Observers' Field Reports 117 



120 catty (about 160 lbs.)- The caravan, consisting of 6 baggage animals and riding 

 horses for myself, Mr. Wu, and the cook, started for Talifu on January 13. 



Two days, January 16 and 17, were spent to make diurnal- variation observations 

 in addition to the usual work at the small walled city, Lufenghsien, whose stone bridge 

 outside the west gate is said to be the finest in Western China. The next halt for obser- 

 vations was made at Kwangtunghsien, also a small walled city, half in ruins. The follow- 

 ing day, January 20, 6 days' travel from Yiinnanfu, the caravan arrived at Tsuyung, a 

 walled city, and one of the largest places seen on this expedition, though small in com- 

 parison with the cities of central and south China. 



A long day's march was made on January 21 to Shakiao, a market village, where 

 numbers of Lolos had come in to make their Chinese New Year purchases. A further 

 2 days' march over mountainous country led into the plain of Yunnanyi, where observa- 

 tions were made without causing delay. We now left the main road, taking a smaller one 

 to Liang Wan Shan, from which place Chaochow was reached in one day. The usual 

 route takes 2 days from Yunnanyi to Chaochow, but the road is rougher and longer. 

 Between Liang Wan Shan and Chaochow a pass, very steep and difficult for loaded 

 animals to climb, was crossed at an elevation of about 9,000 feet. The main road is 

 probably a better route. A market was being held in Chaochow, a walled city of no 

 great size, and the streets were crowded with tribespeople from the hills. 



Talifu was reached on the afternoon of January 27, the business suburb of Siakwan 

 having been passed one and three-fourths miles to the south of it during the day's march. 

 Talifu is most beautifully situated on the west shore of a large lake shut in on every side 

 by mountains. Immediately behind the city rise the mighty Tien Tsang mountains, 

 the upper peaks of which are 14,000 feet above sea-level, while Talifu has an altitude of 

 about 6,800 feet. Another caravan of 9 horses was obtained here for the 12 days' 

 journey southwest to Tengyueh, though, according to the map, the distance between the 

 two towns is but 115 miles. The intervening country is a mass of high ridges extending 

 north and south. Travel is, therefore, an alternation of long ascents and descents. 

 The altitude of the road varies from 2,300 at Salween River to 7,000 and 8,500 feet at the 

 passes. Leaving Talifu the road returns to Siakwan, and thence rounds the south end 

 of the Tien Tsang range to Yangpi, which is about 11 miles, as the crow flies, from Talifu. 

 By road, however, the journey lasted from the afternoon of February 3 to the evening of 

 the 5th. The next evening we came to the Lolo hamlet of Taipingpu, after a long steep 

 climb out of the Yungpi valley; more mountainous country was crossed during the next 

 few days to the market village of Shanyang Yun; the march next led into the valley of 

 the Mekong River, which is shut in by wall-like ranges forming a narrow gorge. Both 

 the descent to and ascent from the chain suspension bridge by which it is crossed are 

 very steep and difficult. 



On the evening of February 12 we arrived at the city of Yungchang, whose walls 

 inclose a large area, the greater part of which is given over to rice fields and vegetable 

 gardens. Yungchang is quite busy, and numbers of foreign articles are for sale on the 

 main street. The place is interesting historically, for this is where the Mongol soldiers 

 of Kublai Khan defeated the Burmese, who attacked them on elephants. Leaving 

 Yungchang on February 13, the Salween River was crossed by the chain suspension 

 bridge on the afternoon of the 14th, and Homushu reached after dark the same day. 



Two more days' mountain travel was then made to Tengyueh, which was reached 

 February 18. The Shweli River had been crossed the previous evening, after a descent 

 of 3,700 feet from the Shweli-Salween divide, which is known as the Kao Li Kung range. 

 We remained at Tengyueh from February 18 to the morning of February 22. The 

 walled city is not a half mile square, and contains but few shops. The business section 

 of the city is outside the south gate, where various foreign goods are displayed for sale. 



