LIANGCHOW 247 



The walls of TJangchow are to a great extent 

 unobstructed and vie with those of almost any 

 city we saw. Outside the northern wall lies a 

 mass of graves. Vhi the female, and cold in- 

 fluence blows from the north ; Yang the male, or 

 warm influence, from the south. JNJany of these 

 graves were sheltered, according to the instructions 

 of the geomancer from one or other of these 

 quarters ; for the Chinese attach great importance 

 to such matters. Indeed, unless the omens are 

 propitious a corpse may lie for years in the 

 upper room of the house. The coffins are of 

 enormous thickness and such an infliction is less 

 offensive than it sounds. Hundreds of taels are 

 spent on a father's funeral even by poor people, 

 who frequently mortgage what land they have 

 and beggar themselves to properly honour their 

 dead. 



All the rumours which we had heard as to the 

 massacres as Ningsia were denied at Liangchow. 

 The place was quiet, though in the expressive 

 Chinese phrase " the hearts of the people were 

 troubled." Two days before our arrival three men 

 — a Szechuanese and two nati\ es — went to a big 

 farm 40 H from the city and told the proprietor 

 that they were revolutionaries. 'I'hey said that a 

 large body of troops was arriving on the follow- 

 ing day who were to encamp near his farm, but 

 that, if he would provide them with three horses and 

 guns, they would see that he suffered no further 

 loss. The farmer pro^■ided them with the horses and 

 guns, but would not allow them to leave. Next 

 day, no sign of a revolutionary army ! Down 

 came the farmer and his friends on the three 



