174 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. IX. 



I have seen, and reminded me of an English place 

 more than a Chinese one. The houses are generally 

 two-storied and have a clean and neat appearance. 

 It is built along the banks of the river, and has a 

 picturesque hill behind it: an old tower or pagoda in 

 ruins heightens the general effect of the scene. The 

 town is about two and a half or three miles round, 

 and probably contains about 200,000 inhabitants. 

 The river in front of it is covered with boats, which 

 are constantly plying between it and Yen-chow, Hang- 

 chow, and many other towns both to the east and west. 



Sing-Hoo was anxious to make a great many pur- 

 chases in this town. He told me that everything 

 was good which came out of Nan-che, and advised 

 me to lay in a large stock of provisions for the re- 

 mainder of our journey by water. In the mean time 

 we had engaged another boat to take us to the town 

 of Chang -shan, a city situated near the source of this 

 river, or as far up as it is navigable. By the time 

 this business was settled and our purchases on board 

 it was nearly dark. Having had little to eat during 

 the day, we were hungry and weary enough. Our 

 new boatmen, however, were very kind and attentive 

 to all our wants. An excellent dinner was soon 

 ready, consisting of rice, fish, eggs, and vegetables, 

 added to which we had some of the good things of 

 Nan-che, such as cakes and wine, which had been 

 highly recommended by Sing-Hoo. 



The next morning I went on shore to see the town, 

 and also to inspect some gardens in which plants are 

 kept for sale. I had been informed that Nan-che 



