SALT. m 



The bottom of the stream is rocky, its valley is deep and precipi- 

 tous, but there are narrow bands of cultivation around Sha-chiao. 



The Yun-lung Chou route continues in a northerly direction 

 along this valley, reaching the city at mile 40 from * Yung-ping 

 Hsien. The valley narrows considerably and becomes gorge-like, 

 and it is only at the bends that there are deposits of alluvial soil 

 suitable for cultivation, and even these small fields are half covered 

 with boulders which have fallen from the cliffs. There is much 

 contortion of the strata near Hsi-fang, where an excellent example 

 of a complex double fold is seen in a cliff section on the west bank. 

 There are very few shale outcrops and the whole country seems to 

 be chiefly made up of this greyish-red sandstone formation. The 

 dip is variable but usually steep towards the north-east. The 

 river is crossed at the small Minchia village of Sung-ma by a 

 wooden roofed bridge, and above this place as far as Yun-lung 

 Chou the road keeps to the west side ; the valley however becomes 

 very narrow again and just before the city is reached resource 

 is had to step-cutting in the rocky sides in order to carry the road 

 through. Falls of stone must be of frequent occurrence. Hard 

 reddish sandstones and white fine-grained quartzitic sandstones 

 crop out in this part of the valley. 



I arrived in Yiin-lung Chou on 25th March, which happened 

 to be market day, so that large numbers of people were gathered 

 together. The Minchia men are powerful and muscular and used 

 to carrying heavy loads. Goitre is extremely common and even 

 young children frequently exhibit the swollen glands in the neck. 

 There is only one camping ground on the alluvial plain opposite the 

 city. Hundreds of people assembled to watch the pitching of my 

 tents, as foreign travellers are very rarely seen in these out-of-the-way 

 regions. They were, however, a friendly though exceedingly dirty mob. 



All the salt which the Yiin-lung Chou district produces is 

 manufactured fiom brine obtained from a 



Brine wells m the i * n 



Yun-lung Chou district. n™*>er ot wclN situated m the vicinity. 

 There are no salt mines. 

 Brine wells are found at : — 



Pao-fung-ching — in the city itself. 



Shih-men-ehing ^ 



Tien-erh-ching ( 



Ta-ching >—m a valley six miles north of the town. 



Shang-ching J 



