THE CHINO-THIBETAN BORDERLAND 157 



by China, as, for example, Chantui, Derge, and Sanai. The 

 territory occupied by these tribes is west of the Yalung River 

 and contiguous to that of Thibet proper ; the people are in- 

 distinguishable from those inhabiting anterior Thibet generally. 

 These more western regions have been styled the " Thibetan 

 Marches." Some four years ago, an acting viceroy of Szechuan, 

 one Chao Erh-feng, was appointed Warden of these Marches. 

 With an army of Chinese soldiers he indulged in a most aggressive 

 policy and speedily subjected the whole region to Chinese con- 

 trol. He broke the Lama power, destroyed the principal 

 lamaseries, and beheaded the abbots and other dignitaries. 

 His task was rendered fairly easy owing to affairs in Lhassa, 

 consequent upon the British expedition to that city, and the 

 flight of the Dalai Lama, the whole making impossible any 

 concerted action by Lhassa De in support of their adherents 

 in the Marches. (In 191 1 Chao Erh-feng was appointed 

 Viceroy of Szechuan and was subsequently murdered in 

 Chengtu city by Chinese revolutionists.) 



3. States tributary-controlled, governed by hereditary 

 native princes and subject to the Viceroy of Szechuan in 

 temporal affairs, but more or less strongly influenced by the 

 Dalai Lama, owing to Lamaism being the accepted religion. 

 Of these the kingdom of Chiala, the Horba states, and the 

 Chiarung tribes are the chief. They occupy most of the 

 territory between the Min and Yalung Rivers north of a line 

 connecting Yachou with Tachienlu and Hokou. The Chiala 

 kingdom I shall deal with separately when describing Tachienlu, 

 the capital city. The Chiarung are dealt with in the next 

 chapter. 



4. A number of very small states, governed by quasi- 

 independent chiefs, indirectly controlled by Chinese officials 

 appointed for that purpose and by the surrounding tributary 

 kingdoms. They are, in fact, tiny buffer areas very useful to 

 the Chinese in maintaining the balance of power among the 

 larger, more independent kingdoms. Many of these princi- 

 palities are made up of people who may reasonably be looked 

 upon as remains of the aboriginal population of parts of 

 Szechuan and this hinterland. These petty states are 

 scattered through the more easterly parts of this hinterland 



