TRADE ROUTES. 23 



rivers. In the winter of 1909 a start was made to 



improve the road between Teng-yueh and the Burma 



frontier at Ku-li-hka. A proclamation was issued by 



the Commissioner of Customs (at that time Mr. F. W. 



Carey), and the local Chinese contractors were invited 



to undertake the work. There was practically no 



response to this appeal, and the work was eventually 



undertaken by the Customs Department, a subordinate 



officer being allowed by the Inspector-General in Pckm 



to use six months' leave to take charge of the duty. 



I had an opportunity of seeing part of the reconstructed 



road in April 1910 when I was returning to the Burma 



frontier, and, being well acquainted with its former 



state was in a position to appreciate the improvements. 



Repair and maintenance work have been regularly carried 



out since then and in 1914, an experienced engineer, 



lent by the Burma Government commenced a survey 



for the realignment of the road between Kan-ngai and 



Teng-yueh. 



(2) The Tongking- Yunnan Railway route. The second great 



road into Yunnan and, indeed, the most important 

 as far as present day trade is concerned, is the railway 

 through Tongking into Yunnan. This line starts at 

 Haiphong, on the shores of the Gulf of Tongking, and 

 runs to Lao-kai (lat. 22° 30', long. 103° 57'), on the 

 Tongking- Yunnan frontier, and thence to Yunnan Fu, 

 the capita] of Yunnan. In earlier days a well-known 

 trade route was followed by caravans from Yunnan 

 Fu into Tongking, but the completion of the French 

 railway in the early summer of 1910 has, of course 

 superseded this ; it is described on a later page. 



(3) The Yangtze route. Another very important route into 



Yunnan is that which passes through the heart of China 

 up the Yangtze river — the route followed by the officials 

 deputed to the province from Pekin, and the direct 

 way of communication with the capital. Steamers can 

 ascend the Yangtze as far as I-chang, and thence junks 

 proceed to Sui Fu in Ssu-ch'uan, but only one stage from 

 the Yunnan boundary. After marching over this road 

 for 25 days Lord Ronaldshay wrote : " A route which 



