SACRED OMEI SHAN 227 



sun was setting behind the snowclad ranges of the Thibetan 

 border. 



A perfect night succeeded the day, and our hopes were 

 high for the morrow. Alas ! a thick fog and a drizzle of rain 

 was what we awoke to find. A terrible precipice in front and 

 a more or less shelving away behind was all we could make 

 out of the lay of the land. To find out what the summit is 

 really like, a long walk was undertaken, but resulted in little 

 beyond a thorough drenching. The mountain-top is somewhat 

 uneven, sloping away from the cliffs by a fairly easy gradient. 

 It is everywhere covered with a dense scrub, composed mainly 

 of dwarf Bamboo, with bushes of Willow, Birch, Sorbus, Bar- 

 berry, Rhododendron, Spiraea, and Rosa omeiensis interspersed. 

 Near the watercourses these shrubs are more particularly 

 abundant. Trailing over the scrub Clematis montana, var. 

 Wilsonii, is very common. At least five species of Rhododendron 

 grow on the summit, but, judging from the paucity of fruits, 

 they flower but sparingly. In places sheltered from the winds 

 fine groves of Silver Fir remain, but in the more fully exposed 

 sites these trees are very stunted and weather-beaten. The 

 dwarf Juniper, with twisted, gnarled stems, is also plentiful in 

 rocky places. 



Around the temples small patches of cabbage, turnips, and 

 Irish potato are cultivated, and several favourite medicines 

 are grown in quantity, such as Rhubarb, "Huang-lien" 

 {Coptis chinensis), " Tang-shen," and " Tang-kuei." 



Here and there on the mountain we passed hucksters' 

 stalls, on which various local products were exposed for sale. 

 These consist chiefly of medicines, porcupine quills, crystals 

 of felspar, sweet tea, and pilgrim staves. The latter, made 

 from the wood of an Alder [Alnus cremastogyne), are carved 

 in representation of fantastic dragons and Buddhas. The 

 sweet tea is a peculiarity of Mount Omei, being prepared from 

 the leaves of Viburnum theiferum. 



