394 



HUNAN— THE CLOSED PROVINCE OF CHINA 



length of line, as actuall}^ run, of 74 



Scale of miles 



MAP OF EASTERN PART OF HUNAN AS DELINEATED 

 liV WM. R. PARSONS. 



2 miles — together with reconnais- 

 sance work for about 300 miles 

 more. As the result of this survey 

 he has been al)le to delineate the 

 Siang River and the striking feat- 

 ures of the geograph}' and topog- 

 raphy of the eastern i)art of the 

 province of Hunan, and present 

 the first correct maj) for at least the 

 main drainage line of the province. 

 The ]>rovince is watered by two 

 streams — the Siang and the Yuan. 

 They meet at the northeastern 

 corner of the province and flow 

 into 'the Yangtze, forming the 

 most important tributar}' that the 

 Yangtze receives from the south. 

 The Yuan, the lesser of the two, 

 rises in the i)rovince of Kuichau, 

 flows easterly across the north- 

 western corner of Hunan, and 

 joins the Siang in the Tungting 

 Lake, a large area which in the 

 winter time is dr}', except in the 

 beds of the channels of the two 

 streams, which are cut in the allu- 

 vial soil to a depth of about '20 

 feet. In the summer time, when 

 the river rises, this whole area is 

 flooded, forming the lake. The 

 Yuan, with its tributaries, drains, 

 approximately, 27,000 square 

 miles, or about one-third of the 

 province, the remainder being 

 drained b}^ the Siang. The Siang 

 rises in the southwestern part of 

 Hunan, flows in a general north- 

 easterly direction, and drains the 

 north slope of the Nanling Moun- 

 tains, which form the watershed 



