CHAPTER XIII 



DZUNGARIA — THE LAND OF UNREST 



Before embarking upon our voyage over the ocean-like 

 steppes of Dzungaria, it may be well to give a brief 

 survey of the country ahead of us, to record its history 

 and to describe its physical features. An apology ought 

 to be made for using the name Dzungaria/ as it sug- 

 gests that the local inhabitants are Dzungars, whereas 

 Dzungars no longer exist ; the name remains, for no 

 other title can be found for this odd corner of Inner Asia. 

 Dzungaria does not belong to Chinese Turkestan — from 

 which it is separated by a giant wall of mountains ; it is 

 not Mongolian — for the Altai Mountains form a boundary 

 between the two countries ; and, although it merges into 

 the Gobi Desert on the east and into Southern Siberia 

 on the west, it has nothing in common with either of 

 those regions. 



"Dzungaria" originated from the name of a small 

 branch of a Mongol tribe, and when that branch be- 

 came powerful and built up an empire, the name was 

 extended to the whole confederation of tribes which 

 that empire embraced. The original territory of the 

 Dzungars was of much greater dimensions than the 

 area to which their name is now applied ; but the site 



* The situation of Dzungaria in respect to China Proper justifies its 

 meaning, namely, " on the left hand." 



