160 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. X. 
CHAPTER X. 
Town of Hokow — Its Situation, Trade, and great Importance — 
Bohea Mountain Chair — Mountain Eoad — Beggars by the 
Wayside — Beautiful Scenery — The Priest and his Bell — 
Town of Yuen-shan — Appearance of the Koad — Tea Coolies — 
Different Modes of carrying the Tea-chests — Large Tea-growing 
Country — Soil and Plantations — My first Night in a Chinese 
Inn — Reception — Dirty Bed-rooms — I console myself, and go 
to Dinner. 
HoKOW, or Hohow, as it is called by the southern 
Chinese, is one of the most important inland towns in 
the empire. It is situated in latitude 29° 54' north, 
and in longitude 116° 18' east, on the left bank of the 
river Kin-keang, down which I had come. Judging 
from its size, and comparing it with other towns, I 
imagine it contains about 300,000 inhabitants. It is the 
great emporium of the black-tea trade. Merchants from 
all parts of China come here, either to buy teas, or to 
get them conveyed to other parts of the country. 
Large inns, tea-hongs, and warehouses, are met with 
in every part of the town, and particularly along the 
banks of the river. The boats moored abreast of the 
town are very numerous. There are small ones for 
single passengers, large passage-boats for the pubhc, and 
mandarins' boats gaily decorated with flags. Besides 
these there are large cargo-boats, for conveying tea and 
