Chap. VIII. 
NAN-CHE. 
139 
Nan-che, or, as it is sometimes called in the maps, 
Lanchee, is about 120 le westward from Yen-chow-foo. 
It is one of the prettiest Chinese towns which 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 purchases 
in this town. He told me that everjrthing was good 
which came out of Nan-che, and advised me to lay in a 
large stock of provisions for the remainder 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 
Httle 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, 
