
marked hy the lofty i)ad by him. Nothing astonished him more than this "most noble city
without fail tlie noblest and best that be in the world." But the details given by
him were received with laughter in Europe. For he speaks of a circumference of
100 miles, 1,600,000 houses, 3,000 baths, 12,000 stone bridges high enough for
fleets to pass under, and each guarded by a company of 10 men. The twelve work-
ing corporations are each stated to have had 12,000 houses for their industries, and
other travellers speak in similar terms of Quinsay. Oderico of Pordcnone calls it
" the largest city in the world," and Ibn Batuta tells us that it takes three days to
triiverse it from end to end. Even in the seventeenth century, long after it had
lost the rank of capital, Martinus Martini gives it a circuit of 100 Italian miles,
and even more, including the vast suburbs. You may walk, he adds, in a straight
line for 50 li through the place without seeing anything but houses closely
huddled together.
Hangchew has still a circumference of 12 miles, beyond which the ground is
strewn in every direction with the ruins of temples and palaces. The great lake
(Si-hu), which mediicval writers speak of as enclosed within the city, now lies
beyond the ramparts. The delightful scenery of this lake, combined with the
g(>nial character of the people, has earned for Hangchew the title of the " Chinese
Paradise." "Heaven is above; Suchew and Hangchew are below," says an oft-
tai.
to which is
founded in
pbscrvatory.
peninsula
choir, noted
iffic in silk
.still is the
ess the place
lif^h enouf^h
enouj^h " lo
y recovered
of old, arc
itiful conies
jays a local
lew and live
kichcw, and
>f an inland
nnmands the
gation of the
was fonncrly
;ring Mongol
[ ^larco Polo
. by no other
st noble city
ails given by
uniferenco of
1 enough for
twelve work-
idustries, and
enone calls it
three days to
g after it had
Italian miles,
in a straight
ouses closely
the ground is
10 great lake
city, now lies
ned with the
the " Chinese
says an oft-
TOWER OF LONUUUA, 8UANUHAI.
ili
BBP^'a^,.
I
TOPOORAl'IIY,
S87
quoted proverb. The ehicf local industry is silk-woavinf;, wliicli employs 60,000
huuds in the city and 100,000 in Jluchvn; Kiahiiuj, and the iiei},'hl)()uriiig towns.
Hut the whole district bus suffered much from the Tuipinf,'s, the popula-
tion of IIuu{,'chew alone having been reduced, according to some writers, from
2,000,000 to less than 500,000 since the middle of the century. Here the Mohair-
mcdans arc more numerous than in any other city on the coast.
Shaohiiig, on the south side f the bay, is the commercial and industrial centre
of one of the richest and most densely peopled lowland regions in the empire.
The hydraulic works here constructed to reclaim, protect, and drain the land arc
clsewliere altogether unrivalled. Amongst them is the longest viaduct in the
Fig. 109.— llAKOCllEW A.NI) THK Sl-lll'.
CuoalB and (IridgeR.
world, being 86 miles long, and consisting of about 40,000 rectangular arches
supporting a roadway 6 feet broad, protected by a graded parapet. Mount Taying,
lying between the cities of Ningpo and Yuyao, contains probably the largest
quarries in China. They have supplied the material for the con truction of the
viaduct, and blocks here cut into columns and statues are forwarded as fur as Siam.
The viaduct, which terminates eastwards in the red sandstone fortress defend-
ing the city of Tm'uhai at the mouth of the Yung-kiang, or river of Ningpo, dates
probably from a period when the whole country was a vast saline marsh. Although
the draining of the soil has rendered it no longer necessary, it has been built with
such solidity that it still continues to be used as a highway and towing-jjuth for
the neighbouring canal. An extremely fertile tract has also been reclaimed by an
lai
Hg i «..|.;, ..~-
I
r
288
EAST ASIA.
enormous I'luhankini'nt skirtiiif,' the shore, erected at uii unknown period. It is
fared seawards l»y dressed stone shd)s botmd tofjether with iron cramps, and
stretches t'ntm the llan«,'ehew estuary to th(^ Nin«,'po River. I5ut Slmohiu};,
capital of this unheahhy re','ion, is a (h-cayed phice, althouj,'h still distin<,niishe(l
by the culture of its inhabitants. Some two thousand years a^;o it was the capital
of a state which comprised all the Houth-eastern lands from Kianfjsu to ('ant«m.
Outside the wall is still shown a tomb, said to be that of the Emp?ror Yu. Hero
Fig. 110. — NlNOPO AND ThlMIAI.
Sualo 1 : 220,000.
to 16 Feet.
16 to 32 Feet. .12 Feet and upwards.
^_^__^^_____ 8 Miles.
is prepared the exquisite perfumed li(iueur known as " Shaohing wine," compared
by travellers to Sautej-ne. It is extracted from a species of rice.
A walled city on the north side of Chekiang Bay still bears the name of Kampu,
although the true Kampu (Ganfu, Gampu) spoken of by ^larco Polo is supposed
to lie submerged in the waters of the bay. Here the sea has encroached consider-
ably on the coast, and nowhere else does the caffre, or fjoio, cause such disasters.
From a distance it seems like a white cable stretched across the bay, but it advances
with a velocity of over 80 feet per second, constantly increasing in size, and pro-
ducing a din like loud peals of thunder. Its daily attacks require the embank-
ments to be kept in constant repair, and during the reign of Kien-lung (1736—96)
the hydraulic works along Ilangchew Bay cost over £2,000,000. All the culti-
I imiiiMHIIini riiwin ilipiilinMiM«g.t- .
TOPOOHAIMIY.
230
riod. It is
ramps, niul
Sluu>liin<^,
stiiif^uishcd
I the cupital
to Clinton.
Yu. Hero
vuted lunds on the coast und noiphbourinj? islands arc piotcctod hy dykes, wliicli
give to the disfrict u {,'eonu'tiical aspect, and the sweet waters are retained by shiiees,
which serve also to keep out the sea at hi}:;h tide. Most of tlic coast towns are
intersected by numerous canals, whence the title of " Chinese Venice " commonly
given to them.
The Tsicntang basin, some 1 (!,()()() sijuare miles in extent, sulfered almost more
than any other ri'gion from the ravages of the Taipings. Scarcely more than one-
thirtieth of the inhabitants survived the massacres and ensuing famine. Yet the
country soon recovered from these disasters, and its export trade in silks, teas,
Fiff. 111. — (illAM) ClllsAN AM) Pt'TU.
Sciile 1 : 50U,000.
)|'4.5-
to 80 Pent.
B," compared
le of Kampii,
is supposed
hed consider-
uch disasters,
it it advances
size, and pro-
the embank-
er (1736—96)
VII the culti-
80 Fe«t and upwards,
^i^^—. 12 Miles.
fruits, hams, has already revived. Of its twenty-nine towns, Lau/d (!Nanchi, or
Lanchi), although a simple /iie)i, is the chief commercial centre. All are accessilde
by boats during the floods, but large vessels are obliged to stop at C/iapii, below
Ilangcbew. Hut by far the most important place strategicallj'^ is Nuigjm, which
stands at the junction of two navigable streams and of numerous canals radiating
thence to all the cities of Chekiang and Kiangsi. Ningpo also enjoys the advan-
tages of good anchorage, abundant supplies, and great facilities for defence. Hence
the district, has become famous in the military records of the empire. Within
5 miles of the city the Tatars were routed by the Chinese peasantry in 1130; in
2i()
E.VST ASIA.
n.
\r)')i tlio pliieo was hoIzhI and occupied by .Tapimoso pirates; audit was again
capluml in IMH hy tlie Hritisli forces, who made it the centre of their operations
a^rainsl Niinkinj,' during the "opium war." The Portuguese also had a settlement
near Tsinliai, which was entirely destroyed by the Chinese in 1542, when eight
hundred Europeans were nuissacred and twenty-tive vessels sunk.
Of late y(>ars a number of missionaries have been settled at Ningpo, which is
favoured by a fi-rfile soil, a (Udightful climate, and picturescjuc surntundings. The
blue mountains bounding the horizon towards the south-west are amongst the best
wooded in ( 'hina ; and one of their gorges, the so-called " Snowy Valley," is famous
throughout the East for its white rocky walls, forests, and cascades. Uelow these
ui)Iands stretch the ricdi jdains renowned in the history of CMiine.se agriculture,
wlier(> the Emperor Shun is traditionally supposed to have guided the handle of a
plough drawn by an elephant over forty centuries ago. In the district are also
shown his well and stone bed. Ningpo is a learned city, and one of its private
libraries, with upwards of fifty thousand volumes, is the common property of u
community of blood relations, every member of which holds a key. The local
industry is very active, and the inlaid or lacquered cubinct-work, carpets, and
nettle mats manufactured in Ningpo are exported even to Japan. Its foreign
trade, formerly amounting to £'2,000,000 yearly, was reduced in 1880 to little over
£23,000, most of the .shipping having been removed to Shanghai. Ningpo, how-
ever, still remains the chief mart in China for fish.
The surrounding district is occupied by several large towns, such as Yiii/ao and
Tsrh/c (Zkiyu). Tinyhai, on the south side of Great Chusan (Chew-shan, or " Ship
Mountain"), is the capital of the Chusan Archipelago, which has a population of
fully one million. Although of difficult access, the port of Tinghai is deep and
well sheltered, and a large export trade is here carried on in such local produce as
cordage, mats, fans, cloaks of palm fibre, and the so-called " Chinese orange,"
largely used by the Canton preservers.
The famous monasteries of Piifo (Putu), on a small island in the archipelago,
consecrated to Kwanyin, goddess of mercy and protectress of mariners, are much
fre(iueuted by pious Buddhist pilgrims. These monasteries, about 100 in number,
with about 2,000 priests, serve in smnmer as hotels for visitors, who resort to this
place for sea-bathing. The great industry of the archipelago is fishing, these
islands abounding in fish of every kind. Being mostly descended from pirates,
the natives have preserved a very independent spirit. So recently as 1878 they
successfully resisted the Imperial forces, and thus got rid of the Government
imposts.
EASTERN SLOPES OF THE NAN-SHAN.
(South Chekiano and Fokien.)
This is one of the most clearly defined regions in China, the main ridge of its
mountain system sharply separating Fokien from the Yang-tzo and Tsientang
basins. The Nau-shan ranges, all running south-west and north-east, indicate
t was again
ir operations
u Hettlonient
when eight
■po, which is
iduigs. The
igst the best
'," is famous
Jleh)W these
agriculture,
I handle of a
^rict are also
if its private
iroperty of a
. The local
carpets, and
Its foreign
to little over
fingpo, how-
is Yiiijdo and
an, or " Ship
jopulation of
i is deep and
al produce as
ese orange,"
archipelago,
TS, are much
•0 in number,
resort to this
Sshing, these
from pirates,
as 1878 they
Government
L ridge of its
lid Tsientang
east, indicate
-'"--"n.. .-■■'=■■--•-' ■
:;lffv
mat]
m
n
^^m^
W^^^'
s
u
i
a.
9)
a
»
td
(d
MM
mm
^s
vN>!!
i
IMIAIIITANTS OF FOKIKN.
941
tho niitural diroctjon of the historic nuiti' followed liy tnido and iiiijfintion l)(t\v«M'n
tho Yaiifif-l/c oMtuary and tho Canton Uivc>r. This routo was ni'Cfssarily dctlcctrd
iidund to tho went of l''oki(>n and the water-part injf. IW'twccn Ilanj^chcw-fu anil
Canton it followoveral intlependeiit
clumnels, Homo of which are si'parated from oacli other by diflicult intervening
ridpfOH. Thus South Chekiang is naturally divided into two districts, watered by
the Taicliew and Wenchew Rivers respectively. l*'okien also is distributed into a
number of distinitt re<,'ions correspondinjf with the basins of the Min and i>f tho
HtreaniN flowing to the Amoy and Swatow (>stuaries. The axes of the uplands run
parallel with tho coast and tho Nan-shan system, so that the affluents of tho nutin
streams traviTso intermodiato valleys in tho same direction ; that is, either south-
west and north-east, or north-oast and south-west. H«'nco hero also tho natural
routes, avoiding tho hilly and much-indented sealwiard, take advantage of tho
depressions in tho upland valleys Iwtween the ])arallel main ranges. Intercourse
between tho inhabitants of Fokien has thus been maintainevlliil)if ciiiniMMiiHlH, anil rvcn varii'M the iiiH(>rtioiiM i»f roTnmon wonN bv iiicann
of iMiMiil <»r coiitrartrd niiliii^M. Tlirsc l-'okicii dialfcls, wliich «'iiciimch upon tlio
iiDrthrrti and iMiNtrrii diHtrictN of l\\vmi^;tiiii^, giv<> a certain national unity to thu
popidalioiiH H|M«akin); them. Tlicy huvi' \h'vu diMMciuinatt'd by migration ovit tim
l'liilip|)in<>s, MalavHiii, Indo-Oiina, and i>vt>n parts of Anicrit'a. Tlu* Anioy and
Swalow varictirs prevail in Han^kok, Lima, and SacranuMito.
In l-'okii'ii, as wi'll as in Kwan^tiin); and tlu> Cliumin Arcliiprla^o, tlicro Ntill
exist certain despised elasses wliieli are repirded us tin* survivors of an altorij^inul
clement. TIk \ liv(> apart Iron the rest of tlie popidation, and in many districts,
e(ip<'ciallv Fucliew, they can neither «»\vn prop«'rty nor oven reside on the mainland.
Deing <'oinpelled to live afloat, they move about fntin iM»rt to jM)rt, exiMisi-d to wind,
rain, and storm, or taking shelter in the creeks and inlets along the coast. These
amphibious communities have even their floating temples and Taoist priests, who
celebrate their marriages and perform the ceremonies in honour of the " Nino
Kings." Hut neither Ituddhism nor the rites of Confucius have ever penctratt'd
amongst them. The outcasts are condemned to ignorance, becuuse their childn^n are
not admissible to the public examinations; while three generaticms nnist pass
before their descendants, tolerat(>d as barlH'rs or palancpiin-btarers in the towns,
can acquire full j-iti/enshij). Many of the rompra'/oiTs, or agents of the European
traders, Ix'long to this class ; but however wealthy they may grow, they are
never permitttnl to become landed pmjjrictors. ('ustom has thus j)roved stronger
than the beneticent edicts of the Kmperor Yungching, published in their favour in
th(> year 17!10. In the highlands stretching west of Fuchew some almriginal trilM's
still bear the nanm of Min ; that is, of the chief river and of the old kingdom
which ha8 bocomo the province of Kokien.
TOPOGKAPHV.
South of Ningpo the numerous inlets along the coast offer safe harbours of
refuge to the junks navigating these waters. S/iipu is the busiest port on the
South Chekiang seaboard, although here the treaty |)ort is Wr»('lmr, at the head of
uu estuary formed by a navigable river. Wenchcw was formerly a place of much
imp(jttance, as attested by the ruins of its palaces, sculptured gateways, and
triumphal arches. The " Feng-shui," say the natives, is no longer favourable to
the local prosjjcrity ; but the true cause of its decadence are the jieople themselves,
who have become probably the most inveterate opium smokers in all China. Even
the innuites of tlie numerous convents lead dissolute lives, and to put an end to the
scandals the civic governor recently caused the nuns to be seized and publicly sold
" by weight." The average price was about £3 per head.* All the trade is in
native hands, and in 1871) not a single IJritish vessel entered the port, although the
imported goods are almost entirely of English manufacture.
Of the numerous inlets following southwards the most spacious is that giving
access to the city of Funiny-fii. It forms a broad land-locked basin dotted over with
• W. Everard'g Consular Report for 1879.
1m 1)\ IIU'IIIIN
(;h u|Min tlio
unity <<• tlio
1)11 ttvcr tho
Aiiiiiy and
), there Htill
n alMtri^^inul
my (listrictH,
le mainland,
iseil to wind,
Hint. These
priestn, who
the " Nino
r peiietrat«>d
ehildren are
I inUNt paHH
II the townH,
ho European
w, they are
ved Htron}»er
eir favour in
•ipinal tribes
Ad kingdom
harbours of
port on tho
t the head of
lace of nuieh
iteways, and
'avourable to
D themselves,
!hina. Even
m end to the
pnbliely sold
e trade is in
although the
8 that giving
ted over with
Pl^s.
lil
{'VyHl^^fi^A^Bi
' ■' , .. j " '
1
"■■'..,'^
1 1'V.' ,if
, *.
,.t
/
*
■>' "'': ,/"
■t
''-■ n^/
1/
.i^--
v,.\ I^'m a?,,xS
■', ' '" .*
>;.,2,riji
^rru
■ \. "" n ''
-\ :^; t^
■■■.". VArV'H
^"^ cU'
BUDDHIST MONASTEKY AT TITEN-FU ON THE MIN, SOUTH OF FUCHU-FU.
'll.' ' tli .lt ' . ' ...t,. A ' - . ...A ' !!
r^^-"«'.!i'HUv!RHH4c^.Tr"
1 Tunrniim^je wnatm
TOPOGRAPHY.
243
xm-" —
p .
>/
..^V ^
:\ C^^.^
lita
^iSi^,
'ihfi,
244
EAST ASIA.
roadwiiv liiiv(> fallen intd the .stmiin, wliero tlicy have formed rapids, barrinj? the
fiirthor pro^rcHs of junks. In 1870 this bridge, although coniplotely submerged
by the inundations of the Min, suecessfuUy resisted the violenee of the current.
The Eurojjean quarter lies in the Nantai suburb, where most of the houses are
scattered amid t)ld Chinese tombs on the slope of a hill commanding a prospect of
the eitv. The chief staple of export has for years been tea, forwarded almost
exclusively to England and
Fig. lia.— Flciie\v-iu.
Scale 1 : 55,000.
Nort)lC^tr
Australia. Recently, however,
the Russian traders settled at
Fuchew have begun to prepare
brick tea, which is shipped for
Tientsin and Siberia. The local
traffic consists of lumber,
bamboos, furniture, papi'r, rice,
fruits, exchanged for European
goods from Hongkong, Canton,
and Shanghai.
Six miles above Fuchew
the Min is crossed bj' another
bridge like the "Wenchcw-kiao.
But all river craft are arrested
at S/nii-kow, below the great
city of Ynufjpiiiy, which stands
at the converging point of the
chief routes of the Min basin.
The botanist Fortune ascended
the main stream to visit the
districts where the best black
teas of I'^okien are grown.
Rut various obstacles compellecl
him to retrace his steps, return-
ing by a pass over the " Rohea "
Mountains, which attain a
mean elevation of 0,000 or
7,000 feet, with peaks rising
in the eastern ridges to 10,000
feet. The great tea mart in
this upper regi(m of the Min is
Tnoitgnn, not far from the isolated Wi-shan, one of the most venerated mountains
in China, consisting of conglomerate sandstone, granite, and quartz, and rising
1,000 feet above the plain. Here is also one of the best tea-growing tracts,
extensively cultivated by thc> Buddhist monks of the " 999 temples " scattered over
the surrounding hills.
Refore Fuchew the more southerly city of Tswanc/ww was the capital of
CofG
116" 59
2,20'1 Yards.
"$«*^*SSiW(l!3(.B'E"W«"W^Pl)PHSS5'-a.^*^ .
■mmmmm'^-
TOl'OGUArilY.
215
barrinj; tho
siibiuorgod
curroiit.
) houses tiro
prospect of
rded iiliuost
■ •rlund uiid
ly, however,
•a settled at
[I to ])repiiro
shipped for
.1. Theloeal
af lumber,
, papi'r, riee,
nr European
mg, Canton,
vo Fuehew
[ by another
•nchcw-kiao.
arc arrested
w the great
(vhich stands
point of the
e Min basin,
line ascended
to visit the
e best black
are grown.
es compelled
steps, return-
the"l{ohea"
ih attain a
of 0,000 or
peaks rising
?es to 10,000
tea mart in
of the Min is
ckI mountains
z, and rising
jwing tracts,
icattercd over
le capital of
Fokion, and is still the residence of the provinciul militiiry governor. Must
commentators identify this pUuie, vulgarly culled T^ufun;/, willi Marco INilu's
Zayton (Zaitun), which Ibn Hatuta descrilK^s as '* the largest port in tli( woi-ld."
In mediicval times it was much frecjuented by the Arab tradei-s, and even the
Anncnians and (ienoese had settlements here. Marignoli saw "tlirci' beautiful
churches" in tliis city "of incredible extent," where an Italian bishop resided
from 1:518 to I'-i'-i'i. Its harbour was crowded with vessels to such an extent lliat,
Fipf. 114.— Shlt-kow, on the 1'pprr JIix, Fokien.
on the occasion of a war with Japan, the local merchants boasted that they could
throw a bridge of boats from their port to the archipelago of the " Rising Sun."
Zayton supplied the Western traders with sugar, velvets, and silks, and Ibn liatuta
expressly declares that the word Zdituniah, or " satin," is derived from this place,
an etymology which Colonel Yule seems half inclined to accept.
But the roadstead of Tswanchcw was gradually choked with sjind, and its vast
trade transferred farther south to the great Bay of Amoi/, which seems to have also
246
EAST ASIA.
l)eeii kiutwii by tlic iiiiine of Xaitun, uh eoiniiu'rcially dcponclnnt on Tswanchew, in
the (listricf of wliich it is Kituatcd. At present the little jM)rt of Ntjanhai serves us
the entrepot of traIKe between the ohl iM>rt of Zaitun and its sneeessor.
Anioy (Ilianien, or Ilianiun), now open to the trade of the West, lies on an
island apparently at one time conneeted with the mainland, in one of the very
Fig. 116. -Amov.
BniUe I : ISO.Ono.
Ii8"iff
to 64 Feet.
CI Feet and upwards.
—_— ^_^ 6 Miles.
fine.st harbours in the world. It was already the chief port in the province of
Fokien when the Portufj^uese arrived here in the boj^inning of the sixteenth century.
It remained acces.sible to European shippin*^ till the yQnx 1730, after which it
was clo.sed till reopened by the f>;uns of the Knjjlijsh in 1840. The colony of the
" ivd-haired devils," Avhieh numbered three hundred souls in 1880, has bt^en
established in the little island of Kulang-su, over half a mile from Amoy, and
.-IWl'SWiJCtBM'WillW'Jat •-
^^-mcsmsm-'-
BASIN OF THE SI-KIANO.
247
rtiiiu'how, in
lini serves us
, lies on all
of the very
ys4
,^^l
S^
province of
iith century,
ter which it
olony of the
0, has bt^en
Amoy, and
round nlwut this settloinont quite a hirj^e native city has sprunj* up. TTore the
naturalist Swinhoe founchnl a U'arned society in IHo?, which has done much gmtd
work in various branches of natural history.
The trade of Amoy, about as extensive as that of Fuchew, consists mainly in
opium taken in exchan<»e for tea and sjijyar. Here also emifj^rants arc sliipj)(sts, especially between the Han-kiang andTun-kiung river basins,
are lofty enough tt) be covered with snow in winter.
South of Fokien, iho copious TTan-kiang, collecting the drainage of "West
Kwaiigtung, flows from the Kiangsi frontier due south through the breaks in the
parallel rang(>s. ]5ut its chief aflluent, the Mei-kiang, foHows one of the
intermediate north-easterly depressions, thus offering u transverse route from
Fokien to the Si-kiung basin.
The Si-KiANfi River System.
The Si-kinng, or Sei-kong, as the Cantonese pronounce the word, which means
" West River," contains a large volume of water, due mainly to the summer
monsoons. These trade winds send to the southern slopes of the Nan-shnn an
abundant rainfall, which in the province of Kwangtung is estimated for the
whole year at over 20 inches. The Si-kiang, knowni also as the Pu^-kiang,
or " River of I'ue " — that is, of the two southern ])rovinces — receives its fartliest
head-streams from Yunnan and the Kweichew uplands occupied by the Miaotze
tribes. The Ilung-shui, its main branch, flows under various names before
receiving from the Cantonese the designation by which its lower course is known.
This want of a more precise nomenclature has enabled every traveller to regard
the head-stream visited by himself as the main branch. Thus Hue and Gabet,
who embarked on a stream rising at the foot of the Mei-ling in the north of the
province of Canton, and Moss, who ascended the Yu-kiang, which rises in Tonking,
all supposed they had explored the chief branch of the Si-kiang. Below the
confluence of these two tributaries the main stream is joined by the Kwei-kiang,
after which it penetrates through a series of defiles into the province of Kwangtung.
At some points it is obstructed by shoals, and at low water there is little more than
6 or 7 feet in the channel. Rut during the summer rains it rises from 25 to
30 feet and upwards, while the tides are felt in Kwangsi, 180 miles from its mouth.
In some parts of the channel the plummet reveals depths of from 150 to 170 feet.
After emerging from its last narrow gorge, where it contracts to 630 feet
between its rocky walls nearly 1,200 feet high, the Si-kiang is joined by the
Pc-kiang, or " River of the North," at the head of the delta. From its source to this
point it develops a course of about 800 miles, throughout which it presents the
only commercial highway from Canton to the three provinces of Kwangsi,
Kweichew, and Yunnan. Through the same channel a portion of the traffic is
carried on with the regions of Indo-China, watered by the Red River and the
Mekhong. Yet the Pe-kiang is still more important than the main stream as a
trade route, for it forms a section of the great highway conn^ -^ mg Canton w^ith
the Yang-t/ 3 basin, where the only interruption is the Mei-liuj, i'ass. Thi« is the
route followed by most European travellers who have visited the southern regions
of the empire. The Pe-kiung was explored in 1693 by the missionary Bouvet, and
.'umi&^imtm.i
-asiKWisssaiKP'
land roj^ion
iiiissi(»iiiiru!S
river basins,
»o of "West
roaks in the
mo of the
route from
rliich means
the smnmer
'J^an-slirm an
itetl for the
Pud-kianpf,
s its fartliest
the Miaotze
amcs before
se is known.
er to repird
and Gabot,
north of the
in Tonking^,
Below the
K-.vei-kiang,
Kwangtmig.
le more than
8 from 25 to
m its mouth,
to 170 feet.
to 630 feet
(ined by the
source to this
presents the
)f Kwangsi,
the traffic is
iver and the
(1 stream as a
Canton with
Th:« is the
hern regions
Bouvet, and
1^^
• > - i< tk<«^i< ^,i' u ^ 1^j . - m . , n^^
CANTON AND THE P
Si
r ' V r r ;
' ]]J
^
ttllokaihan
■ t0
/ ." ; ^. s, y _„.'.© Ho utishuii
. .mom -jji y,.,, ./ '
— S' If-.^-''^
-1
\
V,
,,i' ^Smc
. . __£ -n M 'r-^ " " "-"■'■^~''-- . \ — I
na'
jlia'E.ufGr.
I --- -'
to leFf
16 to sa
NEW YORK ;.' ■•'
NTON AND THE PEARL RIVER.
m
KWANAT.IIlKy KIJI'tfANTttN) ■'* \ •'l'^"'^.
J»f~*S~
-■■IHolo
■hi
shin
i
/
)
4
V
■.^.;iv
■Bhiui
.t'. r
S^'.IS;
..N...*y^
r-f:
■".>^
( i.
2 ^'~Jv^ -iV^'-^ ->
•4 vr-^^^rsl^-^^V''
Wl«u^%-
/& to ;)7
3'i U
1 : «7 I 000
NEW YORf-C ;-. .^ ■•- 1-ETON 8c C9
.V6 to 160 ISO S upwttrda.
St'Milei
rtfe^ Hi 'i' i Vy a .v -.
TlIK canto:
J.TA.
24U
in 17'.2'2 Oiiul)!! survoy«Ml tin? Imniii iiNtranmnic. ty. A\ th>' historic roiitcN of tbr
eiiipin' lliis is llu* niost iiiiiMirtaiit. an Init fui tin *•)»••! i the nouIIutii rcji^if u
would remain (Iftacla'd from tlio "Middle K ,' u i -h rcfiucw
nlllioii «'lmniit'l, (iwiiij; to a lino of liilln wliicli run Houth-woNt iind north-oiiHt iktosh iho
alluviiil soil, mill wliicli serve to retiiiii llie sedimeiitin y inatter broii;;lit down hy tlit>
Ml ream ami waHJiid haek l)y llie tid»'s. Tlu- iioilheriinioMf oi' tluse iidj,'.'K coiisiNtH
of lar;^e inlands, al)ove Honie of wliicli rinc elevated eiestn, Nueli us the twt) peaks of
the island of Wun^fkiini at the entry of the Canton estuary, In'tter known hy its
I'ortu^niese nanu of Montanha. The l.adrones, or " Hohher " Islands, like Ifonj^
Kon^ itw<1f, form itortions of un intermediate ehain, while still further seawards
Htretuhes th(! h)n|; urchipela^o of thu Luiping and Lenui j^roups.
ri.iMATK ni' SoiTii China.
Tn the Si-kiau)? hasin the torrid und teinperuto zones are intonninj»led. With
the alternation of the monsoons, Cunton oseillutes hetwin-n the two, so tlnit its
climate is far less ocpiuhle than that of Cuhuttu, Honolulu, Havana, und other
places situated under the same parallel.* During the moist summer monsoon the
southern provinces ure us hot us Indiun cities equally distunt from the equator.
Hut the temi)erature rapidly falls in winter, when the dry uorth-eust polar winds
("Weep down In'tween the parallel mountain iunp;es, running mainly north-eust und
south-west. Rain seldom falls in January, when the nij;;hts are clear, und even
frosty. At the same tin.e, the re<,'ulur alternation of moist sunnner und dry winter
winds is occasionally disturhed by atmospheric currents, del'i-ctcd in varioutj
directions by the relief und contour of tin; seubourd. Thus the south-west monsoon
bt'comes ut Tanton u south-easterly j?ule, und the lofty Mount Lantuu is duily
exposed to fierce storms for months together.
These climutic disturbances arc ulso reflected in the flora of the southern
provinces. Here the ])luins are bare in winter, when nuture presents the same
bleak us])ect as in more northern regions. Hut all is changed with the return of
the hot moist monsoons, under whose influence the tropical vegetation is reveaU^
in all its splendour. Now the palm und camellia flourish by the side of the ouk,
chestnut, und sombre pine, while the bununu, mungo, litchi [Ncj/fidium liic/ii), orunge,
and citrons of divers species are intermingled with the fruit trees of the temiwrate
zone. Many leafy shrubs, confined in Europe to the conservatory, here thrive in
the open air, decking the landscape Avith their brilliant blossom, charging the
utmos2)here with a balmy peifume. The small island of Hong Kong contains, so to
say, un epitome of this varied und beautiful southern flora.
In this favoure(iuator.
pohir winds
)ith-ou«t und
[ir, and ovc>n
id dry winter
i ill various
ft'cst raoiifiooii
ntuo iH daily
the Houthem
eiits the same
the return of
on is revealed
3 of the oak,
'itrhi), orange,
the temperate
here thrive in
charging the
contains, so to
itcd to afford
>t besides the
hinoceros and
ire numerous,
Meun.
70^ F.
79
75
77
INIIAUITANTS OP SOUTH ('NINA. 2BI
Tmiaihiants ok Soi th fiiiw,
Southern and csiuM'ially Malay .•l.-inenls Nrcn. to have Imtomio int.-rniinj7l..d
with the populations of South Cl.ina, although no trace of th.-ir pivsnic.. can now
be detected in the customs or spcccli of the natives of Kwaiigtiuig. Her,, tho
purely Chineso dialect is even of a more arehai(! character than the present
FiK. llfl.- roMrAHATIVK TrNfrPUATIHR oi- PantoN AMD OTHKR ToWNd.
Mandarin variety, while all local geographical names belong to tho same stock as
those of other parts of China. It is now ascertained that the number of original
terms unrepresented by particular signs in the literary standard is far more limited
than was formerly supposed. But in the interior there still survive certain
aboriginal communities which have not yet become amalgamated with the Chinese
ir,'
V>*.iS6S-kii'i>.
Hence the true meaning of Ifoklo is probably " People of Fokien." According to
the Chinese tradition, they migrated in the fourteenth century into the adjacent
province of Kwangtung, and it is noteworthy that here the floating population
about the creeks and inlets, who have the greatest affinity with the Hoklo, are also
sujjposed to have come originally from Fokien. Their peculiar manner of life has
made them a special caste, no less despised than that of the Fuchew waters, and
also stigmatized by abusive appellatives. In Canton, us in Fuchew, the members
of this caste would appear not to be admitted ashore, so that they live from
generation to generation grouped in floating villages along the river banks. In
the I'earl lliver the moorings become hereditary jjroperty, and when a junk falls
to pieces, it is immediately replaced by another.
The Punti — that is, " Roots of the Soil " — are the most numerous element in
the southern provinces. Although priding themselves in the title of autochthonous,
they probably represent a fusion of northern immigrants with the aborigines, and
now regard themselves as the natural masters of the land. Even in Yunnan they
reject the name of Chinese, and claim to be considered as a distinct race. Repre-
senting a sort of southern aristocracy, they affect to despise not only the plebeian
Ilakka and Hoklo, but even the people of the north, whom they certainly surpass
in elegance and refinement. Their beautiful dialect, which is the current speech
of Canton, takes the title of pe-hoa — that is, " white language " — in the sense of
the pre-eminent speech, and in it have been composed many literary works.
The Punti have a numerical majority in the Canton district, where, however,
they are now threatened by the proletariate Ilakka element, descended from
colonists originally settled in the north-east of Kwangtung. The Ilakka dialect
differs greatly from the Punti ond Fokien, and appears to be a variety of the
" true language ; " that is, of the Nanking form of speech, although now afTcctod
by numerous Punti elements. The Ilakka are a hardy, laborious race of agricul-
turists, who supply a large proportion of the coolies now employed in Formosa,
Java, Saigon, Bangkok, the Sandwich Islands, Peru, and California. Their dialect
also prevails in Singapore, and amongst the Chinese villages in Borneo. Thus,
although despised by the haughty Punti, to their industrious enterprise is largely
due the share at present taken by the Chinese nation in the common work of
humanity.
ToPOORAPHY.
East of Canton, and in that part of Kwangtung which belongs ethnically to
Fokien, the chief trading-place is Shasfinnfow, which the English call Sinifoir. A
mere fishing hamlet in 1840, thanks to its happy situation on a navigable river
%
ft-
^■■mmm^m^
254
EAST ASIA.
ostuary in a rich alluvial plain, it soon ro8c to prosperity after beinp; tlirown open to
the trade of the West. Even before this time some l']n}j;lish nierehants had settled on
"Double Island," at the mouth of the llan, which they converted into an entrepot
for opium and all kinds of merchandise. Jlere they Mere encircled by a cordon of
pirat(>s and smufj:}>:lers, forminj? a sort of republic, with its head-quarters on the
island of Xaniao (Nants of mer-
;hed. Thus
angsi, stands
ain gorge on
nnecting the
isins through
Rivers; but
ed by rapids
istanding its
great city of
Si-kiang and
iianufactured
iber, cabinet
) the Anglo-
-kiung as far
the Si-kiang
e Viceroy of
3es was after-
ent or in>iM)r-
trade in teu,
porcelains, and marble slabs from the neighbouring hills. Hcyond this point the
trafhc and population increase continually on both sides of the river, coming to a
focus at the confluence of the Si-kiang and I'e-kiang, where stand the cities of
Saiis/i III and Si nan, near the head of the delta. Fnr/iaii (Fu-shan), although rank-
ing as a simple- village, without walls or fortifications, is no less than 12 miles long,
and is classed among the "Four Marts "of the ^liddle Kingdom. It forms the
largest centre of population in the district connecting the Sanshui, or " Three
Waters," with the Pearl Kiver. Here the channel seems to have become much
shallower than formerly, whence probably the decadence of Fachan, whoso popu-
lation has fallen from about one million in the seventeenth century to half that
numl)er. It may now l)e considered not so much a rival as a dependency of
Canton, where silks, hardware, mats, paper, sails, and all sorts of wares are manu-
factured. Another dependency of Canton is SIiUiIiiikj (^S/nik/ini;/'^, at the head of
the delta formed by the Tung-kiang, which is the great depot for the sugar and
other pnxlucc of the Fast destined for the capital. In the l*e-kiang valley there
are also several large places, such as Nankiiiny, at the foot of the 3Iei-ling, and
Shaoclivw, a much-frequented riverain port.
Mention is made of Canton in the Chinese records as far back as the fourth
century before the vulgar era, at which time it bore tlie name of Xanwu-cheng, or
" Warlike City of the South," a title fully justified by its frequent revolts. In
A.n. 250 it succeeded in expelling the Imperial forces, and maintained its
independence for half a century. At the beginning of the tenth century it became
the capital of a separate state, paying an annual tribute to the empire, but sixty
years afterwards it was again conquered by the founder of the Sung dyiuisty. In
1(548 it rose against the Manchus in the name of the Ming dynasty, and held out
for over u year. Upwards of 700,000 Cantonese perished during the siege, and
the city, given up to plunder, became a heap of ruins.
At ])resent Kwangchcw-fu, or Shencheng, as Canton is called in the local dialect,
is one of the most thoroughly Chinese cities of the empire, although lying on its
southern limits over against the great southern peninsulas and archipelagos. It
probably exceeds all the other imperial cities in population, as it certainly does in
the originality of its appearance and fidelity to the national types. It lacks the
broad dusty streets and tent-shaped houses of Peking, recalling the neighbourhood
of the Mongolian steppes. It presents no such imposing aspect as Shanghai or
ITankow, with their new European quarters, houses, quays, and shipping ; nor has it
had to be rebuilt in recent times, like Hangchew-fu and so many other cities
destroyed by the " long-haired " rebels. Canton is still what it was over four hundred
years aro, when first visited by Europeans, altogether a unique city as approached
through a floating quarter, where are anchored all kinds of craft, disposed in blocks
like the houses ashore, with intervening water streets crowded with trafhc. Although
at this point nearly three-quarters of a mile broad, the river is completely covered by
this city of Iwats, no less animated by its dealers, artisans, innkeepers, pleasure-
seekers, than the city on terra firma.
Canton proper, lying on the north side of the Chu-kiang, is enclosed by a
''^^Mm^.^^smmt-
256
EAST ASIA.
rampart, and, as is usual in China, divided bj- another enclosure into two distinct
cities. Within these spaces, with a joint area of several scpiarc miles, the population
is crowded together in narrow, tortuous streets, lined by rickety houses, with their
lacquered or gilded signboards still further shutting out the prospect. In many
alleys mats are stretched from house to house, the finer shojjs are exjiosed fully to
view, the motley throng is jostled by the rude bearers of i)alan(iuins. Heyond the
walls vast suburbs stretch right and left uhmg the river, while the south side is
occupied by the city of Jlonan, on the island of like name. Canton is one of the
most insalubricus places in China. Amongst its inhabitants there arc no less than
8,000 blind and 0,000 lepers, while the general type of features seems exceptionally
repidsivo to the P^uropean eye. The English, by far the most numerous and
wealthiest of all the European settlers, have converted their quarter on the island
Fig. 119.— Cantov, Whampoa, and Hoxan Island.
Scale 1 : 200.000.
,<) Milos.
of Shamin into a sumptuous city, far more healthy than the native town, provided
with promenades, shady avenues, and a racecourse. The site of this " Concession "
has been well chosen, at the diverging point of the two deepest branches of the Pearl
River.
For its industries Canton takes the foremost rank amongst Chinest cities. Its
artisans are engaged in the most varied pursuits, such as silk-spinning, dyeing,
paper, porcelain, and glass making, lacquer-work, ivory and wood carving, cabinet-
work, metal casting, sugar rcHuing, and in the production of the thousand knick-
knacks known as Canton fancy goods. The embroiderer's art has been brought to
great perfection, being elsewhere absolutely unrivalled in the disposition of the
colours, its exquisite designs, and delicate execution. Canton is the great mart for
the silks of the 8outh, as lluugchew is for those of Central China.
ir»5?S»J'«-'»;«'SS?iB0Bii|*A-KaS8fo-i;,
-'t&im^m^,:.
IIOXO KONG.
257
tt'o distinct
jjojiulation
with their
In many
sod fully to
lieyond tho
juth side is
one of the
uo less than
nceptiouuUy
merous and
n the island
Nearly nil tho trade of Canton is in tho hands of native morohnnts, the Europeans
of (Shuniin haviuf* sunk to tho position of mere hrokors. Ilefore Lord Amherst's
mission of 1810, Kuf^Iish eommeree was harely tolerated, and at that time there
were no capitulations, as with Turkey, nor any treaties as araonj^at the different
European states. IJut when intercourse was permitted with the West, Canton,
already enjoying a monojwly of the foreipfn exchanges, soon aiHjuired an
extraordinary develo])ment. Tho opening of Shanghai and the other treaty
ports doubtless reduced it to the second rank amongst tho em])oriums of tho
empire, but it seems to bo gradually recovering tho foremost position. Here was
first developed the curious liHffna fratirn known as "Pigeon (Hiisiness) Englisli,"
some expressions from which have entered into the familiar speech of tho English
themselves. lUit the constant relations of Europeans with the natives rcem to have
produced a general lowering of the moral standard. A national proverb warns tho
aged from Sechuen and youth from Canton, implying how laborious life is in the
western highlands, how corrupt in the great southern capital.
W/ini)i/>oa (^lIoaii(/-pu), tho outport of Canton on the Pearl River, is also a largo
place, stretching some 3 miles along tho islands which enclose its harbour.
Notwithstanding its proximity to European structures, Whampoa has preserved all
its originality, and is still little more than a vast aggregate of wretched bamboo
hovels overlooked by a lofty pagoda. Building yards, repairing docks, and exten-
sive warehouses cover a largo space ; but a great portion of the trathc has fallen
into tho hands of smugglers, who infest the neighbouring creeks. Old towers rise
at intervals along the shore, raised at an unknown date against enemies whose very
name has been forgotten.
wn, provide5SSK^^«p?SgSe«!!S»«SS»'--
MACAO.
2a0
■thrpc lurgo
prt'soiits us
I'arst'fs, tho
uters, whero
II.VI5
me. Hindus
tuguese Lave
n consists of
n Cunton und
much of the
cntsin. The
shipping in tho roiidstead oxcoods 4.000,000 tons yciirly, wliilr the cxclianfros
uiiiount altogether to about i;i'.>,000,000. Victoria still ri'taius its inonoiMily in
the niovonicnf of the precious nu'tals; hut much of its goiwral frath' has already
passed into the bands of the native dealers, those especially of Koirhm, on theopposite
ride of the strait. At Aberdocn, known also as " Little Ilong Kong," a small town
Fipf. 121.— Ho.No KoNO : ViKW takkn kkom Kosvll.n.
on the south-west side of the island, several building yards and repairing docks
have been built, and some large sugar refineries have also recently been erected
here.
Macao.
The Portuguese settlement of Macao (the Ngaoraen of the Chinese), lying over
against Hong Kong on the opposite side of the Pearl River estuary, is not othcially
detached from China. The Imperial Government has never recognised tho
absolute sovereignty of Portugal over this peninsula, and has always enforced
■lii.'Sftijt.i^'
2fiO
EAST ASIA.
paytncnt of tho trihuto of £150 imposofl hy tho Emperor Kanf»-lii, and oollcctcd hy
a inandarin resident on tho spot, Xevertlu'Iess Macao is praelirally a I'ortii^uese
possession, and the European quarter of J'ruya (irande presents tlie aspect of a
town in Kstreniadura, with its hir}?e red or yellow houses, heavy balustrades, nnd
vust monasteries now converted into barracks. Its so-called Portuguese; inhabitunta
'I'
m
Fiff. 122.— Macao.
Scale 1 : 40,000.
II3*33
II3'34-
El
tu H Feet.
b to in Feet 16 to 32 Feet.
._ ^^1^ 1,100 VanlR.
are, however, almost exclusively half-ciistes, and even these are now encroached upon
by the natives, who, althouj^h forbidden to build houses in this quarter, buy up
those of the old Lusitanian owners, replacing the image of the Madonna with their
ancestral phrines.
Macao is conveniently situateil for trade, occupying a district some 12 square
miles in extent at the southern extremity of a large island in the delta, which is
^"%'«?«l^WftS8*^S^-^s*^
MACAO.
2(11
rdllcctffl l>y
INtrtii)4:ucse
nsjM'ct of ft
strndcs, and
iiihuhituntH
13'
IS'
poached upon
irtcr, buy up
la with their
lie 12 square
3lta, which is
coiiiu'ctcd with the niainland by a sandy diiiio loniuTly forlilicd. The roadstead,
bciii^ Nhcltcivd by liilly isK'fM from the full fury of the typhoons, is ucci'ssibU. to
lurjf<» vc'hmoIh from the Hca, as well as to river craft l)otli from the l*carl Itivcr and
the western estuary of the Si-kianjj;. I*'or nearly tliree hundred years Macao
onjoyefl a monopoly uf the Kuroj)ean trade with C'hin:i, but the op<'nin>r of the
treaty ports at hnt depiived it of its (exclusive advantages. Since then its dealers
turned to tlie traflic in slave lalHuir, and the " barracoes " of Macao became a depot
for the c(M)lies captured or purchased on the sj'alwtard, and forwarded as voluntary
hirinl laliourers to IVru and the West Tndies. The protest)* of the Pekinj; (lovern-
inent put un end to this shumeful traffic, and sine • 1H7.'{ most of the contracts are
Fin. 123.— Pakiioi.
Prnle I : lUo.iNlo.
:: El'
I09r5-
'Ot:s
oFG.
to 10 Feet 16 to AS Feet. Hi Feet and upwiinla.
.<_^— — ^_^.^— ^ 3,300 Yard»
signed at Wham|K)a, with every guarantee against fonner abuses. And now Macao
has turned to gambling and lotteries, its notoriety amongst Ea.stern cities iH'ing
chiefly due to these attractions. The local trade, almost exclusively in the hands
of native dealers, consists chiefly in tea, rice, sugar, silks, and indigo, mostly shijiped
on Chinese junks. The few EuroiK'aa vessels that take part in the traffic import
salt from Cochin-china. The Municipal Council (ZtY// Svitado, or Loyal Senate) is
elected by universal suffrage.
Macao is famous in the literary world. Canioens resided for eighteen months,
in 15o0 and 1560, in this place, where he is said to have composed a jxirtion of the
" Lusiad." A rent rock forming a sort of grotto is still shown, where he is trudi-
^m
202
KAHT ASIA
tioiiiilly mii>|MiN( <»l' MorriKon,
one of the iiKisf (listiiij:\ii^..-s^r3^pi3es?sgj-p=^-
YUNNAN.
20B
> of Morrinon,
|)liil(>l
iHliiiul of St.
biivn ii('(iuir(Hl
EaPG.
^iilnrly on this
the peninsula
It (^Pci-hdi^, or
ilf of Toiikinj?
ide is salt fish,
und ulthouffh no Kuioiwiin vcssrls visited th<' place till the year ls:!>, I'aklioi
seeniH destined to u hrilliant future. It is liic Icruiinus of u lii>,'luvay rutiniu);
directly through LiniHtric and Yiilin to the fertile districts (.f the Vu-kianjf, whose
produce is at present forwanU'd hy the h.n^ and () or (50 feet.
South of Takhoi the volcanic island of Wei-chew ruisos its hlackened walls in
the middle of the jrulf. At its southeru extremity the crater, whi.h has fallen in.
forms a regular cinjue, facinj,' soutiiwards, and nearly ;> miles in diameter from
headland to headland. Till the mi(hlle of the present ccnitury this island was
exclusively inhahited by pirates, hut is now occupied hy a peaceful population of
about ;{,0()0 souls, mostly innni|,'rants from the liiechew peninsula, engaged chiefly
in agriculture and fishing.
YUNNAN.
Tins province, the richest in mineral wealth and one of the most important in
the variety of its produce, is at the same time the least solidly attached to the
empire. A portion only of the land, and that the most rugged and thiidy peopled,
behmgs to the Yang-tze basin, while the western half is drained by the two great
rivers of Indo-Chinu, the Sahvin and Mekhong, and the southern extremity sends
its waters through the Ilung-kiang ("l{ed River") to the Gulf of Tonking.
Recently a large part of the province had even become politically independent,
cutting off the communications between the loyal inhabitants and the rest of China.
The authorities then turned for assistance beyond the frontier through the Red
River. This route thus for a time acquired a vital importance, and the oppor-
tunity was turned to account by the explorer Dupuis, who followed the course of
the stream, and opened it to trade and science. But after the suppression of the
Panthay rebellion the imperial highways have been reopened, the peasantry are
now returning to their villages, and the gaps made by massacre and famine are
being filled up by fresh settlers fro.n Sechuen, Kweichew, and Kwangsi. Rut
although it has thus again become an integral part of the empire, Yunnan remains
none the less an outlying region, of difficult access, and far removed from the seat
of power. Of all the provinces it has always been the most thinly peopled, and
since the recent disasters its population has been reduced probably hy one-half.
Its area is somewhat vaguely estimated ut 127,000 square miles, but the frontier-
line is ill defined towards Tibet, Rurma, Siam, and Annam, where numerous inde-
pendent hill tribes occupy the border-lands.
Broadly speaking, Yunnan may be describcnl as a rugged plateau inclined in
■H--jfef^
.aWj3>^^^ lw
W^V»-t- a-
J t #"
»
-2iyi
KAST ASIA.
^^, I!
dirt'ctioii from llic iiorth-wt'Ht l<» the nonth-rast. On tlio TilM'taii and Hechuen
frontici'H t)it> uiu'X|>l<>n>«l ran^oN riHi> alMtvo tli«< Nnow-linc, whili> tho central part of
the i)lafcau lian a int'un I'lfvatiim of |M'rlia|tN T.OOC fret, al)ovo which the red wind-
Ntoiie rid^fCM maintain u nniform ch'valion. Lar^e hikes till the de|)res.sionN of thin
talilcland, liie outer Ncarp of which is furrowed h\ deep river n;orj<:es, while Koutii-
wards I lie Irawadi and lied Uiv(>r Ijasins expand into liroad plains, scarcely moru
than fl'M) fi>et al)ovo tho sea. Kvery transition of teni|H>rature is met betwi'en iho
northern uplands, with their Hnuw-clad ranges, and these southern lowlands, which
penetrate into thu torrid /.one. At Vunnan-fu, on the inti>rniudiuto plateau, thu
snow lies at times for weeks together on the ground.
A pri'-eminently mineral region, Yunnan exported wrought-m»'tal wares even
In'fore tlie arrival of the Chinese. Tho aborigines had everywhere niincH and
workshops, oHiK'cially for the treatment of iron, which of all minerals is here the
nntst abundant. Itich copper orcH are also found, and tho ini|H>rial taxes raised
from the mines and metal workers amounted Ind'orc tho relH'lIion to nearly {>,{){)()
tons of copper yearly, (iold-washings are also nuniorous along tho Kin.sha-kiang
ami other watercourses. Hut far more productive aro tho silver mines, besides
which Yunnan also possesses deposits of cinnal>ar, zinc, lead, and in tho Red
Uiv«>r basin a rich tin hxle, while its coal measures aro both extensive and of
excellent (piality. "NYith such vast and varied treasures, the province promises
to lu'conu; some day tho great mineral mart and metullurgie workshoj) of the
empire. It also abounds in precious stones, such as rubies, topazes, sapphires, and
emeralds, while costly varieties of jade and nmrble are found in the highlands.
I'arts of these highlands are still covered with vast forests, supplying valuable
timbers, notably the nunmu laurel, which, owing to its extreme hardness and
])enetrating perfume, is much enudoyed in temples and ])alaces. Since tho
suppression of the Mohanunedan insurrection, Yunnan has become tho chief seat of
the oi)iinn industry, and notwithstanding tho pretended Government edicts, at
least one-third of the cultivated land is now under tho poppy. The upland
pastures support large Hocks of sheep, whoso wool is utilised, but whoso flesh is
never eaten.
There uro few Asiatic regions where an improved system of communication
would be attended by greater results than in \''unnan. Not only does this province
rc(piire good routes and railways to export its minerals and other proc)uiPn
■lit ml part of
tho ic«l Mind-
'HMIOIIH of tlllH
whikt Hoiitli-
cai'ccly iiiort)
t bftwrcii llu«
vlaiulM, wliicli
) plutcuu, thu
111 wuros even
1-0 niincM and
iIh in hero tlio
1 tuxoH riiiM(>(l
) Hourly (H)
Kinsha-kiuii^
niiios, l>osi(loM
1 in the Red
I'usivo and of
inco proniisoH
kshop of tlio
Ka))])liir(s, and
he hi^rhlands.
yinj; valuable
hardness and
Since the
e chiof seat of
ent ediots, at
The upland
ivhoso flesh is
was a^ain visited liy l''rantis (larnicr, \h\ Tliorel. atid othei llurnpranH lor the
liixt tinu> hinro the days of Marco I'nio. In |M(;s CnijMM', stiirtin;; I'min tlie
Yanjf-fze, atteniplid in vain to reaili Ahmiiu through Matanjf and Tiili-lii. lie
npiin failed the next year to \in\u the plateau from the llrahuinputni liasin ; while
Sladrn, aiming; at the sunie fjfoal from the Inuvadi and its atHucnt, the 'I'lipiii^r, Imd
to retraec )iiv;S5=:[i7V'
m -»
is
200
EAST ASIA.
«
But pondiiif? free intercouiso with India through Bhunio, Yunnan hiis direct
access to the foreign market through the navigable Ilung-kiang, or Red
River, ex])lored for the first time by Dupuis in IH70. In 1872 he ascended the
Song-koi, as this river is caUed in Tonking, and through this channel penetrated
into China as far as ^lanhao (Manghao), in the neighbourhood of a district
abounding beyond all others in metals and precious stones. By a treaty concluded
in 1874 between France and Annam, the Red River had been declared open to
foreign trade. But this treaty has remained a dead letter, and since the expedition
of 1873 no foreign vessel has visited the Song-koi. Nevertheless the advantages of
this trade route have been recognised by the Chinese merchants, who might save by
this way a detour of 600 miles by tlie Canton River.
Inhabitants of Yunnan.
Although Chinese supremacy has been established for some two thousand years
in Yunnan, tlio population is still far from homogeneous. The highland regions
continue to be held by unsubdued tribes, such us the Miaotze, Mantze, Lutzc, Lisu,
Lolo, Shiin, and Kakhyen. The Miaotzo belong to the same family as those of
Kweichew, the Mantze and Lolo to those of Sechuen. The latter are generally
divided into " Black " and " White " Lolo, more perliaps from the contrast in their
habits than from a difference of complexion. The Black, known also as '"Jiaw "
Lolo, mostly occupy the alpine valleys in the north, while the White, called ai.so
" Cooked " or " Ripe," are scattered in small groups all over Yunnan, and are
everywhere subject to the Chinese authorities. IMany shave the head and wear the
pigtail, emblem of civilisation in the Middle Kingdom, but they are easily
distinguislied from the Chinese proper by their muscular development and energy
at work. But for the somewhat flat nose and sparse beard, their regular features
and symmetrical figures might suggest the European type. Many have even
chestnut hair and a white complexion, while the women are much stronger, more
cheerful and agreeable than their Chinese sisters. Hence the Chinese often choose
their wives amongst these aborigines.
The Lutze-kiang takes its name from the Lutze, or Anong, who dwell on its
banks in a region of West Yunnan bordering northwards on the Lolo country.
Some Lisu tribes are also scattered in the valley of this Tibeto-Burman river, as well
as in that of the Lantze-kiang (Mekhong), which in this part of its course traverses
Yunnan. The hills on the right bank over against Weisi-f u are almost exclusively
occupied by the Lisu. Those dwelling near the Chinese to^vn^ and near their more
civilised kinsfolk, the Moso, pay the tribute regidiirly ; but those residing in the
more inaccessible highlands have maintained their indei)ondence, and they have a
tradition requiring them every twenty or thirty years to make a plundering
expedition against the people of the plains. Like certain North American Indians,
they never fail first to warn the enemy of their approach. At the stated time they
make their appearance at the stated place, and such is the dread of the Chinese
settlers that they are generally vanquished by these savages armed with bows and
'^pT^SlKT-JY^^rei
wm^wM^i^^:.'
INHABITANTS OF YUNNAN.
2G7
nnan hns direct
kiang, or lied
ic ascended the
innel penetrated
)d of a district
reaty concluded
ledared open to
e the expedition
le advantages of
10 might save by
) thousand years
lighhmd regions
tze, Lutze, Lisu,
raily as those of
er are generally
contrast in their
also as '• Iiaw "
'hite, called ai.so
funnan, and arc
ead and wear the
thej' are easily
lent and energy
regular features
Many have even
h stronger, more
aese often choose
who dwell on its
le Lolo country,
man river, as well
8 course traverses
Imost exclusively
i near their more
J residing in the
and they have a
ke a plundering
merican Indians,
stated time they
i of the Chinese
3d with bows and
arrows dipped in aconite. The Lisu carry off the women and children, and sell them
to the Burmese. They also seize the silks and jewellery, and consign the houses of
their enemies to the flames. Yet the mandarins deny the existence of these
dangerous neighbours, and even forbid their names to be pronounced. Their
complete destruction having been announced to the Central Govei-nment some
generations ago, these tribes have ever since been ojficialh/ (>xtinct.
In peaceful times the Lisu are very hospitable, and are distinguislud amongst
the surrounding peoples for their spirit of clanship and solidarity. The land is held
in common, every family settling down wherever it pleases, and cultivating the open
tracts, or the clearings obtained by firing the forests. Tliey trade with the nei»»h-
bouring tribes, and thus obtain the cowries (^Cyprwn monda) from the Maldive
Archipelago, with which the head-dress of their women is entirely covered. They
have rejected the Buddhist missionaries, and still adhere to the kShainanist practices
formerly universal throughout the extreme East. Their wizards cast lots to attract
the gowl spirits, and beat the tom-tom to scare the demons of the springs, rocks, and
woodlands.
The Shans, or " White Barbarians " of the Chinese, are more numerous in Burma
than in the Middle Kingdom, where they only occupy the south-went corner of
Yunnan west of the Salwin or Lu-kiang. All are subject to the mandarins, who
appoint the village head-men, making them responsible for the taxes. The Kakhyens
(Kachin), or Sing-jjo (Chingpo), as they call themselves, are one of the most
enterprising races in the country, and regard the Shans as an inferior people, good
enough to supply them with muleteers and porters. Of small stature, but robust
and energetic, they pass much of their time in feasting and attending to the toilet,
tattooing arms and legs, and covering their dress with shells and all kinds of
ornaments. The women do all the work, even tilling the land and carrying burdens.
Hence the wife is chosen, not for her beauty, but for her physical strength, and he
is reputed the happiest paterfamilias who possesses the greatest number of
daughters, all destined to a life of ceaseless labour. Although surrounded by
Buddhist populations, the Kakhyens have retained their old animism, still addressing
their prayers to the nat.% or protecting genii. As in certain parts of West Europe,
they place a piece of silver in the mouth of the dead, to pay their passage over the
great river that flows between the two lives.
The Pei (Pai, Payi, Payu), an aboriginal people in the south and south-west of
Yunnan, and especiallj' in the Salwin basin, are divided, according to their respective
domains, into Highland and River Pei. At some remote period they traditionally
inhabited the banks of the Yang-tze-kiang, whence they were gradually driven south
by the advancing tide of Chinese migration. Neighbours of the Lolo, and kinsmen
of the Slums, they associate litth; with them, dwelling in isolated villages, with flat-
i-oofed houses like those of the Tibetans and Miaotze. Their complexion is whiter
than that of the Chinese, and, like the Lolo, they are also distinguished from them by
their physical strength. All insert in the lobe of the ear either a silver cylinder or
a bamboo tube, an ornament replaced by the women with a cigar or a tuft of straw.
Most of the latter smoke tobacco, while the men have taken to opium. The women
"'^'Wm^g^^m^m^^se
268
EAST ASIA.
>^^
.-4'^
aro very inclustn'ous, fiiul aro skilled at woaviii}^, iiiid even at the goldsmith's art. In
speech, and prohabiy in hlood, the Pei arc allied to the Laos of Tndo-China, while
the Loh) speak various more or less mixed dialects of IJurmese, Chinese, or Tibetan.
The Tape, a tribe related to the IVi, arc the only survivors of a fonncrly powerful
nation, which the annals tell us were condemned by the Son of Heaven to send him
a tribute in objects of fjold and silver, rhinoceros horns, and tusks of elephants.
The local fauna wtnild therefore seem to have undergone a change within the historic
period, for all these large mammals have long disappeared. Neither the Pei nor
the Pape have any idols, but when they come amongst civilised peoples they freely
enter the temples, nutke offerings,
FiK. 126.— CifiNEgR OF Yi-NNAii. and burn incense, like the ordi-
nary worshippers.
Chinese culture is in other
respects gradually prevailing,
while the original types are
being moditied by intermixture.
Anumgst the half-castes sprung of
these alliances are several com-
munities which, while speaking
Chinese exclusively, still betray
the presence of aboriginal blood
in their muscular development,
independent spirit, and rude
habits. " We aro not Chinese,"
they insist haughtily ; " we aro
Yunnan people " They have more
than once sided with the Pauthays
or natives against the mandarins. They differ also from the Chinese in their
cheerful spirit and love of music. Nearly all the muleteers or carters accompany
the pace of their animals with their mandolines.
\->
'■ill '3
Thk Panthav Insurrection.
The insurrection of 1855, which for a time raised "West Yunnan to the rank of
an independent state, began with a quarrel between some Buddhist and
Mohammedan miners at Shivan"- about the source of the Red River. Nowhere else
in China had Islam made so much progress as in Yunnan. Sprung of a few early
Arab immigrants and of some Uokhariot soldiers brought hither by Kublai Ehan
in the thirteenth century, the lloi-IIoi of Yunnan cannot now be physically
distinguished from the surrounding Chinese. But the different rites, and especially
the clash of interests in the mining districts, fostered mutual hatred and
brought about frightful massacres. At the same thne the most varied
elements were found uTiiongst the rebels, collectively known abroad by the Burmese
name of Panthay. In the Mohammedan ranks were Buddhist and Taoist Chinese,
;^gji^4f^7^:;
ii^m'i^ismmw^fs'
\ .-
TOPOGRAPHY.
209
nith's art. Tn
-China, while
le, or Tih(>tan.
erly i)o\vcrful
II to send liim
of t'h'phants.
in the liistoric
■ the Pei nor
OS thoy freely
lake olferings,
iko the ordi-
! is in other
prevailing,
1 tyi)es are
intermixture,
stes spnui}^ i)i
several com-
iiilc speaking
, still hetray
iriginal blood
development,
, and rude
lot Chinese,"
ly ; " we are
ley have more
. the Panthays
inese in their
rs accompiiny
to the rank of
3uddhist and
Nowhere else
)f a few early
Kublai Khan
be physically
and especially
[ hatred and
most varied
\' the Burmese
'aoist Chinese,
besides Lolo, Pai, Miaotze, and many other tril)os. On the other hand, many
Mussulmans remained faithful to the Imperial eause, and it was one of these who,
after fighting successfully on the rebel side, brought alxmt the ultimate triumph of
the Chinese. A number of the vanquished Panthays withdrew to the Slum and
Kakhyen hill tribes on the frontiers of Siam and IJurma. IJut the gaps thus made
have k^en tilled up by immigrants, chiefly from Seehuen. Besides civil war, Yunnan
has also recently suffered from the spread of leprosy and of pestilence, whidi lias
made great ravages amongst men and animals. The epidemic seems here always to
begin with the rats.
Topography.
Momein, or Tengyue/i-tincf, the only important Chinese town in the Trawadi
basui, lies in a vast rice-growing plain enclosed by steep mountains. It is regarded
by the English as the natural gate of South-west China, and its name constantly
recurs iu all railway projects. Farther cast there are no large places in the deep
Fig. 127.— KolTE BETWBBN MoMEIN AND TaLI-FC.
Scale 1 : 2,600,000.
The Heights are decuple of the Distanoes.
•— — »-^— — — ^— ^ 60 Miles.
valley of the Lutze-kiang (Lu-kiang, or Salwin). But Ynngchanii-fu, on one of
its affluents, is a busy mart largely inhabited by refugees from Nanking, whence its
title of " Little Nanking." It has been identified with Marco P n
wiiw^wn-i—
>i also, which
t hike of like
suiTouiidiug
t standinj; in
1 for ull its
i^
W
I
il
ifg:
h iu u uurrow
I strengthened
a vast citadel,
fang), was the
na. Recently
m
g
o
U
a
H
9.
O
»
r<
Id
5
:|,,-.f.,.vit-,-"«!-'&ri«iI^:s;-;:?;,V-V,-lUff-, .
r5!r
; >i I '^
TOrOOEAPUY.
271
it again aoquirod the rank of a cupital, liaviug been (Oioson as the rosidoiico of llio
Mohainniodaii King Tuwhonsia, or Sultan Soli man. On the entry of llu> Imperialists
in ItST^J, over half of its 50, ()()() inhabitants were massacred, and the ooiuinaiider of
the forces was able to send to Yunnan-fu twenty-four large hami)<>rs full of human
cars. The suburbs were fired, and the city half ruined. IJut Tali can scarcely fail
to recover from its disasters. Besides its administrative importance, it enjoys the
advantage of its fertile plains, mines of salt and the precious metals, marble quarries,
besides which it is the natural entrepot of trade between Bhamo and Ningyuen ;
that is, between Bunna and Sechuen. Lying over 0,500 feet above sea-level, near
the tropical /one, it enjoys an excellent climate, without a winter season, although
the mountains rising 10,000 feet above the west side of the lake are snow-clad for
eight or nine months in the year.
The lake, better known by the name of Erh-hai, is 30 miles long according to Gill,
and develops a crescent stretching north and south, with a mean breadth of about
() miles. In the deeper parts there is over 300 feet of water, but elsewhere it is
much shallower, and in the south studded with a few islands. During the rains its
level i," sometimes raised 10 or 18 feet, when the torrent is changed to a copious
stream, whi(;h carries its outflow through the Yanghi-kiang to the Mekhong. Jjike
all its influents, the lake abounds in flsh, which the natives take with the aid of
water-fowl trained for the purpose.
Shidiniiiff-Jit, Yiiii chew, Scmao, and the other places in the Mekhong basin .south
of Tali-fu, also suffered from the consequences of the late outbreak. Menghoa-hieu,
near the source of the Red River, 30 miles south of the lake, was distinguished
beyond all others for its heroic defence, and when further resistance became
impossible, all valuables were hastily collected together and burnt. Poison was
then distributed amongst the old men, women, and children, the four corners of the
city were fired, and the handful of surviving combatants mostly perished in the
attempt to cut their way through the besieging forces.
Likimig-fu, in the Ujjper Einsha-kiang basin north of Tali-fu, has not yet been
visited by any European traveller ; but w^hen Gill passed west of it he was told that
it had been ruined by the oppressive rule of the mandarins. Other places in the
same district had been completely destroyed either by the Panthays or the Imperial
forces. In the portion of Yunnan draining to the Yang-tze only three large towns
remain intact. One of these is the provincial capital, Ynnmn-fn, situated in a
plain near the northern extremity of the largest lake in North Y'unnan. This lake,
known as the '• Sea of Tien," from a kingdom of that name formerly comprising
the greater portion of the plateau, lies about 6,500 feet above the sea, and sends its
superfluous waters through the Pulu-shing emissary northwards to the Yang-tze.
The district is productive in cereals, flax, tobacco, and fruits. But the introduction
of the opium industry is said to have ruined that of wax, of which large quantities
were formerly produced. The natives state that the bees, attracted by the poi)py
flower, all perished from its poisonous effects after the second season. Yunnan-fu,
identified by some with Marco Polo's Yaftlii, is the centre of one of the chief mining
regions in the province. It controls the current price of copper for the whole of China,
fij^gp"
™'i3^i»iM «w*aitWM4 -j maBiitMfe^
272
EAST ASIA.
11
m
mill Imssninc liiif^c iiu'tallurj?i(^ works, including; ii mint over two lnni(lrc of alioiit t'l.OOO. A hill
towiirds tlu« imitli-wfst is crowiu-d l)y ii (••ipjit r temple, wliieli wiis spared i>y the
rebels lucnuse it eoiiiiiieiuorated the national Kiu^if I'sankwei, wiio dared to resist
tile authoiity of Kaiii>-hi. Still farther nortli aiiotiier hill on the Secliiien frontier
is occupied hy a ;:^roiip of l)uildin''s, including; a ciiurch and Neniiiiary, which the
Catholic missionaries have converted into a forniidahle stronj^yhold ajjainst tho
incursions of the Mantze tiilxs.
Tho Lffiii;f-s/iini hijj;hlands, on the connnon frontier of Kweichew, Secdiuen, and
Yunium, are occupied hy a peaceful {xipnlatioii of Ituddhists, Mohaniinedaiis, and
abori«;iiU's, who continued to live
i'ig. lU!i.— YiNN.w in perfect harmony throiiirhout tho
Scale 1 • l,nrt),(iO(>. , r a\ \ , • -i
seventeen years ot tiie latt> civil
war. I lerc one of the chief mineral
products i^ a salt of lead emphn'cd
in porcelain paintinj^, and cxjjurted
by tho Yan-tze route as far as
Kian,()()() feet. Hut whatever bo their altitude, these c(Mitral highlands s(>nd
down nunuTous toirents in ull directiuna to the coast, which forniH an irregular
oval 4X0 niibs in extent.
Hainan is one of tho Icnst-known parts of China. The rivorH have lH>en tracwl
on the maps either from old Chinese documents or from native rej)orts, while oven
the seaboard has been carefully surveyed only on tin; north side. It is uiuiertain
whether tho Nankien-kiung, Howinj^ north-west, really ramifies into the two
naviiraldc rivers, Peimen-kianjo; and Kien-kiang, or 1 .lianj^, with a total
development of ISO miles. It is even said to thri>w olf a third branch, also
navifjable, directly to the (iulf of Ttmking, forminjj; altogether a disposition of
running waters in a hilly island elsewhere unparalleled.
Ilauian abounds in natural resources of all kiiuls. Its mountains rontain gold,
silver, copper, iron, and other metals; hot springs bubble up, especially in its
western valleys; the hillsides ure clothed with dense forests, supplying excellent
building nuiterial, and still harbouring the tiger, rhinoceros, a species of ajK!
resendtling the orang-outang, deer, and wild goats. Lower down floui-isli the co(!o,
areca, and Ix'tel-nut palm ; while pine-apple hedges line the fields under the sugar-
eane, mango, banana, litchi, indigo, cotton, tobacco, rice, potato, sesanio, and tropical
fruits. Here is also the Coccus pila insect, which yields the vegetable wax of com-
merce, and tho surroundinj? waters abound in Hsh, the turtle, and pearl oyster.
Lying in the tr.iek of tho south-west monsocms, the island is abundantly watered,
while the tropical heats are tempered by cof)l sea breezes from the north-eust.
Although within the zone of tho typhoons, Hainan suffers much less than Formosa
from these fierce whirlwinds.
When speaking of its inhabitants, Chinese writers compare the island to a circle
enchtsing two concentric rings. In the centre live the wild al)originos, in the
outer zone the Chinese settlers, and between the two the civilised natives. The
various tribes that have withdrawn to the valleys of tho interior are collectively
known by the name of Li, or Loi, and speak a language akin to that of the
continental Miaotze. Some of the Song-li, as the more savage tril)es ure called, go
almost naked, dwelling in caves or narrow retreats covered with a straw roof, and
split up into nunjcrous hostile septs, with different dress, arms, ond customs. Tho
Nawtcmg wear the hair gathered in curls on the forehead, while the Kac Miau
plant bits of bamlwo like horns on the top of the head. The Shuh, or " Ilipc " — that
js, settled and civilised — Li have been joined at various times by Miaotze refugees from
Kwangsi and West Kwangtung, whom they resemble in speech and habits. liiit tho
dominant race have long been the Chinese, of whom ii3,000 families colonisetl the
coast lands some two thousand years ago. In 1835 they numbered 1,350,000, aiid
are now said to exceed 2,500,000. Mostly from Fokien and Kwangtung, they
have suffered much from the pirates formerly infesting these waters, but they
■ '^W^^i^^M'^s:W4
^^mmmmt
FORMOSA.
275
itluT flic Htars
ti tluH tropiral
I'd with Hiiow
y an olcvulion
li^lilaiidH Ncnd
1 un iii'i'n;idar
vc l)oon traced
ts, while oven
[t w uiioertuin
into the two
with a total
I hniiu'h, uIho
(liNposition of
< contain {»old,
ipecially in its
yin<» exccUent
[M'cies of ajxi
uriMh the coighbouring nuiiidand, the Ciiinesc communities
are divi(U'd into hostile I'unti and llakku factions, In'tween which the hereditary
feuds have even recently given rise- to tierce outI)reaks.
h'iiiHyc/ii'W, the capital, and the largest cit}' in tlir island, naturally lies on the
north side over against the mainland, at the most convenient point for hinding and
forwarding the local produce to Ibmg Kong and Canton. The surrounding district
18 extremely fertile and densely peopled, and the ci'y, enclosed by a wall JO feet
high, lies (> miles from the sea. iJut its outport of //o/-//o*r (//«/-/««•), also by
foreigiu'rs generally called Kiungchew, stands on a bay on the south side of the
strait, and has been opened to Kuntpcan trade si. ice iHoM. The chief exports are
sugar, sesame, dressed leather, pigs, poultry, and pigeons for the markets of Macao
and Hong Kong. The harlxiur is ho shallow that large vessels are obliged to
anchor nearly 3 miles off, under a sand-bank, which protects fh(>m from the sui-f.
Next to the capital the most import4(nt places are Tiittfoii, on the Ta-kiang, the
largest mart for agricultural produce ; Liidno awl 7\iii('/itir,im the north-west coast,
surrounded by sugar plantations ; Aic/icir, on the south; W'unclirir and Lu/itii, ou
the east sido.
FORMOSA.
LiKK TTainan, which it somewhat exceeds in size, and probably in population,
Fonnosa belongs geologically to the mainland. Close to the east coast the sounding-
line ])lunges ut once into depths of 7,000 feet, whereas Fokien Strait, on the west
side, has a mean depth of scarcely 140 feet, and contracts to a width of 80 miles at
its narrowest part. Even about the southern entrance of the strait the sea is
studded with the Pescadores (Panghu) Islands, which are continued westwards
and south-westwards by dangerous shallows. Politically and ethnically, also,
Fonnosa is simply an appendage of the neighbouring province of Fokien.
Known to the old geographers by the name of Great Luchew, and now officially
called Taiwan, from the name of its capital, this island presents the form of an
elongated oval, some 240 miles long north and south, and traversed throughout its
entire length by a regular water-parting, which falls abruptly eastwards, while
sloping gently towards the mainland. This Ta-shan, or "Great Range," as it is
called, scarcely exceeds 8,000 feet in the south, but in the centre Mount Morrison
attains a height of over 11,000 feet, while the system culminates northwards with
Mount Sylvia and other peaks rising to elevations of 12,000 feet and upwards.
The Ta-shan consists mainly of carboniferous limestones, with igneous rocks
cropping out here and there. Mention is even vaguely made of an active volcano,
the Eiai-shan, in the centre of the range, and earthquakes are still frequent in
many places. The coast seems even to be rising, whereas the opposite sealward
■^m'^'^&ii
mSl|»5*»«:«f<>. mim^mtmm»f) -*!a85SWa-#>T«»r4^-V,^ti-!?>*:^W»TfeH
87^
KART AMIA.
^
iM'txvccii Nirijf]M) uml rimlon i> Miilwidinjf. Wlicn the l>iitcli litld Taiwiin, on fho
Muiitli-\\t'>l side, a iiii\ipil>U' strait, accrHNililf lit HcitH, tlnwcd iM'turni the two
fitad<'l>, Itiit tliix cliaiiiicl ir* now dry land, iiili't'M'rlt'd ItyrniialM and i-inmIn, wliirli
ui')' partly covt-rrd diirin^^ the Hprinf^ tiduN, n<> that tlic Hliippin^ now an«'liiii-H alM)ut
2 iiiili'N from tlu> old fort.
Till' iirnt Kuro|M'aii iiavipitorN wlio Hi^lit«>d Taiwan early in the Nixtcenth cen-
tury were HO Mtnii'k witli its |)iftiirt>Hi|iu> apiHNinince that they aptly nani(>d it
i'S '"»
fig. lai — FuHMOIA AMI) FoKIKN KtRAIT.
H«ili> 1 : 4.fin«l,'ti'iO
tu lau Felt.
1«0 to 820 feet. 310 to a,200 Fett. 3,'AJO Feet ana iipwanU.
^^^^—^^—^— tw«»
il t'lHulN, wliii'h
iiiicliurH iilMiiit
MixllTlltll ft'li-
ptly iiiiiiH'd it
M
^i
m
fg
:j
)^r
!5«
^-
i
.■■ ^
?
-
"
—
25"
^
^
=^-=^-;^eg'
I2S'
'ards.
8 better claims
1 range throws
jlit and aspect,
riety from the
its everywhere
he bright tints
FoilMOSA.
KIr. J3J. — |||(imi,ani, Fmnimmai-b, Foit«i(w.».
277
of a dense sub-tropical forest vegetation clothing all the surrounding valleys. The
native villages are suspected rather than seen, embowered in bamboo and palm
.•■i--:-;^jr
-^ri(ltS!.!a»SS«te:»- -..-.■ ■: ■■■^■r3iCSC,er«:*,-SaiSft«yxi«VJ«-J3Sft«,.!5»S5^^ --y,.
ranp-
278
EAST ASIA.
11 ^
#! f
thickets, wliich flodrisli down to tlic verge of tho ocean, and crown the cliffs that
are i-veiy where cut by the beating waves into a thousand fantastic forms.
Tho extraordinary wealth of the Formosan flora is due partly to the neighbour-
hood of the continent, partly to the different climatic zones superimposed oneal)ovo
the other along tho mountain slopes. The coast lands belong to the trf)pic8, while
the hills and mountains rise to the temperate and colder atmospheric regions.
There is further a regular succession of monsoons, the wind blowing in summer
from the Malay Archipelago, in winter from Japan. With this disposition of the
atirial corresponds that of the oceanic currents, which on the cast side set north-
eastwards in the direction of the Japanese Kuro-siwo, or " Black Stream," but
which in the shallow waters along the west coast flow alternately north and south
luider the action of the shifting trade winds. The island is thus exposed to the
varying influences of the northern and southern climates, while also enjoying the
advantage of an abundant rainfall. Tho greatest amount of moisture is received,
not in summer, as mostly elsewhere in the extreme East, but in winter, during the
prevalence of the humid north-east monsoon, when a rainfall of over 120 inches
has been recorded at the Kelung station on the north coast. On tho east side the
atmospheric currents are occasionally iicverscd by the typhoons, which rarely pene-
trate westwards to the Fokien Strait. On the 18th and 19th of August, 1858, the
naturalists on board the Novam, en route from Shanghai to the Carolines, observed
one of these cyclones, which, while revolving round itself, described a vast curve
above the southern limits of the Liu-kiu Archipelago. From hour to hour they were
able to follow and record the successive points gained by the hurricane, which
reversed the normal direction of these typhoons.
Although Formosa probably possesses no vegetable or animal species distinct
from those of the continent, some forms occur which have not yet been met else-
where. The prevailing species, corresponding with those of South Japan and Fokien,
arc often distinguished by their symmetrical and vigorous growth. Nowhere else
in the Chinese Empire do tho bamboos attain a greater height, being sometimes
100 feet high, with a girth of 24 inches. The large forests of the interior con-
sisted chiefly of the camphor-tree before the ravages committed by the rapacity of
modern traders. One of the most common plants on the coast lands is the Aralia
papyrifera, a shrub with bare stem terminating in broad leaves, used in the manu-
facture of " rice paper."
Amongst the thirty-five species of mammals and one hundred and twenty-eight
of land birds, there are fourteen and forty-three respectively which are found
neither on the mainland nor on the neighlxjuring islands. This local fauna shows
that the island has long been separated from the continent, although not long
enough to greatly modify the prevailing types. Thus the tiger, wild Iwar, deer,
antelope, monkeys, insectivora, and various species of ruminants and rodents cor-
respond with those of the mainland, although several of these mammals are more
closely related to those of India, Malaysia, and Japan than to those of China. The
"rock monkey " recalls some of the Indian and Burmese varieties rather than thos6
of South China and Hainan ; while the beautiful deer discovered bv Swinhoe, the
'■■^mm
FORMOSA.
279
the cliffs tliut
ms.
le nci};libour-
ised one al«)ve
tropics, while
leric regions,
ng in summer
(osition of the
iide set north-
Stream," but
rth and south
sxposed to the
enjoying the
ire is received,
;er, during the
ver 120 inches
3 east side the
h rarely pene-
Tust, 1858, the
lines, observed
d a vast curve
hour they were
irricane, which
species distinct
been met else-
an and Fokien,
Nowhere else
eing sometimes
le interior con-
the rapacity of
8 is the Aralia
in the manu-
d twenty-eight
lich are found
al fauna shows
lougt not long
kild boar, deer,
lid rodents cor-
nmals are more
of China. The
thcr than thosfe
v Swinhoe, the
flying squirrels, and the Macroacelin ape arc allied to those of ^lalaysia. More
than half of the Formosan avifauna is also more nearly related to those of the
Jiimalayas, South India, the Eastern Archipelago, and Japan than to those of the
more adjacent Chinese lands. Amongst the new forms discovered by Swinhoe the
most remarkable are some gallinaccic and pigeons, a magnificent pheasant, some
tomtits, sparrows, and the white-headwl blackbird ; but there are no parrots, as in
Fig. 133.— Tyi'hoov of the "Novaka."
Scale 1 : 8,520,000.
160 MUes.
the central and southern provinces of China. While the continental yellow-
hammer migrates in vast numbers between India and Manchuria, the Ft)inu)san
variety never leaves the island, merely passing with the seasons from the plains to
the uplands. In the Tamshui River singing fishes are heard, like those of Trinco-
mali Bay, Guayaquil, and San Juan del Norte.
Being visible from the mainland on clear days, Formosa has from the remotest
■^"Vwjp'v ■"
• L^,.;r{W-*r;'
"'-^- ■ ■""'■"'^™m^i3^i*ttm®^fi)«J^J$f»»&*rVC*$ic^-»^'t^^»'-.H>
-tsm
280
KAST ASIA.
1^'
■^
periods 1)0011 known to tlio Cliiiiosc. 15ut al(hou{?h the Pnnf^lm proup had hoen
lonf» occupied hy Home fishornion, llio island was never visited till the year OOo of
the vulf^ar era, nor were any setllenients made till the fifteenth oentury, when the
nor.h coast was occupied. An orfjaiiized system of immigration was at last dovo-
loped during the second lialf of the seventeenth century, after the expulsion of the
Dutch traders and the d(>s1 ruction of the pirates. Yet within two hundred years
the settlers, mostly from Fokien, have already occupied all the w('
x^-'-
^>»'^
Kelung there
if Tamsliui, is
f^. According
ai)proacbcd at
lignites, some
if the district
neighbourhood
itu being oaten
•ados. ;MoHt of
the islands, worn away at the base, have assumed tlie form of colossal mushrooms.
On a headlaiul at tlio east side of the entrance to llie port are the iiiiiisof soiuo
old Spanish batifieations.
The Iiiu-l thoHo ol' Vniiiikuin", iirr still in the snvii;;*' state.
Towards its s. IJut tlu?
yield of rice and millet heing iiisufHcient for their wants, they de])eiid jiartly
on Kormo.su for their siistenanco. Here the fierce winter j»alps sometiiuL-.s blow
Fig. 130.- CiiiA.M) Lu-oiiKW, Act'OitnLNo TO AN oi.n CiiiNKHK Mah.
r^ ^-r^.5v"^
mm
5
W
down or tear up the trees by the roots. The village of Mnkvng is the capital of
this group.
MATERIAL AND SOCFAL CONDITION OF CHINA.
Aftkr the tremendous losse.s aftendinj; the civil wars and other disasters, bv
which the country has been wasted since the middle of the present century, the
population has again entered on a period of increase. Celibacy outside the
monasteries is almost unknown in China, where all marry young, and where the
average number of children is greater than elsewhere. " There are three sins
against filial piety," says Mengtze, " and of the three the greatest is to leave no
posterity." Celibacy is even forbidden, and the mandarins have the right to
compel men after their thirtieth, and women after their twentieth, year to get
married. The poj)ulation would double in about twenty years but for the civil
wars, massacres, and famines, and the universal peace now prevailing has certainly
already added tons of millions to the population. The increase is, moreover, largely
due to the migrations of the natives of Sechuen, Fokien, and Shansi ; that is, of the
most industrious and enterprising citizens of the Middle Kingdom.
The actual density of the population can only be surmised from old estimates,
whose real value has never been clearly determined. Nevertheless it is certain
that in this respect China cannot be compared with Western Europe, parts of the
THK CIIINKSH TOWNS.
286
)0M, 8()ino
(>f
til' I'linnnsii
ii< west side,
s a Khii>piii)?
iiihal)itimts,
n>. Hut i1k)
<]»fii«l ]>iiitly
iiutiiiiL's blow
tlie capital of
disasters, by
t coiitury, the
outside the
ud where the
re three sins
s to leave iio
the right to
, year to get
for the civil
has certainly
■cover, largely
that is, of the
old estimates,
it is certain
3, parts of the
United StiitcM, and even of Austnilia. There are doubtless many liir<;(> cities, such as
Canton, llmikow, (!iiangclic\v, l''u( liew, Sin;raii, 'i'itntsiii, and i'duiig; l)ut even
tliese only take the second rank compared witli London, or even with Paris.
Wliile the url)an exceeds the rural population in manufacturing' countries, the
reverse is the ease in China, still mainly an agricultural region. Nnr can its
political centralization be conipured with that of most Kurii|ti'an states, the want of
Fig. 1U7.— Dbnsity ok tiik CiriNKBK Poi-llatjos in 1S42.
Boalo I : SO.oon.rn. ,
EoFG.
Per Square Kilometre.
n
p:
13 ^ ^ H
Oinhftb. OtolO. 10 to 20. 20toI(H», IdO to 200, 200 nnd upwards.
I Towim with over 1,000,000 Inhabitants. • Towng with over oOD.OOO Iiihubitants.
._i___i^..^____ 1,900 MUes.
communication preventing the great emporiums from developing such a vast trade
as that enjoyed by the leading cities of the West.
The Chinese Towns.
Speaking generally, the Chinese towns, of which the ancient Singan-fu may be
taken as the type, belong to a different period of evolution from those of Europe.
Their quadrangular enclosures of lofty castellated walls still attest the frequent
recurrence of civil wars, while the inner city, lying within u "second enclosure,
recalls the Manchu conquest. On the least alarm the four or eight gates of the city
are closed, and the towers occupied by armed men. The Manchu quarter is in the
'^'«a?«?rr--
; ^ ^y*wft » MU 1 ^ tinu>.>4 of cdiisidtMalilc t>\tciit. Hut althmi^di the ('liinrHc t|iiarti>r is iiuicli iiioru
uniinat(>d, the tiadiuff I'las^t's still [MrftT tin- (ipiii sidmrhs hcyoiid the outer walls,
where they are free i'roin the police and military re^'ulatious, and where aeeess uiid
c'^^ress are peniiifted thronjjhoiit the iii<,dit. These suhurhs, often stn'tchin^ for
miles aloii};; tile roads and canals, heeonu- tlu-niNclves real towns, and thus is social
life iirks,
H much luoro
.< (tutcr walls,
re m'ccKM 1111(1
trctchiiig ior
thus is social
«ul)urlw coin-
iind many of
nsolvoH. The
m
ents — are soon
met with in
8, while fires
uthern gate of
■ansformcd by
a rule, inde-
ll-kept fields.
pidoniics, and
uropo ; while
liabits, commit
ewhere. Pro-
l»ah|y iiiiic-fcnths oT liic wliolc pojuilatiHH an- afTcctcfl hy culancuus diM-ascs, which
arc lurn:t'ly due to the |)i»«ti!cMtial cxhidatioiis from tin rice j^ruunds. Yet the
Chines.' easily resist the hauoful inHueiu*es of climate, and adapt thenisejve-. inure
readily than others to the extreme variations of temperature, humidity, and
elevation of the land. A remarkalile fact in Chinese ethno^rraphv is the importance
attached to himily names, which may l)e said to constitute close hlood relationship.
KiK. 130.— luRKlATIXO VVMV, ISol TU ClUNA.
Hence alliances between men and women bearing the same patronymic are strictly
forbidden. The whole nation has thus come to bo divided into 150 distinct groups,
which can intermarry indirectly only through the female line.
AoRicti/ruRE.
The fertile soil of China has been under cultivation for thousands of years
wthout showing any signs of exhaustion. It not only still suffices to support all
888
KAST ASIA.
the iiihiiliitiititH of tlif I'lnpirc, liiit tiloo yirliU ciiiisidi'nililr Nii|)|)li(>s for th<< rx]K)rt
trtiili'. Willioiit tilt' rlu'iiiiciil knowlfd^c and |i<>i'f(>*'t«>d iiiipliinriit^^ (d' lMini|H ]M>asut)l Iium gradually IkhiIIU' ai(|uaiMt('d with the (jiiality of t!i(> iaiiil
and the ri>(|iiiri'iiu'nfn of flic cultivati'd plaiilN. lie iumI. ■if.ds tlic iH'«!e»wiry
rotation of «TopM on tin- Name isoil ; n-j^ulatcs the due pro^x ,i m ol lime, jdiosjdiati's,
ashfM, aiiinial and vc^n'taWlo rcinaiiiH, and ollitr niannr«< ' t .«'4 of his instruinriits with manual Hkill. \lo I'ari'ludy w(H>dM tiM' ground,
uad irrigates it l)y ii thouHuiid dillVrciit ntntrivuncoH, all kinds ot punipt) und
Pig. HO.— lULATivi Impohtanc'i or the Chops i.s thi; ( hinkkk Puovincm.
Snilc 1 ; .■in.iKKi.rino.
dO'
25:
FoFG.
v«.....>
"p-^\i
GOO Miletk
hydraulic wheels, worked by the hand, animals, or the wind. The system of tillage
thus resembles market gardening rath(>r than the broad methods of cultivation
common in Europe. In the fertile plains, especially about Shanghai, a single
acre sufHces for the support of seven or eight persons, and before the country was
thro^vn open to foreign trade it yielded sufficient for all the wants of the ijcoplc.
There are, moreover, vast tracts still uncultivated, and according to the official
rt>turns for the beginning of this century, while the land under tillage amounted to
120,000,000 acres. Shantung was the only province where more than half of the
soil was actually cultivated.
H
AdHKUI.TrilK.
2HI)
or the rX|Ktrt
il' Kuio|M'im«t,
ty of llw land
tlic iufcsHiiry
U', J»lH)(*Jiluit('M,
|l)lll'lllt'lll'4 tlll^
■4 \hr J4?(illll(l,
it puiiipH und
NCM.
un
stem of tillage
of cultivation
ghai, u single
le country was
of the people,
to the official
e amounted to
m half of the
Liohig luiH w«'ll poiiifcd out the rrniurkuhlo contrast pr('s«>nt»'d l»y CliincHi"
huHldindrv to that ol' houic otlicr counlrics, wImtc the soil lias nhrady Ixrn
cxliaustcd. Palestine, now so arid, at one time ' flowed with milk and honey."
Central Italy has alno lieeome impov(>rislied, and how many other regions have
hei'ii reduced to wildernc'sses hy ignorant and wastel'nl systems! Kven in ihi
Uniteil States many formerly prodiictivi- tracts are now harrcn, while Mngland,
France, and (Jermany are already ohliged to import much of their supplies, as ,vell
as the guano and otlier fertilising substances riMpiircil to restore its produilive
energy to the exhausted land. Ilut in China, apart altogether from the " Yellow
liands," which need no niaiuire, the arable regions have maintained their fecundity
for over four thousand years, entirely through the thouy;htful peasantry
in restoring to the soil under another form all that the crops have taken from if.
At th(> sanu' time " the ploughing of the Chinese is very ])oor and unscientillc.
Tliey scarcely (h) more than scratch the surface of the gnuind ; and instead of the
Htraight lines so dear to the eye of an Knglish farmer, the ridges and furrows in
China are as crooked as serpents. Hence it Is difficult to understand how flu!
Chinese have acquired such a high rej)utati(m amongst Muropeans for Krirndftc
fanning. The real secret of their sjicccss lies in the care they take that nothing is
wasted. In many districts they use no other nuinurc than the sewage of the towns,
but not one particle of this is h).st." (CJill, i. 1 14.)
Of the crops the n»)st important is rice, which is the staple food throughout
the central and southern provinces, und which occupies at least one-eighth of uU
the luiul under cultivaficm. There are several varieties, one of which is suitable
for the higher grouiuls, where it is grown on terraces ahuig the sh)pes of the hills.
North of the lloang-ho, wheat, millet, and sorgho are the prevailing cereals, and to
eacli h(»use is generally attached a kitchen garden, yielding all the J'luropcan and
other vegetables according to the climate. But the forests have nearly everywhere
l)een sacrificed to tillage to such an extent that the material for coffins has now to
be imported from abroad. The only fuel consists of dried herbs, straw, roots, and
other yegetablo refuse economized with the greatest care. In the eastern plains,
especially north of the Yang-tze, no large growths are met except bamboo thickets,
orchards, rows of trees between the fields, and hero and there clumps of trees about
the pagodas and cemeteries. The whole country would be covered by these grave-
yards but for the old practice of ploughing them up at the accession of every new
dynasty.
After a careful investigation of the subject in several parts of the country,
G. W. Cooke concludes that on the whole Europe has nothing to learn from China
in the art of agriculture. It is true that the Chinese have no summer fallow lands ;
but, on the other hand, they have no stiff clays. They have no couch-grass ; no
thistles contending for the full possession of the land, as we see in many parts
of "Wales and Ireland ; no uninvited poppies ; no straggling .stalky crops, the
poverty-stricken covering of an exhausted soil. At rare intervals we see a large,
richly coloured coxcomb flaunting himself among the cotton. But, generally
speaking, there is not a leaf above the ground which does not appertain to the crop
Jf- ,r-< .-- jK-i7Tr-«T(jrai8
l» W* . *..*Krti-i-r]w^ ':-?x-'?»f-nLi*wrf* . r^s*^ •-■
^lifmT
290
EAST ASIA.
to which tho field is appropriated. In the districts where rice and cotton arc the
staple products these crops often extend in mibroken breadth over tracts of
thousands of acres. The peas, and wheat, and indigo, and turnips, and bringalls
lie in patches round thi< villages. The ground is not only clean, but the soil is so
cxcpiisitely pulverised that after a week's rain the traveller will sonictinies look
about in vain for a clod to throw into a pond to startle the water-fowl.*
Pasture lands are as scarce as the forests in China. The land is too valuable
to be devoted to stock-breeding, for a tract required to support a million oxen
would yield centals and vegetables enough for 1*^,000,000 hunum beings. But for
thousands of years both the ox and horse have been domesticated. The mythical
Emperor Fo-hi, said to have flourished fifty- three centuries ago, is supposed to have
been the first to domesticate the six essentially tame animals — horse, ox, pig, dog,
sheep, and fowls. But the larger animals, including the buffalo, are little used
except for carriage. They are carefully tended, protected from the cold M-ith
warm cloths, and from the rough roads with straw shoes. Owing to the Buddhist
precept and his natural attachment to his companion in labour, the peasant eats
the flesh of these animals with great reluctance. The penal code even forbids their
slaughter without exjiress permission. Nevertheless, apart from the numerous
vegetarian societies, which also abstain from wine, garlic, and onions, the Chinese
add a little meat to their ordinary diet. They are partial especially to the flesh of
the hog, of which there arc several varieties. On the rivers and reservoirs flocks
of three or four thousand tlucks are also met, which arc looked after either by
children in boats, or even by cocks, which are taught to keep them together by
crowing and flapping their wings. A large traffic is done in these water-fowl,
which are dried, like botanical specimens, between two boards, and in this state
forwarded to the most distant provinces. In the southern provinces, and
especially in Hunan, a particular breed of dogs, and even rats and mice, are
prepared in the same way. The locust, silkworm, and snake enter into the diet of
the poor, while sharks' fins and swallows' nests are served on the tables of the rich.
Another delicacy consists of ducks' eggs steeped while fresh in a solution of salt and
lime. Penetrating through the shell, the lime turns the contents quite black, and
imparls to the egg a decided flavour. In this state it is encased in clay and baked,
after which it will keep for a long time, the white being reduced to the consistency
of a jelly, while the yolk becomes about as firm as a hard-boiled egg. After the
death of Commissioner Yeh in Calcutta, where he had been detained a State
prisoner, several large boxes of eggs prepared in this way were found amongst his
effects.
The Chinese have discovered a means of increasing the fecundity of their
poultry, whereby the relative production of eggs is much greater than in Exirope.
The hen is prevented from hatching by being taught to bathe, and artificial
incubation has been practised long before the art was known in the West. Pigeons
arc protected from birds of i)rey by means of a bamboo whistle no thicker than a
sheet of paper inserted between the wings. Marvellous devices have been intro-
" China in 1857-8," p. 247.
THE TEA TRADE.
291
cotton are the
vcr tracts of
and bringalls
tlie soil is so
Huctiuics look
1.*
is too valuable
I million oxen
ings. But for
The mytliical
pposetl to have
!, ox, pig, (log,
are little used
the cold with
3 the Buddhist
e peasant eats
■n forbids their
the numerous
ns, the Chinese
■ to the flesh of
eservoirs flocks
after cither by
m together by
esc water-fowl,
id in this state
provinces, and
I and mice, are
into the diet of
)le8 of the rich,
tion of salt and
uite black, and
lay and baked,
the consistency
gg. After the
itained a State
nd amongst his
uidity of their
ban in Europe,
and artificial
"West. Pigeons
thicker than a
ave been intro-
duced for the capture of fish, which are tiikon without nets or traps, and great
skill is displayed in rearing and propagating both salt and fresh-water species.
The samli, a kind of shad, is produced almost exclusively by arti cial means, and
sent in large earthenware vessels, far and wide, in every state of development.
TiiK Tka Trade.
Of the natural products, tea supplies the largest element in the foreign export
trade. Tlie quantity consumed by the inhabitants, certainly moro than in all the
rest of the world together, can only be approximately estimated. Yet its use,
although introduced some twelve or fifteen centuries ago, is not yet universal in
the empire. In the northern provinces the rich alone can afford to indulge in the
tea from the Yang-tze basin, others remaining satisfied with various preparations in
which the precious leaf forms but a small part. f]ven in the tea-growing provinces
the poorer classes are obliged to replace it by infusions of the willow and other
leaves gathered in the thickets. In certain districts this industry has even acquired
some commercial importance, thanks to the fraudulent practice of the Hankow,
Shanghai, and Amoy merchants, who use these leaves in adulterating the teas
destined for the European market.
The so-called " brick tea " is prepared especially for the Tibetan and Mongolian
markets. In the Russian factory at Hankow " bricks are made of green and black
tea, but always from the commonest and cheapest ; in fact, for the black tea the dust
and sweepings of the establishment are used. The tea-dust is first collected, and if
it is not in a sufficiently fine powder, it is beaten with wooden sticks on a hot iron
plate. It is then sifted through several sieves to separate the fine, medium, and
coarse grains. The tea is next steam'^'d over boiling water, after which it is
immediately put into the moulds, the fine dust in the centre, and the coarse grains
round the edges. These moulds are like those used for making ordinary clay bricks,
but very much stronger, and of less depth, so that the cakes of tea, when they come
out, are more like large tiles than bricks.
" The people who drink this tea like it black ; wherefore about a teaspoonful of
soot is put into each mould, to give it the depth of colouring and gloss that attracts
the Mongolian purchasers. The moulds are now put under a powerful press, and
the covers wedged tightly down, so that when removed from the press the pressure
on the cake is still maintained. After two or three days the wedges are driven out,
the bricks are removed from the moulds, and each brick is wrapped ui> separately
in a piece of common white paper. Baskets, which when full weigh 130 lbs., are
carefully packed with the bricks, and are sent to Tientsin, whence they find their
way all over Mongolia, and up to the borders of Russia.
" I was told that this tea could be sold retail in St. Petersburg with a fair
profit at the rate of twenty copecks the pound. The green tea is not made of such
fine stuff, but of stalks and leaves. The 3Iongolians make their infusion by boiling.
In this manner they extract all the strength, and as there is no delicate flavour to
lose, they do not injure the taste. The manufacturer here told me that the
■ ■WWA-^J'/Sfe'tiSJ^iVfe.-
1 m'tniniHiniiln H'l
i ^teiAw
I
!'*1>^
292
EAST ASIA.
n
tea the Russians usually drink in their own country is taken direct to Odessa from
Hankow by the Sue/ Canal, and in answer to an inquiry that I made, he assured
nic that even before the canal was opened it never passed through London.
"A better price is given by the Russians in Hankow than the English care
to pay. This is the real reason why the tea in Russia is superior to any found in
London ; foi- caravan tea is a delicacy even amongst the nobles in St. Petersburg."
(Gill, i. 170.)
Other Agricultukal Produce.
Of the seventy cultivated plants mentioned by explorers, the sugar-cane, cotton,
mulberry, wax, tallow, and varnish-tree, boihmeria nettle, and especially the
bamboo, are economically of the first importance. In the south, the orange, peach,
and mulberry are the most productive fruit trees. Opium, although officially
interdicted, is cultivated in nearly all the provinces of the empire, and especially
in Ilupeh, Sechuen, and Yunnan. During the American War cotton was largely
grown in the Tjower Yang-tze region, to the detriment of other plants, which have
since recovered their ground.
Of all pursuits, agriculture holds in China the foremost place. The
Emperor himself is regarded as the first husbandman in the " Great and Pure
Empire," and till recently he was bound, towards the end of March, to plough
three furrows, dressed as a peasant. The work was continued by the imperial
princes, great mandarins, and others invited to the ceremony, and the corn thus
grown was presented the following year to the God of Heaven, as the offering of
the whole nation. At the same time, the Emperor is in theory only the jjroprietor
of the land, which belongs really to the peasant and his posterity as an absolute
freehold.
Land Tenure — The Chinese Commune.
Notwithstanding the pretended immutability of the Chinese people, the posses-
sion of the soil has undergone almost more frequant changes amongst them than
elsewhere. In the first historic period the laud was the common property of the
" Hundred Families," all able-bodied adults between their twentieth and sixtieth
year having a direct right to a share in the soil. Nevertheless the idea of private
property was graaaally developed, to the advantage of the emperor and grandees,
and twelve hundred years before the present era the land was already divided into
appanages and fiefs, as happened later on in West Europe. Still the forests,
pastures, or open spaces remained undivided for every group of eight families, and
the Chinese commune was, on the whole, organized in much the same manner as
the modern mir of Great Russia. Some traces of this system still survive, not only
in China, but in Korea and some other countries affected by Chinese influences.
Towards the middle of the fourth centurj' before the vulgar era another
change took place. Agriculturists were allowed to settle on any vacant spaces, and
sot up landmarks, regardless of the communal limits. Thiis the mir was dissolved
about the same time that the feudal system disappeared, and the peasantry became
LAND TENURE -THE CHINESE COMMUNE.
293
to Odessa from
ado, he assured
jondoii.
le English care
to any found in
>t. Petersburg."
proprietors, with the right of selling or bequeathing their possessions. Thus was
aceomplished a transformation sonic two thousand years ago in China, which
political economists foresee must take place in Russia at no distant date. lUit the
consequences of this dissolution of the communal group soon followed. All (hose
who had been enriched by trade, industry, imperial favour, or other circumstances,
bought up the land at the expense of the peasantry ; large estates wore developed ;
and the small holders, being gradually dispossessed, became at last, for the most
ar-cane, cotton,
especially the
! orange, peach,
lough officially
, and especially
ton was largely
ats, which have
t place. The
Jreat and Pure
irch, to plough
•y the imperial
the corn thus
the offering of
( the j)roprietor
as an absolute
Fig. 141— Chief Chops op China.
Scale 1 : 24,000,000.
iple, the posses-
ngst them than
property of the
3th and sixtieth
idea of private
• and grandees,
dy divided into
till the forests,
lit families, and
ime manner as
irvive, not only
3 influences,
ir era another
iant spaces, and
ir was dissolved
asantrv became
^^
PastnreB. Maize,
Millet, &c.
Rice.
Cotton.
Tea.
Silk. Sugar-cane. Varnish.
. 600 Miles.
part, slaves of the wealthy classes. Those considered themselves fortunate who
were allowed to continue as farmers, to rent the lands of their forefathers. Misery
became widespread, frequent outbreaks took place, the State itself was impoverished,
and great difficulty was experienced in collecting the taxes. An incessant struggle
took place Li.-*veen the partisans of the new regime and the old communal .system,
and for over one thousand years the political history of the empire resolved itself
into the history of the agrarian question. In the ninth year of the new era the
EAST ASIA.
minister AVangmang, after seizing the throne, declared the whole land henceforth
imperial projierty. " No subject shall keep more than one tsin (about twelve
acres), or possess more than eight man slaves. The sale of land is forbidden, so
that all may keep what yields them bread. All excess of land in the hands of
any one reverts to the Crown, and shall be distributed to the communes according
to their needs. Whoever (|uestions the wisdom of these measm'es shall be banished,
whoever resists them shall be put to death." Yet a few years later on the
magnates had recovered their donuiins, and the attempt to reconstitute the old
communal system again failed. " Not Yu or Shun himself," said u contemporary
philosopher, " could now restore it. All things change ; the streams shift their
courses, and what time has elfaced disappears for ever."
After many social convulsions and changes of dj'nasties, the Chinese political
economists, abandoning the old conception of coramuiud property, attempted to
introduce a new system. No similar revolution was ever elsewhere essayed by the
governing classes for the transformation of the whole social fabric. Wanganche,
having become the friend and adviser of the Emperor Chentsung, boldly set about
the destruction of the old order of things. In 1069 he issued a decree abolishing
all individual property. The State became sole owner, and imdertook to distribute
equally the produce of the soil amongst the people. Wealth and poverty were
alike suppressed, labour and sustenance being secured to all on an equal footing.
The industries were placed under State control, and for a period of five years
capitalists were required to hand over their capital to the Government. Notwith-
standing the opposition of the mandarins and the old feudatory lords, Wanganche
succeeded in peacefully maintaining this imperial commmiism for fifteen years.
But a change of rulers sufliced to overthrow the new regime, which met the views
neither of the people nor of the great, and which had, moreover, created a class of
inquisitors, who had become the true owners of the land.
Under the Mongol rule properties changed hands abruptly, and a new feudal
system arose, based on the right of conquest, ^he imperial grandees seized the
gr(Hit fiefs, comprising thousands and ' ! s of thousands of acres, and every private
soldier received an estate all to himstlf. Being at the same time anxious to extend
the pasture lands for their horses, the Monj^olians conceived the strange idea of
converting the land under tillage into grassy steppes, and driving the Chinese
peasantry southwards. The cultivation of the plains of Peking was officially
forbidden, but the attempt completely failed. Instead of driving the natives
beyond the Iloang-ho, the Mongolians themselves were compelled to withdraw, with
their families and herds, beyond the Great Wall,
The regime at present prevailing in China is that of small holdings. But
under the direction of the elders the land often remains undivided in the hands of
all the members of a family, or even of a village. Thus are traces everywhere
preserved of the old communal system. Large capitals are invested chiefly in
trade and the industries, while the land in certain provinces remains almost entirely
in the hands of the cultivators. Nevertheless there still remain many vast
domains rented to small farmers and others, who share the summer crops with the
INDUSTRIES.
295
nd licnceforth
(iilxjut twelve
I forbidden, so
the hands of
ines uccordin<^
II bo banished,
1 later on tho
itituto the old
contemporary
ms shift their
inesc political
, attempted to
assayed by the
Wanganche,
oldly set about
;rce abolishing
>k to distribute
I poverty were
equal footing.
I of live years
3nt. Notwith-
Is, Wanganche
fifteen years.
met the views
Dated a class of
d a new feudal
idees seized the
i every private
sious to extend
strange idea of
ig the Chinese
was officially
ig the natives
withdraw, with
loldings. But
n the hands of
es everywhere
isted chiefly in
almost entirely
tin many vast
crops with the
landlord, and keep 'he winter ones for themselves. They supply the live stock,
manure, and implements, while the owner pays the land tax, which is not a heavy
charge. Tn the fertile coast lands, where the soil is more divided, an estate of 15
acres is considered a large domain, and the holdings do not probably exceed 3 acres
on the average. The head of tho family may sell or mortgage his pi-oporty, but
he must first Oil'er it to the next of kin, and so on, according to tlie order of blood
r(;lationship. At his death it must be divided in ecpiul shares amongst all his sons.
lie is compelled by law to keep it in good condition, land lying fallow for three
years being forfeited and assigned to a fresh occupant. Even the head of the
comnmne is made responsible for the state of the arable tracts, being subject to
twenty blows of a bamboo in case of neglect or slovenly tillage. Tho right of
settling on waste spaces belongs to all, nothing being required beyond an intimation
to tho authorities, with a petition for exemption from the iiiipoHt, which is usually
granted for a certain term. The Government itself founds military or penal colonies
in remote districts, and especially in Kunsu and Zungaria. The Crown lands,
relatively of small extent, lie mostly beyond China proper, in Mongolia, near the
Great Wall, and in Manchuria, home of the reigning dynasty.* The plantations
round tlie temples, lands set apart for educational purposes or bequeathed to
hospitals and other public foundations, and lastly, portions of the marshy grounds
and the foreshore on the coast and estuaries, are all administered by the commune.
IxnrsTRiEs.
The Chinese industries are many centuries older than those of the West, and
some of the more important discoveries made in Europe towards the close of the
Middlf" Ages had long been anticipated in the extreme East. Marco Polo and the
early liluropean explorers speak with admiration of the woven goods, chased metals,
and other products of the " Manzi." But the first trustworthy accounts of the
native manufactures was not received in Europe till the close of the seventeenth
century. Several manufacturing processes were revealed by .he missionaries, and
the work has been completed during the present century by the translation of
numerous technical trtatipes. The ready wit and manual skill of the Chinese
artisans are rot merely preroc^iitives of the race, but are also due to the fact that
our minute division of labour hits not yet been introduced amongst them. Every
artistic object is the work of one artist, who designs, models, and paints it. In
many provinces the peasantry themselves are craftsmen, spinning and weaving
their cottons and linens. The^: excel especially in wicker-work, and so closely
plaited are their baskets, that they serve, like wooden or metal vessels, to hold all
kinds of liquids. The Hoa-huei, or " embroiderers," have also been at all times
renowned for the skill and perfection of their workmanship. " On fabrics of
• Crown Innds in 183! : —
AppanHgcs of tlio Imperial B'nmily .
Lands of tho Eight Dannors
Lands of Temples, Schools, and H'spituls
Marshos and Foreshore on tho ('oast
Total
750,000 acres.
2,152,000 „
327,000 '„
1,667,000 „
4,7y«,000 „
•»,^>vis-i.«:W ,1 Jirril ml "I " '
290
EAST ASIA.
marvellous texture uiul il}i'il with inimitable shades the Chinese embroider with
flat silk fif^ures of the natural size, eoinplicated seenes, ornaments, birds, and
flowers, with unecpialled truthfulness, elegance, and freshnesy. In the midst of
this rich needle jjicture rise golden dragons, worked either in rotic/iure or low
relief, often ornamented with spangh's md lama."*
Nevertheless, except in a few cases, the Chinese can boast of no superiority over
the " Western Barbarians." They even condescend to imitate European wares,
and the implements, ornaments, clocks and watches, and other objects made in
Canton and Fachan, and thence exported to all parts of the empire, are mostly
copied from specimens introduced from the West. Of the old local industries, some
have remained unmodified for four thousand j'ears, and these may disappear or be
replaced, but cannot now be changed. In some cases the very processes have
Fig. 142.— Mines of Shantung.
Re lie 1 : 6,000,000.
Cnal.
r
Irou.
r
Cojper.
• OP
Lead. Gold. Precious Stnnes.
__— 120 MUes.
alrrady been entirely lost, and the best hands now fail to produce inlaid bronzes,
rviamels, or porcelain vases at all comparable to the old specimens preserved in the
mu.seums. In the i-^t of "ral colours elsewhere unknown.
Mineral Resources — Metal Work — Bronzes.
The country abounds in metals, salt, and coal. Great skill is shown in working
the saline springs, and in obtaining the salt, either by solar heat, artificial means,
• Jacquemart's " History of Furniture," p. 154.
■■^'li*
m
MINERAL RESOURCES— METAT; "WORK— RRONZES.
207
ombroi'flor with
:>nts, birds, and
111 the midst of
roiic/iure or low
superiority over
Europcuu wares,
)l)]ects inado in
pi re, are mostly
industries, some
disappear or bo
processes have
55'
inlaid bronzes,
ireserved in the
the Chinese are
11.
own in working
artificial means,
or by the }?ttses of the fire-pits, as in Sechuen. But the rudest appliances are still
used in coal mining, bamboo tubes and ladders replacing the complicated machinery
of European engineers. Yet the annual output amounts to several million tons, and
China now takes the sixth place amongst the coal-producing countries. The
Sechuen coal-fields cover an area of at least 100,000 square miles. Those of irunan
are also very extensive ; but the most important, if not in extent, at least in facility
of access, are those of South Shansi. Here railways might easily bo constructed
from the plains right into the mines. At the prcsoh, rate of consumption, South
Shansi also might supply sufficient anthracite to the whole world for thousands of
years.
Mining operations are still oft(>n interfered with for superstitious reasons, and
it was reported early in the year 1882 that the coal mines of the ^irovince of
Pechili had been closed by the Government on the ground that the works were
displeasing to the great earth dragon. The working of these mines was wholly
a native enterprise, foreign machinery was imported in large quantities, and for a
time all seemed going on well. A canal between the mines and Tientsin was
nearly completed, and it was calculated that 200 tons of fine coal could be forwarded
daily to the latter port. It was stated that 0,000 tons were ready at the pit's
mouth for conveyance as soon as the canal was opened. With proper appliances it
was believed that about 1,000 tons a day could be raised for many years from
the present pits, while as many as fifty collieries of equal productiveness might be
opened in the Kai'ping district. Then came the news that the works had
been everywhere suddenly stopped by the Peking authorities. In a memorial
presented to the Emperor by the public censor it was complained that the long
galleries in the mines and the smoke of the foreign machinery disturbed the
repose of the earth dragon, who in his turn disturbed the spirit of the Empress,
who had died some months previously, and had been buried about a hundred
miles off. Ihe angry spirit of the departed princess took prompt vengeance
by afflicting the members of the imperial household with measles, which
affliction was thus distinctly traceable to the Kaiping coal mines. Hence the
report that the works had been stopped. But later information showed that
this report was premature, and that the collieries had never been directly inter-
fered with.*
In Formosa, Pechili, Manchuria, and some other districts, European methods
have already been introduced both in the coal and iron mines, and for reducing the
iron ores, although in the latter case the local processes differ little from those of
foreign metallurgists. The native steel is always preferred even to the English,
and great skill is displayed in the preparation of copper, lead, tin, zinc, arsenic,
and silver and gold alloys. The quality and colour of the bronzes are unrivalled,
and the "male" and "female" gongs yield the most exquisitely modulated tones.
From the technical point of view many of the Chinese bronzes are very remarkable.
Enormous figures cast in several pieces are put together by ingenious processes
which insure their solidity, while smaller articles are modelled with a perfection
* Nature, June 8th, 1882.
52
"wrr-
298
EAST ASIA.
that Ima never been surpassed, except perhaps in Japan. Others, ajyain, are chased
with a finish worthy of the gohlsinith's art, and evidently executed with instru-
ments specially made for hollowing out the metal and cutting into the intricate
folds of the draperies. Amongst the more curious bronze wares are the gigantic
symbolic birds used us perfume-burners or candelabra, the large tripods with
pierced covers surmounted by the imperial dragon or animals of happy omen, and
Fig. 143. — Mines of Yunnan.
Scale 1 : S,fiOO,O0n.
CoaL
V
C
m
A
* m
••
S-
Iron.
Copper.
Lead.
Gold
Silver;
Tin, Quicksilver.
_ 180 Uiles.
Oems.
Polt.
^m
-»«;
the many-storied pagodas, their jirojecting roofs ornamented with bells, and
sheltering the household lares.
Thanks to the possession of the raw material, China, like Japan, still maintains
its pre-eminence in the production of lacquer-ware as well as of ink, while
marvellous skill is betrayed in the carving of wood, ivory, and hard stones.
Inventors of paper, the Chinese still prepare several varieties unknown in Europe,
although they themselves prefer those of Korea and Japan. In the j'ear 153 of
the vulgar era Tsailun first replaced bamboo tablets by paper made from bark,
hemp, old linen rags, and fishing nets. Since that time, bamboo sprouts, seaweed,
rattan, the fibre of the Brousnotietia papyri/em, silkworm cocoons, and other sub-
stances are used in its maniifacture.
Irfl-^v M .-Stw.
& t, *
fain, are chased
;d with iustru-
:o the intricate
ire the gigantic
e tripods with
ippy omen, and
9. Salt.
irith bells, and
, still maintains
of ink, while
id hard stones,
own in Europe,
;he year 153 of
ade from bark,
prouts, seaweed,
and other sub-
B
J
eu
il:li"Vfi i.
THE LABOUR MAlUvKT.
liii ■ii',.
i!'UI' 1 ■.".i.« I
■■316?
aa
b
J
d
99
a.
PRIXTINCI.
The Cliiiu'MO ulso unticipiitcd Kuntpcaiis in tho invcntum of printing. Towimls
tho end of the wixth contury tlu> art is wpoki'ti of us alr«'ii(ly long pracliwid, and if
tho IVrniun luMtorianH hud been studied in the West, it would have iM'en known
here a hundred and fifty years sooner, for it is clearly ex[)lained in a work by
]lashid-ed-din, composed about tho year IJJIO. Not only were they uccpiuinted
with the process of printing from wooden blocks, but they also pructised stone und
copper engraving, und towurds tho middle of tho eleventh century movuble terra-
cotta types were invented by u blacksmith. Hut the immense number of cliuructers
required in (Jhmeso writing has hitherto prevented tho adoption of this method,
except for populur works und journals, for which u limited number of signs suffices.
Ilenco blocks of peur-wood, curved with tho graver in intaglio, or copper plates ?a
relief, still c«»ntinuo to bo employed. Nevertheless udmirablo editions have been
publisheil from movable types. Such is tho collection of G,0()0 old works edited by
tho Emperor Kang-hi, and for wliich 250,000 movable copper types had to be cut ;
such ure ulso tho works issued b he Imperiul Librury, the elegant churucters of
which are known as the " col! pearls."
The Labour Market.
The Chinese artisans are in general paid at a much lower rate than those of
Europe and the New World. In Peking, Shanghai, Canton, and Hunkow it
varies from 5d. to lOd. a duy ; so that, notwithstanding the cheaper price of food,
few except the silk-weavers, who are better paid, have even a sufKcient diet, living
mostly on boiled rice, cabbage, and occasionally a little fish. Yet these pale-faced,
feeble-looking labourers have really great muscular strength, and in the central and
southern provinces they transport nearly all the merchandise not forwarded by
water. Like the other social classes, they have organized extensive unions, which
often arrange strikes, as in Europe, to keep up the price of labour, and which have
even founded co-operative societies. Thanks to their spirit of solidarity and
admirable discipline, they nearly always get the better of the capitalists, and so
fully recognised is their power, that in muny places the employers even decline the
struggle. At the beginning of every industrial season the workmen themselves
fix the rate of pay, which is generally faithfully adhered to on both sides. They
might easily get possession of the whole industrial plant of the country, but for the
fact that the trades unions form so many independent and rival societies. These
associations subject apprentices to two or three years of downright slavery ; they
constitute a sort of aristocracy of labour, weighing heavily on all outsiders, the
most fortunate of whom in ordinary times are the professional mendicants. Like
the traders and artisans, these mendicants have their recognised imions, with
statutes, feasts, and assemblies.
G. W. Cook dwells in forcible language on the evils of co-operation amongst
the Chinese, whom he describes as a people essentially addicted to co-oper^itive
''i'Sii
jfta.-'-fi**<**~--—
.,A '^'
WM
KAST ASIA.
ImhitM. Thoy <'Vi'ii coiiiliiiw- to^t'tlu r for tho purpose "* rohhinff, or n'sistinj?
rnldicry, and lor all niaiiiuT of I'amiriil oltjcfts. " lluf uw sorii-tii's liiivc all one
tc'iKh'iicy — to H(|ui'«'zc tlic iioii-mciiilKis. Vumi tho 'i iad Soriity, which wan at
the Itottom of the lal.- rclulli to tlio TailoiV Union ui Hoiifj; Koii^, the ruh's and
rof^ulations of which luivo Ikcm puhlislicd in the yorth C/tiiiu llcnthl, all havo tho
Haiiic practical object in view. The 'Tintc Urothcrhood,' tho 'Triads,' tho
' llcavcn and Karth Society,' the '(iuceii of lleaven'H Company,' the ' h'lood
I''aniily,' the ' Pure Tea Set,' are all obnoxious to the j,'eueral description j;iven in a
memorial published in the I'lhiny ^Ao7A'eoiitaininf>; the InUowin^^HpeeihiicliarKeH: —
'They carry olf persons in order to extort ransoms lor them; they falsely assume
♦ho characters «)f police otiicers; they build falst; boats professt-dly to ^uwyA th«'
grain-lields, and into these they i)ut from ten to twenty men, who cruise ulong tho
Fig. lU.— l'OKTAOi IN ClIKKUNO.
"^
rivers, violentlj' plundering tho boats of travellers, or forcibly carrying off
the wives and daughters of the tanka boat people. Tho inhabitants of the villages
and hamlets fear these robbers as they would tigers, and do not offer them
any resistance. The husbandman must pay these robbers a charge, else as soon as
his crop is ripe it is plundered, and tlie whole field laid bare. In the precincts of
the metropolis they set fire to places during the night, that under pretence of
saving and defending, they nuiy phnider and carry off." *
Inland and Foreign Tkade.
The value of the connuerce of China can scarcely be even approximately
estimated, except perhaps for salt and the other produce burdened by Government
• Op. cit. p. 101.
r, or ri'Mistiii^
'« Imvo all ono
wliii'h wan at
, tii(> nilcH aixl
/, all liavi' tht'
' Triads,' tho
•,' thf 'I'luod
:ion f^ivcM in a
ifuM'har^cM: —
fulHcly assunu'
to ^uai'tl till'
'liiMe uluiig tlu;
-^
carrying off
of the villages
lot offer them
else as soon as
he precincts of
er pretence of
approximately
V Government
.• ri' M mii n!>.Tm!^i?^.vitrti '! ^ ' i>^mi'K^^J!i'SSf0ii0ii-^X-- ' '- ~ t "'M8P--^- ' -'-^^ ' "'^ ' -B<:-JM
§
IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)
'ML// V Ml* *
1.0
1.1
■so
|i6 13:2
2.2
IL25 III !.4
2.0
1.6
Hiil
Photographic
Sciences
Corporation
23 WIST MAIN STREET
WEBSTER, N.Y. 145C0
(716) •72-4503
Wh
^ 4^
V^^
/^.4^
'v.%^
f/.
^o
CIHM/ICMH
Microfiche
Series.
CIHIVI/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.
Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques
>
THE OriUM QUESTION.
801
monopolies. In the iu'if>;hhourlioo(l of tho y
also began to quarrel among themselves, and looking upon all of them as members
of one nation, tho Chinese asked in amazement why they thus plundered and
murdered each other. At last the seaports were closed against them, or ojjened
only on humiliating and burdensome conditions. " The barbarians are like beasts,
and are not to be governed by the same principles as civilised beings." Such was
the language of a contemporary official document. " To attempt to guide them by
the great maxims of reason could only end in disorder. The arbitrary plan is the
only true method, and best means of governing the barbarians."
The Opium Question.
Then followed the opium trade, swelling the list of complaints against the
foreigner. The use of this drug did not begin to spread till the close of the last
century, when it was still imported as a simple medicine. In 1800 an imperial
edict forbade the people to exchange their money for the " vile stuff ; " but it was
too late, and the poison continued to spread rapidly. The East India Company soon
found millions of accomplices in the opium smokers, and amongst them were most of
the mandarins officially charged to put an end to the traffic. The contraband trade
increased from year to year, to the serious loss of the imperial treasury, and as the
exports of tea and silk remained greatly inferior to the importation of opium, the
country began to be drained of its specie, " swallowed up in the insatiable abysses
of tho lands beyond the seas." At last the Government had recourse to force.
All strangers settled in Canton, 275 altogether, were imprisoned, and the British
Commissioner had to purchase his liberty and that of his fellow-countrymen by the
surrender of over 20,000 chests of opium, valuwl at about £2,000,000, and consigned
to destruction by the Viceroy Lin. This was the signal for the " Opium War" of
1841-2, during w^hich the English successively seized the Chusan Archipelago, the
Canton River forts, Ningpo, and Cliing-kiang. Under the very walls of Nanking
a treaty Avas dictated to (^hina, abolishing the moiu)poly of the twelve hou -. — ^. ..^.i^--^-.^--.i^y| p
HIGHWAYS OF COMMUNICATION.
805
Next to
•eccivcd in
y. Under
1 the East
years. In
: takes the
liich yields
30 there is
of specu-
a Govern-
t. Which
In tobacco,
je Govern-
acitly con-
mandarins
prohibited
have been
on without
88 no doubt
But they
ng classes,
tvith a few
hy that the
stinguished
not a whit
aboard and
ikenness is
ng a single
ong Kong,
is on the
s, generally
has known
s who have
jkers. Yet
;hem. One
of business,
oloration of
le generally
they brush
ral of Chinese
ig, while those
two or three times a day. Mr. Brereton, who speaks with kindness and respect of
the English missionaries, considers that on the question of opium smoking " the
zeal of their house hath eaten them up."
Highways of Communication- — Railway Prospects — Tei.eoraphs.
Thanks to steam, the relations of the coast lands with the rest of the world
have become much easier and more frequent than formerly. But the inland
routes and canals are probably in a worse state than during the Ming dynasty,
some three hundred or four hundred years ago. Except in Shantung, Kansu,
Sechuen, parts of Ilonan, and in the neighbourhood of the treaty ports, the old
roads are everywhere out of repair, and the bridges in ruins, while in many places
mere tracks follow the line of the former highways. In the rice grounds, which
cover such a large extent of land, most of the routes consist merely of blocks
2 feet broad, and raised at most 3 or 4 feet above the water. Such of the twenty-
one imperial highways as are still in good condition attest the high degree of
civilisation reached by the nation during mediajval times, and enable us to
understand the admiration with which Marco Polo and other early travellers
speak of that epoch. These highways are cut through the spurs of the mountains,
which are sometimes even tunnelled, and they are carried over mounds and
embankments across the low-lying grounds. Some 70 or. 80 feet broad in the
plains, and paved with granite blocks, they are mostly lined with rows of trees
like the avenues in Europe. Signal towers occur at intervals of 3 miles, and inns,
troughs, regular stages, and military posts for the protection of travellers are
also met all along the line. Everything is provided for on these model routes
except an efficient postal service, which is left to un association of merchants.
Dispatches, however, are seldom lost, even when forwarded from one end to the
other of the empire. But outside of such places as Shanghai, the only service
organized on the European model is that of the Russian couriers, who reach
Peking from Eiakhta through Ealgan in twelve days.
"China proper is intersected in every direction by two thousand imperial
highways, which with the great number of navigable streams, and the extensive
system of canalisation, renders the country one of the richest in the means of
communication in the whole world. Unfortunately the State has neglected to keep
either roads or canals in repair, or protect them from the wear and tear of time
and weather, so that they are now partly impracticable. Morrison gives a
deplorable account of the present condition of the Grand Canal, on which Peking
largely depends for its supplies. In 1880 some parts were in such a ruinous state
that the boats could not pass through, and portages were formed at the sides for
discharging and re-shipping farther on.
" The most direct trade route between China and Europe runs from Hankow
through North Eansu and across the Gobi desert to Hami, and thence by the Pe-lu
route through the Zungarian depression, or the alternative Irtish valley, to
Orenburg. The Russians are beginning to see that the future trade route must
806
EAST ASIA.
follow thin lino, which is practicable for carriap^ps throup^hout the whole diHtance of
'^.•j(SO miles IVom Zaisan to Hankow except a section of IGO miles, which presents
no (UHiculty (o pack animals. It can be traversed in 140 days, whereas by the tar
more dilHcult Kiakhta road, which is 1,800 miles longer, it takes 202 days to reach
I'eking. The whole of the routo between llunkow und Zuisan was traversed by
Sosnovski in the year 1881." *
Hitherto the construction of railways has not been sanctioned by the Imperial
Government. Except in the neighlwurhood of the coal mines and dockyards, there
Fig. 140.— Ornbral View of Nanking.
are not even any tramways in the empire. Yet the success of the short line
between Shanghai and Wusung, tolerated for a few months by the authorities,
shows that the locomotive would soon become as popular in the extreme East
as elsewhere. The plans of the main lines from Tientsin to Peking, Shanghai to
Fuchew and Hangc"ue>-.'-'u, Canton to Nanking, have already been prepared
by the English engineers, and abundant capital would be forthcoming for their
• A. H. Keane's " ABia," 1882.
ilTTi i H ii rirTfrri1rr"'rr'^rr*r f f' 1'
'i Ailwfr'n'rfii^firti'rt ■
u ■iI'h'm . i iw
RAILWAY I'ROSf'ECTS.
807
(tunce of
j)rosi'nl8
f the fur
to reach
crHcd by
Imporial
•ds, there
^.•.■
short line
uthorities,
reme East
anghai to
prepared
for their
construction, if once authorised hy thc^ ixhiiiiiistration. Tlie ohjeetions advaneod
by the niunthiriuH were ecjuully applicable to the introduction of Hteainers. They
pretend to plead on behalf of the niillionM of porters and iMtatnien at prcNcnf
engaged in the trans|K)rt traffic ; they also appeal to the femj-Hhiti, as tiicy did
Fig 147.— UolTEM, TEliEOUArilH, A'VI) IilNES OK StKAM NaVKIATION IN ChINA.
Scale 1 : tW,00O,O0O.
English, Fr(;nch, and Japnneae ChineM Lines.
Unes of Steam Navigation.
Main Routes.
.800 MUes.
when they opposed the erection of lofty buildings on the European " concessions."
But the graves might easily be removed by practising the suitable rites, while the
Emperor, " master of the spirits," might indicate to them the proper route to take, •
and reassure his subjects by informing them of the orders he has given to the
808
EAST ASIA.
circuiimnibifiil jycnii. Hut flu* (ruo roiiHou of tho opposition is the fpiir that
11 (l»'v«'lop('(l railway nystotn inipfhl iiifroiisc foreign inHuonffs, ii four wliii-h is not
perhaps altogether groundless. Ilenee it is nulural thut China shouhl plaeo
itself in a state of defence hefore throwing open the country to the projects of
Euro])ean engineers. "China for the Chinese" is the universal watehword in tho
ein])ire. Kven most of the iron and coal mines are aUowed to l)e worked only on
the express condition of not employing l-luropean hands. Hesides this fear of
the stranger, the provincial governors have unctther motive for opposing tho
railway projects. At j)resont the difficulty of communicating with tho capital
makes them almost independent of tho central authority in their local adminis-
tration. But more rapid means of locomotion would have the immediate effect
of bringing them more under control, and elieeking their systematic misgovem-
ment of the provinces. Hence their hostility to the inconvenient invention of
the " Western Harharians." But it is not likely that their resistance can much
longer avail, and a recent number of tho London and China Telegraph informs
us that a railway miles long was actually constructed early in tho year 1882,
in connection with the Kaiping collieries in the north.*
The telegraphi(! system is also rapidly spreading. All the treaty ports are already
connected by submarine cable with Singapore, Japan, Vladivostok, and tho rest of
tho world. After much opposition, a double line of wires was completed towards
the end of tho year 1881 by a Danish company between Peking and Shanghai, and
other projects aro now under consideration. The old tnrntai, or " atmospheric "
telcgrajdis, have already fallen into abcyauco. They consisted simply of cone-
shaped towers resting on square piles of masonry, on which bonfires were kindled,
and the signals thus rapidly transmitted to great distances. But such rudo
contrivances could scarcely do more than warn the Government of outbreaks and
other troubles in the remote provinces.
Foreigners in China — Chinese Emigration.
The handful of foreigners settled in China is out of all proportion to the
great influence exercised by them, both politically and socially. In 1879 their
commercial houses numbered altogether 451, with 3,985 European merchants and
employes. Even including the missionaries and travellers, there cannot be more
than 5,000 actually domiciled in the country. Yet, few as they are, they have
already modified the trade, industry, customs, and thought of the nation to a
far greater extent than the Chinese are themaolvcs aware. Along the seaboard a
sort of Ihtfiua franca, the already mentioned " Pigectn English," has been deve-
loped, which has acquired some literary standing, and is even current among the
natives speaking different dialects. Many colloquial terms have entered into this
jargon, but most of the expressions are so changed that they can no longer be
recognised either by Chinese or foreigners under their new forms. Its s»d)stratum
is rather I'ortuguese than English, and its true origin must be sought, not in
• The locomotive was made on tho spot by native workmen, and is said to be very creditably done.
—Nature, March 23, 1882.
CinNKSK KM I(} RATION'.
800
four that
ich is not
uld placo
riiji'ctK of
ord in the
mI only *>ii
is fonr of
osing the
ho cupitul
I ndniinis-
itito effect
iiisgovern-
vention of
can nmch
)h informs
year 1882,
lire already
the rest of
od towards
inghai, and
iiosphoric "
y of cone-
re kindled,
sucli rude
breaks and
ion to the
1879 their
chants and
lot be more
they have
ation to a
seaboard a
been dcve-
iiiiong the
1 into this
longer he
substratum
jht, not in
;ditablv done.
1
Cunton, but in Goa, on the west const of India. Tlius the word /ms, applied to tho
statues of liuddha, to the ginls and saints, is a corruption of the i'ortugucs*' Vion.
Chinese einignit' m is yearly accpiiriiig increased iin])ortance, although still far
inf»'rior to the movement going on towanls the nortluTU regions of the empire.
The ("liincHt> already settled iu'vond the (Jreat Wall in Mongolia, Manchuria, imd
(hiter Kansu are estimated at no less than 1.1, 000, (MX), whereas there ar(> ])rol)alily
not m<»re than ;{,000,(>00 altogether in foreign coinitries. It will thus 1k' seen that
tlu" part played by Chinese emigration in the general movement of the human race
Fig. 148.-Hio.VAL TowBitH.
has been greatly exaggerated. At least, the anticipation of formidable struggles
between the rival Mongoloid and white peoples is somewhat premature.
The distinctive feature of Chinese migration lies in the fact that it consists
almost exclusively of male adults. Hitherto no women have been seen in America
or Australia beyond the few that have been specially contracted for. None of
them have crossed the seas voluntarily, and their number is of no account in the
general movement, except in such places as Singapore and Penang, which, from
the ethnical point of view, may be regarded as Chinese territory. Hence the
increase of infanticide in many of the seaboard villages, where the girls are often
sacrificed by their parents, in despair of finding them suitable husbands. Being
neither free nor entitled to hold property, the Chinese woman cannot leave the
paternal home without express permission, and even in the interior this permission
nio
EAST ASIA.
in Noldorn j?rtiiit«'y ihfir fiimilirs, pn'fnrin^ to Hct up new uiid
ti'miM)rury f^^tuldiNliiiu'iitM in thu ri'iimti* (liHtrictN, whoru tlu-y iiiukt' pt'iitMlicul or
])r()frii('t«'(l viHitM.
Male ("iiii-f ration, cHiMV-ially aiiioiig tho Ilakka of Koki«'i» and K\van>?-tun^, huH
uccpiircd considcrahlf proportioiin. and iw now ri'Kulatcd Ity treaty arran^f'-nicnt
iH'twfi-n the Iinpt-rial (lovi-rnnicnt and foreign jMtwi'rH. Tho innnigruntH already
form an iniiM>rtanl eh-mcnt of the iH)pulati(in in Momo placi-M, whoro their oxtremoly
frupil and industriouM luibitH, their perMevenince, verwitility, undnpirit of Holidarity,
onahh' them to found Htjurishing eonnnunitieH whore others fail. In the NtruggUi
for exiHteneo th«'y have the advantage of easily aecpiiring the language of the
eountry, and whatever be the nationality of the njother, whether SiamcHC, Tagul,
or Javanese, the new family ulways becomes (Jhinese, even in physical type.
The regions whore the race has Wn most solidly established uro the basins of the
Fig. 149.— Ranob op Ciiinebb Mioratiok.
BaOe 1 : 3-i&,UUU,00a
O • O
KtniirTnnti 10,000 to 100,000. 100,000 to 1,000,000. Over l,C0O,00a
under 10,000.
— ^-— ~— — ^— ^-^ 6,000 MilM.
W:'.'
rivers flowing from Yunnan and Sechuen to Further India. Here, as in Manchuria
and Inner Mongolia, at the other extremity of the empire, they have gradually
appropriated the laud by trade, agriculture, and the civilisation of the aboriginal
tribes. By following the course of the rivers, the colonists advancing from the
interior must sooner or later join hands with their fellow-countrjrmen who have
reached Sium by the sea route.
In the neighbouring Eastern Archipelago, where they have been long established,
the Chinese settlers enjoy a high reputation for thrift, industry, and intelligence.
John Chinaman's motto is " small profits and quick returns," and goods of
every sort can be bought cheaper in the Chinese than in the European or native
establishments. "But in money-lending transactions John Chinaman never
charges less than twenty- four per cent, interest, and always insists on good security,
lie is polite to a degree. If a chance customer, or any one merely lookii ; about,
enters the shop, John asks him to sit down, and offers him a cup of tea, or if a
m
FOIIHIOXKUS IS CHINA— CIIINKSK MMIOHATION.
811
jiliico to
iit'W uiid
iudicul or
■tunf?, liUH
llllK'-'IUt'Ilt
tH ulruudy
I'Xt n-moly
Nolidurity,
le Htruggle
kgu of tlio
?8e, Tugal,
licttl type.
iHiiiH of the
90'
Manchuria
gradually
aboriginal
ng from the
n who have
established,
intelligence,
d goods of
in or native
iman never
)od security.
)kii ; about,
tea, or if a
KurojM'an ii n\unn of lictT. Uv is upcii to l)art«'r, auning, when
businesH is over, they will Hit with a friend or two under the verandah, lighted, up
with a grotescpu! ('bineHo lantern suspended fn)m tho eeiling, smoko the indisjwn-
Hablc opium \)'\\h}, and have a gaiiu^ of eards, over whieh tho betting is fast and
furioUH. When it happeuH that John is entirely ruined by eard-playing, his gdld
buttons and everything eonoeivablo gone, ho will proceed to the gold and diamond
mines, and try to repair Iuh hist fortune." *
In tho countrieH whore they do not compete with tho dominant race the
Chinese immigrants soon become indispensable. Thus thoy have created the
prosperity of Singapore, where, but for them, all industrial and eomnu'rcial activity
would soon be arrested. But elsewhere they often come into collision with com-
petitors in tho labijur market. Thus, while tho thinly peopled colony of West
Australia gladly welcomes Chinese settlers to tend tho herds and develop a few
local industries, the more prosperous states of Queensland, New South Wales, and
Victoria, in East Australia, resent the presence of this frugal, thrifty, and laborious
element, which has too decided an advantage in tho competition with the European
labouring classes. They aro reproached with gradually monopolizing certain
industries, such as mining, and tho more feminine occupations of washing and
domestic service. Such is their thrift that they contrive to grow rich where others
starve. But the poll taxes imposed in spite of the treaties, the vexatious measures
of all sorts, and in many cases open violence and massacres, have greatly reduced
their numbers, and even diverted the stream of migration altogether from some
parts of Australia and California. The Imperial Government has consented to sign
a treaty with the United States, limiting the right of its subjects to settle in the
republic. The authorities in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies also oppose
every obstacle to their intrusion, restricting them to certain districts, excluding
them from various professions, burdening them with special taxes, and subjecting
them to all kinds of obnoxious police regulations. But the movement can no
longer be permanently arrested. The Chinese Mohammedans have even begun
to take part in the pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina, and some of these have
already settled in the Arabian Peninsula. Thus the relations of the white and
yellow peoples become constantly more frequent, and at a thousand :uiifferent
points we are brought face to face with the urgent question how best' to reconcile
the conflicting interests of the two races, differing so profoundly in character,
traditions, habits, and ideas.
* Curl Rock's " Head Hunters of Borneo," 1882, pp. 169, 170.
tr
n i ii. | . M i ^ |ii i_ .i|, y | n , ,| I 1 ^ 1 ^ || „ 11,1 1) i. jn i M,, i „^^,, p ^^,
812
EAST ASIA.
TuK New Ideas — Sociai, Progress.
The residence of so many Chinese abroad tends quite as much as the presence
of foreigners in China to bring about the inevitable renovation of the land.
Careful observers, the Chinese preserve in their memory all the lessons taught
them by the hard struggle for existence. They thus learn to adapt themselves to
the new conditions, modifying their methods and adopting foreign arts, not with
the youthful enthusiasm of the Japanese, but with determination and indomitable
perseverance. Proud of their ancient culture, ond fully conscious of the superiority
of some of their processes, they are never tempted blindly to accept foreign ideas
and fashions. Unlike the Japanese, they refuse to conform in dress to the " Red-
haired Barbarians," but they are fully alive to the advantages to be derived from
Western inventions. Apart from the mandarins, who have privileges to safeguard,
and who arc consequently wedded to the old ways, the bulk of the people perfectly
understand how much they have to learn from Europeans. Patients crowd the
English and French hospitals in Tientsin, Shonghai, Amoy, and other places, and
the fanciful native pharmacopa'ia, in which magic played such a large part, is thus
being gradually assimilated to that of the West. Vaccination has already replaced
the dangorous method of inoculation by the nostrils ; and enlightened practitioners,
with a knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and hygienics, begin to make their
appearance here and there amid the countless tribe of quacks and charlatans.
European schools have been opened in the treaty ports, where the students have
readily followed all the instructions of their foreign teachers. They have even
learned the music of the " Barbarians," to which they were formerly supposed to
be absolutely insensible. In spite of the great difficulties presented by works
translated from such totally different languages, thousands of scientific books have
already been published and largely circulated. The native journals issued by
foreigners in the treaty ports are eagerly read, and amongst others the Shunpao, a
daily paper published in Shanghai, had recently os many as 8,000 native subscribers.
Yielding to the pressure of public opinion, the Government itself established
in J 868 a bureau in the arsenal of Kiangnan, for the purpose of publishing Chinese
editions of the chief European scientific works. It has also founded in Peking the
Tuugicen Kwan, an administrative college, where English, French, Russian, and
German are taught, and where physics, chemistr)', medicine, physiology, astronomy,
and other branches are intrusted to foreign professors, assisted by native tutors.
Most of the courses are conducted in English, and this college, which had about
100 students in 1876, now supplies a portion of the officials engaged in the
administration of the empire. On the other hand, the Government establishment
hitherto maintained at Hartford, in Connecticut, was suppressed in 1881, in
consequence of the dangerous influence of American customs and ideas on the
students. - .
Public Instruction — The Literati.
In Chinese the word kiao is applied equally to instruction and to religion, and
study is, in fact, regarded as a religious cult. For thousands of years the obliga-
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION— THE LITERATI.
818
he presence
»f the land,
isona taught
lemselves to
•ts, not with
indomitable
e superiority
foreign ideas
o the " Red-
lerived from
to safeguard,
pie perfectly
ts crowd the
jr places, and
i part, is thus
>ady replaced
practitioners,
> make their
d charlatans,
students have
ey have even
r supposed to
ed by works
ic books have
als issued by
le Shunpao, a
re subscribers.
If established
jhing Chinese
in Peking the
Russian, and
y, astronomy,
native tutors,
ich had about
jaged in the
establishment
in 1881, in
ideas on the
) religion, and
irs the obliga-
Fig. 160.— M. Yano, Attach^ op the Chikbsb
(.BOATIOX IN Pauih.
tion of parents to instruct their male offspring has been universally recognised.
All towns and villages must be provided with schools, whose teachers arc supjiorted
by the commune, and freely chosen on the recommendation of the householders.
Wealthy families generally keep one or two tutors, and in the largo towns there
are evening classes for the convenience of those engaged at work during the day.
Thus has been developed a deep-rooted respect for learning amongst all classes. A
sort of reverence is inspired by the inscriptions and sentences of the ancient sages,
which adorn the houses and public buildings, and which convert the whole country
into a vast library. The very paper
is revered, as if the words covering
it were the essence of all know-
ledge.
" After reading and writing the
Avhole education of the Chinese con-
sists in the knowledge of the iiucient
classics, which in themselves con-
tain many excellent doctrines, but
are hardly sufficient to form the
beginning, middle, and end of a
man's education. Moreover, in these
ancient classics there are many
exceedingly difficult and obscure
passages ; a certain fixed interpreta-
tion of these is prescribed by law,
and woe betide the unfortunate
candidate at an examination who
should venture to think for himself,
suggest any new meaning, or cast
additional light on that which has
once been explained by the sages in a certain way, and of which in consequence
any further illumination would be profane.
" Can it be possible for any nation to devise a system which would more effectually
crush out all germs of originality or thought from the mind of the people P " *
Yet the superstitious respect for this system has been transferred to the literati,
and to the Government which they represent. Men who have had the good fortune to
penetrate into the mysteries of writing seemed almost like demigods. But recent
events cannot but tend to diminish the traditional veneration of the masses for
the literati. The hollowness of their vaunted science has been revealed, and
it was discovered that, without having studied the "five classics," foreigners
have succeeded in making discoveries immeasurably more important than the
dry-as-dust commentaries on the words of Confucius. Here are already the
germs of a moral revolution, which cannot fail to have its political consequences.
The prestige of authority is on the wane, and no efforts of the mandarins will
* Gill, op. eit. i. p. 307. "
58 ' .> '
""■■•WWBW^'J??"
814
EAST ASIA.
■t:
succeed in again reviving it. The peasantry and labouring classes, a great
part of whose existence has not been spent in the study of the written language,
perceive how much reduced has been the distance separating them from the literati.
The centre of gravity in the empire is being displaced, to the advantage of
the people and at the expense of the authorities, and political revolutions are the
inevitable consequence of the intellectual evolution now taking place.
Pending Changes in the Social System.
To speak, as many do, of the immobility of the Chinese Empire, is altogether
unjust, for nowhere else have more revolutions been accomplished, or more
varied systems of government been essayed. " To improve, renew yourself daily,"
said one of the ancient sages quoted by Confucius. But it is not difficult to
understand why great changes arc now slower in China than elsewhere. The
people have the consciousness of their ancient culture, and they may have well
believed for centuries that they were the only civilised nation, surrounded
as they were either by barbarians or by populations whose teachers they had been.
Suddenly from beyond the seas and over the plateaux and deserts they behold
other nations advancing, who with a more recent history outstrip them in
knowledge and industry. The world becomes enlarged and peopled around them,
and those outer spaces, to which they attached such little importance, are
discovered to be ten times larger and twice as populous us China itself. Their
assumed superiority thus disappears for evj-r. Assuredly such a proud people
could not without bitterness contemplate the relative diminution of their impor-
tance in the world, and it must have cost them many a pang to have to learn
new lessons of wisdom in the school of the stranger. Nevertheless these lessons
they are prepared to learn, without, however, losing their self-respect. They
study the European sciences and industries, not as pupils, but rather as rivals,
anxious to turn their opponents' resources against themselves.
It was high time that this outward impulse should come and quicken the
nation into a new life. Science had been reduced in China to the art of skilfully
handling the pencil in the reproduction of empty classic formulas. Proud of
possessing in their ideographic signs a really universal language, the literati, who
are also the rulers of the people, had come to regard reading and writing — that is,
the instruments of science — as science itself. Hence they were content to pass
their life in learning to read. The measure of their reputation was filled when,
after a long course of studies, they had mastered all the mysteries of their written
language. Short indeed was life for this long art, which left them no time
for independent studies. Ignorant of the present, indifferent to the future, they
have hitherto lived only in the past. Everything must be judged by tradition
and the precedents found in the classics, where must also be sought the rules
of government. To write and understand the official dispatches, to discover the
formulas of the rites accompanying all important social and political acts, consti-
tuted, in fact, the distinctive functions of the mandarin, the foundation of bis
prestige, his only claim to the obedience of his subjects.
FILIAL DEVOTION.
815
«, a great
language,
the literati,
vantage of
ons are the
8 altogether
i, or more
rself daily,"
difficult to
here. Tho
y have well
surrounded
3y had been,
they behold
ip them in
iround them,
ortanco, are
self. Their
»roud people
their impor-
ive to learn
these lessons
pect. They
,er as rivals,
quicken the
t of skilfuUy
Proud of
iterati, who
ing — that is,
tent to pass
filled when,
their written
lem no time
future, they
by tradition
;ht the rules
discover the
acts, consti-
atiou of his
GOVERNMKNT AND AUMIXISTHATION.
Theoretically the State is a large family. The Emperor is iit once •' Father and
Mother " of hi.s children, and the affection due by them to him i.s that of a
twof(jl(l filial piety. If he commands, all hasten to obey ; if he requires the life
or property of a citizen, both must be surrendered with a sense of thankfulness.
He may even control land, Avater, and the air, for the invisible genii all execute
his mandates. He is the " Son of Heaven," the Sovereign of tho " Four Seas "
and of the " Ten Thousand Peoples." Ho alone has the privilege of sacrificing to
heaven and earth as the High Priest and Head of the great Chinese family. He
speaks of himself in lowly language, as an " imperfect man," and is even
distinguished amongst the grandees of his court by his modest garb ; but he
accepts the most extravagant expressions of worship. Present or absent, he
receives from his subjects divine honours, and the highest dignitaries full
prostrate before his empty throne, or before his yellow silk umbrella adorned with
the five-clawetl dragon and the turtle, emblems respectively of good fortune and
power. In the provinces the mandarins burn incense on the receipt of an imperial
dispatch, and strike the ground with their head turned towards Peking. S>
hallowed is his name, that tho signs used in writing it can no longer be employed
for other words without being modified by a diacritical mark. "Tremble and
obey ! " is the formula invariably terminating all his proclamations. Under him
all are slaves, and his representative in Tibet during the expedition of Hue and
Gabet wore the chains of a criminal in the form of a gold necklace concealed
imder his robes, in token of the imperial displeasure.
Filial Devotion to the Head of the Family and of the State.
The veneration of the people for their " Father and Mother " is not merely a
political fiction. All the national institutions are so constituted as to establish
a perfect parallelism between the duties of the son and those of the subject.
From his childhood upwards the Chinese learns that the paternal authority
belongs to the head of the great family, us well as to the head of the smaller
family of which he is a member. P^ven in the school a coffin inscribed with tho
word " happiness " reminds him that his first duty will be to appease the manes of
his parents. " Unruly conduct implies a lack of filial duty, as do also treason to
the sovereign, negligence in the exercise of the magisterial functions, insincerity
towards our friends, cowardice under arms." The father is always regarded in the
family as representing the emperor ; hence domestic revolt is punished in the
same way as high treason. The national annals are full of incidents which bear
witness to the care taken by the Government to uphold this fundamental principle
of the empire. Sons guilty of crimes against their parents are put to death, and
their houses demolished ; the magistrates of the district lose their office, and
the examination halls are closed. The spot where the crime took place remains
accursed, and whole communities have even been displaced, as was the city of
"m i !i.„ > i* i j iij i. i i i nn'
816
EAST ASIA.
Luchow, on tho Upper Yuiig-tzo, in couseqiienco of a parricide. According to law,
old men after their seventieth year must be regarded as ancestors, and tho honours
accorded to them increase with their years. At any cost tho empire must remain
"filial," as the imperial edicts express it. Of the sixteen public lectures delivered
periodically to tho people on the subject of their duties, the first deals Avith
filial love. Tho very official designations of tho cities, palaces, streets, and
public places form, so to say, a complete moral course inspired by the domestic
virtues. Amongst tho twelve temples required by the law to be erected in
Fig. 151. — Chimese Qi/'AUTEit, Siia.vouai.
1. MagriBtnitcs' Hotue.
10. Tfempleofniesrinpi.
2. University.
11. Oovemmcnt FiUaoe.
3. Besidenoe of the MiUtarjr Com-
12. Tower of the Goddess Kwan Yin
mander.
13. Honseofallthe Benevolences.
4. Com DepiH.
14. Foundling Asylum.
B. Depot of kioe for Pekiner.
18. Honseofallthe Virtues.
6. Literary Institute.
16. Temple of the Fire Genius.
7. Temple of the Defender of the City.
17. Palace of the Heavenly Queen.
8. Temple of the God oi War.
18. Httllofthe Blue Mist.
9. Temple of the Protector of Earthly
19. Hall of the Xine Flowers.
Goods.
20. Mound of the little upaque Sun.
SI. Peace street.
22. Street of the HeaTenly Eminences.
23. Street of the House of Eloquence.
24. Street ofthe Head looking backwards.
25. Street ofthe Approving Ueid.
26. Street ofthe YeUow Head.
27. Canal of Excellence of the Starting-
point.
38. Serene Sanctuary of the Ancestors.
20 Bridge of the Thousand A ges.
every town, one is always consecrated to ancestry. Not a shop nor a wayside
inn but its signboard has some reference to virtue and justice and the " harmonies
of heaven and earth."
The natural relations of father and son are thus confounded with those of
emperor and subject, and this has been the mainstay of the State in tho midst
of countless internal revolutions, foreign invasions, and dynastic changes. The
revolutionists do not seem to have ever aimed at the subversion of this fundamental
principle of government. Even the most advanced socialists have always
accepted the sacred character of the Emperor as at once the " Father and Mother "
cording to law,
nd the honours
re must remain
jtures delivered
irst deals Avitli
;s, streets, and
y the domestic
be erected in
MTenly Eminenoes.
>u*e of Eloquence,
lad looking bnckwardi.
[>proving Ueid.
'llow Head,
ence of the Starting-
ry of the Ancestors,
hoiuand A ge».
nor a wayside
he " harmonies
with those of
i in the midst
changes. The
is fundamental
have always
r and Mother "
M. T9ENQ-CHINE8E MINISTER IN PARIS.
■"■^•* m eT' m^j,A < mj immm''-~- '
LIMITATIONS OP THE IMPERIAL AUTHORITY.
817
of his people. In recent times only the Chinese freethinkers, acting under the
influence of foreign ideus, and probably unconscious of the ultimate consequences of
their revolt, have for the first time attempted to throw ridicule on the supremo
ruler, scrawling ribald sentences on the walls, which passers-by read with
amazement. According to the old theory, the sovereign, ascending the throne
in the name of Heaven, was none the less to be worshijiped, whatever might be
his personal virtues or vices. "However old the cap, we put it on our head;
however clean the shoes, we put them on our feet. Kie and Chew were vile
wretches, but they were kings ; Ching-thang and Wu-wang wore great and holy
persons, but they were subjects," writes Confucius in the Shuking.
Limitations of the Imperial Authority — The Emperor's Household.
Yet although absolute in principle, since it is of the di>'ine essence, the sovereign
power is practically limited. All the provinces enjoy certain traditional rights,
which have the sanction of ages, and which the Government always respects.
Public opinion also, however submissive, is none the less intelligent, and in its eyes
" the emperor and the subject who violate the laws are both equally guilty."
" Secure the affection of the people, and you will secure the empire, lose the
affection of the people, and you will lose the empire," says a popular proverb.
The law is laid down for the sovereign himself ; it is summed up in the " nine
rules " of Confucius, which recommend to the Emperor moral perfection, respect
for the sages and parents as well as for officiuls and magistrates, paternal love of
the subject, encouragement of learning and the arts, hospitality towards stxtingers,
consideration for his allies. Guided by the Censors, whose duty it is ever to remind
him of these precepts ; bound on all sides by the rigorous rules of a ceremonial
filling two hundred volumes; attended by two-and- twenty historiographers, who daily
record for posterity all his sayings, doings, and commands, the Emperor almost
necessarily loses all individuality, all personal impulse, and becomes a mere
instrument in the hands of a minister or a faction. He ceases to be responsible for
his own acts, although by a State fiction held none the less responsible for the
happiness and misfortunes of his subjects. In this respect the theory of the
imperial power is more logical in China than in other monarchical states.
Sovereigns are usually inclined to take credit to themselves for the prosperity, but
seldom for the calamities, of their people. The moral code of the Chinese emperors
is more consistent. " Are my subjects cold P " said the Emperor Yao. " I am to
blame. Are they himgry ? It is my fault. Have they met with any disaster P I
take the responsibility." Yao also charged himself with the national calamities.
" During the reigns of Yao and of Shun, all felt it a duty to follow the example of
their virtues. I must needs be far from resembling them, seeing how many
criminals now exist." " I alone am guilty," said Ching-thang when speaking of
the woes of his people ; " I alone must be immolated." Responsibility thus
increasing with power, Mengtze goes the length of sanctioning regicide when the
•
IT
ai8
EAST ASIA.
sovereign outrugcH juHtice. " There is no difference," he suid, " between murder by
the sword or by nmludniiiiistrulion."
The Government being nuHlelled on the fumily, both the mother and consort of
the Emperor are entitled to the highest honours. Like him, the reigning Empress
has the golden seals and jade stone, symbols of supreme power, and to her poetry has
consecrated the fomj, a fabulous animal analogous to the phunix. She receives the
homage of the l«)mperor himself, who every five days pays her an official visit and
bends the knee in her presence. The three other legitimate wives yield her implicit
obei7.f I-ionr, Rmblemr op thb Imi'IUIAL TowKn.
of ceremonies to one hundred and thirty. A special minister takes charge of the
imperial household, and directs the education of the princes, who have mostly no
rank except in the Manchu armies. From their number the Emperor chooses his
heir, who is nearly always one of the Empress's children. At the death of the
soA'ereign all social life is suspended. The grandees put on white, the colour of
mourning, for a twelvemonth, the others for one hundred days, during which period
no feasts or weddings can be celebrated. Bright-coloured garments are laid aside,
all leave their hair unshaven, and the barbers, whose office is interdicted, become for
the time State pensioners.
" Lost in his greatness," the Son of Heaven, called also the " Man of Solitude,"
niMiililrtHIMWI
MMM
■ttii
LIMITATIONS OF TUB IMPERIAL AUTIIOIIITY.
810
lurdcr by
•oiiHort of
; Empress
joetry bus
ci'ivos tbe
I visit and
sr implicit
^ tbc book
large of tbe
re mostly no
• cbooses bis
leatb of tbe
be colour of
jrbicb period
e laid aside,
, become for
)f Solitude,"
probably Immjuuso no one bas tbo right to be his friend, delegates his functions to
the Nciko, u Cabinet composetl of Munchus and Chinese in«oquul numlK'rs, which
draws up the laws, issues decrees, and sees to their execution. In virtue of the
principle by which instruction and the public examinations are the source of all
honours, the two presidents of the Ne'iko— that is, the two Imperial Chancellors — are
the directors of the Academy of the Hanlin. Their office is to propose tbe laws in
the supreme council, to determine the form of public mandates, to submit official
documents to the Empt>ror for his signature with the vermilion pencil, and to
publish all decrees in the Khif/pno, or official journal, known in P^urope as tbo
PekiiKj Gazette. Before being prt^sented to the Council of tbo Neiko, all State
questions are submitted either to tlio tribunal of the Censors, the High Court of
Justice, or the Lit-pu, which comprises the six Ministries of Finance, Civil Service,
Board of Works, War, Rites, and Penalties. Besides these, another department bas
charge of the Colonies; that is, of the imperial possessions beyond the eighteen
provinces of China proper. But the Tsingli-iinmen, or Foreign Office, constituted
in 1801, and now the most important of all, has no official existence, being com-
posed of the members of the other departments.
The Emperor may, if ho pleases, suppress all discussion, in wbi^b case he
addresses himself to his private Cabinet, which deliberates in secret. His acts may
doubtless be controlled by the tribunal of Censors, who have the right of remon-
strating, while petitioning to be beheaded or torn to pieces if their warnings be
not justified or their statements revealed. But this tribunal usually confines itself
to watching over tbe public and private conduct of tbe mandarins and their sub-
jects by an organized system of espionage. The result of this is that their lucrative
posts easily enable the mandarins to come to an understanding with the Censors,
and thus continue the work of extortion to their mutual benefit.
Hence it is not surprising to find that instances of extortion and oppression of
all sorts are so universal as scarcely to excite any surprise amongst the people.
Meadows mentions the case of a military mandarin of low rank stationed some
years ago near Wbampoa, who in the course of his exactions demanded money
from the head boatman of a watch-boat, employed by the inhabitants of the district
for the prevention of night robberies on tbe river below Canton. The boatman,
relying on the support of his employers, among whom were several literati, refused
to give anything. The mandarin thereupon induced a man, taken for some trifling
offence, to make such declarations in bis depositions as went directly to prove that
the boatman had been guilty of robbery, and then issued a warrant for his appre-
hension. The inhabitants of Whampoa, represented by a literary graduate named
Fung, would not, however, permit the man's being seized ; but knowing him to be
innocent, said he should himself go to Canton and demand a trial. This he
accordingly did, the graduate Fung at the same time petitioning the Governor-
General on his behalf. But the mandarin had already reported the case to his chief,
the admiral at the Bogue, and the latter had written to Canton about it. In
addition to this, the mandarins are at all times loath, from a kind of esprit de corps,
and a feeling of the necessity of mutual support in their extortions, to aid the people
890
EAST ASIA.
when in opposition to a member of their own class, and were, moreover, at that time,
as now, (loin^ all they could to regain the jMiwer over the people, which they had
lost througli the weakness displayed during the wars with the English. The
conseciuence was that, for these various reasons, the death of the unfortunate man
was determined on. He was accordingly beaten and otherwise tortured till ho
confessed himself guilty of the charge brought against him, and soon after executed,
with several other eqiuilly innocent people who had Iwen implicated in the same
manner by the Whampoa mandarin. The graduate Fung had his degree taken
from him for having interested himself iu behalf of u robber.*
Education — Pithlic Examinations.
There is no special board of education, because the whole machinerj' of the
administration is assumed to have no other object except the instruction of the
people. Students able to read the five KiiKj and the other classics may already look
forward to a brilliant career, one of the fundamental principles of government being
that place is the reward of merit attested by the public competitive examinations.
" Here is taught the art of government," says an inscription over the gate of the
Peking Academy. Promotion to higher posts is still obtained by fresh examinations,
so that the whole administration may be regarded as u vast scholastic hierarchy.
When the coffers are empty, the Government no doubt often departs from the rule,
conferring honours for "presents," or bribes; but the people do not forget the
origin of these functionaries, and will even taunt them with having obtained pro-
motion by money instead of merit. Many of the Manchu military mandarins also
owe their oppointment to their nationality, and they are consequently held in less
esteem than the civil functionaries. At the annual feasts the learned mandarins
take the east side, which is the post of honour, while in the temples of Confucius
the military officers are excluded altogether from the ceremonies in honour of
heaven and earth.
In all the large cities one of the chief buildings is the public examination hall,
which consists of a multitude of rooms and courts, surroundetl by cells for the
candidates, who are supplied with nothing but white paper, pencils, and inkstand,
and guarded by sentinels from all communication with each other. Sometimes as
many as 10,000 or 12,000 present themselves, remaining for several days
imprisoned, writing moral and political essays, commenting on selected texts of the
sacred books, composing sentences and maxims in prose and verse. Candidates
have been known to die of exhaustion in their cells, in which case the outer wall is
pierced, and the body secretly removed. Except certain despised classes, police
agents, actors, barbers, palanquin bearers, boatmen, mendicants, descendants of
rebels, all are allowed to compete, and the examiners will even shut their ej'es to
the status of the candidates, provided they have a fixed domicile. There is no
limit as to age, old men and precocious youths often presenting themselves;
but such is the severity of the tests, that, on an average, less than a tenth of the
• •' Chinese Notes," p. 170.
PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS.
821
thut time,
they bad
i«li. The
unutc inun
cd till ho
r executed,
1 tho Mtino
greo tukcn
lery of the
tion of tho
ilreudy look
mcnt being
aminutiona.
^to of the
uminutions,
} hierarchy,
am the rule,
forget the
tained pro-
idarina also
held in less
L mandarins
[ Confucius
honour of
nation hall,
cells for the
td inkstand,
)metinie8 as
iveral days
texts of the
Cuadidates
)uter wall is
isses, police
cendants of
leir ej'es to
There is no
themselves ;
enth of the
competitors obtain the siiilstii, a rank correnponding with our B.A. Those who have
pasmd, even l)ofore obtaining an upiiointment, iMH'oini; ulinoMt indoiMMidont of tho
communal authorities, and constitute a sjHH-ial and numerous class in t\w State.
Amongst them are found the most onlightened men," take
place every throe years only in tho provincial capitals, under tho ])re8idency of two
members of tho Ilunlin. Tho successful competitors, scarcely more than l.JJOO
for tho whole empire, receive tho congratulations of the magistrates, and public
rejoicings take place in their honour. Three years afterwards they nmy present
themselves in Peking, to undergo tho examination for tho rank of Mm^, or '• full
doctor," entitling thorn to a special dross, precedence at the ceremonies, and a high
post in the Government. Other examinations admitting to the Academy of tho
Hanlin take place in the Imperial Palace, under the very eyes of tho Emijoror,
or at least of the highest court dignitaries, amongst whom they intrigue for
promotion.
For the reality is far from corresponding with the brilliant picture often drawn
of this system. Even supposing that appointments always depended on tho
results of the examinations, it may be asked how a good memory and a profound
knowledge of the classics can be any guarantee of political .intelligence and
capacity. Is it not rather to be feared that by being restricted to antiquated
studies, over twenty centuries behind the age, the future statesman will become
a victim of arrested development, and thereby rendered incapable of imderstanding
the present conditions P However perfect his penmanship, the magistrate is
none the less exposed to the temptations of venality and peculation. The
unanimous testimony of travellers, as well as the popular comedies, ballads, and
political squibs, accordingly show that the lettered functionaries are by no means
inferior to the ignorant Manchus in the arts of oppression and maladministration.
As a rule, the people are less afraid of the mandarins who have purchased their
office than of those appointed by competition. Being richer, they are less
avaricious, and although less familiar with fine maxims, they are more upright and
loss enslaved to official " red-tapeism."
Nevertheless there can be no doubt that the surprising stability of the Chinese
political system in the midst of countless foreign invasions and internal convulsions
is in a large measure due to these public examinations, which are conducted with
great impartiality, and which render the highest offices of the Government
accessible to the meanest citizen. A great number of the only class of individuals
whose abilities would enable them, if subjected to continual oppression, speedily to
overturn the Government, are by the existing system of public examinations
continually raised above all oppression, and become, in fact, the parties who commit
Mm
.')22
EAST ASIA.
I
it. A Htill jfroatiT numl)(>r ho\w to ruiw thoinfM'lvoM to tho «arao ponition, und uro,
topift'tluT with tlu'ir rt'lutioiiH, thuH induccHl to riiduru nucIi ovilH putiontly ruthor
than Hcck to overthrow u (iovornincnt, thu churactcriNtic foaturu of which in u
HyHtcin thoy hoi>c eventually to derive more imthoiuiI advautaj^eH from than would
bo Hutficieiit to eom]H>nwite tliem for what thoy Huifer. With tluH latter Ixnly
of literati, rising HeholarH and their near relatioMH, the aetual holderH of ofHuo are,
nior(H)ver, alwayH obli^etween two ('(pially iniperiouN duticN, olHnco and
filial piety. Hereditary titles are rcNcrved for the deNcendantH of (JonfueiuM and
the erniK'rorH, but ev< /> the luttev irc Hubje(!ted to the regular oxaniinationH for
public; otfieeN. The only priv ilej^es of the nicMubcTH of the iin{>orial family consiMt
in a mcKlent iKMimcn fho right to wear a red or yellow girdle or a pcuu'ocdc'M feather
in their cap, and to be carried by a toant of eight or twelve palancpiin bearerH.
In the adminintralion they eount for nothing, and special nianchiriiiH are appointed
to ke<>p them in duo subjection, and oven to apply the hmI in ca»e of inNubordination.
Like tho Kmporor, every maiularin is at onco "father and mother" in his
reH|)octive juriNclietion. They were formerly spoken of as "clouds," because they
wore supposed to »' Hhed tho healing showers on tho thirsty soil." All local
functions are centred in their hands. They levy tho taxes, build roads, organize
tho militia, and are, in fact, littlo potentates in their several districts, but with tho
threat of deposition always hanging over them. As tho father is respcmsiblo
for tho faults of his children, the mandarin may bo denouncc^d for all the crimes
murders, and outbreaks that may take place in his jurisdicticm. Hence, although
bound to make a yearly report of his errors in a spocnal memoir addressed to the
Emperor, ho generally omits to mention the disorders that have occurred in tho
district. Formerly the mandarins were frequently condemned to capital punish-
ment, but now the usual sentence is banishment to Manchuria, Zungariu,
Formosa, or othor outlying regions. Recently tho foreign powers have unwittingly
aimed a great blow at their power, and tended in no small degree to promote tho
political centralization of tho empire, by refusing to treat directly with the
provincial governors and viceroys, and by always addressing themselves to the
court of Peking.
One of the most serious defects in the existing administrative system is the
totally inadequate pay given to the lower officers, and tho low rate at which
tho salaries of the higher mandarins are fixed — low especially when the wealth and
extent of the territories over which they rule are taken into consideration. The
mandarins are, in consequence, obliged to gain their incomes by means of extortion,
bribery, and illegal fees levied by their underlings. These retain a certain portion
themselves, but the greater part goes in different ways to the purses of the
mandarins.
Perhaps the total amount of revenue, public and secret, derived by the actual
governing power in China is not larger in proportion than that obtained in England.
The great evil is that by far the larger part of it is levied in a very unequal
manner, that at once demoralises the nation and damps its energies.
The people, knowing that the mandarins cannot possibly live on their salaries,
excuse and acquiesce in the imposition of certain generally understood irregular fees,
which every one who applies to the courts must pay. On the other hand, the
-tM
824
EAST ASIA.
mandarins as a natural consequence take advantage of a system thus endured as
a necessary evil, to enforce arbitrary extortions, and oblige people to offer bribes.
Hence in the whole country corruption and injustice are rife. In fact, all
mandarins without exception take money over and above their salary, and even
beyond their anti-extortion allowances. The great difference between what the
Chinese call the " good " and the " bad" mandarin is, that while the former makes
people pat/ for jmtke, as indeed is largely the case everywhere, the latter uUh
JHHticc to the highest bidder.
This irregular state of things, moreover, renders the mandarins themselves
dependent on their clerks and police officers, and obliges them to wink at
infringements of the law by which they personally gain nothing. Thus some of
the lower functionaries continue to serve after the legal period of five years, and
in fact maintain permanent possession of their posts, merely by changing their
names, although the mandarin is liable to a heavy punishment for permitting it.
Were Ke to attempt to enforce the law, these officers would resist in a body ; and
as it requires great experience and tact to levy the illegal fees without getting into
trouble, the new functionaries would find it very difficult to transact public
business and raise the irregular revenue, which is, of course, the main object of the
mandarins. A case occurred some time ago in Canton, in which a new super-
intendent of finances, who had at a previous period held a lower post and then
been insulted by the underlings, in revenge immediately forced them to leave on
being made superintendent himself. But he was eventually obliged to receive
them all back again after putting himself to much trouble, and making what
practically amounted to an apology.*
At once military commanders, administrators, and judges, it is in the latter
capacity that the mandarins are most dreaded by their subjects. Notwithstanding
the stringent measures taken against venality, the bribes of suitors still continue to
compensate for the low rate of their salaries, originally fixed according to the
income they might earn as artisans. The old edicts decree the penalty of death
against unrighteous judges, but there is practically no appeal from their sentences.
" It is well," said the Emperor Kang-hi, " that all men should have a wholesome
fear of the tribunals. I desire that all having recourse to the magistrates be
treated mercilessly, so that all may dread to appear before them. Let good
citizens settle their disputes like brothers, submitting to the arbitration of the
elders and maj'ors of the communes. Let all obstinate and incorrigible litigants be
crushed by the judges, for such is their desert." In many places differences are
still settled by the heads of families according to the imwritten code, and the
lex talionis is everywhere respected. Private vengeance is also often carried out by
suicide. Debtors pursued bj"^ their creditors, farmers oppressed by their landlords,
the artisan injured by his employer, the wife harassed by her mother-in-law, can
always adopt the expedient of hanging themselves in order to obtain redress. The
whole community then takes up their cause and avenges them — symbolically. A
broom is placed in the hand of the victim, and this broom, being moved to the
♦ Meadows, op. eit. p. 168, 169.
*^%J^ViWyVtf^llllilllt^ill^WMi''' tJH
IHHi'lMOUd
MM
MiiM
■MM
18 endured as
offer bribes.
In fact, all
ary, and even
reen what the
former makes
he latter scUh
ns themselves
1 to wink at
Thus some of
ive years, and
hanging their
permitting it.
n a body ; and
ut getting into
ransact public
n object of the
a new super-
post and then
9m to leave on
god to receive
making what
s in the latter
otwithstanding
itill continue to
cording to the
?nalty of death
their sentences,
re a wholesome
magistrates be
iva. Let good
>itration of the
ible litigants be
differences are
code, and the
I carried out by
their landlords,
;her-in-law, can
II redress. The
'mbolically. A
f moved to the
THE MANDARINS.
Fig. 163.— Vaouaxt Convictk.
826
right and to the left, sweeps away the fortunes, the pro.sperity, the whole household
of the tyrant.
826
EAST ASIA.
Pexal Code.
The penal code is clear, precise, and logical, but extremely harsh. Moot
sentences are passed after a simple examination made in public. There are no
recognised advocates, and if the mandarin allows friends or relatives to plead for
the accused, it is entirely an act of condescension on his part. Being relatively far
less numerous thiin in Europe, the nuigistrates decide cases in a nmch more
summary manner. Still armed with the right of inflicting torture, they exercise it
with the sjime severity as was practised in the West until recent times. Scourging,
tearing out the niiils, crushing the ankles or fingers, hanging by the armpits, and
a hundred other excruciating torments are inflicted for the purpose of extracting
confessions or revelations of accomplices. Atrocious sentences are daily inflicted,
and besides the three ordinary methods of putting to death, by Iwheading,
strangling, and garotting, the cotic provides for the punishment of " slow death."
Formerly flaying alive was protracted for days together, but at present a few
gashes on the face and hands are substituted, after which decapitation puts an end
to the victim's sufferings. Fortunately the nervous system of the Chinese is far
less sensitive than that of Europeans. The doctors attached to the hospitals in
I long Kong and Shanghai all speak with astonishment of the indifference of the
patients under the severest operations.
For lighter offences the usual punishments are the rod and the canguc, a wooden
collar weighing about 75 lbs. The convict condemned to wear this horrible
instrument of torture, finding no rest asleep or awake, and exposed night and day
to all the inclemencies of the weather, breaks down under the pitiless burden, and
implores wayfarers to put an end to his intolerable sufferings by death. The
pris(ms arc loathsome dens, where the condemned are huddled together, and
exposed to the brutality of gaolers, often chosen from the criminals themselves.
Those who are unaided by their relatives or the charitable societies run the risk of
being starved to death. Women are seldom punished with severity, their husbands
or sons being considered responsible for their faults. The principle of substitution
is fully recognised, not only in the case of a son presenting himself instead of his
father, but even when a stranger offers, " for a consideration," to undergo the
sentence. As long as the debt is discharged, justice is satisfied, whoever be the
victim. Even in the case of torture and death, suppliants are found willing to
endure everything in order to secure some advantage for their families. During
the Anglo-French invasion of Pechili, some Chinese assassins having l)een sentenced
to death, substitutes presented themselves, and loudly denounced the injustice
which refused to allow them to take the place of the criminals. Those sentenced
to the rod easily find crowds of ready volunteers, whence the remark that " in
China there are thousands who live by blows."
In some districts a substitute may be prociired to confess himself guilty of a
felony, and suffer certain death for about fifty taels of silver, a sura equivalent to
£17 sterling, but worth in China perhaps as much as £100, regard being had to
the relative price of provisions and other necessaries. Hence it is that the
MMM*
iiitiMiii
■W M MIU I
mfm!t(!i0m» ! t9' -flf fi wpyf ^ i P^ n
PENAL CODE.
827
irsb. Moot
here arc no
to plead for
datively far
much more
«y exercise it
Scourging,
armpits, and
>f extracting
lily inflicted,
,' l)cheading,
slow death."
resent a few
1 puts an end
Ihincse is far
hospitals in
arouce of the
igiir, a wootlen
this horrible
ight and day
i burden, and
death. The
together, and
us themselves,
in the risk of
leir husbands
' substitution
instead of his
undergo the
hoever be the
and willing to
dies. During
Mjen sentenced
the injustice
lose sentenced
lark that "in
)lf guilty of a
equivalent to
being had to
it is that the
murder of mandarins and riots arc so frequent in those districts. When any of
the richer classes are dissatisfied with the conduct of a mandarin, they are never
preventetl from instigating the lower classes to make disturbances by the fear of
personal punishment. Some years ago a magistrate having been killcMl during an
outbreak in the east of Kwangtung, the proviiu-ial judge was sent from Canton
with a strong force to seize and punish the criminals. On his arrival, however, be
found a large body of men assembled in arms to oppose him, and the matter was
disposed of by a secret compromise, as so fretjuently happens in such cases in China.
The wealthy members of the community, who hud instigated the murder of the
district magistrate, awed by the force brought against them, bought about twenty
substitutes ready to personate the true criminals. They then bribed the son of the
nmrdered man with a large sum to allow these men to call themselves the
instigators, principals, and accomplices. The judge, on the other hand, being
obliged by the code of the lioard of Civil Office to execute somebody, or see
himself involved in punishment, knowing also that if he attempted to bring the
real offenders to justice they would employ all their means of resistance, ending
possibly in the defeat of his force and his own death, gave way to these
considerations, supported as they were by a bribe, and ordere??■'w»r-
*!*•
THE ARMY.
820
i (luring tbo
tho different
sugar, whi(!h
two montbs'
cigar, and tea
I for driving a
8 with a stick,
•oughfare had
like 'orderly
own in some
darin, politely
lations on his
;ly in all parts
their papers,
ploraas of any
i is generally
police. Even
I to close the
it does not for-
» give them a
for ages main-
families take
from the agri-
yors, notaries,
ly differences,
Is are attached
;ers, surveyors,
iO ki'ichang, or
form a Muni-
le other muni-
ict magistrates
directly on the
the European
s. The people
very man who
em entertained
ect that " good
men are not required to make soldiers, or good iron nails." Hitherto the recent
changes have only affected two anny corps — that of Tientsin on the Lower Pei'-ho,
and the 50,000 men who, since the reduction of tho Duugan rebels, occupy
the western regions of tho empire on tho llussian frontier. Apart from these, the
various armed bodies are little better than those dispersed in 1800 by the Allies
near Peking. The army of the " Eight Banners," which was formerly the main-
stay of the dynasty, has retained its old organization. It consists almost exclu-
sively of Manchus and Mongols, all married, and each with a plot of ground or a
garden, so that they are rather military colonists than soldiers. Numbering about
2'30,000, they are probably more dangerous than useful, their presence in the
Fig. 164.— Dbfbncbs of thr Mouth of the Pei-ho.
Scale 1 : 133,000.
ia
B
BaHary
/■■■■■:r-
'::.\:^/- ■.■,-.'r.." ■ ■^■■'^•■•^'■'■'■■'
59
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Und or Sand expoeed at high water.
— ^— ^^-^— -^-^-^ 8 MilM>.
Manchu quarters constantly reminding the nation of its defeat, and thus keeping
alive a spirit of rebellion against the Manchu power. The only efficient Manchu
corps is the Hiaokiying, which occupies the Peking district, and is said to comprise
36,000 men and 26,000 military students. The highest military title, that of
Siangkiun, answering to the Japanese Shogun, can be held only by a Manchu.
The Lutying, or " Army of the Green Banner," divided into eighteen corps,
corresponding with the eighteen provinces, is composed of 600,000 volunteers, all of
Chinese nationality. This militia is chiefly employed in the police, in forwarding
cereals, in maintaining the embankments, and repairing the highways. The men
serve only within the limits of their respective provinces, beyond which they can
seldom be induced to march, even in urgent cases. Thefutai, or general, is always a
64
880
EAST ASIA.
civilian, on the principle universally accepted in China that ann8 must yield to the
peaceful arts. IJodics of militia are also raised in the various departments at the
expense of the communes, and in time of war the Government has the power of
enrolling all able-bodied men. Rut such levies, without any previous training, are
found to be worthless in the presence of disciplined troops.
Military exercises are almost always carried on in the imperial hunting park,
which is an immense tract of country surrounded by a wall, access to which is
jealously forbidden to foreigners. In addition to the land service, the Lutying
mans the navy of the seaboard provinces, and has a distinct organization of divisions
and garrisons, each under its own general. The strength of these provincial armies
varies with the size of the province and with the duties they have to perform.
But the average for each province may bo about Jio.OOO men and 640 officers.
Properly led, the Chinese " would make magnificent troops, for by nature they
are singularly obedient to authority, and would not question the demands of those
who once established an influence over them. In this they are like other Easterns,
but more than others their national characteristic renders them particularly
incapable of military combinations. A Chinaman can learn anything, but he can
conceive nothing. He may readily be taught any number of the most complicated
military manceuvres, but place him in a position slightly different from that in
which he has learnt, and he will be found utterly incapable of conceiving any
modification to suit the altered circumstances. This national characteristic is the
growth of centuries of a narrow education ; its roots are deeply seated, and lie in
the insane reverence for antiquity, which is almost the beginning and end of a
Chinaman's belief. Prompt action, readiness of resource, ability to seize on the
smallest advantage, or to neutralise a misfortune, and the power to evolve rapidly
fresh combinations — these are the qualities that make a soldier, and these are the
very qualities that cannot co-exist with the Chinese want of originality. This is
no unimportant matter, for it proves that, as they are, the Chinese cannot be
feared as a military nation, but that with a large number of European officers, their
almost unlimited numbers, their obedience to authority, and personal l>ravery, when
properly led, would make them almost irresistible.
" Further, there is in the Chinese mind a great dread of Europeans. Supernatural
powers are popularly attributed to foreigners, and, although they profess to hold
the barbarians in contempt, in reality the feeling of fear predominates in their
mind, although, perhaps, they would not own it even to themselves. But with
good and skilled European officers, they would, as they have done before, make
magnificent soldiers." *
The naval are relatively more important than the land forces, and are also
more needed for the defence of the empire. In 1880 the navy consisted of 40
steamers, of nearly 20,000 tons burden, and carrying 238 guns The crews,
mostly from Ewangtung and Fokien, are generally skilful sailoia, -ud on many
occasions have given proof of signal courage. Fortifications have been erected at
the entry of the Canton, Fuchew, Shanghai, and Tientsin Rivers, and for these
• Gill, op. eit. i. p. 164-6.
»i^»*-
THE CURRENCY.
881
8t yield to the
rtmonts at the
8 the power of
8 training, are
hiintiu}? pirk,
38 to which is
3, the Lutying
ion of divisions
ovinciul armies
VQ to perform.
officers,
by nature they
mands of those
other Easteras,
m particxdarly
ing, but he can
ost complicated
it from that in
conceiving ony
racteristic is the
eated, and lie in
ig !\nd end of a
to seize on the
o evolve rapidly
id these are the
inality. This is
inese cannot be
>au officers, their
al bravery, when
18. Supernatural
r profess to hold
iminates in their
jlves. But with
me before, make
ces, and are also
consisted of 40
Ins The crews,
o, Aud on many
been erected at
rs, and for these
and other defensive works over 400 Krupp guns had already been supplied down
to the end of the year 1879. A vast amount of war muteriuls is also being pro-
duced in the Government arsenals, over half of the revenue, estimated nt
£25,000,000, being employed in these military preparations. The foreign loans
contracted at various dates since 1874 are also devoted to the construction of forts
and ironclads. The eleven wooden ships built at Newcastle for the Government,
and almost unrivalled for speed and weight of metal, form an efficient fleet,
admirably suited to the defence of the seaboard.
The Chinese make excellent sailors, and an experienced American skipper assured
Captain Gill that he preferred them to Europeans or Americans. " They never give
any trouble, never drink or quarrel ; and although, in cases of danger, he admitted
that at first they slightly lost their heads, yet he declared that, with proper leaders,
this lasted a very short time, that then they really had no fear, and would work as
quietly and as well as under the most ordinary circumstances." *
The Revenuk,
The chief source of revenue is the customs, which have been reorganized by Euro-
peans, of whom nearly five hundred are employed in this important service, the official
language of which is English. But this branch has charge only of the foreign
exchanges, and is replaced in the interior by the likin, which is in the hands of native
officers, and which doubles, trebles, and increases even tenfold the value of com-
modities according to the rapacity of the mandarins. By the terms of the treaties
a tax of 2 J per cent., added to the import duty of 5 per cent., ought to exempt
merchandise from all supplementary dues. But, besides these, tolls are levied at
the octroi of the large towns, on the highways, canals, and bridges, and there are
many other vexatious charges which greatly hamper the trade of the interior.
But " give us free access to China ; protect us in the exercise of our privileges,
until the Chinese are accustomed to us and understand us, and fix our duty pay-
ments firmly and explicitly, and everything else will follow. The custom-house
bugbear will disappear, for the goods will be put down at the door of the customer.
Teas and silks will be bought cheaper, for different districts will be made to com-
pete when we buy direct from the producer ; and European manufacturers, with
moderate energy and enterprise, will make a fair start." t
< . J >
-'■*'''
The Currency.
The want of a convenient currency is also a serious obstacle to traffic. The old
monetary system, consisting of gold, silver, and bronze, was abolished in conse-
quence of its depreciation by Government falsifications of all sorts. Nothing is
now issued except the cheti, or sapeks, an alloy of copper and tin in the form of
discs, and strung together by means of a hole in the centre. A thousand of these,
•Op.eit.p.n. "j ' ■ .. i
t G. W. Cooke, op. eit. p. 208.
m
Ill II
ifl I!
li
15
882
EAST ASIA.
weighing over 10 lbs., form the Urn, or monetary unit, valued at about 48.
But numbers have no precise meaning, and change with every district, so
that in Tientsin, for instance, the tiao is worth only
KOREA.
HE peninsula which projectfl between the Japanese and Yellow Seas
southwards in the direction of the southern islands of Nippon is
completely limited landwards. Like Italy, with which it may bo
compared in extent, and even to some degree in its orographic con-
figuration, it is separated from the mainland by the Alpine Taipei-
shan, or " Great White Mountains," of Manchuria. It has also its Apennines
stretching north and south, and forming the backbone of the peniiiKula. As in
Italy, the western slope of the highlands forms, throughout their central and
southern sections, the vital portion of the peninsula. Here is developed the course
of the Han-kiang, the Korean Tiber, and here is situated the city of Seul, present
capital of the kingdom. In Korea, as in Italy, the eastern seaboard is uniform,
and almost destitute of inlets, while the west aide is deeply indented by gidfs and
bays, rich in islands and small archipelagos.
Nevertheless these general resemblances do not descerxd tu minor details. The
north-east frontier, towai-ds Russian Manchuria, is very mountainous and of diffi-
cidt access, whereas the plains of the Yalu-kiang valley present towards the north-
west an easy natural passage from the interior of the peninsula to the Chinese
province of Liaotimg. In this direction the two frontier states thought it neces-
sary to create a sort of " marca," or neutral zone, as a line of reciprocal defence,
by leaving a broad tract uninhabited and uncultivated on the north-west side of
the Yalu-kiang. Till recently peaceful settlers in this region were liable to capital
punishment, although banditti made it their camping ground, endangering the
trade route running to the " Gate of Korea," near the city of Fungwang-shan
(Fenghoang-cheng), or " Castle of the Yellow Wind." But according to the latest
accounts the neutral zone, which has an area of about 5,600 square miles, is begin-
ning to be brought under cultivation. Chinese settlers are gradually encroaching
and reclaiming the land, while some Koreans have on their side already formed
settlements beyond the frontier.
Like most regions of the extreme East, Korea is known to foreigners by a name
which has little currency in the country itself. This term, belonging formerly to
the petty state of Kori^, has been extended by the Chinese and Japanese to the
KOREA
Hi3ft
whole poninmtila, uiult>r the furmn of Kiiokiuli, K itU, qgl MtttDt AVhcn till the
priiicipiilitii's woro fiiswl in oiio inoiiiircliy, towards u- vlnne of <• fourficnth cen-
tury, tin? foumry. ut that t-'rac Hubject to Chiiiu, t( tlie offici, titi*' ul liiutNien
(Tsioseii) — that is, '* Scieiiity of the Morning " — in allimion to if m ^'f«)gr;»p il jjosi-
tion east of the empire. Thus it is now designated by a poetical exprch .ii Mhich
exactly indicates its position l)etween China and .Iiii)an. While for tl» >eoyU' i»t
Fig. 166. -OiNMHAL Yiiw or Kano-rua, Lowkk Hano-kiano.
id Yellow SeaB
I of Nippon is
ich it may bo
rographic cou-
Alpine Taipei-
ita Apennines
liiisula. As in
ir central and
>ped the course
if Seul, present
lard is uniform,
3d by G^s and
)r details. The
18 and of diffi-
^ards the north-
, to the Chinese
lought it neces-
iprocal defence,
rth-west side of
liable to capital
ndangering the
Fungwang-shan
ing to the latest
miles, is begin-
illy encroaching
already formed
gners by a name
»ing formerly to
Japanese to the
,^^1^
-'„'...■>
'\ " ■■'^*^' .,
' -» -/*.
X***^..,,'*'"' • ^
"»i'*t-.;,i.-i.,»i.>-
-, ' V
■•;^-.':-.
:i2i^P5
.^^a
r Mt
^-Mm ^ mm
•1 III"" ••■ .^
s--^>, •:- ■ BT^
an ■•■
*a
■0^
f
«
,
■;^?v
'.j::r..ai%:
^- ii«
the continent Japan is the land of the Rising Sun, Korea is the " Serene " land,
illumined by the morning rays.
Although washed by two much-frequented seas, and yearly sighted by thousands
of seafarers, Korea is one of the least known Asiatic regions. Even the seaboard,
which presents so many dangers to navigation, has been so imperfectly surveyed
that its contour, as laid down on the charts, is still largely hypothetical. Before
the seventeenth century European geographers supposed that Korea was an island,
880
EAST ASIA.
and it in mo fij^unHl on tin* nioj)H of Mcrcntor, ('rtoliuH, nnd Snnw)n. Hut itH ponin-
Kulor cliaractcr waM rovoalcHl liy the map wnt l»y tlu' niiMMionarifs fnmi iVkiii^, and
rcpriMliinHl hy D'Aiivillo. The tii'Ht a<'ciimtt' ohrn'rvatioiiH date oidy from the
i'ij<;lil»'t'Mth (M'litury, and it wan not till 17H7 tliat \m IVtoumo di'tonMincd tlio |Mmi-
tion of tlio lai'^t> island of (hiclpacrt (tiic 'l'an^:lo of the Cliincsc, and Tamiiro of
till' Jupant>M>), and Miirvi>y«'d tlu? Strait of Korea U'tweon the two inland HoaH. Ten
ycarH aftcrwardH Itrou^hton coaNtcd the Hoiithcrn oxtrnnity, paHsin^ through tbo
strait which bcurH his nuino, and which flows In'twuen the muinlund and thu double
Fig. 157.— KoRiA Sthait.
fi<>mle i : ■.'.HiW.OOO.
to 820 Feet.
mo Fact aad ninnidt.
aOMIlCT.
island of Tsu-simu. Later on Krusenstcrn extended our knowledge of the coast
north from the island of Kiu-siu, and the work of exploration was continued during
the present century by Maxwell, Basil Hall, and others of various nationalities.
At present the seaboard is being most carefully studied by the Japanese navigators,
who have already taken extensive soundings throughout the thousand channels of
the islets, and dangerous reefs fringing the south-west coast, and figuring on the
Chinese maps as part of the mainland. Thanks to all these survej's and discoveries,
the area of the peninsula may be approximately set down at about 95,000 square
miles, or nearly half that of France.
PaOUlUiSS OF UISC'UVKUY— FOUKION IIKLATIONS.
887
Hut it» ponin-
11) iVkiiiK, uiul
,nly J' rum the
iiiH«ut 95,000 square
Pro(jkksm ok Discovkky — FoHKKiN Uki.atioxh.
The interior of the peninsiihi ninnot Ih» said to Ih) ultogothcr unknown, «inre
its niountuins aro visible from the couHt, whonce even many plains and valluys may
Fig. 1S8, -Kxfl.UHATIIiNH OK KollKA ANI> Ml KHULMltNU NVaTKUII.
Soula t : 700,000.
M
)^r^-.^,T
ISS'
IS6*
LofG
190 Miles.
be recognised. But although D'Anville's map, of which most others are a mere
reproduction, is based on native documents, the direction of the ranges, the river
valleys, and the sites of the cities are figured on it without any attempt at accu-
racy ; nor have previous labours hitherto been checked or rectified by any explorer
888
EAST ASIA.
worthy of the name. In 1653 the Dutch writer Ilamcl having been shipwrecked,
with thirty-five companions, on Quclpaert Island, he was brought captive to the
capital, and during the thirteen years of his captivity devoted himself to the study
of Korean manners and customs. But he had no opportunity of exploring the
land, and his itinerary is confined to the west coast. The western slopes have also
been traversed in almost every direction by the Catholic missionaries, who have
penetrated into the country since 1835 either from Manchuria or by sea from
Shantung. But although obliged to travel in disguise, generally by night and
along unbeaten tracks, to their reports we are mainly indebted for our most trust-
worthy information regarding the geographical features of the land.
From its very position between China and Japan, Korea could not fail to have
been a subject of contention for its powerful neighbours. Before its fusion in one
state it comprised several distinct principalities, whose limits were subject to fre-
Fig. 159.— SotTH-WEST AUCHIPELAGO OF KoKKA.
Scale 1 : 1,300,000.
to 82 Feet.
33 to 80
80 to 160 IflO and upward*.
_____ SO Mile*.
quent changes. These were, in the north, Kaokiuli (Kaoli), or Korea proper; in
the centre, Chaosien and the seventy-eight so-called "kingdoms" of Chinese
foundation, usually known as the San Kan (San Han), or " Three Han ; " in the
south, Petsi, or Hiaksai (Kudara), the Sinlo of the Chinese, or Siragi of the
Japanese ; besides the petty state of Kara, Zinna, or Mimana, in the south-east,
round about the Bay of Tsiosan. The northern regions naturally gravitated towards
China, whose rulers repeatedly interfered in the internal affairs of the country.
But the inhabitants of the south, known in history by the Japanese name of Kmaso,
or " Herd of Bears," were long subject to Japan, while at other times they made
frequent incursions into Kiu-siu and Hondo, and even formed settlements on those
islands. The first conquest of the country was made by the forces of the Queen
Regent Zingu in the third qentury. Towards the end of the sixteenth the cele-
PHYSICAL FEATURES— OROQKAPHIC SYSTEM.
889
een shipwrecked,
it captive to the
iself to the study
of exploring the
1 slopes have also
•naries, who have
I or by sea from
Lly by night and
jr our most trust-
nd.
1 not fail to have
I its fusion in one
sre subject to fre-
arda-
Korea proper ; in
ioraa" of Chinese
hree Han ; " in the
■, or Siragi of the
in the south-east,
gravitated towards
irs of the country.
Bsc name of Kmaso,
!r times they made
ettlements on those
orces of the Queen
sixteenth the cele-
brated Japanese dictator and usurper Taikosama, having conceived the project
of conquering China, began with that of Korea, under the pretext of old Japanese
rights over the country of the Kmuso. After wasting the land he compelled the
King to become his tributary, and loft a permanent garrison in the peninsula.
A fresh expedition, although interrupted by the death of Taikosama, was equally
successful. Tsu-sima remained in the hands of the Japanese, and from that time
till the middle of the present century Korea continued in a state of vassalage,
sending every year presents and tribute to Nippon. According to the missionaries,
thirty human skins at first formed part of this tribute, but were afterwards replaced
by silver, rice, linen fabrics, and medicinal plants.
Thanks to the aid sent by the Ming dynasty to Korea, in its victorious struggle
with the other petty states of the peninsula, and in its resistance to Japan, its
relations with China continued to be of the most friendly character. Admirers of
Chinese culture, the native rulers felt honoured by the investiture granted them by
the " Son of Heaven." But after the Manchu conquest of the Middle Kingdom,
Korea remaininj,, faithfid to the cause of the Mings, the new masters of the empire
invaded the peninsula, and in 1637 dictated a treaty, imposing on the Koreans a
yearly tribute of 100 ounces of gold, 1,000 ounces of silver, and a certain quantity
of furs, roots, textile fabrics, and other natural and industrial products of the land.
But although since that time the native ruler takes the title of " Subject," China
exercises no real sovereign rights in Korea. No Chinese emigrants are allowed to
settle in the peninsula, and even the envoys from Peking are obliged to leave their
suites outside the walls of the capital, where during their stay they remain confined
to the palace, more like honoured captives than the representatives of a master.
Thus, although for over two hundred years a vassal to both of its powerful neigh-
bours, the peninsula has practically retained its autonomy.
A third empire, having become conterminous with Korea, has begun to make
itself felt. Conflicts have already taken place between Bussians and Koreans, and
the Government of St. Petersburg has more than once assumed an aggressive
attitude. A well-sheltered harbour on the south coast of the peninsula would
certtiinly be of the greatest advantage, both commercially and strategically, to
Russia. From such a station she might command at once both the Chinese and
Japanese waters, and thus become supreme in the Eastern seas. But a reasonable
pretext for attacking the feeble kingdom of Korea has not yet been discovered, and
meantime the influence of Japan has recently been most active in the peninsula,
where she has secured certain concessions and commercial privileges still denied to
all other foreign powers except the United States of North America.
Physical Features — Orooraphk; System.
According to Dallet the chief mountain range of Korea branches off from the
Tai-pei-shan at the Paiktu-san, whose crest forms the parting-line between the
waters flowing north-east to Tiumen-ola, and south-west to the Yalu-kiang.
South-east of these highlands, which are still held by independent tribes, an
I
i
840
EAST ASIA.
extensive depression is filled by the Tai-ti, the only large lake in Korea, stretching
apparently some 24 miles east and west. Several peaks rising alwve the main
ridge bear the name of Paik-san, or " White Mountain," so that this term might
be extended to the whole range from the frontier of Manchuria to Broughton Bay.
The summits seem to be here very lofty, but none of them have yet been visited,
and elevations have been taken only for the peaks on the coast visible from the
sea. The Hicu-fung, near the north side of Broughton Bay, has an altitude of
8,200 feet, while several others rise to a height of 6,500 feet and upwards.
There can be no reasonable doubt as to the generally mountainous character of
the interior. In every direction the view is broken by hills, some denuded, others
covered with dense forests, bounding the horizon with their peaks, cones, sharp
summits, and rugged crags. The valleys are everywhere narrow and connected by
savage gorges, so that no plains of any extent are developed except near the
seaboard. The surface of the land presents the general aspect of an inclined plane
falling abruptly eastwards to the deep Sea of Japan, and sloi^ng westwards far more
gently towards the shallow waters of the Yellow Sea.
As far as can be judged from the available data, the complex orographic system
would seem to be produced by the intersection of the main axis, running in the
line of the meridian along the east coast, with transverse ridges belonging to the
Chinese system. The very form of the inlets on the west coast seems to show that
the elevations follow in Korea the same direction as on the neighbouring mainland. A
tongue of land projects far into the Yellow Sea towards the Shantung peninsula, thus
enclosing the Gulf of Pechili from the outer waters. In the same way the south-
west extremity seems to be continued between the Yellow and Eastern Seas by
quite au archipelago of islands, forming a pendant to the Chusan and Ningpo groups
on the Chinese coast. Two at least of the Korean ranges also run south-west and
north-east, parallel with the highlands of Manchuria, Mongolia, Pechili, and
Shansi. One of these, forming a continuation of the Shantung system beyond the
Yellow Sea, intersects the Paiksan chain, east of which it skirts the Korean
seaboard as far as Possiet Bay. The other, beginning at the southernmost
extremity of the peninsula, gradually merges in the eastern uplands on the convex
east coast commanded by the Tsiongyan-san, or Mount Popov of the Russians. The
islets attached to this ridge rise abruptly from the water to heights of 1,500, 2,000,
and even 2,200 feet. The island of Quelpaert itself, now a Korean convict station,
forms a small chain running in the same south-west and north-east direction, and
culminating with the white cliffs of the Aula, or Hanka-san, the Auckland of the
English surveyors, which attains au elevation of 6,700 feet.
'i
li
The Korean Archipelagos.
The west coast is fringed by numerous islands and small archipelagos,
which have not yet been accurately surveyed, and the extent of which was a
constant source of surprise to the early navigators. " We threaded our way,"
writes Basil Hall, " for upwards of a hundred miles amongst islands, which lie in
wmttm
' 1," ' J !i J ' J»"
MINERAL WEALTH— FLORA AND FAUNA— CLIMATE.
841
rea, stretching
)ove the main
lis tenn might
roughton Bay.
t been visited,
isible from the
an altitude of
wards.
us character of
lenuded, others
8, cones, sharp
id connected by
xcept near the
1 inclined plane
twards far more
ographic system
running in the
elonging to the
sms to show that
ing mainland. A
5 peninsula, thus
way the south-
Sastem Seas by
I Ningpo groups
south-west and
ia, Pechili, and
stem beyond the
irts the Korean
le southernmost
ds on the convex
B Russians. The
of 1,500, 2,000,
1 convict station,
ist direction, and
Auckland of the
immense clusters in every direction. At first we thought of counting them, and
even attempted to note their places on the charts which we were making of this
coast, but their grt at number completely baffled these endeavours. They vary
in size from a few hundred yards in length to five or six miles, and are of all
shapes. From the mast-head other groups were perceived lying one behind the
other to the east and south as far as the eye could reach. Frequently above
a hundred islands were in sight from deck at one moment. The seu being quite
smooth, the weather fine, and many of the islands wooded and cultivated in
the valleys, the scene was at all times lively, and was rendered still more
interesting by our rapid passage along the coast, by which the appearances about
us were perpetually changing.
" Of this coast we had no charts possessing the slightest pretensions to accuracy,
none of the places at which we touched being laid down within sixty miles of their
proper places. Only a few islands are noticed in any map, whereas the coast for
near two hundred miles is completely studded with them, to the distance of
fifteen or twenty leagues from the mainland. . . . Farther on we passed for a
distance of five miles amongst islands, all except the very smallest inhabited.
The villages are built in the valleys, where the houses are nearly hid by trees and
hedges. The sides of the hills are cultivated with millet and a species of bean ;
and in the numerous small gardens near the villages we saw a great variety of
plants.
"As the peaked island which we had undertaken to climb was steep, and covered
with a long coarse grass, it cost us a tiresome scramble to gain the top, which
was about 600 feet above the level of the sea. The mainland of Korea is
just discernible in the north-east and east from this elevation. But it commands a
splendid view of the islands, lying in thick clusters as far as the eye can reach,
from north-west quite round by east to south. We endeavoured to count them.
One person, by reckoning only such as were obviously separate islands, made their
number one hundred and twenty. Two other gentlemen, by estimating the
numbers in each connected cluster, made severally one hundred and thirty-six and
one hundred and seventy, a difference which at once shows the difficulty of
speaking with precision on this subject. But when it is considered that from one
spot which, though considerably elevated, was not concentrical, one hundred and
twenty islands could be counted, and that our course for upwards of one hundred
miles had been amongst islands no less crowded than these, some idea may be
formed of this great archipelago." •
all archipelagos,
of which was a
•eaded our way,"
mds, which lie in
MiNERAi, Wealth — Flora and Fauna — Climate.
Amongst the volcanic islands on the coast, OUonto, the Japanese Matsu-sima,
and the Dagelet of European geographers, forms a cone over 4,000 feet high,
while its spurs plunge into depths of 4,500 feet and upwards. But the reports of
the missionaries throw no light on the geological formation of the highlands on
• " Voyage to Korea," &c. p. 42 tt leq.
842
EAST ASIA.
tho muinluud. Gold, however, is stated to be abundant in several places ; but
mining operations, both for it and for silver, are forbidden under severe penalties,
for fear of exciting the cupidity of the neighbouring peoples. Korea also possesses
deposits of lead and copper, although copper and bronze ware are imported from
Japan. There are said to bo whole mountains of iron ores, which are washed down
by the rains in quantities sufficient to supply the smelting works. The forests
consist of the elm, willow, birch, pine, spruce, and other Manchurian species,
besides some cryptomeria? and the Rhus vernici/era, or lacquer-tree of Japan. But
Fijf. 160. — Entrance to the Gulf of Ficuili.
Scale 1 : 4,7M),00O.
to 80 Feet.
SOtolflO
160 and upi^aiiM.
— . 120 Miles.
the beech and oak are absent. Most of the timber employed in Peking and North
China comes from Korea.
Of great economic importance is the ginseng plant, which is extensively
cultivated for the market of China. It is raised from the seed imder sheds covered
with pine bark, the roots arriving at maturity in about five years, when they are
collected, dried, and exported in considerable quantities to Peking. Here the
Korean variety, although less esteemed than that of Manchuria, nevertheless
commands high prices, ranging from 60s. to 80s. per lb.
The wild fauna includes the bear, tiger, panther, wild boar, and fox, whose
skins and furs form the staple exports of the country. In some districts the man-
'i
" ■ / ^iii ] iii j$i i |_y i| i tw i iii >iwife'^i I
MINERAL WEALTH— FLORA. AND FAUNA— CLIMATE.
848
;ral places ; but
severe penalties,
I ea also possesses
! imported from
ire washed down
■ks. The forests
ichurian species,
of Japan. But
eating tigers enter the villages, prowl about the houses, and even penetrate through
the thatch roofs for their human prey. They are hunted chiefly in winter, when
they are often overtaken floundering in the half-frozen masses of snow, and easilj'
dispatched with spears and knives. The Korean horses, imported cspoeiallv from
the island of Quelpaert, are very small, like Shetland ponies ; but the oxen, used
as mounts, are powerful beasts. Pigs and dogs are very numerous ; but the latter
are cowardly curs, useless for the hunt, and chiefly bred for their flesh, which
is largely consumed, and regarded as a great delicacy. The surrounding waters
Fig. 161. — Island op Quelpasrt.
Pnale 1 : nno.OOO.
IBS*
to 160 Feet.
leotosao
890 uid npwaiilt.
ISUilee.
Peking and North
ch is extensively
ider sheds covered
irs, when they are
eking. Here the
luria, nevertheless
ar, and fox, whose
districts the man-
abound in animal life, and here is taken the species of sknte whose skin is used in
the manufacture of sheaths.
Although washed by marine waters, the climate of Korea resembles that of
China and Manchuria. This is due to the shallowness of the Yellow Sea and Gulf
of Pechili, which are rapidly heated and cooled according to the seasons, and which
have consequently but a slight influence in regulating the yearly temperature. As
on the mainland, the isothermals corresponding with those of Europe are deflected in
Korea several degrees south of the latitudes which they cross on the Atlantic sea-
board. Thus the mean temperature of France will be found in the south of the
peninsula under the same parallels as Gibraltar and Morocco. But while the
mean temperature is lower, the extremes are much greater than in Europe, a fact
due to the prevalence of cold north-east winds in winter, followed by the warm
south-west monsoons in summer. Even in the southern provinces the glass falls
~iWe
n
JCkM
lU
m''
fW
w
844
EAST ASIA.
in the cold season several degrees below freezing point, and in the central region a
temperature of — 7^ Fahr. has boon rocordo-*TS«!paia5S^?!BS!S3?.
INIIA]11TANT8— LANGUAGE.
845
thick lips, scant boiml, copjiory complexion. Another, winch may In* called the
" insular" tyjM', and of which nativesofthe liiu-kiu Anhij)cla^'o\vouldsccni to he the
purest representatives, is characterized hy oval features, prominent nose, protruding
teeth always visihle between the half-open lips, tolerably well-furnished Ix'ard,
and delicate skin, approaching in complexion to the almost greenish Mahiy tint.
Many are noted for their light chestnut hair and blue eyes, u trait nowhere else
observi'd in the extreme Kast, except jK'rhaps amongst the aborigines of the
Nan-shan uplands in South China. Hut for the speech and costume, one might
often fancy one's self surroundnl by ]Cur«)iK>an8. The women nt ver mutilate the
feet, as in Clunu ; but one of the ]lan tribes was formerly accustomed to flatten
the heads of the chihlren, while unnc of the coast jwoplo hud adopted the practice
of tattooing from the JajHinese.
These various races, which have become more or less cf)mpletely fused in the
common Korean nationality, are afKliateShantung, who migratetl to Korea in the fourth and fifth
conturii's of the vulgar era. The various local dialects present very slight
differences, from which it would seem that the different ethnical elements have
long been fused in one nation. This common speech differs essentially both from
Chinese and Japanese. It is u polysyllabic and agglutinating language, with
u varitnl phonetic system, includuig as many as fourteen vowels and several
gutturals and aspirates. In structure it approaches the Ural-Altaic type, while
the verbal inflection resembles the Basque in modifying the endings according to
the sex and condition of the speakers. The alphabet, said to be over two thousand
years old, is at once syllabic and purely phonetic, with altogether rather more
than two hundred lelters, much simpler than the Chinese idtnigraphs. But the
lettered classes despise this orthographic system. The grammars and dictionaries
prepared by the missionaries having been burnt during the persecutions, there have
hitherto been no available means for the study of this language. But one of the
priests, who escaped from the massacres, has recently publishetl a large Korean-
French dictionary, and a Korean grammar in French ajjpeared in Tokio in
1881.
The preference given by the lettered classes to the Chinese ideographic system
is partly due to its greater convenience for holding communication with the
neighbouring nations amongst whom that system is current. " In China, Japan,
Korea, ond the islands in the adjacent seas the spoken languages are different from
one another ; the written language, on the contrary, is the same in uU. Thus
a native of China is unintelligible to a Korean or Jjipanese while he is speaking,
but they mutuoUy understand one another when their thoughts are expressed in
writing. The cause of this moy be thus explained. We in Europe form an idea
in the mind, and this we express by certain sounds, which differ in different
countries ; these sounds are committed to writing by means of the letters of the
alphabet, which are only symbols of sound, and consequently a writing in Europe is
65
1i'
ii
840
EAST ASIA.
uniiitolHjfible 1o every one who is ij^norant of the spoken lunj?un}?p in which
it hupiM'iiH Id 1m> wriltou.
"The ChiiU'Hc mid the other iui'Ivoh in these sens huve, on the eontrury,
no ulphiihet — no symljols of sound [in jjfenerul usej. Their ideas urc committed to
writinf^ ut onco withoul the intervention of sound, and their churftcters may
therefore he cuUed symliols of ideas [ideojjfruphs]]- Now, us the 6amo characters
are a(h)i)ted in all these countries to express the same ideas, it is clear that their
writinj^s will be perfectly intelligible to each other, although their spoken languages
may bo (piite ini-omprehensible.
" The case of the Arabic numerals in EurojH) furnishes a ready illustration of
this symbolical language. There is nothing in the symbols 1, 2, 3, &c., by which
their pronunciation can be ascertained when presented to the eye. Yet they
communicate meaning independent of sound, and are respectively intelligible
to the inhabitonts of the different countries of Europe, while at the same time the
sounds by wh'ch a native of one country distinguishes the written symbols 1, 2, <'i,
&c., are unintelligible to all the rest." *
The introduction of numerous foreign words, Chinese in the north, Japanese in
the south, has given rise to certain jargons current in the trading-places. The
Japanese variety is widely spoken in the southern seaports. But the language of
culture is (vhinese, which all the lettered classes are bound to know. But as
spoken in Korea it is us unintelligible to the natives of China us liutin in the
mouth of an Englishman would be to the ancient Romans. Every place, person,
and object has two names, one n more or less modified Chinese, the other Korean,
and these two elements are u.versely intermingled in the speech of the different
classes. Chinese prevails in the official style, while the national language has been
preserved especially in the religious services. The mass of the people use both,
in accordance with their various degrees of instruction and social position.
According to the missionary Daveluy, the current form in many places consists
almost exclusively of Chinese words provided with Korean inflections.
Social Condition — Religion.
Chinese influences altogether preponderate in the Korean civilisation. The
administration and usages of the official world are servile imitations of those of the
Middle Kingdom, to which Korea is tributary in an intellectual far more than in a
political sense. Neverthei 'ss the ix>ople have preserved their national customs,
which often present a striking contrast to those of the Flowery Land. While in
the empire the whole people are regarded as forming but one family, the various
sections of the Korean nation constitute real castes. Under the King and his
family, the nobles descended from the old tribal chiefs enjoy the privileges of
fortime and power in various degrees, according to the class to which they belong.
The civil aristocracy, more instructed in Chinese science and letters, monopolizes
the higher functions. Next comes the military aristocracy, which takes precedence
* Basil Hall, op. eit. p. 17.
8t)CIAL CONDITION— HELIOION.
M7
> in which
miu}?(
m tho contrary,
lire coiiuuittod to
churactorH may
same churacters
H clear that thoir
HlMjken languages
:»dy illustration of
, 3, &f., by which
e oye. Yet they
tively intelligible
the same time the
en Byrabols 1, 'i. •!.
north, Japanese in
ading-places. The
iut the language of
to know. But as
na us Latin in the
<:very place, person,
the other Korean,
ch of the different
anguagc has been
le people use both,
ind social position,
lany places consists
jctions.
civilisation. The
tions of those of the
far more than in a
national customs,
y Land. While in
family, the various
the King and his
ly the privileges of
whicb they belong.
letters, monopolizes
lich takes precedence
ir
of all tho nobility «>f more rec«lM>iaus must dismount in their presence, scarcely dining to
l(H)k ut, much Utss address, them. Tlu>y are exempt lioth from tu.vatiuii and military
service, and their dwellings serve, like the muilia'val sanctuaries, as places of refuge
for all their retainers. A class of " half nobles," including the secretaries,
translators, interpreters, and other secondary otticials, serves as a transition from
the full aristocracy to the burgesNt-s, who comprise merchants, dealers, and most of
the artisans. Another (juite distinct caste is that of the jHiasaiitry, pastors, hunters,
and fishers, comprising tho great bulk of the nation. Then come the " despised "
castes, subdivided into several groups, which hold ahmf from each other, and which
include tho but'^hers, tanners, smiths, and- bon/es. Helow all is the mjcial sub-
stratum of the serfs, belonging, some to th(> Crown, others to the nobles and
burgesses. They have the right of purchasing their freedom, and many marry free
women, in which case their offspring belongs to the class of freedmen. They are
in other respects treated with kindness, and are in practi(*e scarcely to be distin-
guished from tho ordinary workmen.
Buddhism, which is the official religion, was introduced towards the end of the
fourth century of the vulgar era. Rationalism of the (/'liinesc type is professed by
the literati, nor has the old animism yet disappeared ; while traces are even found
of a fire worship, which connects the inhabitants of the ])eninsula with the Siberian
wild tribes. In all the houses the embers are kept alive under the ashes, for were
they to be extinguished, tho fortunes of the family would l)e extinguished with
them. At the change of the seasons, and ut other important periods, tho (ire must
be rekindled from a flame obtained by the" friction of two pieces of wood. The
official ceremonies ussociatc in unattrndtHl by uny loug Hyiobolical
cfn'MionioM, aH in China. On [>ayinont of tho purchaHC money the huHlmnd oarrioH
oir hiH " projHTty," and Ijenccfurth trcatM hor aH he ph'aNON, for tlie Korean wifo
hiH neither a name nor even a h'j^al existence. liein^ without roHjMtnHihilitieH, Mho
can Im) neither jnd^ed nor punished except in time of relM>lIion. Althougli Hel(h)ni
badly treated, tho women enjoy still Ichh lilH'rty than in China. Thow of tho
upjH'r claMHCH are contiiuHl to an apartment inviolable even to tho police, and they
are never seen abroad during tho day. Hut in tho oveninj? tho Btrcetn are given
up to the women. The men still lingering behind hasten to return home, and
shouhl they m(>et any hulies on tho way, they must cross to tho other side, and
hide their face in a fan. To act otherwise would betray u lamentable want of
propriety. Dallet menticms instances of Korean women who committtnl suicide
because strangers had touche, unci thoy
Btrei'tH arc given
ri'turn homo, and
bo othor Hido, and
miontublo want of
committHl miiiido
Thoy are Huid to
lian weddingH. In
nippod in a shroud,
Eton confonn to the
m into abeyance in
rhich the son must
tions and ordinary
and wears a long
ntly took advantage
out into sobs and
el them in courage
, and good-naturc>g. It appears to he made of liorw«-hair
varniMlu'd over, and in fastened under tho chin by a hand strung witli hirge ImmuIh,
mostly black and white, but occuMionally rekano, oh Sbul Kitrb.
Boole 1 : 600,000.
13 Wltm.
Right;" six of the second order: the ministers of ranks and degrees, of finance,
rites, war, justice, and public works. According to the regulations all the man-
darins ought to belong to the lettered class, receiving their promotion, as in the
Middle Kingdom, by a series of three competitive examinations conducted in the
Chinese language. But these regulations have long been a dead letter, and func-
tions are now openly sold to the highest bidder. The penal code, also modelled on
that of China, has fortunately been considerably modified, thanks to the natural
gentleness of the people. Prisoners are often temporarily released to take part in
the feasts of the family or of the new year. Great honours are rendered to old age,
and at certain times septuagenarians are entertained by the King ; while the Queen
gives a private reception to a deputation of virtuous wives and daughters. But
'•ill
' . \ f ft'i» ii.:M mik
TOPOORArHY.
8S8
iipcd with yellow
:lo of an inferior,
ssumc the titlo of
ity-scvcn months,
ited, the course of
ed.
•ite," chosen from
iro dispensed, and
premo Comicil of
Jhief of the Just
Governor of the
degrees, of finance,
itions all the man-
iromotion, as iu the
18 conducted in the
ad letter, and func-
le, also modelled on
nks to the natural
■used to take part in
rendered to old age,
g ; while the Queen
nd daughters. But
notwithstanding all this, and in spite of many Iwncficent provisions for the protec-
tion of the people, they continue none the less to In; oppri'8.sc(l, crushed hv taxes,
and exposed to famine and mist>ry. The faniino of 1M77-8 is said to have curried off
a million of Koreans, or about one-eighth (»f the wliole population.
The army, theoretically comprising ull uble-bodied uien, or ulM)ut a million alto-
gether, consists in reality of a very sinuU number of combatants. Before the (»pen-
ing of Fusan to Japanese trade the only weapons were spears, swords, and mat(!h-
locks of the sixteenth century
type. At present the Govern- *'>8' l*** — ^Admimstuative Divibions of Korka.
ment imports rifles from Nip- scale j : 10,000.000.
]X)n, and manufactures others
on the same model. The
guardsmen of Seul are drilled
by Japanese officers, und gun-
boats of the latest description
have been purchased in Japan.
On critical occasions the tiger-
hunters are called out, and these
were the men pitted against the
French in 1866. Till recently
the guard wore coats lined with
thick wadding, and said to have
been proof against musket shots
and sword cuts. But this uni-
form was so cumbrous that it
greatly impeded the free and
rapid movement of the men.
A considerable force of native
troops, equipped in this way,
would have been almost at the
mercy of a handful of well-
armed, and efficiently com-
manded European soldiers.
Topography.
Hnnyanri, or Hanchung-fu, _^__^____ isoMJie*.
better known by the name of
Seul, or " Capital," is the seat of the Administration and the royal residence. It is a
largo city, built on no particular plan, and surrounded by a wall nearly 6 miles in
circumference. According to the census of 1793 it had a population of 190,000, but
modern writers estimate it at 100,000 or 150,000. Well situated at the southern foot
of the Hoa-shan and west of the Kwan-ling chain, which shelters it from the cold
north-east winds, it is enclosed southwards by a bend of the Han-kang river, which
■•^«?B^1S!^^^^iES
854
EAST ASIA.
ii
is here crossed bj' a stone bridge. Towards the north-west the river gradually
develops the estuary of the Po-hai on the Gulf of Pechili, with which it communi-
cates thi'ough two channels nortli and south of the large island of Kanghoa. But
they are accessible only at high water, and according to the pilots all craft have to
anchor 12 miles below Seul. The capital contains no conspicuous buildings except
the vast royal palace and the academy, which is attended by live hundred students.
The approaches of Seul are defended by four strongholds, including Kanghoa,
which has a population of 15,000 or 20,000. In the neighbourhood is the royal
borough of Sou, at once the Windsor and Westminster of Korea, where the kings are
reported to he buried in " golden coffins." In 18G8 some American and German adven-
turers entered the country secretly, for the purpose of carrying off the treasures of
this necropolis, but being discovered in time they were driven off by the peasantry.
Sunto {^Siongto, Kainriirj, Karc/iaiiff), the ancient capital, destroyed by the
Japanese towards the end of the sixteenth century, has again acquired great
importance as a trading place. Lying nearer to the coast than Seul, it is more
accessible to foreign shipping. A still more ancient capital was Piiiynn (^Piengan),
one of the chief cities of the north-west province. Like its neighbour, Ic/m, near
the mouth of the Yalu-kiang, it enjoys a considerable local traffic. In the extreme
south the chief emporium is Taiku {^Daikio^, where are held two large annual fairs,
at which the imports from Japan are distributed.
According to an official geography, partly translated by Dallet, there are
altogether one hundred and six walled towns in the kingdom.
Korea is divided into eight provinces, all bearing Chinese names, and each
again sulxiividefl into circuits and districts. Communal interests are intrusted
to the Council of Elders, who, in the more remote villages, enjoy a certain degree of
independence.
At the end of the volume will lie found a table of the eight provinces, or to
(" routes "), as they are called, with their chief towns.
F
I
Since these sheets were passed through the press, news has reached Europe that
Korea has at last been induced to remove the barriers of exclusiveness by which
she has hitherto been shut out from the rest of the world. In the month of
June, 1882, the Governm' p.t of Seul concluded commercial treaties both with the
United States and England, granting to these States equal privileges and " all the
advantages of the most favoured nations." By one of the clauses of the treaty with
England, the importation of opium is expressly forbidden.
iWsl tt
the river gradually
h which it communi-
d of Kanghoa. But
(ilots all craft have to
nous buildings except
ive hundred students.
, including Kanghoa,
ourhood is the royal
I, where the kings are
in and German adven-
S off the treasures of
off by the peasantry.
i\, destroyed by the
ignin acquired great
than Seul, it is more
:as Piiiynn (^Piengan),
neighbour, Ic/iu, near
iffic. In the extreme
wo large annual fairs,
I .
i
: :
by Dallet, there are
ese names, and each
aterests are intrusted
oy a certain degree of
eight provinces, or to
3 reached Europe that
xclusiveness by which
d. In the month of
treaties both with the
rivileges and " all the
ascs of the treaty with
>m
" / ■ . ■■■ "L H 'l' iW Iii . i IM
o
.«
z
O
[-
u
a.
<
o
mmmmtmimmmmmv'
(Klj hM
m M
m
'M "M,
mmmm
CHAPTER VII.
JAPAN.
jLTHOUGII comprising thotisatuls of islands and islets, Japan is a
very small state compared with its great neighbour, the vast
Chinese Umpire, of which it looks like a simple geographical
dependence. But notwithstanding its limited size, Japan is one of
the most interesting countries in the world, both as regards its
physical features, its inhabitants, history, and especially the transitional state
through which it is now passing. Of all non-European nations the Japanese
ah)ne have fully and spontaneously accepted the culture of the West. They alone
have honestly endeavoured to adopt all its manifold material and moral conquests.
They had not the misfortune, like so many other pcojjles, of fir-st losing their
political in(le|)endence, and then reluctantly accepting the culture of their
conquerors. Nor has the supremacy of a foreign religion grouped them together,
like a flock of sheep, in the fold of their evangelisers. Thus enjoying full political
and religious liberty, they have adopted European ideas, not as subjects, but in the
character of free disciples. As they had formerly endeavoured to enter the
Chinese world of thought and culture, they are now essaying, with a certain
youthful ardour, to assimilate themselves to the West ; whereas the Chinese
themselves, proud of their ancient civilisation, conscious of their latent strength,
and distrustful of those " foreign barbarians " who came bombarding their cities
and burning their palaces, accepted the teachings of the stranger with much
hesitation, and under the pressure of irresistible events. Whatever be the success
of the experiment, Japan henceforth belongs, in all that regards scientific
knowledge and industrial progress, to the comity of those nations amongst whom
has been developed the so-called " Aryan " or " Western " culture. These peoples,
who, at the opening of the present century, numbered collectively, perhaps, one
hundred and fifty millions of human beings, now comprise as many as five hundred
millions, distributed over Europe, the New World, parts of Africa, Australia, and
Asia itself.
The geographical position of Japan adds a special value to this new accession
to their numbers. Lyin^ midway between San Francisco and liondon by the rout«
mmm
856
KAST ASIA.
of tho Pacific and Rustua, tho Empire of the *' TUsiiifi; Sun " coniplotos the zone of
lunds brought within the sphere nl' NN'cstorn ideas in the nortliern hi iniKph«Te. It
enahleH Mast and West to join hands, whih> l>y sea it coniniands all the hi^hnays
1*'iidin^ towards Malaynia, Australia, Inchi-China, and the lands Ixmlerin^ on tho
Indian Ocean and Pacific sealMtards. Its |M)pulution is, njori>()ver, sutKciently large
and industrious to enable it rapidly to aeipiiro an important position in the general
niov(>meiit of commerce and modern history. Nipjiou is already fuiuiliarly sixiken
of as tho " Great liritain " of the extreme East.
FoUM EXTKXT NaMK.
Tho Japaneso Archipelago forms u perfectly limited gon^cnphicul wliolc, at
least if in it be still included the island of Sakhalin, taken by Russia in IST/) in
exchange for the Kurile group ; for Sakhalin obviously <-onstituteH the northern
section of a long chain of olevaie,uuo,«w.
enoMileo.
by the name of Nip-pon, or Ni-hon. But this term, meaning tho " Rising Sun,"
in reference to the position of Japan east of China, belongs projxjrly to tho whole
archipelago, and is always so used by the natives. It is the Ji-p6n-kweh of the
Chinese, whence Marco Polo's Zipungu, or Zipang, transformed by tho Malays into
Zipang and by Europeans into Japon, Japan.
Tho history of this word Japan is extremely curious and interesting. It is not
merely synonymous, but absolutely identical with the corresponding native term
■^i>«ttm
KAHI A»U.
1
Nip-|M»ii. "The ori>;iiiul rhincw fomi wud Nit-pon, mpiniinf? tho Tiiiiul of the
Uisiii^r Sun, lli<> Orient, from ml, tiww, aiiil /^o/j, origin. Tlie word wiis in iliiH
fmin luliiptrd alMiiit tli<> m-Vfiitli rcntiiry ot' the CiuHtiiin imii liy tlit> 'liipantHc, who
WMHi aMMiiiiilati'd tlir t tu tin" /», wIn'Mcc Xi/i-fxni, Nip-lion, and t'Von A\t/-/iiiii. Hut
in riiina tin* / wuh HrHt dmpprd, whoneo Ni-jmii, or Ni-pcti, und ihc initial iV
tlirouyfli Mon^olif inHiu-ncf,* aftcrwardH clian^cil t<) ./, wlu'nco .li-pcn, thr form I'ur-
ront in tho tinif of Marco lN»lo, wIioho Vt-nt'tian Zipnnijii dcrivon directly from it,
and is tin- parent of all the Kuropean vurieticM of the word Jit/mn. TIuh word waH,
08 Htated, from I lie tirst applied to the whole archipelago, and not exclusively to
the larp> island, for which the Japanese had no general name till that of Hondo,
that in, Original, or Main Division, wus intriMliiced Homu hIx years a^^u. Iloncu in
our maps Nip-pon oujj^ht to Iw eitlior altogether supprcsHod or extended to the
whole group — thut is, made synonymouH w",th Japan, both being varieties of tho
common prototype Nit-p :»n." t
Pkoorkss ok Discovery.
Japan was first reached in 154:} by the Poituf,'ue8e navigators Mendez Pinto,
Bit go Zamaito, and Horrallo, driven by stress of veather to the island of Tanega,
nouth of Kiu-sin. They were well received, oommerciul relations were established
between Japan and Malacca, und marriages were even contracted between the
strangers and some wealthy native women. Hut the missionaries soon made their
appearance, and religious wars had already broken out before the close of the six-
teenth century. The Christians were ultimately expelled or massacred, and tho
country closed to all Europeans except the Dutch, who were allowed to retain their
factory of De-sima, near Nagasaki, on the condition of spitting or trampling on
the cross. Confined to this remote corner of tho archipelago, the Dutch found
opportunities to study tho natural history of the country ond tho manners of its
inhabitants, and the great works of Kiimpfcr und Siebold still rank amongst tho
most valuable documents we possess on tho Empire of the Rising Sun.
Even the geographical works published by tho natives themselves during tho
eighteenth century bear evident traces of European influences. On a general
survey of the land, begun in 1778 and concluded in 1807, tho learned Yino prepared
map of the islands on a scale of 1 : 500,000, in which ho endeavoured to reconcile
thfc observations of the natives with the contour of the seaboord as traced on the
Dutch chorts. Towards the end of the eighteenth century Mogami Tokoudai had
already explored and described the Kuriles, and the islands off the south-west coast
of Japan had been visited by tho two bi others, Simo-dani. Lastlj', Mamiya Rinzo
surveyed the coast of Manchuria, and by sailing through the strait between
Sakhalin and Siberia, which now bears his name, proved Sakhalin to be an island,
thus solving a problem which hud successively baffled La P^rouse, Broughton, and
* During tho Yen, nr Mongol dynasty (1260 — 1366), the Mandarin or court language woa greatly
influenced by the ^Mongol phonetic system,
t A. H. Kcane's • Asiii," p. 609.
11 1:!^ j
PUOOUKHS OF DISCOVKIIY.
KruBonntorn. "Tlw •liipiiiii>m> have viinquiHlu'd iiic," <'xcliiiiiu' I{uM«(iaii travrllor
Uulovuin wuH dutuiiioU u captive hy tho •lupancHo (iovcrniiivnt, Kinzo uiid otlx't
Fig. 10ft. Htiiait "k Ymo.
0lofl4Fe<
64 Feet and upwanls.
, 12 MUes.
savants, who were already familiar with the ordinary methods of determining
latitudes and longitudes, acqmred from him the art of calculating longitudes
directly by observation of the stars, and solar and lunar distances.
/^
a»h
litHfiaVF-.^.
860
EAST ASIA.
Since the recent changes forcip'-era and natives are working harmoniously
together in the exploration of the country. On the seaboard the Japanese navy,
jointly with those of other powers, takes part in the preparation of special charts,
while geologists and minnig engineers study the relief of the land and the character
of the rocks. Several maps of Nijj-pon have thus been already prepared, which
are superior in accuracy to those of Albania, Macedonia, and other parts of Europe.
Altogether the people display a surprising love of geographical studies. Traders,
excursionists, and artisans seldom make a trip without taking a map of the district
Fie. 166. — The Kurile Islands.
Scale 1 : 9,000,000.
I Volcanoes-
ISO Milen.
with them, and guide-books to the large cities and famous sights of the land are
both more ancient and far more numerous than in Europe.
The Kurile Archipelago.
The chain of partially submerged mountains forming the Kurile Islands develops
a curve of almost mathematical precision some 400 miles in extent. Separated
from Kamchatka by a strait scarcely 8 miles wide and 60 feet deep, the " Thousand
Islands " (Tsi-sima), as the Japanese call the group, begin with the volcanic
Sumchu, followed by the long and mountainous island of Paramushir, which forms
I ,^t\,,<. ifu >m i Pi wmi i y fH I i« iliHtric* aiul in the AfifatNumii flrpiirtinont of thoprovinrrof Kcxlzuko
were s\\v\A iiway with all their iiilnil)itaiits. MonkfyN, (Uht, ddj^H and oIIut aiiiiiiulM
woro l)uri('(l iiiulcr tin- .sliowtTs of red hot »tono« and uhIivh, nhilo thow tiiat had
('Hcapcil inmu'diatc (h'Mfriiction pcriHlicd of hunger. Kor tyu' fullinff rock, lava and
aslu's had rovorod tho ground to u depth of from two t«) tivc ftft for many miles
roiMul ahout, and had completely dostroyed the vegetation. Another ernption, hut
of a much less formidahle charucter, took place, in tho your 1M70, when the ashes
ejected from tho crater formtnl u luyer soveral inclioH in thickness on tho roofs of
tho neighl)(turing houses
The crater of Amimu-yumu is circular, and nearly u mile in cireumfercnco, with
vertical honeycomlxHl and churrcd sides, usually full of sulphurous vapours welling
from the hottom and from all tho crevices in its rocky walls. On tho south side
of the volcano are two precipitous r(M;ks, ono outsiilc the other, separated by a con-
siderahle intervening space. These rocks, ono of which is nearly (covered with
vegetatittn, look like the remains of two successive concentrii! craters, the present
cone being the third and most recent. Unfathomable crevusstw extend tho greater
part of tho way down to its base, and from the summit, which may be reached in
less than six liours, an extensive view is obtained of the surrounding highlands.
Hut the typical volcano of the archipelago is tho sacred (Fuzi-san Fusi-yama),
guardian of the land, and the most hallowed object in the empire. Formerly wor-
shipped by the Yama-buzi Buddhist sect, this mountain, which takes its name
from the flowering Fuzi ( V'^i/ntrriu Japonciimii'^ co\ormg its slopes, is the everlasting
theme of j)oetry and art, and is reproduced often in a somewhat conventional man-
ner on lacquer- ware, porcelain, woven fabrics, earthenware, fans, books, furniture,
and artistic articles of every kind. To give it a greater appearance of height, it
is usually represented with steep sides and pointed peak, whereas in reality the
slope is very gentle, yet still high enough to dominate all the surrounding lands,
and display every transition of climate, from the rich semi-tropical plains at its base,
to tho snows of an almost Arctic region on its rounded crest. Covered with snow
for ten months in the year, and glittering in the bright solar rays against the azure
or hazy sky, it often mergoe imperceptibly in the circumambient aerial spaces. It
exceeds by some !i,000 feet most of the other Japanese volcanoes, and completely
dwarfs all eminences within the horizon. Almost round in form, its base has a
circumference of no less than 90 miles, and according to the local legend its huge
mass was upheaved in a single night during a terrific eruption in the year 286 of
the old era, when lake Biva was also formed. At present eruptions take place
only at long intervals, not more than six having been recorded since the year 799.
The last, which occurred in 1707, continued for a space of two months, during
which the secondary cone of Hoyei-san (9,500 feet) was formed above a crevasse
on the south slope. The neighbouring plains were buried in ashes to a depth of
10 feet, whole villages disappeared, the sky was darkened above Yedo, 60 miles off,
and black clouds of dust were borne seawards beyond the bay. Since then the
towns and villages have reappeared, and the 15,000 or 20,000 yearly pilgrims have
resumed their visits to the holy mount. Those who make the ascent are clothed
I
" ^■•* !T "disfr'
^^iW
.■.,•» »,i->/«- ■
THi: HKJULANDS OF SOUTH lloXDO.
871
in whito, and on rcnphin^f flm crfttor drink flrsf of the " f^ttldcn H|irin>,'" iitid llicii
of tlio " HilveT Nprinff," iiftiT which, at ii j^ivcii Migiial, they rinj,' thrir Ixlls iiiid lull
proHtnitn in honour of the Nun. Hctuniinjf to the ha.sc, they j^ct t' i fr white rok'N
NtanijH'd by tho priest of u toniph', lK'(|Uca(hin>( them un a prt'cious hcirhtom fron>
father to non. Sir Ilutlierford Ah-oi'k was the firHt Knmpean to aNeend Ku/i in IMIK),
wince when the not very dilKndt feat has been performed hy huudredM of travellern.
The crater, alnrnt !)00 yards in diameter, contains two diNtinct fiinnelH, which niuv
ho doMceuded by mounH of proj«'ctin>|; U;df;feH.
TllK Ill(i|(l,.VNI)S OK fcJoiITH HoNrM).
The system to which Fuzi iK'ton^^N in continued AouthwardH to form the long
volcanic peuiusulu of Idzu, ut the neck of which ia the picturesque district
Fig. 173.- OuLr OF Simoda and Oho.rima.
ScbIp 1 ! i,!!00,nno.
I39*50,
to itX) itai.
ItiU t\-
THE INLAND SEA.
875
t, says the
which has
lieir native
edicated to
the tenth
a dragun,
ima, which
the bridge
ith eyes as
ping jaws,
ster's back
en a dwarf
i just been
) task, and
' walking a
purple and
jade. The
lidesato to
ach of the
jh required
teen hand-
huge dark
Hidesato
off without
effect, and
moistened
t as before,
itself up to
enormous
IS prowess,
2;rew again
} temple of
le western
the ^reat
rest of the
one of the
; the pame
owards the
by several
, The Inland Sea.
The winding marine inlet which separates Hondo from the southern islands is
in reality a mere succession of fiords and nada, or independent basins, which have
been united in a common " Mediterranean " sea stretching for about 240 miles east
and west, and everywhere studded with innumerable wooded islands and islets.
Sailing through these placid waters, the traveller is surprised at every turn of the
Fig. 174.— Lake Biva.
Scale 1 : 760,000.
'--J
SSr
EofG
.I55*50-
i5G'80'
18 Miles.
channel by a fresh vista, a continuous panorama of enchanting scenery thus unfold-
ing itself in endless variety. In the Seto-utsi, or " Inland Sea," as it has been
appropriately named, the coastline resembles that of Norway, but under an Italian
sky, and clothed with the vegetation of che Eastern Archipelago. At the dawn of
time, sing the national poets, here the divine pair, Isanagi and Isanami, were seated
on the heavenly bridge upheld by pillars of clouds, whence they delighted to con-
template the white-crested sea-horses chasing each other beneath them. Listlessly
reposing on the clouds, the immortal dipped his bright red spear-head in the deep,
.■.*•
f"'*-'****.:juw»t!JNt»wWii*.' -r - .isa*a»%-'-.'*r
* ^- ., .'-*-."■ ^-."' . ^TZ-"^
870
EAST ASIA.
and for every drop tliat fell there arose one of those verdant isles which are now
dotted over these waters, and one of the first to appear was the fair Avadzi, which
still stands sentinel at the eastern entrance of the fairy scene.
Geographically the Japanese Mediterranean itmst be regarded as little more
than a Himj)le (lepression produced by erosion. Even in the deeper cavities there are
scarcely more than 1 'jO feet of water, while the mean depth is less than 80 feet.
The Simono-seki Strait, as the western entrance is called, has hardly 30 feet, so
that large vessels unaided by steam cannot safely enter into this narrow marine
channel, obstructed as it is bj' numerous reefs and dangerous currents. Of the
other straits by which it is approached, the Tomoga-sima, being freer from
strong currents, is generally chosen by shipping, while the Naruto Channel
between Avadzi and Sikok is more dreaded than any other in the Jaijauese waters.
At the westerr mi* ranee stands a picturesque island, with a lighthouse built by
foreign engineers and supplied with dioptric lights, with the lantern poised so as to
resist the effects of earthquakes everywhere so frequent in Japan. Through the
strait the course is tortuous, running first north then eastwards, when vessels
passing :o or fro seem completely landlocked "As the boat progresses a distance
of f.i>mc ten or twelve miles, a varying panorama of great be.iury discloses itself at
e\c-ry tnile. On either hand rise high lands, sometimvjd wooded from base to
samiiit, sometimes diversified by hills clear of timber, but ' with verdurii clad,' some-
ii.nes crested with trees, sometimes fringed at the foot with forests, or with strips
ui tirig-'it green turf or yellow sands. Rocky heights rise behird, with sparse tufts
of vc'^'etatxon, or stunted shrubs on theii ,-jxdes, showing the effects of severe
weather, or riven clefts into which bountiful nature has crowded trees, lending
majesty to the smiling foreground.
" Bays and inlets of enticing pictuvesqueness appear, whore trim native craft of
various dimensions are seen at anchor, while clear-looking villages lying low near
the beach, or built up the hills in terraces, give life to the scenery. Rounding the
last point, which, like several others, seems to bar all further advance, the spectator
is induced to fancy, perhaps not regretfully, that the huge steamer must remain
landlocked within this terraqueous Paradise. The fortified city of Simono-seki then
looms in the distance on the northern side of the waters, the strait widening at
every mile. Slowly the picture unfolds its details and discovers to the view a
walled town with iuany large buildings stretching aloxig the shore for several miles,
and for some distance inland. But this port is not open to foreign traffic, so the
steamer pui • aes its course to the eastwovd, passing several islets and another strait,
until it emerges in a wide expaiat of waters." *
The Island ok Sikok.
The island of Sikok, which skirtfi the south side of the Inland Sea for about
half of its entire length, consists of an irregular mass of schistose hills rimning
mainly east and west. The Sikokno Saburo, which is the chief stream, runs
• 8. Mossman, " Japim," 1880, p. 13, 15.
THE ISLAND OF SIKOK.
377
;h arc now
(Izi, which
little more
8 there are
m 80 feet.
30 feet, 80
BW marine
3, Of the
freer from
Channel
;se waters,
se huilt by
jed so as to
Trough the
ion vessels
1 a distance
les itself at
>m base to
jlad,' some-
with strips
sparse tufts
of severe
(es, lending
ive craft of
S low near
unding the
e spectator
lust remain
lo-seki then
idening at
the view a
?eral miles,
affic, so the
»ther strait,
parallel with the axis of these old schistose rocks, and the same direction is
followed by the narrow western headland, which projects towards a corresponding
promontory in the island of Kiu-siu, thus leaving only a very narrow passage for
the waters of the Inland Sea. Although of comparatively moderate elevation,
rising nowhere above 4,620 feet, the main ridge presents none the less a serious
Fig. 175.— Narvto Stkait.
Scale 1 : 300,000.
34:
15^° 30'
I54''40'
E of G.
,6 Miles.
for about
lis running
ream, runs
obstacle to the communication between the two slopes of th ! island. Some of the
passes are considerably over 3,000 feet high, and above the mam ridge rise some
peaks of volcanic origin. The hill sides are clothed with a rich and varied vegeta-
tion, which, in the neighbourhood of the streams, often assumes an almost tropical
aspect.
~'W^
878
EAST ASIA.
TiiK Isi,Axi) OF Kn-siu.
Like those of Sikok, tlio Kiii-.siu rocks, rumiiiiff north and south, consist mainly
of crystalline schists, overlaid with trachytes, which are interspersed with tufa and
lignite. But hero also occur some volcanic cones, a few of which are either
constantly or intermittently active. Such is the Aso-yama in the centre of the
islaiKl, on whoso slopes are some sulphur and alum beds, besides ochrous formations
coutainiufr u white fatty substance, which has not yet been analyzed, and which is
eaten by the inhabitants of the district. The eruption of 1874 changed the
surrounding streams into torrents of a milky colour, a phenomenon apparently of
frequent occurrence, to judge, at least, from the name of the chief stream — the
Sira-kava, or " White Iliver." Although of moderate elevation, the crater of
Fig. 170. — Yama-oata and Mount Kaimu.n.
Scale I : 220,000.
*:?€?!!*£
i«vn»4n
fi Mllea.
Aso-yama resembles those of the moon in its vast proportions, being no less than
14 miles long by 10 miles broad between its vertical walls, which are from 700 to
1,000 feet high. Within this extensive area dwell over 10,000 people, who seem
scarcely con.scious that their villages stand on the very mouth of a volcano.
The peninsula of Simabara, stretching east of Nagasaki, consists of a single
mass sloping regularly down to the sea. This is the famous Unzen-ga-tako
(Unzen-sauj, or " Mountain of the Hot Springs," whose vast crater swallowed up
thousands of Christians in 1638, during the revolt of the recently converted
Catholics, at that time very numerous in this part of the empire. Although
quiescent for the last one kundred years, the cone still emits sulphurous vapours,
which in the time of Kiimpfer were so dense that birds on the wing kept many
^JL.
sist mainly
h tufa and
nro either
itre of the
foriiiutions
d which is
luiigcd the
larcntly of
trcam — the
3 crater of
10
less than
Erom 700 to
who seem
xno.
of a single
zen-ga-tako
/^allowed up
converted
Although
us vapours,
kept many
THE ISLAND OF KIU-SIU.
870
niik's I'rom the mountain. Mud and ga.st>H (>scapcd from innunjorahlo (Issiiri's, and
during the rains the whoU« ground huhlilcd up liUi- n licpiid mass. A former
cruptitm of the noigliljouring Miyi-yama, attended by tremendous flotKlings, cost
the lives of OOjOOO persons.
South of Kiu-siu a group of volcanoes has received tlio name of Kiri-sima, or
"Fog Island," on account of the sulphurous vapours constantly emitted by them.
Here all the rocks consist of tufas, trachytes, pumice, and otlier igni'ous matter,
and the plateau supporting the twin i)eaks of Kiri-sima is an arid region, strewn
Pig. 177. — Kaoo-hima AM) Mi-take Volcano.
Scale 1 : liiMi.uuo.
to leo Foul.
160 to 320 Feet
820 Feet and upwarda.
. 6 Miles.
with ashes and reddish scoriae, relieved only by a few dwarf pines and other shrubs.
These appear to. be the culminating points of Kiu-siu, and they arc certainly more
elevated than Aso-yama and Komats-yama in the south-east.
The peninsula enclosing the picturesque bay of Kago-sima on the west is one of
the most remarkable regions in Japan. The long tongue of land bending
round the bay is dominated by the superb Mount Kaimon, the Cape Horner of
European maps, which is almost unrivalled for its beautiful form and symmetrical
contour. North of it formerly stood a still more elevated volcano, the pyramidal
crest of which was destroyed during an eruption, aU memory of which has
M^
'••-.VI
(ftfj
I! ■%<*"
§
ife
860
EAST ASIA.
pcrislunl. Tlic circular bnsin (bus formed is now fiUod by the wat^ r^ if lake Mi-iko,
while u (similar lacustrine formation oNcrlooks the town and roudMt: ;id oi V, 'ua-gavu.
Ka(3;o-sinia Hay also contains the remarkable Mi-tako volcano, whose rui)tured
cono tills the whole islet of Sakura-sima, Above the cultivated and woode.
23 WEST MAIN STREET
WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580
(716) 872-4503
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Collection de
microfiches.
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THE RIU-KIU (LU-CHU) AND GOTO ARCHIPELAGOS.
881
of Japan, whicb is nearly as high (2,400 feet) as its Sicilian rivals, and which
from its crater and side fissures, incessantly emits vapours, white by day and red by
night. Its rich sulphur beds arc one of the Prince of Satsraa's chief sources
of income. Tancga-sima and Yakuno-sima, the largest islands of the group, are now
quiescent ; but Naka-sima, Suva-sima, Yoko-sima, Ivo-sima, and the other
islets stretching south-west parallel with the chief axis of Riu-kiu are all still
active volcanoes. The chain of igneous rocks is continued towards the northern
extremity of Formosa by a line of reefs also probably of igneous origin.
The Riu-kiu (Lu-chu) and Goto Archipelagos.
Siunanguto and the small Liushoten group adjacent to Kiu-siu, belong
geographically to the Riu-kiu Archipelago, which is better known by its Fokien
name of Lu-chu, and which the natives themselves call Du-kiu,* that is, " Land of
the Precious Stone," or of the " Transparent Coral," as the tenn may be variously
interpreted. The geometrical curve described bj' all these islands between Kiu-siu
and Formosa, the radius of which corresponds to that of Nip-pon itself, probably
represents the remains of a highland region by which Japan was formerly
connected with the mainland. Lu-chu comprises a number of secondary groups,
the two most important of which stretch about half-way from Kiu-siu to Formosa,
and form the so-called " Kingdom " of Lu-chu. Politically, this " kingdom " is at
present a simple Japanese department, while the southern group of the " Three
San " (Nan-san or Sak-sima) is still a subject of dispute betwen China and Japan.
The Mikado's government, however, seems now disposed to surrender these islands
to its powerful neighbour.
Like Korea, Lu-chu was long a vassal state of the neighlwuring Empires of
China and Japan. * Towards the end of the fourteenth century, the Chinese, after
various incursions into the archipelago, compelled the King to declare himself
tributary of the " Son of Heaven," and accept the investiture from him. Within
fifty years of that event the Japanese presented themselves in their turn, and
enforced " presents," which were gradually chnnged to a regular tribute. In
1609 an expedition, undertaken by the Prince of Satsma, ended with the formal
recognition of the suzerainty of Japan over the archipelago. Akin in race and
speech to the Japanese, the islanders nevertheless preferred the Chinese, and even
boasted of their vassalage to Peking. The distant master, of whom they knew
little except through his presents, seemed a more agreeable potentate to serve
than the Emperor of Japan, represented on the spot by their troublesome
neighbour the Prince of Satsma. But after the revolution of 1868, which
restored the Mikado to power, some Japanese officials were sent as direct adminis-
trators of the islands, and the King was called upon to break all his relations
with Peking. In vain the unhappy monarch pleaded : " For five hundred years
we have enjoyed the protection of the Emperor of China ; him we regard as our
* All those fomiB aro merely phonetic Tarintios of the same word, the Japanese •' changing to / in
Chinese, and to d in the local Lu-chu dialect. Compare the Latin and French iilnnu and orme, and the
Greek and T/atin fnxpv and lacrymn. — Euitob.
882
EAST ASIA.
father, and to Japan we turn as to a mother, . . . Has not Confucius said that
fcaltv is hotter than lif(>!'' Ask us not to bo disloyal, and forfeit our honour."
He was fain to yield, and in 1874, after the victorious expedition of the Japanese
to Formosa, the kinry little with rc'lichu," p. 203, «( teg.
I !
a88
EAST ASIA
nYDuofiKAVFiic System — Chief Riveus.
Owiii}? to the imrrowiu'sa of the Uind, which is nowhere '^00 inih^s wide, and to
tlie extremely niountiiinous chamcter of its surfaee, no mom is U'ft for the devehtp-
nient of hirgo streams. The rivers, wliieli are numerous enouj,'h, esju'cially in
Yeso and IIi>n(hi, in faet, resemhU> mountain torrents, with short and rapid courses,
and, in tlieir htwer reaelies, subject to sudden and disastrous inundations. They arc
eonsiMpjently more damaj,Mn<; than beneticiul even for irrij^ation purposes. To
navi<^ation they are not merely useless, but a positive hindrance, in (jonsecjuence
of the large (piantities of sedimentary matter which they wash down, and by which
several of the best harbours in the archipelago have already been choked up.
Such has especially been the fate of Osaka and Nihi-gata harbours on the east and
west sides of Nip-pon, which were formerly accessible to the largest vessels, but
which can now be approadied only by small craft. In Japan " a river-bed is a
Avasto of sand, boulders and shingle, through the middle of which, among sand-
banks and shallows, the river proper takes its devious course. In the freshets which
occur to a greater or less extent every year, enormous volumes of water pour over
these wastes, carrying sand and detritus down to the mouths, which arc all ob-
structed by bars. Of these rivers the Shinano, being the biggest, is the most re-
fractory, and has piled up a bar at its entrance through which there is only a
passage 7 feet deep, which is perpetually shallowing." *
Subjoined is a table t of all the Japanese rivers, w hich have a total course of more
than oO miles : —
Name.
Source.
Sliinaiio
E. Sliiiiano
Tone
N. Kodsiike
Kitiikamo
N. of liikuchiu
I shikari
N. of prov. 1 shikari, Ycsso
Tonriu
Lako Sua
Kiso
S.W. Shinano
Sakata
S. of r.scn
Okimia
S.W. of prov. Iwaka
Noshiro
W. of prov. Kikuchiu
Akiino
Lake Imiwashiro
SumiJa
E. Musashi
Toshima
S.E. of prov. Ugo
Fujii
Koshiu
Yodo
E. Iga
Baniu
Yamanaka (Knshiu)
Oi
N. Koshiu
Ootlet.
Nihi-fjata
(lulf of Tokio and Pacific
Ishinnmaki and Murohama, E. coast
(if liikuzen
\V. coast of Ishikari
I'acific
Pacific
W. coast of Ufcn
Wiitari, E. coast of Iwaki
Noshiro, W. coast of Rikuchiu
Near Nihi-gata, W. coast of Echigo
Gulf of ToKio
Kubota, W. coast of Ugo
Pacific
Osiika Bay
Pacific
Pacific
T.«nuth in milei.
180
170
140
130
120
115
110
110
100
90
90
70
70
70
GO
55
Climate of Japan.
Being washed by marine waters, and enveloped in an atmosphere charged with
oceanic vapours, Japan enjoys a much more equable climate than the continental
regions, from which it is separated by the Sea of Korea. "While Peking has the
winters of XJpsala and the summers of Cairo, Tokio suffers far less from such
extremes of heat and cold. The oceanic current, to which the Japanese have given
130
120
115
110
110
100
90
91)
70
70
70
GO
55
ed with
tinental
has the
jm such
ve given
f !
11
a
c
11
CI,IM.\TK OK JAl'AN.
8R7
tlu* niinio of Kiiro-Mi'vo, or "IJIiK'k Sirciiiii," corn'MpoiulM in itw coiirHc uiul cliniiitic
I'lifluciMcs with llic (Jiill' Stn'iim of the Norlli Alliilitic. It flows clnsc hy llic cast
HJdo of flic l:irj,'(' islmids, and iis frpid waters, (•i>ininjj; from flic Straits of Malaysia
and tin* I'liilipjiincs, brinji; with tlicin an afniosplicric curri-nt far niildci' than that
of the nci^lihonrin)>; mainland. Its mean temperature, some four or five dej^reos
lower than tliaf of the (julf Stream, varioH from 74' to 81^ iMihr., and thus exee«'(lM
hy ahout nine* dej!;reeH the normal temperature of the marine waters under the same
latitudes. I )urin;if tlie south-west summer nionsoons, the stream flows directly to
th(> coasts of Kiu-siu and Sikok, and the s(mth side of Hondo; while in winter it is
diverted by the polar winds towards the north-east. Its velocity varies frofn about
'\0 to 4-0 miles u day, and the phunmot has recorcU'd depths of ;J,()()() feet and
upwards.
In the north the Oyu-sivo polar cnrront, emorgin}? from the Sea of Okhotsk,
moots the Kuio-sivo, one branch of whica ponetrutoH through Tsugar Strait. Ah
in the Atlantic, the two streams niOV(» side by side in parallel lines, but in opposite
directions, under a sky frequently charged with dense vaj)ours. The ( )ya-sivo, which
in winter fringes the east coast of Yoso with drift ice, also brings large (pnintities
of marine animals from the nortliern latitudes, thus contributing abundant supplies
of food to the inhabitants of Nip-pon. The coasts of Yeso, which arc exposed to
the two streams of the North Pacific, correspond in this resijcct to the banks of
Newfoundland.
West of the Japanese Archipelago, a branch of the Kuro-sivo flowing round
the ishind of Tsu-sima also contributes to raise the normal temperature in these
latitudes. Its influence is chiefly felt on the north side of Hondo, where its waters
have an average temperature of about 09"^ Fahr. But the Tsu-sima stream, as it
has l)een named by Schrenck, does not flow constantly in the direction from south
to north. Under the action of the polar winds it is deflected in winter towards the
south at least on the surface, and it then sweeps round between the liU-chu Islands
eastwards to the Kuro-sivo. But, owhig to its small volume, its influence even in
summer is of secondary importance in determining the oscillations of the tempera-
ture. Between the two slopes of the Japanese Archipelago the contrast in this
respect is most striking. Here the isothermals traced from west to east are far
from coinciding with the parallels of latitude. The mean temperature at equal
distances from the equator is much higher on the east than on the west side, where
the mountains of like elevation remain snow-clad for a considerably longer period
of the year. Pending more numerous and accurate meteorological observations,
it may be stated in a general way that the isothermals are deflected more and more
towards the north as we approach the Arctic zone. Thus, while the difference
between South Japan and the corresponding coast of China is scarcely more than
3° Fahr., it exceeds 8° Fahr. between Yeso and Russian Manchuria. Thanks also
to the moderating effects of the Pacific throughout the year, the periods of extreme
cold and heat are delayed till February and August respectively. September is
normally a warmer month even than July.
* "Unbeaten Tracks," i., p. 212. t A. H. Keane's "Asia," p. 612.
UH8
MAHT ASIA.
Ncitw itlislaniliii;,' tlir mlviiiitiigiH of itH insular |)OHiti(>ii, •! mu is iioiu! the less
iillVi'tcd l»y tlic ffc'iHTuI intiui'iicoH, which on tho inainhind ovorywhcro tend
to lower tin* t('iiiiM'ratiin> as we protrt'd eastwards. Under the sauio ])arallcl
.lapan has, on the whok<, a eliniate ei^ht or ten de^'ri^es eoicU'r than that of lliuope.
No part of the arehipelaj^o is free from snow and ice, .md ni the; central districts
of lloii(h) the ^M'ouiid lias occasionally remained for several days covered with snow
to u depth of over lU inches, while in Veso the j^lass has heen known to fall uh
nuich as twenty-ei^ht degrei-s helow freezing point. Ah olsewherc iu the cviromu
Fi|f. IHl.-^ Ikothriimai.n ok Japan
Nnilc 1 ; lft,"ii(i,()iX).
1
t I
, 300 Miles.
east, the winter period in Japan coincides with the prevalence of the northern, and
especially of the north-west polar winds, whose normal direction ought to be
north-cast and south-west, but which are deflected to tho south-east by the
influence of the Pacific basin. On tho west coast the winter gales are so fierce
as almost to arrest the navigation during their prevalence. Even the steam service
between Nihi-gata and Hakodate is interrupted, and in several of the coar^ towns
tho houses arc protected from the fury of the storms by screens constructed
of hoardings Vt'ith the interstices filled in with brushwood and moss.
CLIMATE OF JAPAN.
889
Tho*o poliir winds am followed in April or May l)y flio tepid south- western
monsoons, wliieli, however, are ln'jj;ions of West Europe. Hence the various expressions
introduced into the laiif^uaj^e, to d(>noto at once tho sea.son of the year and he state
of the weather, which oug:ht to nornudly correspond with it. Formerly it was
fashionable to begin corrcspondonco with long piinises referring to these regular
changes of tho weather. " Now that tho icohas molted, tho trees are budding, and
you flourish moro and more in tho enjoyment of perfect health, I address you the.se
lines, written with the pencil. . . ." Such was the invariable opening of letters
written in spring.
Tho ruinfull as well as the temperature is regulated by the monsoons. Except
in Yeso and on the west side of Hondo, the winter sooson is nearly everywhere
very dry, and the contrast between the two slopes is easily explained. The north-
west winds, always accompanied by fine weather along the coast of Russian
Manchuria, become charged with moisture while crossing the joa, and when thej'
strike the Japanese uplands this moisture is precipitated in the form of snow. In
some of the higher districts tho snow lies so thick on the ground that the people
are obliged to take refuge in the upper storeys of their houses, and snow-shoes then
become universal, as in Canada. But beyond the crests of the hills, the atmosphere
is free from clouds, and the sun sliines brightly throughout the winter months on
the lands facing the Pacific. On the other hand, both slopes are exposed to heavy
showers throughout the summer monsoons. Tho downpours will at times last for
days together, and on one occasion, when it rained incessantly for thirty hours at
Yokohimia, all tho brooks rose from 10 to 16 feet, while tho rivers were transformed
to lakes. The rains coinciding with tho summer heats and with the evaporation
from the rice grounds, which cover such a largo surface, the whole land now
becomes sodden with moisture, and while vegetation flourishes with a rank growth,
men and animals pine in the oppressive and dripping atmosphere. Tho rainfall h
altogether scarcely inferior to that of the tropics, and is about double that of West
Europe. Thanks to these do^vnpour8, the Sea of Japan is far loss saline than tho
Pacific, and consequently freezes much more rapidly. In this almost land-locked
basin the tides are also very low, rising on the coast of Sado scarcely moro than
22 inches.
The climate of the archipelago agrees on the whole very well with tho European
■•»(*-
««Ca«MMlMMMMlHHB!Hk«4Mli
"tmimiimmms^
JAPANESE FAUNA.
895
lo as far
in East
its, nine
inials, of
r thirty
}T in no
1, rcsem-
lugo was
lainland.
found of
in the
id North
Iso uttri-
j of dry
the two
Never-
ices now
tie allied
all land
ecu inter-
geological
avifauna,
the mam-
lan might
the prox-
VTiile the
sses over
ton has no
idred and
all resem-
mainland.
ds migrate
>akhalin or
cording to
>nly eleven
iigst those
remarkable
hus a kind
lid Japan,
3 of t),000
ing spaces,
me extinct,
oir former
domain. Altogether the Japanese ornithological world presents much analogy
to that of temperate Europe, each species being represented in both regions by
corresponding forms. Nevertheless the ototo-gisu, the king of Japanese songsters,
fetching as much as £80 in the market, is not a nightingale, as in Europe, but a
member of the cuckoo family.
" The crow forms a salient feature of the landscape, especially in Yeso. Here
there are millions of them, and in many places they break the stillness of the silent
land with a baliel of noisy discords. They are everywhere, and have a degree of
most unpardonable impertinence, mingled with a cunning and sagacity which almost
put them on a level with man in some circumstances. Five of them were so impu-
dent as to alight on two of my horses, and so be ferried across the Yurupugawa.
In the inn-garden at Mori I saw a dog eating a piece of carrion in the presence of
several of these covetous birds. They evidently said a great deal to each other
on the subject, and now and then one or two of them tried to pull the meat away
Fig. 184. — Fac-8Imilb of a Jai'Anesb Biku Druion-.
from him, which he resented." * The Japanese crow is considerably larger than
the European species, being about the size of our ravens, and fidly a match in
strength and courage for small dogs.
Legend fills the popular fancy with monstrous dragons, with whom the heroes
of the olden times had to do battle. These reptiles have now degenerated to
harmless snakes, the only venomous animals iu the archipelago being a trigono-
cephalous species, from which a healing drug is extracted, and a little crustacean of
the order of the cloportae. One of the most remarkable local reptiles is a gigantic
salamander, the sanzio-uvo (^Sicbotdia tnajcima), that lives on fish and frogs, but is
now becoming rare even in Japan. Beetles, butterflies, and other insects are
extremely numerous, as is also the marine fauna, although several species of fur-
bearing cetacea have already been extenninated. The beaver has also disappeared
from several of the Eurile Islands, where it was formerly very common.
• « Unbeaten Tracka," ii., p. 129.
Ilji
ff'r-
!!i!
890
EAST ASIA.
Cotnparod with European peoples, the Japanese possess a very small number
of (linnostie animals. The. horse, imported from Korea, is of a small, shaiiolcss
breed, vi'ry vieious, but vifj;orous, and 2)()SHes.sed of {^reat staying powers. Tlic
Satsma breed, mentioned in the fourteenth century by Matouanlin, is nearly
extinct, and most of tlie horses now employed in the Yokohama circus arc brought
from ^longolia. Holding very small farms, the peasantry have no great need of
live stock, henco oxen are rare, and in some districts ab.solutely unknown. From
the eighth century of the vulgar era till recently the use of meat was forbidden,
and all knackers and tanners were regarded as infamous, and under the name of
Etas classed with actors and mendicants, as /// tiin, or " no men." But under the
influence of European ideas, the townsfolk have recently taken to an animal diet,
and the breeding of cattle for the market has already made considerable progress.
But owing to the damp climate, goat and sheep farming has not proved successful.
The ass also suffers from the prolonged ruins, while the European pig thrives
well.
Imiahitaxts — The Aixos.
Except in the outer islands of Yeso, the Kuriles, and Lu-chu, the present
population of Nip-pon is one of the most homogeneous on the globe. From Kago-
sima to iVvomori Bay, across ten degrees of latitude, the natives have everywhere
the same speech and customs, with the full consciousness of their common nation-
ality. But although now thoroughly fused in one peojjle, they do not seem to
belong to one stock originally, and are only indirectly connected with the aborigines
of the archipelago.
The oldest traditions and records all sjieak of the ancient savages, the " Eastern
Barl)arians," Yebsis, Yebis, Yemisi, Mo-sin, or Mao-jii ("Hairy Men"), who
formerly occupied the northern portion of Hondo, and who were the ancestors of
the present Ainos. There is certainly no direct evidence to show that the Japanese
arc the civilised kinsmen of these northern barbarians, and the only probable
relationship between them is such as may be due to crossings continued from ago
to age on the border lands. Although no Yebis may now be found in the north of
Hondo, it is, nevertheless, certain that all were not exterminated by the conquering
Japanese in the fifteenth centurj'. Under the name of Adzma Yebis, they have
become intermingled with the civilised intruders, and their physical features may
still be traced in the present mixed popidation of the country, just as the stone
weapons and other implements used by them are occasionally found in the ground.
The women have here, as elsewhere, best preserved the aboriginal type, and the
inhabitants, especiallj' of the secluded Oga-sima Pc^ainsula, still show a marked
resemblance to the Knrile islanders. Ainos blood has even been traced as far south
as the plains of Tokio, although the pure type is at present confined to Yeso, the
Southern Kuriles, and the south of Sakhalin. According to the census of 1873,
there were only 12,281 Ainos at that time in Yeso, and the whole race numbers at
present probably less than 20,000 souls. The few Kurilo families occupying the
northern i.slands of that archiiielago are not to be distinguished from those of the
■K 'wrj ^' ■'••nrwiir'Wf'^IBffWWh^'^ ^i
number
hapcless
•s. The
; neurly
brought
need of
. From
rbiddcn,
name oi
luler the
nul diet,
progn^ss.
iccessfid.
J thrives
'imn
; present
m Kugo-
erywhere
n nation-
seem to
borigiues
" Eastern
i"), who
jestors of
Japanese
probable
from ago
3 north of
)nquering
:hey have
ures may
the stone
e ground.
), and the
a marked
I far south
Yeso, the
1 of 1873,
ambers at
pying the
jse of the
?'^f«g**P' ^ — ^ ' - ; ^ - -jji-?,— ^ --y*^-**,.,..—,^. ■,:,-_
wm
l^!^:r^M
:r.|!,;'iv;;
■T-'"."''' - — ^
INHABITANTS— THE AINOS.
807
m
i
u
D
f
8
Q
S5
■<
«1
Ed
O
2
<
P
iioin-hbouriiijif Kaincliiitkii IVniiiHulii, and some Alcutiuns arc also found in tho
isluw'a of Sinuisir and Urup.
Acfdnliiif? ti» (jiolovnin, tho word " Alnos," like the nanios of so many primitive
pooi)li>s, simply nu'uns "Men." Tliinkiii<,' tlicmsclvos tho trntro of tlio uiiivorso,
thoy snuif of old, " Gods of tho soa, oju-n your di\ ino oyos. \Vhorov(>r vour ovos
fall tlioro oohoos tho Aino Njjooch." Jtut a Japanoso otymohtfjy (piolod liy Satow
explains tho word "Aino" to moan "Dog" (Inu), and an old tradition rofors tho
origin of the race to a dog and a Japanoso prinooss banished northwards. Tho
Aleutians have a similar tradition, and seem to bo very proud of their eanine
desoent, pretending that for a long time they had paws and tails like those of a
dog, but wore deprived of them on acoount of their crimes.
Most writers ufhliate tho Ainos to tho other Mongf»loid pooj)los surrounding
them, and their snudl size, clear complexion, black hair and eyes, are taken as
proofs of their affinity to tho Japanese. ]{ut others group the Ainos with the
Kamchadalos, Koriaks, AleutianS; and some other northern pco2)les in a separate
division of mankind, while they arc by others regarded as a branch of tlie Eskimo
or of tho Polynesians, or even of the Western " Caucasic " stock.
Certainly tlie ordinary Aino type dilfors greatly froju the Japanese. Tho com-
plexion is lighter, the forehead broader and higher, the cranial capacity' vastly
superior, the nose more prominent, the eyes larger, more open and perfectly
straight, like those of Europeans. But they are distinguished from all their
neighbours chiefly by the great abundance of their hair, from which circumstance
thoy were commoidy alluded to by Siebold, Krusonstern, Golovnin, and other older
writers, as the "hairy Kurilos," from the name of the islands occupied by several
of their tribes. The Japanese annals also describe them as a species of wild beast,
with manes and beards 4 feet long. "The first Aino," says the legend, "was
suckled by a she-bear, whence he and all his descendants became covered with
hair. Proud of his long board, which distinguishes him from the other races whom
he meets, the Aino regards it as some sacred appendage, which nothing will induce
him to shave. In this respect, as well as in his features and expression, he bears a
singular resemblance to the Russian peasant, with whom he might easily be con-
founded. Most travellers describe the women as repulsive, and apparently belong-
ing almost to a different race from the men. But notwithstanding their small
eyes and thick lips. Miss Bird, who visited them in their mountain homes, tells us
that she met many women of very comely appearance even amongst tho old people.
The children, of whom their parents are extremely fond, are models of grace and
beauty.
The average Aino is about the middle height, broad-shouldered, full-chested,
very strongly built, with short muscular arms and legs, and disproportionately
large hands and feet. The bodies of most adults are covered with short, bristly
hair ; and travellers have compared that on the backs of the children to the tine soft
fur of a cat. The foreheads are generally high, broad and prominent, at first sight
giving the impression of an unusual capacity for intellectual d(n elopment. The
nose, although short, is straight and the cheek-bone low, while the full eyebrows
a
U'tiliP
III
IW-
^^^W^ii
ao8
EAST ASIA.
I
form H Ntrni'f»ht lino nearly across the face. Tlu^ eyes arc somewhat deep-set and
of a rich liquid l)r()\vn colour, with u siMjj;uhirly soft expression, corresponding? to
the fjenfle and l;indly character of the people. The skin is described as almost
white, or else of u delicate olive brown tint, thin and lip:ht enough to show the
chunfjfcs of cohmr in the cheeks.
What little is known of the Aino huifjuapfe is sufficient to show that it has no
sort of affinity to that of the Japanese, which greatly surpasses it in softness. Hut
although many words end in sibilants, it is modulated with an almost musical
accent, and spoken with such slight dialectic dilferences, that the interpreters from
the Kurilc Islands have no difficulty in understanding the people of South Yeso.
There is no literature, and hitherto none of the Ainos have learned to read or write,
except a few youths sent to the schools at Tokio. liut they have an excellent
memory, and arc quick at sums. By means of little notcher.
These marks uro begun at the age of fiv«', and continued till she is marriageable,
when her toilet is complete. Jiy means of soot rubbed into the incisions a sort of
moustache is described on the upper lip, while the hands and fore-arms are
embellished with an intricate aral)es(pie piece of embroidery. All the patterns are
strictly determined by traditional usage, but the practice of tattooing has recently
been forbi(hlen by the Japanese Government.
Still independent of, and even feared by, the Japanese dowti U> the middle of
the sixteenth century, the Ainos continued to occupy the northern part of Hondo,
where the town of Akita served as the common mart for the two races. But they
have long disappeared from the large island, and are now seldom seen on the south
coast of Yeso. Honest, good-natured, active, individually courageous, although
inspired with a superstitious dread of the government, they have neither the moral
force nor the material resources needed to hold their own against their powerful
neighbours. The use of fire-arms, with which they pursued the prey, has been
forbidden, and the Japanese fishermen come to fish at their very doors. With no
companions except their dogs, they arc unable to turn their attention to stock-
breeding, and the little agriculture which they have learnt is limited to planting a
few vegetables round their houses. They wear coarse, but almost indestructible,
garments, made by their women from the bark of trees, and in winter lined with skina
and furs. Without being actually ill-used, they are always cheated by the
Japanese ; and, notwithstanding the protection afforded by the authorities, they are
demoralised by want, alcohol, and all its attendant evils. Many have married
Japanese women, and all are more or less familiar with the language of their
rulers, so that they must inevitably soon die out or become absorbed in the superior
race. Like so many other obscure and half-savage races, they are threatened with
extinction by civilisation itself. As if conscious of their approaching doom, they
have become indifferent to life, and, although gay and cheerful, they will commit
suicide at the least check or trouble. But infanticide is not practised except in the
case of twins, when one is dispatched to save it from a life of hardship.
* ll
iljiJEi.
»r^».;.
400
KAST ASIA.
Till. AllOKUilNKS (»l JaI'AN.
The doiiiiiiimt jMopIc in .liipaii arc evidently u inixi'd nice, in which the Aino
i«h>iiicnt iH but nUkIiII)' n-prcHciitcd. Accurdiii)^ to the prcposHCHMioii nf «)l)s..rviTM,
tht>y hiivo Imji'Ii ulliliiili-d to vuriouH HtockH; but althou^^h Whitney and >r<)rt.iii
regard them as nicnibiTM nf the* Caunisic laniily, most anlhiopolo^iMts class tli.iii
witli the Mont,'t.l nu-es <»!' SilK-ria and Kast Asia. The Chinese records rei'errinj,' to
the land ol' Wu, that is, of Japun, hol'oro tho inhabitants were accpiainted with tho
Fig. 186.— I'lllMlTlVB rol'lLATIONB UV No'-ION, Al IllRUlNO TO THK JxrANtllK AnNAM.
Hcilf I ; jri.uuo.iM).
Kinaau or Ynioa.
Yamato.
YemiBl or Yeb«i» Itinerary of Knmnu Yamato
Aiuo. Iviirc biko.
800 MilCB.
art of writing, mention certain facts attesting the preponderating influence of
Chinese civilisation even at that romoto epoch. Migrations must have taken place
from the Yang-tze basin to the adjacent archipchigo, and according to one legend
the ancestors of the Japanese race were three hundred young men and women sent
across the seas by the Emperor Tsin-Shi-hwangti in search of the " flower of immor-
tality." Many have suspected the presence of Malay elements amongst the inha-
bitants of Nip-pon, while the curly hair and dark complexion common in the south
have been refeired by Siebold to a mixture with " Alfuros," Melanesians, and Caroline
Islanders. Vessels may certainly have often drifted northwards with the equatorial
m i i i »m^y\f ' »-M.i <.',"..-"'>. ■ -W'^'i l^ MUiaH !" '- ' -,. -Vj ^ H ' ..
THK i'im:si;nt jai'an'khk hack.
4U1
ciirrciif mid tlic Kum-Nivo, niul it is |>(issili|c tlml .liipim tuny liiivc in this way Imtii
|)ciij»U' tlu< iinival of thu
KiinipraiiM. Tlic annaU sju-ak (^luly of the rclalionH of tlic .lapancNc willi llic nii^fli-
iMiuiinj; i.xlandcTH und with the |iropU'H of the mainland, wlu'iico tlir coniniuni-
cutions wtTf in uny oumi« n»on< msily i'Bl,il)li-hod. I'assinji; from Hondo and Kiu-
sin to Iki, and thrncc l>v THU-siniu and the Kon-an Anliiju'lajjo to Korea il.sflf,
matiniTH l\avo tlu' land alw, vs in si;r|ii. wliili', acrordinjj; to tlio direction of tlio
tradi' windN, cvi'n li^ht craft ar«' coiiHtantly eariicd from ono oouNt to the ollior.
Thns it waM that tho KnniMo or Vnsu orcnpicd Nimnltanoously tho nouth-cuNt corni-r
of Korea und tho country of tho Yoniodz or Nono Knini in tho west of Japtui.
They were not "pacified," that is, sulKlued, till tho him ond century of the vid^'ar
era. The Yamato, or Japanese properly so called, Hoem to have originally dwelt on
the Houthern slKtres oi the archipelapi facing the I'aciHc. Hut before any mention
occurH either of Ainos, Yusu, or Yamato, the islands were already peopled. On
tho plain of Yeeak with
(, which
tcept the
. dignity
>f liberiy.
ire borne
•d classes
es of the
ans wear
forbidden
pins and
iiey may
re of low
feet to 5
ind under
The lower
with a
javy load
ascending
r's horse
strength
r amongst
atavism,
generally
a defect
ac prema-
' thirtieth
ice.
ths of the
whole population, and which is attributed to the almost exclusive use of rice and
vegetables, possessing little albumen and fat. Small-pox is also very prevalent and
much dreaded, although the Chinese methods of inoculation have long been known.
Even since the introduction of vaccination by Siebold at the beginning of the
present century, this scourge still continues to leave its mark on the features of
about two-thirds of the people. Notwithstanding their extreme cleanliness, the
natives are affected by the taint of leprosy in every part of the archipelago, and
especially in the Tokio district. Diseases of the chest and lungs are almost as fatal
as in Europe ; but scarlatina, erysipelas, puerperal fever, and many other Western
maladies are absolutely unknown in the archipelago.
Few crossings have taken place between the natives and the Chinese settled in
the seaports, although the number of children sprung from alliances between
Europeans and Japanese women is
already relatively considerable. The Fig. 187.— Japankse Giul.
type of the mother invariably pre-
vails, and according to Wemich, the
children of English or German
paternity seldom survive, while the
issue of unions between Frenchmen
and native women thrives well, and
are even more vigorous and sprightly
than their pure-blood Eastern play-
mates. The descendants of Portu-
guese Christians and the women of
the southern islands call themselves
Europeans, still bear the names of
their Lusitanian forefathers, and
generally make it a point of honour
to speak English. But nearly all
take Japanese wives, and the race
has thus become assimilated to the
indigenous type, except that the
hair remains slightly undulating, the forehead higher, the face less prognathous,
and the eyes less oblique than amongst the surrounding populations.
It is no longer obligatory to wear the national dress, and in their eagerness to
imitate foreign ways, the lettered and trading classes have adopted the European
costume, which, although very unbecoming, has the advantage of helping to get
rid of the old class distinctions. Formerly the style and colours of the clothes
worn by both sexes in every social position were strictly regulated by law or
custom. The usual material was cotton, silk being reserved for the rich, or for
grand occasions. The Kimono, or robe of the women, differs only in its greater
length and brilliancy from that of the men. In both the wide sleeves serve as
pockets, and are usually filled with rolls of paper used as handkerchiefs or table-
napkins. Hence also " sleeve editions " answering to our small " {jocket editions "
404
EAST ASIA.
of Imoks. The costuino is coiiiplotcd by u skirt in the upper classes, or drawers
ainoiif^st the jwor, while several robes are worn one over the other in cold weather.
Duriiiy; the rainy season tlie artisans and peasantry cover their clothes with struw
I'ij^. 188 Japanbhe MusiciA.NH and Dealeh.
or oil-paper cloaks. All except the coolies and couriers wear the so-called /iata,
high wooden clogs, which require great care in walking, and are even the cause of
nervous all'tctions. The EuroiR'au boot is ill-suif«d for the muddy «treets, and
Sir
THE PRESENT JAPANESE RACE.
405
indoors thoy wnlk bare-footed on the fine mattinj? of tlie floors. The hond-dress,
ospocially of the fair sex, is quite a work of art and mucli imtiont labour, cotisisf in;;
of a vast chi{j;non of real and artificial hair, cunningly devised, and over which
many hours arc usually siKMit.
Fig. 189,~JArANrsE Tattooino.
lieing imablc to afford all this tune
every day, women engaged in work
have their hair dressed once or twice
a week only, and in order not to
disturb the elaborate superstructure,
they are obliged to sleep with the
nc>ck resting on a wooden pillow, so
as to keep the head free from contact
with the bed-clothee. A white cos-
metic on the face and neck, crimson
on the cheeks, the eyebrows black-
ened, the lips covered with gold
leaf, and the teeth with a brown
pigment, and the toilet of the high-
born lady of the olden times may be
pronounced completed.
Tattooing has been almost entirely
abandoned by the women of all
classes, and its use, even by the
men, has now been forbidden by the
Government. We learn from Matou-
alin that the nobles were formerly
more richly decorated than the
plebeians. But in recent times the
most elaborate art has been lavished
on the couriers and others, obliged,
by their occupation, to appear almost
naked in public. The designs,
mostly in red, white, and blue, are
diversely interlaced without any
symmetrical arrangement, but al-
ways with great taste, so that a
graceful projM)rtion is observed be-
tween the birds, dragons, flowers,
and other more conspicuous objects.
Thus a tree will be represented with
its roots twined round the right foot, the stem growing up the left leg, and covering
the back or breast with its outspread leafy branches, on which arc perched birds
of various kinds.
Made up as they are of so many heterogeneous elements, it is extremely diflicult
"■"'""l-j'r T-'-l
406
EAST ASIA.
to form a just estiinute of the Japanese people, and the difficulty is increased by
thoir eonsciousncsa that they are just now, so to aay, on their trial. They are con-
sequently apt to assume false airs ; and as they have endeavoured to assimilate
thonisolves outwardly to Europeans, by adopting a foreign garb, they, in the same
way, affect the manners and tone of a nation long accustomed to Western culture.
Except, perhaps, certain triI)os of the New World, no people have developed to
a higher degree the faculty of concealing their inward sentiments and jjreacrving
their ecpianimity under the most trying circumstances. Extremely reai>rved and
sensitive' to the opinion of others, they speak only after having well weighed their
words, and maintain a sort of self-restraint in the presence of Europeans. Many
officials have even taken to blue or coloured spectacles, in order the better to conceal
their inmost thoughts ; and even among themselves their outward indications of
Fig. 190.- Japanbsb Wumen.
anger, contempt, affection, or other strong passions, are singularly moderate, com-
pared with the vehemence of many Western peoples. They suffer impassively
without wringing their hands in despair, or appealing to the Deity with outstretched
arms and upturned eyes. They have learnt from Europeans the custom of shaking
hands, but it never approaches the hearty grasp of an Englishman. Mothers even
rarely embrace their children ; and this general reserve extends even to the
demented classes, so that a " dangerous lunatic " is almost an unheard of phenomenon
in Nip-pon.
The very effort to make a good appearance in the eyes of strangers speaks
highly in favour of this interesting people. They are essentially kind-hearted,
and nothing is rarer than instances of men rendered arrogant by their social position,
and treating those beneath them with harshness. Those in the enjojTuent of
ruiiif
■' j8 i ^ML ' ,J.:li!i.Wffyj,WW.ft!;,- 'i W'»JW*^«WfljS f gBa^
THE PRESENT JAPANESE RACE.
407
./
power and privilege seek rather to avoid envy by their courtesy and consideration
for others less favoured by fortune. No one, whatever his rank, assumes that
haughty air which so many functionaries, great and sniall, elsewhere regard as
their most higlily prized prerogative. From the custom of bowing gracefully to
each other, the Japanese have gradually acquired a natural attitude of deference,
while the expression of the features generally reflects their kindly disposition.
Even under extreme suffering patients preserve a mild glance and endearing tone.
This innate amiability, conspicuous especially in the fair sex, is usually accompanied
by the domestic virtues of temperance, order, thrift, and common sense. The
young women united by temporary alliances with Europeans, as is the custom of
the country, seldom fail to ingratiate themselves with them by their careful fore-
thought, assiduous attention, and orderly management of the household. Strangers
are surprised at the cheerfulness and calm resignation of the hard-working
labouring classes, who adapt themselves to everything, and submit uncomplainingly
to the greatest hanlships and privations. Yet this resignation cannot be attributed
to the want of a higher ideal. The eagerness with which the European arts and
sciences have been welcomed shows how keen is the desire of progress amongst all
classes.
The Japanese are now committed to the new social evolution by a sense of
honour, which has ever been one of their main springs of action. The practice of
hai'akiri, or sappuku, maintained for centuries amongst the nobles, attests the
strength of will with which they are capable of asserting their personal dignity.
Although not of native growth — for frequent mention is made of it in the Chinese
annals — this custom has nowhere else become a national institution. Whether com-
manded by the government in order to spare the nobleman a dishonourable death,
or voluntarily performed in order to be indirectly avenged on an opponent by com-
pelling him to give life for life, the act was always executed with scrupulous nicety.
No instance has been recorded of one of these determined suicides ever uttering an
unworthy complaint in the presence of his friends assembled to witness his self-
immolation. Many cases, on the contrary, are mentioned of heroes resolute enough
to compose verses or write their last wishes in their own blood after disembowelling
themselves. Yet these men did not throw away their life rashly, and except where
honour, rightly or wrongly imderstood, was at stake, voluntary deaths have always
been rare in Japan. J3ut wherever the test of courage is demanded in either sex,
the Japanese are excelled by no other people. The history of the forty-seven ronin,
so determined in exacting vengeance for the murder of their master, so heroic in
their self-sacrifice, is the most widely known in the country, and the graves of these
daring men are still piously tended by the citizens of the imperial capital. The
recent wars and revolutions also show that the people have not degenerated from
the prowess of their forefathers, and we may rest assured that should Russia or any
other Western power become engaged in hostilities with them, it will meet with a
formidable adversary. Hitherto the European powers have obtained easy triumphs
over most Eastern nations, thanks to the superiority of their armaments and dis-
cipline. But the Japanese people are not one of those which will henceforth
*
i
408
EAST ASIA.
I
ill
allow thomsclvca to bo conquered without a struf^gle, nor will civilisation have
to (loploH! the disfrraceful subjuj,'atiou of 40,000,000 human beinj^s who
arc rapidly idacinj^ theinsLlvcs on a level with the most advanced states of
Christendom.
While reco'-ws»u'Mm^ \^r7- h^^;^}ml l^l ^■^.i ^.■
f
It
\
1
'iTt3wc*5r^5sr??n*?'-3Kr9C7«'Tvr;Trsrr
T.*>S«SK»lli;E^3^'
•m-A
LANGUA()E AND LETTERS.
409
■ '.
M
\\ u
If 1
!(■'' 1 u
111' ' ■
Q
!!i=
%
•i'
^
' li 1
flu
^
Is ll
t-
1 ' i '
u
1' i
8
wi'
1
IMl '
i -t
llll
►»
iWi'i
i
;
0\
Toutonic und Lutiii ok'inont.s havo been thoroujjhly fu"«od, whorouM in Siuico-.rapu-
noHo tlic Yaiimti) uiul Chinese lie, wj to Hay, in juxtaiiositiim. The liU-ehu diaU'ct
is rejifarded as u distiiiet hins^ua}?e, although nearly related to Japanese and written
with the same syllabaries. It also eoiitains many Cliinese words introdiieed l)y the
lettered classes. A portion ol' the JJible has been translated in. 'lis dialect by
the missionary Hettelheim.
In Japanese there arc two syntemH of transcription, of which the oldest are the
Chinese ideographs introduced with the germs of the national culture. Hut these
signs are so numerous that it reijuires u whole life to master them uU. In the
elementary schools as many as U,(t(M) are taught, but no one can claim to 1m> edu-
catei
410
EAST ASIA.
I'i
!
wliicli if not " luminous" may ut k'ust Ik* (IcscrilM'cl im " voluminouH." I'tu'try, the
(li-umii, luNtory, uml the nuturul scicncoN have Ikh'H cultivated, and the iiili'lh'ctuul
(ivolutinii III' .Fii|nin mity hv sii'ul to have run in parallel lines with that ol the West.
In llie monasteries the (lid manuscripts were copied, chronicles compiled, lheolo>,'icul
and metaphysical tri'atises composed, wliile the " Courts ol' Lovi* " were held durinj^
the tweli'th and tliirleenth centuries in the castles of the feudal lords, when; the
lctt«'rcd warriors and strollin^if minstrels wrote their romances of chivalry, and re-
cited tlu'ir lyri(!al sonj^s just as in Kurope. The perio«l of literary Jtenaissance
coincides with the seventeenth century, after which comes the a^e of the encyclo-
piedists. At jm'sent journalism and political writings are sw«'llinf; the hulk of the
national literature, which has lieen more or less alfeeted l»y Kuropean influences since
the middle of the eijjhtecnth century, when wicret societies were formed for the truns-
lution of Dutch works.
Tiir. AiiT OK I'liiNTixo IX Japan.
From Mr. Satow's recent investififations, it apiieurs thut to u religious lady
belongs the honour of having introduced the use of printing in Japan. In the
year 764 of the new era the impress Siiiyau-toku, in fuliilment of u solemn vow,
ordered a million small wooden shrines to Ihs distributed among the Buddhist
pagodas and monasteries throughout the archii)elago, and directed that eaeh of
these shrines should contain a dharani or extract from the liuddhist sacred writ-
ings. The Sanskrit or Pali text of the dharani was to be printed in Chinese
characters, on slips of paper about IH inches long by '2 inches wide, so as to be
easily rolled up and (leposit(iicyth)-
V (.f the
•I's wiufe
10 truiia-
)U8 lady
In the
inn vow,
HiKldhist
; eush of
red writ-
i Chincise
ns to be
umber of
, and fac-
in works,
ions were
)jw)8ed to
sive steps
lat it was
tt, where©
jreviously
remained
ween this
i the date
e Empress
nsidcrable
} regarded
the whole
done for
ifuciunism
py of the
existence,
HKLIOION— HINT* )ISM.
411
n
iH liijjlily valued on account of the many variations which it cc itiiih!*, and liich
often throw much li>,'ht on the rcccivc«l text.
Apart from the Huddliist bks not nmrc than forty or fifty \so?ks are known
to have been printed in .lapan down to tlu- bc^finniu),' of the sevcntecnlli cenlurv.
A j^rcat stimidus was, liowever, tlu-n ^•iven to the art chicHy tiirough the iiitUiciicc
of the Koreans, After his first victorious canipaiji;n in Korea, Ilich-yoslii had
broujfht back a lar>?e number of Inioks current in lliat country, and the literary
activity rcj)rescnted by flu'se works, compared witl> the sta^jnaiit state of letters in
Japan, wounded the national pride of the coiKjuerors, an typ«'s, which lliey liad no
doubt derivese, always apt
imitators, siHm adopted this metlKxI, and the first hook printed in .lapan with nu>v-
able copjH^r types Ix-ars tlie date I ■")!)(». From that time onwards the jiress, in
various parts of th«' Kmpire, has l)een busily en^'ajjed in reprcKlucing every important
book in Chinese literature. The native literature also soon bejfan to avail itself of
the same easy means of circulation. Hut recent indications seem to make it pro-
bable that the time is approachinn; when Japanese translaticms of Kuropean, and
esjK'cially Knglish, works will be mainly substituted for llic ])ublications both of the
native and the Chinese writings. Mr. Fukusawaof Tokio has greatly distinguished
himself in this direction. One of his classes lately translated the whole of Adam
Smith's " Wealth of Nations" into Japanese, and several other important FiUropeaa
works, especially those treating of philosophy, natural science and politics, owe their
appearance to this learned teacher and his pupils.
Religion — Sixtoism.
The religious thought of Japan, as of so many other countries, is just now in
an evident state of transition. Most of the educated classes and even the lower
orders in the towns entertain or affect a profound indifference for the various
religions of local or foreign origin. Yet some of the outward observances are still
generally retainefl, mainly through the influence of the women.
As in China, three cults co-exist side by side, and the sumo individual may even
conform to all three. Of these the oldest is the national religion known as Sintoism,
or the "Way of the Genii," which represents the conservative and reactionary
element, which from the first protested against the intrusion of the Chinese language
and culture. The Koziki, or " History of the Things of Antiquity," which cm-
bodies the Sinto teachings, is the oldest and most renuirkable work in Japanese
literature. The Confucian system is little more than a moral code. But Buddhism
is at once a metaphysical and religious system, which consoles its votaries for the
miseries of the present life, and holds out prospects of happiness or repose in the
after state. Thus according to the times, places, and other circumstances, these
elements may beconio diversely intermingled without being antagonistic, although
412 KA»T ASIA.
„„,l..r ..xcrplmnul n>n.Uti..nH uimI pditi.-al mictioiiK rrliKiouH warn Imvo ocraHionally
brokt'ii out. I 1 • • 11
Liko tlu< rhincHO, Komin, and Sn.rriai. alM.ri^in.'s. \hv Jupunoso luul onK'niaUy
no other .liviiiitirs rx.vpt th.> fnirrs ..I' Naturi.. with wl.ich tl.ry usH<,ciatiMl the houIh
of thr (Inul an.l th.. n^rU n.illion a.rial and trmslrial K«"nu. Mow Hvo »t pcaco
with thrsr counth^sH hosts without nidh-ss n.njurinKH anpitiato thol)t.ncficontHp.nts,
Fig 191.-NIKK0 AND TIIR IJi'PKK ToNR-OAVA.
8oiUo 1 : iXW.mo.
I50°20'
E of G
I59MO-
_ 6 Miles.
without addressing them as mortals, and honouring them with feasts and banquets P
Such is the oUl ancestral cult, associated with that of the Kami, or genu, and ot
natural phenomena, which still prevails under the Chinese name of Smto. Ihe
rites of this extremely simple worship, which asks of its followers nothmg but
purity of soul and thought, are usually performed in the midst of the grandest
natural surroundings, where have been raised the miya or pasiro, shrines consecrated
to the genii, and containing the crystal mirror, symbol at once of purity and of
supernatural foreknowledge. In the ceremonial the heads of famiUes have been
;^^'"- -:j5rK>;'S^!i3jJ?''St?!S5'.i5:s'i»5
UI;M(H<»N— SINTOISM.
418
loiuiUy
j;iimlly
10 houIh
t peace
(»\V WllM
Hpii-itH,
^
561
45
J
janquets P
nii, and of
nto. The
(thing but
grandest
onsecrated
ity and of
have been
n'liliicitl hy a cumIc ((f lu'n'ditary prioMt^, who invoke tin- jjcnii on Iwluilf of tho
imiltitiidt', wild Itiiiijf iho «>IV('riiijf>*, iiml ii' tlicir liniiour nlcliratc tlir nuttsuri, (»r
paiitoiiiiiiu-K and tlicatrical rcpiTMnitatioiis.
Ily on«i of thow coincidciicoH ho frcMiucnt in histoiy. tint rcvohitioii of 1M()7,
whifh introducwl tho now oulturo from tho Wost, was aooonipaniod by a roaotion in
tho roli^iou.N wmld, whon>by tlio ohi Sintoist niiinuHni again booauio tho ofhoial
roligion of the Krnjiiro. Hnl tho fniu nil ooronionios, which formerly plnyod such a
hirgo part in thin NystcMn, arc gradually losing their original hieratic character.
Thoro wuM a tii e when human Hacritiees were associated with tho burial of the
groat — woim II, ^lavoM, and horses following their masters to tho griivo. Kvon ho
rocontly uh l(i44, it was found nocossary to forbid tho rotainors of tho daimioH to
immolate themselves on tho body of their feudal lords. As in C'hinu, thoHo victims
wore replaced by clay images deposited in tho graves or funeral urns. Hut the
most romantic natural sites aro Htill cho.sen as the last resting plac 's of (ho
dead. Tho superb mauHolcuniH of Yoyas and one of his successois have heen
erected in tho loveliest valley in Japan, surrounded by tho glorious woodlands of
Nikko.
liut tho most sacred shrines of the Sinto worship arc tho two lomples of the Sun-
Goddess nnd the Goddess of Food, which are situated near Furnichi, in the province
of Ise, about 90 miles south-east of Kioto. They hiive for the Japanese the same
importance as Mecca and Medina have for Mohammedans, and are yearly visited
by thousands of pilgrims from cvorypart of tho Fmpiro. In tho capital no artisan
considers it possible to gain a livelihood, unless he has invoked the protection of
these goddesses by performing the pilgrimage at least once; and tho ] asantry are
even more constant votaries at their shrines. Formerly it was a common thing for
the little shop-boys of Ycdo to abscond for a while from their employers, and
wander along the public highway as far as Ise, subsisting on the alms which they
begged from travellers ; and having obtained the bundle of charms, consisting of
the wood of which the temples are built, they returned rejoicing to their homos.
The Ise pilgrims are all distinguished by large bundles of these charms wrapped in
oiled paper, and carried suspended by a string from their necks. I'opular stories
are even current of dogs having performed the pilgrimage by themselves. These
places derive their sanctity neither from antiquity nor from their magnificence,
being in fact remarkably plain and even primitive in their architecture, but from
tho sacred metal mirrors forged in heaven for the Sun-Goddess. In every native
house there is a small Sinto shrine containing paper tickets, inscribed with the
names of various deities, one of whom is invariably the chief Goddess of Ise, and
the paper box marked with this deity's name is supposed to contain some pieces of
the wand used at the Ise festivals. At one of these festivals called oni-osiii/e, or
" keeping down the demon," two fishermen used formerly to be brought in a cage
to the temple, with flaming torches on tlieir heads, and it was their part, as demons,
to enter the shrine and carry off tho imago, while others of tho confraternity repelled
them with naked swords. Wounds were frequently inflicted, and it was in fact
considered that the shedding ot blood on thefie occasions was neeessary to insure
4i»v
m'i'-kJm,
iSI^'^jr^^r
■^^WMi
414
EAST ASIA.
PiiT. 192.— BunnmsT Tbmpi.b at Nikko.
iJt'/^f'I'H^^^v^'JTr. '■-■_:_: -tj^l-'-g^^
the prosperity of the fishing craft. A quieter festival, held in March, has recently
been substituted for this sanguinar} rite.
■■'•.s^m^-x^J:!7S's^^.^m&~i'-"'^^'i^^^
:,:::fSm!m^^r^0^:^y^
BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY.
416
Buddhism and Ciiristiaxity.
The ethics of Eosi (Confucius), introduced in the sixth century with uU the
accompanying Chinese ceremonial, exercised, as in China itself, a preponderating
influence on the political and social institutions of the country, but it in no sense
offers the character of a religion properly so called. The Se'ulo, or " Halls of
Holiness," are rather assembly rooms for the learned than true temples, and the
great Seido of Suruga-dai at Tokio has already been converted into a library for
European, Chinese, and Japanese works. Buddhism, however, has preserved its
sway over a large section of the community, notwithstanding the suppression of
some monasteries, the conversion of bells into copper coinage, and the forcible trans-
formation of numerous temples into Sinto sanctuaries. Introduced apparently about
the middle of the sixth century, the worship of Shaka (Buddha) had the advantage
of being identified in the minds of its adherents with Western civilisation, for with
it came the writings, arts, and sciences of India. It also attracted the people by its
pompous ceremonial, by the uogmas of transmigration and final redemption, and by
the infinite variety of its gods and saints, amongst whom it eagerly hastened to
make room for the shades of the great national heroes. Since its establishment
Japanese Buddhism, almost entirely cut off from all communication with the
Buddhist world on the mainland, has become divided into numerous sects, some
claiming to have preserved the old faith in its purity, while others have become
modified by the sanction of new revelations. But all had long lost the knowledge
of the language in which the sacred books had been written, and it is only quite
recently that, at the repeated suggestion of Max Miiller, bodze8 educated in the
"West have at last discovered in the temples of Nip-pon some precious Sanskrit
writings hitherto supposed to have perished. The type of some Hindu idols has
also been preserved from the time of the early missionaries, neither sculptors nor
workers in metal venturing to modify the traditional forms.
Of the sects by far the most popular is that which, under her thirty-three
different images, worships Eannon, the Kwanjrin of the Chinese, "Goddess of
Mercy with her thousand helping hands." According to the census of 1875, the
seven principal Buddhist sects possess between them no less than 88,000 temples,
while the Sintoists have over 120,000, many, however, of which are used in
common by both religions, a simple bamboo screen separating the two altars. The
" prayer mills," so imiversal in Tibet, are rarely found in the Japanese temples,
although the devout are incessantly muttering the name of Buddha. They also
write their prayers on scraps of paper, which they roll up in little pellets, to pelt
the idols, and thus obtain their petitions through the efficacy of the divine contact.
The inside of the statues is sometimes crammed with these papers, or else boxes
are set going on which are inscribed the words " ten thousand prayers." The
brooks and streams are also by some simple contrivances transformed to " flowing
invocations."
The Shin-shiu, or " New Sect," founded by Shinran-shonin in the thirteenth
century, probably ranks next in importance and influence. It differs in many
41G
EAST ASIA.
respects from all the others, rejcctinf^ ull Buddhas and deities except Amida Buddha,
to whom alone prayers and invocations arc to be addressed. Hence the charge
brought against it of being a pure Theism, although Amida Buddha is not
regarded as a creator, nor as having existwl in his present state from all eternity.
He is neither the preserver of all things, nor onmipotent, nor the regulator of events
in this world, nor a punisher of sin in the next. In fact, he has no true
personality at all, so that his votaries seem to be rather Atheists than Deists,
differing but little from the materialistic agnostics of Europe. Nevertheless their
immense infl.ienco in every part of the Empire has recently been strikingly
illustrated in connection with the rest«)ration of one of the great temples in Kioto.
Towards the fund raised for this purpose the province of Owari alone contributed
no less than 500,000 yen, or about £100,000. Offerings of all sorts in coin and
kind also poured in from Kaga, Mino, Yechizen and other provinces famous for
their devotion to liuddhism. Women and young girls are even said to have cut
off their hair and twisted it into cords to drag cedar trunks to the capital, where
these trees were hewn into pillars for the new temple. Buddhist priests also
went about the country selling shares in a new railway company which has been
projected to connect the remote provinces with Kioto.
From all this it is evident that, contrary to the general opinion, a great deal of
superstition and religious zeal still remain. On the other hand, there are many
indications to show that the Japanese are not on the whole a very religious people,
and that " at the present day religion is in lower repute than probably it has ever
been in the country's history. Religious indifference is one of the prominent
features of new Japan. Shortly after my arrival I was at a picnic held within
temple-grounds near Tokio. The main hall of the temple was put at our disposal,
and there our collation was spread, right in front of the altar. One Buddhist
priest let his temple to one of my colleagues, by whom the altar was used as a
sideboard. Another, finding the chanting of prayers not sufficiently remunerative,
took some time ago to selling beer and taking photographs at the great image of
Daibuts, near Kama-kura. Decaying shrines and broken gods are to be seen every-
where. Not only is there indifference, but there is a rapidly growing scepticism.
Among the better educated classes this is widespread. The bare mention of
Buddhism is enough to provoke a laugh from the student who has imbibed foreign
science and philosophy. But the masses also are becoming affected by it. During
a discourse on Infinite Vision, which a priest recently delivered at a temple in
Shina-gava, one of the congregation stood up and spoke thus sceptically ; " Truly,
the more we reflect on these subjects, the more are we plunged into the vortex of
perplexed thought. All that the priesthood affirms on the subject of heaven and
hell is a mere fabrication, an assertion of which any plain man can easily perceive
the truth. If you explain the visible, which the eye can see and the understanding
grasp, well and good. But as to the invisible, who can believe ? " *
Christianity, which formerly claimed so many adherents in the southern
provinces, is now reduced to very narrow limits. Soon after the arrival of Francis
• " The Land of the Morning," p. 616.
Buddha,
B charge
a is not
eternity,
of events
no true
a Deists,
less their
trikingly
in Kioto,
ntributed
coin and
imous for
have cut
;al, where
iests also
has been
at deal of
are many
us people,
t has ever
prominent
jld within
r disposal,
Buddhist
used as a
unerative,
: image of
sen every-
icepticism.
lention of
ed foreign
. During
temple in
■ : " Truly,
3 vortex of
leaven and
[y perceive
erstanding
3 southern
of Francis
BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY.
417
Xavier, in lo49, the worship of Yono (Jesus), at first regarded as a Buddhist sect,
made rapid progress. The J uits founded a seminary at Funai, and within thirty
years of the first conversions, the Christian communities, grouped round two
hundred churches, numbered over 150,000 members. A native prince, zealous for
the new faith, boasted of having burnt on his lands ;J,000 monasteries, and
dispatched an envoy to convey his homages to the " Great, Universal, and Most
Holy Father of the whole World, the Lord Pope." But an unguarded reply of a
Spanish pilot wrecked on the coast of Nip-pon caused the dictator, Taiko-sama, to
reflect. To the question, " How has your sovereign been able to acquire so many
lands P " the Spaniard had answered, " By arms and religion. Our priests prepare
the way by converting the people to Christianity ; then the task of subjecting
Fig. 193.— Nagasaki and Unzen-san.
Scale 1 : 800,000.
EofG
i&o-so
liO'QO'
OtoSSfeat.
32 to ISO Feet.
ICO to S2U Feet.
—^ IS ItUes.
320 Feet and opwaids.
them to our authority is a trifling matter." Thereupon Taiko-sama issued a decree,
in 1687, banishing the Jesuits, and although his threats were not carried out at the
time, ten years afterwards some Franciscan friars, who had given themselves out as
ambassadors, and who had been denounced by their rivals, were condemned to be
crucified. Nevertheless, the new religion continued to be tolerated till the year
1614, when some repressive measures were taken, and its practice finally interdicted
after the return of an envoy sent to Europe to collect information on the religions
of the West. Condemned to renounce their faith, the Catholics of Kiu-siu revolted,
in 1638, but they were defeated and mercilessly put to the sword. Thousands
were on this occasion thrown into the sea and down the crater of Unzen near
Nagasaki. In 1640 four Portuguese ambassadors from Macao were put to death
with most of their suite, and thirteen sailors sent back with the warning, " While
418
EAST ASIA.
the sun warms the earth, let no Christian dare to set foot in Nip-pon ! Let all
know I If the King of Spain in person, or the God of the Christians, the great
Shaka himself, violate this decree, their heads shall fall ! "
Nevertheless, a number of Catholics continued to practise their religion in some
remote villages, and at the revolution of 1867 about 4,000 of them were exiled to
the Goto Archipelago and other islands, for having refused to take part in the
religious ceremonies in honour of the Mikado. Christianity is at present allowed
to be openly preached in the treaty ports, and the government has even sanctioned
the conversion of Buddhist temples into Protestant or Catholic chapels. The
English and American missionaries, numbering over one hundred altogether, are
the most zealous evangelisers, although the results of ten years' efforts are very
slight. On the other hand, the Buddhist priests, mostly of the Manto sect, which
rejects celibacy and mortification of the flesh, have gone to Europe in search of
arguments to be afterwards used against the Christian missionaries. Most of the
numerous recent sects, such as the " Poor Brethren," the " United," the " Dis-
contented," the " Sea-weeds," have only indirectly felt European influences, and
occupy themselves more with social reforms than with religious changes. The
adventurers landing in their ports are not calculated to inspire the natives with
much respect for the religion of the foreigners, for, as they say, " the tree should
be known by its fruits."
The prevailing moral tone of foreign residents in Japan is admittedly low, even
though it might be unjust to speak of it as absolutely immoral. Nor is this
low tone the only obstacle to the progress of Christianity. " There are many
respectable men altogether indifferent on religious matters, and many professing
Christians, who, with an inconsistency almost incredible, take every opportunity of
giving vent to the unreasonable animus which they feel towards their fellow-
countrymen who have come to preach the Gospel to the Japanese. The sneers and
invectives, however, of such critics are invaiiably in exact proportion to their
ignorance of the actual work which missionaries are doing.
" The missionaries of the various Protestant denominations work together amic-
ably, and the Japanese have no sectarian warfare to perplex them in their
consideration of the new religion. The three Protestant Churches represented, viz.
the American Presbyterian, the American Dutch Reformed, and the Scottish United
Presbyterian, have united in the one Presbytery, and together maintain the Union
Theological School, an Institution which, in 1880, had seventeen students preparing
for the Christian Ministry."*
Topography of the Kuriles and Yeso.
The cold, foggy climate of the Kuriles and the northern division of Yesc have
prevented the development of agriculture in those bleak regions. In 1875 there
were only 453 settled residents in the Kuriles, besides those of the temporary
fishing and hunting stations on the islands of Kunashir and Iturup. The more
• W. G. Dixon, op. cit., p. 670.
Let all
the great
I ill some
exiled to
irt in the
allowed
motioned
Is. The
Dther, are
i are very
ct, which
search of
3st of the
he "Dis-
jnces, and
;eB. The
tives with
•ee should
low, even
OT is this
are many
professing
)rtunity of
^ir fellow-
sneers and
n to their
sther amic-
1 in their
sented, viz.
tish United
the Union
I preparing
: Yesc have
1875 there
temporary
The more
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE KURILES AND YESO.
410
northern islands of the group have in recent years been ulinost dosertod, the whole
population having been reduced in 1874 to seventy-two souls, couHiicd to the three
islands of Sumshu, Unekatan, and Sinskatan. Even the interior of Ycso is mostly unin-
habited, while the so-called towns of Soi/a, on La Perouse Strait, Sihetz, and Xrnioro,
facing Kunashir, are mere fishing hamlets. The population is conocntratod chiefly
in the towns of the south-west, where the temperature is milder, and whore supplies
of all sorts are more abundant than in the north.
Sapporo {^Satsporo^ capital of the island, lies in an open alluvial plain watered
by the Isikari and its affluents. It is a recent town, built on the American model,
Fig. 191.— Hakodatk Bav.
SoMe 1 : UO.OOO.
EoFG
I4Q'40'
I40'45'
to 64 Feet.
64 to 198 Feet.
va Feet and upwank.
I 2 Milei.
and boasts even of its " Capitol." Here is a School of Agriculture, established by
some professors from the United States, and the lands in the neighbourhood have
been distributed amongst about 1,000 military colonists. A more important place
is the fishing town of Isikari, at the mouth of the river, where as many as 1,200,000
salmon were taken in 1860. Otaru (Otarunai), lying on the coast, west of Isikari,
and connected by rail with the capital, also exports large quantities of fish even as
far as China. Here about fifteen million pounds of salmon are yearly cured, and vast
quantities of herrings are used in the manufacture of manures. On a creek farther
420
EAST ASLV.
to the south-west lies the port of Icanai, whore tfco chief export is coal from the
noifjfhbourinjjf pits.
On the more tliickly peophnl south coast are the towns of Sani, also a centre of
the coal industry ; Ytihitfs, a much frequented tishinj? station, and Morornn, on the
deep bay of Yedomo, where the bar lias 'Z() feet at low water. Here truvellers
embark to cross Volcano Hay and visit the city of Hakodafr, which stands on one
of the safest and most spacious harliours in the world. Thrown open to foreign
trade in 1H54, this port, which in clear weather commands a view of the Hondo
!
It !
Fig. 195.— Hakodatk.
Scale 1 : 40,UU0.
140*45
I40'45'
EofG.
to 18 Feet.
16 to 82 Feet. 82 Feet and upward*.
__^.^___ 1,100 Yards.
i?
mountains, has made rapid progress since the middle of the century. The popida-
tion has increased five- fold during that period, and about one hundred Europeans have
settled in the town, Avhich has become the chief station of the whalers frequenting
the Sea of Okhotsk. A Japanese squadron visits the roadstead every year, but the
foreign shipping is inconsiderable, the native steamers having almost monopolised
the export bu.sines8. One of the staples of this trade is the kampii, or " sea
cabbage," an wiible seaweed 20 to 40 feet long, which is dried on the strand and
forwarded to Hondo and South China. Some tine country-hoiLses have sprung up
here and there on the slope of the hill, 1.1 oO feet high, which commands the
approach to the roadstead and to the peninsula of Hakodate.
■" ^ivssHmm -'Si- •mg^r.
im.'^-^"'v^/^^^^-^^'*^-9'^^i^-e':i^y'~'^^s^!^iS'fSm'wm^^
:r7wmmm'
From the
centre of
I, on the
ruvollcrs
< on one
) foreign
B Hondo
II'
46
he popnla-
peans have
requenting
sar, but the
lonopoliscd
II, or " sea
strand and
sprung up
imands the
TOPOORAl'IiY OF Nir-i'ON.
421
Tczasi, on the west coast of Yeso, is also a large town ; but Malnnifii, or Fiihu-yama,
the southernmost town in the island at the western entrance of Tsugar Strait, has
lost much of the importance it possessed in the old feudal times, when it was the
residence of a native prince. The anchorage is bad, especially during the soutliorn
winds, and it has been deprived of the commercial advantages now transferred by
the treaties to Hakodate.
TornOHAPHV OF NiP-PON.
Lying beyond the rice zone, the northern extremity of Hondo is but thinly
peopled, no numerous conmi unities occurring till we reach the valley cf the
Fig 196. — Niiii-OATA ANIJ Sauo Iklanu.
Scale 1 ; 1,400.000.
I58'20-
E Of G
iso-eo'
'A
to 32 Feet. 32 to 100 Feet. 100 to 320 Feet. .320to6IOFeot. 640Feetnii(liipwird.t.
^_____^^.^ 1& Miles.
Kitakami River. Avomori [Aomori), on the south side of the large inlet opening
towards Tsu^^ar Strait, derives some importance from the movement of passengers
who embark here for Hakodate. A larger place is Hirosaki, formerly capital of a
vast principality. But no other large town is met till we reach Kuhata or Akita,
70 miles farther south, near the mouth of the Mimono-gava, and Morioka, on the
upper course of the Kitakami. The produce of the rich copper mines in this basin
is forwarded on flat-bottomed boats to Isiiiomaki, at the mouth of the river in the
island-studded bay of Sendai. The populous city of SciKlai, which gives its name
to this inlet, lies 9 miles from the coast, in the midst of extensive rice grounds.
Sendai, which does a large trade in foreign wares, is noted for its production of
fancy articles made from a kind of fossil wood collected in the district. Amongst
r^i
422
EAST ASIA.
i
the curiosities of the pluce are the presents j»iven hy the Pope to tlie Mission which
was sent to Home in the year KJio by I'rince Date Masamune. Senthii was
formerly the castle town of the feudal prince Date Mutsu no Kami, wiiose stronjf-
hold was i)artlv ruined durinvc the revolutionary war of 1'^-v^'^:?;vr:r^-' .^^^mip^immmt-
■~nisfli'5S!'"
loll which
luhii was
ic stronj;-
used us u
cture.
era in the
I the west
wns, such
I'o is ulso
lot springs,
ied in the
s in Japan.
Sinano, or
where the
lokrokudo.
nany roads,
(rsected by
ipan. But
ible, owing
I J
m
P
|3sis.|riP!(PI!3^'4-ftS^
—?«?
"^W
^wmiam ^imm^^^mMmmmm^mMmi4imim-
TYPK8 AND CO8T0ME» OF CITIZENS OK TOKIO.
-■:7^rr;y7'^ri S^^Mm' ki^:ti^c--X M«»^ ^
fk^'-''*^-
^m^BSs^^^^^MM^mw^^gm..
"^■:?^'i^-;V--Qir-r,,.. "-,-^^v
^,'
Iff
TOKIO AND ITS
■^Bff"
r
X.
'•^
\
»^^iiii?j«ki
«*,
/ ' KOFOU (YAMAHAtl Ktlt) '
,„ . . < k, , .»
'.VlHkl
KodKlkAVA -^
M
Hnko^ii
f
4V V
.- •--;■ m:'>
JkiV/tirMiim i/ffff'ni . k i
R A
Jbuttuiui,
l.>
;i39"E.of Gr.
"rii ,, ! ] u I L J 1 , (
De|»th8
u ta eejft
sewiea lesto,
1. 5 85 .QUO
NEW YOKK
. I C
■r^'^ni-w^t^'T:^^^:-?^;^^^
OKIO AND ITS BAY.
^ ^ " ■ ■
' ^^ffii'/i ^^
Jbtvkfbutai
.<*>' or YK D
KoviisjiJcif 4
Taoupoiur^ "\
ihC
y
,^A
\'^!^'
-V
/iuMUi'adx
(rutin
KiUliMUVU
t£uva ^'^ "'"
Y^kdHA
//
\ i'oijziMnyijA,
-\ •' . tr^I* T, ■/ 'f' ■, So* %
Tomit'tou
,v,|j, (, V '>-,■;.*,
4k
'JStt^itt,
I'
ISjr'K.of Gr.
-♦'^..
■iip.it\'lktm\
iiMpim
A -
36'
Depths
i.sas.ouo
NEW YOKK, :: ---^'- :-ETON * c>^
SSO£upwardt
^w^^&mMB^mmmm- . -•™sts;'-:v
^!?S??'SS!>^S61'.-'
'""■t ■■f^m^sm'^mkmd:
TOPOGRAPHY OP NIP-PON.
428
to the bar at the mouth of the river, and to the prevalence of fierce gales in winter.
Hence the rice, silks, teas, lacquer, ginseng, indigo, and other products of the rich
Nihi-gatu plains have to be mostly forwarded by bad mountain roads across Hondo
to Tokio. Tcradomari, lying 30 miles farther to the south-west, had threatened to
supersede Nihi-gata altogether by depriving it of the Sinano-gava, which might be
diverted by canalisation directly to the coast at Tcradomari. But the vast cutting,
300 feet deep at one point, undertaken for this purpose, has never been completed,
and Nihi-gata, such as it is, still continues to bo the best seaport on the coast. It
is partly sheltered by the neighbouring island of Sado, and several native and
foreign engineers have been invited by the Government to report on the best means
of improving its approaches. Murakami, Kanicazaki, Imamatsi, and the other towns
on this seaboard all suffer from the same want of convenient harbours or sheltered
roadsteads. In the neighbourhood of Aigava, capital of Sado, are some old gold
and silver mines, which have been worked for ages. The profit from these mines
under their present management was estimated in 1881 at about £17,000. But
for many years previously the value of the precious metals obtained appears to
have been more than absorbed by the working expenses. Limestone is the pre-
vailing formation in the island of Sado, which is very hilly, consisting of two
groups of mountains separated by an intervening cultivated plain.
On the large bay, protected westwards by the long promontory of Noto, are
situated the trading towns of Uvots, Sin-minato, To-yama, Takaoka, while towards
the south-west lies the manufacturing city of Kanezava (^laikava-ken), famous for
its chased bronzes, painted porcelains, and textile fabrics. In the same district are
several other industrial centres, such as Komats and Mikava, both on the coast.
Farther south are the sea-ports of Takamats and Sakayi, whence are forwarded the
products of the surrounding towns of Ohono, Maruoka, and Ftikuyi, lying at the foot
of the lofty Siro-yamo, or " White Mountain."
South of the rich Sendai plains there are no large towns on the rocky east coast
till we come to the decayed city of Mito, at the mouth of the Naka-gava. But
the population becomes more dense in the fertile plain watered by the Tone-gava
and its tributaries to the north-west. Here Takasaki and Mayebasi are noted centres
of the silk industry, and at Tomioka the Government has established a model silk
spinning factory, which has become the most important in the Empire. Near the
mouth of the Tone-gava is the large town of Diosi (Chosi), with its port of Fnabasi
at the northern extremity of Tokio Bay. Diosi, which consists of a group of villages
extending over a space of about two miles, is chiefly occupied in the fishing trade.
Large quantities of the itcaahi, a kind of pilchard, but of smaller size, are captured
all along the coast and brought to Diosi, where they are boiled down in huge
cauldrons. The oil thus obtained is used for lighting purposes, and the residue,
after being dried in the sun, is sent inland for manure. The smells arising from
this process render Diosi and the neighbouring villages almost uninhabitable by
strangers.
Tokio {Tokiyo, Toke'i), the present capital and largest city in Japan, is the old
Yedo ( Yeddo), or " Gate of the Bay." Its new name, synonymous with the Chinese
424
EAST ASIA.
Tongkin{», means " Eastern Capital," and dates only from the year 1869, when it
became the residence of the Mikado. Nothing existed in this region except fishing
and rural villages until the close of the sixteenth century, when Toku-gava Yeyas,
founder of the last Shogun dynasty, built his stronghold here. Under one of his
successors all the daimios were ordered to reside in Yedo for half the year, and to
leave their families and most of their household in the place, as hostages for their
good behaviour. A multitude of nobles, soldiers, employes, and retainers of all sorts
thus came to be grouped round the hill on which stood the palace of the Shogun.
Trade followed in their wake, and at the height of its prosperity, about the middle
of the present century, Yedo certainly contained over a million inhabitants. In-
cluding the 800,000 armed retainers and attendants of the daimios, some authorities
have estimated their numbers as high as 2,000,000 and even 2,500,000. But the
civil wars, the departure of many nobles with their households, and the commercial
ruin caused by the fires and massacres, reduced a large part of Tokio to a wilderness.
But with the return of peace it has gradually recovered, and is now perhaps nearly
as populous as under the Shogun regime. Its commercial and industrial pre-
eminence is at the same time insured by its position as capital of the Empire.
Covering about as much space as Paris within the fortifications, Tokio occupies
the north-west extremity of the bay at the mouth of the Sumidu-gava, which is
here connected with the Tone-gava by the Yedo-gava branch of that river. It is en-
circled south, west, and north, by low wooded hills, while a central eminence, sur-
rounded by grey walls and a moat 3 J miles in circuit, is crowned by the On-siro, or
" Noble Castle," formerly residence of the Shoguns, now of the Mikado. The old
dwellings of the daimios have been mostly converted into government offices and
schools, and beyond this middle zone, also enclosed by walls and canals, stretches the
city properly so called. The busiest commercial quarter lies eastwards, between the
Siro and the mouth of the " Kava," where stands the " Bridge of the Rising Sun "
{^Nip-pon Basi), regarded us the central point of all the impei'ial highways. Here
the Ginza boulevard has already begun to assume the aspect of a European city.
Within a small space, handsome brick houses stretch in a continuous line, broken
elsewhere by gardens, tea and mulberry plantations, and clusters of cryptomeria).
But most of the 250,000 houses are still constructed in the old native style.
During the day these little houses, with their black tiled roofs and white ledges,
are open to the street, showing the kamidana, or sacred images and ancestral tablets,
disposed on their stands of honour. In a country like Japan, where earthquakes
are so frequent, these frail bamboo and cardboard structures are much safer thon
stone buildings, but are also far more liable to the risk of fire. They are supposed
to have an r.verage existence of about six years, and " fire," says a local proverb,
" is the blossom of Yedo." At the first signal of alarm the more costly objects are
carried off to the nearest fire-proof warehouses erected against such contingencies.
Some 10,000 houses were consumed by a conflagration in 1879. But a far more
terrible fire broke out in the year 1657, when as many as 107,000 persons are said
to have perished in the flames. Over 500 palaces of the daimios, 770 residences
of other nobles and officials, 350 temples, and 1,200 streets of common houses were
TOrOORArHY OF NIP-rON.
425
destroyed on this occasion. In UUtH tlicro was another groat fire, which consumed
nearly the whole of the city. Tokio has also sulfered {greatly from earthtjuakes,
epidemics, typhoons, and fioodings. The eartluiuakc of ITO'-i is said to have
destroyed over 37,000 souls, and no less thiin !!)(), 000, chiefly of the poorer classes,
were swept away by the fearful epidemic of 1773. (Jn the 11th of November, 1HD5,
Fig. 108. — Monster Hell in the Sijia Quauteu, Tojuo.
the last great earthquake took place, and on this occasion over 14,000 dwelling-
houses, besides 16,000 fire-proof " Godowns," were levelled to the ground. The
loss of life was estimated at over 100,000, but there is no trustworthy authority for
these numbers, nor, in fact, for any of the statistics of lives lost during similar
disasters in former times.
Tokio may be described as an aggregate of about one hundred small towns and
426
EAST ASIA.
villupfos, which, hy oxpaiuliiijr in every direction, have gradually become united in
one city, while leaving here and there several open spaces occupied by gardens,
groves, and tields. There are no remarkable architectural monuments, although a
really imposing eilect is produced by the cyclopean blocks of the castle walls,
relieved at intervals ])y kiosk-like towiM's, and at some points rising fully a hundred
feet above the bi'oad and deep outer ditches. The ifdaihi, or i)alaces of the ancient
daimios, arc low buildings walled round and adorned with ear\ed wooden porches.
]iut the most curious and ornate structures are the Huddhist temples, of which
there are upwards of a thousand scattered over the city, and especially in the
Asakusa quarter, where is the temjde of the Golden Dragon dedicated to the
Goddess Kwannon. This is at once the most frequented and the most venerable
for its historic memories, occupying as it does the islet where the first monuments
of Yodo rose above the surrounding swamps and waters. The neighbouring hills,
such as Siba in the south, and Uyeno in the north, tower above the vast sea of
liouses and sacred edifices, and arc themselves crowned with temples and tombs
not^ible for their rich woocl carvings, elegant decorations, noble torii, or jjorchcs, and
enormous bells. Of the two museums recently erected on these hills, one contains
a natural history collection, the other Japanese artistic works, besides an ethno-
graphic exhibit i(m of the greatest value for the study of the aborigines of Yeso
and the Kurilo Islands. The surrounding parks, planted towards the end of the
sixteenth century, are amongst the finest in Japan, which is so rich in plantations
of magnificent timber. The cemeteries, one of which near Siba contains the tombs
and effigies of the forty-seven ronin, are also laid out as public grounds, shaded
with trees, and made bright and cheerful with flowering shrubs. Tokio has now
also its lM)tanic garden, besides numerous nurseries anC horticultural establishments,
but no public squares or free open spaces for popular gatherings. The people
having been formerly excluded from political life, the Japanese cities contained no
such meeting-places, the forum being useless in the absence of free citizens. But
the re(!ent changes will necessarily require a corresponding modification in the
plan of the towns.
The above-mentioned renin are the subject of a famous story highly character-
istic of the chivalrous period of Japanese histroy. Early in the year 1701 a
young noble named Asnno Takumi no Kami having been appointed to entertain
the Mikado's envoy to the Shogun, happened to give offence to Kira Kodzuko no
Suke, an old gentleman learned in court ceremonies, who was his instructor in the
proper etiquette to be observed on this occasion. For some time he endured the
taunts of K(xlzuke no Suke, but was at last so provoked that he could no longer
control his indignation, and attempted to kill his insulter with a dagger. This
occurred in the palace of the Shogun, where to draw a sword in anger was a capital
offence. Hence, although defeated in his attempt by the bystanders, Takumi no
Kami received orders to (lisj)atch himself according to the usual hamkiri fashion.
His castle of Ako was also confiscated, and his retainers were turned adrift into the
world, thus becoming ronin, or " masterless men." Amongst them was O-ishi
Kui-a no Suke, one of Takumi's chief counsellors, who formed u league with others
L
TOPOORAPnY OE NIP-PON.
427
litcd in
ardons,
louf^h a
Willis,
iiiiulrcd
ancient
porches.
1 which
i in the
I to the
cnerablc
nunients
ng hills,
st sea of
id tombs
^hes, and
contains
n cthno-
, of Yeso
id of the
antations
;he tombs
s, shaded
has now
ishmcnts,
le people
tained no
ins. But
)n in the
character-
iT 1701 a
entertain
adzuke no
tor in the
idured the
no longer
^er. This
18 a capital
'akumi no
ri fashion.
Lft into the
was O-ishi
vith others
to avenge the death of their chief. After a short time their number haviiif^ been
reduced to forty-seven, all of whom could be lli(»rouANR8F. IlAXn-r-AHT.
shore. The numerous canals intersecting the lower town in everj- direction are also
usually crowded with craft loading and unloading at all the quays and wharves.
The Sumida-gava, which is crossed by five bridges connecting Tokio with the great
suburb of Hondjrt, is sometimes completely covered by barges and junks of every
form, besides gondolas and pleasure-boats impelled by wind or tide. Hut the bay,*
in which forts have been erected on artificial islands, is tiHi'-(/fifft, lying 6 miles to the north, where the great Tokaido highway
ti'rns inland from the coast. But the neighbourhood of this highway, where the
daimios and their suites were constantly passing, seemed dangerous for the security
of the foreign settlement, while its shallow roadstead prevented the approach of
large vessels. At Yokohama, on the contrary, the water is so deep that the
largest vessels are able to ship and discharge the cargoes close in shore. The new
city already covers u considerable area, much of which was formerly occupied by
rice grounds and gardens, forming part of the flat land which extends along the
shores of the bay, and which is backed by a semicircle of low wooded heights. A
largo export trade has been developed in teas, silks, rice, camphor, lacquer- ware,
and other local produce, exchanged chiefly for European manufactured goods.
Yokoska Bay, lying south of Yokohama, has become a Japanese naval station and
arsenal. A largo military encampment has also been formed near the fortified city
of Sfikura, between the Tone-gava and Sumida-gava Deltas, towards the neck of the
peninsula of Ava-kidzusa. The barracks occupy the site of an ancient castle,
former residence of the princely Hotta family, famous in the annals of the Toku-
gava Shoguns. Close by is the old execution ground, where Sogoro with his wife
and three sons suffered death in the year 1645.
Some 14 miles south-west of Yokohama, near the east side of Sagami Bay, arc
situated the ruins of K^*
"V "^frm^^^i^:,^m;p^mx;~^m^!m^^^m^m mmm^ ^
lis place
lOAvllolo
res silks
I is tho
also tho
3 and 12
ortcd by
!tcd by a
and the
id other
t, dating;
imuktcd
lutions is
^oholiama
first been
highway
I'hore the
) security
)roach of
that the
The new
nipied by
along the
ghts. A
uer-ware,
ed goods,
ation and
tified city
3ck of tho
nt castle,
;he Toku-
1 his wife
i Bay, are
fifteenth
lake, but
from this
e hundred
nemory of
ear Kama-
statue 40
ling in the
^~■■^<;v;v^^;iSv^■'^■'"jTll^KI^S^^^"-;M?
■^;«v^> *i.
TOPOaUAl'IIY OF NIl'-rON.
429
'f/j.
Y^
I
Ji'i/r'
o
H
>
o
O
inlorior a Hiniill Huddliist l«'iiii)l(\ The Iiair (»f tlio iina>,'(< is stippoHod to bo troalod
in Hucli a wav as to rcprcsciil fli(> Hiiailn tradilidiially said fi* liav»< crawled up to
])ii)tt'ct Ills hare licad imin the rays of \\u\ sun. Nciir Kaina-kura is the ln>ly island
of Vnio-sima, which is also on(> < ." the most in'rriniay:t' in
Ja^)an. It id connected at low water l»y a tongue of sand with the niainhiud,
^^g. 200.— 8iM(ii)A Hay.
Scale 1 : 4.'^,nO0.
138154,
i5a-!ja'
to 64 Feet.
04 to IW i'txL
128 Feet and upwards.
^ 3,2(10 Yards.
whence a muf^nificent prospect is commanded of the bay, with its wood(>d .shores and
the snowy crest of Fuzi-san in the distance.
The ports of Odovam and Nuinmtz, on the Tokai-do highway oast and west of the
peninsula of Idzu, have a considerable coasting trade as the outlets for tho jJi'oduce
of the fertile district of Fuzi-san. Sittioda, at the extremity of the peninsula, was
nearly destroyed by the terrific s''bmarine earthquake of 1854, and since then most
of its trade has been transferred to Yokohama. Ko/ii, now Yamannsi-keu, lying in
.£«»5i«'
"•?«i?^!^f.;^ia^>*^«(*wi«i»(W*^^ ■ '• ■■''■•'■—• -
480
EAST ASIA.
W<
14
a rich |)liiiu north of Fiizi, is one of tlic f,'r<'at cciitros of tl»o silk iiuhistry, und
possosscs a spiuiiiii;; fiictoi y iiiiidtllcil on tliosc of Kniiicc. Mcyoiid it follow tlio
towns of Sii/zKokft, Jf(ii)i(iinu(z, and 'foi/ofxisi ( Ymiiln^, all lyin^ nnir tho h\wvv. of
Toliofoini-nada 15ay. Haniamatz was formerly the castle-town of a powerful feudal
chief. in the neiiriiliourh'iod are two famous Siiito temples, noted for their
nia;.'nitiei>n1 internal ind external decorations. lUil since the downfall of the
Toku-j,'ava family, l>y whom they were endowed, their revenues have been secularised,
and these splendid l)uildin;a;,M'd in the nuinufacturo of woollen
and silken ;;oods, enanuds and jiorcelain, and a school of medicine has recently been
founded here. Kiifiiiii(^h'>ir(in(iy,uul Ahwdt, the latter much frequented on account
of its famous Sinto sanctuary, serve as sea-ports for the capital of the ken, as well as
foi" Yoitdtji, Knudiiifitii, (lifii (^liii(iiilzini), Olioijdlii, and tho other cities of the plain.
The maritinu' town of Tnu [Aiio-Ihh'), on the west side of the sanu- hay of Ovari, is
also much frecpionted by junks, and its blue ( )vari porcelain, so named from the
province whence i< is exported, is in most {general use throughout the Empire.
Farther on is the important city of Y(inia\ari Hay in the province of Ise. Near it are the most renowned tem]»l(>s
of Sintoisni, th«' Ge-ku and Nai-ku, yearly vi.sited by multitudes of pilgrims.
Traditionally :},0()0 years old, these temples date at any rate from tiie Iwginning of
the vulgar era, although the present edifices are no nioro than exact reproductions
of the original buihlings.
They are pulled down every twenty years, roeonstrncted with tim])er of the
same species, and thatched with straw. Nothing is ever changed in the arrange-
ment or character of the fittings ; none of the Huddhistic innovations so prevalent
in othei' temples have yet desecrated these revered moiunnentsof the Sinto worshij).
Scarcely a Japanese house but has amongst its sacred relies a scrap of jjaper b(>aring
inscriptions as mementos of the temples of Ts{>, and some objects in consecrated
wood from the same locality.
The eastern entrance of the Inland Sea could not fail to become the site of a
hvrge centre of populat ion. Vulia-iiaiiui, lying at the mouth of the Yosino-gava, north
of the strait to which the Dutch have given the name of Lin.schoten, is accordingly
an important trading place, and is moreover famous for the beauty of the surround-
ing scenery, the fertility of its plains, and the abundance of its fruits. Tn the samo
valley lies tho monastic city of Koijd-mii, containing no less than ''{70 Huddhist
temples aiul monasteries, formerly sanctuaries and places of refuge, where criminals
and the su.spected from all the surrounding lands found shelter. The curved
:.s*iv "-i^^m^wK €? '.#^%S^Kfe"«?^
TOI'OORAPHY OF NIl'-I'ON.
481
woo(1h, iKiiiiliiijifs, 1111(1 liicquci'-wuro of Koya-sim dutc fn»in the HouriHliiiiH; ('|)(ich oi
Jiipiiiicsf art, and isncli Ih tlic maj^iiiticnit't' of the sacn'd proves planted round tlu!
(ciiiplcs, tliat one ol' the most majestic spirit's of coiiifors in ilapan lias rcccivt'd tlio
muuL' of Koya.
A strt'am in tho vicinity of Koyii-san is cnmscd by a irmarkablc l)rid;>t', the
plunks in the Hour of which nuniU'r tliirty-Hovcn, and arc marked with the namoH
of the thirty-Hcvcn lluddhas (tf the Ivonf,'o-kai. It is pojiularly supposed that nooiu"
who is unacceptahlc to Kobo Daishi, the patron of the spot, can jiass over this lirid^o.
When Hideyoshi made a piljjjrima^e to tin' place, after bavin;,' liscii to suj)iem(> jiowcr,
he iMHuid to have gone Hteulthily by ui^;ht as far us the bridj^'c, wh'" h he crossed, and
Fig. 201. — Nauoya ASM) Dki.ta of the Kiro-oava.
Sonlo 1 ; HTiO.OOO.
59F
50!
EoFP
l56'40
I57'I0-
_C«nal
- 13 Miles.
then turned back again. Tie thus satisfied himself that the slaughter he had been
compelled to make of his enemies, in order to obtain the protectorate and restore
peace to the naticm, was approved by Kobo Dui.shi, and that he might now safely
venture to pay his formal visit in full state, accompanied by all the nobles of the
Empire, without fear of being put to shame in their presence.
The basin of the Yodo-gava, vhich comprises Lake Biva, fringed with its
" eighteen hundred villages," and where are situated, the cities of Kioto, Nara, and
Ohosaka, is pre-eminently the historic laud of Japan. On the very .shores of the
lake itself stands the populous city of Jlikoiic, the ancient residence of the duiniio who
was entitled to the regency during the minority of the Shogun. East of this
place, which became famous during the intestine troubles towards the end of
9«*itsi*"
m^;:^^, .^ ife sfes^;^!
■.'■(Asiflf^fe'i^srvfiiJSE'iSS . " J Vijc-.tf-?::.;
482
KAST ASTA.
I I
|.:l
till- sixteenth century, is Nituiited the station of /rzr, is now a connnenial city, and may he re^^arded as
an advanced (piarter of Kioto, with which it comnnmicates i)y a hranch of tli<«
nHM'iitly (tpened railway, lly means of its steanjers it has also ac(piired the mono-
p(dy of the local traih^of hake Miva, from whose waters sailinj^ vessels have already
nearly disappeared. A speciality «d' the industry (d' Ohot/ iu the munufucturo of
ahacuses (soruhtiii^, or calculating' uiachineH,
The city of Kiiifa, tliat is to say, "Capital," caH(i[ hoen the soat of K)ni)ire for nearly eleven hundred years, it wuh HUpjdanted
by its east«'rn rival, Yedo, in INOS, whi'u th(> sweepin<>; revolution took place, which
chan<,'cd at once tin; frovernment, administration, and national customs. Since
then the population has diminished hy mon- than one-half, and whole ([uarfers
have renuiined almost uninhahited. Xevertheless, Kioto, with its historic associa-
tions, still renuiins the city of beauty, eh'<,'ance, and refinement, Tt also excels the
new capital, if not in industrial acrtivity, at least in the artistic tusto of its pro-
ducts. 1 [ere are found tiu> most skilled Japanese artisans in the manufacture of
silks, bi'oi'ad(>s, embroi(U'red fabrics of every kind, enamels, porcelains, ornamental
bronzes, and other metal wares.
The ancient palace of t lu' ^1 ikados at Kioto covers a space of alrout twenty-six acres
with its enclosures, and is surrounded by a roofed wall of earth and plaster with six
gates. The inner court Is approached by a Hi<^ht of eighteen steps, corresponding
in number to the orijjinal series of grades into which the Mikado's officials were
divided. Outside the court is a building called Kashiko-dokoro, where was kept
the copy oi the sacred mirror given to the Mikado's ancestor by the Sun-(jfoddes.s»
the original of which is supposed to be still preserved in her temple at Ise. When
the palace was destroyed by fire in 900 the mirror flew out of the shrine in which
it was then deposited and alighted ndauts of the Mikado. Henceforth the
NaK-shi always had charge of the sacred emblem. Since the beginning of the
seventeenth century the ])alace has been six times destroyed by lire, the last
occasion having been in 1S04. In the follitwing year it was restored exactly in its
previous size and style, but very nearly experienced the same fate again in 1804,
'-*i'^f^^^-^m^M^umm^^^smi^s$^w^mM
i,S«y^-
Toi'oaiiAi'uy uF Nir-i'UN.
4])a
wlirn rrincr niu-sliiti uttomptcd to soizr tli(> Mikado. On thin occuMioii Kioto it.
self frll II prey to the fliiiiics, and iwarly oiic-liull' of il wiis rcdiicffl to iimI'cs. Si(ic(>
tlu'ii lui'j,'!' Npact's loriiit'i'ly covi rc^l Ity hoiists liavr 1mm>ii coiivfrli'd into inatkrt
jl[iirdcns, and the !)(>,()()() rfsidrnecH nu'iitiont-d l»y Knini-iN Xiivirr in one of his
lottcrs Imvo now Won ivdui-cd to about half tliat nmnlx'r.
Tlio Miihurl) oi .tnifo, lyin^ I'ant of tho lity, Iium for ccnturicH l)«'i«n inliuliitcd
by a coninmnity of far-f'mncd potters, ori^'inally from K<»n'n. They work in tbcir
homes, where they prepare and niouhl their paste, (h-eoratin;^ and baking' il them-
Nidves. Their products an; tlins jj^enuine works of art stamped with the orijiiiialitv
und perfect workmanship of each individual aitisan. Few towns in Nip-jxin can
Ik) compared with Kioto for the re^uhirity and order of its streets, all of which inter-
Hoct each other at ri^ht an«?les, liko thoHC of so many Ajneriean cities. The limpid
waters of tbt^ Kamo-jjfava sweop round its east side, liero soparatiiif? it from souk*
irre^idarly built oullyin^j; (pmrters. It is crossed by several i)ri in Kioto
no less than nine hundred und forty-five buildings of all sorts erected to the vt-
ship of Buddha, wmie of whicli date fnmi the ninth and tcw'i' > nturies. " Tt/ 'lio
westward stands the great temple of Kennin-ji, on a height, i tid lo\»cr down towards
the south another named Ilongan-ji, both now in use for the exhibition buildings.
Tier upon tier, and in close proximity along the sides of the hills, are temples of
various sizes and celebrity, from the one containing the colossal innige of Uai Ihtiz,
or 'Great liuddhu,' to the smallest wayside shrine."*
Tho Daillutz here referred to is preserved in the temple of Todai-ji, and is said
to be 53 feet high, consequently 7 feet higher than the Kamu-kura statue. It is in
a sitting posture, with the legs crossed ; the right hand ui:)lifted with the iialm
outwards, the left hand resting on the knee. The body and all the ancient purls of
the lotus flowers on which it is seated are apparently formed of bronze jjlatcs
soldered together. But the head looks like r : i';;vcle piece, although the temple is
so obscure and the height so great that it would be difficult to distinguish seams if
there were any. A peculiar method of construction is said to have been adojjtod,
namely, of gradually building up the wuUs of the mould as the lower part of the
casting cooled, instead of construct I ii{. the whole mould first, and then making the
casting in u single piece. This process would explain the aj)pearance of scams.
On a hill near the temple . tands a tower containing the huge bell cast in the year
732 A.u. This bell is 13 feet by (5, with 9 feet extreme diameter und 8 inches
extreme thickness at the edge, and about 36 tons of copper with one ton of tin were
used in the casting. (Sa'i^^'c-'^^/^^Mf^^'-'^''^^'^
484
EAST ASIA.
The vast and fertile plain of Kioto, which amongst other produce yields the best
tea in the kingdom, contains a number of other towns, wliich deijcnd for their trade
and industries on the capital. Thvis Fiisimi, which might be regarded as a suburb
of Kioto, is its chief port on the Udzi-gava, now regularly navigated by steamers.
Another outlet of its trade is the port of Yodo, lying lower down at the confluence
of the Kitzu, the Udzi, and the Kamo, whose joint streams form the Yodo-gava, or
" Sluggish River." The Kitzu, which here unites with the emissary from Lake Biva,
flows by Nara, one of the oldest cities in Japan, and amongst the earliest imperial
residences. Here are some magnificent sacred groves, and especially a park, in-
Fig. 202.— Lake Biva.
ecalo 1 : 320,000.
133?3o*
. 6 Miles.
m
habited for a thousand years by herds of tame deer, whose antlers arc worked into
all kinds of little fancy objects, wliich are regarded as sacred. Here also is the
sumptuous temple containing the Dai' Uutz, a bronze statue over 50 foot high, and
weighing 450 tons. It is one of the largest and oldest in Japan, dating from
the eighth century. Knnim-bava, one of the suburbs of Nara, is the ancient
Axiafra, capital of the Kingdom of Zinniu Tenno, founder of the dynasty of the
Mikados. From the name of this place, Nip-pon was long known as Asivara, the
" Valley of the Pliant Keeds." Not fur from Nara is Kori-i/atiia, another city of some
importance.
Kioto is connected by rail with its seu-port of Ohomka, which, like the two
•"^m^^
I
TOPOGRAPHY OF NII'-rON.
435
capitals, is honoured with the title of fa — that is, Imperial City — and which ranks
as the second in Japan for pojmlation, and iirst for its trade witli the interior.
From its geographical situation Ohosaka was naturally destined to acquire a com-
manding position amongst the cities of the Empire. A general survey of the
Japanese Archipelago shows at a glance that the most favoured region is the coast
Fig. 203.— Ohosaka.
Scale 1 : 160,00a
EofG
ISS'PS
. . 155° 50- I
m
to 16 Feet.
10 to 32 Feet. 32 Feet and upwoids.
— — i^-^~->^^ 3 Miles.
of the large island watered by the inland sea. The west side, facing the inhospi-
table shores of Manchuria, is exposed to cold winds and a heavy surf. The eastern
sea-board again is turned towards the boundless wastes of the I'acific Ocean. On
the other hand, vessels from China must have first reached the southern shores,
which enjoy the three-fold advantage of a genial climate, good harbours, and
immm>a,x ,v.$ t mma>f t mmi i i Sgmms^r*
486
EAST ASU.
:if
proximity to civilised lunds. The ports of tbc Inland Soa also enjoy the sareo
jmviiegcs as inland marts, standiiif^, as they do, at the converging point of
numerois trade routes. Ohosaka, which lies near the eastern entrance of the
Japanese Mediterranean to the north of Sakahi, which it has succeeded as a large
sea-port, occui^ies a central position relatively to the southern division of the great
island, while it is connected by a navigable stream with an extremely fertile and
densely peopled plain. In the surrounding waters, which present one of the easiest
ap])roaches to the I'acific, storms arc rare, and the prevailing south-west and north-
west winds elsewhere obstructing the coast navigation for months together, are here
replaced by breezes alternating with the morning and evening, and thus
facilitating the progress of sailing vessels. Thus everything combines to secure u
large trade for the sea-port of Ohosaka. Deep-sea vessels are, doubtless, obliged to
anchor at some distance from the muddy canals which intersect the city in all
directions. But the local merchants have contrived to preserve their foreign
relations, and conduct the exchanges through the medium of other ports, By
means of numerous steamers of slight draught, this emporium still retains a monopoly
of the local traffic in rice, fish, edible sea-weed, timber, and other products, which
are distributed from this place throughout the whole of South Japan. Here is
prepared the best saki in the country, and Ohosaka has also become an important
industrial centre, where arc manufactured many wares formerly imported from
Eurojjc. The fancy goods of this place are now forwarded in large quantities to
Europe, and as many as four millions of fans, worth about £26,000, were exported
in the year 1877. Watch-making has been recently introduced by a young man
who acquired a knowledge of the trade in Switzerland.
Ohosaka is the " Venice of Japan," at least in its lower districts, which are
intersected in every direction by rivers and canals, crossed by hundreds of bridges.
But one of the quarters rises gently on the north-west side towards the castle,
wliose half-ruined granite walls still present an imposing appearance, owing to their
groat size and solidity. From this point a fine view is afforded of the surrounding
district. The imperial mint is a model establishment, erected at great expense,
and fitted with all the appliances found in similar edifices in the West. The plant
was brought from Hong Kong, where it had proved a failure ; but under Japanese
management it has succeeded so well that the Government has been able to dispense
with the further assistance of nearly all the origiuii' English staff.
The usurper Hideyoshi, having resolvetl to make Ohosaka the seat of Empire,
caused a castle and palace to bt . rected here in the year 1583, which were probably
the most magnificent group of buildings ever raised in Japan. The palace sur-
vived the storming of the castle by lyeyasu in 1G15, and in 1867-8 the members
of the European legations were several times rccei\ed within its walls by the last
of the Shoguns. Vast sums were lavished by Hideyoshi on the decorations, and
the enormous blocks used in the construction of the principal gateway still attest
the magnificent plan of the founder. In February 1868 the buildings within the
castle were set on fire by the Shogun faction, and were completely destroyed in a
few hours. Since then the fortifications have been occupied by the head-quarters
all
TOPOOEAPUY OF NIP-rON.
487
of the Ohosakn Milittiry Dopartinont. The castle domains arc nearly !{ miles in
circmnforcnce, and although smaller than that of Tokio, the castle itself is still the
strongest in the Empire. Some of the granite stones composing the hastions range
from 20 to 42 feet in length, by 10 to 20 in width, and 6 to H in thickness. They
arc said to have \y^r,^ quarried in the immediate neighbourhood, but even so il is
difficult to underst'.nd jow they were raised to their present position. Even yet
the place would be impregnable to any except the heaviest modern guns, and in
the hands of skilled engineers might hold out for a long time against European
ironclads.
Some of the temples of Ohosaka are amongst the most remarkable in Japan.
Such is that of Si Tennozi — that is, of the " Four Heavenly Gods," the " Maha
Haja " of the Hindus. It lies in the south of the city, where it has given its name
to a suburb classed in the statistical returns as a separate town. Another temple,
situated near the shore on the road to Sakahi, an industrial dependence of Ohosaka,
is an ancient Shinto sanctuary, frequented esiieciully by tt,*hermen. The turtles and
fishes here preserved in the sacred ponds, overgrown Avith the lotus plant, are fed
by the piety of the faithful. But the multitude is at present attracted to the other
side of the city, where stands the railway station, centre of the passenger and goods
traffic for the whole of South Japan. The HiogoHne, at the junction of the Kioto
and Hiogo lines, which is twenty-two miles long, passes by Amaynsaki, Nisinoitiii/a,
and some other large towns in the neighbourhood of the bay.
The ancient city of Hiogo, which stands near the neck of a promontory, often
gives its name to the new town of KoIm', from which it is separated by a dry ravine.
The headland overlooking Hiogo shelters on the south-west side the harlM)ur of
Kobe, which is deep enough for large vessels to anchor close to the shore. The 400
or 500 Europeans settled in Kobe constitute the most important foreign colony in
the Empire next to that of Yokohama. The roadstead may be regarded as the
advanced outpcrt of Ohosaka, the foreign trade of which passes almost entirely
through the new sea-port. During the summer months the strangers residing in
Kobe visit the famous hot springs of Arima, which lie in a romantic upland valley
farther north. Near the springs is a dry well called Tori-ji-goku, or " Bird-hell,"
the deadly exhalati(ms from which are said to be fatal to birds and small animals
approaching too near the spot.
Close to Hiogo is the artificial island of Tsuki-jima, said to have been constructed
by Kiyomori in the year 1161 a.d. According to the legend, this island was twice
swept away by the waves, when a learned sage being consulted discovereratsuwo placed in a stone coffin, which was sunk in the sea
Fig. 204. — Hiofio-KonE.
Poiile I : 4.').000.
155* 10
I35'I5' EOfG.
to 32 if cet.
32 Feet and upwards.
^^1^ 1,100 Yards.
to the entire satisfaction of the monster, who opposed no further obstacle to the
construction of the island.
On the north side of the large island the two cities of Tsuruya and Obama on
Vakasa Bay corresjjond to those of Ohosaka and Iliogo, with which they com-
niunicate through Lake liiva and the neighbouring depressions. These northern
ports of the isthmus, turned towards the stori'i-tossed seu of Japan, and possessing
merely a narrow strip of arable land at the foot of the hills, eould scarcely hope to
compete with the commercial cities of the southern shores. But carriage roads and
ii
TOPOGRAPHY OF NIP-PON.
489
that
even railways will ore lonjic serve to forward the produoe of the soutli to the
northern coast lands, wliilc (he adverse winds of llu' western waters have heen
already overeomc by the introduction of steam navigation. Tlie harbour of
Tsuriiga, which is of small extent, but which is accessible to the lai-gest vessels, inid
which is slieltered by an amphitheatre of hills from all winds except that of the
north-west, is the best on the inner side of Hondo, and will probiddy become the
chief station for vessels trading with the ports of Korea and Russian ^Maucliurla.
Tsuruga is already one of the enircjjufs for the edible sea-weeds and fish forwarded
U
Piff. 205.— Matsuye.
Scale 1 : 900,000.
ISS-JO'
Eof-C3
53°50
'<('
15 Uiles.
from Hakodate, a traffic in which hundreds of junks are yearly engaged. The
question of opening this port to European shipping has been frequently dis-
cussed.
West of the isthmus, the centre of which is occupied by Lake Biva, nearly all
the towns stand on the shores of the Inland Sea, or at least on the southern slope of
the peninsula, which is by far the most fertile and populous. Nevertheless a few
busy places are also found on the opposite side. Towards the western extremity of
Vakasa Bay lies Yum, in the midst of orange groves which yield the best fruit in
Japan. In the neighbourhood is found the " third wonder " of the country, the
Amutate-basi, a natural causeway of rocks projecting far into the sea. Farther on
the highway along the coast traverses the towns of Toitori and Yoiiafjo. A little
west of the latter place stands the picturesque town of Mntrntye, or Siiiiane-hen, on
the banks of the winding brackish lagoon of Sinzino-ike, which communicates
through a narrow outlet with the sea.
Akasi, the first place lying west of Hiogo near the coast of the Inland Sea,
f
*te«*
,|^jfef« ' ^#I»M ^ *4 ^ »^g^'M^■^B l J^WA«^»w■v■«^j^a^J^^^^
^' -^-Lv ' ' ^ ! '.-^U i n^. ' -W.i^^ ^r^'^^'''
ij
440
EAST ASIA.
H
I !
*;,;
(iL'ciipica on tho south side ii comuiiiiuliiip; site, wlionrp is iiffordod n niafjnifioont
panontinu of tlio ishiiid of Aviid/i iind tlic 1\vo fine bays surround in jjf it. FartluT
on llimcdzi, a.ssociati>d witli the meniory of Taikosaina, lies at thi> outh't of an
oxtrcniely fcrtik' vaUcy, and at th(! junction of several routes, one of which, built
by FrencOi engineers, is the best in Japan. It leads to the interior of the peninsula
and to the productive mines of Iknito, the chief nu-tallur^ic establishment in the
Kmpiro. The French directors, by whom it is nianajj^ed, reduce the gold and silver
ores for the imperial mint at Ohosaka, but they have not yet begun to smelt the rich
copper ores of the same district. Tlu' chief industry of Ilinied/i is the leather ware
still prepared according to the old Japanese method, and rivalling in beauty and
durability that formerly produced in Cordova.
Tho inland town of Tm-iitiiua is occupied chiefly with spinning, dyeing, an'"
ironmongery. ]}oth Oka-i/aina and Faku-tjama, which lie on deep inlets or creeks of
the Inland Sea, were the former residences of powerful daimios. But they have
now been outstripped by the commercial port of Onomitui, one of the chief stations
of tho coast steamers plying between the two sides of the winding Inland
Sou.
East of Ohosaka and lliogo-Koln? the most important port in these waters is
Ilii'O-sima, which, like Ohosaka itself, lies at tho northern extremity of a crescent-
shaped bay, and on the mouths of a river winding through a fertile plain. With
its immerous winding -canals, hvidges, and boats plying in all directions, this place
might also claim to bo regarded as a sort of Japanese Venice. On oiie of the islands
studding the bay over against Iliro-sima stands another of the " three wonders " of
Japan, the much frequented Shinto temple of Itsku-sima, or " Isle of Light," con-
secrated to the three divine virgins sprung from the broken sword of the God of the
Winds. The sanctuary contains some curious antique wood carvings, but the
finest objects in the island arc the magnificent woods, which are never touched by
the axe. Previous to the revolution of 1868 no food was allowed to be consumed
on the island, where all burials were also interdicted. At the death of any of tho
priests, pilgrims, innkeepers, or fishers, who form the whole population of the island,
those engaged in removing tho body to tho mainland were obliged to remain away
for fifty days, and on their return were confined in a sort of quarantine for the same
period. It is still forbidden to cultivate the soil of this holy island of Itsku-sima,
so that all provisions have to ha brought every morning from across the Avater.
On the arrival of the boats hundreds of tame deer collect from the depths of the
forests, to receive their share in the distribution of the food.
Ueyond Iliro-sima, and on the west side of the bay, stands the industrial town of
Ivakmii, noted for its pajjcr, matting, and woven goods manufactures. Farther on
several less important places follow from inlet to inlet as far as the Simono-seki
(Akamaga-seki) channel, the north side of which is occupied by the straggling
town of like name. Enclosed between wooded hills and the sea, Simono-seki has
been called the Constantinople of the Japanese Bosphorus, although occupying a
secondary place amongst the cities of the Empire. The neighbouring shores yield
the edible sea-weed of commerce. The large city of Uagi, standing on a roadstead
■ '■-iS'*!?.-
vr.iii^P^-1*^^^^;'
.iisw
TOI'OGKAl'IIY OP SIKOK, KIU-SIU. AND KIU-KIU.
441
«tucl(l(Hl witli islands inul islets, 1ms boon roccntly succrcdod us rui)it;d of tlu> ])n)-
vincc of \ii<,'iito by YamaijiitHi, which lies fiirthor iidaiid on a small alllucnt of Iho
Jttpauesc Mediterruueuu. In the neighbourhood ure uunieioiis tliornuil sprinjjs.
Tni'ooKAPHY OK SiKOK, Kn-sir, and Hit -kiu.
All the important towns of the island of Sikok stand cither on the coast, or in
the immediate vicinity of the sea. JSIost of them facie the mainland of Hondo, from
which they ure separated by straits, whicih may easily be traversed in a few hours.
The attractive force of Kioto and Ohosuku has drawn the inhabitants especially to
the north side, where, going east und west, the towns of Tokii-nima, TakatimtH,
Manii/dinp, Imabai; and MittsH-i/ama follow eueh other in quick succession.
Umziiua alone stands on the strait which separates Sikok from the island of Kiu-siu.
On the south coast, which faces the open sea, there is only one town, Kotxi, capital
of the formerly powerful feudul principality of Toza. Thanks to the intelligence
und industry of its inhabitants, Kotsi has become the busiest place in JSikok, and the
centre of the paper manufacture for the whole of Japan.
The most animated part of the largo and populous island of Kiu-siu, or the
•' Nine Lands," is turned towards the south and west — that is to say, towards China
and the southern waters first reached by vessels from the West. On the east coast
the only important place is Mii/asaki, and on the north-east, facing the Inland Sea,
the only large centres of population are Umhi and Nrikafs. Oitu-kcii, or Fundi,
where the Catholic missionaries founded the first Christian community, is now in a
state of decay, as is also Kokura, which stands over against Simono-seki, south of
the entrance to the Inland Sea. The silting of its harbour now prevents large
vessels from approaching Kokura, while the passenger and goods traffic, which
formerly followed the coast route from Nagasaki to Tokio, and which was, conse-
quently, obliged to use the ferry at Kokura, is now conducted by steamers, which
are no longer obliged to stop at this place. The marine channel here, about
1,800 yards broad, will, ere long, be probably crossed by an already projected
railway viaduct.
The twin to^vns of Ftikmka and Ilaknta, separated by the mouth of a small
river, which falls into a picturesque bay, concentrate all the trade of the north-west
side of Kiu-siu, Fukuoka, lying to the south, comprises the administrative and
aristocratic quarters, while the traffic and industries are centred in Ilakata, where
are manufactured some fine silk and cotton goods. Some temples and old flat-
roofed houses in the neighbourhood are the only stone buildings which existed in
Japan before the late revolution. The two cities are connected by much frequented
routes with the populous towns of Kurume and Saga, situated farther south, near
Simabara Bay. In the neighbouring peninsula of Hizen are some coal and kaolin
deposits. Here, and especially near Arita, in the same district, are produced the
finest Japanese porcelains ; amongst others, the small delicate and transparent shell-
shaped cups. Over two hundred ovens are constantly burning round about Arita.
These wares, which have long been imitated by the Dutch, are indifferently known
Gl
Sss
■'^ms^m^sm^sm^i!&m;mxm^B,is^i'^.3m-mmcr-^mwm:ir<'f.:u' -^
■ -*x^-K/.^,^r^.7r?r — ^"''
0'
«
442
EAST ASIA.
i! I
as Hi/en, Arita, or Iinuri porcclaiiin, from tlio numcs of fho province, the industrial
town, and the soa-port wlionco they an? forwarded. Tlie town of J/iradi) nr Firanffo,
in file island of like name at the extremity of the peninsula, is much fre(piented hy
the .steamers plying' alon;,'' the eoast. In the seveutoeiith century, for the ten years
from KiUJ to Ki'JM, this place was thrown oj)en to the Knj^lish und Dutch traders.
NtiijaHnki, or " Cape \An\\r," which became famous in the West as the oidy place
in tlie Empire not closed to foreij»n trade after the expulsion of the i'ortugueso in
lG2>'i, is by no means one of the largest cities in Japan. Although its excellent
port, or ratlier the inlet, is from GO to 100 feet deep, and well sheltered by the
surroimding hills, it has the disadvantage of being situated ut the extremity of u
narrow i)eninsula destitute of fertile or productive lands. Hut while its foreign
trade has remained almost stationary, the local traffic has, nevertheless, considerably
increased, entirely, however, to the profit of the native shipping. Naga.suki export)^
little agricultural produce, but does u large trade in lacquer und mothcr-of- pearl
wures, enamelled luid clomnue pottery, und other products of the local industries.
A portion of its export trade is now shared by Fukubori, und some other neighbour-
ing towns. But, thanks to its historic associations, Nagasaki still remains one of
the most interesting places in Japan for all intelligent European truvellers. Its
buy also presents one of the finest prospects in these waters, although the view has
been somewhat marred by the erection of unsightly fortifications on the surrounding
headlands. The bay is encircled by an amphitheatre of green hills, rising to u height
of 1,000 feet, laid out in well-cultivated, terraced plots, or clothed to their summits
with a dense forest growth.
The entrance of the buy is studded with numerous islets, amongst which is the
solitary rock of Takaboko, or the " Lofty Spear," the Pupenberg, or " Priests'
Hill " of the Dutch, so named in memory of the missionaries and Japanese converts
said to have been hurled from this spot into the sea in the yeur 1622. Above the
city the place is also shown where twenty-six priests were crucified in 1597. The
narrow artificial fan-shaped islet of iJe-sinift, where the Dutch traders were
confined, like victims of the plague, is now connected with the mainland, and the
buildings whicl\ served us the prison houses of the foreigners from 1G39 to 1859
have been destroyed by a fire. In the interior of the city is shown the quarter
where the Chinese merchants were confined. The neighbouring town of Inaaa
possesses some dockyards, reluctantly ceded to the Russian Government for refitting
its vessels. Further south, and beyond the buy, are scuttered several islands, amongst
others Taka-sima, which has some coal mines worked according to the European
method. In 1881 the daily yield was about 1,000 tons, or as much as that of all
the rest of Japan.
The town of Simabara, which was destroyed by an eruption from Mount TJnzen
in 1792, lies at the east foot of this volcano, whence flow numerous hot springs.
It commands the west entrance of the large bay of like name, while to the east of
the opposite side, and some distance inland the town of Kmamoto {^Kumamoto), is
grouped round an ancient stronghold, whose sloping bastions are crowned with
verandahs and elegant houses under the shade of camphor trees. This is the most
-K
'■''v%i^9Sfi-
'Mi-
I
rrJT?:i g r ;. ' -;;j'4 '>iMn» ^- «WAg ir 'TT-.'i'jB-.-. .Bg ferifcfe.. ' .',. ' ;- ' Wf - ".: '. i.<« -j.-'j
tm I
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TOl'OUUAI'llV OF 81KOK. KIU-SIU, AND lUU-KlU.
11B
central an well as thplarj^e-Mt city in the iMlaiid : hut there are few iinpdrtant oentres
(tf populalinii in tlie district, and the phice ha.s no harlxjiir, altlinuj>:h it in urcessihh'
toHat-hottonii'd cnil't, which are hen- h>ad(il witli ])rndiice tor the Najjasiiki market.
On the other hand the I'anious principality ol Satsnia (Siit/mna), " hind of the hrave
and intelligent," in the southern part of the island, has no lar^e cities. Hut idon^
tlic ooaMt or in tlu> vicinity of the seu there are wveral husy jdaci's, such as Ii/zmi,
AkiiHc, iSnii/iti, Kiisri/(i, luiijo, Jlit/aiiozio, Yditifi-f/ani, h'ii(/:iJ,i, h'i>/,ii/iii, and on Kiiijo-
sima Hay the town of like name. TIum famous place, whose citadel was
boniharded by the English in 1HG4, Htrctches along the west side of the bay over
Fig. '.'Ofi.— Nafa AM) Sirni in tiik Imland of Okinava.
Soale 1 ; IStt.OOO.
I37<'40
EofG
;27'50'
16 to 64 Feet. MoUrepore Reefn. <>l Feet and upwurds.
against the magnificent solitary volcano of Sakura. The trade of Eago-sima is in-
significant, and it has no noteworthy industries except faience and imitations of all
the " Old Satsma " porcelains. Recently some Japanese capitalists have here
established a cotton spinning mill and a manufacture of arms. Kadziki, at the
north-west angle of the hay, is much better situated for trade, its harbour being far
less exposed to storms, while it enjoys easy communication with the productive
districts in the north. According to Voycikov, it would soon become one of the most
flourishing sea-ports in the Empire were it thrown open to European shipping. The
tobacco of Kadziki is already exported to Cuba, whence it is distributed over the
rest of the world under the form and name of " Ilavanna cigars."
ifei*^--
::-^ t;>iSB».w^awtt a ». .
.■^ligrr-icu- */(,wA«^itcv?'^ ' - i--.*xv»»^^.t' -^ ■■
444
i:ast ASIA.
Tlir iiiliiil)itiintH<)f Tiiu-kiii (Iliu-kiii), lirin^ Ncattcnfl uvit t)it> iiuiiiiTotiH iNlutidM
of tilt' iiri'liipi'lii^ro, iiri> iiiohiIv (tiiicciiti-atrd in Niiiall vilhi^fCM Iviii^nn tlir IxitikMof (lii>
crt'ckn. 'I'lir only tdwii^* woitliy nrc t'uiiml in ttir larj,'c itla;: ! tlio
central ^roii]), < )kina\a-MiiMU (I'kinia), tlic ('liiinj^-chin^-tai) ul' tlic CliiiU" ' lltTO
Nii/inw Xuru, Hlandinj; «>n a l)ay coniplrlrly mIicIi* red from all winds, Iuih Iji •. > lio
inoHt fri'(|n(Mitcd M>a-|)ort in the an lii|i('la^r<>, notwitliNtandin^f tlic iiunitToUN rctd's
olmtru('tin)( the approach to tlic roadHtcad. ItH chief ex}M)ilN are HU^:ar, cotton, and
Bilks, which arc shipped l>y .la[)aneHo vcHHelH for the northern islandM U> u yearly
value of alM)nt i' 1(1,0(10. A jtaved ronte, one of the tinest in the I'inipirc, wincU
hetwcen wooded hills tlirou;,'h a pleasant valley from Nafa up to Sinn' [Siiiii, S/iiii,
Kliirliimi^, cajjital of IJiu-kin. Stan^ on a plateau which overlooks the two seas,
this town is regularly laid out, and Hurrounded i»y Hne plantations cd' urocuand other
tropical plants. One of its huildinfifs Ikmu's the tith' id' University.
The lar^;e island also containH two other towriM, Toman and Knintii, and the
urhan population ninnhers alto^'cther (lO.OOO souls, or half <»f the ])opidation of
Okinava, consisting «'.\clusively of Siziihii, or " nohles." All the peasantry ar(;
hi'imiii, or " pleheians," and are disliuguished from tho uobluH by the bronze pins
Avorn in their huir.*
TiiK HoNiN Aitcmi'i'.i.Afio.
Besides Liu-kiu and the numerous islands geoffraphically dependinp; on tho
main arehipela«'ip-])on, the Ja])anese (iovcnnnent also lays claim to a small
group lyinj^ in the I'aciiie Ocean, (iOO miles in a straij^ht line to tho Houth-south-eust
of Kioto. This solitary group is known in Kurope astlio Ilonin Archipelago, limiiii
being a corruption of the Japanese Jlinn'n-fo, or " I'ninhabited Islands." Hut
having been again occupied in recent times, they should, properly s])eaking, resume
the name given to them at the end of tho sixteenth century, when I'lince Sadayori,
driven thither by a storm, took possession of them on behalf of the Government,
and gave them his family name of (hjnHtimra. At tlmt time they had already been
sighted by the Spanish explorer Villulobos, when navigating those waters in 1543.
A century later on the Dutch ( ■aptain Matthys (Juast, uccompanied by the illus-
trious navigator Abel Tusman, also surveyed the southern islands of tho group,
which already figure on various contemporary charts of that part of tho Pacific
C)cean. Nevertheless tho memory of those discoveries had been completely for-
gotten when the American whaler Coffin visited the southern i.slands in 1823. Next
year he was followed by his countryman Ebbot, also a whaler, who explored the
central islands of tho archipelago. In 1827 the English Admiral Beechey occu-
pied tho Ogasavara group, and the English continued to claim possession of it till
the year 18G1, when tho question was finally settled in favour of Japan.
Although frequently visited by whalers and others since tho hydrographio
surveys of Beechey, LUtke, CoUinson, and Perry, tho Benin Archipelago is still far
from being fully explored, and only a very few points have been astronomically
determined. The great discrepancies still prevailing in the outlines and nomen-
* Gubbins, in Proceedings of the lioyal Geographical Society for October, 1881.
'^^smJi^mXWWi
TUK BONIN AUCIIirELAGO.
146
cluturc of the vnrii»UH iNliiiiiil j^roupH of I'l'cl iiikI ('olliii. < 'n \\\v I'luiojnan
iiiii|)s (he (wo uortlirrii f,MdUits, far less iiiipoitaiit than llic others, hear the iiiiiikh
t)f KatiT 1111(1 I'lin-y. Tlu'ri- arc altoj^ctht r four ^;idup.H, ciMiipiisinjr ci^rliiy-nin,.
iNhiiids, with a joint iimi of Wl Mipmic iiiiU'M, iiiul a total hiifjth of nn U direction of the nieiiiiiaii, nuiy
he ief,'ai(led as a j^coloj^ical continuation of the volcanic chain of the "Sevtii
Ihlands " lyiii;;: south of Ycdo May. Ilatziseo is distant M!)0 miles from (he
J'arry proiip ; hut other intermedia(e isle(s rise ultove (he surface, while teiiipdrnry
volcanoes arc known (o liavc made (heir appearance in these wa(crs. The hills of
the Oj^asavara Archipela;;:o, Nome of which rise to a hei^;ht of l,'-UH) feet, arc alwi
mostly of volcanic formatiim. They ahound in lavaM, tufa, basalt columns, while
the crt'HtH of the cones terminate here and there in craters. Hut schists and
crystalline rocks also occur, nor did the naturalists of I'erry's American expedition
ohserve any traces of recent igneous action.
Lying hetwcen (he '-itSth and 'idth parallels of latitude, luyoiid the idld oceanic
current, these islands enjoy a tropical climate, warmer than those of th(> I,iu-kiu
Archipelago, although the latter are situated nearer to the equator. The forests
eh)t]iing the hillsides behnig to the vegetation of the torrid zone, consisting mostly
of palms such as tho urcca and pandanus, besides the sngo phint and a species
resembling the cocoanut. Here are also tree ferns, but the camphor tree has not
yet been discovered. The giant of these woodlands is a species of mull)erry, the
stem of which exceeds !.'{ feet in circumference. The .soil, being composed of
\iAvumv (k'hm, isextremely fertile, yielding all the Japanese cereals, the sugar-cane,
banana, pine-upjjle, taHow tree, and wax plant. In the valleys the edible mushroom
grows in the greatest profusion.
There are no indigenous (piadrupeds, and the sheep, goats, pigs, cuts, and dogs
found in the wild state are the descendants of domestic animals landed on the
i.slands by the early navigators. A few hannless reptiles glide amidst the rocks, and
tho forests are tenanted by a very limited number of birds. When tho first
explorers landed on the islands these birds betrayed no fear of man, and allowed
themselves to be taken by the hond. The islets abound in various kinds of fishes,
cctacea, Crustacea, and turtles.
The archipelago was first occupied in recent times in the year 1HJ50 by immigrants,
who traded with the whalers. At the time of the American expedition the island
of Peel, the Tsitsi-sima of the Japanese, had a population of thirty-one souls,
Americans, English, Portuguese, and Polynesians In 1880 their numbers had
greatly increased, for in that year there were no l(w.s than a hundred and sixty
houses, of which a hundred and thirty belonged to Japanese subjects. Peel is the
only inhabited island, and here is Port Lloi/d, the Olio Miiiato of the Japanese, and
the centre of the administration. It occupies the interior of u crater whose sides
have fallen in, and affords good anchorage i)i 130 feet of water.
\^:''ir-^i>''.'*h^lSi!n^if^='-^'**i**Vi't^^^
.^i»i ..»s*s;w-
446
EAST ASIA.
Vital Statistics — AoRiruLTuuK.
Although Japan is to a largo extent covered with mountains, and in the north
too cold to be tliickly peopled, the population of the archipelago is, nevertheless,
fur denser than that of France or of many other countries in the west of Europe.*
In Nip-pon proper, that is in the "Eight Islands," there are about 230 inhabitants
Fig. 207. — BoNIN, on OOASAVAUA AuCHirBLAOO.
Scale 1 : 900,000.
Accordinp to Perry. Accordinir to the Japanese.
18 Miles.
i
to the square mile, and the increase has been very rapid since the revolution of
1868, when regular official censuses began to be taken. The returns gave
35,110,825 for the whole Empire in 1871, and 35,925,000 in 1880, so that for the
* Area and population of Japan :-
Nip-pon
Yeso and Euriles
Liu-kiu .
Aiea In aqaare miles.
112,000
38,000
900
160,900
Population, 1880.
35,4.51,413
163,35.5
310,546
35,926,313
MCE AND TEA CULTUEE.
447
intervening nine years the increase was at the rate of about 90,000 yearly. Iloi e
in the natural excess of births over deaths Japan stands nearly on a level with
Great Britain, while the population of both countries is about equal, Should it
continue to enjoy internal peace, there can be no doubt that the archipelago will
outstrip France in the number of its inhabitants long before the close of the
nineteenth century.
The returns having been carefully made, the general results may be accepted as
approximately true. Consequently there can be no reasonable doubt that in Japan
the male is in excess of the female population, a remarkable fact already attested by
the ancient national records. The excess seems to be about three per cent., whereas
in European countries, or in those in the enjoyment of European culture, this pro-
portion is found to be reversed in favour of the female sex wherever systematic
returns have hitherto been made.*
How such a large relative population can be supported in the land is explained
by the diet and habits of its inhabitants. The national tradition recognises five
sacred plants, rice, wheat, barley, sarasin, and the azuki pea, which the Wind-God,
brother of the Sun, extracted from the body of the Goddess of the Great Air, and
which he planted in the soil of South Nip-pou. Amongst these five plants rice
holds by far the first rank, and supplies the chief food of the people. Every person
usually requires about two and a half pounds daily, but the vegetables, fruits, and
farinaceous preparations added to the staple article of diet do not average more than
ten ounces. The poor scarcely ever touch meat, which is little eaten even by the upper
classes. Thus all the arable land, formerly valued at scarcely more than 11,000,000
acres, is directly employed in the production of food. Wherever it can grow, even
on the slopes of the hills and mountains, which cannot be irrigated without great
labour, rice is planted, Nor is it loosely sown, but disposed by the hand in
parallel lines, carefully manured with animal substances and constantly watered.
Rice and Tea Culture.
" Riqe being the staple produce, the seasons for sowing, growing, and reaping,
are diligently watched by the farmers, who formerly cultivated the land under the
daimios as part of their retainers, but now farm under the Mikado's government,
paying an annual tax or rent. The rice lands generally lie fallow all the winter,
and consequently yield only one crop in the year. In the last days of April, or
about the 1st of May, little patches of ground are prepared in the corners of the
fields as seed-beds for the young plants. Here the seed is sown thickly, sometimes
having been steeped in liquid manure previously to its being sown. It vegetates
in the wonderfully short time of three or four days if the weather be moist or
warm, as is generally the case at that season of the year.
" In the meantime, while the seed-beds are vegetating, the labourers are busily
employed in preparing the land, into which it is to be transplanted. This operation
commences at the beginning of June. About three inches deep of water then cover
• Proportionof the sexes according to the census of 1880:— men: 18,210,500; women: 17,714,823.
4
Ill I
E<1 !
448
EAST ASIA.
the fields, and the planting goes on with astonishing rapidity. A labourer takes a
lot of plants under his left arm and drops them in little bundles over the inundated
soil, knowing almost to a plant what number will bo required. Others, both men
and women, take up the bundles whieh are thus thro\vn down, and the planting
commences. Tbri proper number of plants are selected and planted in rows by the
hand in the muddy soil. When the hand is drawn up the water rushes in, carry-
ing down with it a portion of the soil, and thus the roots are immediately covered.
The planting season is at its height about midsunnner, and is generally over by
the middle of July. By November the bright green crops are waving in the
breeze, the ears arc ripe and harvest is concluded.
" Besides this great summer crop of rice there are winter crops of wheat, barley,
buckwheat, peas, beans, onions, and potatoes. The three first mentioned may be
considered as the staple winter productions which are cultivated on land above the
level of the rice valleys. The wheat and barley are sown in the end of October or
beginning of November ; these soon vegetate and cover the hillsides with lively
green during the winter months. As the land has been carefully cleaned and
prepared previously, scarcely any further labour is necessary until the following
spring.
" By the beginning of May the plants are in full ear, and harvested in June,
the corn being cut with a small reaping-hook. When housed the heads are struck
off by a short bamboo and fall through a grating from the straw. These are then
laid on a broad flooring of cement, hard and smooth, and the wheat or barley
threshed out with a flail." *
Nevertheless, a portion of the land has to be reserved for the cultivation of
economical plants, such as the mulberry, ginseng, indigo, and trees yielding vege-
table wax, lacquer, and paper. The tea pi nt is carefully cultivated, and yields a
produce highly appreciated by the Ameri(;an buyers, who prefer it, notwithstand-
ing its roughness, to that of Hankow and Shanghai. In some districts of the
southern islands the facilities of exportation have given a preference to the grow-
ing of oranges even over that of cereals. Siebold enumerates altogether about five
hundred plants cultivated in Japan for economical, ornamental, and other purposes,
and of this number over one half have been introduced from abroad.
Next to rice by far the most important plants are the mulberry and tea, " Silk
is more or less produced in almost every province of the main island north and
east of Osaka. But the four districts in which it is cultivated in the greatest
abundance are Oshui, Joshui, Koshui, and Sinshui. Oshui produces the largest
quantity, but the silk does not equal in quality and fineness of size that of the
other districts. Joshui and Sinshui are noted for the fine size of their silks, which
fetch the highest prices in the London market. But the greater part of them are
sold on the Continent, as baing better reeled than any other silk from the East.
Duj'ing the failure of the silk crops in Italy and other continental states, through
the deterioration of the silkworm, eggs were imported in very large quantities from
Japan, which improved the culture. .
* Mossmim, op. cit., p. 108,
~-^ mm! J is $
RICE AND TEA CULTURE.
449
"Tea IS still more important than silk, and its cultivation and manufacture
employ a considerably greater number of people. The tea plant was introduced
from China into Japan about the beginning of the ninth century by a Buddhist
bodze named Yeitsin, who presented the first cup of tea to Saga, the reigning
Mikado, who patronised the cultivation of the shrub. Since then its use has become
universal, and the home consumption is now so great that there is not nnicli left
for exportation. So genial are the climate and soil of some districts for its growth
that the plant grows wild, while it forms hedges in gardens.
" Tea is produced throughout the greater part of Nip-pon and in all the provinces
of Kiu-siu. The finest qualities come from Yanm-siro, but the two largest producing
districts are Isay and Owari. Suringo, Simosa, and Koshui are the provinces
which supply the Yokohama market with the earliest new teas,
" Tea of the finer qualities requires special care in the cultivation. The planta-
tions are situated remote from the habitations of man, and as much as possible
from all other crops, lest the delicacy of the tea should suffer from smoke, impurity,
or emanations of any kind. Manure of a special kind is applied to the roots, con-
sisting of dried fish like anchovies, and a liquor expressed from the mustard seed.
No trees surround the plantations, for *bey must enjoy the unobstructed beams of
the morning sun, and the plants thrive best upon well- watered hillsides. The plant
is pollarded to render it iuore branchy, and therefore more productive, and must
be five years old before the leaves are gathered.
" The process of harvesting the leaves, or rather of storing the tea harvest, is one
of extreme nicety. The leaves of the finer and the coarser teas are sorted as they
are plucked, and no more of a kind are gathered in a day than can be dried before
night. There are two modes of drying, called the dry and the wet process. In
the one the leaves are at once roasted in an iron pan, then thrown upon a mat, and
rolled by the hand. During the whole operation, which is repeated five or six
times, or till the leaves are quite dry, a yellow juice fxudes. This is called the
dry preparation.
" In the wet process the leaves are first placed in a vessel over the steam of
boiling water, where they remain till they are withered. They are then rolled by
hand and dried in the iron roasting pan. When thus prepared, less of the yellow
juice exuding, the leaves retain a lighter green colour, and more of fine flavour.
When fresh dried, the tea is delicately susceptible of odours and requires to be
carefully guarded from their influence. The finest qualities are packed in jars, in
order to retain their aroma.* "
The Japanese are excellent husbandmen, or, at least, market gardeners. They
till the land in the same way that the European gardeners work their plots with
the spade and hoe. No weeds are allowed to sprout, and everything available for
manuring purposes is ca: ;. ally utilised. The quantity of animal refuse used in
this way probably exceeds that which is actually consumed, for enormous quantities
of fish are imported from Yeso for the sole purpose of enriching the land. Ne\'er-
theless, the soil is inadequate for the ever-increasing population. All the plains
• Mossman, p. 180.
.t
^feaiSWaWiMSi
JBaaaWlHilWW lillMIMIIN'**WJ<^ife*
450
EAST ASIA.
urc under tillage, and nothing now remains to be reclaimed except some marshy
alluvial tracts and the slopes of the mountains.
Natural Resources of Yeso.
The island of Yeso no doubt presents a vast field of colonisation to the Japa-
nese. Larger than Ireland, and yielding the same description of plants, it might
support a population of several millions. But it is too cold for the cultivation of
rice, so that the people emigrate reluctantly to a region so much more inhospitable
than their own. Nearly all the Japanese attracted to Yeso by the Colonial Office
regard themselves as exiles, and never fail to seize the first favourable opportunity
to return to their homes. But although offering such limited agricultural advan-
tages, Yeso must soon attract attention in consequence of its vast resources in
timber and minerals. The whole island may be said to constitute a boundless
forest, consisting of various species, amongst which are thirty-six kinds of trees
useful to the carjienter and cabinet maker. Scarcely does the traveller leave the
beaten track when he finds his progress arrested by thickets of creepers, bamboos,
and other undergrowths, overshadowed by trees of great size. It is difficult even
to cross the clearings, where the clusters of the Etilalia Japonica grow in dense
masses to the height of a man on horseback.
Until good roads are opened Yeso must continue to derive its importance exclu-
sively from the coast fisheries. lu the abundance of its marine life this island
resembles Oregon, on the opposite side of the Pacific. Some of the nets employed
in the salmon fisheries are 4,000 feet long, and require seventy men to manipulate
them. At the end of the day, after three draughts, as many as 20,000 fish are found
to have been taken in these nets. Even the worst seasons will yield 1,200,000
salmon, with a total weight of 3,000 tons.
Fishing is also successfully pursued along all the co^ : of Japan proper and of the
Liu-kiu Archipelago, and fish is far more generally ".onsumed by the people than
meat. Piscicultural establishments have even of late years be'^n formed on a large
number of streams in Central Nip-pon. Mother-of-pearl is collected by divers in the
Liu-kiu Islands, while the rorqual and other species of cetacea are pursued by daring
fishers in the open seas. A favourite subject of pictorial representation is the
fleets of smacks pursuing these large animals, and driving them with the harpoon
towards strong wide-meshed rope nets.
Land Tenure — Mining Industry.
The land belonged formerly to the State, under which the peasantry held it as
hereditary tenants. Thanks to this perpetual tenure from father to son, the culti-
vators had at last acquired a certain independence, ranking in the social scale
immediately after the nobles, and above the merchants and artisans, who, however
wealthy, were regarded as their inferiors. The land-tax varied according to the
nature of the crops, the abundance of the harvests, ana the caprice of the prince.
'^^m.
LAND TENURE— MINING INDUSTRY.
451
Fixed in some districts at no more tlian one-tenth, it rose in other places to a third
a half, and even three- fifths of the whole yield. The recent revolution, by which the
whole social system has been so profoundly modified, could not fail to deal with the land
question. By a tax of two and a half per cent, the peasantry have become the virtual
proprietors of the soil, and the Japanese law of land tenure may in a general way be
said to have been conformed to the Roman right. Large landed estates have already
been developed in Yeso, in the northern section of Hondo, and even in certain
central districts, wherever the land was found lying fallow. Some of these recently
formed domains rival in extent those of Ireland or Russia. There is one estate near
Nihi-gata entirely under rice, which is no less than twenty square miles in extent, and
yields an income of about £16,000 to the owner.
The laws of inheritance still bear traces of a matriarchal social order. The
eldest son inheriting a patrimony cannot abandon it, and his wife must occupy it
with him and take his family name. The daughter inheriting, Avhen the father has
had no male issue, must in her turn remain on the paternal estate, in which
case residence also becomes obligatory on her husband, who takes her name.
When a new household is founded, if the dwelling has been furnished by the
father-in-law the husband also takes the name of the wife who brings him the
residence.
The raining industry is of less relative importance in Japan than was formerly the
case. In the seventeenth century the Portuguese are said to have annually exported
from the archipelago six hundred barrels (?) of pure gold, valued at nearly £800,000.
This metal was at that time comparatively plentiful, for it was only twelve times the
price of filver. In many mines the copper ores contain a considerable proportion of
gold, and these ores were accordingly reckoned amongst the most lucrative articles
exported by the Dutch. The Sado gold mines, which are the oldest in Japan, have
been worked for centuries, but most of the other mines are not sufficiently
productive to continue the works Tho only minerals at present mined are silver,
copper, and iron.* Considerable deposits of iron are found in various parts of the
archipelago, and Ui up, one of the Kurilo Islands, harbours immense reserves of ores
containing as much as eighty per cent, of pure metal. The mines in the neighbour-
hood .v; -lendai supply the smelting works with orep sufficient to jdeld as much as
fifty tons of iron daily.
Other metals, such as lead, tin, cobalt, quicksilver, are produced in insignificant
quantities, and the petroleum wells have deceived the hopes of speculators, who
expected to find in Japan " oil rivers " rivalling those of Pennsylvania. On the
other hand the archipelago is extremely rich in coal deposits. The island of Yeso
especially contains carboniferous measures estimated by Lyman at 400 billions of
tons, a quantity sufficient to supply tho present consumption of the whole world for
the next 2,000 year^. Yet the output in all Japan was no more than 350,000 tons
in the year 1879.
Most of the Japanese mines belong to the Government, which has also begun
• Yield of gold in Ji-pan (1877) : 1,000 lbs., valued at £52,000
76,000 lbs. „ 233,000
silver
» copper
3,800 tons
220,000
|x«&i^»;itsM attOi-^ ~>A«R!«l'«-iM>f mSH -r-ft**;
V
»l«
I
EAST ASIA.
to work the marble quarries, hitherto neglected on account of the hardness of this
material.
J{iit from various adverse eircumstanees the mining industry bears no proportion
to the great natural mineral wealth of the archipelago. " The methods of working,
which were until comparatively lately in vogue, were crude and unremunerative;
and even now there arc nuuiy mines which, although worked on foreign i)rinciples,
yield little or no profit, chiefly on account of their imperfect comnuuiication with
l'"ig. 20S. — MiNwiAi, Dei'osits of 1'ebu.
Scale 1 : 5,&OU,000.
t40"
14 5" EoFG
Iron.
Railway.
i
Coal.
.,__ 60 Miles.
centres of trade. Far up among the inountains thero.iu. leading to them are often
wretched bridle-paths, accessible only t() pack-horses, so that transportation is both
slow and expensive. The present Government, however, have turned their atten-
tion to the improvement of the highways. The recent outlay for costly machinery,
and the heavy expenses incurred in sinking shafts, constructing furnaces, &c., have
also tended to consume any revenue derivable from the GovernTncnt mines. Gold,
silver, copper, iron, lead, sulphur, coal, basalt, felspar, greenstones, granites (red
and ;^rey), maible, rock-cirystal, agate, carneliau, amber, pumice-stone, talc,
- ' *::'!**
S£;■35.■ TAPER.
455
L.VCQVKR-WARK AND PaPKK.
Tho .TapimoHo artisans have also been for centuries acquainted with the art of
weaving heavy linen and silken fabrics, and their brocades, interwoven with gold
and silver thread, still form admirable hangings or festive robes. In one of the
temples at Nara an; preserved some lacquer boxes, said to date from the third
century of the Christian era, which attest the superiority of the Jajjaneso in this
industry for a period of one thousand six hundred y(>ars. The Japanese lacquers
of the bettor epochs fixed on copper, or more frequently on the wood of the Pinua
Fig. 209.— ScKNKB or Txdvstkiaj. Life.
i'ao-timile from a JapaaeBc Album.
retimspom, and ornamented with gold, silver, or mother-of-pearl, are amongst the
choicest contents of our museums. The most highly esteemed are those of the
sixteenth century, a period answering to that of the Renaissance in the West.
The finest specimens have a metallic lustre, and are almost indestructible. The
Nile having been wrecked on the Mikomoto reef, near Simoda, all the treasures
she was conveying to the Exhibition of Vienna remained for eighteen months
under water. Yet when the lacquer objects were at last brought up by the divers,
they were found to be perfectly intact, their polish having lost nothing of its
original splendour.
450
EAST ASIA.
Jiipaiu'sr Iiu(|U('r-wiin' far HurpasHOs even tho finest ChiueHO H»eci)ncjiH in
flclicacy and finisli. It also possossoH an unt'Xplaincd property — a hardncsH enabling
it In rcsi.st tlio rou^jflient n.sajife without being h( latelied, and to endure high
temperatures, wliile its polish is the most perfect known. The pro('e.sH of its
manufaeture is tlius described by 'ractpieniart. "The wood when smoothly planed
is covered with a thin sheet of paper or silk gauze, over which is .spread u thick
coating, made of powdered rod sandstojio and huffalo's gall. This is allow<'(l to
dry, after which it is poliMhed and rubbed with wax, or cIhc it receivop a \\a.sh of
gum-water, holding chalk in Holution. The varnish is laid on with n fl.il urush,
and the article is ])lated in a damp drying-room, whence it passes into the hands of
a workman, who moistens and again polishes it with a piece of very Hne-grainod
soft clay slate, or with the stalks of the horse-tail or stave-grass. It then receives
u second coating of lacquer, and when dry is once more polished. Those operations
are repeated until the surface becomes perfectly smooth and lustrous. There are
never a])i'lied less than three coatings, but seldom more than eighteen, although
some old Japanese ware are said to have received upwards of twenty.
" The most highly esteemed varieties are the gold, the black, and the rod lacquer,
the last of which .seems peculiar to Japan. It is nearlj* always of a pure bright colour,
and the ornamental ])arts are very carefully executed. The black variety is distin-
guished by the number of its coatings and the perfection of its polish, which has the
elfect rather of a metal than a varnish. The illusion is enhanced by the delicacy
of the reliefs in gold, certain pieces looking like burnished steel incrustod with j)ure
gold. Some of the specimens, especially those known as " mirror lacquer," are
remarkahle for the puritj' of their lustre, and for their peculiar style of ornamenta-
tion, the ])rocess of which has remained a mystery. On the surface are brought
out th( details of plants executed in gold, with the most delicate reliefs. Then,
according as the sti -ns sink in, the reliefs disappear, the details vanish, and the
whole continies to fade away, as might an object immersed in water, and gradually
oblit(>rated by the depth and absence of light. Black lacquer is applied to every
conceivable object, from furniture, panels, folding-screens, tables, seats, and stand.s,
to the caintiest artistic conceptions, such as fruits, flowers, figures, armorial bearings,
plants and animals."
The Japanese are also pre-eminent in the manufacture of certain kinds of
paper, which they prepare from the pulp of the mulberry, the Briissonetia popi/rifcm,
tlie JiihisciiH, and several other species of pLtnts. If, as has been pretended, the
rank of nations in the scale of civilisation is to be determined by the quantity of
paper consumed by them, the Japanese might certainly claim the first place. They
use paper, not only for printing and painting, but also for a multitude of other
purposes. Quires of paper replace our handkerchiefs and table-napkins ; the stools
used as pillows are covered with paper ; the windows have panes of paper instead
of glass, while panels of the same material form the movable partitions of the
houses. Paper garments coated with vegetable wax are worn in rainy weather ;
paper is still the substitute for the leather coverings of the vehicles drawn by hand ;
and in machinery paper bands are found more durable than those uiade of
II
^*^>IS!&^:Wt«*S^lKfSi|s^
LACQUEllWAllK AND I'Al'EU.
467
leather. All attoinptw to imitate Home of the Japanese paj)ers have hitherto failed,
but for perfect whileiieHM the Kiij^lish and French products uro superior, those of
Japan always sliowinj,' a yellowish tin^,'e.
The Kiiji, or paper-tree, and the process of its conversion into paper are tlms
dcserilH'd hy Mossinan. " From ustronfjf-hranehed wochI nnit rises a straight, thick,
equal trunk, very much branched out; covered with a fat, tirm, clammy, chestnut-
coloured bark, roug;h without, but Hm(M)th on the inside, where it adhcTes to the _
wood, wliich is h)ose and brittle, with u larp^e, moist pith. The branches and twif^s
are very plump, and covered with ii snudl down, or wool, of u fj;re(>n colour, in-
clining; to j)urple. Kvery year, when the leaves have fallen «)lf, in the tenth
Japanese month, which answers to our December, the twigs are cut into lengths,
not exvT'eding three feet, and put together in bundles, to be afterwards boili'd in an
alkaline lye. These fajrgots are placed upright in a large kettle, which nmst bo
well covered, and boiled until the bark shrinks so far as to allow about half an inch
of the wood to appear naked at the top. When they have beciu sufficiently boiled
they are taken out into the air to cool, aft' \hich the burk is stripi)ed from the
wood, which forms the pulp for making t ,)er. For this purpose it has to be
washed and cleansed, and this process is oi no smuU consoquenco in producing
smooth, white paper.
" The washing takes place in a running stream, the bark being placed in a sort
of sieve, which lets the water run through, while it is stirred constantly with the
hands until it becomes u soft woolly pulp. Ifaviug been sufficiently washed, the
pulp is spread out upon a thick wooden table, and beaten with a wooden nmllet
until it is reduced to the requisite fineness. Then it is put into a narrow tub with
a slimy infusion of rice, and of a root called Oreni.
" The moulds on which the paper is to bo made arc formed of the stems of bul-
rushes cut into narrow strips. The sheets are then lifted one by one from the
mould, and laid xip in heaps upon a table covered with a double mat, and a small
plank or board placed on each heap. Weights are gradually piled up for a daj',
after which the sheets are lifted off singly on the palm of the hand, and transferred
to a rough plank, on which they are placed, and afterwards dried in the sun. The
finest quality is of a white, smooth surface, although, as already remarked, never
quite approaching the pure white colour of the best European paper."
The Japanese are also our masters in wicker-work and in the preparation of
straw objects, of which they have a surprising variety, ranging from waterproof
cloaks to marionettes of all forms and sizes. The leather industry is represented
in several towns by some choice articles, but as a rule this material is very little
used in the industrial arts, owing to the contempt in which the tanner's trade is
held. Those engaged in the dressing of skins were formerly included in the
despised caste of the Etas. Amongst the noteworthy products of Japanese industry,
mention should bo made of those " magic mirrors " whose dazzling brightness,
according to the legend, induced the inquisitive and jealous Sun-Goddess to emerge
from the cave to which she had withdrawn. The images projected by these
mirrors on walls, under the influence of heat and of the pencil of rays, are due to
62
._^... «.
J
468
EAST AHIA.
tlu) fact tliiit tln' inctui Hiirfiico Im nnt of uniform fhicknoss imd ('oiiHi'sfonc^ ifonco
wlicn heated it cxpaiidi^ iircf^uliirly, aixl thus rcvcaU, by the cnlculnlci' ■cHcctioii
of itH viiryiiiH; rclicI'M, the dt'si^Mis or writiiigM which arc, an it wen , i'ml)odicd
in it.
The strikiiifj; orij^iiialily and cndh'ss vcrsatality of thp national artistic jfcnnis
an- well illiisl rated liy the Japanese ivory carvinjifs, tiiany of which chaUeMfj;e our
hij^liest praise and athniralion. AnKHijj; these ohjects are the i)i(on(jH, or pencil-cases,
no less vi;i;orous|y executed than thosu of China. The pliant material is also
fashioned into curious buxcH und cubinotH, cunninfj;ly embellished with tine reliefs
Fig. 210. — Hthbkt HcESEi.
Fnc-iimlln from a JaiHtiiPw Albiim.
divided into compartments most skilfully put together, forming those medicine-
chests that look lik(^ a single piece, and on which stand out figures of the dairi in
their rich costumes, their emblems carefully reproduced and often held by attendant
officers crouched behind them. All this microscojjic work is occasionally heightened
by touches of lacquer and gold, and incrustations of mother-of-pearl or of pietrn
dura.
Yet it is not this, nor even the miniature caskets with their endless divisions,
that excite the greatest wonder. In them we, of course, recognise a marvellous
art, but still traditional, and like the Chinese, somewhat mechanical, so that the
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LACQUER- WAEE AND PAPER.
4S9
style of Olio piece prepares us for another. Rut it is in the minute little ncrzlces, as
thoy are callod, that to the astonished ohsorver is revealed the unforeseen, the mind
of each individual artist, with its manifold types, its surprises and constant flashes
of genius.
These little trinkets or charms, known in Europe as Japanese buttons, were the
only ornaments with which the upper classes relieved the somewhat sombre hues of
the old national costume. Each minute ivorj' object, with its studied expression,
attitude, and dress, often profusely adorned, is an original composition, a chapter, so
to say, on history or manners, a caustic satire aiming its darts at the social vices,
and not unfiequently at religion itself. One represents the Sinto God Cheu-lao
jeering at the followers of the Tao-tso cult, and making the most comical grimaces
beneath his prominent skull, which assumes the form of a cucumber ; another shows
the same divinity typified by a rival artist as a cuttle-fish impaled upon a rock.
Elsewhere groups of devotees arc groujied in the most grotesque attitudes, and
making the most hideous faces. Nor is there any lack of graceful forms. Jacque-
mart mentions a group of young women, carved out of a solid piece of ivory, decked
with elegant head-dresses and richly attired, one of them suckling a child. ( )u
examining the little head bent over her nursling, we are astonished at the fkill
displayed by tlie artist, in dejiicting on such a minute scale the tender care of a
mother, and her total abstraction from everything except the child of her affections.
Very wonderful also are the figures of professional beggars, which exist in great
variety. Nothing can be imagined more curious or more jiicturesque than these
real or sham cripjiles, borne on the backs of animals, or themselves leading monkeys
about, and grouped in all manner of grotesque associations.
The representations of animals are no less correct and amusing in their infinite
humour and variety. Here we have a most lavish display of the most fanciful and
whimsical conceptions — frogs dancing a wild sarabando on an old straw slipper ;
rats huddled together with their lively faces peeping out in all directions ; a mouse
that has taken possession of a fruit, and ensconced itself like the rat of the fable in
a cheese. Here is a chestnut pierced by the gnawings of a worm, which has traced
out in the ivory a narrow passage, emerging at last through a hole in the brown
rind, and crawling to the surface, where it seems as if still creeping, so lifelike is
the imitation. Here again is an egg, an irregular fracture in its broken shell
giving a peep inside. As far as the eye can penetrate it detects the microscopic
figures of a IJuddhist pantheon ; each separate divinity may be recognised by his
features, as well as by his distinctive attributes.
After studying these ingenious objects, distinguished at once by their technical
skill and inspiration, we remain more than ever convinced of the enormous differ-
ence between the Japanese and Chinese schools of art. The latter, at once j)ains-
taking and skilful, repro!Mti>if»!t''-^:-'i^^''-^^''>^ -
-t^fi~.ie^\<'*ir:.-
4G0
EAST ASIA.
sluifts of their satiro ap^iiinst flio inunnors of the times. Th(^ Japanese ivory trinkets
tlius present some anal()<>y to the Puiic/i, Cliarimri, uud other illustrated caricature
literature of the European nations.
Dkcuxk ok Art— Tram'tc in " Cirios."
Sineo Japan has begun to trade freely with the rest of the world, the national
industries have ent«>red on a period of suspense, if not of actual decline. In order
to meet the increasing foreign demand, the native craftsmen have been chiefly
Fig. 211.— Thr Gods
Fac-simile from a Japiiuesc Album.
occupied in the production of cheap wares, whereby their artistic skill has been
impaired. .Foreign competition has also ruined several of the local industries.
Nevertheless, the best traditions of art have been kept alive in the production of
bronzes, lacquer- ware, pottery, silks, painted and figured papers. In these branches
the works of the Japanese artists are still distinguished for the harmonious dispo-
sition of the colours, the sobriety of the ornamentation, the natural grace and variety
of the designs. Flowers, foliage, branches, insects, fishes, birds, small quadrupeds, and
all natural objects, are depicted with an almost miraculous happiness of expression,
a boUbicss of foreshortening, and a freedom of execution beyond all praise. In the
LACQUER- WAEE AND PAPER.
461
most offhand wiiy the luitivo artist will dash off vast decorative compositions, in which
all the partsare iiert'ectly balanced, and syinnieti-yseeuredwithouta repetition of forms.
Kven in strewinjj; the floors with many-coloured sands, the conunon people, who
are by no means artists by profession, improvise ornamental patterns of surpiisin<^
truth and lifj;htnes8. ])c8iji;n enters into the ordinary course of instruction, and
the native of Js ip-pon is always ready with his pencil. Shrewd observers of nature,
the Japanese artists display remarkable skill in seizin<»' the characteristic traits and
attitudes of individuals, and the shafts of their satire arc aimed not only at the
lit]
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Fig. 212. — IUts as IIicb Meuchants.
Fuc-simile from a Jiipanexe Album.
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despised bodzes, but also at the grandees, always represented, however, under the
figure of foxes, apes, wild boars, or such like animals.
Although Japau received its first lessons in Art from China, it soon escaped
from mere servile imitation, retaining nothing but the method and processes, which
it applied to the objects of its choice with a perfect freedom, full of sprightliness
and endless fancy. Even in the traditional art of the Buddhist monasteries the
motives imposed by religion are reproduced with a surprising variety of details.
But if the human figure is always treated with great energy of action, an astonish-
ing intensity of expression and a remarkable ai)preciation of types and characters,
it is seldom that the limits of the grotesque are not passed, so that the representation
usually degenerates into caricature. At the Exhibitions of 1807 and 1878, Japanese
li !',t
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462
EAST ASIA.
Art, which had long been appreciated by European experts, revealed to an
astonif^hod public its incontestable superiority over the Chinese school. It has
already ex(>rcised considerable influence on modern ornamental designs, especially
for porcelains, wall paintings, and woven fabrics. The Japanese school deserved to
iind imitators in the West, altliough its fame was established in foreign lands at
the very time when it began to degenerate at home through a love of gain and
hasty workmanship.
The trafhc in " Curios"— that is, in all sorts of artistic objects, old and modern,
real or sham, has already become a hiding feature of Anglo- Japanese life in the
sea-ports open to foreigners, and Dixon gives us a graphic account of the " Curio-
men " engaged in this lucrative business. " I had not been long in Japan before I
was scented out by the Curio-men. One day at luncheon my boy entered with the
information that a (foijit'i/fi (curiosity-dealer) had come, and was waiting in tho
hall. When the meal was over I went to see him. lie was a little man, with a
simpering countenance, and on my appearance touched the floor repeatedly with
his forehead, muttering something the while in a tone of the most perfect courtesy.
It was to tho effect that ho had taken tho liberty of coming to hang on to the
august master's eyes, in order that he might bo so fortunate as to sell to the august
master a few old and rare Curios, which ho hud recently bought from some great
daimios.
"Around liim his goods were laid out — lacquered cabinets, bronzes, pieces of
pi)rcelain, swords, and the like. With a look of the most thorough deference, ho
squatted while wo examined these, his assistant keeping humbly in the background.
A cabinet took my fancy. I asked if this were really old. He at once replied in
an assuring voice, and pointed with satisfaction to a daimio's crest imprinted on it.
' How nvach ? ' I asked. ' It is really a good article, and as this is the first time I
will make it cheap, although by so selling it I shall not make a single tempo (cent)
of profit. Because it is the first time, and the gentleman will no doubt give me
his honourable custom in future— -it is really old, and I am not telling a He— I will
make it 20 yen and 50 sen (about £4 10s.).' ' Nonsense ! that is far too dear ; I
believe after all it was made in Birmingham.' This evoked a hearty laugh, and a
look at my boy, as much as to e-iy, 'Your master is a knowing one, isn't he?'
But the imputation was vigorously repelled. ' No, honourable master, all my
goods are genuine ; English imitations are in Yokohama only. As this is the first
time, I will sell it for 19 yen. I have some cheaper things behind here, but I
know the honourable gentleman would not condescend to buy such inferior things.
Just look at the difference. This article is really good ; 19 yen, even a little more
I cannot reduce the price.' ' I ofPer 12 yen.' The two men look at each other,
and laugh incredulously. ' I will reduce the price to 18 yen. I cannot go further
without losing on it.' ' Let us split the difference— 15 yen.' There is a thought-
ful pause, then a low conversation with his assistant, the result being that he bows
his head to the floor with a resigned expression, and the bargain is struck.
" A few minutes later there is a sound of much laughter and joking in tho
servants' quarters, whither the Curio-men have betaken themselves, and my boy.
FOKEIGN TIJADE.
4G3
when ho ncxi cntrrs, iU>vh not fail to admin" llio artichi I liavc bought, and
commend til'.' cliiiructor of tho dcidor who him noM it. rrcsciitly 1 catcli a sif,rht
of that worthy bowing to mo through tho window, as lio walks oil with hi.s pack on
his back.
" From that diiy forth the visit ol tho dogu-ya was an occurronco that couhl bo
roliod upon almost us surely as luncheon itself. Thero were about half-a-dozen
men with whom I had dealings, and it was not uncommon for two or more of them
to arrive at tho same time. No doubt all of them alike had learned everything
ubout mc from tho servants— my tastes, my hours of leisure, whether or not I was
hard to drive u bargain with, on what day of tho month my pay-day fell, whether
or not I was a rigid Subbutariun, &c. Tho right of entering tho house was
possibly purchased from tho domestics, in whose qiun-ters th(>y would, in tho event
of my absence, sometimes wait for mo several hours. Their plausibility was as
irrepressible as their sagacity. According to their own account they wero always
giving bargains. At their first visit it was because it was tho first time that they
agreed to sell their wares ut a clear loss. But on every succeeding occasion they
professed to make the same sacrifice for some reason or another, often one of an
elaborately fictitious character. No exposure could dis(;oncert them. They were
always ready to disarm reproof by making an opi)ortune confession. It was (juito
true that they had once or twice taken advantage of a newcomer's inexi)erience, but
the honourable gentleman with whom they were now dealing was too sharp to have
u like fate ; he could not be taken in. Tho august master know well Avhat he was
alK)ut, didn't he ? And with that the one would look knowingly at the other. If
all their customers More as well versed in Curio buying as the honourable master,
they would make no profit at all ; they would need to start a jinrihma. And
here they would all laugh good-naturedly.
" They were always ready for any amount of banter, and did not hesitate to
reply to a piece of irony. ' It is a lie ; ' an expression which in English seems an
insult, but which on account of the inadequate appreciation of truthfulness that
prevails amongst the Japanese, in common with other Easterns, often moans little
more than ' You arc joking.'
"Even the most artful of these Curio-men were generally kind-hearted fellows,
so much so that it was difficult to lose one's temper even when most flagrantly
cheated. And some of them were certainly more honest than others. There was
one jolly fellow who, I remember, brought mo a present at the New- Year time, and
on the morning after a serious fire had occurred at the college several of them
called to congratulate me on my escape." *
Foreign Trade.
After the expulsion of the Portuguese, and the extirpation of the native converts,
the trade of Japan with Europe had fallen in the year 1685 to the sum of 300,000
taels, or a little more than £80,000. At this time the Governor of Nagasaki also
took every precaution to prevent the imports from exceeding the stipulated value.
• Op. cit., J). 274, H seq.
I
-■•--■t -«u'.^,-
404
EAST ASIA.
1 I
Tho CliiiioHO traders had JiipanoHo iinportcrH Imvo been infr(tii-l)(»ar(l and the oliHtaclos imwntcd to iiilaiul ooin-
mmiicatioii l)y llic Ml^'^'(d surface of llio land, combined with tlic facililicK oircrcd
to shipping by the inniiniciablc circkH and inlets. esi.(>cially <.n the east Hide of
Hon(b), and p'lifi'idly in the southern districtK of the aichipelajjo, could not, fail to
niak(! till' .lapancHo u Hcafarinj,' people. Small cruft loo frail to veuturo beyond tho
Fig. 2U.— .Iai'ankhk I.inkh ok Navigation.
S.'ule 1 : 12,(X)0,(X)0.
Lines of
Japiiiese
Btciimers.
Lines of
Foreign
gtcuincrs.
lUilwur.
Main Iloul«.
.'100 Milrs.
Navigable
Biver, or
Canal.
H !
5 1
inlets arc counted by hundreds of thousands, and in the coast villaj^es every family
has its boat. Of vessels over 20 feet long, and strong enough to face the open sea,
there were numbered over 30,000 in 1872, and before that time the English Admiral
IFope, when traversing the Inhind Sea, met upwards of 1,500 junks, besides barges
and boats. I'revious to tho i-evolution of 1S(!8 there were no keeled ship.s like
those of Europe, the mercantile murine consisting exclusively of junks built on
IfOADH-UAlIAVAYS -TKLKOltAI'ilS.
1(17
nuHlols iiiipcscl by tlio Stat. . * Vi't soiiu^ even of th.-m- vcmscIs were (.vcr •,'(»(» toiin
Ixirdcn, uiul frwly imvi)?af(>(I all tlu« watoPH of tlic aicliii).laKo.
All (liiTft roininorciiil rolati. mh with forcijr,, l„,„|.s |„.i„jr hitmlictcl, tlio lar-fo
junks which convfyod muiuhirius and anilmssadois to the l.iii-kiu Aichii)cla>,'o,
iMinnosa, an.l China, l)(lonj,'<-d(«.\clu.sivoly to tlio Govenuncnt. Hut Hin.c the oii<-n-
in^: of this tn^aty port.s to Kuropcan triido tho nu«irantili' navy has Ix-cn rapidly
(k'veh)pi'd. Japan already inpials l-'rant'c, whih- HiirimssinK scvnal Murop.-an slates
ill the number and tonnage of its steamers, as well as of its whole fleet. Thi' Ihir-
racoittit, which was tho Hrst puddle-bout that made its appearance in a Jupanese
poi-t, liud scarcely entered tho Nagasaki waters when tho natives, eager to h-am,
usked permissicm to study tln^ action of the engine, und obtained from tho chief
engineer u plan und section of tho works.
As soon as tho Japanese daimios fouiul themselves in direct relations with
foreigners they hastened to purchase Rtenmers, with tlu> view of enlianeing their
prestige in tho eyes of their subjects. About two hundred of these vessels were pre-
Hontly seen lying at anclu)r before the palaces of tho duimios. Jhit most of them being
cru/y old boats, sold at exorbitant prices and manned by inexperienced crews, tlu'y
soon becamo useless hulks. Tho era of real deep sou navigation had not yet begun.
As early as tho year 1H72 u Jupanesi! vessel had alieady crossed tho ocean,
bound for San Francisco, and since that time tho flag of the Uisiiig Sun has
appeared in tlio ports of the West. Tho Mitsubisi Steamship Company, which,
lu)wover, enjoys a government subsidy, owned in l«7(j more than forty vessels of
2,000 tons burden, plying between all tho sea-jwrts of the archipelago, und running
us far as JTong Kong, Shanghai, and Vladivostok. This company is gradually
monopolising the local curi-ying trade to such an extent that foreign shipping has
notably diminished during the last ten years. Tho English flag uloue has hithorto
suHerod nothing from this native competition. The Chinese also take a consider-
able share of the profits derived from the trade of Japan. As brokers und ao-ents
they are gradually rephicing the Europeans and Americans in all tho treaty iwrts.
In every commercial house the situation of compmdor or commissioner, is invariably
occupiod by a native of the Middle Kingdora.t
Roads — Railways — Telegraphs.
Although the sea, now lit up by numerous ligbthou808,+ still offers the readiest
means of communication, road building has not been completely neglected. Carts
* Jupanese mercantile navy in 1879: —
8ailin)|^ vessels of European build . . . 7H of
Steamers 160 „
Junks averaging 31 tons . . . .18,174
I'otal, exclusive of fishing smacks . Iy,0u4
t Foreign Shipping engaged in the trade of Japan (1878) :—
English vessels . . . . 487 of 417,691 tons.
Others 3.J1 „ 331,181 „
838 „ 748,872 „
Foreigners residents in the Japanese Treaty Ports ( 1878) :— English 1, 1 70 ; other Europeans and Americans
1,410; Chinese. 3,028; total 0,505.
X Lighthouses in Japan in 1881 : 45, besides the harbour lights.
27,650 ions.
42,070 „
745,134 „
815,444 „
it
III
ly oxen wcrt' till rccciitlv rniiiid only in tin- nfijjliln)mliiMnl <>l Kioto, ilut
lur r ciipiliil ol till' Mikmlos. Here llu' loiiil^ liiivf Itt'cn rrpairctl anil cxti-mlrd,
wliilc clsfwlu'if tin- iout«'M, lor tin- most purt nicrr mult' tmrliM.arc Itcinj,' >fra«liially
widrnt'd I'or llu-.///(r//l'(»Vt tndlic. A llniopran uHpoct is ulw» Itfin^ slowly imparted
to llic lour historical nuiin liiKliways, which take their name from tho proviiU'L»«
truverscd hv thcni. These are the Tokai-do and Nakusen-do, eonneetiiif? Tokio
Fix- 'ild.— V'iKW TAKKN ON Till TuKAI-l)(> IIlOIIWAV.
with Kioto, one by the coast, tho other over the hills ; the Hokroku-do, which
follows the western slope, and the Tosan-do, or great northern route.
As regards railways, Japan has hitherto remained satisfied with setting an
examj)le to China by constructing the two lines from Yedo to Yokohama, and from
Ohusaka to Kioto and Kobe, which arc quite as nmch frequented as the busiest
linos in Europe. But since the completion of these works, little has been done
beyond building a few short mineral railways. Recently, however, the town of
K' ■ M Hvih.jf i^isA i,^ ;
'<%
I 'I
MTKUATI'UK AND I'UHLIC INSTUU(^TION.
4flO
of
Oliot/ tiiiN bmi coniKMifc*! willi F\i(»t(), aiul in Yi'ho, Sii|»|iiiri>, ciipifnl nf the inlutKl,
iiiiw nijovN Ht(>aiii (■oiiiiiiiuiinitidii will) tlic |Miit n|' Otaiuiiiii. A iK'^n'niiiii^ Iiiih
also Ix'cii iiiiiilc with th(> fj;rt'iit prDJcet of ooiiHtnictiii^ a triiitk liiir from ih(<
iioilhcni to the Hoiitht'iii cxtrciiiity of Hoiuhi, throiijjfh Sciiihii, Tokio, Nay'ova, •
uiiil Kioto, willi hraiiihcs raiiiifyiii)^' to all the lar^c towns on tlu> west side of
the island. The firnf sirtions to !«' coinph'tcd of this schfint' an< those rnnninj^
from (Miot/ to Tsnru;];a, and from Tokio to Takasaki. All ihr plant of the nrw
linrs will he of lot-al production, cxtrpt only the h)Comotivi |