l8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I42 



In cases of desperate need, people had to sell or pawn their possessions, 

 or borrow money from loan sharks who often charged from 40 to 50 

 percent on loans of from 3 to 5 months. Interest on loans was gen- 

 erally very high. 



Rents were also high, rents on houses being generally, though not 

 always, paid in money. Farm rents were generally paid by giving the 

 owner a generous share of the crop. 



A very important and sometimes difficult problem in West China 

 was the transfer of money or credit from one city to another in the 

 same or in a distant province, or to some foreign country. For a 

 person to carry money himself incurred the danger of being robbed. 

 To send the money by a friend incurred the same danger, and also 

 the possibility of the money being embezzled by the friend. One 

 method often used was to give the money to a reliable firm that had 

 branches in distant cities. The firm would deliver the money where 

 and to whom it was desired. Another method was to sell a check on a 

 bank or a mission treasurer in Hankow, Shanghai, or in a foreign 

 country, in which transaction the sender often received a premium. 

 In recent years postal money orders were available, or the money could 

 be transferred through a bank. 



In 1939 it was estimated that in the province of Szechwan there 

 were 8 million hogs, 2 million water buffaloes, and i million cows. In 

 the highlands, especially those inhabited by non-Chinese people, there 

 are herds of sheep and goats, and in eastern Tibet or western Sikang 

 herds of sheep and great herds of yak. In nearly every province there 

 are horses and mules. In Kansu and Shensi there are horses, camels, 

 sheep, and goats. In Yunnan and Kweichow there are water buffaloes, 

 donkeys, mules, and cattle, besides sheep and goats. Everywhere there 

 are dogs, and nearly everywhere cats and chickens. Ducks and geese 

 are raised where there is plenty of water. 



On the Chengtu plain and the Red Basin, where it seldom freezes 

 or snows and the frosts are not severe, crops can be raised throughout 

 the year. Two main crops and as many as five crops of vegetables can 

 be raised in one year on the same soil. 



Among the Tibetans the main food is tsamba (parched barleymeal), 

 tea, mutton, milk, butter, and cottage cheese. This is supplemented 

 by wild vegetables, and in the lower altitudes by vegetables and fruits. 

 In the rough mountain lands at lower altitudes, such as the regions of 

 the Ch'iang, the Lolos, and the Miao, the main food is generally boiled 

 cornmeal. This is supplemented by wheat, barley, buckwheat, fruit 

 and vegetables. Among the Chinese and others in the lower altitudes. 



