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KONG-K'HOW PAGODA. Chap. IX. 



large crops of rice, which is the staple food of 

 the inhabitants. It is thickly covered with small 

 towns, villages, and farm-houses ; and, like all the 

 fertile plains in China which have come under my 

 observation, it teems with population. As our 

 boatmen went on during the night, we found our- 

 selves next morning at the base of the hills which 

 bound the plain on the south-west, and in the 

 district of Fung-hwa. On one of these hills stands 

 a pagoda named Kong-k'how-td^ which is visible 

 for many miles, and from which an excellent view 

 of the low country is obtained. Making our boats 

 fast to the river-bank, we stepped on shore and 

 took the first turning which led to the hill on 

 which the pagoda stands. When we reached the 

 summit of this hill, which appeared to be about 

 1000 feet above the level of the sea, we were 

 rewarded with one of those splendid views which 

 are, perhaps, more striking in the fertile districts 

 of China than in any other country. Beneath us, 

 and stretching to the north and eastward, was the 

 level plain through which we had passed during 

 the night. The city of Mngpo occupied its centre, 

 and it seemed bounded on all sides, except the 

 north and east, by hills and mountains varying in 

 height from 1000 to 3000 feet — while far away to 

 the eastward lay the islands of the Chusan archi- 

 pelago, studded about in the China Sea. From 

 this pagoda one can count six or seven others, 

 each of which marks the position of some ancient 

 city in the plain, or Buddhist monastery on the 



