CHAPTER XVIII 



THROUGH THE LAOLIN (WILDERNESS) 



Narrative of a Journey from Kiating to Malie, 

 VIA Wa-wu Shan 



LEAVING the city of Kiating on 4th September 1908, we 

 followed the main road to Yachou Fu and stayed for the 

 night at Kiakiang Hsien, a small city, altitude 1200 

 feet, 70 li from our starting-place. It had rained heavily in 

 the early morning, but cleared just before we set out, and was 

 cool and fine, although dull the whole day. The road is broad, 

 mostly well paved, and leads through a rich and highly cultivated 

 region. Around Kiating the rice had been harvested, much 

 of the land reploughed, and another crop, chiefly buckwheat 

 and turnips, planted. A few miles beyond this city, however, 

 the rice crop was not so forward, and though a portion was 

 being reaped the bulk would not be ripe for some weeks. 



Around the margins of rice fields trees for the culture 

 of insect white-wax are abundantly planted. Pollarded Ash 

 {Fraxinus chinensis) were chiefly noticeable, but in places trees 

 of Privet [Ligustrmn lucidum) are used for this industry. 

 Much of the wax had been collected, but in one place we were 

 fortunate enough to witness the process and obtain photo- 

 graphs. (In Vol. II., Chapter X., this interesting industry is 

 fully described.) Sericulture was very much in evidence, and all 

 the alluvial flats are planted with Mulberry trees, but trees of 

 Cudrania are not common. In this region in particular the 

 silkworms are fed on the leaves of both these trees ; the people 

 claim that this mixed diet results in a stronger kind of silk. 



The Szechuan Banyan [Ficus infectoria) is the most striking 

 tree hereabouts ; its widespreading umbrageous head usually 

 shelters some wayside shrine. Venders of cakes, pea-nuts, 



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