CHINA. 
444 
found in feveral’cantons of Yun-yan, in the province 
of Se-tchuen, and in a diltriCt of-Chan-fi, called-Tai- 
tong-foo; it differs nothing from that imported into Eu¬ 
rope. Chan-fi furnilhes a molt beautiful kind of white 
jafper much relembling agate; it is tranfparent when po- 
lilhed, and fometimes diverfified with fpots; the Chinefe 
call it Yu-che. 
; .The irioft beautiful rock cryftal of China is dug from 
the mountains of Tchang-tcheou-foo, and Tchang-pou- 
ftein, in the province of Fo-kien The artifts of theie 
two cities are very expert in cutting it, forming thereof 
buttons, feals, figures of animals, and other trinkets. 
Yun-nan furnilhes fome real rubies, but they are mo.ftly 
final 1 . Quarries ofmarble are very common in China, 
elpecially in the province of Fo-kien. There are alfo 
feveral kinds of fonorous ftones, of which the Chinele 
make mufical inffruments. They differ confiderably 
from one another in beauty and in the ftrength and du¬ 
ration of their tone; but what is very furprizing, this 
difference of tone cannot be dilcovered either by the 
different degrees of their hardnels, weight, finenefs of 
grain, or any other qualities which might be fuppoled to 
determine it. Some are remarkably hard, which are ve¬ 
ry fonorous ; others exceedingly loft, yet have an excel¬ 
lent tone ; fome extremely heavy, emit a very melodious 
found ; and others, as light as pumice-ftone, have alfo an 
agreeable found. Thefe ftones have different names 
' given them by the Chineie.y They are chiefly found in 
channels made'by torrents, and in the rivers which flow 
at the bottom of the mountains of Yu-nan, Koei cheou, 
Shen-fi, Y-ly and Yo-quen. See Mineralogy. 
■The Chinefe have lately dilcovered a new fubftance 
proper to be employed in the compoiition of porcelain. 
It is a fpecies of chalk, called hoa-che, from which the 
pbyficians of China prepare a kind of draught, faid to 
be deterfive, aperient, and cooling. The manufacturers 
of porcelain have thought proper to employ this material 
inftead of kao-lin. It is called boa, becaufe it is glu¬ 
tinous, and has a great refemblance to foap. Porcelain 
made with hoa-che, is much dearer than any other. It 
has an exceeding fine grain, and, with regard to the 
painting, if it be compared with that of the common por¬ 
celain, it appears to furpafs it in a very confiderable degree. 
China produces molt of the fruits which we have in 
Europe, as well as other kinds peculiar to that country. 
They have feveral kinds of olives, though they do not 
extra£1 oil from them ; on what" account we know not, 
whether it be that this fruit in China is not proper for 
that purpofe, or that they are ignorant of the . art of 
making it. When they want to gather their olives, 
they bore a hole in the trunk of the tree, which, after 
having put fonie fait into it, they flop up, and, at the 
end of a few days, the fruit drops of itfelf. Oranges 
were firft brought to Europe from China; for which we 
are indebted to the Portuguefe. Of this fruit, the Chi¬ 
nefe have a great number of kinds. They have alfo 
lemons and citrons in abundance: but, as roots and 
greens are the principal nourifhment of the Chinefe, they 
ipare no labour to procure them good. They cultivate 
even the bottom of their waters ; and the beds of then- 
lakes, ponds and rivulets, produce crops that to us are 
unknown. Their induftry has found out refo.urces in a 
number of aquatic plants, feveral of which, as the pi-tfi, 
or water-chefnut, and the lien-wha, or Nymphea ne- 
lumbo of Linnaeus, are the greateft delicacies of a Chi¬ 
nefe table. The government has caufed this latter plant 
to be cultivated in all the lakes, ma.rlhes, and walle 
grounds covered with water, which belong to the ftate. 
And the late emperor ordered all the canals which 
ornament his gardens, to be planted with it. It is 
exceedingly wholefome, and has a moll delicate, tafte. 
It is givenLo fick people to chew, being very cooling for 
the mouth. 
■ Among the moll remarkable of the botanical produc¬ 
tions of China, are the following; the .tallow-tree, or 
Croton febiferum of Linnaeus, from the pulp of the 
berries of which they prepare their tallow, and mould 
their candles. The varnifh-tree, or Rhus, from which 
the Chinefe procure that,excellent varnifh, which gives 
fo much luftre and beauty to their manufactures. The 
iron-tree, or Sideroxylum, which is fo hardandheavy 
that it finks in water, admits edged tools to be made of 
it, and from which the Chinefe manufacture molt of their 
anchors. The bamboo, or Arundo, a fpecies of reed 
which grows to fuch a iize, that of its trunk they make 
their pipes and Ihoots for conveying water; and with its 
leaves they cover the joinings of their tea-chefts. The 
role-wood, or Genista, ‘with which the Chinefe make all 
their elegant furniture. The camphor-tree, oi-Laurus, 
from which they produce large quantities of camphor for 
commerce. The pine, the cedar, the cyprefs, and all the 
molt famed oriental trees, grow here in the utmolt per¬ 
fection, and in immenle forelts ; but the molt valuable 
of all their vegetable productions, is the tea-tree, or 
The a, from which they derive fuch an immenfe revenue, 
and which forms one of the molt prominent articles of 
commerce of our Ealt India company. - Next to this in 
point of value is their cotton-tree, the Gossypium, 
which they cultivate in fuch quantities, as to render cot 
ton the univerfal wear of both fexes of the common 
people throughout China. Ail the rich fruits, the moll 
lhperb flowers and flowering Ihrubs, and moll of the 
aromatic vegetables, are natives of China. The rhubarb 
or Rheum; the ginfeng, or Panax ; the comfrey, or 
Symphytum, with many other of the molt valuable 
medical plants, abound here, infomuch that a pound of 
the belt rhubarb in China is laid to colt only two-pence. 
For particulars of all the forementioned trees and plants, 
fee under their reipeCtive generic names, in this work. 
The mountains and valt forelts of China abound with 
every lpecies of wild animals, fuch as the rhinoceros, 
elephants, leopards, tygers, bears, wolves, foxes, buffkr 
loes, camels, wild liorfes, &c. but they have no lions. 
Beavers and ermines are found in the northern provinces ; 
but the Ikins which they furnifh are much inferior ta 
thole procured from Siberia. Game alfo abounds in 
China. The markets of Pekin, in winter, are filled with 
different heaps of volatile, terreltrial, and aquatic, ani¬ 
mals, hardened by cold and perfectly lecure againlt all 
corruption. Prodigious quantities of elks. Hags, deer, 
goats, wild boars, hares, rabbits, fquirrels, and wild rats, 
geefe, ducks, partridges, pheafants, and quails, are feen 
there, as are alfo feveral kinds of game, not to be found 
in Europe. 
The Chinele liorfes have neither the ftrength, beauty, 
nor iwiftnefs of ours; and the inhabitants of the country 
have not the art of breaking them properly: but the 
Tartarian horfes are in general high bred and very fine. 
Camels, both wild and domeftic, are found in the north- 
ealt part of China; and the fat, which is produced from 
the bunches of the wild camels, and named bunch-oily is 
much ufed in Chinefe medicine. 
There are feveral lpecies of apes in China. A fpecies 
of.orang-outang, named fm-fm, differs from the reft in 
iuperiority of lize, being equal to the bulk of an ordi¬ 
nary man. They walk with facility on their hind legs ; 
and all their aCtions have a fingular conformity to thole 
of the human fpecies. The molt beautiful quadruped 
of China is a Hag, which is about the fize of an Italian 
grey-hound. It is probably the cervus guineenlis. See 
Cervus. The princes and mandarins buy them at an 
exceflive price, and keep them as curiolities in their 
gardens. They have alio another fpecies, of a very fu- 
perior iize, which they call the horfe-Jlag. They .have 
alfo the mulk-deer, or as the Chinefe call it, the biang- 
tcbang-tfe. 
The Jefuits inform us, that in the thick forelts of Tar¬ 
tary, to the north of the great wall, there is found a‘ 
lpecies of flying-fox. They deferibe his wings as being 
only thin membranes, which extend from one foot to 
another, 
