Three Years In Western China - free ebook by Alexander Hosie

THREE YEARS IN Western China; A NARRATIVE OF THREE JOURNEYS IN Ssŭ-ch’uan, Kuei-chow, and Yün-nan.

BY ALEXANDER HOSIE, M.A., F.R.G.S., H.B.M. CONSULAR SERVICE, CHINA. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: GEORGE PHILIP &amp; SON, 32 FLEET STREET. E.C. Liverpool: Philip, Son &amp; Nephew, 45 to 51 South Castle Street 1897....

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PREFACE.

The following pages are intended to present a picture of Western China as the writer saw it in 1882, 1883, and 1884. Chapter VII., in a somewhat modified form, was read at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society on the 22nd of February, and published in the Proceedings for June, 1886; Chapter XI. was read at the Aberdeen meeting of the British Association in September, 1885; and Chapter XII. was addressed to a special meeting of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce on the 12th of May, 1886. Th

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PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.

Since the publication of the first edition of this book, in 1890, several important changes have taken place in foreign commercial relations with Western China, and sufficient time has now elapsed to admit of a decision being arrived at as to how far these changes have affected trade. The following Additional Article to the Chefoo Agreement of 1876, which owed its existence to the murder of Margary in the west of Yün-nan in 1875, was signed at Peking on March 31, 1890, and the Ratifications were

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CHAPTER I.

UP THE YANG-TSZE TO WESTERN CHINA. Western China and the interest attaching to it—The way thither—An unsuccessful attempt to reach Ichang—Ichang at last—Difficulties of navigation—Commercial importance of Ichang—My native passenger-boat, opium-smoking skipper, and crew—The navigability of the Upper Yang-tsze by steamers—Dangers and difficulties of the Ching T’an Rapid—Up and down the rapid—The poppy—Ch’ung-k’ing. The most interesting part of China, from a geographical and ethnological point of v

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CHAPTER II.

CH’UNG-K’ING TO THE CAPITAL OF KUEI-CHOW. My overland caravan—Harvesting opium—Field-fishing—Wood-oil—The manufacture of paper—Salt carriers—Silk-worms and their food—Rice or Pith paper, and its manufacture—The Kuei-chow frontier—Minerals—First meeting with Miao-Tzŭ—Poetical description of Chinese inns—T’ung-tzŭ, its poppy valley and tunnelling—Ingenious bamboo water-wheels—Scant population amid ruins of fine houses—Coal-dust as fuel—The Wu Chiang river—Destruction of the iron suspension bridge—

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CHAPTER III.

WESTWARD TO YÜN-NAN. White wax insects—Terrible hailstorm and its effects—Miao-tzŭ houses and women—An-shun Fu—Limestone cave—Pai-shui waterfall—Reception at Lang-t’ai T’ing—Lang-wang Mountain and the “Cave of the Spirits”—Caught in a thunderstorm—The pebbly strand of the Mao-k’ou River—Pack-animals and their treatment—The Yün-nan frontier—A cart at last—Exploring a cave—Underground rivers—Exceptional courtesy—Goître—Breeding ground of the Yün-nan pony—Trade route to Tonquin—Marching knee-deep i

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CHAPTER IV.

THROUGH NORTH-EASTERN YÜN-NAN TO THE YANG-TSZE. The city of Yün-nan Fu—P’u-êrh tea—Opium-smoking chair-bearers and personal care—Exposure of robbers’ heads—Chinese school—Rainbow superstition—Entertainment at Tung-ch’uan Fu—A successful ruse—Stopped by a mountain torrent—Lodged in a byre—On the banks of the Niu-lan River—The Chao-t’ung plain and its lakes—Stories of Lolo bloodshed—Down from the plain—Narrow escape of a porter—Back to Ssŭ-ch’uan—Descent of the Nan-kuang River—Down the Yang-tsze t

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CHAPTER V.

FROM CH’UNG-K’ING TO THE CAPITAL OF SSŬ-CH’UAN. Fu-t’ou-kuan—The country and its products—Chinese New Year—Charcoal from bracken—Ramie fibre and grass-cloth—Down a tributary of the T’o—The T’o and its commercial importance—The salt wells of Tsŭ-liu-ching—Sugar and Safflower—The Chêng-tu plain—Beggars—The capital of Ssŭ-ch’uan. In February, 1883, I found myself at liberty to carry out the resolution which I had made to visit Ta-li Fu and the west of Yün-nan—all that remained for me to do was to d

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CHAPTER VI.

THROUGH LOLODOM AND THE VALLEY OF CHIEN-CH’ANG. A Tibetan criminal in a cage—The armed ruffians of Chiung Chou—A floating bamboo bridge—Brick tea for Tibet—Fraternizing with Tibetan pilgrims on the summit of the Flying Dragon Pass—Chinese originality—Over the Ta Hsiang Ling Pass—A non-Chinese race—Across the Ta-tu River under Sifan protection—In the country of the Lolos—Lolo language—Sifan language—Asbestos cloth—A dangerous country—Lolo rogues—Over the Hsiao Hsiang Ling Pass—Lolo women—The vall

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CHAPTER VII.

THROUGH CAINDU TO CARAJAN. Earthquakes—The reception of foreigners at Ning-yuan—The fertility of the Ning-yuan plain—Goître and the salt supply—Historical hailstorm—A Tibetan caravan—Crossing the Ya-lung River—A riot at Hang-chou—Reception at Yen-yuan and increased protection—Brine wells of Pai-yen-ching—Driven back by mountain barriers—The Yün-nan frontier—A sight of the Yang-tsze—Results of the Mohammedan Rebellion—The Lake of the Black Mist—On the banks of the Golden River—A deserted town—The

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CHAPTER VIII.

TA-LI FU TO YÜN-NAN FU. A view from the walls of Ta-li—The Mohammedan Rebellion—A dying patriot’s prayer—Tibetan dogs—Amherst pheasants—A visit to the marble quarries—False musk—Min-chia maidens—The Ta-li plain—Playful gusts from the Tsang-shan—Good-bye, Ta-li—A folklore hunting ground—The Erh Hai and the Mekong—Trade with Upper Burmah—Canton peddlers—Hsia-kuan, or the “Lower Fortress”—Ruined cities—Wretched roads—Half-starved—The foreigner and the camel—Marked courtesy at Ch’u-hsiung Fu—Yün-nan

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CHAPTER IX.

THROUGH THE WEST OF KUEI-CHOW TO THE YANG-TSZE. The advantages of scholars en route for examination—High-road converted into a reservoir—Quartered in a chimney—Intolerable inquisitiveness—Travellers, beware of T’ang-t’ang!—The Yün-nan-Kuei-chow border—Lakes and their drainage—Again among the Miao-tzŭ—The valley of the Ch’i-hsing River—Bark paper—“Heaven’s Bridge” and its mining catastrophe—The copper traffic—Across the Ch’ih-shui River into Ssŭ-ch’uan—Over the Hsüeh-shan Pass—A child of nature—A

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CHAPTER X.

TO THE WHITE WAX COUNTRY, THE SACRED MOUNT O-MEI, AND THE HIGHEST NAVIGABLE POINT ON THE YANG-TSZE. An unfortunate start—North to Ho Chou—Chinese Soy—Varnish and its collection—Young trees from the old—Light-hearted peasants—The garden of Ssŭ-ch’uan—Otter fishing—Man-tzŭ caves—A great sugar country—Glimpse of O-mei—Chief silk country in Western China—Ascent of O-mei—Sweet tea of O-mei—The Golden Summit—The Glory of Buddha—Pilgrims and their devotions—O-mei beggars—A difficult descent—Official ob

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CHAPTER XI.

CHINESE INSECT WHITE WAX. References to insect white wax in Europe and China—Area of production—Chief wax-insect producing country—The insect tree—The insect “buffalo” beetle, or parasite—The insect scales—The transport of insects to the wax-producing districts—Method of transport—The wax tree—How insects are placed on the wax trees—Wax production—Collection of the wax—An ignominious ending—Insect metamorphosis—Uses of the wax—Quantity and value. Although the substance called Chinese Insect Whit

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CHAPTER XII.

THE TRADE OF WESTERN AND SOUTH-WESTERN CHINA. The waterways, trade-routes, condition, and commercial prospects of Yün-nan—Trade-routes to Kuei-chow, and the mineral wealth of the province—The waterways of Ssŭ-ch’uan—General trade of Ssŭ-ch’uan—Foreign trade of Ssŭ-ch’uan and how it is conducted—The defects in the present system and the remedy—The rapids and the difficulties they present—Advantages to be gained from the opening of Ch’ung-k’ing—The Yang-tsze the only route—Trade bound to the Yang-

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CHAPTER XIII.

THE PHÖ. Non-Chinese races of Western and South-western China—Imperfect knowledge regarding them—A traveller’s difficulties—Phö language approaching extinction—The Miao-tzŭ rebellion—Relationship of the Miao-tzŭ tribes—Art among the Phö—Music and dancing—Characteristics of the language—Exercises—English-Phö vocabulary. The very imperfect nature of our knowledge regarding the non-Chinese races of Western and South-western China, constitutes the great impediment to their exact scientific classific

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—16. 19. 20. 34. 57. 68. 2.—17. Two or three hundred. 2 or 3 thousand. 2 or 3. 3 or 5. Five or seven hundred men. 3.—One. 27. 1865. 4.—1,000,300. 570,610. 700,020. 5.—1,000,000. 350,000. 5,000,001. 60,507. 100,000. 6.—70,191. 10,000,000. 461,000. 7.—50,088. 98,402. 1005. 4072. 8367. 10,006. 103. 8.—118. 254. 9,993,000. 9.—A number of people have come. There are some people. How many people are there? There are several people come. Upwards of 30,000. 10.—Some score. Several score. Ten and more.

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Thine. Mine. His. 2.—You. We. They. 3.—Your. Our. Their. 4.—We two men. 5.—This. That. 6.—Here. There. 7.—As large as this. As small as that. 8.—What man? 9.—What thing or things? 10.—Who is that man? That man is a good man. 11.—To buy things. To sell things. 12.—He is a trader. What does he sell? He sells a good many things. 13.—I want good ones. Have you any? None. 14.—This is very good. That is bad. 15.—Who is it that has come? There is no one come. 16.—What place is he from? He is not of

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—To live in a house. 2.—To live at home. 3.—Inside the city walls. Outside the city walls. 4.—Inside. Outside. 5.—In a room. 6.—Three houses. 7.—Eighteen rooms. 8.—Four shops. 9.—Shut the door. 10.—Open the window. 11.—To go out. To come in. 12.—To pass, to go past. 13.—Going or walking. 14.—To go up the street. 15.—Walking in the street. 16.—To go east. To go west. 17.—The eastern and western divisions of the city. 18.—To know. 19.—What doing? or, why? 20.—Where do you live? I am in the city.

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—To recline. To sit. To rise. To stand up. To walk. To go on foot. 2.—To go fast. To go slow. 3.—In front. In rear. 4.—To come back. To have arrived. 5.—Do you like it or not? Not at all. 6.—To call somebody. Call some one here. 7.—A public office. Upstairs. On the ground. 8.—A cart. A sedan chair. Three horses. Two mules. Four donkeys. 9.—He is lying down on the road. Tell him to get up. 10.—I am, or was, sitting upstairs. He is, or was, sitting down below. 11.—He was on foot. I came in a car

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Teacher. 2. To teach. 3. A pupil. 4. To take hold of a book. To read. 5. To look out characters. To recognize characters. 6. To copy. To write. 7.—To look out for a teacher. To engage a teacher. Be so good as to inform me. 8.—I ask you. Be so good as to tell me. 9.—Do you remember. 10.—Correct pronunciation. Intelligible diction. 11.—To see. Have you seen it or not? Have you not seen it yet? I have seen it. 12.—To ride. To run. Did you come on foot or on horseback? I came on horseback. That h

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WORDS COMBINED.

1—A sheet of paper. A volume. Two cakes of ink. Five pens. 2—To understand. To hear. To have forgotten. 3.—Quite right. To have finished. Not to be able to. It will do well enough. 4.—Bring that volume here for me. Show me that sheet of paper. Bring me ten pens and two cakes of ink. 5.—I hear that you are learning a language, and getting on very well. Can you distinguish four dialects? I can distinguish them all. 6.—Have you read that book yet? I have read four-fifths of it. Do you understand it

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—A bed. 2.—Curtains. Mats. Bedding. 3.—A table. A chair. 4.—A lamp. A candlestick. 5.—Kitchen. A knife. A fork. A spoon. A cooking pan. A cooking-pan lid. A tea cup. A wine cup. 6.—To boil rice. 7.—It is spoiled. 8.—He spread a mat on the bed. 9.—I want to lie down on this bed. Be quick and make the bed. 10.—Are there curtains upon the bed? 11.—He is lying on the bed. I was sitting on a chair. 12.—It is very dark in the room, bring a lamp. 13.—Some one has taken the lamp away. 14.—Who took awa

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Furniture. 2.—A stool. 3.—A stove. 4.—Flower vase. Wine pot. Tea pot. Dishes. Plates. 5.—Light the lamp. Blow out the lamp. Light the fire. Blow out the fire. 6.—To pour or upset water. 7.—Empty pot. The pot is full. 8.—To spoil by breaking. To mend. 9.—Everything that is used in a house is furniture. 10.—Beds, tables, chairs, stools, are all room furniture. 11.—Table furniture consists of knives, forks, spoons, plates, rice bowls and wine cups. 12.—Stoves are of different sizes. The house st

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—The year before last. Last year. This year. Next year. The year after next. 2.—Last moon. This moon. Next moon. 3.—The weather may be distinguished as cold, hot, cool, warm, windy, clear, snowy. 4.—Time. Day-break. Day-time. Night-time. A short space of time. 5.—That man there has studied upwards of twenty years, and has been a teacher five or six months. 6.—I am going to-day, and I may be back next moon. 7.—You were not up at eight o’clock to-day. 8.— ‘Hniu tang and Sai yang ‘hniu are the te

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Every year. Every moon. Every day. 2.—Each kind. 3.—Early in the morning. Noon. In the evening. Forenoon. Afternoon. 4.—By night. Before midnight. After midnight. 5.—To set the watch. To strike the watch. A watchman. 6.—The days are long. The days are short. The nights are long. The nights are short. 7.—At what time? 8.—Time for work. 9.—A dull day. Clouds. There is a mist. 10.—There must be one or some. 11.—Affairs. 12.—To place. 13.—It is ended. 14.—He rises early; goes for a walk at noon;

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—To brush and wash. 2.—Dirty. Clean. 3.—Clothes. Boots. Shoes. Stockings. 4.—To put on clothes. To take them off. To change clothes. 5.—To mend by stitching. 6.—A pair of shoes. Two pair of shoes. Ten pair of stockings. A handkerchief. Eight articles of dress. A wash-hand basin. 7.—The water in this basin is dirty. Change it and bring me some clean water instead to wash my face. 8.—These clothes are dirty; take a brush and brush them. This article of dress is torn, call some one here to mend i

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Wadded clothes. Lined clothes. Clothes not lined. 2.—Waistcoat. Shirt. Coat. Trousers. 3.—Cap. To have the cap on. To take the cap off. 4.—To sew. A needle. A thread. 5.—A tailor. To cut out clothes. To make up clothes. 6.—A duster. To dust clothes. 7.—To bathe. 8.—The hair of the head. To comb the hair (head). 9.—Clothes not lined are such as have an outside with nothing inside it. Clothes lined are such as have both a lining and an outside. Wadded clothes are clothes with cotton between the

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—To owe bills. To borrow money. To lend money. To owe money. 2.—A bill or an account. 3.—To spend. 4.—Value. Cost. 5.—Of very small value. Not dear. Cheap. 6.—Silver money. Copper money. Iron coin. Bank notes. 7.—An ounce of silver. A thousand cash. A 4000 cash note. 8.—This is light; that is heavy. Weigh it in the balance if you do not know its weight. 9.—He owes different people a good deal of money. 10.—The expression vai hsi pei si means that I get other people’s money for my own use. Vai

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Firewood. Coal and charcoal. 2.—Rice and flour. White sugar. Fowl’s eggs. Cow’s milk. Fruit. 3.—Lamp oil. 4.—Coarse salt. Fine salt. 5.—To cook food. To put food on the table. To clear away, remove (as food). 6.—To eat one’s meals. To drink soup. 7.—I bought yesterday 300 catties of coal, 50 catties of charcoal, 80 catties of firewood, four piculs of rice, and two hundred catties of flour. 8.—Lamp oil is made from the bean. Sweet oil is made from sesame. Lamp oil costs less than sweet oil. 9.

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—To go to the capital. It will do to go straight or go round. 2.—In reckoning distance, the straight road is the shortest. 3.—The south. The north. 4.—A ship. 5.—To be on board a ship. To cross a river. To go by sea. The water is deep. The water is shallow. 6.—An inn. The innkeeper. 7.—Trouble. Sorrow. To be in trouble. To be resting. 8.—When you went to the capital last year, where did you live? At an inn. I have heard it said that the inns outside the city are some of them not very good to s

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Baggage. Trunk. Bundle. Bag. Blanket or Felt. 2.—A bale of cotton cloth. 3.—To feed beasts. The camel. Beast of burden. 4.—To put in a box. To carry things with one. To lead animals. 5.—To pursue. 6.—Very dreadful, injurious. 7.—Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. 8.— ‘Hi means whatever a traveller carries with him. 9.—Trunks are made some of leather, some of wood, and will hold all sorts of things. A kuei is a bundle of things wrapped up in anything. He has wrapped up that small box in a rug. A

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—Head. Queue. Ear. Eye. Nose. Mouth. In the mouth. The lips. The beard. Arm. Finger. Nail. Back and legs. 2.—Robust. Weak. 3.—Pulling. Hauling at. To haul with great effort. To tear or injure in clutching hold of. 4.—Connected, consecutively. 5.—To be ill. Very sore. Strange. 6.—A man’s head has brains inside it, and is therefore called a head-bag. 7.—This tail of yours wants combing. 8.—When a man is old, he can neither see well nor see clearly. 9.—That man has a very odd-looking nose. 10.—Th

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WORDS COMBINED.

1.—The eyebrows. The hair. The jaws. The chin. The nostrils. The neck. The gullet. 2.—The shoulders. The spine. The breast. The belly. 3.—The knee-cap. The ankle-bone. The joints. 4.—To scrape the face. To shave the head. To behead. 5.—Respectable. 6.—The eyebrows are the hair above the eyes. Ki koh means the hair on either side of the forehead. 7.—The jaws are the flesh on either side of the mouth. 8.—The bone below the mouth is the chin. 9.—The shoulders are at the top of the back. 10.—The spa

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NOTE ON OPIUM CULTIVATION IN CHINA AND INDIA.

In Chapter II. I made special reference to the cultivation of the poppy and to the method of harvesting opium in Western China; but subsequent personal observation in the eastern provinces has taught me that the process, employed in the west, of collecting the juice is not the only system practised in China. At Wênchow, in the province of Chêkiang, where the poppy is extensively grown, a small instrument resembling a carpenter’s plane takes the place of the multi-bladed wooden handle, and the wo

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