202 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. XIII. 
CHAPTER XIII. 
Stream of " Nine Windings " — A Taouist Priest — His House 
and Temple — Du Halde's Description of these Hills — Strange 
Impressions of gigantic Hands on the Eocks — Tea Plants pur- 
chased — Adventure during the Night — My Visitors — Plants 
packed for a Journey — Town of Tsin-tsun and its Trade — 
Leave the Woo-e Hills — Mountain Scenery — The Lance-leaved 
Pine — Rocks, Ravines, and Waterfalls — A lonely Road — 
Trees — Birds and other Animals — Town of She-pa-ky — 
Productions of the Country — Uses of the Nelumbium — Pouch- 
ing Teas — City of Pouching-hien. 
We now proceeded across the hills in the direction of 
the small town of Tsin-tsun, another great mart for black 
tea. Our road was a very rough one. It was merely 
a footpath, and sometimes merely narrow steps cut out 
of the rock. When we had gone about two miles we 
came to a solitary temple on the banks of a small river, 
which here winds amongst the hills. This stream is 
called by the Chinese the river or stream of Nine Wind- 
ings, from the circuitous turns which it takes amongst 
the hills of Woo-e-shan. It divides the range into two 
districts — the north and south : the north range is said 
to produce the best teas. Here the finest souchongs and 
pekoes are produced, but I believe these rarely find their 
way to Europe, or only in very small quantities. 
The temple we had now reached was a small and in- 
significant-looking building. It seemed a sort of half- 
