The City of " Wan" 103 



Distance, no li, equal to twenty-seven miles; total from 

 Ichang, 223 miles. 



Thursday, March 2gth. — Still the same picturesque moun- 

 tains and clear river, winding amongst sand-flats and gravel- 

 banks. I landed after early coffee, and soon walked ahead 

 of the trackers. At length I came to a pebble-covered 

 point, to pass which the boat would have to make a long 

 round, while I descried a fine, straight path across its neck, 

 which I followed. On mounting the bank, I saw a white 

 pagoda, a thousand feet above the river, on the apex of one 

 of the many pyramidal hills scattered about, which armounced 

 the approach to a city. Further on and lower down, a 

 second pagoda, similarly placed, also white and of nine 

 stories, perfects the Feng-shui. The bank of pebbles I 

 was crossing, and which is called " Hung sha chi," or " Red 

 Sand Point," seemed endless; and, on asking, I was told it was 

 ten li across : I should judge it to be over two miles. The 

 river-bed is here one mile wide, the present stream being 

 about 400 yards. Just below the town the bed narrows, 

 and, passing through a short gorge, enters the Valley of Wan. 

 Wan means myriad. Overlooking the gorge is a handsome 

 temple, called "Chung-ku lo" ("Drum and Bell Lodge"), with 

 a three-storied pavilion surmounting its stage, the platform 

 upon which strolling companies perform in honour of the 

 gods ; the whole place well built and remarkably clean. 

 From this terrace, in front, is a fine view of the city and the 

 busy port below. 



" Wan hsien," " The Myriad " city, is situated in the 

 midst of a rich and beautiful country, and is the first fair 

 specimen of a Szechuan city we have come to. It faces 

 south and east, and looks dgwn two reaches of the river, 

 which here again, owing to the horizontal stratification and 

 vertical cleavage of the mountains through which it has 



