WESTERN CHINA 7 



stream, the Kien kiang, rises in western Kweichou and flows 

 through the heart of this province. It is navigable from its 

 mouth to Szenan Fu, and beyond, for specially constructed 

 native boats. Apart from this river there is no tributary of 

 seeming importance until Chungking is reached, yet nearly 

 every town and village of note stands at the junction of some 

 small stream with the Yangtsze. Here and there men will be 

 found hauling small, stout-bottomed boats over the stones at 

 the mouths of these small rivers. That the main stream is 

 joined by many tributary streams a glance at the map proves. 

 In western Hupeh the country is wildly mountainous, and the 

 streams are torrents, pure and simple. In eastern Szechuan 

 the country is much less wild and the streams of a different 

 character, and why they appear unnavigable is, on the surface, 

 not obvious. 



In 1910 I journeyed overland by a little-known route from 

 Ichang to Chengtu. Entering Szechuan a little to the north of 

 Taning Hsien, I travelled due west to Paoning Fu, and from 

 thence south-west by the main road. On this journey I crossed 

 all the principal streams which join the Yangtsze on its left 

 bank east of the Min River. The surprising thing observed 

 was the fact that they were one and all navigable for boats of 

 varying sizes for long distances. On inquiry, I found that 

 navigation ceased on most of them some 2 to 5 miles before 

 their union with the Yangtsze. The Kuichou Fu, Yunyang, and 

 Kai Hsien Rivers may be cited as examples, affording evidence 

 of this state of things. 



Near the embouchure of tributary streams the Yangtsze is 

 generally narrowed and the water gorged by boulders and 

 detritus choking the mouths of these lateral waterways ; 

 rapids and races frequently occur at these points. The accepted 

 view is that enormous quantities of debris are brought down by 

 these tributaries and deposited at their mouths. This theory 

 is all very well when applied to mountain torrents, but most of 

 the streams under discussion pursue a comparatively placid 

 course with easy currents for some 50 miles or more before 

 reaching the Yangtsze. Their volume and force of current is 

 insufhcient even in summer floods to carry down the enormous 

 quantities of detritus which choke up their mouths. My 



