NO. 4 Ri:i.IGION IN S/i:(lH!AX PROVINCE — GRAlIAAf 3 



218,000 square miles. In the ccnler of tlu- jirovince is tlie threat red- 

 .sandstone basin, in which the soil is exceedingly fertile. Here the 

 altitude varies from 900 to 2,000 feet above sea le\'el. Rainfall is 

 al)undant, and it almost never snows. Trees and vegetables are green 

 throughout the year. The farms often yield four cr()])s annuall}-, and 

 a family can support itself on three or four acres of land. A part of 

 this basin is the Chengtu plain, where there is an extensive irrigation- 

 system , and which is one of the most thickly populated country 

 districts in the world. 



On the north and west of the province are high mountains, inhal)ited 

 for the most part by aborigines. To the west of Szechuan lies Tibet, 

 "the roof of the world," and to the south are the mountainous prov- 

 inces of K'ueichow and Yunnan. In Szechuan, Kueichow. Yunnan, 

 and Tibet, more than 100 tribes of aborigines inhabit the high, moun- 

 tainous districts, while the rich lowlands are in the possession of the 

 Chinese. 



Great salt deposits that seem to be inexhaustil)le occur in some parts 

 of the ])rovince. Coal is found almost everywhere. Tt is known that 

 there are deposits of gold, copper, and iron, but, l)ecause of the lack 

 of machinery, mining is not a main occupation of the i)eople. Silk- 

 raising is an important industry. 



The word Szechuan means four rivers. The province contains 

 four great rivers and many tributaries that serve as arteries of trade. 

 There are also many overland routes, one leading through Yachow 

 and Tatsienlu to Tibet, one northward through Chengtu and Songpan 

 to the high grasslands on the northwest of Szechuan. one southward 

 from Suifu through Yunnan Province, and one overland to Peking. 

 P>ecause of these and other trade routes, commerce plays a large part 

 in the lives of the ])eople of Szechuan. The main occujxition, however, 

 is agriculture. 



Even in the red-sandstone basin, nature has been at work for 

 thousands of years, resulting in erosion and folding of the rock strata, 

 so that many natural wonders occur in the province. In places, the 

 rock strata have been twisted and folded almost beyond belief ; in 

 other localities the sandstone has been entirely eroded away, exposing 

 rugged limestone cliffs often abounding with natural caves. Beautiful 

 waterfalls are not uncommon. One often sees rocks that have been 

 washed or eroded into strange or striking shapes, or mountains that 

 tower majestically over surrounding valleys. On the borders of Tibet 

 are mountains capped with perennial snow. West China has some of 

 the most beautiful, most picturesque, and strangest scenery in the 



