ON A YUNNAN ROAD: MY CARAVAN--THE MILITARY ESCORT 44
WU-TING-CHOU: TEMPLE GATEWAY--TEMPLE CORNER 60
FORTIFIED VILLAGE IN THE CHIEN-CH'ANG VALLEY 92
TEA COOLIE CROSSING A SUSPENSION BRIDGE 152
MEMORIAL ARCH TO A "VIRTUOUS WIDOW," CHENGTU PLAIN 168
THE "REJECTION OF THE BODY" (CLIFF A MILE HIGH), MOUNT OMEI, WEST SZECHUAN 196
HORSEMEN OF THE DESERT, NORTH MONGOLIA 268
THE MONGOL HOUSE WHERE I STAYED IN URGA 284
My thanks are due to Robert J. Davidson, Esq., of Chengtu, Szechuan, for kind permission to use the photograph of the Yangtse Gorges. Also to Messrs. Underwood & Underwood, of New York, for the photographs of the Tartar Wall, Peking. With these exceptions the illustrations are from photographs made by myself on the journey. I should like to express here my appreciation of the care and skill shown by the staff of the Kodak Agency, Regent Street, West, in handling films often used under very unfavourable conditions.
SUGGESTIONS FOR PRONOUNCING CHINESE NAMES IN THE TEXT
In general vowels are pronounced as in Italian.
_a_ preceded by _w_ and followed by _ng_ is like _a_ in _fall_. _ü_ like the French _u_. _ai_ like _i_ in _mine_. _ao_ like _ou_ in _proud_. _ei_ like _ey_ in _they_. _ie_ like _e-e_ in _re-enter_. _ui_ with vowels distinct. _ou_ with vowels distinct and stress on _o_.
Of the consonants, _ch_, _k_, _p_, _t_, _ts_ are softer than in English, approaching respectively _j_, _g_, _b_, _d_, _dz_.
_hs_ is approximately _sh_ (hsien = she-en).
Tael, roughly two-thirds of a dollar gold. Dollar or dollar Mex., about fifty cents gold. Cash, about the twentieth part of a cent gold. Li, a scant third of an English mile. Catty, about one and one-third pounds avoirdupois.
_For the wander-thirst is on me And my soul is in Cathay._
Three years ago West China seemed at the back of beyond. To make your way in you had either to traverse the length of Upper Burma and then cross the great rivers and ranges of western Yunnan, a weary month-long journey, or else spend tedious weeks ascending the Yangtse, the monotony of the trip tempered by occasional shipwreck. To-day, thanks to French enterprise, you can slip in between mountain and river and find yourself at Yunnan-fu, the provincial capital, after a railway journey of only three days and a half from Haiphong, the port of Tonking.