this point. Thence it descends to a tributary of the Ku Shui and passes 

 through Sung-chia-\va {15 miles) to Hsiao-ch'eng. 

 Stage 2. Ch'ang-t'ai-p'u (17^ miles). General Direction : W. 



A good mule-road, practicable for carts, continues to descend the 

 valley, which is grassy and well-cultivated, passing Ch'ang-yi-p'u at 

 3 miles. Here it bends W., and skirting the right bank of the stream, 

 past Hsi-lien-p'u (5 miles), Ch'i-chia (8 miles), and Ma-lien (13 miles), 

 to Ch'ang-t'ai-p'u, a small walled village on the left bank of the Ku 

 Shui. The village contains about 30 families and a small military post. 



Stage 3. Ching-ning Chou (23 miles). General Direction : S. by W. 



A good level cart-road descends the Ku Shui valley, which is well- 

 cultivated (wheat chiefly) and dotted with prosperous villages, mostly 

 inhabited by Mahommedans. Passing Wang-chia-p'u at 7 miles, and 

 Shan-chia at 10 miles, the road at ni miles crosses to the right bank, 

 and traversing Kao-chia-ch'eng (12 miles), T'uan-chuang (14 miles), 

 and Hsia-p'u (20 miles), reaches Ching-ning Chou, a prosperous town 

 of about 5000 inhabitants. 



ITINERARY No. 7. 



Ching-ning Chou to Lan-chou Fu (via Hui-ning Hsien and An-ting Hsien). 



Distance, 154 miles; 11 stages. 



A good mule-road, but rough in places. The telegraph line from Ku-yiian 



to Lan-chou follows this road. 



Stage I. Chieh-shih-p'u (13 miles). General Direction : W.N.W. 



A rough mule-road with steep gradients in the first six miles. 

 From Ching-ning the road goes N., skirting the left bank of a tributary 

 of the Ku Shui, and at zi miles crosses to the right bank and ascends 

 a steep spur to the summit at Teng-chia-p'u (3^ miles). Crossing a 

 narrow pass, the road then descends steeply to the Hei-lung Ho, which 

 is reached at the village of Sung-chia-kou (6 miles). The road now 

 ascends the left bank of the stream, passing Ch'i-li-p'u at 8 miles, and 

 Hsia-chia-p'u at 10 miles. 



Stage 2. Ch'ing-chia-yi (11 miles). General Direction : N.W. 



A rough mule-track continues to ascend the left bank of the Hei- 

 lung Ho, the loess hills bounding the valley being fairly well cultivated. 

 At 4 miles the road branches N.W. up the valley of a small tributary, 



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