PHYSICAL ASPECT OF ORDOS. 183 



from that of Manchuria. The Great Wall was no 

 protection against these floods of barbarians, who 

 in their turn were incapable of founding an empire 

 on a sound basis of internal development. After a 

 certain period of dominion, the barbarians, who had 

 come into contact with a civilisation so entirely 

 foreign to them, lost their луагНке strength, the only 

 foundation of their power, were driven on to the 

 plateau, and even temporarily subj'ugated by China. 

 In this way the latter, by an artful policy rather than 

 by strength, often warded off the misfortunes with 

 which the nomads from time to time threatened 

 her. 



Ordos, in its physical aspect, is a level steppe, 

 partly bordered by low hills. The soil is altogether 

 sandy, or a mixture of clay and sand, ill adapted for 

 agriculture. The valley of the Hoang-ho is the 

 only exception, where the Chinese population lead a 

 settled life. The absolute height of this country is 

 bet\veen three thousand and three thousand five 

 hundred feet,^ so that Ordos forms an intermediate 

 step in the descent to China from the Gobi, sepa- 

 rated from the latter by the mountain ranges lying 

 on the north and east of the Hoang-ho or Yellow 

 River.^ 



1 The valley of the Hoang-ho, not far from Bautu (Si-pau-to), is 

 3,200 ft. abs. height, and 18 miles west of the town of Ding-hu 

 (Chagan-subar-kan) by boiling water the elevation was found to be 

 3,500 feet. 



* The Jesuit Pore Gerbillon travelled through nearly the whole of 

 the Ordos in 1697, and has left us an account of that country which 

 agrees very nearly with that given by Col. Prejevalsky. He mentions 

 that the Emperor Kang-hi, who seems to have combined in his person 



