CHAPTER X 



NORTH-WESTERN SZECHUAN 



Narrative of a Cross-Mountain Journey to 

 SuNGPAN Ting 



A FEW days after our arrival at Chengtu in 1910 I deter- 

 mined upon a journey to the border-town of Sungpan 

 Ting, for the express purpose of securing seeds and 

 herbarium specimens of certain new coniferous trees previously 

 discovered by me in that region. During 1903 and again in 

 1904 I had visited this interesting town. On the first occasion 

 I travelled by the ordinary main road, via Kuan Hsien and the 

 Min Valley. The next year I followed the great north road 

 across the Plain of Chengtu to Mien Chou, then travelled via 

 Chungpa and Lungan Fu, by another recognized highway. 

 On these journeys I gleaned tidings of a by-road leading from 

 Shihch'uan Hsien across the mountains, finally connecting 

 with both the above routes. This route promised to be 

 interesting as well as novel. Only Roman Catholic missionaries 

 had previously traversed it, so far as I could learn. An Hsien 

 was selected as the real starting-point for this trip. 



With this object in view we passed through the north gate 

 of Chengtu city early on the morning of 8th August. Follow- 

 ing the north road as far as the city of Han Chou, then branch- 

 ing off and travelling via Shihfang Hsien and Mienchu Hsien, 

 we reached the city of An Hsien, some 300 li from Chengtu, 

 after three and a half days. The road led us right through 

 the luxuriant Chengtu Plain to its extreme north-western limits 

 near Hsao-shui Ho. Afterwards we crossed some low foot-hills 

 to a small stream leading to An Hsien. The journey was very 

 easy, though fatiguing owing to the extreme heat of the season. 



The city of An Hsien is small, of little importance, prettily 

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