184 HISTORICAL NOTICE OF ORDOS. 



In ancient times Ordos became the prey of dif- 

 ferent conquerors, who seized it in turn. In the 

 middle of the fifteenth century a.d. the Mongols 

 made their first appearance here, and afterwards, 

 towards the end of the sixteenth and begfinnino- of 



о о 



the seventeenth century, it fell under the power of 

 the Chakhars,^ who soon afterwards acknowledged 

 the supremacy of the Manchu dynasty, which had 

 usurped the throne of China. Ordos was afterwards 

 organised on the same footing as the other nomad 

 districts ; and at the present day it is divided into 

 seven banners, which are situated as follows : on 

 the north, Talde and Hangin ; on the west, Otok 

 and Zasak ; on the south, Ushin ; on the easl, 

 Djungar, and in the centre, Van (Wang). There 

 are no towns in this country. 



As we have stated, Ordos forms a peninsula in 

 the elbow made by the winding of the Hoang-ho. 

 This river, one of the greatest of Eastern Asia, 

 flows from an alpine country south of Lake Koko- 

 nor, winds for a long way between gigantic chains of 

 mountains, and at last at Ho-chau enters the confines 

 of China Proper. From this point, or to speak more 

 correctly from Lang-chau, the course of the Hoang- 

 ho is north by a little east, which direction it pre- 

 serves through five degrees of latitude. Then its 



the qualities of a sagacious and energetic ruler with those of an intrepid 

 sportsman, rode through the country from one end to the other, bow 

 in hand, and killed many thousand head of game. {Gerbillon in 

 Duhalde, iv. 463 ; Ritter, Asien, i. 155; Deguignes, hist. gen. des Huns. i. 

 142.)— M. 



' At that time Ordos received its present name ; in ancient times 

 this country was called Ho-nati, and still earlier, Ho-tau. 



